SUNDAY 21TH APRIL 2024

Aiyedatiwa in early lead as Kogi gov says exercise transparent

CBN Partners International Money Transfer Companies to Double Remittances to Nigeria

task force to report directly to Cardoso Naira will continue to appreciate against dollar, says

The Central Bank of Nigeria (CBN) has secured the cooperation of some International Money Tranfer Organisations (IMTOs) to double the flow of remittance to Nigeria in its current bid to consolidate the modest improvement in the foreign exchange market dynamics.

The CBN Governor, Mr. Olayemi Cardoso, who disclosed this in Washington DC yesterday also said that the task force formed by the apex bank to handle the process of remittance inflows into Nigeria will be reporting directly to his office.

In an apparent sense of pride and confidence, Cardoso has also stated that the naira has been declared the best-performing currency globally as of April 2024.

This is coming as Vice President Kashim Shettima has expressed optimism that the naira will appreciate more as the dollar continues to crash.

Festus Akanbi in Lagos and Deji Elumoye in Abuja

Army Captain Abducted, Six Soldiers, Scores of Local Vigilantes Killed by Gunmen in Niger, Sokoto

Onuminya Innocent in Sokoto and Laleye Dipo in Minna

No fewer than six soldiers and an unknown number of local vigilantes have been reportedly killed by bandits in the Shiroro

Local Government Area (LGA) of Niger State.

The incident, which occurred yesterday also led to the abduction of an unnamed Captain in the Nigerian Army. The Sokoto State Police Command

has also confirmed the killing of six persons in a bloody confrontation between vigilantes and suspected bandits at Gada weekly market in the state on Thursday. According to reports the bandits were said to have stormed Kukoki

and Sarari camps of the soldiers in Niger State and rained bullets on them.

The state Commissioner for Internal Security, Major General Abdullahi (rtd), did not respond to calls made to his mobile phone.

Also, the state police command’s Public Relations Officer, SP Wasiu Abiodun, could not be reached for comment as at time of filing this report.

Meanwhile, the Sokoto State Police Command has confirmed the

ALLEGED IRREGULARITIES, PROTESTS TRAIL ONDO APC GOVERNORSHIP PRIMARY ELECTION, ASPIRANTS WANT ODODO REPLACED

by violence, alleged manipulation of the list of electoral officers, delay in the distribution of materials, and absence of electoral materials and officers in many parts of the state.

Despite the protests that greeted the exercise, the committee announced that the result would be declared this morning.

However, as of last night, the state governor, Mr. Lucky Aiyedatiwa, was leading as Governor Ododo insisted that the primary election was transparent.

But reacting to the irregularities, four governorship aspirants have called for the cancellation of the election over the alleged manipulations.

The aspirants - Olusola Oke (SAN), Olugbenga Edema, Wale Akinterinwa, and Prof. Dayo Faduyile, who spoke at BON Hotel, Ijapo Estate in Akure, the state capital, also asked the leadership of the party to remove Governor Ododo as Chairman of the Electoral Committee.

When THISDAY visited Ward 9, St James' CAC Caring Heart Mega Primary School, Akure, at 12 pm,

members of the party were waiting for voting materials to arrive while hoodlums took charge, sending away any member they knew was against their aspirant.

Similar situations were observed in Ward 4, St Stephen's Primary School, Ijomu Street, Akure, and Ward 7, St Martin's RCM Primary School, Oke-Padi, Akure.

In the Southern senatorial district of the state, pandemonium broke out in Okitipupa Ward 1 as members of the party who had gathered at Stella Maris College to cast their votes were dispersed due to violence over support for a particular aspirant.

Ondo State Commissioner for Health, Dr. Banji Ajaka, was beaten to a stupor by angry members of the party at Ugbo Ward 3, in Ilaje LGA, for allegedly hiding the election result sheets.

Ododo who arrived in the state yesterday morning, addressed some of the aggrieved stakeholders at the distribution centre in the Ijapo area of Akure, saying the electoral materials had been sent to the Ondo North and South Senatorial Districts.

“There was no issue; I just came this (Saturday) morning and I was told that the election materials have been taken to Ondo South and Ondo North Senatorial Districts,” he explained.

But Edema, who challenged Ododo, disagreed with the governor, saying no election material was taken anywhere.

Edema lamented the delay in the distribution of the voting materials.

He said: "Yesterday, at the stakeholders’ meeting held at St Thomas Event Centre, the Secretary of that committee, Senator Ovie Omo-Agege, said the voting materials, which include the membership register, and others will be distributed at BON Hotel Ijapo Estate Akure, to the electoral officers whose names he announced to us in each of the 203 wards of Ondo State.

"That we should come to BON Hotel to collect the materials and that accreditation will start by 10am, to be completed by 1pm, while voting proper will start by 1pm and end by 2pm, then the announcement of the result.

"As I am talking to you now, this

is 10:40am. We've been here since 6am, believing that our people will collect the materials but unfortunately, at about 9:30am, His Excellency, Governor of Kogi State, Usman Ododo came out to tell us that materials have been distributed. At what time? In what places? We don't know!

"Unfortunately, for him, the returning officers and electoral officer of my ward, Mahin Ward II in Ilaje Local Government Area are here and unable to collect any materials.

"What we are asking for is a credible election," Edema explained.

Corroborating Edema’s claim, one of the chieftains of APC in the state, also told journalists that the election committee asked the agents of the party to assemble at BON Hotel, Akure, to witness the release of election materials to those assigned to conduct the primary.

“The agents were told to be there by 7am. They got there promptly and were waiting for the materials to be given to the election officers. Reporters were also there.

CBN PARTNERS INTERNATIONAL MONEY TRANSFER COMPANIES TO DOUBLE REMITTANCES TO NIGERIA

The apex bank governor while speaking at the end of the 2024 Spring Meetings of the International Monetary Fund (IMF) and the World Bank, said the federal government has reached an agreement with the IMTOs to set up a Collaborative Task Force to double remittance inflows into the country.

