SUNDAY 9TH APRIL 2023

In Battle for Biden’s Congratulatory Message, Alake Differs with Chimamanda on Outcome of 2023 Elections Segun James

In an apparent move to ensure the President of the United States, Mr. Joe Biden, sends a congratulatory message to the President-elect,

Senator Bola Tinubu, his Special Adviser on Communications, Mr. Dele Alake, has faulted the claim by an internationally acclaimed novelist, Chimamanda Adichie, that the All Progressives Congress (APC)

could not have won the election, if the results had been uploaded in real-time to the INEC Result Viewing (IREV) portal.

Chimamanda, in an open letter to Biden, criticised the US government

for congratulating Tinubu on his victory at the poll.

Though the US has congratulated Tinubu, its President has not formally sent a congratulatory message from the White House.

February 25, the day of the Nigerian presidential election.

“Many Nigerians went out to vote holding in their hearts a new

In Chimamanda’s open letter titled: ‘Nigeria’s Hollow Democracy,’ published in The Atlantic, a United States-based newspaper, she noted that “something remarkable happened on the morning of

Continued on page 5

See eCopy of THISDAY Style on www.thisdaylive.com Sunday 9 April, 2023 Vol 28. No 10224

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Easter: Tinubu, Atiku, Gbajabiamila, Obi, Others Kick against Agents of Disunity… Page 10

Buhari Fumes as Gunmen Again Kill over 40 in Benue IDP Camp Ortom appeals to president to match words with action Deji Elumoye in Abuja and George Okoh in Makurdi President Muhammadu Buhari

yesterday condemned in strong terms the recent bout of killings in Benue State in which tens of people were killed in Umogidi

community of Entekpa-Adoka in Otukpo Local Government Area of the state, urging that all efforts be made to end the “extreme violence.”

This is just as Governor Samuel Ortom appealed to President Buhari to match words with action by deploying more troops to stem

the killings in the affected areas.

However, in a fresh incident on Friday night, no fewer than 43 internally displaced people (IDPs)

were killed in a late-night attack on LGEA Primary School Mgban, Continued on page 5

Northern Aspirants Move against Zoning N’Assembly Leadership Positions by APC North-central may retain national chairmanship slot North-west, South-south, South-east jostle for Senate presidency, Speakership Chuks Okocha and Sunday Aborisade in Abuja Some northern aspirants for the leadership positions in the National Assembly have kicked against the planned zoning arrangement of the All Progressives Congress (APC) to elect the presiding officers of the two chambers, THISDAY’s investigation has revealed.

THISDAY gathered that some aspirants from the North-west, North-central, and North-east are opposed to the zoning of the leadership positions in the National Assembly because the party did not zone its presidential ticket to any geopolitical zone.

Investigation however revealed that despite the opposition by the northern aspirants, the North-central may retain the position of the National Chairman of the party, just as the party may settle for the South-east or the South-south for the position of the Senate President.

At the moment, 30 senators had been re-elected and among the 98 Continued on page 5

WE LOVE YOU ALWAYS… L-R: British Deputy High Commissioner to Nigeria, Ms. Gill Athinson; outgoing United Kingdom High Commissioner to Nigeria, Mrs. Catriona Campbell Laing; her daughter, Anya; President Muhammadu Buhari; and Minister of Foreign Affairs, Mr. Geoffrey Onyeama, during a farewell audience at the State House in Abuja…recently

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Scores Die as Fulani, Hausa Clash in Sokoto

Onuminya Innocent in Sokoto

There was tension in Gwadabawa community of Sokoto State, following a conflict between the Fulani and Hausa people residing in the area.

It led to the death of many

locals from both sides, including a security operative.

A local official, Aminu Gwadabawa, told the VOA Hausa in an interview monitored by our correspondent yesterday that “People in the area were living in fear, as the conflict even claimed

the life of a soldier.

“They are afraid of reprisal attacks from the Fulani bandits.”

According to a survivor, “the Fulani attacked my relation with knives. But he has spiritual powers that would not allow sharp objects to pierce his skin.

“So they intensified the attack on him and succeeded in hacking his head off his body.”

Similarly, a Fulani man who survived the violent communal clash, narrated his ordeal.

According to him, “I was shot at twice but I survived. I begged

them not to kill me. But they shot at me.”

The VOA Hausa reported that when the police in Sokoto were contacted, they said they were still waiting for details of the attack.

Scores were reportedly killed

during the conflict, while many sustained injuries.

Attacks allegedly by Fulani bandits, were not new in the area as of recent.

Bandits reportedly raided communities in Rabah and other locations in the North-west state.

NORTHERN ASPIRANTS MOVE AGAINST ZONING N’ASSEMBLY LEADERSHIP POSITIONS BY APC seats declared so far.

The APC has 57 Senators, the opposition Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) has 29; Labour Party (LP) has six seats; the New Nigeria People’s Party (NNPP) has two; Social Democratic Party (SDP) has two; while the All Progressives Grand Alliance (APGA) and the Young Progressives Party (YPP) have one senator each.

In the House of Representatives, the APC has 162 members-elect, the PDP has 102 seats; LP has 34 seats; NNPP has 18 seats; APGA has four seats while the SDP and African Democratic Congress (ADC) have two seats each.

Aspirants for the position of the 10th Senate presidency include the current Senate President, Dr. Ahmad Lawan (North-east); Senator Sani Musa (APC, Niger East); Orji Uzor Kalu (South-east); Jibrin Barau (North-west); Godswill Akpabio (South-south); Ali Ndume (Northeast); Abdul- Aziz Yari (North-west); Adams Oshiomhole (South-south); David Umahi (South-east) and Osita Izunaso (South-east).

At least, nine federal lawmakers had joined the race for the position of the Speaker, House of Representatives. They are Aliyu Betara (North-east); Aminu Sani Jaji (North-west); Idris Wase (Northcentral); Benjamin Kalu (South-east); Ado Doguwa (North-west); Yusuf Gagdi (North-central); Princess Mariam Onuoha (South-east); Makki Abubakar Yalleman (Northwest); and Abdulraheem Olawuyi (North-central).

THISDAY gathered that the

northern aspirants in both chambers are opposed to the planned zoning of these leadership positions by the party.

Indications that the aspirants from the north might not honour the zoning arrangements being planned by the APC leadership emerged during the week with new entrants into the race.

For instance, Senator Ndume and Barau, who are eyeing the Senate presidency, as well as Betara and Wase, who want to become the Speaker of the 10th House of Representatives, have said they would contest with or without the zoning arrangement.

Jibrin noted that the position of the Senate president requires experience and competence, not sentiments.

He said: “Legislature is a distinct arm of government that doesn’t work based on sentiments, it works on your ability to get the job done.

It is the tradition all over the world and it is also stated there in our rule book and the rules are drafted from our constitutions."

He argued that the Senate’s rule gives credence to seniority and experience above sentiments.

He said: “It is stated there in our standing rules that aspirations of elections for the seat of the Senate Presidency shall be in accordance with ranking.

"Among those who are running for the seat of the Senate Presidency, I am the most ranked senator.

"So, it’s constitutional and among those who are showing their intentions to run for the

Senate Presidency, I am the most experienced,” he explained.

An aspirant for the position of the Speaker, House of Representatives, Muktar Betara vowed to fight on even if the position is not zoned to his North-east geopolitical region.

On his part, Betara in a statement by his campaign group, the Betara National Patriotic Mandate, said he was aware of “deft moves” by some influential leaders to zone the North-east out of the speakership race.

The statement was signed by the National Coordinator of the group, Mallam Maigari Al- Amin.

He said: “We are watching the events that are going on and we can see that some influential leaders are making deft moves to zone the North-east out of the speakership race.

"We hereby say that our principal, Betara, Insha Allah shall become the Speaker because nobody can cow us and even convince us to stop this project. We shall fight on and win whether the party zones to the North-east or not.”

THISDAY gathered that only Senator Sani Musa (Niger East) has so far pledged to step down and contest the position of the Deputy Senate President if the National Working Committee (NWC) of the APC did not zone the Senate President position to his geopolitical zone.

Describing Nigeria as a secular nation, he stressed the need to ensure the balance between the two main religions in the country.

He noted that the tension that

IN BATTLE FOR BIDEN’S CONGRATULATORY MESSAGE, ALAKE DIFFERS WITH CHIMAMANDA ON OUTCOME OF 2023 ELECTIONS sense of trust. Cautious trust, but still trust.”

In the letter, she argued that what followed was a breach of that trust, when on February 26, social media became flooded with evidence of voting irregularities.

“Numbers crossed out and rewritten; some originally written in black ink had been rewritten in blue, some blunderingly white-out with Tipp-Ex. The election had not only been rigged, but done in such a shoddy, shabby manner that it insulted the intelligence of Nigerians.”

According to her, the ruling party’s candidate, Tinubu, was eventually announced as the President-elect of Nigeria.

“Rage is brewing,” Adichie said, “especially among young people.

The discontent, the despair, the tension in the air have not been this palpable in years.”

The novelist faulted the United States State Department’s response in congratulating Tinubu and accepting the election results.

“American intelligence surely cannot be so inept. A little homework and they would know what is manifestly obvious to me and so many others: The process was imperiled not by technical shortcomings, but by deliberate manipulation.”

She told Biden that: “You have spoken of the importance of a ‘global community for democracy,’ and the need to stand up for ‘justice and the rule of law.’

“A global community for democracy cannot thrive in the face of apathy from its most powerful member. Why would the United States, which prioritises the rule of law, endorse a president-elect who has emerged from an unlawful process?”

She argued that: “Congratulating (the election’s) outcome, President Biden tarnishes America’s

self-proclaimed commitment to democracy. Please do not give the sheen of legitimacy to an illegitimate process. The United States should be what it says it is.”

But in his response, Alake said Chimamanda Adichie’s letter to the US President was based on “falsehood.”

Alake said Adichie relied on “rumours, hearsay, presumptuous conjectures, and outright falsehood” in her letter, adding that she did not provide any evidence to back her claims.

Alake, in a rejoinder, said the novelist would be lucky to avoid being asked to prove her allegation in court.

“Chimamanda will be lucky if she does not have to prove this weighty allegation in court,” he said.

While trying to prove the credibility of the election, Alake stated that the decisions of the Labour Party’s Presidential candidate, Mr. Peter Obi, and his counterpart in the New Nigeria People’s Party (NNPP), Mr. Rabiu Kwankwaso, to defect from the PDP to LP and NNPP, respectively helped Tinubu to win the election.

“It is instructive that Peter Obi and Rabiu Kwankwaso broke away from the PDP to contest the election on the platforms of the LP and NNPP, respectively. Had the PDP contested the election as one with Obi and Kwankwaso in its fold, winning the election would have been an uphill, almost impossible task for the APC. “But contesting on three separate platforms against the ruling party as they did, the victory of the APC was logically and empirically inevitable,” he wrote.

He noted that Chimamanda also based her opinion on the outcome of the election on “flawed opinion polls” conducted before the 25 February election.

“Chimamanda had pinned her hopes on a possible Obi victory partly on predictions of flawed opinion polls, some of which were predicated on statistically negligible and thus unreliable sample sizes and others on no discernible empirical basis whatsoever. Opinion polls do not win elections,” Alake said.

Alake questioned Chimamanda’s knowledge of Nigeria’s electoral laws and the role of technology in the last election.

“Chimamanda betrays her ignorance of Nigerian politics and unwittingly misled her readers,” he added.

“Without the slightest shred of evidence, Chimamanda avers that INEC’s inability to upload results of the presidential elections online as promised on February 25 was not due to technical hitches, but rather deliberate human mischief and manipulation to rig the election. In her words, ‘If results were updated right after voting was concluded, then the ruling party, the All Progressives Congress (APC), which has been in power since 2015, would have no opportunity for manipulation.

Technology would redeem democracy.

Results would no longer feature more than voters. Nigerians would no longer have their leaders chosen for them”.

Alake described Chimamanda’s claim as a mischievous distortion of reality and utterly laughable.

According to him, the introduction of the Bimodal Voters Accreditation System (BVAS) in the 2023 election for the first time indeed helped to ensure that only duly accredited voters could vote.

Alake argued that it was now no longer possible for party agents in collusion with unscrupulous electoral officials and security agents to simply thumbprint ballot papers and stuff ballot boxes in favour of certain parties and candidates.

heralded the Muslim-Muslim presidential ticket of the APC should be avoided in the race for the Senate Presidency.

He said: "For the exigencies of our time, looking at the volatile situation of what has generated the Muslim-Muslim ticket in this country, I am one person that believes in the secularity of one Nigeria.

"I am one person that believes that, for every reason, there should be given and taken in this country.

"We have lived with both Christians and Muslims. Some of us still have relatives that are still Christians and Muslims,” he added.

Chief Whip of the Senate, Kalu, who had declared that it was his turn to become the Senate President, being a ranking lawmaker from the South-east geopolitical zone, had also rejected the idea of having a Muslim as a Senate President, saying he would not be comfortable with such arrangement.

He said: “I will not be comfortable with a Muslim Senate President because this is a secular state.

"In a secular state, we need to accommodate interests, nations, and spread to be able to maintain the secularity of our country.

“To me, as I told you, people, the truth here before, that I believe in a Muslim-Muslim ticket, I would not believe in another Senate President being a Muslim. It will not augur well for the country,” Kalu added.

But on their part, Ndume, Jibrin, Wase, and Betara have argued that the best way to ensure competence, character, and experience in the choice of National Assembly leadership is to allow the ranking lawmakers to demonstrate their capacity by seeking votes directly from their colleagues instead of zoning the offices.

Most aspirants from the North are insisting on the tradition of the National Assembly, which gives the advantage to lawmakers serving their second or more terms to be elected as presiding officers.

Already, some of the aspirants have intensified efforts at lobbying their fellow senators-elect amidst allegations of financial inducement.

North-central May Retain National Chairmanship Slot as South-south, Southeast Jostle for Senate Presidency Meanwhile, despite the opposition by most aspirants from the North, the APC may retain the position of the national chairman to the Northcentral and zone the Senate president to the South-east or South-south.

THISDAY gathered that the position of the national chairman will be moved from Nasarawa State to Benue State, where a serving minister said to be an ally of the President-elect, Bola Tinubu is expected to clinch the position.

According to a member of the party’s NWC, who spoke to THISDAY in confidence, the position of the national secretary, currently occupied by Osun State in the South-west, will be moved to either the South-east or South-south.

"The incumbent national chairman could be given an ambassadorial position if he accepts, but certainly, he is just marking his time because he knows that there is no way he can retain his position since the President-elect and the vice president-elect are Muslims.

"It is a matter of time for the zoning to be officially brought to the notice of all", the source explained, stating that the new zoning arrangement will also affect

the office of the national secretary.

"As you know, the incumbent national secretary is from Osun State and in the South- west zone, where the President-elect is from.

Therefore, the office has to be moved to either the South-east or Southsouth, depending on the political calculations of pundits seeking the office of the Senate President."

The source said that if the office of the Senate president is zoned to the South-east, then the Southsouth will produce the secretary, and vice versa.

He ruled out the possibility of the North-west producing the Senate President due to the need for religious balancing.

"The person who has indicated interest to become the Senate president is well qualified, but on the account of religious balancing, he is out.

He argued that aspirants from the North-central region face the same challenge.

Asked whether the President-elect supports the national chairman emerging from the North-central, the source stated that “in actual sense, he is the person pushing for this candidate that is currently a serving minister.

"He pushed for him in 2015 for the office of the senate president and later supported his aspiration to become the national chairman in the last APC convention,” the source explained.

“If what is on the ground is sustained, the incumbent Deputy Speaker from Plateau State may emerge the Speaker, and the position of the Deputy Senate President may be ceded to the North-west," he added.

He explained that if the proposed zoning plans are adopted, the office of the Deputy Speaker may come from any of the three zones in the South, particularly the South-west.

BUHARI FUMES AS GUNMEN AGAIN KILL OVER 40 IN BENUE IDP CAMP in Nyiev Council Ward of Guma LGA of Benue State by suspected armed herders.

It was learnt that the marauders stormed the primary school, which houses IDPs, at around 10 p.m. on Good Friday.

According to an eyewitness, there were infants and pregnant women among the 43 bodies that have so far been removed from the scene of the attack.

While scores of others have suffered severe injuries, many people are still missing.

The attack came a few days after a similar attack in Umogidi village, Enetekpa Adoka district of Otukpo LGA claimed 52 lives.

Reacting to the attack in Otukpo LGA, President Buhari, in a statement issued yesterday by presidential spokesman, Garba Shehu, condemned the use of terrorism as a tool in inter-communal conflicts.

He urged that the attackers be found and dealt with swiftly under the law.

President Buhari conveyed his grief and sympathy to the families of those who lost their lives due to the attack and directed the secret services, police, and military commanders to enhance surveillance on every front and to immediately review the security management in the affected areas.

“Our thoughts and prayers are with the families of those murdered.

The entire nation stands united in the fight against the forces of terror and evil,” said the president.

Narrating the latest incident in Guma LGA, a resident identified as Jonah disclosed that the armed

men attacked the community around 10 pm on Friday.

According to Jonah, a pregnant woman and her son were among those killed while many people were injured.

The Security Adviser of the Guma LGA, Christopher Waku, however, stated that 34 people were killed while over 40 others were injured.

Waku said he was at the scene of the incident, adding that the people killed were displaced from their various ancestral homes and were taking refuge at a classroom in LGEA Mgban.

He said: “We recovered 24 corpses inside the classroom while the remaining 10 bodies were picked up along the road in the community. They were killed while running away.

“It happened yesterday (Friday), about a few minutes after 9 pm.

Some armed men suspected to be herders came and attacked the community called Mgban; killing 34 persons while over 40 were severely injured and have been taken to the hospital. This killing can best be described as genocide.”

The incident is the latest in the spate of killings happening in the state.

On Wednesday, no fewer than 52 persons were killed in an attack by gunmen on Umogidi village of Entekpa-Adoka district of Otukpo Local Government Area.

In March, it was reported that 50 persons were allegedly killed by suspected herders who invaded communities in Kwande LGA of the state.

In February, some gunmen were

also said to have attacked the Ikobi community in Apa LGA, killing three persons.

THISDAY had reported how three kinsmen of Governor Samuel Ortom were killed by the gunmen.

Triggered by the killings, hundreds of youths, on Friday, mounted roadblocks on the Otukpo-OwetoAbuja federal highway in protest, leading to the disruption of vehicular movement that was reportedly disrupted for several hours.

The youths held banners protesting the insecurity in the state. Some of the banners read: “Bleeding constituency, save Apa/ Agatu, preserve Idomas.”

Speaking with journalists yesterday, the state police spokesperson, Sewuese Anene, confirmed the attack on Friday night, but the casualty figure was yet to be determined.

Sewuese further added that the commissioner of police, Wale Abasse will visit the scene of the attack to ascertain what happened, and the casualty figures.

This attack followed the killing of a traditional ruler in Apa LGA earlier in the week along with many others before the attackers moved to the Otukpo LGA on Wednesday.

Meanwhile, Ortom, who visited Mgbam community in Nyiev council ward of Guma LGA, yesterday, urged President Buhari to match words with action by deploying more troops to stem the killings in the affected areas.

The governor put the number of persons killed in the last five days in Otukpo, Apa and Guma LGAs at 134.

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NEWS

SYNERGY FOR DEVELOPMENT… L-R: Delta State First Lady, Dame Edith Okowa; Olu of Warri, His Majesty Ogiame Atuwatse III; his wife, Olori Atuwatse III; and Finnish Ambassador to Nigeria, Her Excellency Leena Pylvanainen, after a business roundtable on development roadmap of Warri Kingdom in Warri...recently

Senior Lawyers Ask N’Assembly to Override Buhari’s Refusal of Assent to Constitution Alteration Bills Falana considers seeking judicial interpretation of Section 9

Gboyega Akinsanmi Some senior lawyers yesterday called on the National Assembly to override the recent decision of President Muhammadu Buhari to withhold assent to 16 of the Constitution Alteration Bills, 2023 after exhausting 30 days within which he was expected to sign the bills.

Enraged by Buhari’s decision, human rights lawyer and former President of West African Bar Association, Mr. Femi Falana (SAN) has resolved to seek judicial interpretation of Section 9 of the Constitution of the Federal Republic of Nigeria, 1999 (as amended).

In separate responses to THISDAY’s inquiries yesterday, ex-President of Nigerian Bar Association, Chief Joseph Daudu (SAN); a human rights lawyer, Dr. Mike Ozekhome (SAN); former Lagos State AttorneyGeneral and Commissioner for Justice, Mr. Adeniji Kazeem (SAN), and a seasoned lawyer, Mr. Kunle Adegoke (SAN) urged the federal lawmakers to override the president's decision.

The debate arose from Buhari’s decision to withhold assent to 16 of the 32 amendment bills to the 1999 Constitution, which the National Assembly recently presented

Datti Will Not Debate With Soyinka, Says Labour Party Emameh Gabriel in Abuja The Labour Party’s Presidential Campaign Council has said its vice-presidential candidate for the February 25 presidential election, Datti Baba-Ahmed, would not engage Professor Wole Soyinka in any debate.

Soyinka, Africa’s first Nobel Prize winner in literature, had challenged Datti for a oneon-one interview on national television.

Soyinka offered himself for a debate in a statement titled: “Fascism on Course,” while reacting to a cyber-attack from OBidients, describing them as one of the most repulsive and off-putting concoctions he has encountered in any political arena.

This came after BabaAhmed’s recent appearance on a live television programme, where he stressed that “whoever swears in Mr. Tinubu” has “ended Democracy” in Nigeria, a position which Soyinka described as dictating to the judiciary and inappropriate.

Responding to Soyinka’s challenge, the party PCC in a statement made available to THISDAY yesterday, said it was, like many Nigerians, bewildered by the late-hour intervention of

Soyinka on issues around the flawed 2023 elections.

According to the statement, “One of those who should ordinarily and rightfully be honoured as the conscience of the nation, Soyinka, is now criminalising dissent and in fact weighing in on the side of fraud and injustice!”

The party explained that it was culturally indecent given “their age and accomplishment gaps taken into account, for Datti to sit opposite the 88-yearold global icon and point out his folly to his face, even if the old man called for it.

“We state therefore that the vice-presidential candidate of Labour Party, Dr. Yusuf Datti Baba-Ahmed cannot take up Prof. Soyinka’s offer of a public debate, not out of cowardice, but for cultural and political reasons.

“And politically there is no basis for such a challenge in that Prof Soyinka is not on any of the opposite ballots.

“If, however, he can use his influence to drag his preferred candidates, who resisted debates throughout the campaign, to the studio this second, Datti says he is more than willing to take them on,” the Labour Party added.

to him for assent.

President Buhari signed 16 other constitutional amendment bills into law. One of the laws Buhari signed empowers state governments to generate, transmit and distribute electricity within their territories under the new regime.

Another law also empowers the federating units nationwide to undertake railway projects without undue interference from the federal government.

While the senior lawyers largely disagreed over whether or not the president could withhold assent to the Constitution Alteration Bills, 2023, they agreed that the lawmakers are constitutionally empowered to reconsider the amendment bills and override Buhari’s exercise of presidential veto.

Faulting Buhari’s resolve to withhold assent to the 16 constitution alteration bills, Falana explained that there are two sections of the 1999 Constitution, which according to him, provided for the alteration of the constitution and the amendment of other regular bills from the National Assembly.

He first cited Section 9 of the 1999 Constitution, which “absolutely empowers the National Assembly and 36 State Houses of Assembly to alter any part of the constitution. This section does not make provision for the president to withhold assent,” Falana said.

He also cited Section 58 of the 1999 Constitution, which according to him, literally provides for the process and requirements for amending or enacting other regular bills originating from the National Assembly.

Under Section 58, Falana argued that the president could exercise discretion “to assent or withhold assent to newly passed bills or amended bills.

But constitution alteration is not like other regular bills.

“Section 9 is unambiguous

on the power of the National Assembly and 36 State Houses of Assembly to alter any part of the 1999 Constitution. We are now considering interpretation of Sections 9 and 58 of the 1999 Constitution with respect to the power of the president.”

Ozekhome partly aligned with Falana’s argument that the president lacked the power to reject 16 constitution alteration bills duly passed by the three quarters of the National Assembly and two thirds of the 36 State Houses of Assembly.

He therefore faulted Buhari’s decision on three grounds, which he argued, the president should have duly considered before withholding assent to the constitution alteration bills.

Ozekhome, first, pointed out the requirements for the alteration of the Constitution enshrined in Section 9 of the 1999 Constitution “is very laborious and tortuous. “The requirements are different from the conditions for amending or enacting other regular bills from the National Assembly.

“In this case, 27 State Houses of Assembly passed 32 Constitution Alteration Bills, 2023. The process was on for over three years. To think the president will override the bills is curious to me. I do not think Mr. President should reject the resolution of the federal and state legislature. He should be advised to assent to these bills immediately,” Ozekhome explained.

He also explained the powers of the president under Section 58, which according to him, requires him to assent or withhold assent to any bill whether executive, individual or legislative.

Ozekhome, however, observed that the power of the president to exercise veto with respect to any bill, even in the case of constitutional amendment, “is not absolute and unlimited.”

He said: “If the president refuses to assent, then the

bills come back to the National Assembly. After 30 days, the National Assembly can reconsider the bills and then overrides the veto of the president.

“Whether you call it a bill to amend the Constitution or any other regular bill, a bill is a bill whatever may be the purpose behind it. On this ground, the 16 constitution alteration bills should be taken back to the National Assembly. After 30 days, the National Assembly should veto the bills, and then they become laws immediately.”

In his argument, Adegoke toed the same path with Falana and Ozekhome, noting that the president “cannot override the resolution of the National Assembly and 36 State Houses of Assembly once the provisions of the 1999 Constitution are duly compiled.”

As it happened in this current situation, Adegoke said: “The National Assembly can reconsider the particular bills and pass them into law. There is no provision in Section 9 of the Constitution that mandates the President to assent to the constitution bills.

“The implication is that where there is exercise of veto by the President, the National Assembly can now pass the bills into laws and they have to become effective after a period of time required by the Constitution.”

In his own case, Daudu largely disagreed with Falana on the ground that Section 9, which prescribed the alteration procedure, did not expressly provide that the assignment excluded presidential assent.

He, thus, noted: “If that had been the intention of the framers of the Constitution, they would have expressly provided for it.”

He also pointed out that Section 58 “is the provision that states the procedures whereby all Bills transmute into legislation. Specifically, sub-sections 4 and 5 prescribe that all bills without exception

must pass through the President for his assent or refusal to assent.

“Except and unless the instrument being sent to the President is not a Bill but is a resolution or other legislative document that same will not require Presidential assent.

“In this instance, all constitutional alteration proposals are couched in the form of bills. That being the case, it must be assented to by the President for it to become law,” Daudu said.

Like Daudu, Kazeem warned against reading Section 9 of the 1999 Constitution in isolation of Section 58, which according to him, stated that all bills, whether constitutional or regular, required the assent of the president to become effective.

He, therefore, argued that it remained within the exclusive competence of the National Assembly to make laws for the good of the entire country, though observed that the Constitution “has provided for checks and balances by making it a condition precedent for the president to assent to bills validly passed by the National Assembly.

“The power of the executive, which is vested in the President to veto a Bill, cannot be whittled down by any legislative overzealousness. In interpreting the Constitution, the Supreme Court has always recommended in a plethora of cases that all the sections are to be construed together and hence it is impermissible to construe sections in isolation,” Kazeem further observed.

He, however, noted that the power of assent “is not absolute as the President must act within the ambits of the law and not to unnecessarily withhold assent whimsically.

“The Constitution therefore provides for a means to dispense with this condition in the event that the president withholds assent against the majority interest of the society.”

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MOVING AGAINST FLOOD… L-R: Project Consultant, Storm Drainage Channel, Mr. John Onwualu; Delta State Commissioner for Works, Mr. Noel Omodon; and Governor Ifeanyi Okowa, during the governor’s inspection of the flood control projects in the state…yesterday

Easter: Tinubu, Atiku, Gbajabiamila, Obi, Others Kick against Agents of Disunity Our Correspondents The President-elect, Senator Bola Tinubu; the presidential candidate of the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP), Atiku Abubakar; Speaker of the House of Representatives, Hon. Femi Gbajabiamila, presidential candidate of the Labour Party, Mr. Peter Obi; the Catholic Archbishop of Abuja, Most Rev. Ignatius Kaigama, and governors of Delta, Cross River, Bayelsa, Ogun, Enugu, Nasarawa, and Imo states have called on Nigerians to shun the agents of disunity in the country.

In his Easter message, Tinubu stated that a peaceful, strong, united, and prosperous country is achievable if Nigerians eschew divisive, parochial, ethnic, and religious sentiments and rivalries.

Tinubu rejoiced with Christians in Nigeria and all over the world who are celebrating Easter.

He urged everyone to reflect on the priceless sacrifice and limitless love of God for mankind.

On his part, Atiku urged citizens to avoid instigators who are trying to sow division across ethnic and religious lines in the country.

He charged Nigerians to “collectively own our problems and collectively find solutions to overcome them.”

Atiku called on “leaders at all levels” to “come together to help

all Nigerians resolve the differences that divide us.”

The Speaker of the House of Representatives, Gbajabiamila, has rejoiced with Christians across the country on the occasion of this year's Easter celebration.

He said the period is very crucial and calls for sober reflection among Christians as it marks the resurrection of Jesus Christ.

The Speaker, in a statement by his Special Adviser on Media and Publicity, Lanre Lasisi, called for peaceful coexistence among Nigerians now and always.

While urging the Christians, to use the period to pray for a peaceful transition on May 29, he also called for prayers for the incoming administration of President-elect, Tinubu and Vice President-elect Kashim Shettima, as well as other leaders in the country.

In his message, Obi urged Nigerians not to despair in the face of tribulations and provocations because Easter is about hope and promise for all who believe.

Obi, in a message to Nigerian Christians celebrating Easter as well as Muslims who are observing the Ramadan fast, noted that Muslims are in the middle of their 30 days of special prayers and fasting that will culminate in Eid-el-Fitr.

He said he is praying with Muslims during this solemn period

for a great and peaceful Nigeria ahead.

He said: “To our Muslim brothers and sisters who are well into the Ramadan fasting period, which will culminate in the Eid-el-Fitr, my special greetings and prayers are with you as we look forward to a joyous celebration.

In the Easter message, Obi noted: “Every religion believes that God our creator is of justice, so why should we as his children not expect it from him?”

On his part, the Catholic Archbishop of Abuja, Most Rev. Kaigama advised newly elected leaders in the country to be selfless, and accountable and to avoid religious and ethnic bigotry if they must enthrone a new Nigeria.

In his Easter message to Nigerians, Kaigama said that regardless of who won or lost the elections, what is paramount is how to work together toward a brighter future for Nigeria and for all Nigerians.

Also, while felicitating with the Nigerian Christians, the Delta State Governor, Dr. Ifeanyi Okowa, in a statement by his Chief Press

Secretary, Mr. Olisa Ifeajika, said that the country, as a community, would be a better place if adherents of Christianity imbibed the spirit of love, peace, and sacrifice, which were the virtues epitomised in Christ.