He said: “We came here with a very clear agenda and have held highly significant intentional meetings. Each one further supports the stability and ultimate growth of the Nigerian economy.

“Besides our meetings with multilateral financial institutions and foreign investor groups with a keen interest in developments in Nigeria, including the U.S Chamber of Commerce, we have very productive discussions with leading International money, transfer operators, IMTOs where we collectively committed to doubling remittance funds through formal channels into Nigeria in the immediate short to medium term.”

Reporting the activities of the current leadership of the apex bank, Cardoso explained that it’s been a season of challenges varying from inflation and fx volatility.

“In the six months since assuming the position of Central Bank Governor, the challenges have been significant, from grappling with inflation to addressing volatility in the foreign exchange market. However, with relative stability now achieved, particularly in the FX market, we have transitioned from firefighting to strategic planning across key areas. These areas include improving the ease of doing business in Nigeria, consolidating and sustaining the gains through an efficient and transparent market system, and boosting financial and economic inclusion for small businesses and households–interrogating all potential ways to leverage smarter use of technology, and remote banking to reduce the cost of transactions and expand accessibility to the financial system.”

Present at the meetings were representatives of domestic and international stakeholders in the Nigerian forex market such as

Lemfi, Flutterwave, J.P. Morgan, Remitly, VertoFx, Interswitch, BudPay, Makeba, TapTap Send, Visa, Venture Garden Group, other players in the remittances industry.

He disclosed that the value of the naira improved significantly in April, saying “April saw the naira emerge as the best-performing currency globally, supported by bullish sentiment from leading international investment institutions.

“Our FX market is experiencing robust activities, with turnover reaching levels not seen in over seven years.”

This liquidity boost, he said is instilling confidence among investors, businesses, and other partners, ensuring fluidity in their interactions with Nigeria’s FX markets.

Cardoso said, nonetheless, the CBN remains vigilant, recognising the challenges that persist, such as elevated inflation driven by rising food prices, transportation costs, and energy expenses. “We note that inflation though rising is doing so at a decelerated rate and we are confident will soon commence a fall.”

According to him, security concerns in food-producing regions and infrastructure challenges also demand attention, adding that the CBN has implemented some policy reforms to address some of these various pressures. He admitted there were other areas yet to fully address, saying, “While I am confident enough today to talk about some of our early success, I am at the same time extremely mindful of our ongoing challenges.

“We still have work to do in solving all our problems, however, we do have a determined pathway and a sequenced approach to tackling all challenges ahead, working hand in hand with our key stakeholders including investors, banks, businesses – and, notably, our counterparts on the fiscal side.

“We have recommitted our stance to orthodox monetary policy, and it is heartening to see the efforts being put up have started yielding results, especially in terms of rebuilding trust and confidence in our economy and

the leadership.

“In summary, this week has been extremely productive, and we are eager to translate our discussions into tangible outcomes as we return home,” he said.

Cardoso said various meetings with portfolio investors were part of a continuous engagement for the nation’s growth, adding that the response from this group of investors has been positive.

“Reactions got was that the positive sentiment will continue,” he stated.

On the exchange rate, Cardoso said the apex bank is doing everything to ensure there is a stable exchange rate and a rate that finds an adequate price discovery level.

Corroborating the CBN’s governor’s claim, the minister said discussions with direct and portfolio investors were positive, saying most of them expressed their intention to partner Nigeria.

Not only this, he disclosed that apart from multilateral banks, organisations like Bill and Melinda Gates Foundation have shown interest in working with Nigeria as well.

Also speaking at the press conference, Nigeria’s Minister of Finance and Coordinating Minister for the Economy, Mr. Wale Edun, said lessons have been learnt about the state of the world economy which had been the subject of the week-long meeting.

“We talked about the global economy because this has been a week of conversation about the world economy and in brief, the reality is that the global economy has not quite recovered from the Covid-19 shock and subsequent shocks, which we are all aware of but America has.

“The American economy has gone back to pre-Covid-19 levels. It's grown about eight percent over the last four years, whereas the other rich countries and some emerging countries have grown by less than that.”

He said the major lesson learnt is that in attempting to reform an economy and in trying to fight

inflation, the sooner the measures are implemented robustly, the quicker, the period of transition back to a growing economy.

Nigeria relies heavily on remittance inflows to boost dollar supplies, which, according to the World Bank, average around $20.5 billion.

Some of the objectives outlined by the apex bank at the meeting include the need to reduce transaction costs associated with remittances, which the CBN identified as a significant barrier to formal inflows.

Another issue that came up was the need to double remittance inflows via formal channels, establishment of a stakeholders’ forum on IMTOs and Compliance standardisation: The importance of standardising compliance processes was underscored, with the CBN expressing its commitment to collaboration with regulators and relevant agencies to streamline remittance payment channels, reduce friction, and enhance efficiency.

Naira Will Continue to Appreciate against Dollar, Says Shettima

Meanwhile, Vice President Shettima has expressed optimism that the local currency will appreciate more as the dollar continues to crash. The vice president has also urged Nigerians to live peacefully among themselves and learn how to accommodate each other and promised that the crisis in Jos, Plateau State, will soon be resolved.

Shettima who spoke at the weekend when a delegation of the Lagos Chamber of Commerce and Industry (LCCI) led by its President, Gabriel Idahosa, paid him a courtesy visit in his office at the State House, Abuja, stated that the dollar will further crash against the naira.

“Naira went haywire and some people were celebrating but inwardly we were laughing at them because we knew that we had the leadership

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“By 10am, Ododo addressed them, saying that materials for Ondo North and Ondo South were dispatched earlier in the day. The agents queried why that was done contrary to the directive that the materials would be released in their presence.

“The agents asked for evidence of when and how the materials were released. Ododo did not provide any evidence, insisting that voting materials had been dispatched.

“As the exchanges were going on between Ododo and the agents, voting was said to be going on in many local government areas. This prompted some of the aspirants to berate Ododo and the national secretariat for poor handling of the process,” he explained.

He accused the Ododo-led committee and the national secretariat of the party of working for the state governor, Aiyedatiwa.

Also, the Director of Programmes of the Wale Akinterinwa Campaign Organisation, Sola Ajisafe, who spoke on behalf of his principal, said: “For APC to bring Ododo to Ondo State is a blow to our party and the state. Our position is that no primary election has taken place; no election material has left here, and we are saying that the leadership of the party should do the needful by sending another neutral person, just like they did in Edo State to come and conduct another primary election where the good people of Ondo State will freely exercise their franchise to pick their candidate.”

On his part, Mr. Rotimi Ogunleye, while also speaking on behalf of Oke, said: “We got here around 6:30am, we don’t know when the election

Continued on page 14

death of six persons after a bloody confrontation between vigilantes and suspected bandits at Gada weekly market in the state on Thursday.

The Police Public Relations Officer (PPRO), ASP Ahmed Rufa’i, who confirmed the development in Gada LGA, said the police were still investigating the incident.

“I can confirm to you that we recovered six bodies suspected to be of Fulanis killed by the vigilantes left unattended on the market day on Thursday in Gada town,” he stated.

The incident, according to eyewitnesses, started when a leader of the Gidan Hashimu village vigilante group made a move to arrest and interrogate a notorious cattle rustler seen loitering in the market. The move was resisted by the Fulani group around the market.

The suspected bandits at the height of the crisis shot and killed the vigilante leader, which sparked reprisal attacks by members of the vigilante group.

Before the arrival of the police team to the market, more than six people were killed.

The vigilantes in the area, provoked by the killing of their leader, went on reprisal attacks on Fulani communities in the area where over 50 people were alleged to have been dislodged by the rampaging group.

Also confirming the bloody confrontation, a legislator in the state House of Assembly representing Gada LGA, Hon. Kabiru Gada, said: “the incident occurred when a suspected bandit leader was said to have been seen in the Gada market making purchases and some vigilante leaders identified him and demanded his arrest and interrogation, which he resisted and they instantly shot and macheted the vigilante leader of Gidan Hashimu village to death, which prompted reprisal attack against the Fulanis from members of the vigilantes.

“The report at my disposal shows that many people were killed; some with injuries sustained from gunshots fired by both sides; some Fulanis and vigilantes lost their lives,” he explained.

FBN HOLDINGS CANCELS EGM FOR N300BN CAPITAL RAISE AMID MANAGING DIRECTOR’S RESIGNATION

matters has been cancelled.

“Further information will be provided in due course, as appropriate,” the statement added.

The N300 billion capital raising exercise is coming on the backdrop of the Central Bank of Nigeria (CBN)’s new capital requirement for banks operating in Nigeria.

Though no reason was given for the cancellation of the EGM, it might not be unconnected with the news of the resignation of Adeduntan, from his role in the company.

According to the earlier notice for the meeting, the capital raise transaction would be by shares issuance via public offer, private placement, or rights issue in the Nigerian or international capital markets at a price to be determined by way of a book-building process or any other valuation method or combination of methods.

The notice said the issuance of shares will be in such tranches, series, or proportions and at such periods dates, coupon or interest rates within such maturity periods and upon such other terms and conditions as may be determined by the board of directors, subject to obtaining the approvals of the relevant regular authorities.

Adeduntan, who was appointed CEO of the bank on January 1, 2016, had stated in his resignation letter that he was leaving to pursue

other interests.

THISDAY also learnt that the boards of FBN Holdings, the parent company of First Bank, and that of the bank accepted the resignation and thanked the outgoing CEO for his service to the financial institution.

The letter read: “As you are aware, my contract would be expiring on 31 December 2024, after which I would no longer be eligible for employment within the bank having served as the Managing Director/Chief Executive Officer of FirstBank for a record time of nine years. “During this period the bank and its subsidiaries have undergone significant changes and broken new grounds. We have repositioned the institution as an enviable financial giant in Africa. I have however decided to proceed on retirement with effect from 20 April 2024, to pursue other interests.

“I am eternally grateful to the board of directors of FirstBank and FBN Holdings Plc for the support that I received from them during my stewardship. I wish our iconic institution continued success and progress as we move into the next phase of its evolution. Warm regards.”

The bank chief who retired in 2021, from the then-board of the financial institution, was reinstated a few days after by the CBN.

BRINGING HOPE TO OKUAMA…

Delta State Governor, Hon. Sheriff Oborevwori, leading some government officials, accompanied by some military officers

Tinubu, Sanwo-Olu Pour Encomiums as Tunde Onakoya Sets New World Chess Record

Deji Elumoje in Abuja

President Bola Tinubu and the Governor of Lagos State, Babajide Sanwo-Olu, have commended Chess maestro, Tunde Onakoya, on setting a new world chess record.

Tinubu, in a statement issued yesterday by his Spokesperson, Ajuri Ngelale, thanked Onakoya for “sounding the gong of Nigeria’s resilience, self-belief, and ingenuity at the square of global acclaim”. The statement is titled ‘President Tinubu congratulates Tunde Onakoya on new world chess record.’

Onakoya broke the Guinness World Record for the longest chess marathon yesterday, after playing for over 58 hours undefeated.

At the marathon taking place at New York’s Times Square, Onakoya exceeded the record set by Norwegian players Hallvard Haug Flatebø and Sjur Ferkingstad in 2018. The President celebrated the Nigerian Chess Champion and founder of Chess in Slums Africa for the rare feat, especially “for the reason driving this compelling demonstration of character, which is raising funds for African children to learn and find opportunity through chess,” said the statement. Tinubu stated that Onakoya has shown a streak customary among Nigeria’s youth population, “the audacity to make good change happen; to baffle impossibility, and propel innovations and solutions

to the nation’s challenges, even from corners of disadvantage.”