He said that Nigeria was in a critical period, plagued by varying challenges and uncertainties, and charged Christians to use the solemnity of Easter to go in full supplications to God for His intervention. In an Easter message signed by his Special Adviser, Media, and Publicity, Christian Ita, the Governor of Cross River State, Sir Ben Ayade admonished Christians across the country to imbibe the exemplary life of love, selflessness, sacrifice, and forgiveness which Christ demonstrated in His death, burial, and resurrection for the redemption of mankind.

In his message, the Bayelsa State Governor, Senator Douye Diri, urged Nigerians, particularly Christians and residents of the state, to emulate the virtues of love, compassion, sacrifice, peace, and humility demonstrated by the Lord and Saviour, Jesus Christ.

Ogun State Governor, Prince Dapo

Abiodun, in his Easter message signed by his Chief Press Secretary, Kunle Somorin, equally urged the Christians to reflect on the resurrection of Jesus as a sign of God's love and gift to them, hence, they should not stop spreading love and they should continue to promote unity.

On his part, Governor Ifeanyi Ugwuanyi of Enugu State has called on the Christian faithful and indeed all Nigerians to reflect and commit themselves to the advancement of peace, love, and unity in appreciation of the great sacrifice that Jesus Christ made for the atonement of sins and salvation of mankind.

Meanwhile, Governor Abdullahi Sule of Nasarawa State has urged Christians to seize the Easter moment for spiritual rejuvenation and ensure their activities were not at variance with the life and teachings of Jesus Christ.

The governor stated this yesterday in his Easter message signed by his Chief Press Secretary, Ibrahim Addra, to felicitate with Christians on the occasion of the 2023 Easter celebration.

Also in his Easter message,

Governor Hope Uzodimma of Imo State has urged the citizens to demonstrate the sacrificial love of Christ in their relationship with their neighbours, state, and nation.

The governor said the Easter celebration is meaningful, only when we rededicate ourselves to the service of God and humanity, through proper reflection on Christ's uncommon love for mankind.

Also, the governor-elect of Enugu State, Dr. Peter Mbah, has called on the people of the state to join hands to build the state into a land of collective prosperity, noting that love and unity were critical elements in moving the state forward.

Mbah, who also reiterated his commitment to the socio-economic transformation of the state, enjoined the people to see themselves as one Waawa people, who must collectively rise to the challenge of building the state into a preferred place for doing business and for tourism and living.

He stated these in his Easter message to the people of Enugu State yesterday, adding that his election was both a clarion call to service and rendezvous with destiny.

Onyeama: I Wasn’t Suspended for Refusing to Lead Campaign against Obi to US Michael Olugbode in Abuja

of Foreign Affairs yesterday and

called upon to disregard the story.”

Ngwu at the end of the party’s

he was suspended from the ruling All Progressives Congress (APC) for refusing to embark on a campaign of blackmail against the presidential candidate of the Labour Party (LP), Mr. Peter Obi. Onyeama was reported to have been suspended from the APC for allegedly refusing to travel to the United States to launch a “campaign of calumny” against the presidential candidate of the LP, Obi, who is in court to reclaim the presidential ticket he claimed to have won at the February 25 election.

A statement from the Ministry

attention of the Ministry of Foreign Affairs has been drawn to a story circulating on social media that the Honourable Minister of Foreign Affairs, Mr. Geoffrey Onyeama has been suspended by his party, the All Progressives Congress (APC) because as alleged, ‘he was sent to the United States to blackmail Peter Obi, and he declined the request.

“The Honourable Minister of Foreign Affairs states that there is no iota of truth to the mischievous allegations.

“The general public is therefore

suspension of former Governor Sullivan Chime; former Speaker of the state House of Assembly, Eugene Odoh; Director General of Voice of Nigeria, Osita Okechukwu; former Commissioner for Tourism, Ozor Joe Mmamel; Special Assistant to Foreign Affairs Minister, Flavour Eze; and former House of Representatives candidate in 2019, Maduka Arum.

The party had earlier expelled the former chairman of APC in the state, Dr. Ben Nwoye and a former deputy state chairman of the party, Mr. AC Udeh.

which he said were ratified by the SEC during her meeting.

While the party accused Nnamani and Chime of openly endorsing and campaigning for the governorship candidate of the PDP, Mr. Peter Mbah, Onyeama was accused of campaigning for the presidential candidate of Labour Party, Mr. Peter Obi. He was also accused of working for the governorship candidate of PDP, Mbah, using federal government’s palliatives like cooking stove, wrappers, rice and garri.

signed by its spokesperson, Mrs. The Enugu State Secretary State Executive Committee (SEC) Kidnappers of Ex-Deputy The Minister of Foreign Affairs, Francisca Omayuli, said there was of the party, Robert Ngwu, at a meeting, presented the party’s Mr Geoffrey Onyeama, has no iota of truth in the allegations. press conference in Enugu last Disciplinary and Fact-Finding Gov Demand N70m Ransom debunked The statement read: “The Thursday had announced the Committee’s recommendations the speculations that Igbawase Ukumba in Lafia The kidnappers of a former Deputy Governor of Nasarawa State, Professor Onje Gye-Wado, have demanded N70 million ransom.

A source who has been monitoring the development informed THISDAY in Lafia, the state capital, that the abductors yesterday finally reached out to the family.

Gye-Wado, who was deputy governor of the state from 1999-2003, was kidnapped Friday morning in Gwagi village of Wamba Local Government Area.

The source added that the family members had been pleading with the kidnappers to collect N2 million instead of the N70 million that was requested because of the unavailability of cash.

He said: “The abductors have already contacted the family of Prof and they have demanded the sum of N70 million, but we are appealing that they should collect N2 million because we can not afford to raise anything more than that owing to the public holidays declared by the federal government for the Easter celebration.”

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ALL EYES ON HIGHER RETURNS… L-R: Manager, Operations, NIPCO Plc, Mr. Masheni Gabriel; Managing Director, NIPCO Plc, Mr. Suresh Kumar, and Managing Director, NIPCO Gas Limited, Mr. Nagendra Verma, at an interactive session with journalists in Lagos…recently

Obi Moves to Intervene in Labour Party Crisis 6 state chairmen back Abure Acting chairman denies being sponsored by APC Leave us out of your problem, ruling party tells LP Adedayo Akinwale and Emameh Gabriel in Abuja In a bid to avert any possible impact of the lingering crisis in the Labour Party (LP) in his petition at the Presidential Election Petition Tribunal, the presidential candidate of the party, Mr. Peter Obi has reached out to some of the principal actors to sheathe their swords, THISDAY has learnt.

This is coming as the acting National Chairman of the party, Mr. Lamidi Bashir Apapa, has debunked speculations that he was being sponsored by the All Progressives Congress (APC) to hijack the party’s leadership and withdraw its petition before the presidential election petition tribunal.

He declared that as a founding member of the party, there was no way he could betray the party or its presidential candidate, Obi. However, the 36 state chairmen have insisted that the embattled National Chairman, Julius Abure, who was sacked by the court remains the substantive National Chairman of the party.

But Apapa has insisted that only the court can reinstate Abure.

Following the fears that the crisis could affect the party’s election petition, THISDAY gathered that Obi will for the first time intervene to resolve the differences between the warring factions to prevent external elements from infiltrating the party.

Obi’s aloofness from issues concerning the running of the Labour Party is believed to be responsible for the lingering crisis which started in July 2022.

"Obi didn't want to be caught in the crossfire, especially when his eyes were fixed on winning the presidential election. He didn’t want to get involved in an internal party crisis", a member of the party’s NEC told THISDAY. He said with the current circumstances, Obi "is already in talks with both factions of the party to address the situation and allow for a smooth running of the party's affairs. This period is critical, he will not allow things to get out of hand."

According to him, Obi has reached out to the warring factions and prevailed on them not to escalate the crisis.

Acting Chairman Denies Being Sponsored

by APC Meanwhile, the acting chairman of the party, Apapa has debunked the speculations that he was being sponsored by the APC to frustrate Obi and his petition at

the Presidential Election Petition Tribunal.

Apapa said he took over the affairs of the party to avoid a vacuum.

Apapa said he and other members of the party's NWC, were not out "to witch-hunt anyone but to work in line with the provisions of the law.

He explained that they didn’t want to engage in illegality.

“If a leader of a party has been accused of forgery, it's incumbent on us to do what is needed so that all of us would not be regarded as such. We are in charge because we want things to be done the right way,” he added.

Speaking with THISDAY in an exclusive interview yesterday, Apapa said they "became annoyed when an Abuja High Court ruled that Abure, the national secretary, and one other officer who were signatories to the party's account should not parade themselves as officials of the party because of the offence of forgery and perjury".

"There was no limitation to that order and we cannot allow a vacuum. We can't allow a vacuum when he is unable to play his role.

"We are all there in an acting capacity. If he is able to resolve his problem to vacate that order, then we have no problem. That is his first assignment,” Apapa added.

Debunking his alleged link with the ruling APC, he said, "It's not true at all. I have no business with the APC presidential candidate. I want to tell Nigerians, if anybody has facts about that case, let them come out with them. Peter Obi is our candidate. I have been in the party for over 20 years. I am a pioneer member of the Labour Party,” Apapa explained.

Apapa said he had held several positions in the party in all of these years before he became the deputy national chairman and now the acting chairman of the party.

"I have never been in any other party apart from the Labour Party. I was among the first set of officers in the party. Why will I build a house and turn around to destroy it? I cannot. Obi is our candidate and we are prepared to do whatever is possible in his favour and the favour of the party.”

He expressed confidence that things would bounce back better and stronger for the party.

He said: "I want Nigerians to be patient. This is just a crisis that will soon be over. Labour Party being a party to beat right now, everybody is willing to join us.

"They should not be carried away because the crisis is normal in a political party. Some people are out to build while others are there to

destroy. We are there to build the party, not to destroy it.”

Meanwhile, the 36 state chairmen of the Labour Party, including its youth wing, who gathered in Abuja at the party national headquarters during the weekend have maintained that Abure remains Labour Party’s national chairman.

In a communique issued by the 36 chairmen of LP across the federation, including FCT yesterday, the Chairman of the Chairmen Forum, Chief Rotimi Kehinde, said they had resolved that Abure remains the National Chairman of LP. The chairmen condemned the action of Apapa and his group, which they said cannot stand.

The chairmen said those "who grossly violated the provision of our party’s constitution and take internal matters of the party to the

court without exhausting all the appropriate instituted channels to resolving disputes and went ahead to court are by the dint of this communique directed to immediately effect withdrawal of the matter from the court and return to the path of rectitude for due process" They recommended that a meeting of the party’s NEC should be called without further delay.

Leave Us out of Your Problem, APC Tells Labour Party Meanwhile, the ruling APC has called on the LP to stop blaming it for its internal crisis.

The National Publicity Secretary of the party, Felix Morka, in a statement issued yesterday wondered why

Abure should blame the APC for “his sinking and dysfunctional party.”

He said: “In his irrational outburst, Mr. Abure accused the APC of colluding with police and other security agencies to invade and seize LP’s national secretariat and staging a crisis in that party.

"Total vindication of APC of any involvement in LP’s imbroglio was swiftly and categorically delivered by Mr. Abure's successor and Acting National Chairman of LP, Mr. Lamidi Apapa, who exonerated our great party of any interference in the party’s raging internal crisis.

"He clarified that the reported situation at the LP headquarters was a result of a legal process arising from the orders of a Federal Capital Territory High Court that barred Mr. Abure and

other national officers of the party from parading themselves as such."

Morka noted that LP’s morbid obsession with APC was unfathomable and infantile, adding that Abure’s bogus claim follows Mr. Obi’s unsubstantiated and vexatious claim that he was being hounded into exile by our party.

He stressed that the ruling party was not responsible for Abure’s travails, saying he would do well to focus his attention and energy on dealing with the many allegations of criminal conduct of forgery and financial impropriety levelled against him by his own party.

The APC spokesperson said while the LP continues to grapple with its myriad woes and crying wolf where none exists, the APC would stay focused and committed to forming a new government to be led by Senator Bola Ahmed Tinubu.

Anambra Tribunal Receives 31 N’Assembly Election Petitions David-Chuddy Eleke in Awka The Election Petitions Tribunal in Anambra State has received 31 petitions with respect to the February 25 National Assembly elections in the state.

Secretary to the tribunal, Mr. Muazu Bagudu, told journalists in Awka yesterday that 24 of the petitions were on the House of Representatives elections The remaining seven were on the Senate elections, he said.

There are two petitions challenging the victory of Senator Victor Umeh of the Labour Party (LP) in Anambra Central senatorial district.

The petitions were filed by Mr. Dozie Nwankwo of the All Progressives Grand Alliance (APGA) and Mrs. Helen Mbakwe of the New Nigeria People’s Party (NNPP).

Winner of Anambra South

senatorial district election, Senator Ifeanyi Ubah of the Young Peoples’ Party (YPP) is having his victory contested by three other candidates.

They are Dr Obinna Uzoh of LP, Mr. Chris Azubuogu of the All Progressives Grand Alliance (APGA) and Mr. Chris Uba of the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP).

In Anambra North senatorial district, Mr. Tony Nwoye of LP has two petitions against his victory. They were filed by the PDP and Senator Stella Oduah, also of the PDP. For the House of Representatives elections, Mr. Pascal Agbordike of APGA who won the Ihiala seat has four petitions filed against his victory.

The petitions were filed by JohnMary Maduakolam (PDP), Mr Chiemeka Hezekiah (LP), Chukwueloka Egwemezie and Chuddy Momah.

There are also petitions against

the victory of Mrs Chinwe Nnabuife (YPP) in Orumba North/South federal constituency.

The petitions were filed by Mr Sopuluchkwu Ezeonwuka, Ms Nikky Ugochukwu (LP), Mr Okwudili Ezenwankwo PDP and Mr Eric Eze, (APGA).

For Nnewi North/Nnewi South/ Ekwusigo, Mr Ifeanyi Uzokwe (YPP), Mr Emeka Anagwu (LP) and Timothy Ibeto are contesting the election of Mr Uchenna Eleodimmuo.

Mrs. Maureen Gwacham of APGA, winner of Oyi/Ayamelum Constituency will face Mr Uchenna Okafor (YPP), Mr Vincent Ofumelu, (PDP), and Mr Obiora Chira (LP).

Mr. Dominic Okafor (APGA) who won the seat for Aguata Constituency will face Mr Johnbosco Onunkwo (APC), Andrew Azike (LP) and Kenneth Anyaeche.

In Awka North/South, Prof.

Lilian Orogbu (LP) will defend her victory against Mr Obi Nwankwo (APGA) and Mr Maxwell Okoye (APC).

Mr. Ifeanyi Ibezi (APC) and Mr. IKenna Iyiegbu (APGA) are challenging the victory of Mr. Harris Okonkwo in the Idemili North/South Federal Constituency election.

Mr Chinedu Obidigwe (APGA) is challenging the victory of Mr. Peter Udogalanya (LP) in Anambra East/West Constituency, while Ms. Lynda Ikpeazu (PDP) is contesting the victory of Mr. Emeka Idu (LP) in Onitsha North South Federal Constituency.

There was no petition from Anaocha/Njikoka/Dunukofia Federal Constituency while Ogbaru Federal Constituency election has yet to be concluded.

Bagudu said the petitions for the Anambra House of Assembly elections were still being received.

IG Orders Deployment of 24 Newly Promoted AIGs Kingsley Nwezeh in Abuja The Inspector-General of Police (IG), Mr. Usman Baba, yesterday ordered the posting and redeployment of Assistant Inspectors-General of Police (AIGs) to departments, commands, and formations in line with his manpower development policy of placing the right persons in their appropriate roles.

A statement issued by the Police Spokesman and Chief Superintendent of Police (CSP), Olumuyiwa Adejobi, said the

redeployment of the senior officers was in line with the IG's mandate and strategies to strengthen the operational structures of commands, departments, and formations.

The new AIGs affected in the exercise include Ahmed Abdulrahman, AIG Zone 14, Katsina; Ibrahim Sani Ka’oje, AIG Police Mobile Force; Matthew Akinyosola, AIG Special Protection Unit; Sylvester Alabi, AIG Zone 12, Bauchi; Yekini Ayoku, AIG Maritime, Lagos; and Olofu Tony

Adejoh, AIG Zone 13, Ukpo, Dunukofia.

Others are Aliyu Garba, AIG Zone 7, Abuja; Idris Dabban Dauda, AIG, ICT, FHQ, Abuja; Yusuf Usman, AIG Research and Development; Haladu M. Ros-Amson, AIG Zone 4, Makurdi; Babatunde B. Ishola, AIG Zone 8, Lokoja; Alexander N. Wannang, AIG, Counter Terrorism Unit; Ari M. Ali, AIG Zone 2, Lagos; Mamman Sanda Umar, AIG Zone 9 Umuahia; AIG Sadiq I. Abubakar, Commandant Police Academy, Wudil, Kano.

Others include Frank Emeka Mba, AIG, FCID Annex Lagos; Benjamin N. Okolo, AIG Zone 16, Yenagoa; Oyediran A. Oyeyemi, AIG DTD, FHQ, Abuja; Babaji Sunday, AIG FCID, Annex, Kaduna; Arungwa Udo, AIG Zone 5 Benin; and Yusuf C. Usman, Force Transport Officer.

The statement said the IG charged all newly posted and redeployed officers to put their best foot forward in ensuring that the activities of their new commands, formations, and departments align with the police reform mandate.

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News Editor: Gboyega Akinsanmi E-mail: gboyega.akinsanmi@thisdaylive.com,08152359253

WE LOVE OUR COUNTRY… L-R: Missionary-in-Charge, Ahmadiyya Muslim, Murabbi Adnan Tahir; National President, Alhaji Alatoye Folorunso AbdulAzeez; Medical Director, Ahmadiyya Hospital, Lagos, Dr. Samiullah Tahir; Sadr Majlis, Ansarullah Nigeria, Alhaji Adeoye Andul Waheed; and Head-in-Charge of Roqeem International Press, Maulvi Wajeeh Ullah, during the Ahmadiyya Muslim Jama’at’s press briefing on the State of the Nation in Lagos... weekend ABAYOMI AKINYELE

NLC Vows to Resist Move to Deny Nigerians Right to Peacefully Protest

Onyebuchi Ezigbo inAbuja

The Nigeria Labour Congress (NLC) yesterday said it would resist any attempt to criminalise the citizen’s hard-earned right to

peaceful protest against the ills perpetrated by the operators of the Nigeria state.

In the Easter message signed by its President, Mr. Joseph Ajaero, the union said part of the obligations of

Family Announces Burial Arrangements for Ogunlesi, Nigeria’s First Professor of Medicine The funeral arrangements for Nigeria’s first Professor of Medicine, Theophilus Oladipo Ogunlesi, have been released by his family.

Ogunlesi, an Emeritus Professor, who hailed from Sagamu area of Ogun State, died on Thursday, January 19, 2023, at age of 99.

He made history in 1965 as Nigeria’s first Professor of Medicine.

A statement issued by the family and signed by Adeleke Ogunlesi stated that the funeral arrangements will kick-off on Monday, April 10, 2023 with Service of Songs at Centenary hall, Church of Resurrection, Ewusi Road, Sagamu. This will be followed

by Commendation Service on Tuesday, April 11 at Old Great Hall, College of Medicine, University of Lagos, Idi Araba Lagos.

According to the funeral programme, lying in state would take place on April 12 at Trenchard

the labour movement is to continually remind the government of its duties and obligations to the people, vowing to sensitise the people to their rights.

While drawing similarities from the pains and sacrifice undergone

by Jesus Christ for challenging the unjust deeds by those in authority, Ajaero said the organised labour has a responsibility to fight for the people’s right.

He said: “It is important to note that Jesus died a painful death on the cross, not pleasing the establishment of the day but challenging it to do the right thing.

“In like manner, we at the Nigeria Labour Congress owe it not only a moral obligation to continually remind the government of its duties and obligations to the people, we will sensitise the people to their rights.

“We shall resist any attempt to criminalise our hard-earned right to peaceful protest against the ills perpetrated by operators of the Nigeria state.

“In the spirit of Easter, and in line with our protest tradition, we make bold to state that we have the capacity and the will to protest peacefully against the wrongs by the government when necessary.

We similarly urge all Nigerians to

protest within the ambit of the law when they feel short-changed,” he said The labour leader said the death of Jesus Christ on the Cross marked by commemoration of Easter offers the people a chance for deep reflection on the virtues of the greatest love and sacrifice and of undying hope.

PenCom Disowns ASSOPEP, Warns Retirees to be Wary of False Claims Festus Akanbi Late Ogunlesi Hall, University of Ibadan.

Other arrangements are the Christian wake-keeping service slated for Thursday, April 13, 2023 at No. 1, Prof Ogunlesi Street Igbobi Makun, Sagamu, while the funeral service will take place on Friday at Cathedral Church of St. Paul Igbogun Street, 1 Ewusi Street, Sagamu.

He is survived by his children Leke, Kunle, Bayo, Sade, Folabi and Gbenga, their spouses, numerous grandchildren and great-grandchildren.

The National Pension Commission (PenCom) has warned the public to be mindful of the Association of Pension Desk Practitioners of Nigeria (ASSOPEP) activities.

PenCom gave this warning in a statement signed by its Head of Corporate Communications, Mr Abdulqadir Dahiru, and made available to journalists in Lagos.

The commission also dissociated itself from ASSOPEP activities on pension issues.

It urged the public to desist from relating with ASSOPEP

regarding their pension and retirement benefits or other matters relating to the pension industry in Nigeria.

“The attention of PenCom has been drawn to the illicit activities of ASSOPEP and its claims of resolving pension issues and assisting retirees in securing their retirement benefits.

“The general public is kindly requested to note that the claims

by ASSOPEP are entirely false.

“The association has no affiliation with the pension industry, nor authorisation

of any kind whatsoever from PenCom,” the statement said.

PENCOM said that Licensed Pension Fund Operators (LPFOs), statutorily mandated to undertake the processing and payment of retirement benefits, were also not associated with ASSOPEP in any way.

It advised workers, retirees, pension desk officers, and everyone approached by the association with claims of consulting with their Pension Fund Administrators (PFAs) and PenCom in respect of their retirement benefits to exercise caution.

PenCom said that it had reported ASSOPEP to law enforcement agencies for appropriate action.

It said that any dealing with the association was at the individual’s own risk.

The Association of Pension Desk Practitioners of Nigeria, which claimed to be fighting the cause of pensioners, began its activities on November 8, 2016, with its annual conference held in Abuja.

The controversial body said its mission is to help everyone achieve a better income in retirement.

Ekweremadu: Dangiwa Umar Hails Obasanjo over Leniency Letter to UK Court A former military Governor of

The trio of Ekweremadu,

justice with mercy, citing the

convinced of his good character

kar Dangiwa Umar (rtd.), has commended former President Olusegun Obasanjo over the elder statesman’s letter to the Central Criminal Court in the United Kingdom pleading for leniency for the convicted former Deputy Senate President of Nigeria, Senator Ike Ekweremadu, and his wife, Beatrice.

were recently convicted by the Court in London over conspiracy to harvest the organ of a 21-yearold Nigerian, David Uwamini, for transplantation of the same to the ailing daughter of Ekweremadu, Sonia.

Obasanjo had in a letter dated April 3, 2023 begged the Chief Clerk of the Central Criminal Court in London to temper

and wife to the socio-political development of Nigeria.

Reacting to the development in a statement personally signed by him yesterday, Col. Dangiwa Umar (rtd.), described Obasanjo’s action as timely, appropriate, kind and empathic.

The ex-soldier noted that though he did not know Senator Ekweremadu in person but was

Obasanjo.

“President Olusegun Obasanjo’s letter addressed to the UK court which convicted Senator Ekweremadu and his wife Beatrice pleading for clemency for the couple is timely and appropriate.

“I salute the great act of kindness and empathy by the elder statesman.

Industrialist, Emma Okonkwo, Buries Stepmother old Kaduna State, Col. Abuba- Beatrice and a medical doctor contributions of Ekweremadu as attested to by former President All roads will on April 15, 2023 lead to Umuezeabu, Ichi in Ekwusigo Local Government Area of Anambra State as an industrialist and Chairman of Ekulo Group of Companies, Chief Emma Bishop Okonkwo, celebrates the life and times of his stepmother, the late Madam Janet Nwanneka Okonkwo.

Chief Okonkwo whose Evans Nigeria Limited, a subsidiary of the Ekulo Group, manufactures a range of household items and beauty care products, including the popular Eva Complexion Soaps, Hawaii Soap variants, etc, said his stepmother and matriarch of the Okonkwo family, lived a fulfilled, salutary and exemplary life hence the family will spare no cost to give her a befitting burial.

The late Madam Okonkwo (nee Amah) departed at the age of 90.

A devout Christian, during

Late Okonkwo her life time, the deceased was variously popular as Agbala na acho nkeya.

A statement Chief Bishop Okonkwo jointly signed with Chief Akurienne Osita Okonkwo, indicated that Madam Okonkwo’s interment at her compound would be preceded by a funeral service while outing service comes up on Sunday, April 16, 2023 at St. James Anglican Church, Ichi.

Adebayo, Adelugba, APC Laud S’Court Verdict Upholding Oyebanji’s Victory Gbenga Sodeinde inAdo Ekiti The Minister of Industry, Trade and Investment, Adeniyi Adebayo, Speaker of Ekiti State House of Assembly, Hon. Okubunmi Adelugba, and the state chapter of the All Progressives Congress (APC) have lauded the Supreme Court judgment that affirmed the victory of the Governor Biodun

Oyebanji as the winner of the June18, 2022 governorship election in Ekiti State.

Last Thursday, the Supreme Court unanimously upheld the decisions of both the tribunal and the Court of Appeal, which had earlier ruled that Segun Oni and his party, the Social Democratic Party (SDP), failed to prove their case against the victory of APC

and its candidate at the June 18, 2022 guber election in Ekiti State.

Justice Musa Dattijo Muhammad, who delivered the judgment on behalf of other Supreme Court justices, said the Segun Oni and SDP case expressly stood dismissed.

Adebayo, in a statement signed by his media adviser, Ifedayo Sayo, said the judgment has laid

to rest all misguided rumours and innuendos by the opposition party, particularly the SDP and its candidate, Oni, disputing the outcome of the election.

He said with the petition dismissed by the court, it paved the way for the governor to concentrate on implementing his electioneering promises made to the good people of the state.

15

THISDAY, THE SUNDAY NEWSPAPER APRIL 9 , 2023

BUSINESS Missed Opportunities in Oil Palm Puts Pressure on Forex Market

Editor: Festus Akanbi

08038588469 Email:festus.akanbi@thisdaylive.com

Outsourcing palm oil supply for domestic consumption in a nation like Nigeria which once controlled 40 per cent of the global supply comes with serious pressure on foreign exchange reserves and local initiatives, writes Festus Akanbi

N

othing better explains the precariousness of Nigeria’s export earning potential in recent times than a media report on the rising importation of palm oil despite the foreign exchange restrictions placed on importers of the commodity by the Central Bank of Nigeria (CBN) since 2015.

Ordinarily, Nigeria cannot be said to be doing badly in terms of total merchandise WUDGH DV ÀJXUHV IRU WKH 1DWLRQDO %XUHDX RI Statistics for 2022 showed an acceleration in total merchandise trade to N52.4 trillion from N39.75 trillion in 2021.

However, analysts argued that the modest gain recorded in 2022 would have paled LQWR LQVLJQLÀFDQFH LI 1LJHULD ZDV DEOH WR realise its full potential in some sectors of the economy instead of rationing the limited amount of foreign exchange on imported goods and services.

According to them, one of these lowhanging fruits which have not been given the desired priority is palm oil production.

They explained that given the decision of the apex bank to list the commodity among items UHVWULFWHG IURP WKH R΀FLDO IRUHLJQ H[FKDQJH market, the government and other stakeholders in the agricultural sector should have explored ways to boost palm oil production to meet foreign and local demands.

Palm Oil Importation Today, Nigeria is not only found wanting in the area of palm oil export, which could have fetched the country huge forex H[FKDQJH EXW LW LV DOVR ÀQGLQJ LW GL΀FXOW WR meet local demands.

According to a report published last week, Nigeria imported at least N299.6 billion of palm oil from 2017 to 2022. The publication which relied on quarterly reports by the National Bureau of Statistics (NBS) indicates that ‘Palm Crude Oil’ is often among the WRS ÀYH LPSRUWHG DJULFXOWXUDO SURGXFWV LQWR the country.

Analysts pointed out that since the CBN’s policy has barred importers of palm oil from JHWWLQJ IRUHLJQ H[FKDQJH IURP WKH R΀FLDO market, what it means is that this category of importers will have to slug it out at the unauthorised foreign exchange segment thereby crowding out other users.

“It is this kind of pressure that has continued to work against the naira-dollar exchange rate,” said Yakubu Mohammed, a bureau de change operator in Ikeja.

In another report, the CBN Governor, *RGZLQ (PHÀHOH ZDV TXRWHG DV VD\LQJ that Nigeria imported 302,000 metric tons of palm oil in 2017 despite placing the product on the forex exclusion list. This, according to experts, is due to the current production not meeting local demand as the 1.4 million metric tons averagely produced is below the three million consumed annually.

Untapped Potential Although palm oil plantation is scattered all over the country, especially in the southern part, it is a surprise that state governments have not found it necessary to invest heavily in palm oil production. This, according to

Oil Palm fruits a farmer and chairman of Agbedes Agric Projects, Prince Adewole Adebayo amounted to a waste of opportunity.

He wondered why everyone seemed to EH À[DWHG RQ UHYHQXH IURP FUXGH RLO ZKHQ SDOP RLO SURGXFWLRQ FRXOG RͿHU EHWWHU UHWXUQV “Today, a barrel of oil palm sells for over $600. The day crude oil touches $150 per barrel, the whole world will shout,” he said.

Analysis of yearly importation showed that the product was imported more in 2021 as N148.2 billion worth of palm oil found its way to Nigeria. This is followed by 2022 with N70.2 billion and 2018 with N32.2 billion.

Also, in 2020, N22.2 billion of the product was imported while in 2017, N21.2 billion and in 2019 with the least importation with N19 billion of the product imported.

Preponderance of Small Holder Farmers Kegs of palm oil *LYLQJ DQ LQVLJKW LQWR WKH GL΀FXOW\ RI PHHWing local demand, a report by PWC stated that Nigeria’s oil industry is mostly dominated “However, the current allure of hard curby small-scale farm holders, which account for over 80 per cent of local production with rency is proving too hard to ignore for local well-established companies accounting for producers,” he said.

Eseyin said the Nigerian palm oil industry is less than 20 per cent of the total market. very fragmented and dominated by numerous Interestingly, Nigeria was said to have owned 40 per cent of the global market small-scale farmers, who account for 80 per share of palm oil production before gaining cent of local production and most of these farmers are not attuned to modern farming independence.

The report also noted that the two largest practices, meaning their yields and output producers, Okomu and Presco, contribute are way lower than they could otherwise be.

With Nigeria exporting the little palm oil largely to the market share but the dominance of small farm holders in the palm oil market produced despite the local demand-supply has resulted in low output compared to the gap, the gap is guaranteed to widen and palm oil imports are expected to surge. country’s production potential.