The President affirmed that Nigeria’s youths have demonstrated in all fields, including Afrobeats, Nollywood, the pulsating skit-making enterprise, education, science, and technology, that great exploits can come from small quarters.

He commended the Nigerians' inclination across artificial partitions for unity, once again exemplified through their undiluted support for the epoch-making endeavour.

The President, therefore, assured all citizens that his administration remains strongly committed to creating and expanding opportunities for the youth to explore and exercise their

abilities and become the symbols of greatness our nation represents in the future.

On his part, Sanwo-Olu hailed the renowned chess master for setting a new 60-hour chess marathon record.

In a statement posted yesterday on his X account, the governor hailed Onakoya for breaking the world chess marathon record in Times Square, New York.

He praised Onakoya’s journey from Lagos, Nigeria to global recognition, stating that it embodies the city's spirit.

He wrote: “Congratulations to chess master, Tunde Onakoya, on breaking the world chess marathon record in Times Square, New York. “Your journey from Lagos, Nigeria

Fubara Condemns Politics of Bitterness, Says His Senator Tried to Stop Ad-hoc Committee from Visiting Him

Rivers State Governor, Siminalayi Fubara, has condemned the ongoing politics of bitterness in the state alleging his Senator tried to stop members of the Senate Ad-hoc Committee on Turnaround Maintenance of Nigerian Refineries from paying him the traditional courtesy visit.

Fubara hails from Rivers South-east senatorial zone being represented by Senator Barry Mpigi. Mpigi was in the state yesterday with other members of the committee led by Senator Ifeanyi Ubah, to inspect the ongoing turnaround maintenance of the Port Harcourt Refinery but was conspicuously missing when the committee paid a courtesy visit to Fubara in Government House on Friday night.

Mpigi belongs to the camp of the Minister of the Federal Capital Territory (FCT), Nyesom Wike. While addressing the senators, Fubara said: “I am aware that this is not the actual number of members of this committee. You are more than this. I am also aware that the senator representing, unfortunately, my senatorial district, didn’t want you to come here.

“But because you are men of integrity - the real ones, who have integrity; you decided to come and do what is right. God will bless you.

“What you are doing is the right thing. Politics is a business of interest. Your worst enemy today can become your best friend tomorrow. It’s a business

of interest. But the interest of the people should come first.

“Unfortunately, some people think it is something that has to do with life or death. And that is one mistake everybody makes when you take this business outside of the normal principles and rules.

“Our government has no business with politics of bitterness because we have the interest of our people at heart. We take their wellbeing as our priority, because that is why they gave us the mandate to govern them. So, their interest, which is the interest of the state, comes first in our scheme of things.”

Fubara warned that anybody disrespecting a man in authority either for his age or status, could

succeed temporarily but such insults would boomerang with greater and bigger pain.

He said: “We might be a state, as being presented that we have issues. But we don’t have any issues. Our eyes are on the ball to deliver for our people. Even in the face of this deliberate distraction, we will not fail our people because at the end, it is the impact we make on our people that counts.”

The governor, in a statement by his Chief Press Secretary (CPS), Nelson Chukwudi, reminded the senators of the peaceful nature and hospitality of the state and its people, and urged them to feel free to interact with the government for the mutual benefit of all stakeholders.

CBN PARTNERS INTERNATIONAL MONEY TRANSFER COMPANIES TO DOUBLE REMITTANCES TO NIGERIA

to reverse the trend. Asiwaju knows the game, and truly the naira is gaining and the difference will drop further,” Shettima added.

He recalled that the quality of leadership provided by President Tinubu as governor of Lagos State laid the foundation for the massive development witnessed in the state.

Earlier, the LCCI President, Idahosa, presented some of the organisation’s recommendations to the Vice President, including “more innovations to address the insecurity challenge, considering its multidimensional impact on the economy.”

Meanwhile, the vice president has urged Nigerians to live peacefully among themselves and learn how to accommodate each other.

Shettima stated this weekend when a delegation from the Association of National Accountants of Nigeria (ANAN) led by its President, Dr. James Neminebor, paid him a visit at the State House, Abuja. The vice president was responding to an appeal made by the ANAN President for land in Abuja to enable the association to relocate its University to the FCT.

He said: “No matter how long the night is, it must give way to the light of the dawn. The crisis we have in Jos will soon be over. Jos is the most hospitable city in this country in terms of weather.

If we can harness the potential of

Jos and the Plateau as a whole, I believe that we can transform this nation into a better place.

“In one way or the other, we should learn how to accommodate each other; we should learn how to embrace one another. My SSA (Senior Special Assistant) on Media, Stanley Nkwocha, is a Jos boy. Jos is ideal; Jos is not an ethnic identity. Some of the Hausas, the Fulanis, the Kanuris, and the other ethnic groups living in Jos were born and bred in Jos. They don’t have any other place to call home.

“The beauty of the Jos experience is that we have the generality of Nigerians called northern Igbos. He (Nkwocha) is Igbo; Owelle Rochas

Anayo Okorocha is a northern Igbo. This gentleman (Nkwocha) speaks Hausa more than I do. We also have Sir Emeka Offor and so many of them.

“I believe that we should learn to imbibe in Nigeria that culture of tolerance, of togetherness because I would rather be a small fish in a big pond than be a big fish in a small pond. We are a kaleidoscope of colours; the sooner we realise it, the better,” he added. Shettima however asked the association to channel its request through the Deputy Chief of Staff to the President, Office of the Vice President, to enable him to follow it up with the relevant authorities.

to global recognition embodies the spirit of our great city.

“#Tunde_OD continues to demonstrate that greatness can emerge from even the humblest beginnings. His remarkable story serves as a blueprint for all of us in Lagos city where his impact has been felt the most, showing that with determination, dreams can indeed soar to monumental heights.

“Tunde’s entire journey was showcased on digital billboards and celebrated with watch parties, capturing the true spirit of Lagos. Despite enduring pain and fatigue, Tunde persevered, driven by his commitment to empower the children he champions.

“This is your moment, Tunde, and Lagos stands with you every step of the way.”

Onakoya broke the record of Norwegian players, Hallvard Haug Flatebø and Sjur Ferkingstad, who played for 56-hour, 9-minute in 2018.

Giving an update, his foundation, Chess in Slums Africa, wrote, “60 Hours for those who dare to dream! 60 Hours for the millions of children who have been told to abandon their dreams! “60 Hours because one person decided that there is no future worth dreaming of that does not include them! It is now #Tunde60HoursofChess #Tunde_OD.”

The new record holder said he attempted to raise funds and awareness for providing educational opportunities to underprivileged children across Africa.

Four Weeks After, Oborevwori Visits Okuama, Says Residents will Return Soon

Sylvester Idown in Warri

Delta State Governor, Hon. Sheriff Oborevwori, has visited Okuama with an assurance that the indigenes who fled the community in the wake of the crisis over the killing of 17 officers and soldiers on March 14, would return soon.

The governor, who was accompanied by Commander 63 Brigade, Brig. Gen. Unachukwu Ugochukwu, and top government officials, on a journey that took over one hour and 20 minutes from Warri, reiterated that innocent citizens would not be made to suffer for what they know nothing about.

Recall that the killings made the people of the community flee for fear of being attacked.

Speaking to journalists at Okuama, Governor Oborevwori said: "We have followed due process in the whole incident. The people have been buried and the King who was detained was released yesterday. Today I am here to see what happened in the Okuama community.

"The Okuama 17 is something that we didn't expect to happen because it is against our bargain for peace and security which I promised Deltans that we are going to enhance.

"We have been enjoying peace and security since last year until the 14th of March when the four Army officers and 13 soldiers were murdered.

"They were not just murdered,

their bodies were mutilated and we have come here to see what happened.

"Let me again reiterate Mr. President's promise that no innocent person would be victimised and you can see that, from that time till now, there has been no harassment of citizens of this community.

"I have come to see how the innocent people of this community can be reintegrated back with the cooperation of the military.

"We know it’s a big loss to them but we have to follow due process. The Brigade Commander is with us and the newly posted Commander of 181 Battalion, Lt Col Dabo, is also here with us and it’s a great synergy."

He said his administration was doing a lot to effectively resolve the dispute, adding that citizens of Okuama would soon return home.

Continuing, Governor Oborevwori, said: "Let me once again thank Mr. President and Commander-in-Chief, Bola Tinubu; the Chief of Army Staff, and the Chief of Defence Staff for their cooperation so far.

"They have been very supportive and they have kept to their promise that innocent people will not be victimised. I want to assure the people of Okuama that there is no point in running away from your community.

"We are going to bring you back to your community. It's only those that are involved the military are looking for."

when he visited Okuama community in Ughelli South Local Government Area…yesterday

FG Moves to Use Artificial Intelligence to Tackle Crude Oil Theft, Vandalism

The federal government is working towards ensuring that pipeline vandalism and crude oil theft are tackled through the use of Artificial Intelligence (AI) that solves complex problems in ways that are similar to human logic and reasoning, the Permanent Secretary, Ministry of Petroleum Resources, Ambassador Nicholas Agbo Ella, has said.

A statement issued yesterday by the Director of Information in the ministry, Mrs. Oluwakemi Ogunmakinwa, disclosed that the permanent secretary stated this in his opening remarks at a one-day stakeholders’ engagement with the theme: ‘Mainstreaming Machine Learning and Artificial Intelligence into the National Petroleum Policy’, organised by the ministry in Abuja. The permanent secretary noted that AI is the science and engineering of creating intelligent

machines, especially intelligent computer programs that can process information and produce outcomes autonomously.

He explained that the interactive session would no doubt fill up the gap that still exists in the National Petroleum Policy (NPP) by introducing or mainstreaming Machine Learning (ML) and Artificial Intelligence (AI) into National Petroleum Policy (NPP) for effective operations within Nigeria’s oil and gas industry. Earlier in his welcome address, the Director of the Midstream and Downstream Department in the ministry, Mr. Mohammed Abubakar stated that the engagement aimed to explore the transformative potential of advanced technologies in shaping the future of our petroleum industry, saying that in recent years, the world has witnessed an unprecedented acceleration in technological

Atiku Congratulates Obaigbena for Extending ARISE News to Southern Africa Countries

Former Vice President Atiku

Abubukar has congratulated the Chairman of THISDAY and ARISE Media Group, Prince Nduka Obaigbena for extending the services of ARISE NEWS Channel to South Africa and nine other southern African countries.

Atiku said he was proud to identify with Obaigbena and his ARISE TV as it continues breaking new ground in the media landscape.

The Management of ARISE News Channel had announced that the cable news network had gone live in South Africa, in addition to nine other countries in southern Africa, on Multichoice/DSTV Channel 416.

The other countries are Angola, Botswana, Lesotho, Malawi, Mozambique, Namibia, Swaziland, Zambia, and Zimbabwe.

With the new additions, ARISE NEWS Channel is live in 54 African countries.

It is already available to audiences in Kenya, Tanzania, Rwanda, and Uganda as well as in Cameroon, Sudan, Ghana, Senegal, and Cote d’Ivoire, Francophone Africa, amongst others.

In his congratulatory message, Atiku said: "I am proud to identify with Prince Nduka Obaigbena and his ARISE TV as it continues breaking new ground in the media landscape.