“This is because local farmers’ manual Interventions harvesting techniques are outdated, often The CBN had launched a series of interUHVXOWLQJ LQ VLJQLÀFDQW ZDVWDJH GXULQJ harvesting. In Nigeria, lack of investment vention schemes, which include the Anchor in palm oil extraction technology and techni- Borrowers Programme. The programme is cal incompetence/inadequate training have designed to provide single-digit interest resulted in poor management of palm oil rates on loans to farmers through deposit plantations over the years, causing some of PRQH\ EDQNV DQG RWKHU SDUWLFLSDWLQJ ÀQDQFLDO them to cease operations,” the report said. institutions.

For the palm oil sector, the interest on the A research analyst with CardinalStone loan facility is nine per cent per annum. In Partners, Kayode Eseyin, said the demandsupply gap owing to reliance on subsistent or 2019, the federal government also mandated LQH΀FLHQW IDUPLQJ LQVHFXULW\ DQG LQDGHTXDWH the CBN to support corporate bodies and access to credit has made the country a net individuals that are engaged in the producWLRQ RI VSHFLÀHG DJULFXOWXUDO FRPPRGLWLHV importer of palm oil.

including palm oil.

In 2021, the government, through the CBN, launched a $500 million loan oil palm producer (i.e., including smallholders and big plantations) programme with low-interest rates.

The aim is to increase local production by 700 per cent by 2027. Private companies are developing new estates with early and highyielding oil palm seedlings varieties. These companies are also investing in technology to boost extracting and crushing processes.

Other initiatives, such as the Edo State Oil Palm Programme, will likely boost production.

The Nigerian Institute for Oil Palm Research has also increased the production of higheryield oil palm seeds in the country.

But the Managing Director of Okomu Oil Palm Company, Dr. Graham Hefer, recently called for a review of the programme as cash FURS IDUPHUV ZHUH \HW WR IXOO\ EHQHÀW IURP the programme.

According to Hefer, “It is easy for farmers engaged in annual crops to meet their targets. This doesn’t happen with cash crops EHFDXVH LQ WKH ÀUVW WKUHH \HDUV RI RLO SDOP production, you are unable to break even as the tree doesn’t produce one fruit.

“You only begin to break even normally EHWZHHQ ÀYH \HDUV DQG VHYHQ \HDUV LQ RLO SDOP production. And that is a long time. This is what we want the bank to understand so that it starts to grant long-term loans under the programme,” he said However, despite all the shortcomings in the palm oil business, there are reports that palm oil producers in Nigeria are smiling to banks no thanks to the current skirmishes between Russia and Ukraine as reports have LW WKDW 1LJHULDQ SDOP RLO SURGXFHUV EHQHÀWHG from record-high crude palm oil (CPO) prices LQ WKH ÀUVW KDOI RI ZKLFK ZDV SULPDULO\ GULYHQ E\ GLVUXSWLRQV LQ WKH VXQÁRZHU RLO market brought on by the Russia-Ukraine war and Indonesian export restrictions.

Data released by the Nigerian Exchange Group (NGX) showed Nigerian palm oil producers are having a good time as the two largest oil palm producers in the country, Okomu Oil Palm and Presco Plc grew their revenue by 83 per cent to N82.47 billion in WKH ÀUVW KDOI RI IURP 1 ELOOLRQ LQ the corresponding period of 2021.

For 2022, Nigerian palm oil producers grew their revenue by 68 per cent to N142.31 billion in 2022, from N84.82 billion in 2021, thereby EULQJLQJ WRWDO SURÀW IRU WKH \HDU WR 1 billion, a 26 per cent increase from N30.86 billion in 2021.

However, a combination of factors including the rising prices of raw materials, foreign exchange volatility, and rising interest rates GXULQJ WKH \HDU SUHVVXUHG SURÀWV DQG FDXVHG WKH SURÀW PDUJLQ UHFRUGHG E\ WKH SDOP RLO producers to shrink by 911 basis points to 27.27 per cent in 2022 from 36.38 per cent in 2021.

Palm oil producers have had to deal with the HQHUJ\ FULVLV ZKLFK KDV VLJQLÀFDQWO\ LPSDFWHG operating expenses, and prices of fertilisers which hit record highs in 2022 due to supply chain disruptions.

There is no doubt that Nigeria can retrace its steps by creating an enabling environment for the revival of palm oil production. This is one of the low-hanging fruits the incoming administration should look into.

16

THISDAY, THE SUNDAY NEWSPAPER APRIL 9 , 2023

ENERGY

Tackling Nigeria’s Rural (OHFWULÀFDWLRQ &KDOOHQJH Nigeria’s hard-to-reach population mostly bears the brunt of the country’s power supply deficit. But this appears to be changing with the inroads made by the Rural Electrification Agency, the federal government’s vehicle for reaching the country’s unserved and underserved communities, writes (PPDQXHO $GGHK

T

here is no gainsaying the fact that Nigeria’s electricity supply problem is deep-seated.

Despite various attempts to untangle the several layers of issues hobbling the reliable supply of power to the citizens by several administrations, for the most part, this has remained a pipe dream.

In spite of embarking on privatisation of generation and distribution of power supply in 2013, what has become obvious is that only the dimensions of the problems have changed.

Indeed, even more complex challenges seem to have sprouted.

Today, Nigeria, a country estimated to be over 200 million people still struggles with between 3,500mw to 4,5000mw of electricity; close to 80 million citizens, roughly twice the number of the population of Canada are still not connected to the national grid.

7KHUHIRUH PDQ\ 1LJHULDQV ZKR FDQ DͿRUG LW are left to generate their own electricity, with all the attendant economic, health and environmental hazards. While supply is not increasing markedly, population continues to soar and demand continues to rise. Even businesses continue to feel the pinch.

If serving the urban and easily accessible areas in the country still remains a problem, what then is the fate of the rural areas, the hardly unreachable communities and Nigeria’s seemingly forgotten ones? That gaping void created by systemic issues, LV ZKDW WKH 5XUDO (OHFWULÀFDWLRQ $JHQF\ 5($ KDV DWWHPSWHG WR ÀOO The REA’s strategic intervention and the agency’s implementation of a programmatic approach to delivering projects to various areas and key institutions in the country is today, not only helping to catalyse productive use of HOHFWULFLW\ IRU EHQHÀFLDULHV LW KDV DOVR EHHQ D game changer for the country’s unserved and underserved.

In the past few years, the agency has deployed solar mini-grids, solar water pumps and solar home systems across the six geopolitical zones in the country, especially for what it describes as productive use. This means that it’s not just electricity supply for the sake of it, but ensuring that it is deployed for use in endeavours that JHQHUDWH LQFRPH IRU EHQHÀFLDULHV A 2022 report by the organisation showed that before the strategic interventions, some of the baseline conditions and challenges of the EHQHÀFLDULHV LQFOXGHG DFFHVV WR HOHFWULFLW\ DQG water, petrol consumption patterns, security conditions, employment conditions, gender inclusivity, among others.

During the period, six communities were equipped with a 100-kW solar mini-grid system.

The systems, the REA said, were designed to prioritise productive users, including agroprocessing businesses, homes, commercial users, as well as public spaces.

In addition, over 8,155 lives and 5,000 active farmerswereimpactedwithuninterruptedpower VXSSO\ DQG FOHDQ DͿRUGDEOH ZDWHU WUDQVODWLQJ WR over 60 direct and indirect jobs created, improved security, increased productivity and improved healthcare. Furthermore, the decommissioning of over 40 diesel and petrol generator sets was carried out to ensure cleaner power supply sources.

“Based on the current and future estimations, the reductions in carbon emissions were also encouraging,” the report indicated.

The REA further distributed 1,392 irrigation solar pumps across the six geopolitical zones, UHDFKLQJ PDOH DQG IHPDOH EHQHÀFLDULHV as well as about 200 farm clusters. ´2YHU OLYHV DQG IDUPHUV LQFOXGLQJ DERXW IHPDOH IDUPHUV KDYH EHHQ GLUHFWO\ impacted. This impact has translated to the illumination of over 170 farms with Solar Street

Some beneficiaries of the projects /LJKWV 66/V WKH WUDLQLQJ RI RYHU IDUPHUV RQ pump maintenance and new irrigation practices, DQG PRUH LPSRUWDQWO\ FRVWV PDLQWHQDQFH IXHO HWF VDYLQJV “For the latter, the replacement of dieselpowered pumps with solar-powered pumps is expected to increase average revenues

by N150,000-N300,000. The feedback from EHQHÀFLDULHV ZHUH DOVR SRVLWLYH µ WKH UHSRUW RI activities for the period indicated.

6RPH VWDWHV WKDW EHQHÀWHG IURP WKH VRODU ZDWHU pumps included Ekiti, Ogun, Benue, Kwara, Akwa Ibom, Delta, Edo, Adamawa, Borno and Taraba, then Anambra and Enugu as well as Jigawa, Katsina and Zamfara, among others.

Many other states of the federation were also EHQHÀFLDULHV RI WKH VRODU VWUHHW OLJKWV SURMHFWV as well as the solar homes systems and solar mini-grids.

In the last three years before now, that is between 2020 to 2022, the REAsays it spent N45.89 billion as total project cost, while the number of projects were 1,375 , with a grid-installed capacity of 238.40mw.

In 2022 alone, 2,046 Solar Home Systems 6+6 ZHUH GHSOR\HG DFURVV WKH VL[ JHRSROLWLFDO zones, reaching and connecting 1,972 homes, ÀYH SULPDU\ KHDOWKFDUH FHQWUHV VFKRROV UHOLJLRXV FHQWUHV DQG VHYHQ R΀FHV Besides, over 10,000 lives and 5,000 students have been directly impacted by uninterrupted electricity, translating to over 350 direct and indirect jobs, improved healthcare, as well as improved trading and domestic activities among the women.

A gender-sensitive organisation, according to the agency, key gender-based observations ZHUH WKDW ZRPHQ LQ WKH EHQHÀFLDU\ FRPPXQLWLHV will have more access to technology, health and food quality/quantity.

“Over 3,000 women that are involved in trading, tailoring, braiding and other productive domestic activities are expected to increase their SURÀW PDUJLQ E\ DW OHDVW SHU FHQW GXH WR WKH improved lighting conditions from the SHS. The provision of solar pumps to farm clusters

will also enable female farmers to increase their \LHOGV DQG SURÀWV µ LW VWUHVVHG To ensure the long-term sustainability of the projects, according to the agency, an implementaWLRQ SODQ IRU 2SHUDWLRQ DQG 0DLQWHQDQFH 2 0 procedures has been established.

“The agency also intends to leverage on its Rural Electricity Users Cooperative Societies 5(8&6 LQLWLDWLYH WR HQJDJH DQG VHQVLWLVH WKH EHQHÀFLDU\ FRPPXQLWLHV DQG DOVR IDFLOLWDWH long-term community ownership,” it added.

In his comments regarding the activities of the agency, the Managing Director of the organisation, AhmadSalihijo,maintainsthatasideprovidingthe much-needed light in unserved and underserved populations, the REA’s activities are putting people back to work in rural communities.

“Energy is central to socioeconomic growth.

At the REA, we are continuously making datadriven decisions targeted at deploying sustainable solutions to energy access problems.

“Beyond keeping the lights on, we are deployLQJ RͿ JULG VROXWLRQV WR FDWDO\VH SURGXFWLYH XVH and strengthen social and economic systems in RͿ JULG FRPPXQLWLHV “Adopting a programmatic approach in the delivery of capital projects is one of such deliberate intervention and we already see how this approach ties into the federal government’s national development objectives. Projects being deployed through this framework are already impacting communities, agricultural clusters, hospitals, and most importantly, homes across the nation,” he noted.

The agency further insists that its implementation of a programmatic approach to deliver capital SURMHFWV KDV EHHQ D VXFFHVV 7KH HOHFWULÀFDWLRQ programmes, it stated, were widely accepted in WKH EHQHÀFLDU\ FRPPXQLWLHV %HQHÀFLDULHV FRQVLVWLQJ RI PDLQO\ IDUPHUV households, women and youths have been deeply impacted from a social, environmental, and economic standpoint, it adds. $FFRUGLQJ WR WKH 5($ UHSRUW WKH EHQHÀFLDULHV also showed their appreciation to the federal governmentfortheinterventionsintheircommunities.

“There was an unwavering optimism from the EHQHÀFLDU\ FRPPXQLWLHV WKDW WKHVH HͿRUWV ZLOO also be extended to other communities, in need of similar interventions,” it reported.

The capital projects, it was learnt, were implemented by the projects department, under the technical services directorate, with oversight from the board and executive management.

“The technical services directorate is leading the paradigm shift within the agency in the delivery of its projects. Capital projects funded through the public budget are deployed in a sustainable manner to de-risk various business models, catalyse private sector capital and make developmental goals achievable,” Executive Director, Technical Services, Barka Sajou, said in a remark.

Going forward, the REAlast week announced that it was targeting over 1,000 solar mini-grids nationwide to spur access to electricity by Nigeria’s underserved communities. $OUHDG\ WKH 5($ 5XUDO (OHFWULÀFDWLRQ )XQG 5() &DOO ELGGHUV· ZRUNVKRS KDV WDNHQ SODFH in Abuja, where Salihijo, explained that the plan was in line with the 5 million solar-based connections across Nigeria through the Economic 6XVWDLQDELOLW\ 3ODQ (63 As the implementing agency for Nigeria’s rural HOHFWULÀFDWLRQ VWUDWHJ\ DQG LPSOHPHQWDWLRQ SODQ Salihijo noted that the REAcontinues to support RͿ JULG GHYHORSHUV E\ FUHDWLQJ DQ HQDEOLQJ HQvironment to facilitate investments in various ways, including access to data, policy support, JUDQWV FDSDFLW\ GHYHORSPHQW DQG ÀQDQFLQJ The agency’s goal of providing and increasing energy access to millions of Nigerians through renewable energy, he said, was critical if Nigeria ZDV WR GHOLYHU WKH HFRQRPLF EHQHÀWV WKDW ZLOO spur rural economic growth and development in Nigeria.

As the agency continues to ramp up its activities throughout the country, one thing it has vowed, is to ensure that it optimises renewable energy technologies in last mile communities to improve social inclusion and accelerate socio-economic development. This, it maintains is the irreducible

17

T H I S DAY, T H E S U N DAY N E W S PA P E R • APRIL 9, 2023

SOFT FINANCE with AYO AROWOLO The only column you may need to read on everything personal finance, money, investing -and other life matters

EMAIL: AYO.AROWOLO@THISDAYLIVE.COM PHONE: 08086447494( SMS ONLY)

The Richest Man In Babylon: Another Great Book To Consider

T

he Richest Man in Babylon by George S. Clason is a must-read for anyone interested in building wealth. Littered across its pages are real-time wealth principles that have transformed men and generations.

This review is a highlight of the lessons in the book; however, you should take time to read it yourself. The good thing is the book is just 144 pages. That is 144 pages of ageless wisdom!

Here are eight amazing lessons from the book.

1. Always spend less than you earn This should be as common as air everywhere, however, many people like to live a life of showing off. It is sad to see people appearing “made” at the expense of what they earn. In life, you don’t have to impress anybody. You might not be where you intend to be but in time you would get there. Just keep moving. Keep taking affirmative steps and never forget to spend less than you earn.

2. A part of what you earn is yours to keep A part of all you earn is yours to keep.

It should be no less than 10 PERCENT no matter how little you earn. It can be as much more as you can afford. Always pay yourself first. Wealth, like a tree, grows from a tiny seed. The first copper you save is the seed from which your tree of wealth shall grow. If you start with 10% tucked away, you will not even notice the difference. Your quality of life will have no noticeable difference. You surprisingly will learn to live without it.

3. Make your saved money work for you “Make thy gold multiply.”

One thing every wealthy person does that you don’t know is; they save for something that will earn them more money. Warren Buffett has been doing this since he was a child. He bought soda in a store and sold it to others for a profit during the summer. He eventually progressed to purchasing pinball machines and installing them in eateries. He and the restaurant owners split the money 50/50. He then progressed to larger and larger businesses till he became one of the world’s richest men. The philosophy is simple: save then Invest your savings.

4. Don’t take advice from someone without experience The lesson here is pretty simple: only take advice from people with a wealth of experience.

The truth is that you will lose money if you invest with people who tell you what you want to hear but know very little about the sector. If you make a bad investment, your money is almost gone.

Only follow the advice of the most knowledgeable experts in your profession.

Any other advice you get should be taken with caution. Look around, everyone enjoys offering advice. In the book, the main character invested his money with overseas jewel sellers who claimed to bring back rare jewels for a ridiculously low price. Yes! He was duped - tinder swindling comes in different shades.

Like every hustler on the streets of Lagos, he did not give up. He made another attempt to invest his money in the shield industry with a man who worked as a textile maker. Think about it, what relationship ties shields and textiles? And yes, he lost his money again.

Only take advice from people who have proof they made a lot of money in whatever you want to invest in. Sounds simple, right? However, you’ll be shocked

at how many people listen to anyone’s advice. A lot of successful people do listen to advice, but it’s not as stringent as it should be. They will listen to anyone who sounds successful or looks rich or is on a fairly famous podcast or has made at least six figures.

5. If wishes were horses, beggars would

ride It’s amazing how people wish they would magically hit a jackpot and transform their lives. The truth is, there is a high chance to go back to stage zero if you win the jackpot. In fact, statistics have it that many lottery winners go through their whole winnings within a year.

Instead of thinking of hitting a $1 million jackpot, cruising in luxurious cars, shopping everywhere - eating the life of your head, you should work towards having a consistent and growing system that constantly makes you more money. The truth is, it’s never about how much you have earned or won, it’s how much you keep and how much you keep making in the future.

6. You cannot be wealthy if you spend foolishly “Gold flees the man who would force it to impossible earnings or who followeth the alluring advice of tricksters and schemers or who trusts it to his own inexperience and romantic desires in investment.”

What this basically means is that if you invest or use money in businesses you aren’t familiar with or people who aren’t good at a task, you will lose it.

If you push too hard to earn money in a near-impossible way, you will lose it.

If you buy into scammers, you will lose money. If you spend or use money based on your own inexperience or emotional urges, you will lose it.

7. Invest in your ability to earn more Simply put, it means you should allocate a portion of your time, energy and money to improve your skills and ability to earn

My Wealth and I

with Matthew Ashimolowo

M

atthew Ashimolowo, founder and Senior Pastor of the Londonbased Kingsway International Christian Church (KICC) has been able to create a fine balance between spirituality and material wealth creation.

In the business world, he has built a couple of first-class business entities and personally owns choice properties in highbrow locations around the world. Here are some of his thoughts on wealth creation and success generally.

Success is hidden in what you do daily I recently taught a series on how to have a great day. This is the idea. Many people don’t know how to have a great day. When you have a great day, you have a great week and then a great month and a great year and so on. Many people don’t know how to manage a day, not to mention a year, and they wonder why their lives are such a failure.

If you can’t manage a day, you can’t manage your entire life. There are a few things you must do to have a great day; to make a great life. They are preparation and inspiration. You must be excited about the cause of the day, pray, plan and set the day before you. Also is organisation. Your day must be organised.

There is also delegation. There are things you must delegate as you get to a point in life so that you can concentrate on the bigger issues.

It is not a curse to be wealthy The day you receive Christ, you carry these blessings. But the church you go to or the ministration you sit under determines if these blessings will find fulfilment in your life. Some people go to churches where they are taught they don’t need these blessings.

more money. This is one golden rule of building wealth.

Some people think learning ends after school, but this is totally wrong. Learning never ends. You can be 10x ahead in life by developing yourself a little each day. The average person spends time on frivolous activities such as aimless chatting, watching movies, and unnecessary outings. Don’t be like the average person.

Improve yourself!

8. Greedy people always lose money Have you ever heard of a 50% ROI per month? If you have, hopefully, you did not involve yourself in it. Realistically, there’s no business/investment that can guarantee you 50% returns per month.

The risk involved is just too high. Don’t fall into the trap.

To build wealth, you must tame the greed in you. Although this is quite impossible, you can manage it and make intelligent decisions. Always ask yourself, what is driving me to invest in this opportunity/business/venture?

If it is greed, that’s a red light. It’s not Valentine Red, but an emergency. Stay away from it!

“A part of all I earn is mine to keep.”

Say it in the morning when you first arise. Say it at noon. Say it at night. Say it each hour of every day. Say it to yourself until the words stand out like letters of fire across the sky.

The next time you visit a bookstore, make sure you buy this book - so much wisdom scripted in a few pages. You too can be the richest man in your community.

for anybody. If an unbeliever practises it, it works and if a Christian doesn’t practise it, he remains broke. The business world calls it CSR (corporate social responsibility) but this is a fancy way to call this biblical principle.

I have practised this with results. Anything God blesses me with, I pass on to others to be a blessing. I just gave out my Hummer Jeep not long ago to a man of God who is in the heat of the Boko Haram insurgency.

In the last three years, I have donated 24 cars to people.

Some of them are people who had been praying to God to be blessed and God laid it in my heart to be a blessing to them and I did.

Ashimolowo

Some work on cursed ground and others work with cursed hands. The environment where you are operating is important to the blessings manifesting in your life.

As Christians, we are blessed for the following reasons: to be a blessing to our generation; to make a difference in our family and to be a major sponsor of the gospel, etc.

Money is a currency and it flows to where it is celebrated. To attract money, you must show passion to get it, passion to multiply it and passion to use it to bless and help others. All these can be done in two ways: using your gifts and through a business.

It has been proven that if you want to do something great for the kingdom of God, you must be an entrepreneur. Salaries can never make you rich.

Wealth multiplies as you give it out Wealth multiplies when you allow it to flow through you to others. The principle of wealth creation is universal. It has no respect

It is not a sin to do business as a pastor I used to think it was a sin to do business as a pastor as well. In 1974, I was in Bible school; in 1976, I started pastoring and in 1979, I travelled out for the first time. Upon returning, I bought a musical instrument for N500 and sold it for N1,200 in Nigeria.

With that, I built my first house. At that time, my salary was N100. I started with a salary of N50 when I joined the ministry.

People would say N50 was a whole lot then. It wasn’t. My wife used to get that amount from her father as pocket money while she was in secondary school.

So, I began to think and realised that from the age of 14, I started selling things.

I hawked bread and the mark is still at the centre of my head. God told me that it’s my gift to make a difference and be a blessing to my generation. So, it’s okay to be where God has put you and use your strength to be a blessing and touch lives.

18

SUNDAY APRIL 9, 2023 • T H I S D AY

T H I S D AY MONDAY MARCH 2022 Sunday 9 April,14, 2023 Vol 27. No 10218

OPI NION

opinion@thisdaylive.com

www.thisdaylive.com

KALU: WHAT MANNER OF SENATE PRESIDENT?

Kalu’s Senate presidency will signal the beginning of a genuine healing process, contends LEKAN ALADE

119

Wole Soyinka means well for the Igbo, writes LOUIS ODION

BETWEEN KONGI AND THE SCIONS OF MUSSOLINI-HITLER

“N See Page 20

INTERIM GOVERNMENT AND THE DEMOCRATIC PROJECT

JIDEOFOR ADIBE argues that calls for interim government are mere expressions of frustrations with our democracy

See Page 20

EDITORIAL

HAPPY EASTER!

See Page 45

obel Laureate Wole Soyinka is a principled fighter for justice in our country and around the world.

He is a phenomenon that unlettered and uncultured people may not fully understand in an age of lazy social media in which many don’t read or think deep. His endorsement of my 2019 presidential candidacy in my short-lived but impactful foray into Nigerian electoral politics remains one of the greatest honors of my life. I view very dimly any criticism of him simply because he’s OBJECTIVE. He survived dictators. He will survive you.”

The foregoing quote was tweeted a few days ago by no other than Professor Kingsley Moghalu following the latest eruption of expletives by online trolls and the usual opportunistic thugs.

While featuring on a Channels TV programme (and later Arise TV) days earlier, the Nobel Laureate had expressed an objection to the “fascistic language” of the vice-presidential candidate of Labour Party, Datti Baba-Ahmed, in an earlier interview where he pointedly declared that inaugurating President-elect Bola Tinubu on May 29 would be tantamount to “a coup”, threatening the judiciary against making any judgment unfavorable to his party.

Of course, it wasn’t only the Labour Party candidate that received a full measure of Professor Soyinka’s caustic tongue. The literary giant was equally unsparing of both candidates of APC and PDP (Bola Ahmed Tinubu and Atiku Abubakar) while fielding questions on a wide range of national issues.

However, the most uncouth, vile reactions have been pouring in only from one corner.

But the one I consider the unkindest cut is the insinuation of ethnic bias against Soyinka by a converging mob. Of course, such thinking feeds from either rank illiteracy or loss of a sense of history.

For sure, this rabble would rather pride themselves today on being “enforcers” of the “Third Force”. But those who know a little more about the history of its actual evolution will certainly shake their heads in pity for those who, as they say, are in a hurry to satiate their lungs with free oxygen without bothering about its provenance.

Only ignorance — laced with malice, perhaps — could have led anyone to accuse Soyinka of Igbo-phobia when the same man had rooted for Moghalu five years ago (as one of the early champions of the “Third Force” ahead of the 2019 polls), against his fellow Yoruba like Omoyele Sowore and Fela Durotoye also on parade then.

I witnessed one of the exploratory discussions in Lagos. The meeting took place precisely on August 20, 2018 at the fifth floor of a high-rise overlooking the Atlantic Ocean on Victoria Island. A day earlier, Professor Soyinka had called and asked yours sincerely to join him at the meeting with Moghalu. My interest or qualification? Well, let me say that I enjoy the privilege of being a disciple of Kongi, an

instinctive teacher and, above all, a compelling moral authority.

That fateful evening, Moghalu came with a small team. Two of us accompanied Professor Soyinka. It serves no purpose to make a full disclosure of the details of the conversation which lasted several hours between Kongi and the former deputy governor of the Central Bank.

Suffice it to say that it was a great evening as the Nobel laureate and Moghalu, a very cerebral man, engaged the national condition and possible way forward. While we mostly listened. I believe a few more meetings took place after which Kongi made up his mind.

A couple of months later, Soyinka, in his capacity as the convener of the Citizen Forum, eventually declared without any ambiguity in a statement: “Over the past few months, we studied the careers, experiences and track records of most of the presidential aspirants, and most intensely those actually short-listed by the opposition parties themselves. Like millions of Nigerians, we watched the debates. I physically interacted with some of the acknowledged top contenders, in some cases several times.

“We participated in HANDSHAKE ACROSS NIGERIA, where some candidates presented their briefs. Among others, I delivered a keynote address. We watched television interviews. We have exchanged notes with highly respected international civil servants. The drive towards consensus among these dedicated groups sometimes took the form of test questionnaires to the aspirants, including items such as: ‘Who among the contestants would you choose, if you did not emerge as the ultimate preference?’

“There was nothing complicated about assessment parameters: mental preparedness, analytical aptitude, response to the nation’s security challenges, economic grounding, grasp of socio-political actualities, including a remedial concern with the Nigerian image in foreign perception etc. etc. not forgetting a convincing commitment to governance and resource decentralization — commonly referred to as Restructuring.

“The Forum rejected retrograde propositions

of a political merry-go-round, which urge the electorate to choose this or that candidate in order to ensure ‘our turn’ at the next power incumbency.”

To an extent, Soyinka’s endorsement of Moghalu (of the Young Progressives Party) as the “consensus candidate” could, therefore, be described as the first most consequential affirmation of a “Third Force” after the tectonic shift of 2015 that displaced PDP and enthroned APC. That symbolic rite of 2019 prepared the grounds for what Labour Party was supposed to embody in the 2023 polls.

If my recollection is correct, my friend and brother, Sowore didn’t like the idea and so decided to go solo. He had the distinction of ending up as the third runner-up to President Muhammadu Buhari in the 2019 polls. After the polls, I remember I had called Yele up and congratulated him on the “feat” and encouraged him to see himself as very, very promising for the future.

It is, therefore, quite shocking to hear some voices among the online mob today accusing Soyinka of Igbo-phobia, when the same man had asked Sowore and Durotoye to step down for Moghalu in 2019. Before Moghalu, Kongi had initially endorsed my big brother and friend, Professor Pat Utomi (another Igbo from Delta State) who incidentally is also today a member of Peter Obi’s think tank, as the tentative “face” of the “Third Force”.

Well, these folks who are undernourished and malnourished from the poor dietary offerings on Instagram, Twitter and Facebook, have become a danger to themselves and to society. They don’t and can’t read. Otherwise, they will know that, for the love of Igbo out of a strong belief in human solidarity and overarching devotion to the cause of justice, this same man had dared visit Odumegwu Ojukwu in the Biafran enclave in October 1966 before the outbreak of the civil war.

That mission marked him out as “an enemy of the state” and landed him in Gowon’s gulag where he would endure solitary confinement for 30 months, enduring physical deprivation and the worst form of mental torture. And in the heady second republic, Kongi would pitch his tent, not with Yoruba-led UPN, but radical PRP led revolutionary Aminu Kano, a northerner.

They don’t read and can’t read. Otherwise, they would know how sacrilegious it is to open unwashed mouths against a literary deity.

According to journalist Dele Elempe, “When you remember Wole Soyinka is in the same category of iconic Nobel laureates (persons who are honoured with awards for outstanding creative or intellectual achievements) including the likes of Butler Yeats, T.S. Elliot, William Faulkner, Russell Betrand, Sir Winston Churchill, Ernest Hemmingway, Albert Camus, Jean Paul Sartre, Alexandr Solzhenitsyn, Samuel Beckett, Pablo Neruda, Gabriel Marquez, you will understand he does not need the acceptance of anyone, especially online fools, for anything.”

Odion, FNGE, is senior technical assistant on media to the President

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T H I S D AY SUNDAY APRIL 9, 2023

KALU: WHAT MANNER OF SENATE PRESIDENT? Kalu’s Senate presidency will signal the beginning of a genuine healing process, contends LEKAN ALADE

Talk of justice, talk of fairness. They make life go round. In fact, this world of ours is anchored around the duo. The twins are inseparable. They’re Siemens of sort.

The duo can’t be profiled. It has no nationality or ethnicity. It goes beyond boundaries. And it’s without borders.

Justice and fairness are the engine that oil and propel democracy. They are its bedrock and strength. They are the pillars that stand democracy on its feet.

We can’t pretend ours to be different in this clime. We can’t risk being an island unto ourselves. We must, as a matter of compulsion, flow with the tide. We have no viable choice.

So be it with the 10th Senate Presidency.

The general elections are over. The battle has been fought. And the war has been won and lost. The focus is now on the spoils of war.

The race is hot. Nothing less is expected.

The contenders are equally outstanding political gladiators. And it’s being upped by the minutes.

The stake is high. And the 10th National Assembly (NASS) must get its leadership right. It must avoid pitfalls. The road is tortuous, laced with landmines.

The task ahead of Senate President is Herculean. It requires Hercules to do the job.

The responsibilities are huge. It requires an equally strong character for the role.

We need a Senate President of like never before. A fixer extraordinary; a bridge builder of immense means; a silent listener and coordinator. We yearn for a personality that walk his talk.

Orji Uzor Kalu aptly fits the bill. He is well versed in the business. A tested politician and businessman. He has come, seen and conquered. He has proved overtime that he knows his onions too well.

He couldn’t have been alone in the power struggle. His co-contenders are no pushovers.

They are gladiators on their own rights. They can be intimidating. But Kalu is no stranger to challenges. He won’t succumb, he won’t give up. His mind is made. His resolve is absolute.