"The availability of the TV network in South Africa and nine other countries is a landmark achievement for the 11-year-old network. This brings to 54 the total number of countries it is available in and reinforces its leadership position in telling the African and Nigerian stories. "No one is better positioned to tell your story than yourself. In a world marked by prejudices and bias, Obaigbena's @ARISEtv offers a refreshing opportunity to tell the African story, nay the Nigerian story from the African perspective, with all of the socio-economic and political benefits to the people of the African continent," Atiku stated.

The Emmy-winning ARISE News Channel, which marked its 11th anniversary on January 31st this year, is Africa’s premier broadcaster globally, showcasing the continent in business, Politics, technology, commerce, science, sports, show business, and fashion, while projecting the best of Africa – its peoples and cultures around the world.

advancements, particularly in the fields of artificial intelligence and machine learning.

“These cutting-edge technologies have the power to revolutionize the way we operate in the Midstream and Downstream sectors, from optimizing supply chains and refining processes to

enhancing safety and reliability in our operations. The adoption of this technology will also help to reduce the security issues affecting the oil and gas infrastructure in our country,” Abubakar stated.

The director pointed out that the stakeholders’ engagement

would delve into various aspects of incorporating machine learning and artificial intelligence into the National Petroleum Policy.

Participants at the event were drawn from the Ministry of Petroleum Resources (MPR), Nigeria National Petroleum Company Limited (NNPCL),

Nigerian Midstream and Downstream Petroleum Regulatory Authority (NMDPRA), Nigeria Upstream Petroleum Regulatory Commission (NUPRC), and Federal University of Technology, Minna, while a communiqué would be adopted at the end of the Stakeholders Engagement.

SEC Amends Rules Governing Digital Assets, to Issue Guidelines on Capital Raising for Banks' Recapitalisation

Ndubuisi Francis in Abuja

In line with its drive to ensure the actualisation of the target of the Capital Market Masterplan on Financial Technology (FinTech), the Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC), has amended rules governing digital assets and established a Digital Exchanges (DEX) Division dedicated to the supervision of all duly licensed digital asset platforms.

The outgoing SEC Director General, Lamido Yuguda, who disclosed this weekend at the end of the first Capital Market Committee (CMC) meeting in 2024, added that SEC would very shortly issue appropriate guidelines to facilitate an efficient capital-raising process for the proposed recapitalisation of banks.

CMC is an industry-wide committee comprising the SEC, representatives of capital market operators, trade groups, and other stakeholders.

Though Yuguda did not provide details on the amendment, the commission had in September 2020 unveiled its treatment and classification of digital assets where

it specified regulatory purview over Crypto tokens traded on a recognised exchange, utility tokens traded on a recognised exchange, security tokens that have features of securities and funds and derivatives of these three types of tokens.

In his opening remarks at the virtual event, Yuguda who chairs the CMC, provided an assessment of the global economic landscape, acknowledging the headwinds faced by the global economy in 2023, including the COVID-19 pandemic's lingering effects, rising inflation, and geopolitical tensions.

He highlighted the impact of this slowdown on African financial markets, including the depreciation of African currencies and a decrease in total market capitalisation.

However, he expressed optimism that the recent actions of the Monetary Policy Committee (MPC) of the Central Bank of Nigeria (CBN) have led to an uptick in the value of the naira.

The outgoing SEC DG highlighted the significant achievements in the Nigerian capital market in 2023, adding that trading activity in equities and bonds increased, with the NGX

All-Share Index reaching a high of 45.90 per cent and the FMDQ Sovereign Bond Index posting a reasonable 8.79 per cent return.

Activity on the NASD exchange also rose significantly, with volume and value rising by 34.08 per cent and 24.18 per cent respectively, he added.

He also reported the positive milestones in the Commodities Sector with AFEX and the Lagos Commodities and Futures Exchange witnessing increased volumes and values traded in agricultural commodities.

Yuguda notified the CMC members that aligning with and directly supporting the federal government's infrastructure development goals, the SEC approved five infrastructure fund shelf programmes totalling N1.5 trillion, which he described as a major step forward.

“The Commission actively supported the growth of the Fund Management industry in 2023 with approvals for new mutual funds (N18.20 billion) and discretionary/ non-discretionary investment products (N17.60 billion).

"In line with the commission’s

drive to ensure the actualisation of the target of the Capital Market Masterplan on Financial Technology (FinTech), the commission amended rules governing digital assets and established a Digital Exchanges (DEX) Division dedicated to the supervision of all duly licensed digital asset platforms," he added.

On market supervision, he explained that the commission had intensified its supervisory efforts, focusing on fund managers and conducting inspections to address vulnerabilities and enhance stability. This, he said, had resulted in the implementation of some corrective measures designed to strengthen the overall health and stability of the fund management industry.

According to him, a robust risk management and internal control framework has been put in place for the National Investor Protection Fund (NIPF), adding that operations will begin this quarter.

Commending the successful launch of a new e-Dividend Mandate Management System (eDMMS), Yuguda said it would make it easier for investors to mandate their accounts for electronic dividends.

Navy Decries Magnitude of Economic Loss to Illegal Oil Operations in Riverine Communities

Blessing Ibunge in Port Harcourt

The Nigerian Navy has decried the magnitude of economic loss to acts of illegal oil bunkering and vandalism of oil pipelines along the riverine communities in Nigeria.

The Commander, of Nigerian Navy Ship (NNS) SOROH, Commodore Nanmar Lakan, stated this in the Okolomade community of Abua Odual Local Government Area (LGA) of Rivers during a tour with journalists.

He said crude oil theft and

pipeline vandalism should be stopped because of their negative economic impact on the nation.

“It is not good for our economy, and it is not also good for the citizens. I appeal to these undesirable elements to look for other means of survival.