The line-up: Dave Umahi, Godswill Akpabio, Osita Izunaso, Ali Ndume, Abdulaziz Yari, Musa Sani, Barau Jibrin and Adams Oshiomhole. Out of this pack, only Oshiomhole will be a new face in the Senate.

Four of them have been governor.

They include Kalu, Akpabio, Yari and Oshiomhole. Umahi is serving Governor of Ebonyi State. Kalu stands tall. This is not unusual of him. He is in a familiar terrain and in his normal elements. Always standing to be counted; when it’s convenient and when it is not.

He will bring this to play as Senate President. He braces the storm and dares the “darable.” He is excited by challenges.

The reason he confronts any that crosses his path headlong.

Exploration is a hobby for him, venturing is a pastime. He is a problem solver. He fears no foes. He is gifted with a unique style. He exhibits it with human feelings that surpass others. He cares whose ox is gored. He is conscious and calculated in his actions and inactions.

Kalu is not an all-weather politician. He is one Nigerian truly detribalised with high leadership qualities. He stands firm on his conviction. Even when it was risky taboo in the South East.

He stuck with President-elect, Asiwaju Bola Ahmed Tinubu. And he didn’t do it underground. He was open and plain. And the rest is sweet history.

Zoning Senate President to South East is a potent weapon. It will right some perceived wrongs. It represents fairness and justice. It will put paid to the lingering marginalisation claim. It’s equity in its finest.

Kalu in the race makes a strong case for the South East. He was two-term Governor of Abia State from 29 May 1999 to 29 May 2007. He first came into the Senate in 2019.

He represented and still representing Abia North. And almost instantly, he made a mark.

His sterling and uncommon traits couldn’t be hidden. They couldn’t go unspotted.

The pleasant message was not lost on his colleagues. They had no difficulty in electing him Chief Whip of the Red Chamber. And we are glad they did.

Kalu has a legion of credible testifiers to his credit and advantage. They are spread across the five zones. These are not easy to come by.

Rare traits are alien to small minds.

Dr. Bashir Lamido is one. He is Director General, Arewa Summit International. His profound attestation: “Kalu’s commitment to peace, unity, progress and stability should be emulated by well-meaning Nigerians. His sense of patriotism, courage, sagacity and national appeal is a testament to the fact that he is an elder statesman.”

He’s not done yet: “If you have someone like Senator Orji Uzor Kalu, who is nationally accepted in the race, the best thing to do is for the zone to rally round him like the South West did to Tinubu during the presidential primary of the All Progressives Congress (APC).”

An honest opinion: “The Igbo people will get what they are looking for easily if Igbo follow him.” Why? Lamido’s quick response: “He has proven to be there for the people at a time they needed him most.

“He should be commended by every wellmeaning Nigerian for standing firm on the principles of equity, justice, and fairness. He is a national figure who cannot be traded for unknown people.”

Kalu’s childhood friend and lawyer, Henry Endeley, would not keep quiet. Not even this time. They have been friends for over 40 years. They met at the University of Maiduguri (UNIMAID), Borno State.

He has a strong belief in the qualities deposited in Kalu. Perhaps, they are stored up in him for a time like this. Who knows?

His convincing testimony: “He (Kalu) is a unifier. He understands the deep-rooted differences between the ethnic groups and nationalities of the nation with respect for our respective choices of religion or mode of worship.”

Kolajo Abiola, son of Chief MKO Abiola, would not want to be left out. He couldn’t keep it to himself any longer. He was forthright and forthcoming. You wouldn’t disagree with him. He poured out: “One can recognise an ally and a friend in times of hardship. Nigeria is going through a very difficult time.

Prince Alade writes from Ketu, Lagos State

JIDEOFOR ADIBE argues that calls for interim government are mere expressions of frustrations with our democracy

INTERIM GOVERNMENT AND THE DEMOCRATIC PROJECT Recently the political space has been further heated by the narrative from the Tinubu camp that some people are ‘plotting’ to foist an interim government on the country. The subtext is that the ‘plotters’ are using the call for interim government as a veneer to stop Bola Tinubu, who was declared President-elect by the Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC), from being inaugurated as the President on 29 May 2023. The Department of State Service (DSS) lent legitimacy to the alleged plot by announcing (without naming names) that it had indeed uncovered a secret plan by some people to foist an interim government on the country through mass protests.

While I do not personally believe in interim government or the idea of military rule, I will argue that those who are peacefully canvassing for any of these options, have not broken any laws of the land and as such should not be criminalized. In fact, I believe that such calls for interim government or even for military rule as an alternative to what we currently practice are mere expressions of the frustrations with our democracy rather than an attempt to target any person. Besides, not only does the country’s constitution not recognize an interim government, it is almost impossible for anyone to foist an interim government on the country – even through the doctrine of necessity - without an active buy-in of President Buhari who has repeatedly insisted that he would hand over power to Tinubu on 29 May 2023 and had already set up a Transition Committee for that.

In this sense, the narrative that some groups are plotting to install an interim government seems to be a red herring.

It should be recalled that the general discontent that followed the conduct of the 25 February 2023 Presidential and National Assembly Elections and the 18 March 2023 Governorship and State Assembly elections had once again raised the question of whether democracy has failed Nigerians. For many independent observers, the electoral process had serious shortcomings that could possibly have tainted the outcomes. For instance the National Democratic Institute/International Republican Institute Election Observation Mission, part of the international observers of the elections, concluded that the elections “fell short of Nigerian citizens’ reasonable expectations.”

They noted the failure of INEC to live up to the high expectations it had created for itself and the apparent complicity of some security personnel in the electoral malfeasances in some several states like Lagos. The electoral malpractices across the country included violent voter suppression, ballot snatching, ethnic profiling/ baiting and politically motivated mayhem and murders.

Given the above and the failure of most Nigerians to see how our liberal democracy has positively impacted on their material circumstances, many citizens are understandably scapegoating our democracy on several grounds: One, is the cost of conducting elections. For instance, given the poor performance of INEC in the conduct of the 2023 elections, many wonder whether the N355bn it budgeted for the elections (excluding donations from external donors) was money well spent. Two, is an increasing scepticism of whether elections as presently conducted are credible means of leadership recruitment. Three, is that elections are divisive in nature as it thrives on creating and sharpening a simplistic binary of we-they dichotomy which in turn widens the social distance among Nigerians. We saw this with the weaponisation of ethnic baiting and profiling in Lagos during and after the elections.

I believe that the above dissatisfactions and frustrations with our democracy are what many of those calling for an interim government or even inadvisably calling for the military to seize power, are expressing. But the problem with

this group of people is that they seem to be conflating the shortcomings in the conduct of our elections – which is only one feature of democracy- with the failure of the entire democracy project. It is ironic that those expressing frustrations with our democracy by canvassing for either an interim government or military takeover do so by utilizing one of the key elements of the same liberal democracy – freedom of speech. It can in fact be argued that while there are serious challenges with the conduct of our elections, other components of our democracy such as the freedom of speech, freedom of assembly and rule of law have not fared as badly as the conduct of elections.

But why is freedom of speech so vital in a democracy? There are at least four key arguments for justifying free speech in a democracy: first, is the importance of discovering the truth by allowing proposals to compete freely in the marketplace of ideas. Second, is that free speech is regarded as an aspect of self-fulfilment. Three, is that freedom of speech is regarded as being indispensable for citizens to participate effectively in a democracy. Four, is that there is a deep suspicion of government and a belief that only free speech can restrain the authorities from trampling on the rights of the citizens. This means that the DSS and those from the Tinubu camp amplifying the narrative that some people are ‘plotting’ to foist an interim government (and wrongly making it seem as if such people have committed a crime) are either engaging in political blackmail or promoting groupthink.

Remarkably, proponents of this narrative criticize both those who have gone to court to challenge the declaration of Tinubu as President-elect by INEC as well as those who choose to express their opposition through peaceful protests and expressions. This is dangerous to free speech and even to our democracy.

Groupthink is a term coined by the American social psychologist Irving Janis in 1972. Janis explained the concept as “the mode of thinking that persons engage in when concurrence-seeking becomes so dominant in a cohesive in-group that it tends to override realistic appraisal of alternative courses of action.” In groupthink, loyalty to the group requires individuals to avoid raising controversial or non-conforming issues or even proffering alternative solutions.

Democracy and the freedoms it encourages are antithetical to groupthink.

Democracy inherently creates a marketplace of ideas and those from the Tinubu camp ought to find superior ideas to compete in that marketplace – and not resort to blackmail which not only heats up the polity but also makes the task of post-election reconciliation more difficult.

Adibe is Professor of Political Science at Nasarawa State University, Keffi and founder of Adonis & Abbey Publishers

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T H I S D AY SUNDAY APRIL 9, 2023

EDITORIAL

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

HAPPY EASTER!

F

We should imbibe the virtues of service, sacrifice and love

or the second year in a row, Christians are celebrating Easter at the same period that Muslims are observing the Ramadan fast. The symbolism of that coincidence should not be lost on the adherents of both faiths. For Nigeria and Nigerians, faith is a valuable tool, especially at a time like this but only if we use it to counteract the rhetoric of hate and division. The faith we profess should guide and inspire us to do what is right. At a time like this, Muslims and Christians must use their faith as a vehicle for deepening harmony in Nigeria. But on this special occasion of Easter, we must also rejoice and celebrate with Christians all over the world.

7KH VDFULÀFH ORYH mercy, and unity that the death and resurrection of Jesus &KULVW H[HPSOLÀHG DUH some of the enduring values of Easter that transcend doctrine, DQG WKH\ DUH ZRUWK\ WR EH UHÁHFWHG XSRQ E\ DOO Nigerians. Perhaps more than at any period in history, it is important that we use this season WR UHÁHFW RQ WKLQJV WKDW ELQG XV WRJHWKHU UDWKHU than on those that divide us. With our country increasingly torn apart by hate, violence and all manner of social strains, our streets and alleyways are now overrun by kidnappers, bandits, armed robbers, and sundry other assortments of troublemakers.

The mystery of today’s celebration is anchored on the fact that Jesus chose death because that ZDV WKH SHQDOW\ WR ZKLFK DOO LQ WKH ÁHVK ZHUH liable on account of sin. In taking this path, Jesus was able to bring salvation to mankind.

It is in the juxtaposition of misery represented by death on the cross and the happiness of the resurrection morning that Christians believe they can face tomorrow. Because their saviour lives. But it is an act of faith. A day such as this DOVR FDOOV IRU XV WR VKXQ VHOÀVKQHVV DQG GHGLFDWH our energy to the promotion of the common good as we seek to build a new society based on

mutual respect.

For Christians, it is important to remember that Christ spent his whole life and ministry with the poor, the weak and the oppressed. He shared their anxieties, their hopes, and their aspirations. +H IHG WKH KXQJU\ IURP WKH ÀQHVW ZKHDW DQG KH healed the sick, consoled the sorrowful and wept for the dead. These are the attributes worthy of emulation by leaders and indeed all Nigerians as we celebrate Easter. More importantly, the new wave of intolerance that followed the 2023 general election in our country is a further invitation to all compatriots to join hands in building a new civilisation of love that eschews hatred, violence, rancor, and acrimony DFURVV WKH DUWLÀFLDO divides we have created from mismanaging our country. It is only when ZH DGRSW WKLV VHOÁHVV attitude that we would be able to focus attention on the ordinary people, their safety and welfare as well as the optimal allocation of scarce resources for effective implementation of policies for the greater good of our society.

While Easter Sunday is important to Christians, its message of salvation through faith is the essence of hope, regardless of one’s religious persuasion. Friday’s death on the cross and today’s resurrection after three days in the grave symbolises for Christians the ultimate victory of life over death. The risen Christ brought to the world hope, faith and love and adherents are enjoined to always seek love. If humanity would only heed that message, this world would be a better place to live. So, on this Easter Sunday, we invite all Nigerians to renew hope and faith in our country while relating with others with love. May Easter awaken in each of us true joy shown in dedicated service and love for our fellow country men and women.

May the example of Jesus inspire in each one of XV VHUYLFH VDFULÀFH DQG ORYH IRU RXU FRXQWU\ DQG our fellow human beings. We wish all our readers a Happy Easter!

The risen Christ brought to the world hope, faith and love and adherents are enjoined to always seek love

Letters to the Editor

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

LETTERS BUHARI, MELE KYARI AND MUNGO PARK The word, “exploration,” has put President Muhammadu Buhari, Mele Kolo Kyari, the Group Managing Director and &KLHI ([HFXWLYH 2IÀFHU RI WKH 1LJHULDQ National Petroleum Company (NNPC) Ltd and Mungo Park, the Scottish medical doctor, in a special category of people called explorers.

History indicates that Mungo Park came to West Africa twice, including areas that later constitute Nigeria, as an explorer. His PRWLYH ZDV WR ÀQG DQG FRQTXHU SRVVLEOH sources of riches for the business and political leadership of the British Imperial Empire, especially during his second expedition along River Niger in 1805. He came with 40 soldiers in tow.

Whereas Mungo Park’s exploration and search for sources of fortune for his British sponsors ended about 220 years ago, the exploration work by President Buhari and geologist-cum oil man, Mele Kyari, is ongoing.

As Minister of Petroleum Resources, President Buhari and a team from the NNPCL led by Mele Kyari, are intensely exploring for Oil and Gas, both onshore and offshore, Nigeria.

Unlike Mungo Park, their motive for exploration within the territory of Nigeria is to locate more sources of wealth, or riches, QRW IRU D %ULWLVK (PSLUH EXW IRU WKH EHQHÀW of millions of Nigerians.

So far their exploration effort has led to the discovery of crude oil and gas in 2019 in an area where Bauchi and Gombe States PHHW WKDW LV WKH .ROPDQL 2LOÀHOG 7KH .ROPDQL 2LOÀHOG ZKHUH .ROPDQL Wells I and II are located is so rich in oil and gas that, the Kolmani Integrated Development Project was conceived and ÁDJJHG RII LQ 1RYHPEHU ,WV SXUSRVH LV to harness the oil and gas found there and convert it into real wealth. ,Q D VSHHFK GXULQJ WKH ÁDJ RII FHUHPRQ\ at the site, President Buhari said foreign

direct investment worth $3 billion has been attracted for the Kolmani River exploration and integrated development project.

The Kolmani Project is billed to produce 50,000 barrels of crude oil daily. It will be SURFHVVHG LQ D PLG VL]H RQ VLWH UHÀQHU\ thereby enhancing domestic fuel supply, cutting the importation of white products and bolstering Nigeria’s fortune and earning from oil and gas. =In another exploration mission, the untiring explorers at the NNPC Ltd have moved to Obi/Keana Local Government Area of Nasarawa State. It is in the Middle Benue Trough (MBT), which showed a very high likelihood of oil deposits in commercial TXDQWLWLHV 'ULOOLQJ RI WKH ÀUVW RLO H[SORUDWLRQ well in the MBT named Ebenyi-A, has commenced.

Conscious of the negative impact oil extraction could cause to the environment, President Buhari cautioned NNPC Ltd and its partners to be proactive in caring for

WKH HQYLURQPHQWDO FRQVHTXHQFHV RI WKH RLO exploration work and speedily mitigate any possible negative effects. ,W LV VLJQLÀFDQW WKDW WKH XQZDYHULQJ explorers at the NNPC Ltd led by the President are spearheading the nationwide exploration to raise the proven reserves and increase overall national crude oil production.

President Buhari said the discovery of oil in Nasarawa State was in line with the ongoing campaigns to explore crude oil and gas in the nation’s several Frontier Basins.= The Frontier Basins include Adamawa Yobe and Borno States in the Chad Basin, Dahomey Basin, Anambra Platform, the Calabar Embankment, Sokoto Basin, Niger State in the Bida Basin, Benue Trough and the offshore Ultra-Deepwater Niger Delta.

Salisu Na’inna Dambatta, retired Federal Director of Information

46

SUNDAY APRIL 9, 2023 • T H I S D AY

T H I S D AY, T H E S U N D AY N E W S PA P E R ˾APRIL 9, 2023

47

GLITZ FOCUS

From Townships to the World: Exploring the Global Phenomenon of Amapiano with Spotify Amapiano, an infectious sound from South Africa that gained popularity during the pandemic, continues to seduce music enthusiasts across the globe with its mesmerising rhythm. But what is the fascinating tale behind this musical marvel? In a quest to uncover the origins and intricacies of Amapiano, Spotify enlisted a team of journalists and content creators, including Vanessa Obioha, to embark on an epic journey through the bustling streets of Pretoria, Johannesburg and Soweto

Focalistic

Content creators and journalists with Spotify team

Kamo Mphela

DJ Kabza De Small at Konka

DJ Maphorisa in studio

Young Stunna

Mamelodi, theTownship of Melodies

group of youngsters entertained us with their electrifying amapiano dance moves. By the end of the day, even those who are not accustomed to Amapiano before found themselves swept up in the magic of its pulsating beat, unable to resist the urge to dance and let loose.

T

he tranquil streets of Mamelodi, Pretoria embraces a first-time visitor with a sense of calm.

The breathtaking landscape, adorned with majestic mountains, presents the perfect backdrop for a photoshoot, while the orderly arrangement of pubs and houses on either side of the street creates a picturesque setting that evokes a feeling of a dream vacation destination. Yet, beyond the doors of these welcoming pubs lies a treasure trove of musical tales that have recently gained momentum: Amapiano.

Mamelodi, a Sepedi word that translates to ‘Mother of Melodies,’ has a noteworthy history of underground music in South Africa. As a result, it was one of the fitting birthplaces for the Amapiano genre when it emerged. The catchy log-drum-driven basslines and soulful piano melody are believed to have evolved from the underground music diBarcadi. This music style incorporated a dance that gained popularity on social media and ultimately paved the way for the emergence of Amapiano.

Thus, it was the perfect place to start the four-day Spotify AmapianoTour.

In Mamelodi, we visited hotspots like Jack Budha. It was a hub for young people to explore and appreciate this unique sound in those early days. As Focalistic, an Amapiano artist who hails from Pretoria, describes it, the pub was a sanctuary from hip-hop and offered a sense of identity for the youth.

Recalling those days of visiting Jack Budha to listen to hours of Amapiano sets, Focalistic during our tour of the township said: “For us, it was an escape from the noise of hip hop at the time and a way to feel closer to our roots.

Amapiano comes from a house background.

I think that’s what Amapiano is all about. Just being from Africa. We are obsessed with saying things in our own voice. We want to dress in our clothes and say things in our voices and sound like ourselves.”

Though Amapiano spread to other townships and gained more popularity than its predecessor, its heart still beats strongest in Mamelodi. On Tsweu Street, just by the corner of legendary Jack Budha, locals sit outside to listen and dance to the pulsating rhythm this Sunday afternoon. It was only a matter of time before a

Soweto, Where Music and History Converge In Soweto, the past and the present converge in a celebration of culture, history, and music.

It’s a place where the legacy of the late Nelson Mandela and Bishop Desmond Tutu lives on, where the struggle against apartheid is honoured, and where the beat of Amapiano fills the air with the joy and energy of a community that has overcome adversity and continues to thrive.

The Walter Sisulu Square, where the Freedom Charter was drawn, and the Hector Pieterson Museum, which tells the story of apartheid and the 1976 Soweto Uprising, are just a few of the heritage sites that commemorate the struggles and triumphs of this vibrant community. It was in Soweto that the tragic shooting of 12-year-old Hector Pieterson took place, an event that sparked a global outrage and exposed the inhumanity of the apartheid regime. Today, the museum that bears his name is a reminder of the sacrifices made by those who fought for freedom and justice, and his sister Antoinette, who witnessed his death, serves as a guide to visitors from around the world.

However, Soweto like Mamelodi is also a place of creativity and artistry. The township has a rich musical heritage that dates back decades, with genres like Kwaito and Kasi rap taking root here long before the rise of Amapiano. Today, Soweto is still home to some of the most talented musicians and performers in the country, with artists like Kamo Mphela bringing their unique sounds to audiences around the world.

One of the best places to experience this musical legacy is at Konka, a buzzing hotspot that’s known for its Amapiano grooves and lively atmosphere. From the moment you step inside, you’re enveloped in a sea of sound and motion, with DJs spinning beats that seem to come straight from the heart of the township itself. On this tour, DJs Maphorisa and Kabza De Small lit up the night with heart-thumping Amapiano sets that got many swaying and sweating on the dancefloor. For some of us, the thought of going back to our hotel was

heartbreaking. We wished the night would never end.

Dance, an Inseparable Element of Amapiano If you ask any Amapiano enthusiast about the music genre, you would probably be told that it is more than just sounds. Amapiano is a lifestyle. It is like a siren’s call to your body, enticing it to sway and move to the rhythm of the beat. Whether you’re jamming in your car or partying it up at the club, once the beat drops, you won’t be able to resist the urge to dance.

Dance is very integral to Amapiano. They go hand in hand like yin and yang. In fact, during the pandemic, Amapiano dance routines went viral on social media, with people all over the world grooving to the beat.

We had to visit a dance studio in Johannesburg to really capture the essence of Amapiano dance moves. To guide us through was one of the rising stars of amapiano Kamo Mphela who took the enthusiastic content creators through a dance routine.

For the 23-year-old Sowetan, dance and music are inseparable. It is the same with Amapiano. She explained that it is rare to find an Amapiano artist who doesn’t bust a move along with their beat. Just like the late pop legend Michael Jackson was known for his pop music and dance, so are Amapiano artists.

But the best part about Amapiano is that you don’t even have to understand the lyrics to get into the groove. As long as that beat keeps pumping, your body will follow. It’s like magic!

The Magic of the Beat For the last leg of the tour, we visited a recording studio to see how Amapiano is produced. DJ Maphorisa, widely regarded as the father of Amapiano, was on hand to guide us through the process, from the log-drum-driven basslines to the soulful piano melodies that characterise the genre. The last time some of us saw him was at a distance in Konka. But being in the studio where the only thing separating him from us was a screen was a different level of experience. And most of us could not hide it.

But as bright-eyed students, we glued our eyes to the monitor in front of us and watched him wave his magic wand.

Amapiano has some elements that give it its uniqueness. They include the log drum and the shakers. We watched in awe as DJ Maphorisa built the sound from scratch, layering melodies, beats, and rhythms until it became a cohesive whole.

But the real magic happened when Nigerian electro-fusion singer, Wurld, jumped on the

beat and spun lyrics on the spot within minutes, not hours. Before you knew it, we were all entranced by the sound of the new song, which we nicknamed ‘Love in Soweto,’ with the South African and Ghanaian dance influencers coming up with a dance routine to match.

The production was a testament to the creative power of collaboration and the unique energy of the recording studio. And who knows?

With its infectious beats and catchy melodies, it just might be a contender for the next Grammys.

The Future of Amapiano The meteoric rise of Amapiano in South Africa since 2019 has been nothing short of impressive. This genre of music has found its place in various parts of Africa, including Nigeria and Kenya, where it is celebrated with equal enthusiasm. According to the global music streaming giant, Spotify, streams of the genre grew by a staggering 563% between 2019 and May 2020 on the platform. It was also the most streamed genre on the platform last year.

Although Amapiano’s roots are still strong in South Africa, it has made impressive inroads in Nigeria, where artists like Davido and Asake have incorporated the sound into their music.

The United Kingdom and the United States are also significant markets for this South African export.

Despite the genre’s impressive growth, there have been ongoing discussions about preserving its unique culture and history. Focalistic and his peers have daily conversations about how to protect Amapiano’s roots while taking it global.

“It’s about how do we gatekeep, especially the culture and history so, that as much as it goes around the world, people never forget who created Amapiano.”

Kamo Mphela believes that Amapiano needs to be more assertive in its approach to achieve the same status as Afrobeats.

“Amapiano just needs to be a little more - I think we’re a little too soft. Amapiano in South Africa is about culture, and being humble to everyone, but if we really want to take it to the world, we have to be more. Wizkid and Burna Boy aren’t soft about pushing Afrobeats, they’re definitely aggressive. If we can be more aggressive with our sound, I think we can reach greater heights,” she said.

Johannesburg’s rising Amapiano star Young Stunna on the other hand sees no threat but believes in the collaborative power of the genre.

Spotify’s Sub-Saharan Africa Head of Music, Phiona Okumu, however, believes that Amapiano for a long time lacked legitimacy despite being around for a while.

“We didn’t have Amapiano music represented on streaming platforms, in the same way, radio wasn’t really playing it. It was literally the music of the streets. But in the way that culture always bubbles over and becomes mainstream, we saw an opportunity.”

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WEEKLY PULL-OUT

9.4.2023

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AMBASSADOR MARY BETH LEONARD CLOSING CHAPTERS OF A CAREER IN FOREIGN SERVICE She is an ambassador extraordinaire, whose dedication and commitment to duty in discharging her responsibilities as an envoy of the United States to Nigeria shines through her remarkable diplomatic exploits. During her tenure, Nigeria witnessed an improvement in her bilateral relationship, particularly, the extended visa from two years to five years, as well as the new consulate, which is the largest in the world. These and many more are achievements of a Massachusetts native who has served the US department for 35 years.

As she departed Nigeria as an envoy and retired from US Foreign Service, Ambassador Mary Beth Leonard, in an exclusive interview with Funke Olaode, said she is grateful for having had the opportunity to have Nigeria as her last chapter in Foreign Service.

ooking resplendent in her beautiful native attire, she mingled freely with all the invited guests. She exuded confidence, commanding attention and admiration. It was her second appearance that evening having changed from the smart blue adire jacket earlier worn during the interview session inside the United States Consul-General’s residence in Ikoyi.

The breeze blew relentlessly across the sprawling Lagoon view at the residence where top echelons from multinational, media, diplomatic community and private sector gathered. Veteran jazz musicians, Tee Mac and Yinka Davies were on ground to serenade all invited guests. It was a farewell reception for the outgoing United States Ambassador, Mary Beth Leonard whose tenure ended in Nigeria as US envoy and her retirement from the US Foreign Service.

Since she assumed office in Nigeria three years ago and plunged herself into her duties, Leonard has wormed herself into the hearts of many Nigerians. Prior to her foray in Nigeria, she had served in Cameroon, Namibia, Togo, South Africa, Suriname (the only country she had served outside Africa), twice in Bamako, Mali and Ethiopia. In all of this, she immersed herself as a US representative, making her impact felt.

What was it like working in Nigeria?

I asked.

“I did have a great time in Nigeria,” she said. “People here are so wonderful, welcoming and friendly. So, besides just the fun and living in Nigeria, it is such an honour to be a representative of the United States to Africa’s giant.”

Leonard has been in the US Foreign Service for nearly 35 years where she received tremendous support to function in Foreign Service. Over the years, she has carved out a successful diplomatic career by being true to herself. She is loved in Nigeria because of her accommodating nature.

A great deal of her major achievements include experiencing Nigeria but the ongoing new consulate office and the visa extension from two years to five years will remain unforgettable.

“I have been to different parts of Nigeria. But programmatically, since we are sitting here in Lagos, we need to talk about the new consulate compound which is a project that is going to employ 2,500 people and it is going to cost about USD95 million and eventually be the largest U.S. Consulate in the world. It is a good physical representation of the importance of the relationship that we are building a bigger consulate.

“But policy wise, I think that most of your citizens and readers will probably say the most important thing that happened under my watch is the extended visa to five years, which is important for the ease of travel. But also because of COVID, we recognised that we had a bit of a backlog in visas. And so, between extending the visa validity and making it so that you can participate in the interview waiver programme as long as you had a visa that expired in the last four years. We are working hard at digging ourselves out of that hole. We are so grateful to the travelling public for their understanding, and we are getting closer.

ASSISTANT EDITOR OLUFUNKE OLAODE/funkola2000@gmail.com

T H I S D AY, T H E S U N D AY N E W S PA P E R ˾APRIL 9, 2023

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COVER

The Most Important Thing During My Tenure is ExtendingVisa to FiveYears “Some of our biggest achievements in health that I will tell people, maybe the U.S. taxpayers, is that before our shutdown happened, we celebrated the end of the wild polio virus in Nigeria and we worked on HIV issues under the U.S. President’s Emergency Plan for AIDS Relief (PEPFAR) to the point where we can credibly say that we are on the verge of epidemic control with 1.7 million beneficiaries. A lot of expertise and infrastructure that we built up from that turned out to be incredibly useful when COVID happened. Whether you are moving bed nets or HIV tests, there is a logistic angle that is just as important when you are moving from COVID test to COVID vaccine. And we are very proud to have participated in the COVID vaccine effort. Sixty percent of Nigerians are now fully vaccinated.

And now, one realises that you can put those things together to help make health structures and systems better for people. These are some of the things that I am particularly fond of doing and proud of during my time.”

While many Nigerians think about the United States in terms of oil, holiday visits and business ties, she thinks otherwise especially with regards to bilateral relationships.

“I think it is important to remember that while talking about the U S Nigeria relations, there is a part that comes from the official view of the U S government in our relationship with the government of Nigeria. But because of people-topeople relations, it goes even beyond that.

“The ties between Nigeria and the American people are really important.

Nigeria is our most important partner on the continent. Nigerians are the biggest African immigrant community in the United States. Nigerians are probably half a million legal permanent residents and citizens there. We spent well over 350 million dollars in key humanitarian assistance last year. There are a lot of connections.”

Nigeria’s enviable cultural landscape and exports in art, music, films constitute other areas of interest to the American diplomat.

“I remember the return of the Benin bronzes, which I went to see myself. It is a very rich relationship between the American and Nigerian film and music industries. Nigerian artists winning Grammys, Headies happening in Atlanta — that is really something! Did you know that Nigeria is the number one country that sends students to the United States? That is 10 per cent of student’s population worldwide. And we are proud of all of the exchanges that have been achieved through this.

“Another thing that people don’t really think so much about, is the Alchemist support, which is about how to leverage the commercial uses of space, and Nigeria was one of the first two African countries that financed that.

“Everybody knows about our security corporation, the A-29 Super Tucano aircrafts that arrived in Nigeria. But it is more than just the hardware arriving. It is also about what you do with them — knowing the doctrines that make security operatives more effective in using them to take care of the threats that are here in Nigeria and how to ensure civilians are not hurt accidentally. It is an entire process of security cooperation.

“And climate is, of course, the topic that is on everybody’s mind.

And during the recent floods in Nigeria, we gave a significant amount of money to address that.

But beyond that is how Nigeria and the United States and the world worked together to address the parallel problems of being responsible contributors to climate change, while also recognising that there are legitimate energy needs for

Leonard

PHOTO BY: ABIODUN AJALA

Nobody ever believes me when I say I like spicy food and a bit of pepper soup. But of course, you can’t be a Nigerian and not appreciate suya and jollof rice. I can say I had fun eating amala at Amala Sky in Ibadan the development of Nigeria and the welfare of its citizens and how you balance those out.

So, those are some of the subjects that have engrossed me in my nearly three and half years here.”

The U.S. government sponsored cultural, educational and professional exchange programmes very often. The relationship she explained has been beneficial.

“It is quite a long list of programs. We have tech women, a five-week program, where people have mentorship in Silicon Valley, San Francisco. We have the Fulbright

program that brings both U.S. students and professors to Nigeria and sends Nigerian students to the United States.

We also have the Hubert Humphrey programme, a one-year graduate fellowship in the United States. We have a program for high school students and educators as well.