“Stolen crude oil is causing problems everywhere. I assure them that my men and I will work day and night to ensure that this illegality stops,” he said. He disclosed that his men uncovered a large illegal site with three tanks used as storage points

in the Okolomade community. He said the saboteurs used the tanks as storage points for illegally refined diesel. According to him, the products will be handed over to the appropriate authority that will do further investigation to ensure that illegality stops in Nigeria.

He said under the mandate of both the Chief of Naval Staff and that of Operation Delta Safe, the NNS SOROH had continued to patrol areas within her operational responsibility.

“I want to tell Nigerians to

trust us; we will ensure that this illegality stops forthwith,” he said.

The Navy arrested three persons conveying illegally refined products with tricycles along Okolomade community road.

“With what we are seeing here, we are still pleading with perpetrators to desist from it.

“I told them the last time that we are coming for them.

“I want to assure them that the long arm of the law will continue to catch up with them, so it is my candid advice for them to stop this environmental pollution,” he said.

Chuks Okocha in Abuja

Emmanuel Addeh in Abuja

COURTESY VISIT…

L-R: Member of the Senate Ad-hoc Committee Investigating the Turnaround Maintenance of Refineries, Senator Osita Izunaso; Chair man of the committee, Senator Ifeanyi Ubah; and Rivers State Governor, Mr. Siminalayi Fubara, during the committee's courtesy visit to Government House, Port Harcourt…weekend

NUPRC Moves to Avert Delay in Execution of $1.3bn ExxonMobil, Seplat Energy’s Assets Deal

Ejiofor Alike

Strong indications have emerged that the apex regulator of Nigeria’s upstream oil sector, the Nigerian Upstream Petroleum Regulatory Commission (NUPRC), has moved to avert any potential delay in granting consent to the sale of $1.3 billion ExxonMobil’s 40 percent stake in Mobil Producing Nigeria Unlimited’s (MPNU) assets to Seplat Energy Plc.

The transaction between ExxonMobil and Seplat Energy Plc, started over two years ago but has not yet been concluded.

NUPRC’s Chief Executive Officer, Gbenga Komolafe, had at the Africa Oil Week (AOW) in Cape Town, South Africa, hinted that: "We are very optimistic that parties to the transaction will go back, look at the position of the regulator and come back by abiding by the provisions of Nigerian laws and the right thing will be done.”

However, a source at the Ministry of Petroleum told THISDAY last night that: “It is a very simple matter. When the idea to sell the assets came up, the NUPRC did not say no. It only insisted that the process stipulated in Section 14 of the 2019 Joint Operating Agreement (JOA), be followed.

“The JOA, which governs the Joint Venture operations between the

Co-Venturers, clearly stated that they reach an agreement among themselves as a condition for getting NUPRC’s consent.

“In line with the law, the commission had advised co-venturers to comply because the marriage-like kind of relationship they have cannot be dissolved without the agreement of the parties.

“So, the Co-Venturers have to get back to the regulator to speak with one voice that they have agreed to sell the assets. This is the first step. There are also other steps, including the meeting of community obligations and commitment to the environmental restoration of producing sites.

“As a regulator, NUPRC upholds the law as contained in the Petroleum Industry Act (PIA), and guidelines on assignment of interests whatsoever, including share sales. This explains why it has already put in place a robust template to guide divestment in Nigeria's oil and gas industry.

“It is very important that all parties should respect the sanctity of law and JOA between Co-Venturers in the deal. At the moment, I know that the Co-Venturers are still in the process of resolving their commercial issues and demonstrate respect for the sanctity of JOA. When the parties have reached an agreement and get back to the regulator, I am optimistic

that the NUPRC will hold a workshop to review their submission and grant consent.

“NUPRC has intuitively put in place arrangements to make it easier for investors to close deals. I am also optimistic that the Commission will grant what is often referred to as Subject-to-Clearance Consent within 30 days, provided the Co-venturers demonstrate strong commitment to meeting their obligations.”

Similarly, the National President of Oil and Gas Service Providers Association of Nigeria, Colman Obasi, said: "Already, the Engr. Komolafe-led team at the NUPRC has done so much to enable businesses in the industry. For instance, NUPRC developed regulations, giving meaning and intent to the PIA, to ensure that all bottlenecks associated with regulatory processes are eliminated or minimized, to entrench seamless upstream petroleum operations.

"The gazetted regulations include Petroleum Licensing Round Regulations 2022, Petroleum Royalty Regulations 2022, Conversion and Renewal (Licences and Lease), Nigeria Upstream Petroleum Host Communities Development Regulations 2022, Domestic Gas Delivery Obligations Regulations 2022, Nigeria Upstream Petroleum Measurement Regulations 2023,

Production Curtailment and Domestic Crude supply Obligation Regulations, 2023, Frontier Basins Exploration Fund Administration Regulations, 2023, Nigeria Upstream Decommissioning and Abandonment Regulations 2023, Significant Crude Oil and Gas Discovery Regulations, 2023, Gas Flaring, Venting and Methane Emission (Prevention of Waste and Pollution) Regulations, 2023 and Nigeria Upstream Petroleum Unitization Regulations, 2023.

"The 14 draft regulations awaiting gazetting include Upstream Petroleum Fees and Rent Regulations, Acreage Management Drilling and Production Regulations, Upstream Environmental Remediation Fund Regulations, Upstream Petroleum Safety Regulations, Upstream Petroleum Environmental Regulations, Upstream Petroleum Measurement Regulations, Advance Cargo Declaration Regulations, Draft Upstream Commercial Operations Regulations, Draft upstream Petroleum Code of Conduct & Compliance Regulations, Draft Upstream Petroleum Development Contract Administration Regulations, Draft Upstream Revocation of licences and Lease Regulations, Draft Upstream Petroleum Assignment of Interest Regulations, Draft Nigerian upstream Petroleum (Administrative Harmonisation)

Tinubu Eulogises Ezeife as Former Governor is Laid to Rest

Soludo unhappy over violation of Anambra’s burial law at funeral ceremony

David-Chyddy Eleke in Awka

President Bola Tinubu yesterday described the former Anambra State, the late Dr. Chukwuemeka Ezeife as a true Nigerian who fought for peace and unity of the country during his lifetime.