“And then, every year, we have the International Visitors Leadership Programme, with about 175 participants. Over time, the number grows to an alumni network of 8,000

people. People who participate in these programmes go to the United States to learn and hear about how the U.S. addresses their particular topic of interest. And when they come back, they have all kinds of postexchange activities to help people further develop their ideas on recycling, cleanup, youth development, political participation, and so on. We work hard to follow up with our visitors who have gone through our assistance programs and activities when they return.

“In 2022, the US helped Nigerians get some 30 million dollars in scholarships. We also give out small grants to people and good students from the lower end of the income spectrum to cover things like the application fees, travel costs and the cost of visa. It is our pleasure to help facilitate that for people who want to have that wonderful experience.”

Leonard is excited that women are shattering the glass ceiling. Her home country leads by example by electing the first female Vice-President.

“Well, it feels exciting and it is important for women and girls to see examples of women that are succeeding so that they can have something to strive for and emulate.

She is the first woman Vice President as well as the first African-American and first Asian-American Vice-President of the United States. I think it is a reminder to people that they can dream big and not let their and other people’s preconceived notions of what they can achieve stand in their way. That is also why we engage them in some of the programmes to encourage people to aspire high by identifying what they can do.”

While returning the conversation to the culinary, she recounted how she relished some Nigerian delicacies.

“Nobody ever believes me when I say I like spicy food and a bit of pepper soup.

But of course, you can’t be a Nigerian and not appreciate suya and jollof rice. I can say I had fun eating amala at Amala Sky in Ibadan with our visiting pianist who came last year. It was lovely. In fashion, I like to incorporate African and Nigerian fabric into my wardrobe. And the art is just incredible.

I have boxes of artworks from Mama Nike Okundaye of Nike Arts Gallery, Tony Owere and Osi Audu. And of course, music, we have so much engagement on Afrobeat. We had a pre-Headies concert in the residence garden, did a lot of dancing and, of course, I had to go with the Headies in Atlanta where I heard many performers like Asake. It was also a real thrill to see the U.S. Naval Forces band who visited Nigeria recently play Ayra Starr’s Rush. And of course, I play the flute and Tee Mac is a big highlight for me in the arts.”

The burgeoning popular culture scene in Nigeria has been a huge attraction to American investors.

The retiring diplomat noted how the United States has been forging stronger economic ties with Nigerian creatives to promote the unique cultural offerings.

“There are so many natural and obvious ties in the art particularly. You look at the incredible ties between our creative industries on Films and TV. In the last seven years, we have had a partnership with the African International Film Festival. The film industry has great ties, we have programmes to send young filmmakers to California to learn about film techniques. And the Nigerian film industry really tempted the big ones in the U.S. to come here, Netflix, Amazon, Prime and Paramount, all come here.

And you saw Tems winning the Grammy this year. It is a really natural area of collaboration because we both have such a rich creative industry presence. What’s next?

“I tell people that I am going to take a gap here, I have been a federal government employee for 38 years, the State Department employee for 34 years.

I am looking forward to sitting back for a little while and thinking about what comes next and do some nesting in my home in Massachusetts and think about the next chapter of America’s letter.

But I will be forever grateful for having had the opportunity to have Nigeria be my last chapter in Foreign Service.”

T H I S D AY, T H E S U N D AY N E W S PA P E R ˾APRIL 9, 2023

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HighLife Kayode Ajulo Serenades Justices Odili, Awomolo

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

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

For Gov Adeleke, It’s No Longer ‘Dancing as Usual’ Yoruba culture is renowned for its abundance of wise proverbs, including one that asserts that as long as a child remains alive, they will continue to mature and develop. In other words, given enough time, we would all make something of our lives.

This adage can be applied to the current governor of Osun State, Senator Ademola Adeleke, who was previously referred to as the Dancing Senator due to his passion for dance. However, since assuming his role as the leader of Osun, he appears to have left his dancing days behind him.

Arguably, the governor is shedding different scales daily and becoming more and more responsible as he promised during his campaigns. And even though some people still have something to complain about him, these complaints don’t hold any water.

How well is Adeleke managing Osun?

Any honest person would respond, very well.

Adeleke is taking every aspect of the state seriously, from the people and their welfare to the development of infrastructure and the preservation of culture and tradition. On this note, Adeleke is leaving no stone unturned but is set on drawing the true potential of his people and state to leave behind a strong paragraph in the state’s history of democratic leaders.

Furthermore, Adeleke has started rubbing shoulders with some of the waymakers in Osun. These include former Osun governor and incumbent Minister of Interiors, Rauf Aregbesola, as well as the royal fathers.

Analysts say that Adeleke is doing all this to have a better hang of leadership, merging historical experience (from Aregbesola) with traditional expertise (from the royal fathers).

But he is not dancing all the time anymore, which is not a bad thing.

Adeleke

Bread of Life: Innovations of LASU’s VC, Prof. Ibiyemi Olatunji-Bello

Ajulo

When accomplished individuals willingly participate and lend their expertise to an association, it can bring about a certain level of fortune or success. This is the fortune that the Nigerian Body of Benchers has come into. According to the senior lawyer, Olukayode Ajulo, the nomination of Justice Mary Odili and Chief Adegboyega Awomolo to the positions of Chairman and Vice-Chairman, respectively, of the Body of Benchers (BOB) has elevated the association beyond a simple congregation of legal minds to an association with great potential and vitality.

When it comes to legal matters, Ajulo can be trusted to give useful counsel. The man has distinguished himself in the legal profession, going so far as obtaining a teacher’s badge at prestigious tertiary institutions around the world, such as Adekunle Ajasin University at Akungba-Akoko, Ondo State, as well as Egalitarian Basic Studies Institute at Kumasi, Ghana. So, when Ajulo applauds Odili and Awomolo for their positions of Chairman and Vice-Charman of BOB, it is a big deal.

And Ajulo is not wrong in his praise. Odili has demonstrated a robust grasp of all things law and order through her time in court. Her career is dotted with blazing positions such as the Justice of the Abuja Court of Appeal and the Presiding Justice of the Kaduna Court of Appeal. Moreover, when she retired from the courtroom in May 2022, she was the Associate Justice of the Supreme Court of Nigeria.

There is also Awomolo who is taking over the position of BOB Vice-Chairman. Counting out his remarkable career in the legal profession, he contributed significantly to the resuscitation of the Nigerian Bar Association (NBA) during the ‘90s. It is widely acknowledged that if Awomolo had not made moves to assist the NBA consolidation process, the association would not be as strong and stable as it is today.

So, Ajulo is right to state that Odili and Awomolo as Chairman and Vice-Chairman of BOB will usher the association into a new age of recognition and vitalisation.

Olatunji-Bello

The tertiary institutional system is built on both tradition and innovation.

The component of tradition is what allows

erudition to be stable and balanced, whereas the component of innovation is the engine of progress. The Lagos State University (LASU) has remarkably synthesised both of these components, succeeding at producing the most basic of basic foods—bread. And all of this is because of the efforts of the Vice-Chancellor of the institution, Prof. Ibiyemi Olatunji-Bello.

Olatunji-Bello has demonstrated that she is no less innovative and a genius at integrating the provisions of academics and real life compared to her peers in other parts of the country. The latest evidence of this fact is the bakery that she established as a commercial subdivision of LASU, consequently encouraging students to patronise the bakery’s products, especially the bread.

The report of Olatunji-Bello’s innovative bread scheme came from the Twitter handle of the school. The post included a picture of the VC smiling as she held three seemingly different loaf

sizes of the LASU bread. From the pictures, the loaves seem good and well-prepared, and so will undoubtedly provide students with the energy they need to go about their school life.

The post also informed the general public that Olatunji-Bello’s bread “will henceforth be the only bread on the university main campus, Ojo.” Clearly, the institution is confident in the production of Olatunji-Bello and her bakery workers, so much so that they would consider monopolising the bread market for LASU students.

Currently, the public is split between two positions on Olatunji-Bello’s bread: those who think that the only-LASU bread campus policy is unfair; and those that think that Olatunji-Bello would not have established the LASU bakery if she did not have something in mind she wanted to contribute.

Currently, Olatunji-Bello has shown her stuff and her determination to help LASU students in every capacity she deems fit. First, the bread of LASU… good loaves for all.

Former Oyo First Lady Still Holding the Ace at 64 Power is not one of those things that recognize a person’s sex or skin tone. To the individual who is ready to go all out to embrace it, power will come. Of course, there are others like Lady Florence, the wife of former Oyo State Governor, the late Senator Abiola Ajimobi, who appear to have attracted power based on their relationship with others.

But, even after the passing of her husband, Florence holds the ace of authority in Oyo. The days are good and jolly for the people of Oyo State. For those in the All Progressives Congress (APC), despite not winning the just-concluding gubernatorial election, there is still much to celebrate. The recent of these celebration-worthy events is the new age of Lady Florence, the matriarch in charge of the Ajimobi clan.

At 64, Florence remains one of the brightest lights in Oyo. Due to possessing

a calm head and a visionary perspective of life, she has claimed the heart of many people, not differentiating between big or small, affluent or impoverished. Why is this? The answer is that Florence is relatable, does not carry herself as something other than what she is, and is always ready to welcome new faces into her home as long as those faces have something to contribute to her beloved Oyo State.

It is no secret that Florence has a strong influence in the Oyo State chapter of the APC. Since her husband passed on a few years ago, she has overseen the activities of the party.

Of special note is her retaining the calming influence of her husband over the hotheads in the party. For this, she has been celebrated as a true luminary, a still-emerging voice in politics, and a titan of influence and good work.

Yes, at 64, things are moving well for Florence.

Ajimobi

TitilopeEjimagwa:MotherofNetworkMarketinginAfrica

Ejimagwa

Nigeria boasts of people with different personalities who can be broadly categorised into two classes: those that excel at creating value and those that excel at sucking it away. Titilope Ejimagwa is one of the leading proponents of value creation. With her incredible contributions to network marketing in Nigeria, especially her role as the first Black 5-Star Director of the Longrich global enterprise, she is one of a kind in her own right.

When people talk about network marketing in Nigeria, they stretch their fingers at individuals walking about the country to the point of having the earth recognize their footmarks. Ejimagwa is not like any of these people. And although there is much merit to walking and working, any right-thinking individual would choose Ejimagwa’s approach to convincing people to purchase Longrich’s products or join the team over the walk-about-and-ask-if-you-want-extra-income

approach.

But this is not all that Ejimagwa is. Since she came into the limelight, reports have shown her to be a passionate investor, real estate genius, entrepreneur, and willing mentor of young people. With so many other titles to her name, accompanied by the roles she occupies, Ejimagwa is not your run-of-the-mill person.

The most enviable things about Ejimagwa are simple. Many people know that she is one of the Directors of Loofca Oil and Gas, as well as the founder of Sparkle Rice. Her work in real estate is also well-known, especially her desire to erect a mixed-use 36-floor edifice known as the Trillion Tower at Eko Atlantic City. Many people want to share such victories.

But Ejimagwa also stutters. She also comes from a background where she did a lot of evangelical work as a Jehovah’s Witness member. She also holds no qualms about giving the best of herself in charity, especially to the underprivileged and others that are unable to acquire formal education.

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T H I S D AY, T H E S U N D AY N E W S PA P E R ˾APRIL 9, 2023

HIGHLIFE

Leaders by Kilometres … as Dangote, Rabiu, Adenuga Top the Forbes List 2023 Can winners ever get tired of hailing themselves? Probably not.

Other African nations can roll their eyes at Nigerians, but they will never be able to wipe off the proud smirk on our faces. The smirk emerged after Forbes released its 2023 World’s Billionaires List with Aliko Dangote, AbdulSamad Rabiu, and Mike Adenuga making the list and ranking in the top 500s.

According to the list, Dangote holds rank number 125, Rabiu holds rank number 249, and Adenuga holds rank number 418. And while these numbers may seem to be low, the fact is that they are relative and, considering that the list is global, very complimentary of Dangote, Rabiu,

and Dangote.

People have started calling the three accomplished businessmen The Wise Men of Wealth in Nigeria. The title is appropriate considering that all three built up their enterprises relying on their smarts. In the case of Dangote and Rabiu, it has been a matter of extensive commerce, dipping their fingers into all kinds of businesses with cement production taking the largest fraction of these businesses. Adenuga is very influential in the business space, especially with his telecoms company, Globacom, at the top of things in Nigeria.

Ultimately, it is a happy time with Dangote, Rabiu, and Adenuga demonstrating their leadership by kilometres.

Logistics Leader, Michael Makinde, Sees Nigeria’s Potential to Be a Global Player Dangote

Rabiu

Adenuga

The Return of Former IG, Solomon Arase

Arese

It was the late celebrated motivational speaker and author, Myles Monroe, that said that an individual should utilise their full potential and leave nothing unused by the time of their passing. This mindset To the individual that loves playing with fire, no amount of caution is ever enough. The most effective way to make them understand the danger is to let them experience the consequences first-hand.

This is something that many leading politicians in Nigeria are coming to understand. After attempting to play whois-the-best-praise-singer to president-elect Bola Tinubu, the responding resounding silence has prompted these politicians to glance at one another while wondering, “O boy, you know who go be Senate President?”

The question of who presidentelect Tinubu will approve to be Senate President is on every informed person’s lips. With many contenders seeking Tinubu’s endorsement, his silence makes it unclear where he stands on the matter.

Even though he has stated that he has no preferred candidate for the position, very few people believe him. After all, the

has been adopted by many people, including the former Inspector-General of Nigerian Police (IG), Solomon Arase. With his new appointment as the Chairman of the Nigeria Police Service Commission (PSC), one can say that the sun has risen anew on Arase.

An individual’s talent can bring them to the peak of the world or dump them at the bottom. Arase understands this fact and has consequently fixed his great talents in second place, choosing instead to prioritise diligence and good work. His choice is finally paying off, especially since President Muhammadu Buhari appointed him to the position of PSC Chairman in January 2023.

Arase is growing more and more comfortable in the PSC Chairmanship position, leaving observers no choice other than to praise him. After all, it is not every individual that emerges from retirement and immediately becomes accustomed to

the ups and downs of everyday office life.

Then again, Arase has always stood out as a capable officer of the federation, giving nothing less than his best in whatever position he finds himself. Indeed, Arase did well during his time as the 18th IG. At the height of that career, he was in charge of coordinating the Criminal Intelligence and Investigation Bureau, which is the main intelligence-gathering unit of the Nigerian Police Force. After his retirement, the next time he would be in the limelight was when President Buhari conferred the Nigerian national honour of Commander of the Order of the Federal Republic (CFR) on him in October 2022.

One can only celebrate the rising sun over Arase’s head. Moving from retirement to PSC chairmanship, the man’s momentum is unstoppable.

Senate President Race: Tinubu Keeps Them Guessing

election that saw him in line to take up the mantle of President Muhammadu Buhari had a lot of politicians oiling the masses for him. With how much they have done for him, they say, how can he not have a favourite among the aspirants?

But who are these aspirants and how deep is the relationship with Tinubu that they are considered potential competitors for the position of Senate President?

According to the latest reports, individuals like the Senator representing Abia North Senatorial District, Orji Uzor Kalu, and the Minister of Niger Delta, Godswill Akpabio are the main guys looking to have Tinubu’s anointing fall on them.

Despite their many years of experience in the political space, one might argue that their relationship with the incoming president is not deep enough.

At the end of the day, Tinubu will choose whoever he likes.

Tinubu

Champion Extraordinaire … How Ambassador Sarki is Cleaning out in Abuja Auto Sector

Sarki

The theory of positioning being the key to success, which motivational speakers often advocate, has gained another example as evidence. That proof is demonstrated by Ambassador Usman Sarki, the Chairman of Skyewise Group. Since he turned his focus to the Federal Capital Territory (FCT), Abuja, Sarki has been giving folks good things to talk about.

Ambassador Sarki is a name that has become synonymous with a momentum of wealth accumulation in the area of automobiles.

He has made great strides since he founded his automobile brand, Skywise Group, in 2015.

Even more interesting is that the man has poured a significant fraction of his efforts into helping the company’s reputation grow, and the substantial returns are beginning to show.

Very recently, Sarki led other brilliant minds

over at Skywise to unveil the state-of-theart automobile showroom in the Maitama area of Abuja. Sarki’s presentation was so mind-blowing that the automobile company made instant sales of cars that cost over N400 million. Even so, it is not the biggest win for the company.

According to Sarki, the customers of Skywise are the real heroes behind the success of the business. He said that their dedication and loyalty are not things that can easily be duplicated or imitated, and so the management of Skywise can only attempt to live up to the trust that customers have in the company.

Considering these new moves by Skywise, it is clear that Sarki has his eyes on Abuja and intends to attract new customers.

Vision is one of the core components of transformational leadership, whether it is in the corporate or social space. For Michael Makinde, one of the good brains actively involved in logistics in and outside Africa, seeing possibilities is not the issue. The issue is readying the people to reach for these possibilities. Even so, one cannot help but sigh at the seeming ease with which Makinde intends to lead the logistics industry in Nigeria, thus gaining a foothold for the nation in the global market.

Who doesn’t want their nation to excel in their playground? Not Makinde. Since he proved his business genius in the United Kingdom, the United States, and all around the world, Makinde has never forgotten the nation bound in freedom, peace, and unity.

Nevertheless, he has a vision in which progress is another virtue that makes up the spirit of Nigeria. In Makinde’s vision, logistics can take us there.

When it comes to qualifications, Makinde is a lot higher on the qualified scale than almost any Nigerian living at home or abroad.

With his formal and professional business education compressed alongside his Makinde career into more than 30 years of active participation in the logistics industry all over the world, Makinde is not your run-of-the-mill development proponent. Instead, he has worked in and out of prestigious institutions with strong interests in logistics, supply chain innovation, operations management, and other related areas.

This wealth and breadth of experience make Makinde qualified to determine Nigeria’s viability for the logistics global space. And Makinde estimates that Nigeria can make it.

Truth be told, with Makinde involved with professional institutions such as the Nigerian Association of Chambers of Commerce, Industry, Mines, and Agriculture, as well as the Manufacturer Association of Nigeria, it is only a matter of time before he takes our leaders by the hand and leads them there.

Yes, the future of Nigeria is bright indeed.

With a little push here and a little push there, active visionaries like Makinde will help usher in a new era of progress in Nigeria.

Like Father, Like Daughter … DJ Cuppy Walks in Her Father’s Philanthropy Shoes Having a father that has accomplished much more than the majority of his peers is a different kind of pressure. For the average person, there are only two choices: follow the example laid out and eventually buckle under the weight of expectations; or disregard the path and create a new one and eventually alienate yourself. DJ Cuppy refused to follow any of these paths, choosing instead to fuse them by following her father’s example but adding her characteristic pink-haired tint.

Femi Otedola is a big name in Nigeria.

But in his household, he is a father that hopes that his children would be as gentle, sensible, and charitable as he is. DJ Cuppy (real name Florence Ifeoluwa Otedola) is one of these Otedola children and she has long since mastered the art of making her father proud.

Even so, the latest of her doings probably sent the Geregu Chairman jumping in excitement.

Social media is currently soaking in the report of DJ Cuppy donating £100,000 to her alma mater, the University of Oxford, to support African students. From this donation, Cuppy was celebrated and widely recognised as having picked up the mantle of philanthropy that her father is known for bearing every time he finds something lacking in his friends, strangers, and anybody else.

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T H I S D AY, T H E S U N D AY N E W S PA P E R ˾APRIL 9, 2023

LOUD WHISPERS

with JOSEPH EDGAR (09095325791)

I thought it was fake news o. The report said that lawyers working for my brother, the great Tonye Cole who contested for the governorship position of Rivers State had been arrested. The report went ahead to state that not only were the lawyers arrested, their briefs and all documents they were putting in order to make a court appearance were also seized.

My people at the Guinness book of electoral infamy have confirmed that this one sits at the very top with the Kogi one where big ditches were dug around a whole local government so that INEC officials and materials will not reach voters. This one, if you ask me, na senior brother to that one, where lawyers doing their constitutional work were arrested and deprived of the tools of their profession.

Mbok, this one weak me o. I immediately put in a call to Tonye. He was in good spirits. I had heard he was at the police station and had vowed not to leave until the lawyers and their documents were released.

“Bro, are you still there? Is madam with

you? Abeg no carry that your fine mummy go that kind place ooo.

He laughed and assured me that he was having his own Nelson Mandela moment.

“Edgar, I no dey comot here until dem release my people.”

I said, “Well done bro, you are taking this stand for democracy, siddon there, no comot o. In fact, add hunger strike make dem know say you mean business.”

He now asked the question that made me begin to doubt Pastor Tonye’s seriousness as a politician.

“Duke you no go come join me?”

Me? My brother, my activism na digital one o. I no dey come that kind place o, with that Governor wey carry head like watermelon?

I should come, so that one person drunk from a 40-year whiskey will come and slap me and give me erectile dysfunction. I told Pastor Tonye, pointedly, that if he asked the question again, I would drop the phone.

Wetin concern me with River’s people? If they can be watching this kind of tyranny and do nothing about it, why would I now carry my big head and leave all the afang in Shomolu and go and siddon with my brother inside the police station, come

carry scabies? Abeg, my brother, we will continue to support you from afar.

Don’t worry, it will be ok.

I would like to state two observations from this matter. You see this our brother Tonye, na real aje butter, Ikoyi brought up and a man wey never really see suffer for him life. So when the TV reporter interviewed him, he said, “see, see, they threw a stone at me….”

He now turned around and started stripping his big Rivers State traditional outfit to show us where the stone hit, and when he opened it na one small scratch dey there. You know the kind of scratch you get when you have taken your woman to the top of the mountain in the other room and she has long nails, she will now leave you with that mark as a sign of ‘well-done’. Na that kind sign Brother Tonye showed the whole world as evidence of mob brutality.

Abeg, I could not laugh. When people were getting their heads chopped off and rushing into hospitals with their intestines in boxes having been chopped off by thugs, bro dey show us scratch for TV.

Sanusi II

Adeola

Obi

KHALIFA MOHAMMAD SANUSI II – NEW KID ON THE BLOCK? No wonder. I had tried to reach him the other day as I am organising a unique Masterclass for only CEOs and I want legendary CEOs to come and speak to attendees. So, I sent a message and His Highness who is one of the most brilliant and astute Nigerians of modern times responded: “Duke, I do not think I will be available for this session.”

I responded “Ok, Your Highness, no problem, your loss because I was going to give you Afang from a new source.”

Your loss, wetin concern me.

Then I started hearing rumours everywhere o. They say that ‘their’ President-elect is considering bringing him back to the CBN. Kai, the prospect of that just makes me salivate. This would be a massive move. One that could easily sort out the credibility problem their President-elect seems to be facing.

Khalifa Sanusi’s tenure at the CBN saw a lot of stability in forex markets, robust and all-encompassing monetary policies and a consistency that allowed for effective planning and engagement by economic players which in itself positively affected capacity utilisation,

productivity and the like.

Well, all I can do at this moment is to keep my fingers crossed.

brilliant man. A man imbued with very strong integrity which comes with the clarity of a man of purpose. Last I saw him was at Chief Emeka Anyaoku’s 90th and my big egbon ‘Shex’ took me to him and said, “Fola, this is Duke, brand Ambassador of Afang and he will like a word or two with you…”

If these things come to reality and Mr. Tinubu is able to build this kind of team, then some of us may have to work with the Sudanese Government to offer Mr. Obi a corridor of pleasure, make he go rest small. Hmmm.

FOLA ADEOLA, EVEN YOU TOO? Yes o, it is looking like it is the same story for Mr. Adeola. The rumour mill is very very strong regarding his possible involvement in this new government. So, when their Presidentelect was saying that he was looking at a government of national competence, this is what he meant.

You know one of the very strong points of Mr. Tinubu that even his strongest critics like Falz, the Bahd Guy cannot deny, is his ability to attract talent, engage them and empower them to perform. Even Falz will agree with the calibre of people that have run Lagos after receiving the Asiwaju nudge. Oya come and compare them with the things we are seeing in places like Kogi and Cross River. Make I just keep quiet.

So, tapping Fola if this is true, will be a major coup because at that point some of us will start looking at the possibility of an economic renaissance and then we will now start singing another redemption song.

Fola is an enigmatic and extremely

SAINT OBI, THE ABSALOM IN HIM What most of you do not know is that I used to be a Sunday School teacher in church. My dear old dad realising that I loved talking and loved an audience and to fight my restless spirit which didn’t allow me to attend church, made me the Sunday school teacher to tie me down.

Well, that was where I heard for the first time about Absalom. Absalom was supposed to be the son of a king – abeg na long time ago, so I cannot remember the name of the king o. You know how our Christian brothers can be, so I will not guess. Let’s just leave it at ‘a king’.

Cole

Achebe

So everyday, Absalom will now go and stand by the city gate and be greeting people and saying, “ohhh my father is not this nice, kiss my hand and I will give you water to drink.”

Na wetin Obi dey do be that. All this ‘absalomic’ move cannot work again.

Election is over. So, if motor jam person, Obi will appear with camera men to greet them. Woman no get seat for plane, Obi offer him seat and threaten to stand till plane land, so that if he fall and break neck they will say it is APC. All this working around like Angel Gabriel but this time in black, greeting people, hugging people and kissing them complete with camera men in toe will not help at election tribunal o.

Bro, abeg focus and let’s see road.

Thank you.

CHIEF OBASANJO’S LETTER OF RESCUE The Chief Letter Writer of the Federation has jumped into this matter. Last week, I wrote about the very sad and utterly heartrending story of the Ekweremadus.

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T H I S D AY, T H E S U N D AY N E W S PA P E R ˾APRIL 9, 2023 Faced with the prospect of losing their daughter due to the kidney issue, they did what every parent would do— attempt to save her life and in the process, are facing a lengthy jail time.

This is a tragic story of Shakespearean proportions. All sides have my pity - the Ekeweremadus, their daughter, the boy whose kidney was to be used and all.

You see, the reason why I will never japa or stay in these countries for more than two weeks at any time is that they ‘no dey hear begging’. You see, call us anything, we have human empathy.

Those ones are very wicked souls and they will be shouting due process and all that.

If this is Nigeria, shebi all of us for don wear black go beg the judge. We would have begged and cried everywhere till resolution will come. But those yeye people no dey hear beg o. Their own na rule of law. Who do you want to start begging? Queen don die.

You see, if you enter trouble in Nigeria, you are very sure that if you beg very well, you just might be set free even without bribe. The other day, police catch me in Oshodi. As he spoke, I could guess from his accent that he was an Ishan man and since I have an Ishan wife, I relaxed. He shake o, do the usual police gra gra: “Oga, we have to go to the station.”

I just call am in-law, the transformation was instant.

“How I be your in-law,” he asked.

“I marry your side,” I replied. “My wife na Ishan. She come from Auchi. In fact, na Fugar I go pay him dowry.

The policeman shouted “Kai.” He called his oga, ‘Na my in-law ooo.

Na my in-law I catch.” He started hugging me. To further mess him up, I called the said wife, the beautiful Sara who gave birth to my daughter Annette who is half Ishan, half igbo and half Ibibio- you see why the agbero for Lagos dey confuse when they want to flog Igbo people.

He screamed on the phone. They spoke their language and he started thanking God that I had mentioned o, “that is how I for lock up my in-law- see him papa house, see my papa house for Fugar,” he screamed. Kai. So now, where Oyibo man papa house dey? Where Ekweremadu papa house?

E tough o.

Even though I see this Obasanjo’s letter as playing to a very not interested gallery, because I do not see the system changing their mind because of a two-page letter from a former general, everything we have should be thrown at this matter. It is very sad and pitiable; I really think that the government should lend its weight and plead for clemency.

And while doing that, show the British government its strong resolve to reform the health sector so that this would never happen again.

Me sef, I follow beg o. You can put me on the visa ban list in exchange. Thanks.

MC OLUOMO AND THE IGWE: A TALE OF A PRINCE AND ORPHAN One shouted in a live clip that went viral hours to the controversial elections in Lagos: “Iya Chukwudi, if you are not voting for us, stay at home ooo.”

The threat was apparent and real and judging from antecedents, the inferred threat or otherwise could not be taken lightly. Well election day came and we all saw what was unleashed.

The other shouted, “Ohh, if they don’t stop looting and killing my people, I will call in …. (I don’t want to ever mention that name) . Enough is enough o.”

Our dear police who keep insisting that they are our friends now came out and said, one was a joke and the other was treason. The one that was treason has been arrested and as at the time of writing, I am not sure if they have not shaved his pubic hair and put small fires to prepare his balls for ‘ngwongwo.’

The other one is still out there getting ready for a possible ministerial appointment or at the least,

ambassadorial appointment to any country of his choice.

Now when the outcry became too loud, our police who are our friends now asked us to bring out any evidence against the prince since the force nationwide didn’t have data to see his own clip.

My people, Datti talk say make dem no swear in anybody under these conditions and they say na treason. If I talk now and dem label me treason who will shout for me. My mama don die, so I go keep quiet but let me ask you the readers: who is the Prince and who is the orphan because even me, I confuse.

Na wa. Banana republic of Asiwaju.

ORJI KALU, KINDLY ACCEPT MY CONDOLENCES My dear Senator, I have received the news of the passing of your very beautiful wife with pain. A very deep pain coming from the fact that I share the same experience with you. Nothing prepares anyone for the loss of a dear partner. Someone you have laughed with, fought with, had kids with, shared your plans, cried with, eaten with and done all sorts with.

It is the deepest pain ever, especially when the love remains very very deep as obviously as this. Please, my brother, remain strong for your family and all those who deeply care for her. You are the ground zero of this and the rest of us will be looking towards you to find strength as we meander through this deep maze of pain. Ndo, my brother.

Ndo. Ighodalo

BETWEEN ITUAH IGHODALO AND OONI OF IFE Pastor Ituah is a very handsome man. It is that his ‘bear bear’ that looks like those twins in the 80s American pop group – The Whispers, that used to catch me.

Anyways, it was his birthday the other day and he invited me to the colloquium. That was how I carried my big head go o. Those things used to bore me sha with Nigerians speaking all sorts of big English on how Nigeria will change and after, we will now enter go-slow to be robbed.

Anyways, this time as I entered the expansive and very beautiful hall, the picture of one of the Ooni’s eight — abi 12 — wives was displayed on the screen. Mbok, come and see beauty. This Ooni is not joking o. He does not have to go to heaven again o. He has built his own heaven here with 13 or is it 16 of these kinds in his palace. Kai, from the skin, to the height to the luminous eyes and the tall gait, I just stand there dey look like mumu. It was until I saw Ooni’s juju man- if you have seen the Ooni before, you will see that man with him. He used to wear lion skin and carry all sorts and be chanting. The man is scary.

Anyways, it was time to speak and the Ooni regaled the audience threatening to make Yemi Idowu the cool managing director at Greenwich to disappear. The audience fell into laughter.

But what shocked me was the relationship between the Ooni and Pastor Ituah. Ituah is uncle to Ooni, making my other brother Asue a part-time Prince. Kai, I didn’t know that o. Ituah and Ooni are related from mother’s side.

You see connections. The only confusing thing is that how come the Ighodalos’ who are uncles to the Ooni no get them own 14 or 16 wives. I no understand the family sha.

Last last, Ooni was the most brilliant speaker of the day. The rest were busy talking all the usual jargon that used to fall flat at the point of execution and pragmatism.

Nigerians can talk? Kai. Mbok, I blank them out and thankfully, Ooni of Ife saved the day with his majestic delivery. Kabiyesiii!!!

After it all, we were invited for lunch. No be everybody o. One black man in a pinstriped suit came towards me, “Duke join Pastor Ituah for lunch.”

Mbok when I reach there, no afang.

Na all this Yoruba food and you know how Yoruba food used to come with pepper. These Yoruba people will never tire of their racism.

First, they flogged us on election day and now even on Pastor Ituah’s birthday, na stew with pepper and amala they give us.

I just look at my sister, the gracious Eno Udo and say, “Adiagha, there is no afang o,” and she said, “Duke, if you promise that you will not write about it in the papers, I will cook afang for you.” So, my people, I swore on my father’s grave that I will never mention it o.

Happy birthday my dear Pastor Ituah Ighodalo. May God keep preserving you and that your moustache, and may you never forget the very beautiful soul that was your soul mate, the eternally beautiful Ibidun. God’s blessing to your family.

OBI OF ONITSHA: LET’S BREAK KOLA AT THE MUSON One of my most favourite traditional rulers, the very enigmatic and highly respected Obi of Onitsha, Igwe Nnaemeka Achebe, will be at the Muson Centre this Easter Monday to break kola with me. This Monday, I will be putting on a show, the command performance of my new play ‘Zik.’ ‘Zik’ depicts the life and times of Dr. Nnamdi Azikiwe, our first ever president. He was one of the most enigmatic and colourful politicians and the Obi of Onitsha, his traditional ruler, has graciously accepted to be our special guest of honour.

This is mad and I want to thank my brothers, Emeka Maduegbuna and Olisa Adibua for making this very possible.

IBOM AIR, IT’S A BRILLIANT ONE The poster was beautiful. It showed a well-made bowl of afang, looking very green with super well-nourished goat meat lacing it. It came in a brilliant proposition- Ibom Air now serves afang in the air.

Except you have been living in a hole that you will not know that I am the Brand Ambassador of Afang. I have eaten afang from N500 through to N16,000 a plate – that one na Senator Ita Giwa dey sell that one. Even Just Afang has called me in to come and taste their afang.

So, it was not surprising that people clogged my phone and timeline with the poster with one person saying – Edgar, Ibom Air have listened to you.

I however suspected foul play. Ibom Air serving Afang on board? Will they be pounding the thing as the plane is taking off, and will they be grinding the crayfish as it is going through turbulence and if we are going to Benin that is about 15 minutes, will we be eating the afang as we are waiting for luggage?

Hmm… something was wrong; I could smell something fishy. So I reached out to the very beautiful Annie Essienette, the very effective image maker of Ibom Air and said, “Adiagha, is it true that you people will be serving afang on Board? She laughed and screamed – “April fool.”

OMG!!!

They got us. That was a brilliant move.

It gave the airline top of mind for that day, away from the goon who chose

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T H I S D AY, T H E S U N D AY N E W S PA P E R ˾APRIL 9, 2023

Adebayo Adeoye bayoolunla@gmail.com; 08054680651

SOCIETY WATCH

Discordant Tunes in APC as Governor Abiodun, OGD’s Smouldering War Gets Messier

Ibrahim

It began as a rumour. It later spread like wildfire in the streets. But finally, those familiar with the political situation in Ogun State have hinted at a smouldering ‘war’ between two Ogun State gladiators, the state governor, Dapo Abiodun and the former governor and now a senator-elect, Otunba Gbenga Daniel, better known as OGD. According to insiders, what began as rumour has gone full-blown, and is getting messier by the day.

Society Watch can reveal that at the heart of the deepening political feud is a supremacy tussle in the gateway state. It was also disclosed that the crisis had been on before the gubernatorial election on March 18, 2023, but finally reared its ugly head immediately after the election when the governor accused OGD of treachery.

He alleged that the senator-elect failed to work for his reelection, but threw his weight behind Ladi Adebutu of the People’s Democratic Party (PDP).

As revealed by a source, OGD’s alleged support for the rival candidate made it possible for the governor to lose Ogun East Senatorial District which is also the constituency of the trio of Abiodun, OGD and Adebutu. Aides and

associates of Abiodun and OGD are now throwing shades, shots, and open accusations at each other.

The source disclosed further that Abiodun felt betrayed that he brought the ex-governor to APC after he was reportedly ‘chased’ out of the PDP by some powerful ‘hawks’. It was also disclosed that the governor made it possible for OGD to get a foothold in APC because of his support. But OGD’s men are quick to debunk this and are ripping apart the performances of the governor in the past four years, which they described as abysmal. According to them, OGD’s move to the APC was made possible by the Vice President, Prof. Yemi Osinbajo, who has been a long-time friend of the former governor.

“How did OGD persuade thousands of supporters and people of Ogun State to work against an incumbent governor in his local government and constituency and they listened to him? It doesn’t add up. This is an indication of the governor’s woeful performance in the last four years.

“Also, his lackadaisical attitude before the election worked against him. Before the election,

L-R: Daniel and Abiodun

Governor Abiodun refused to speak or pick up the phone calls of traditional rulers, and political leaders, including members of his own political party in the constituency.

“He believed he had them wrapped up in his palm. Many were wondering how someone that ignored many top political elders in the constituency could win their votes. Maybe he relied so much on his money or voodoo,’’ a source added.

Double Oladapo Are Bags Nelson Mandela Leadership Award Celebration for Jimoh Ibrahim Love or hate him, Jimoh Ibrahim, Chairman and CEO Energy Group, is a phenomenon.

His business strategies may not appeal to you, but what is incontestable is the fact that he is blessed with uncommon business acumen. Aside from this, his constant quest and insatiable hunger for knowledge beggar description, given the fact that he is already blessed with all the comforts of life.

The Araba of Osooroland blew all his opponents away, winning the senatorial election for Ondo South with little or no sweat last February. The Ondo State-born billionaire is at this moment in double celebration.

Also, as gathered by Society Watch, the businessman, yet again, added another feather to his colourful academic cap last month when he was awarded a Doctor of Philosophy, PhD in Modern War Studies from the prestigious University of Buckingham in the UK. As gathered, he submitted a thesis, titled, ‘The Military Challenges in Tackling Boko Haram Insurgency in Nigeria.’

Since he graduated from the Obafemi Awolowo University, Ile- Ife, Ibrahim has gone on to study at other world renowned universities, including Harvard, Cambridge as well as Oxford where he came out with flying colours.

For Ibrahim, it has been a happy moment as everything is falling into pleasant places.

Many who know the serial entrepreneur are aware that his quest for more knowledge is simply unprecedented. For him, nothing is truer than the words of Brandon Travis Ciaccio: “The pursuit of knowledge is neverending. The day you stop seeking knowledge is the day you stop growing.’’

Are

For his sterling performance in the public sector, dedication to duty and immense contributions to the betterment of humanity, the General Manager of the Lagos State Agricultural Lands Holdings Authority (ALHA), Oladapo Are, was recently honoured with the Nelson Mandela Leadership Award of Excellence and Integrity by the Youth Assembly of Nigeria (YAN).

Are, as gathered, was described as a beacon of hope to the Nigerian youth and was considered for the highest award of the association.

Also, the group recalled that since Are’s appointment as ALHA’s GM, the agency has witnessed an unprecedented transformation that has upgraded it to a critical organisation that supports the drive of the state government towards sufficiency in food production.

As a result of the laudable repositioning of the agency by Are and his team, YAN said it is on record that ALHA has also witnessed considerable and commendable improvement in revenue generation.

“As an organisation, the leadership of the Youth Assembly of Nigeria (YAN) is proud to associate with a man destined to explore the world. Ambassador Oladapo Muhammed Are is a great leader, a courageous icon, an astute public servant with capacity per excellence, a cognitive thinker, a seasoned analyst, an epitome of excellence with a heart of gold, and indeed an indefatigable public servant whose proven integrity, hard work and administrative acumen have combined forces to reposition and transform the Lagos State Agricultural Lands Holdings Authority (ALHA).

Super Cop, Frank Mba’s Rising Profile Since he was commissioned into the police force in 1999 and emerged as the best-graduating cadet, Frank Mba’s path to greatness has always been clear; that he was destined to become a pride of the Nigeria Police Force.

Armed with an intimidating résumé, with high cerebral prowess, the handsome top cop gained more prominence when he was appointed the Lagos Police Public Relations officer.

He was fearless, timely with information, truthful and accessible. With these, he was able to worm himself into the hearts of many, while becoming one of the most popular cops in the country.

He gained the confidence of his bosses who threw more responsibilities at him. As the axiom goes, “Reward for hard work is

more work,’’ and expectedly, he became the spokesman for the force.

That the appointment came at the right time is like stating the obvious. It was the period when the force needed someone to project its already battered image.

Mba’s admirable traits stood him out.

He is very witty and his oratory strength is second to none. On many occasions, he was lauded for his transparency, which was aimed at gaining the trust and respect of the people, especially at a period when many have lost faith in the Police.

He inspired the younger ones, most especially for his hard work, dedication to work, uncommon integrity and honesty.

These rare tributes, as gathered, have helped him to get a rapid promotion.

Mba

Entrepreneur Maven, Kiki Okewale, Inspires Others to Growth, Self-worth

Okewale

Kiki Okewale is one of the leading fashion entrepreneurs in Nigeria. The talented force behind Lagos-based couture, House of Plush Exclusive (HOPE) Fashions, with distinctive collections, has carved for herself an enviable niche in the hub of high fashion.

As the first Nigerian designer to be on the Dubai Runway with her immeasurable depth of creativity and bespoke designs, her influence cannot be overemphasised.

This has elevated Kiki into an exclusive community of female high achievers in Nigeria.

As a life purpose coach, Kiki, married to equally influential and renowned gynaecologist and fertility expert, Dr. Babatunde Okewale, also loves to help individuals, particularly women, get the best out of their lives with a well-defined purpose and overall well-being.

She has held many training sessions and seminars to achieve this. But recently, Kiki took her interventions a step higher when she led a community of female high achievers to host a women empowerment virtual conference aimed at inspiring growth and self-worth among women.

The virtual conference, held under the auspices of Women High Achievers Trybe (WHATrybe) with the theme ‘Emerging and Evolving into a HighValue Woman,’ had over 1,000 female participants drawn from all walks of life and who were eager to learn, grow and connect with other like-minds.

Esteemed speakers at the event include some of Nigeria’s highly respected and accomplished women in their respective fields, like Dr. Naomi Osemedua, Abimbola Balogun, Eno Sam, Toyin Aralepo and Nkechi Alade.

THISDAY, THE SUNDAY NEWSPAPER ˾ JUNE 24 2012

ARTS & REVIEW A

PUBLICATION

9. 4. 2023

Incubating a Socially-Focused Art Scene A collaborative workshop and exhibition being organised by the Nigerian-German Centre for Jobs, Migration, and Integration, the Federal Ministry of Labour and Employment, and Artstier in Abuja, hopes to instil some entrepreneurial drive among the participants besides getting them more focused on addressing relevant issues in the society. Okechukwu Uwaezuoke reports

A

s a much-needed programme for Abuja’s burgeoning art scene, the Made in Nigeria Art Project could not have come at a more opportune time. By now, the ten participants who will have been shortlisted for this project—which itself is the result of a collaboration between the Nigerian-German Centre for Jobs, Migration, and Integration and the Federal Ministry of Labour and Employment, with Artstier serving as the consulting contractor—should be readying themselves for weeks of intense creative activities.

Talking about the art project, which consists of a workshop and ultimately an exhibition, it takes place in Abuja between Wednesday, April 12, and Wednesday, May 3, and is part of a larger framework of the NGC (as the Nigerian-German Centre for Jobs, Migration, and Integration is abbreviated) for providing comprehensive services to potential and returnee migrants to help them re-establish themselves at home.

Perhaps more interestingly is the fact that this initiative, which targets the younger demographic of the creative arts community, was spurred by an online competition in which dozens of creatives submitted their works for review and curation by curators, ZKRVH EULHI ZDV WR VHOHFW WHQ ÀQDOLVWV IRU WKH workshop to be held at an Abuja vocational training facility.

A lecture series by guest artists and art writers will be held as part of this workVKRS VXSSOHPHQWLQJ WKH HͿRUWV RI VNLOOHG facilitators who will oversee the art-making process. Hence, on May 3, which is the workshop's closing date, its products will be displayed at a closing event, during which the participants will be awarded FHUWLÀFDWHV %\ WKLV WLPH LW LV DQWLFLSDWHG WKDW they will have received a lot of professional impetus to enable and empower them to use platforms for practice and showing their uworks.

According to Artstier founder and the exhibition’s curator, Obi Nwaegbe, the exhibition, whose theme is “Nigerian Workers and Their Daily Realities,” is a juried one, which will have two other artists besides himself (Adis Okoli and Amarachi Odimba) and the curator Stanley Akpoke as jurors.

As for the guest artists scheduled for the lecture series, they are the Ahmadu Bello University-trained painter Sor Sen and WKH HͿHUYHVFHQW IHPDOH DUWLVWV $PDUDFKL Okafor and Jacqueline Suowari. Among the art writers is Emmanuel Egwemi, who contributes to major blogs like Quora. Back to the artists, Sen, an Ahmadu Bello University MFA degree holder; Okafor, who holds a Master’s degree in sculpture and curatorial practice from the University of Nigeria, Nsukka; and Suowari, a full-time ballpoint pen artist, are among the leading artists in the Abuja art scene. Egwemi, who besides being an art writer is also a curator, screenwriter and a trained facility

An Artstier previous residency lecture delivered by Duke Asidere

PDQDJHU ZDV D QRPLQHH IRU WKH %HVW Screenwriter for Home of New Visions, an organisation that caters for new ideas especially around creative storytelling.

Meanwhile, the participation of Artstier in this workshop was initiated by GIZ (the abbreviation for the German Agency for International Cooperation) team leader Sandra Alonge, who contacted the Abujabased visual arts production services and FRQVXOWDQF\ ÀUP ´>0UV $ORQJH@ PDGH enquiries about our possible interest in the programme,” Nwaegbe recalls. “This was after the instructions and questions about our pedigree on the subject in order to determine our eligibility to carry out the task.”

Soon afterwards, a meeting was scheduled DQG KHOG DW WKH $UWVWLHU R΀FH LQ $EXMD·V Mpape District. Nwaegbe adds that this was after Mrs Alonge conducted her own independent background checks to determine his establishment’s eligibility and whether the meeting was even necessary LQ WKH ÀUVW SODFH In any case, Artstier’s track record speaks HORTXHQWO\ IRU LWVHOI )RU LQVWDQFH WKH ÀUP has been known to host a number of events that greatly energised the Abuja art scene.

Among these programmes was a week-long residency for the leading contemporary Nigerian artist Duke Asidere, which was held in June last year and included an artist’s talk, a painting workshop exercise, and an evening with the artists and young audience.

Obi Nwaegbe with Duke Asidere

As for GIZ, which has maintained a presence in Nigeria since 1974, it has had D FRXQWU\ R΀FH LQ $EXMD VLQFH ,WV activities in Nigeria, which are commissioned by the German Federal Ministry for Economic Cooperation and Development (BMZ) and the German Federal Foreign 2΀FH $$ KDYH VHHQ LW SDUWQHU ZLWK RWKHU ERGLHV ,WV KRVWLQJ RI WKH ÀUVW 0DGH

in Nigeria Art Programme was sometime LQ HDUO\ 0D\ DW WKH /DJRV 3DVVSRUW 2΀FH LQ ,NR\L Hence, NGC, which is managed by *,= KDV EHHQ RͿHULQJ DVVLVWDQFH DQG individualised guidance on perspectives on employment, business, vocational training, and education in Nigeria. As one of its initiatives, the online art competition Made in Nigeria, seeks out up-and-coming artists in order to support their contribution to the sector’s development in Nigeria and ultimately to economic stability.

The current collaboration between the NGC, the Federal Ministry of Labour and Employment, and Artstier is designed for the implementation of a workshop programme and exhibition, which Nwaegbe emphasises is aimed at nurturing home-grown creative talents as well as their counterparts among the Nigerian returnees from the diaspora.

“It is intended that the participants would gain within these three weeks the ability WR GHÀQH WKH SXUSRVH RI WKHLU SUDFWLFH ERWK socially and economically,” he says. “The objective here is to inject some entrepreneurial drive in them and instigate their ability to ask critical questions as well as address issues of relevant concern in the society. The Nigerian art world needs to be more emphatic and more legible about its role in society, and we have designed this programme to help the artists improve their quotient in articulation as well as in WHFKQLFDO SURÀFLHQF\ µ

EDITOR OKECHUKWU UWAEZUOKE/ okechukwu.uwaezuoke@thisdaylive.com

THISDAY, THE SUNDAY NEWSPAPER APRIL 9, 2023

56

INTERNATIONAL

Again, Humility in Diplomacy: Olusegun Obasanjo’s Letter and Donald Trump’s Indictment

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he past one week witnessed many interesting issues in humility, particularly in diplomacy.Vie international of last Sunday focused on humility in diplomacy and terrible things in righteousness. Emphasis was placed on the implications of what the Honourable Minister of Foreign Affairs, Mr Geoffrey Onyeama, reportedly said:‘scholars and others in international relations and foreign affairs… expect us as a big country to be banging the tables hard and throwing our weight around… Humility in diplomacy is very apt, especially in the context of what is happening globally. Yes, you might be big, but ultimately humility is very important… You very often find that humility can actually help you to be more successful and achieve those interests rather than throwing your weight around being a bully and being extravagantly proud.’

While admitting this statement, we noted that the understanding of it should be in context in light of the fact that humility does not exist per se in diplomacy or in international relations, based on the rule of sovereign equality. It only exists as a matter of choice at the level of individual stakeholders and citizen diplomacy and not necessarily at the level of inter-state diplomacy. The letter reportedly written by Chief Olusegun Okikiola Obasanjo, GCFR, former military and elected president of Nigeria, to the Chief Clerk of the Central Criminal Court, Old Bailey, London EC4M 7EH, regarding Senator Ike Ekweremadu, on the one hand, and the indictment of former US President, Donald Trump, for various criminal falsification of official records, tax evasion, removal of classified official documents from office, etc. on the other, are good manifestations of humility and non-humility in diplomacy either unofficial or officious.

The example of Chief Olusegun Obasanjo’s letter falls within the framework of citizen diplomacy. It is humility-driven, while that of DonaldTrump’s indictment is officious diplomacy and bullying-driven.

Both cases are quite interesting because of their implications for foreign policy. Let us put the understanding of Chief Obasanjo’s letter and the indictment of former President Donald Trump in context before explicating the ramifications of humility in diplomacy and the foreign policy implications.

Obasanjo’s Letter and Trump’s Indictment The letter, dated April 3, 2023 and printed on a personal letter head in which titles, honours and other manifestations of jots of braggadocio are completely far-fetched, is a good reflection of humility per excellence. True, humility has been variously defined:‘humility is nothing but the disappearance of self in the vision that God is all,’‘the quality of having a modest or low view of one’s importance;‘it is a virtue which centres on low self-pre-occupation, or unwillingness to put one-self forward, so it is in many religious and philosophical traditions; the quality of having a modest, or a low view of one’s importance;’ and more importantly,‘humility is a heart attitude of lowliness, meekness, and absence of self,’according to the Holy Bible. Chief Obasanjo’s letter, as made known to the public, is humility personified.

As noted above, the letter was addressed to the Chief Clerk of a court in London and not officially done to the government of the UK. In public administration and diplomacy, all official or formal letters always begin with‘Dear Sir’and always concluded with‘yours faithfully.’

All other expressions, like‘Dear Professor,’‘Dear Sister,’Dear friend, My Darling, etc. are considered officious or unofficial. Chief Obasanjo’s letter not only says ‘Dear Chief Clerk,’ and ‘My dear Chief Clerk’, but is also concluded with ‘Yours sincerely.’The name of the Chief Clerk is not mentioned, meaning that the letter has a quasi-official status. It is officious. Humility is therefore not yet at the level of official diplomacy but at the level of citizen of Nigeria and the citizen of another country, United Kingdom. This is the type of citizen diplomacy that Chief Ojo Maduekwe, CFR, advocated when he was Minister of Foreign Affairs but which was not given the official attention required to promote it in supporting official diplomacy.

Though in six paragraphs, the letter is a three-issue message: selfintroduction; presentation of Ike Ekweremadu as a good compatriot, altruist and philanthropist; and plaidoyer. In the self-introductory part, Chief Obasanjo moved away completely from the idea of‘l’état, c’est moi.’He simply said‘I am Olusegun Obasanjo, a soldier commissioned into the British Army of theWest African Frontier force in 1958. I received the surrender of the Biafran Army at the end of the Nigerian civil war. I

with

Bola A. Akinterinwa Telephone : 0807-688-2846

e-mail: bolyttag@yahoo.com

Obasanjo

Trump

was military Head of State from 1976 to 1979 and elected President from 1999 to 2007.’

The presentation of Senator Ike Ekweremadu in paragraphs 3 and 4 is special. It is aimed at making the Central Criminal Court to note that the person of Ekweremadu is good, that he has been promoting and protecting the interests of children and therefore could not have had any intention of wickedness. He is a man of God. As noted by Obasanjo, Ekweremadu is‘God-fearing, dispassionate, moderate and pan-Nigerian (in) approach to national issues and developments, in our multi-ethnic, multi-religious geo-polity.’

Putdifferently,Ekweremadudidnotdeliberatelycommittheoffence for which he was indicted. Based on this, Chief Obasanjo in the next paragraph pleaded with the Chief Clerk to use his good offices ‘to intervene and appeal to the court and the government of the United Kingdom to be magnanimous enough to temper justice with mercy andletpunishmentthatmayhavetocometotaketheirgoodcharacter and parental instinct and care into consideration.’He admitted that the offence of Ekweremadu ‘is unpleasant and condemnable and can’t be tolerated in any sane or civilised society.

From the foregoing, there is no disputing the fact that the letter is perfectly in order, altruistic, and welcome a development, especially that there has not been any kidney transfer. The criminal aspect of the offence is partly a resultant from the monetary transactional aspect. Kidney transfer is a common deal.The spirit behind the letter is commendable in light of the fact that state pardon or presidential pardon is meaningless if there is no criminal offence committed.

It is because one is an offender that room is given for the application of presidential pardon. In other words, Ike Ekweremadu is now an issue in Nigeria-Britain relations, and therefore raises the question of how justice can be tempered with mercy and how it can also enhance the bilateral ties between the two countries.

More importantly, how do we save Senator Ekweremadu from being sentenced to jail? These are difficult questions that Chief Obasanjo appears to have constructively considered and therefore have to adopt the approach of humility in diplomacy in writing to the Chief Clerk. The humility is expressed in measured language. Based

What really should we understand as humility in diplomacy? In which type of diplomacy are we talking about humility? Are we talking about humility in diplomacy as an art or science? When should there be expression of humility in diplomacy? When is bullying and extravagant pride avoidable or necessary? How far can Chief Olusegun Obasanjo’s letter in preventing the eventual sentencing of Ekweremadu? In the same vein, how far can former President Donald Trump’s bullying intimidate the court to the extent of having to dance to the tunes of Donald Trump? Many questions with few answers! Humility is an individual expression in inter-personal relationships. It can be horizontal in nature, or vertical in which case it can be descending or ascending. In Nigeria, vertical relationships are generally ascending and hardly descending. They are master-servant type of relationships.

In official diplomatic practice, it is the principle of sovereign equality that reigns. It does not allow for superiority of one state over another. Consequently, Chief Olusegun Obasanjo’s letter to the Chief Clerk of the Central Criminal Court in London falls squarely within citizen diplomacy and therefore most welcome.

For Donald Trump, he has achieved much through bullying. The only thing is that bullying has time limitation but humility does not

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VIE INTERNATIONALE

on the rule of jus soli, Ekweremadu’s offence was committed in the United Kingdom of which Ekweremadu may be a citizen.

Intermsofdiplomacyandanger,theextensionofcourtesy,specifically humility by people, is generally a rarity. For instance, on 17 August, 2019, Ekweremadu was violently attacked by some members of the Indigenous People of Biafra (IPOB) while he was attending the Second Annual Cultural Festival and Convention held in Nuremberg, Germany.

The attack was allegedly in reaction to the killing of Igbos during the operation Crocodile Smile and Python Dance, staged by the Nigerian Army in Nigeria.True, the attackers violated the person of Ekweremadu because of his alleged role in the proscription of IPOB. In the same manner, in reaction to the charge of conspiracy to arrange to harvest the kidney of a Nigerian, UkpoNwamini David, born on October 12, 2000, at the Royal Free Hospital in the UK, at a cost of 80,000 pound sterling, Ekweremadu was indicted. He was charged on 23 June, 2022 and convicted on 23 March, 2023, exactly nine months after the charge. In the course of prosecution, Ekweremadu was never respected as a citizen of Nigeria or as a Senator of the Federal Republic of Nigeria. Even if some reporters have rightly or wrongly claimed that Ekweremadu is a citizen of the UK, the attack on him in Nuremberg has no expression of humility.The prosecution process at the Central Criminal Court did not also show any courtesy.There was nothing like humility. The truth remains that Ekweremadu was only humbled by the attacks and his arrest and conviction. This simply suggests that humility can only be shown when the situational reality permits it and when an individual chooses to be humble. In this regard, can it be argued that the attackers, four of them, have been humbled by their own arrest and conviction for physical assault and sentencing to 20 days of hard labour without any option of fine?

The point being made here is that in the course of diplomacy, a good basis must first exist for humility to be shown. In Nigeria, speaking grosso modo, social and official relationship is largely predicated on master-servant style of interaction or on vertical style of relationship.

Nigeriaisacountryoftitlesandself-esteem.Whentitlesarenotexpressly shown, people are immediately angered.The mere showing of humility does not help to achieve an objective. A propitious environment must first exist before it can be functionally useful.What about bullying and being extraordinarily proud?

Humility and Indictment of Donald Trump The political life of former President Donald trump is far from being humble, especially as Mr President of the United States. There is no individual or any state he cannot insult. He always spoke from the position of power of arrogance, power of a business tycoon, and the United States as a super power. At a news conference with the Norwegian Prime Minister, Erna Solberg, in the East Room of theWhite house on January 10, 2018 in Washington, the issue of immigration and frustrations with the Visa Lottery was raised. President Trump queried why migrants from‘shithole countries’should be allowed in America. He was referring to Haiti, El Salvador and African countries.

The reference to some countries as‘shithole’was considered unfriendly, shocking, shameful and racist by many international observers. In fact, the Foreign Minister of Haiti had to summon the US Ambassador for clarification on the shithole matter.

Asreportedlyquoted,DonaldTrumpsaid‘theDemocratsseemintent on having people and drugs pour into our country from the Southern Border, risking thousands of lives in the process. It is my duty to protect the lives and safety of all Americans. We must build a Great Wall, think Merit and end Lottery and Chain, USA.’ From this statement, can Donald Trump be blamed for not being humble, for being proud and determined to protect the American interest? Donald trump wanted a merit-based immigration system. Where does the factor of humility fall in the protection of the national interest?

Humility and protection of the national interest apart, the attitude of Donald Trump is a life of non-humility in all ramifications. US foreign policy under Donald Trump was that of dictatorship and arrogance. In some international organisations where US interests are challenged or unaccepted, US policy was always a threat of withdrawal or outright withdrawal. The question here again, to who should the United States show humility? Perhaps more interestingly, DonaldTrump has three complementary policies:‘America First,’Make America Great Again,’and‘Make America Great Again, Again.’

The ‘America First’ policy simply implies non-consideration of any other national interest. US foreign policy interest is superior to all others. Therefore, there is no compromise. All other Member States of the international community must accept whatever the Washingtonian authorities say and do. The ‘Make America Great Again’‘and Again,’raises what made America great initially, because the policy also implies that America was once great but the status of greatness had been lost and had to be regained. Making America great again, and again suggests that Donald Trump made America great when he was US president, and now wants to repeat the same feat if he is allowed to contest and win in 2024.

In all circumstances, however, all the policies were made and implemented within the framework of braggadocio. Put differently, what did Donald Trump do as president to make America great and that he is seeking to repeat? Were they his anti-immigrant policies, building an American version of Berlin wall between the United States and Mexico, anti-media stance, shithole policies, anti-African policy? All these cases have little or no room for humility either in official, citizen, public, economic, development, social, etc. diplomacy.

Read full article online - www.thisdaylive.com

57

THISDAY, THE SUNDAY NEWSPAPER APRIL 9 , 2023

CICERO

Editor: Ejiofor Alike SMS: 08066066268 email:ejiofor.alike@thisdaylive.com

IN THE ARENA

NBC’s Persistent Attempts to Cage the Press By acting as both complainant/prosecutor and the judge in sanctioning media houses, the National Broadcasting Commission is unwittingly sounding the death knell for the most important pillar of democracy - a free press, writes Louis Achi

T

he press and politics have been closely associated since the invention of printing press and later with the emergence of democracy in western countries where constitutional democracy thrives. The media can provide warring groups mechanisms for mediation, representation and voice to settle their differences peacefully.

The media can also help build peace and social consensus, without which democracy is threatened, as this system of government requires the active participation of citizens. Ideally, the media should keep citizens engaged in the business of governance by informing, educating and mobilising the public.

Most importantly, it holds the government and its agencies to account.

Free press can be endangered by state’s interference when it perceives that its ‘dictatorial’ grip is being threatened in a so-called democracy. This scenario captures the unfolding controversial development where the National Broadcasting Commission (NBC), which serves as the regulator for the broadcast industry in Nigeria, persistently imposes fines on broadcast stations as it did recently when it slammed a fine of N5million on Channels Television.

Precisely on March 27, 2023, the commission fined Channels Television for allegedly breaking the broadcasting code in a programme with the vice presidential candidate of Labour Party, Dr. Datti BabaAhmed. The sanction was contained in a letter addressed to the Chief Executive Officer of the television station.

The NBC letter titled: ‘Broadcast of an Inciting Interview, A Sanction’, was signed by Balarabe Ilelah, its Director-General. It read in part: “The NBC monitored the broadcast of a live interview of the running mate of the Labour Party vice presidential candidate, Dr Datti Baba-Ahmed, by the anchor of Politics Today, Seun Okibaloye, on Wednesday, March 22.

“Dr Baba-Ahmed said it will be unconstitutional to swear in an elected president on May 29, 2023, because of election irregularities,” Ilelah said in the letter. He noted that the broadcast was volatile and capable of inciting public disorder and therefore violated some sections of the broadcasting code.

Clearly, press freedom is the bedrock of democracy and free society. The reasoned reactions of critical stakeholders to the recent development were indications that the NBC may have crossed the line in carrying out what it believes is its statutory mandate.

A curious dimension to the current controversy is that NBC acted at the instance of a petition written by the Director of Media and Publicity for the ruling All Progressives Congress Presidential Campaign Council (APC-PCC), Bayo Onanuga.

In the past, it had also draconically fined ARISE NEWS Channel and others.

On the heels of the fine slammed Channels Television, the Media Rights Agenda (MRA) and the International Press Centre (IPC) issued a joint statement criticising the NBC for the N5 million fine imposed on the television station.

Edetaen Ojo and Lanre Arogundade, executive directors of the MRA and the IPC respectively, stated that the fine was arbitrary and condemned the commission for denying Channels Television

an opportunity to defend itself. They demanded that the NBC reverse the fine immediately.

“NBC has in this instance again exercised quasi-judicial powers injudiciously, by constituting itself to the prosecutor and the judge over a case brought before it by a third party. In previous instances, it has also additionally been the accuser,” the statement read in part.

Ojo and Arogundade accused the regulatory commission of being unfair and unjust in its punitive action against Channels Television, stating that its decision was based on a petition from Onanuga.

According to them, the commission obliged Onanuga’s request to punish the station for an interview with Yusuf Datti Baba-Ahmed, the Labour Party vice presidential candidate, while denying Channels Television the right to defend itself.

Ojo and Arogundade observed that by acting only on Onanuga’s petition, the NBC exposed itself as a willing instrument employed by the APC administration to stifle journalistic freedom.

They urged the commission to refrain from actions that would undermine its credibility and independence, while emphasising that “the fundamental principles that ought to guide the regulation of broadcasting and related activities are the ones that advance the public interest and are investment-friendly, both of which have been discarded in the handling of the petition.”

In its reaction, the National Human Rights Commission (NHRC) advised NBC to apply caution when acting on petitions of political parties against media organisations.

Speaking at the monthly review of the NHRC’s Mobilising Voters for Elections (MOVE) Programme, last week, in Abuja, the commission’s Project Coordinator, Hilary Ogbonna, noted that freedom of the press was an important feature of democracy and actions that may be construed as gagging the press must be avoided.

He noted that the manner in which some media organisations were recently sanctioned by the government over complaints made by political parties was creating negative narrative on the democratic process in the country.

According to him, the speed with which sanction was imposed on Channels TV station just five days after a complaint was made through a petition against it was wrong, adding that such quick action was capable of sending wrong signal to the public and the

international community that thorough investigation was not carried out.

According to him, the NHRC was not questioning the rights of sister government agencies to carry out their statutory responsibilities, but that caution should be exercised when it involves petitions written by politically exposed persons.

He said as the body saddled with the protection of human rights in the country, the NHRC found it expedient to advise sister government agencies to promote human rights in the country, rather than impede rights of citizens.

Meanwhile, the Human Rights Writers Association of Nigeria (HURIWA) alleged that the move by the NBC head to stifle freedom of expression and his open, brazen attempts to control the media contents of broadcast houses was symptomatic of a failed state ruled by brute force.

The rights group argued that eternal vigilance was the price of liberty.

It tasked Nigerians to stand up, and take steps legally to prevent the collapse of civil rule and constitutional democracy in Nigeria, which it alleged was the objective of the current head of the NBC. It further stated that the alleged intermittent threats and impositions of unmerited and unconstitutional fines and other untoward administrative sanctions on private broadcasting stations in Nigeria by the NBC was breeding fascism, muzzling constitutionally guaranteed freedoms and ultimately promoting political killings, intolerance of opposing views and could imperil the sustenance of democracy and constitutionalism.

In the history of media in Nigeria, the names of Dr. Nnamdi Azikiwe, Chief Obafemi Awolowo, Alhaji Alade Odunewu, Alhaji Lateef Jakande, Peter Enahoro, Ray Ekpu, Dele Giwa and many others featured prominently.

Though it was not perfect then and is not perfect today, Nigeria’s history will be incomplete without clearly acknowledging the contributions of the Nigerian press in its national growth and development.

What is most offensive to many Nigerians is that those who had used the media to their advantage in the past are the same people trying to gag it by frequently rolling sanctions and fines indiscriminately.

Therefore, what the NBC’s fines have shown is its increasing penchant to curb press freedom. It is the kind of behaviour one would expect from military regimes and other dictatorships where only comments that glorify the regimes are considered acceptable.

When stations get fined because of comments made by people, especially in the opposition parties, it sends a signal to other stations not to interview those people.

It then becomes a ploy to deny opposition figures opportunities for media exposure, while hoping to solely control all the narratives. This is unacceptable and the NBC should not expect to turn the Nigerian media into such an unwilling participant in its undemocratic posturing.

It is just high time the NBC stopped working hard to become an undemocratic, anti-press freedom tool in Nigeria. It is not too late to retrace its steps.

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

The Scramble for Tinubu’s Chief of Staff

Uzodimma Gbajabiamila

Before the news gained any significant traction that the Speaker of the House of Representatives, Femi Gbajabiamila, had been considered the Chief of Staff to the President-elect, Bola Tinubu, suspicions had been rife immediately after the elections that theplacementwasthespeaker’sultimategoal.

In fact, he was soon accused of jettisoning his certificate of return and whatever responsibilities left of his speakership, which is still valid, to be junketing around the world with Tinubu, a development, which had necessitated his swift rebuttal. Even then, he has yet to collect his certificate of return from the Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC).

But no sooner had THISDAY reported that Tinubu might have eventually settled for Gbajabiamila as his chief of staff than the

real scramble for the job began to manifest, indicating even more clearly that it’s a position that many who share equal space or even more in Tinubu’s heart, had been penciled in for the job.

Particularlynoteworthyhasbeenthedeluge of attacks being hauled at the speaker as not only unfit for the job despite his current office, but also that the narrative that he had secured the job was solely his, just to outplay and undermine the chances of other prospective candidates being presumably considered for the job.

No doubt, the office of the chief of staff to the president or governor is a personal appointment, but equally a critical one, which demands that the qualification of the individual in terms of character, integrity, competence, attitudinal disposition,

temperament and human management, if not more, should be equal to that of his principal. In other words, the chief of staff is often considered the president de facto, without necessarily giving too much credit to the office.

The question, therefore, remains: is Gbajabiamila all of these and more outside leveraging his closeness toTinubu? Unfortunately, many people around the president-elect do not think so. And already, they have launched their disapproval of him, including one of the supposedly interested parties allegedly saying he had been prevailed upon twice to stand down for him on the race for speakership and as such, cannot have the chief of staff again. Whatever it is, the position is one to be announced soon and that phase would be settled almost instantly.

58

THISDAY, THE SUNDAY NEWSPAPER APRIL 9 , 2023

BRIEFINGNOTES Endangering Nigeria’s Democracy in Rivers Political actors and their collaborators who are determined to use the police, thugs and fetish means to stop the All Progressives Congress in Rivers State from filing petition at the election petition tribunal should be stopped before they set dangerous precedence that may spread to other states with similar autocratic leadership and truncate Nigeria’s democracy, Ejiofor Alike writes

N

igeria’s democracy has been truncated twice since independence in 1960 due largely to the failure of the political class to play by the rules of the game.

But despite the harrowing experience of politicians and other Nigerians when democracy was interrupted in the country, political actors have refused to allow this system of government to thrive in the country.

Events surrounding the 2023 general election where violence was unleashed on voters by state-sponsored actors, especially in Lagos, Rivers and many other states have shown that politicians have not learnt any lesson from the country’s past experience.

As Lagos is still battling with the widespread outrage that greeted the violence unleashed on voters, which tainted the image of the state as Centre of Excellence, similar actions threatening democracy have taken a dangerous dimension in Rivers State.

After allegedly manipulating the 2023 elections, the political leadership in the state have taken impunity to the next level by attempting to deny the candidates the Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC) claimed to have lost the elections from taking their cases to the tribunal.

INEC had claimed that the APC won the presidential election in the PDP state, but lost the National Assembly elections conducted at the same time to the PDP. The electoral body also declared the PDP as winner of the governorship election and the majority of the state House of Assembly seats in the March 18 elections.

However, the agents of the state government behind the alleged electoral frauds resorted to the use of thugs and the police to stop the APC from challenging the results of the March 18 elections at the tribunal.

Trouble started for the Rivers APC penultimate Saturday when some officers and men of the Nigeria Police unlawfully and illegally arrested the lawyers and the support staff of Tuduru Ede (SAN) &Co, who were preparing election petitions for the APC candidates in a hotel along Tombia Road, GRA Phase 2, Port Harcourt.

The police officers also seized all their documents containing the evidence of the alleged fraud in the elections in a bid to stop the APC from filing petitions within the 21 days stipulated by the law. The arrested lawyers include Aondo Jerry, Dr. Nelson U. Sobere, and Odum C. Eyiba.

Hours later, the police authorities in the state released the lawyers following the public outrage that trailed the action of the police.

But the election documents and the laptops with which the lawyers were working were reportedly seized by the police.

from filing election petitions by arraigning them in Magistrate’s Court on Monday based on allegations of forging election materials.

The Rivers State police were allegedly used in similar circumstances to stop Atiku’s supporters from holding meetings in the state to plan for the presidential campaign rally of the former vice president, which eventually did not hold in the state.

After the Saturday incident, the use of naked power by the agents of the state government continued last Monday as gunshots disrupted a visit by members of the APC to the INEC office, in Port Harcourt, to demand for the Certified True Copies (CTC) of the March 18 election result sheets.

While the APC members were planning to get to INEC office, placard-carrying supporters of the PDP had already barricaded the area, insisting that the INEC officials should release CTC documents to them too.

Immediately, the APC governorship candidate in the state, Tonye Cole and other party leaders were proceeding to the INEC office, some PDP thugs attacked them, and denied them access to the office.

As gunshots rented the air, one person was hit by a stray bullet from either the policemen who were trying to scare the protesters or the thugs who were also wielding arms.

The APC state secretariat in GRA, Port Harcourt was later attacked by thugs, who were escorted by men in police uniform.

Lamenting the threat to his life by the thugs, Cole, who spoke to THISDAY at the scene of the incident, alleged that the thugs working for the PDP had threatened to kill him.

“The same people that arrested our lawyers were those that led the thugs to attack our party secretariat,” Cole said.

Asked if they would return to the INEC office for the documents, Cole said, “Now, if they (INEC) are not going to release it here, they will either put it in a bullion van and send to me or they will carry it to Abuja, but INEC cannot deny us those documents.”

The action of the PDP in Rivers took an embarrassing turn on Tuesday when the party’s supporters dumped fetish materials in front of the INEC office in Port Harcourt.

A man who dressed like a ‘juju priest’ adorned in red cloth with his head and waist wrapped with palm fronds, was seen presiding over the fetish activities. He was pouring libations, and making incantations in a local dialect.

The highest political leadership in Rivers State has taken impunity to a dangerous level and should be stopped in its shameful use of naked power to truncate Nigeria’s democracy.

Unfortunately, prominent Nigerians and lovers of democracy, who should rise against the excessive abuse of executive power in the state have remained silent.

Buhari Other items seized from the lawyers include exhibits required for their petition defence, such as the agent’s copy of Form EC8 and CTC of INEC documents.

The plot to frustrate the filing of election petitions was allegedly part of the agenda of the PDP-led government in the state to ensure that the alleged electoral malpractices in the March 18 election were not challenged at the tribunals.

The PDP-led state government that worked against the party’s presidential candidate, Atiku Abubakar was accused of being responsible for the alleged manipulations of the elections in the state.

However, the Rivers State APC did not raise an objection against the outcome of the presidential election since the results favoured the APC. But when the March 18 elections were allegedly manipulated in a similar manner to

favour the PDP, the APC in the state cried foul.

However, the dangerous attempt to use the police and other undemocratic means to stop the APC from filing petitions attracted widespread condemnations.

While the Nigerian Bar Association (NBA) said it was unfortunate and disturbing for police officers to be used as tools for contravening the rule of law, a human rights activist, Mr. Femi Falana (SAN) also condemned the action of the police officers.

On its part, Socio-Economic Rights and Accountability Project (SERAP) described the action of the police as “impunity,” which must stop.

Before the release of the lawyers, Falana had raised the alarm that the police wanted to stop the lawyers

NOTES FOR FILE

Wike’s Endless Deception

Wike

AfterdeceivinghisG-5colleaguestosettlepersonalscores, GovernorNyesomWikeofRiversStatethinksthathecan deceive other Nigerians.

Lastweek,thegovernorhailedhisBenueStatecounterpart, SamuelOrtom,forbackingthereturnofpowertothesouthern regionofNigeriaattheexpenseofhissenatorialambition.

Wike,whospokeduringtheinaugurationoftheGovernment SecondarySchoolKporintheGokanaLocalGovernmentArea ofRiversState,saidOrtomwastherealwinnerofthepolls despitehisdoubledefeatatthegovernorshipandsenatorial polls in Benue State.

OrtomisoneoftheaggrievedgovernorsofthePeoples DemocraticParty(PDP)whoworkedagainsttheambition of their presidential candidate, Atiku Abubakar. Other G5 governors are Wike, Seyi Makinde (Oyo), Okezie Ikpeazu (Abia) and Ifeanyi Ugwuanyi (Enugu).

Throughout the period they were against the party, theiragitationwasforthethenparty’sNationalChairman, IyorchiaAyu,tostepdownsinceheisfromtheNorthlike Atiku.NeverdidmembersoftheG-5governorsdemand thatthepresidencyshouldrotatetothesouthernpartof the country from the North.

AstheFebruary25presidentialelectioncamecloser, confusionoverwhotheyshouldsupportbecameapparent anddividedthegroup.WhileOrtompubliclydeclaredsupport forPeterObioftheLabourParty(LP),Wikekepthisown to his chest until news filtered out that he had secretly instructed members of PDP in Rivers State to support SenatorBolaTinubuoftheAllProgressivesCongress(APC).

On the day of the election, Ortom who was on the ballot for the Benue North-West senatorial seat on the PDP platform, lost to his former aide, Titus Zam, of the

All Progressives Congress (APC).Also,thePDP lostthe March18governorshipelectiontotheAPCinBenue.The losses that Ortom suffered did not have anything to do with the southern presidency.

HelostbecausehewasoverpoweredbytheMinisterof SpecialDutiesandIntergovernmentalAffairs,Mr.George Akume.Ithadnothingtodowiththeclamourforthesouthern presidency asWike claimed.

Itwouldhavereallysurprisedmanytoseegovernorwho failed woefully, owes backlog of salaries, pensions and gratuities,andwhoabandonedgovernancetoberunning around like an errand boy to even win in the first place.

Since after the elections, Wike has been using the clamour for southern presidency to console and glorify himselfafterlosingthepresidentialandvicepresidential tickets of the PDP.

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THISDAY, THE SUNDAY NEWSPAPER APRIL 9 , 2023

CICERO/ISSUE

Ikpeazu

Otti

Ganduje

Yusuf

Ortom

Alia

Governors, Governors-elect Fight over State Finances

Ahead of May 29 handover date, governors and the governors-elect have already engaged in a war of words over funds and projects perceived to be ploys to create problems for the incoming administrations, Adedayo Akinwale writes

A

s May 29, 2023 handover date draws closer, there is ongoing war of attrition between the outgoing governors and the governors-elect in some of the states of the federation where opposition parties triumphed in the March 18 governorship elections.

In the affected states, the governors-elect are raising eyebrows on loans, spending patterns and projects being undertaken by the outgoing governors in the twilight of their administrations.

More worrisome is the fact that some outgoing governors who are notorious for their bad performance in office for almost eight years are also engaged in some white elephant projects with the sole aim of siphoning public funds and obtaining loans.

The story is the same in Abia, Kano and Benue states. At the centre of their muscle-flexing is the management of their state finances, and contracts in the last phase of decision-making.

While the outgoing governors have said they were still in charge of their respective states till May 29, the incoming governors have sounded a note of warning to commercial banks and international lenders that they would not honour any loan procured by the outgoing governors just a few weeks to the expiration of their tenures.

The fears of the governors-elect are genuine, given the penchant of some outgoing state chief executives to loot the treasuries of their states towards the end of their tenures.

For instance, in Abia State, the situation is intense where Alex Otti of the Labour Party (LP) is battling Governor Okezie Ikpeazu of the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP). Similarly, in Kano State, Abba Yusuf of the New Nigeria Peoples Party (NNPP) is up against the All Progressives Congress (APC) Governor Abdullahi Ganduje, while APC governor-elect, Rev Fr Hyacinth Alia is tackling Governor Samuel Ortom of PDP in Benue State.

Expectedly, Ikpeazu and Ganduje have asked Otti and Yusuf to stop issuing public directives as there cannot be parallel governments in their states Ganduje cautioned the governor-elect, Yusuf to avoid causing unnecessary confusion in the state, insisting that he was still the governor.

Yusuf had in an advisory recently asked local and international lenders, including banks to stop giving loans to the state government. The governor-elect in a statement by his Chief Press Secretary, Sanusi Tofa, specifically warned that any local or international organisation that issues a loan to the Ganduje administration from March 18 to May 29, does so at its risk.

He emphatically stated that any such loan facility approved and issued to the Kano State Government between the dates of election and

swearing-in without explicit knowledge and consent of the incoming administration would not be honoured by the new administration.

But in a counter-statement by the Kano State Commissioner for Information and Internal Affairs, Muhammad Garba, Ganduje said issuing a directive on a matter affecting government’s laid down policy while the incumbent was yet to exhaust his full term amounted to jumping the gun on the part of the governor-elect.

Ganduje explained that as far as the division of power was concerned, he remained the governor with executive powers until May 29, pointing out that he reserves the right to carry out his functions in the public interest even on the eve of his exit.

Ganduje added that until the governor-elect subscribes to the oath of office on May 29, he remains what he is–a governor-elect and does not have the powers of the governor.

He argued that all the incoming governor could do would be to reverse some of the actions taken by his predecessor when he assumed office, if there is a valid reason to do so.

Also, the Ikpeazu-led government has condemned the recent freezing of the state accounts in commercial banks by the Federal High Court, Abuja. It accused Otti of being behind the court case and warned him against interfering with his administration.

The governor, in a statement by the Information Commissioner, Eze Chikamnayo, described it as a thoughtless move by misfits, aimed at grounding the Government and instigating civil unrest in Abia State.

He insisted that no arm of government has a lawful right to ground the other for any reason whatsoever.

Ikpeazu noted: “Moreso, a newly elected governor should know that he was elected for four years and cannot interfere in the administration of an incumbent. He must have respect for the rule of law and constituted authority. We want to believe that those who want to lead us are not the ones behind the individuals involved in this heinous act as is now being widely speculated.”

Ikpeazu said the unintelligent and unprecedented mishap of shutting down the Government of Abia State, using a kangaroo judgment manufactured in faraway Abuja was a clear signal of the mindset of desperados.

The governor warned those he called emissaries of destabilisation to immediately retrace their steps and allow a peaceful and seamless transition of Power come May 29th, 2023.

He said security agencies had also been alerted to ensure that governance was not frustrated and law and order was maintained. He noted that there was absolutely no need for the hurry, harassment and arm-twisting tactics now being perpetrated by elements within the Labour Party in Abia State.

“For the avoidance of doubt, the lifespan of the current democratically elected administration subsists till 29 May and we shall exercise all powers thereto to maintain the peace, security and stability,” he said But Otti’s Media Adviser, Ferdinand Ekeoma, disassociated his boss from the suit against the government. He described the statement by the commissioner as a propaganda and misleading emotional blackmail of a failed government.

He insisted that it was wrong for the government to falsely accuse Otti and attempt to misrepresent him in its efforts to mislead the public. He maintained that Otti was not involved, directly or indirectly, in freezing the said Abia State Government accounts and does not know the person or persons behind the action.

Ekeoma said the state government should be bold enough to tell the world that those they entered into a fraudulent contract with and tried to shortchange before leaving office were responsible for the litigation.

Also in Benue State, a leaked memo allegedly issued by Governor-elect Alia to the Managing Director of Benue Investment Property Company (BIPC), Alex Adum had spurred further animosity between him and Ortom.

Alia, a Catholic priest, in a statement by his Director of Communications, Kulas Tersoo, had lamented that he had been totally sidelined in the governance of the state by Ortom.

He alleged that since he was handed over his Certificate of Return by the Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC) as the winner of the March 18 governorship election on the platform of APC, he had not been accorded the privileges due to him.

The governor-elect listed special accommodation, official cars and food as such rights.

He argued that in normal circumstances, the President-elect and all governors-elect do not only receive detailed briefings on power transition, but are provided with security briefing reports.

Alia pointed out that where there is a mutually defined concern about the development of a state, the outgoing governor willingly ceases to make unilateral decisions on policy issues once his successor is issued a Certificate of Return.

According to him, Ortom should make policy decisions only in due consultations with the incoming governor to avoid conflicting distractions on policy and administrative issues such as the ones under discourse.

The situation deteriorated when Alia after a meeting with President Muhammadu Buhari at the Presidential Villa in Abuja last Wednesday, accused Ortom of dealing badly with government workers, failing to pay salaries, gratuities and pensions. According to him, the Benue civil service is about to collapse and is currently

in an Intensive Care Unit (ICU).

Speaking to State House correspondents after the meeting, Alia frowned upon the condition of Benue’s civil service. He alleged the civil service is in a state of near collapse in ICU, promising to infuse life into it. He added that Benue owes a backlog of salaries, pensions and gratuities.

He vowed to tackle the problems plaguing the state once he assumed office.

“It is sad that the life of civil service in the state is near collapse. It’s in the ICU, so I just need to get in there and infuse life in it and keep it moving. We have a lot of backlog of unpaid salaries, pensions and gratuities. So, already I got much on the desk to keep a good focus on and I remain hopeful that I am going to do just that, ” said Alia.

Responding, Ortom described Alia’s comments on salaries and pension in the state as unfortunate.

He said he inherited backlog of salaries.

“It is an unfortunate statement coming from honourable Alias. I feel sad about what he said. Go back to history since I came in. The civil service have not been on strike, and there must be a reason for them to understand with me why they should not go on strike because my government has been transpiring and ensuring equity and fairness in all things that we do in Benue State.

“Go back to history when I took over in 2015, the total salaries arrears, pension and gratuity was over N70 billion, the federal government did an intervention, and we paid, and there were issues because people alleged that there well diversion of funds and so on.”

Meanwhile, two senior lawyers – Olalekan Ojo and former Nigerian Bar Association (NBA) Vice-President, Dr. Monday Ubani have affirmed the constitutional powers of governors to govern their states without interference from and to the exclusion of governors-elect.

Ojo, a Senior Advocate of Nigeria (SAN), described it as a constitutional and political aberration for a governor-elect to interfere in the running of a state, adding that the governor-elect does not become a governor until he is sworn in.

He said: “It is political exuberance. Whatever order he gives is nothing but a nullity; it is ineffective, misguided and has no legal or political force.”

To Ubani, “the governor-elect cannot order a sitting governor; he can apply pressure or raise the alarm when the sitting governor is doing something that isn’t right, or that he knows the governor is doing those things to create problems for the incoming governor.

“If the purpose of what you are doing is to create problems, then, the governor-elect has to raise the alarm so that the right thing is done.”

It is expected that the war of words between the governors and governors-elect would continue till May 29 when the governors-elect would be inaugurated.

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THISDAY, THE SUNDAY NEWSPAPER APRIL 9 , 2023

CICERO INTERVIEW

Afegbua: South-south Deserves Senate Presidency Prince Kassim Afegbua was former Edo State Commissioner for Information in the administration of Adams Oshiomhole. He was a member of the opposition Peoples Democratic Party until June last year when he left to champion Southern presidency. Afegbua insisted then that after a Buhari presidency, it should naturally be the turn of the South. He has also been making a case for South-south Senate presidency, arguing that it was the turn of the zone. He spoke with Wale Igbintade. Excepts:

T

he elections have been concluded but it appears as if the dust of the election has refused to settle.

What’s your take on that?

Well, that is expected after every election circle. Those who lost elections would certainly agonise over their defeat and would often times want to explore the opportunity of the election tribunals to see if they could get anything meaningful from it. Election is like every sports, with a winner and loser emerging from the contest. But what you see often times in Nigeria is a system where those who are defeated are never in agreement with the outcome. Allegations of rigging will continue to flourish, allegations of manipulations and all manner of criticisms. Despite the many upsets in the last election, you can imagine the uproar it has generated. Those who lost out are thinking so loudly that they were rigged out. So as Nigerians, we must learn to accept outcome of elections no matter how much of reservations you have about it. So, we are in familiar terrain after elections; the terrain of legal jurisprudence, the terrain of inspecting INEC election materials, to present cases to the tribunals. But most of what you see are a function of our inability to moderate our emotions.

Nigerian politicians must deliberately learn the act and art of being good sportsmen. In an election, it is one winner at a time.

If I follow your logic, it means the election has been won and lost. How do your intend to embark on power sharing to elicit confidence in the system, and promote national unity?

You see, power acquisition is one, power sharing is another. In a plural society like Nigeria, the demand is often very challenging. You need to balance all the power algorithms to ensure you instil confidence in the system and promote a culture of participation and inclusiveness. Geopolitical zones must necessarily be patronised in the spirit of national unity so that their own aspirations would be accommodated in the larger overall interest of the country. The ruling party must be conscious of those geopolitical interests and balancing to build stability in the system and ensure that the people are ready for the leadership of the party and the country. Power sharing is as complex as the power acquisition process. After you have acquired power, how do you plug in persons and factors to build the right team for delivering the essential ingredients of governance? The Tinubu presidency will surely try to balance all the geopolitical interests to engender a sense of equity, unity, and fairness. I am also very interested in the South-south having the position of the Senate Presidency following the support the zone gave to the Tinubu presidential aspiration from the pre-primary stage to the post-primary and general election.

But there are other zones interested in the Senate presidency position like the South-east and North-west. In fact, Senator Orji Kalu has said that the position belongs to him, using the “emi lokan” mantra. How do you react to that?

Well, it is anybody’s right to aspire to any position of authority, but there are pre-conditions that should engender such aspiration. First of all, having a same faith president and vice president, the Senate president and Speaker should be Christians. I am saying this not because I believe in politics of religion, but because religion has become a sentimental issue in the politics of the nation.

Then having settled that demographics, the next is to look at the relevance of the individual and the zone towards the overall victory of the presidential candidate. The North-west will be completing a

NowthatyouhavementionedSenatorAkpabio, is he the only one qualified and interested in the position from the zone?

I have just given you an example of a cerebral candidate for that position who understands the dynamics in the country and can connect easily to the expectations of the people. Within the South-south zone, he is the only ranking senator for now. I would have supported senator-elect, Adams Oshiomhole, if he wasn’t a first timer.

The Senate rule counts against him and that is also understandable. Senator Akpabio fits the bill. He stepped down for the APC presidential candidate during the primaries, delivered a very powerful speech and directed his delegates to vote for Senator Bola Tinubu. He also delivered over 120,000 thousand votes in Akwa Ibom, knowing that is the state of the Chairman of the PDP Presidential Campaign Council. He is a likeable personality who is easily and fondly called uncommon transformer both as Governor of Akwa Ibom and Honourable Minister of the Federal Republic. He transformed Akwa Ibom State from a typical rural community to an urban community with gigantic infrastructure across the state. You may not like Senator Akpabio, but you can’t fault his achievements even as a Minister of the Niger Delta Affairs. He was able to complete the 30 years old, abandoned NDDC Headquarters started by Chief Horsfall in 1993, within two years and relocated the NDDC there. He was able to construct roads, built Police Barracks, provide several other infrastructure. He carried out a forensic audit of the NDDC despite cries of acrimony, but he insisted that the right things must be done. Go to Akwa Ibom today and see his huge infrastructural renewal. Someone like that deserves more recognition and being a Senate President will afford him the opportunity to constructively engage with the President. He has network of influence across the country, has impacted on so many people across board and always ready to shoulder responsibilities with equanimity of purpose.

Akpabio term of eight years as president, so they should naturally slow down in asking for the number three position. That leaves South-south and South-east in the fray. The South-east went on holiday during the presidential election and literally abandoned the presidential candidate but faced their own individual election. They were feasting in Obi’s party in show of ethnic solidarity. Senator Orji for example, got huge votes to be returned as Senator, but left the presidential candidate abandoned in the cold.

While he got over 40,000 votes, his presidential candidate got very ridiculous votes in the region of 6,000 votes across the state. Not even 5%.

In the entire South-east states, APC couldn’t score 10% in any of the states, yet someone is expected to be crowned as Senate President?

It is not equitable to do so. We must interrogate what you are bringing to the table, both in content and character. So, please, help me to announce it to the world that South-south should be given the slot.

But don’t you think that it will be equitable to have the position zoned to the South-east?

I think it will be more equitable to have the position zoned to the South-south, first as the treasure base of the nation that must be consciously and deliberately pacified at all times. Second as a way of compensating them for breaking into the stronghold of the opposition PDP and making a good showing in the elections. APC won Rivers

State for the first time since its formation, and got substantial votes in Akwa Ibom, the home state of PDP’s presidential campaign Chairman, came second in Edo, Cross River andBayelsastates.These are the stronghold of the PDP. In the South-east, the APC senators worked for their own election and conspiratorially abandoned their presidential candidate. How can they score so high in their own votes, and score so abysmally low in that of the presidential candidate, in an election that was conductedsametime,samehourandsimultaneously.

There must be a deliberate conspiracy, and you cannot reward such conspiracy in the name of trying to balance geopolitical inclusion.

The South-south is not only a strategic partner in the affairs of the nation, it is the resource base of the country. There has to be a deliberate effort to promote politics of inclusion when dealing with South-south. We have solid minds who are eminently qualified for the position and also ranking senator from that geopolitical zone. In fact, it is our turn as a zone because the South-east has had Senate President five times in the last 24 years; Enwerem, Okadigbo, Wabara, Anyim, and Nnamani.

South-south has not been so blessed. Senator Godswill Akpabio is a ranking senator in case you are looking for who fits the bill. He’s a solid personality, very cerebral and a transformer, who can give colour, candour and content to the 10th National Assembly.

The business of lawmaking requires diplomacy, grit and tact. It is more demanding when you are expected to balance the power equation I do understand that especially when you take into account the plural status of Nigeria and the competing interests of the various geopolitical groups. But you know, as a Senate President, your role is to serve as an equitable moderator, balancing the factors and subjecting the law making process to serious interrogation through public participation. Senator Akpabio is a team player who understands the viability of having issues properly argued, dissected and distilled before decisions are taken. In our present dispensation, we need an individual who can robustly engage issues and drive the collective to arrive at decisions that will impact on the wellbeing of the people. Having an Akpabio will complement Asiwaju Tinubu, who was also a Senator and understands the role and functions of the legislature. We need individuals who are conversational, interactional and who are ready to dialogue on issues no matter how unassailable, before conclusions are drawn. The South-south has always been a viable partner in the affairs of the nation, and this time, is the best opportunity to be accorded the recognition of Senate presidency. We need it, Nigerians understand that South-south needs it. Help us talk to the power players that it will be in the strategic interest of the country for the South-south to be allowed to fill that position.

We are team players, we are civilised and urbane, we are cosmopolitan and nationalistic in our orientation.

THISDAY, THE SUNDAY NEWSPAPER APRIL 9,2023

ENGAGEMENTS

61

with ChidiAmuta e-mail:chidi.amuta@gmail.com

Peter Obi and the Looming Tyranny

T

he period between a general election and the swearing in of a successor administration ought to be filled with excited anticipation. It is usually a time of pleasant speculationsonthenewfacesthat will soon grace television screens and newspaper front pages. For the masses in a polity in virtual captivity, it is time to begin getting used to new overlords and masters. For the elite, thisoughttobetimetodebatepolicyperspectives and options for the new administration.

There is so much in the present atmosphere that defies the tradition of a civilized political transition season. Instead, the incumbent All Progressives Congress (APC), which is also the incoming triumphant squad, is consumed by an overwhelming nervousness. Instead of engaging thepublicinsensibledebatesaboutpolicyoptions anddirections,theAPCappearstohaveretreated into a perpetual campaign mode.

Party hawks and attack hounds are still busy insulting our public sensibility. They are berating, abusing and profiling their election season opponents. It is as though the elections are not yet over.Intheprocess,twodangerousthingsarehappening. First, the polarization and bitter divisions in the country is being further deepened. Second, the groundwork for a new climate of tyranny and authoritarianism is being laid. Clearly, we are in the throes of an imminent administration that is likely to invest in tormenting the opposition and abridging the liberties of citizens. Otherwise, why has Mr. Tinubu not disbanded his abusive and divisive campaign propaganda machinery?

After a bitterly fought election, the nation requires soothing words and healing hands to mend broken bonds and assuage wounded feelings. But unfortunately, all we are getting from APC’s front linepropagandistsisanoverdoseofnegativityand sickening ethnocentrism. They are still fighting the ghosts of Mr. Bola Tinubu’s opponents in the presidentialelection.Consequently,intheprelude toMay29th,thenationstillwearstheappearance of a landscape of war with hate as the dominant language of public discourse.

By some unwritten law of tyrannical power consensus, however, all the post election hostile barbs have now found one common target: Mr. Peter Obi and his political movement. Hardly any oneintheAPCandtheincumbentgovernment(one and the same) mentions Mr. Atiku Abubakar who camesecondintheINECpresidentialelectionvote tally. It is now all about Peter Obi, Datti Ahmed and the Obidients. This systematic narrowing down requires further investigation.

Togiveofficialstamptotheconcertedtargeting of Mr. Obi, Buhari’s Minister of Information, the famous Lai Mohammed has gone junketing to far awayWashingtonDCtoannouncethatMr.Obicould be guilty of treason. His crime? Just expressing his reservations about the credibility of February 25th presidential elections ‘won’ by Mohammed’s party, the APC. He has followed this by getting the National Broadcasting Commission (NBC) to slam a fine of N5 million on Channels Television for hosting an interview with Obi’s running mate in which the gentleman expressed strong reservations about the conduct and outcome of the presidential elections.

Quite interestingly, the rhetoric of the APC/ Tinubu campaign trumpeters has opted for the samechoiceofwordsasthegovernmentorgansin characterizingPeterObiandhisfollowers.‘Treason’ is the word of common choice. Insisting that the election of 25th February was not free and fair is now treasonable. Going to court to challenge the outcome of that election is now also ‘treason’.

Pointing out anomalies in INEC’s procedures and processes is also ‘treason’.

They have gone several steps further. Government and APC propagandists and pro-Tinubu enthusiastsonthesocialmediahavebegunlinking Peter Obi with IPOB and ESN, even if there is no evidence to that effect and in spite of the man’s repeateddissociationsfromthesegroups.Implicit in these mischievous associations and linkages is the assumption that Mr. Obi is just another Igbo politician.Thereisalsoanongoingfeverishattempt to use paid party jobbers in the Labour Party to destabilize the party and discredit the Obidient movement. The desperation is to disentangle the Obidient movement from the Labour Party and returnthepartytoitsprevioussmalltimestatus.In Imo state, the party has been factionalised and its officesshutdownbyfactionalhoodlumssupervised

Obi by the police. In Abuja, a renegade faction claims to have ousted the party chairman and forced its way into the party headquarters.

The Department of State Security (DSS) has joined this nattering choir of scare mongers by issuing a yet unsubstantiated warning against those planning to disturb the peace by plotting to emplace an interim Government in preference to the swearing in of the elected new administration on May 29th. The Defence Headquarter and the Armyhavesoundedthesamewarning.AllNigerians agreethatwedonotneedanyinterimarrangement.

It is uncalled for.

What unites all these voices is that they are in one way or the other tied to the incumbent power setup. They are all either officials of government or affiliates of the APC in one way or the other. They are united in a strange consensus that the most consequential adversary of the Nigerian state at thispointintimeisthecombinationofMr.PeterObi, his running mate and of course the Labour Party respectively. This writer foretold this eventuality as the campaigns unfolded.

In the run up to the last presidential election, I wroteinapieceinthiscolumn,“WhatIfMacchiavelli Votes” in which I speculated on what the victory of each of the three front runners would mean for the power equation in Nigeria as we know it.

On the threat posed by the possible emergence of Mr. Peter Obi Obi of the Labour Party, here is what I wrote in January 2023, a few weeks before the presidential election: “With Mr. Obi of the Labour Party, we come face to face with a real threat to Nigeria’s power nexus.

Mr. Obi is challenging the political establishment, thetraditionalarchitectureofpartiesandtheethos of old politicians. He is challenging the bastions of vested interest, the organized crime syndicates of fuel subsidies and inflated state contracts. He has openly indicated a desire to run a people oriented administrationthatisaccountable,frugalandopen.

All these grate on the nerves of the deep state and the warlords of enshrined corruption. He wants to reorganizenationalsecurityandthuscurbthecrime dividends enjoyed by the security high command.

Peter Obi and his OBIdients movement could have been dismissed with a wave of the hand if they were not so consequential, menacing and expanding. In a relatively short space of time, Mr. Obi has had a movement grow around him and his counter narrative. He has become the emblematic poster “man in black” of this season with a targeted appeal mostly to the youth.

He is the convergence of moment, message and messenger. His message is simple: ‘It is time to take back our country’. That message has resonated with the youth and the disenchanted majority of urban poor and unemployed. The desire to create a new Nigeria transcends the barriers that have held Nigeria hostage. There lies Obi’s real threat to the power establishment.

The system is not going to sit idly by while Mr. Obi and his followers sweep vested interest out of power. Therefore, he will be the meeting ground of

all the dark forces intent on maintaining the status quo. In quick rehearsals, financial blackmail of Mr. Obihasbeentriedanddidnotwork.Ethnicprofiling hasnotstuck.Asthecampaignseasonprogresses, moresophisticatedanticsmayberolledoutifMr.Obi and the OBIdients sustain their appeal and gather momentum.

But the ultimate triumph of our democracy will remain a function of the state of health of our democratic institutions: a truly independent and credible INEC, a judiciary of honest judges, a media of fair and truthful journalists and a non- partisan state structure.

In a sense, the speculative possibility of a Machiavelli vote in 2023 is another way of posing the great universal question of history: What if?

Themomentprefiguredinthatpropheticexcerpt has arrived. We have crossed the junction of “What if?”Theelectionhasproducedanoutcome.INEChas pronounced Mr. Bola Tinubu as the President-elect onthebasisofitsbestjudgmentofwhattranspired and the summation of the information and other procedural outcomes. As required by law, those wholosthavesincefiledtheirobjectionsintheform of petitions to the relevant tribunals and courts. It would therefore be a natural course for the winners to set about setting up their programmes, policies and unique governance procedures and structures so that the business of Nigeria could proceed unhindered.

The losers in that disgraceful election should be busy putting our judiciary to an ultimate test of their credibility. The pursuit of justice according to law should be the final berth of the journey of democracy. Peter Obi was not pronounced winner

by INEC but somehow, his political presence and electoral feats have earned him unusual attention by the Octopus of the Nigerian power behemoth.

We must make some concessions. Admittedly, there have been a few incensed and even careless statementsbyboththelosingPDPandtheLP.Peter Obi’srunningmate,Mr.DattiAhmed,mayhavebeen a bit too emphatic and irreverent in his Channels Television interview on a matter that should be left to the judicial finality of the Supreme Court. But Mr. Dino Melaye of the PDP has been even more unguarded. Not to talk of the serial indiscretion and incendiary incitements of Mr. Fani-Kayode and FestusKeyamooftheAPC.Mr.BayoOnanugaofthe Tinubu campaign has been even more vitriolic and drippingwithethnichateinhischoiceofutterances.

Intheheatofthecampaign,somefringeelements oftheObidientsmovementmayhaveoverstepped the bounds of decent assembly in response to the hooliganism of the APC in places like Lagos for instance. Even then, with the Labour Party and the Obidients, we are dealing with uncharted territory. A populist movement that finds itself as the rave of the political moment has a capability to go overboard. But critics of the Obidients have hardly spared a thought for the many of them that were killed, maimed and seriously injured in parts of the country by APC professional thugs.

Nonetheless, in spite of coming third in INEC’s

ranking of the presidential candidates in the last election, interest in Peter Obi and his movement has recently been on the increase. Obi is lately being demonized systematically. The Obidients are being rebranded as urban terrorists by people whoshouldknowbetterincluding,mostregrettably, Mr. Wole Soyinka. The threat level has become so intense that Mr. Peter Obi recently hinted that he has come under pressure to leave the country for fear of his personal safety.

The reasons for the special interest in Peter Obi by the Nigerian power establishment are multiple.

Of all the presidential candidates, he posed the most credible threat to the Nigerian power status quo. By side-stepping the established bipartisan architectureofthepoliticalstructureandstepping forward to directly seek the top power slot, he audaciously upset the tripodal ethnic architecture of Nigerianpower.Hethreatenedtheexistingpolitical orderbychallengingtheoldmoneypoliticsofAfrican BigMen.Byopenlychallengingthesystemtoname his wrongs, if any, he was calling out the decadent moraledificeoftraditionalNigerianpoliticalculture.

Perhapsmostimportantly,Mr.PeterObievolved a message that appealed to a cross section of Nigerians across ethnic, religious, class and geopolitical divides. As it turns out, what unites most Nigeriansisthehungerforabettercountryinwhich the leadership presents a moral and performance example that most citizens can emulate. Obi embodied that message and it conferred on him an automatic charisma and electrifying appeal especially among the youth.

Peter Obi thus threatened the hegemonic dominanceofpowerfundamentalistsandregional/ religionist hegemonists. His electric popularity attractioncameasarudeshocktothosewhohadcome to take the youth and urban detribalized Nigerians for granted. A man who joined a small party and, in less than a year transformed the Labour Party into a serious power contender, a populist magnet and an electoral threat cannot be written off casually.

Like a bolt out of the political blues, Peter Obi and the Labour Party trounced Mr. Tinubu and his thriving thuggery industry in Lagos. He swept the Federal Capital Territory like a political hurricane, leaving his rivals no room for even a miserable 25% votescore.Hedemonstratedthetruismthatevery politics is first local by sweeping through the whole of the South-east and South-south as well as the bulk of the Middle Belt states of Nasarawa, Benue andPlateau. FromNasarawaandSouthernKaduna, Obi and his rampaging political train menacingly eyed the conservative Northern bastions with the force of a powerful national message. INEC announced a Bola Tinubu win with 12 states; so also did Peter Obi win in 12 states and perhaps more.

These electoral milestones should frighten the traditional political establishment. They were achieved without a so called political structure.

Theywereachievedwithoutlorryloadsof‘stomach infrastructure’ or bullion vans of Naira or dollars.

However, because of his surname, Peter Obi has alsobecomeastrategicthreattoboththeNigerian power machinery as well as the political elite of his home base South East. Aspirants to the trade mark ‘Igbo presidency’ slot in the big parties were thoroughly rattled and shredded.

Tothepoliticaleliteintherestofthecountry,Peter Obi,perhapsunconsciouslybecauseofhissurname, alsobecametheunspokenvoice,theuncomfortable variableandindeedtheominousfaceofsomething that at once frightens and attracts the Nigerian imagination. AllthosefactorsthathaveheldNigeria hostage since 1970 have remained curious of what Nigeria could become under the leadership of the Igbopeoplewhohavebeenabsentfromthecentral seat of Nigerian power for 57 years.

There is in the Nigerian subconscious a certain enviouscuriosityandyearningaboutthedifference that the Igbo ethnic identity could make in the way Nigeriaisrun.ButNigeriaisalsounitedbyabaseless fear of what the Igbo could become if Nigeria were to let them add apex power the entrepreneurial andmercantilesagacityandexpansivespirit.There lies their strength and also their weaknesses as a people.

But Peter Obi is a completely detribalized Nigerian. He is also above everything else an Igbo man, a quintessential one at that, one who is both a catholic, a trader, a politician and a man of Spartan discipline. Nigerian youth and the urban majority believed in the power of his example and shared his vision of a new better Nigeria.

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T H I S DAY, T H E S U N DAY N E W S PA P E R • APRIL 9, 2023

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B AC K PAG E C O N T I N UAT I O N NIGERIA’S UNENDING POST-ELECTION CIRCUS takes more time and energy. Lawyers to Obi, the Labour Party candidate, have listed 18,000 polling units (PUs) where they want to challenge the results. You would agree with me that 18,000 result sheets cannot be scrutinised in a hurry. This has mellowed my enthusiasm about a speedy trial. I am not holding my breath that this can be concluded, along with a possible appeal, before May 29. Examining 18,000 result sheets is no tea party. More so, the All Progressives Congress (APC) may also counter-sue and challenge results in some PUs. They too may want to scrutinise thousands of result sheets.

Can this be fast-tracked?

Nonetheless, I support the campaign for a fast-tracked process, but we cannot hurry the judiciary. While it is said that justice delayed is justice denied, there is also an axiom that justice hurried is justice buried. We need a balance. My first choice, always, is for justice to be done as quickly as possible, preferably before May 29.

But it is not my call. It is not our call. There is also a campaign for the proceedings to be televised live. While I would love this too, I do not think it will happen. Court proceedings are hardly televised live. I don’t know why. Ex-US President Donald Trump just appeared before a court in New York for a criminal trial. Only his entry into the courtroom was televised live.

While I am not worried about the campaigns for speedy trial and live telecast of the tribunal proceedings because these are legitimate and legal demands, I am deeply disturbed by comments that are injurious to the institutions of democracy.

When a case is before a court of law, a litigant is not supposed to make comments that could be subjudice. It not only violates the ethics of the legal profession, it can actually be treated as contempt of court. A lawyer for one of the parties has written and distributed an article on the 25 percent requirement despite filing a petition. Arguments that should be canvassed

in court are now being pushed in the media.

It doesn’t sound right to me.

Dr Datti Baba-Ahmed, Obi’s vice-presidential candidate and a party to the election petition before the tribunal, was on TV the other day saying Asiwaju Bola Ahmed Tinubu, the legally recognised president-elect except otherwise declared by a court of law, should not be sworn in. He called on President Muhammadu Buhari and the Chief Justice of Nigeria (CJN) not to inaugurate him. He said Tinubu does not meet the constitutional requirement of scoring 25 percent in the federal capital and that his own interpretation is final and not subject to debate.

I don’t think this is the right path. Why then did his party approach the election tribunal for justice? And why do we need the judiciary at all?

I recall that in 2007, President Olusegun Obasanjo did everything in the books to stop Vice-President Atiku Abubakar from succeeding him in office after they had a very public spat.

The PDP did a membership revalidation exercise and weeded out Atiku’s core supporters. Atiku defected from the PDP and joined Tinubu’s Action Congress (AC), where he was given the presidential ticket. Obasanjo declared Atiku’s VP position vacant for defecting from the PDP but the courts overruled him. Obasanjo went ahead to set up a panel to indict Atiku on corruption charges and INEC quickly excluded him from the presidential election. The Supreme Court overruled Obasanjo and INEC. I also need to make a point here: I have never heard Obi denigrate or intimidate the judiciary since he came into politics. He ran for governorship in Anambra in 2003. He believed it was rigged. He went to court. The PDP used all the tactics in the book to stretch the trial. He did not budge. It took three years but he got judgment and went on to govern Anambra state for eight years. When he was illegally impeached

in 2006, he did not talk much. He went to the court and he was restored. When INEC tried to undermine him in 2007 by conducting an election when his tenure was still valid, he did not raise hell. He headed to the courts.

He won. He never commented while the cases were ongoing.

That is why I find it disturbing that some leading lights in his camp are resorting to these tactics. Maybe Obi needs to have a word with them. I accept that Obi is no longer what he used to be — he has become a legend and some hardliners now surround him. However, for someone who has been a beneficiary of justice at a time Nigerians did not have much faith in the courts (for the record, only Obi won his petition in the 2003 governorship election), he is not being well served by those stirring up anti-judiciary sentiments at this critical juncture. In fact, some of his supporters have second-guessed the courts and concluded that Obi has already lost the election petition by unfair means.

You may call me naïve but I insist that the focus should be on the strength of the case before the tribunal and every party to the suit must give the judiciary a benefit of the doubt.

We just have to trust the process. That is what we are left with, legally speaking. Or, if I may ask, if we do not trust the judiciary, what are the options? One lawyer suggested that Senate President Ahmad Lawan, a member of Tinubu’s APC, should act as president from May 29 until the election petition is concluded. Lawan recently benefited from a controversial Supreme Court decision on his candidacy. Some people are so emotional and desperate that they are not thinking before talking again.

Let us give democracy a chance. It has an in-built capacity to correct itself and grow organically. Our elections today are better than they were in 1999. For instance, in 2003, Obasanjo was suspiciously credited with 2,003,521 out of

the 2,171,215 votes cast in Rivers state. Today, no candidate can claim two million votes in Rivers again. Think about that again and again.

That is progress. Same 2003, Obasanjo (PDP) got 1,360,170 votes from Ogun state. Otunba Gbenga Daniel (also PDP) won governorship but with just 449,335 of 681,317 votes. Both elections were held simultaneously, with each voter given the two ballot papers. Yet, Obasanjo managed to poll 910,000 more than Daniel.

What is my point? We should not seek to damage our democracy by delegitimising its institutions because of their failings. We should allow the process to cleanse itself. Since 1999, people have been losing elections and seeking redress constitutionally and some have won their cases based on merit. Obi is a living example.

Let us keep the faith. Let us trust the process.

Those angling for an interim government or military involvement are canvassing things not known to our laws. It may sound sexy today, but so did it appear when some activists were asking Gen Sani Abacha to take over power in 1993. We paid the price for years and I am not even sure we have stopped writhing in the pains.

By and large, this post-election circus around the judiciary needs to either end or be toned down drastically. People are free to protest or counter-protest as they like. People can write to President Joe Biden or Prime Minister Rishi Khan if that is their understanding of promoting electoral justice. No law is being violated that way. What we should discourage is the denigration or intimidation of the judiciary because we desire a particular outcome. There is no way this democracy can grow when those who know the laws and the processes resort to subtle blackmail just to have their way.

Let the petitions be judged by the strength of legal arguments, not the intensity of media campaign. Please.

And Four Other Things…

ORONTO NATEI DOUGLAS Eight years ago, Oronto Natei Douglas, campaigner for environmental justice and special assistant to President Goodluck Jonathan on documentation and strategy, took a final bow from this world after a stubborn battle with cancer. The day he told me doctors had informed him he was about to die, I cried like a baby. “Don’t cry, Simon,” he said, “just thank God for me. I have an opportunity to put my affairs in order and make peace with my Maker. It is a rare privilege.” Everyone who knew Oronto had mostly wonderful things to say about him. That was because he was simply wonderful. It took me years to finally come to terms with his death. His memory remains blessed forever. Unforgettable.

BULLYING BROADCASTERS The National Broadcasting Commission (NBC), the regulatory agency for the broadcast media, is now clearly overreaching itself and needs to be tamed. The N5 million fine slammed on Channels TV for its interview with Dr Datti Baba-Ahmed, the vice-presidential candidate of the Labour Party, was way out of line. Let’s say Baba-Ahmed said “treasonable” things, but the anchor, Mr Seun Okinbaloye, discharged his professional duty by repeatedly questioning his statements. The only option left for Channels was to terminate the broadcast abruptly. Still, regulators can be draconian and the regulated must have a right of appeal. NBC is becoming a bully to broadcast journalism. Menacing.

MEDICINE AFTER DEATH Nigerian lawmakers are going to an unusual extent in trying to stop our doctors from migrating. A law is prescribing a period of five years between graduation and when a doctor can leave the country. Whatever their intention is, this is how not to solve a problem. Why pick on medical doctors?

More importantly, why are they leaving the country? What can we do to address the problems and challenges they face so that they can practise more comfortably here? I recognise the big issue of spending so much to train these doctors and then losing them to other countries while we suffer a severe shortage of personnel. But there should be a more intelligent way of addressing this. DOA.

JUSTICE AND MERCY Former President Olusegun Obasanjo has written to the clerk of the central criminal court of England to plead for leniency for Senator Ike Ekweremadu, the former deputy senate president who was recently found guilty, along with his wife, of organ trafficking.

The sentencing to determine their punishment is expected on May 5. The character reference provided by Obasanjo is intended to help mitigate the punishment. I find that to be so kind of him. It is very easy for us to scoff or rejoice at the situation of the Ekweremadus.

We can judge them. But I pray we would never experience what they have gone through over their daughter’s medical plight which brought this upon them. Amen.

Additionally, it is a concessional loan, with low interest rate, a moratorium, and a long tenor. In the grand scheme of things, a concessional loan of $800 million to provide direct support to the poorest of the poor is not what will compound our debt situation.

Rather, it puts money in the hand of the poor and gives policy makers some fiscal head-room at a time of acute fiscal stress.

The 50 million Nigerians are those already captured in the National Social Register put together over the time with the help of the World Bank. Instead of quibbling over this, we should insist on a transparent and

accountable implementation to ensure that the money goes to the appropriate people, and that the intervention is not turned to another avenue for political patronage or corruption.

That said, words matter. Calling the transfers palliatives reminds people of what happened to COVID-19 palliatives. It sends very wrong vibes. Also, dropping details casually on people will only arouse suspicion and prepare grounds for pushbacks. But most importantly, the transfers should be part of a well-thought-out programme that should have been sold to and agreed with critical stakeholders, including the unions and civil society on what to do with the savings from subsidy removal and how. These stakeholders in turn would have consulted with and secured the buy-in of their various constituencies.

Strategic engagement is critical.

As the World Bank recommended in the last issue of the Nigeria Development Update, the Nigerian government needs to develop and implement a compact with Nigerians on petrol subsidy removal and channel some of the savings into visible and impactful national, state and local priorities and investments in areas that will additionally benefit the youths, women and the poor. Such is necessary because Nigerians, including those not benefiting from it, have a strong attachment to petrol subsidy and they do not trust their government to do right by them.

This is why the compact has to be developed in inclusive manner and through a comprehensive process that prioritises trustbuilding. It will take some work, and some of the negotiations will be noisy. Petrol subsidy removal is not one of those stroke-of-the-pen reforms. Yet it is existential for Nigeria, and it is urgent. It must be done. But if the goal is success, not just attempt, it must be done well.

AGAIN, THE PETROL SUBSIDY CONUNDRUM entrenched ideological constituencies and deeply ingrained sense of entitlement that will always burst to the surface when either this administration or the incoming one takes the concrete step to remove petrol subsidy.

Add to this the fact that some of those who previously supported subsidy removal will opportunistically oppose it, especially in this unbearably toxic post-election environment.

Then, add extra wrinkles: inflation, especially food inflation, is above 20%; and most Nigerians are still reeling from the gratuitous pain inflicted on them through the Naira redesign fiasco.

Does this mean that the removal of petrol subsidy should be abandoned? No. But it important not to bungle the reform before it even takes off. Every unsuccessful move strengthens resistance and further sets back the chance of successful implementation.

This is why it is very important to proceed after adequate groundwork has been done and a robust coalition has been built. From the outset, it will be necessary to undertake proper dimensioning of the issues (including the emotional ones) and to carefully map the stakeholders who have some sort of veto powers, and surface their potential allies, their concerns, their modes of resistance and develop countervailing measures, if needed.

The $800 million loan from the World Bank is a good starting point. Unlike some analysts and commentators, I actually think it is a good gesture that acknowledges one of the valid concerns of those bothered about subsidy removal: the need to cushion the potential impact of subsidy removal on the most vulnerable. No one should be under any illusion that the poor will not be negatively impacted by full deregulation, especially through the initial increase in the costs of transportation and food, two items that the

Ahmed poor spend a disproportionate portion of their incomes on.

Also, this is not as terribly high an amount as some commentators make it sound. $800 million is about N350 billion at official rate and about N600 billion at black market rate.

Currently, we spend about N560 billion per month on petrol subsidy. Basically, it amounts to spending what we burn monthly on petrol subsidy as a one-off transfer to the poor to end the subsidy. We can argue about whether this is enough to cushion the expected inflationary impact on the poor.

But that is different matter.

SUNDAY APRIL 9, 2023 • T H I S D AY

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Nigeria’s Unending Post-Election Circus

I

n my experience of presidential elections in Nigeria, I must necessarily admit that 2023 is the most dramatic so far — and something tells me I have not seen anything yet. I am not talking about the drama of candidates winning or losing in unexpected places. That is lovely. That is what I live for as a journalist: looking out for the unusual event, the outlier, the against-the-grain stories. The more, the merrier. As journalism students, we were taught that the uniqueness of an event is the story. We were told “dog bites man” is no news, except the man is prominent, say a governor or celebrity. The real news is “man bites dog”, except, well, the man in question just had a “404” or “Lokili” delicacy.

The unusualness of the 2023 presidential election is no longer about man biting dog. Otherwise, I would be enjoying it in full. We are now in a dangerous, perhaps unprecedented phase, one I have never seen before, one that is capable of turning the country upside down. In an election season, there are issues at every stage: before, during and after voting. During pre-election, there are court cases, intra-party crises, accusations of planned rigging, etc. During the election, there are accusations and counter-accusations of rigging. Winners would say the election was free and fair while losers would call it the worst in history. All these have become dog-bites-man stories to me.

However, I think this is the first time I am witnessing a situation where election petitions

INEC Chairman, Yakubu are before the tribunal and the petitioners and their supporters are practically in the media daily arguing their case, mounting enormous pressure on the judiciary and trying to delegitimise the institution even before the tribunal starts sitting. Usually, dog bites man: petitioners wait for the judgement before making comments. If

the judgment is favourable to them, Nigeria’s judiciary gets rated as the best in sub-Saharan Africa. If things go otherwise, the judiciary becomes the most corrupt in the world. But the entire Nigerian judiciary is already on a wheelchair when the petitions are yet to be argued.

I can understand the campaign that the

final verdict should be given before the May 29 inauguration. There are fears that once a new president is sworn in, the tribunal is highly unlikely to unseat him. So, it is argued that for the sake of fair play, or level field, the litigation should be dispensed with before May 29. Can a tribunal nullify the election of a sitting president? It has never happened before in Nigeria, but that does not mean it can’t happen. Mr Peter Obi unseated a governor in 2006 by going through the judicial process. It was rare, the first in the third republic, but it happened. In 2017, Kenya’s presidential poll was annulled and a rerun ordered by the Supreme Court. It was a first.

Although many Nigerians want an expedited process, the laws have already stipulated the deadlines for the trial. Even after the petitions are determined by the tribunal, there is still a right of appeal to the Supreme Court. In my opinion, the speed of the trial will be determined by the complexity of the case. Some arguments look more straightforward than the others. For me, issues around an alleged criminal conviction, 25 percent requirement in federal capital territory, alleged double nomination, and the failure of the Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC) to upload the result sheets of the presidential poll in real time to IReV should not be too complicated for the tribunal to decide.

But the core case of rigging is one that usually Continued on page 62

WAZIRIADIO POSTSCRIPT

Again, the Petrol Subsidy Conundrum

T

he Minister of Finance, Budget and National Planning, Mrs Zainab Ahmed, has been consistent in planting in public consciousness the need to end the wasteful, ineffective and unsustainable petrol subsidy in Nigeria.

In November 2021, she announced that the President Muhammadu Buhari administration would transfer N5,000 to 30 - 40 million poor Nigerians to cushion the effect of petrol subsidy removal. That plan was paused, after some uproar, including from the ruling party. Three weeks ago, she declared that petrol subsidy would be removed before the administration leaves on 29th May, even though there is budgetary provision for the subsidy till June 30th. On Wednesday, she disclosed that Nigeria has secured an $800 million loan from the World Bank to provide palliatives to 50 million poor Nigerians.

My sense is that this is a reform that is very dear to her—and it should be. I can also deduce that she has been battling powerful forces within the government to push through on this important issue. So, she deserves some commendation for staying the course. But petrol subsidy removal is always going to be a contentious issue in Nigeria. This should not be a reason to avoid the reform. Rather, it is an argument for the reform effort to

be driven by a solid strategy and a robust communication plan, both deftly implemented.

To be sure, there may be a reform strategy and a communication plan somewhere. But that is not apparent or discernible.

This must be underscored: reform, especially the contentious variant, is not just politics, it is akin to war. To be successful, those pushing and implementing reforms must not only understand this but must also be ready for pushbacks and surprises. They must constantly expand their toolkits and consciously build a constituency of support.

Among others, framing, timing, negotiation and coalition-building will be critical.

I have written many times, on this page and elsewhere, about why petrol subsidy needs to go. My position has not changed.

The arguments for subsidy removal are well known and we don’t need to delay ourselves with them here. But suffice to say that petrol subsidy is a wasteful way to spend scarce resources at a time the country is in a fiscal dire strait. The World Bank had projected that Nigeria’s gross oil and gas revenue in 2022 would be N7.87 trillion, out of which petrol subsidy alone was projected to swallow N5.40 trillion. That meant petrol subsidy was projected to wipe away almost 70% of the gross oil and gas revenue for that year. Of course, there are other upfront deductions.

But what this means is that petrol subsidy was highly implicated in why the state oil company failed to remit any amount to the Federation Account for a long time and why there is little or no addition to our external reserves at a time of historically high oil prices. (Yes, oil still accounts for about 80% of our exports but the proceeds are used to basically import petrol through a somewhat barter arrangement called the Direct Sale Direct Purchase, DSDP.) The Federal Government appropriated N4 trillion for petrol subsidy in 2022. Literally, we burned 23.12% of the N17.3 trillion amended budget for last year on just one item: petrol subsidy. In the 2023 budget, the FG budgeted 3.36 trillion on petrol subsidy for six months or N560 billion every month.

For context, the FG budgeted N1.15 trillion for the health sector and N1.79 trillion for the education sector for the entire year. But the budget for petrol subsidy for six months is N3.36 trillion or again, for emphasis, N560 billion monthly.

At a time of shrinking revenue, suffocating debt service, and growing budget deficit, the economic case for petrol subsidy removal is compelling. It is wasteful and it is open to corruption and capture. It mostly benefits the rich at the expense of the poor and it crowds out needed investment in health, education,

infrastructure and other areas critical to human welfare, national productivity and economic growth. And it is clearly unsustainable. It has to go, and we need to redirect the savings to more productive and welfare-enhancing areas.

In an article published in a special edition of this paper on 12th June 2022 and titled ‘The Subsidy Thing around Our Neck,’ I made some points that are worth restating. I stated that: “Without a doubt, petrol subsidy has become an ever-tightening noose around our neck. We need to throw it off. Otherwise, it will suffocate us. Removing petrol subsidy… is a frantic battle for health, for air. One that must be fought and won.”

A political consensus seems to be emerging on the need for petrol subsidy to go. For the first time in our electoral history, the top three candidates promised to yank it off.

Finally, it seems the issue has been ripened for reform by dire economic realities. This is as good as it will ever get. But that doesn’t mean that petrol subsidy removal will still be a walk in the park. Petrol subsidy is not purely about economics. In Nigeria, subsidised petrol has been imbued with the toga of a political good.

Make no mistake about this: there are Continued on page 62

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