Tinubu stated this at Igbo-Ukwu in Aguata Local Government Area of the state, during the burial ceremony of the late rights activist and elder statesman.

This is coming as Governor Chukwumah Soludo of Anambra State has condemned the printing of brochures, banners and other materials used for the burial ceremony, stating that it was against the state’s burial law.

Represented at the burial ceremony by the Imo State Governor, Senator Hope Uzodimma, President Tinubu also described Ezeife as a courageous fighter and a true son of the soil.

"Ezeife died at the time Nigeria needed his developmental ideas the

more. He is a man with towering influence. A former federal permanent secretary and a man with leadership credentials.

"While we pray for the repose of his soul, we encourage his loved ones to take solace in his indelible legacies," Tinubu said.

The burial ceremony, which was hosted by the Anambra State Governor, Prof. Chukwuma Soludo, was attended by several dignitaries, including a former governor of the state and presidential candidate of the Labour Party (LP) in the 2023 general election, Mr. Peter Obi; former governor of the state and two-time Minister of Labour and Employment, Senator Chris Ngige; senator representing Anambra Central, Victor Umeh; President General of Ohanaeze Ndigbo, Chief Emmanuel Iwuanyanwu; Senator Ben Obi, and Senator Uche Ekwunife.

The late Ezeife, who was governor of Anambra State on the platform of the Social Democratic Party (SDP),

in Nigeria’s Third Republic, from January 1992 to November 1993, died on December 14, 2023, at the age of 85.

Meanwhile, the state governor, Prof. Soludo has condemned the printing of brochures, banners and other materials used for Ezeife’s burial ceremony, stating that it was against the state’s burial laws.

The law, signed in 2019, bans the erection of any kind of billboard, banner or poster of a deceased person(s) in the state.

It only allows the mounting of directional posts, which shall be removed not later than seven days after the burial date.

Speaking on the conduct of the burial activities, Soludo said: “I must not leave without saying this: If the Okwadike (Ezeife) that I knew were to be alive, he would not have supported most of what is being done here today. When I got here and saw brochures printed, I said ‘this is wrong,’ because it is

against the Anambra State Burial Law.

“Some people sent me texts, requesting to print some materials for the burial but I told them they don’t have waivers to do such because it is against the burial law in Anambra State. Printing of any materials for burial in Anambra is meant to be for just one day. That is the law.

“We won’t enforce the law when a poor man dies and then overlook it when a rich man dies.

“I did not pass the law; the law was passed two years before I became governor of Anambra State.”

Earlier in his remarks, Soludo praised the late Ezeife, stressing that he lived the kind of lifestyle he was known to preach.

He noted that ‘Okwadike’ as he was fondly called during his lifetime, was a man of integrity and credibility.

“Ezeife lived the life he preached. He did not just preach it; he lived it. Ezeife believed in the law, and that was why he held Nigeria responsible for the law,” Soludo explained.

Regulations and Draft Amendment to the Nigerian Upstream Petroleum Host Communities Development Regulations 2022.

"The NUPRC has held many stakeholder engagements on the commission’s Draft Regulatory Framework for Energy Transition, Decarbonisation and Carbon Monetisation and incorporated the inputs arising from the engagements into the regulatory framework, which will not only govern the activities of the newly established Energy Transition and Carbon Monetisation Division of the Commission but those of the entire industry in considering Energy Transition in oil and gas field development.

"As a business enabler, the NUPRC has intentionally attracted many local and foreign investors to Nigeria’s oil and gas industry, thus

culminating in Nigeria’s oil reserves rising to 37.50 billion barrels in 2024, from 36.966 billion barrels recorded on January 1, 2023, while natural gas rose to 209 trillion cubic feet on January 1, 2024, from 208.83TCF recorded over the corresponding period last year.

"The commission has taken deliberate steps to drive the decade of gas programme declared by the Federal Government through more aggressive development of the nation’s huge gas resources, enhanced exploration activities, development of utilisation schemes leading to gas reserves growth, increased gas production, maturation of domestic and export gas markets, in addition to gas flare elimination and commercialisation through the Nigeria Gas Flare Commercialisation Programme (NGFCP)."

At Usman Danfodiyo University, Tinubu Promises Increased Funding for Universities

Onuminya Innocent in Sokoto

President Bola Tinubu yesterday promised to increase funding for the universities, pledging also that his administration would prioritise the acquisition of skills, technology, and vocational education to create more job opportunities for Nigerians. He stated that his administration is establishing skills and innovation hubs in polytechnics as well as entrepreneurship centres across the country.

Tinubu stated this during the 38th, 39th, 40th, and 41st convocation ceremonies for over 22,000 graduates at Usman Danfodiyo University in Sokoto.

Represented by the Minister of Education, Prof. Tahir Mamman, the president promised that his government would increase funding to public universities in the country.

In his words: “We strongly believe that our survival can always be assured by the quality of human capital development, which is why we make education one of the top priorities of this administration.

“While supporting all aspects of education, this administration will lay more emphasis on skills, technology, and vocational education as co-drivers of the educational system that prepares

graduates for employment or better fulfillment as employers of labour.

“For this purpose, in the first phase of the programme, the government is building 24 skills and vocational hubs in polytechnics as well as entrepreneurship centres in our universities.

“We are also building vocational schools in secondary schools across the country to ensure that all levels of education enjoy the impact of our policy.

“We are set to inaugurate Private Sector Innovation Enterprise Centres across the country to deliver on the skill acquisition programme of the government.

“As a government, we are also determined in our effort to continue to support the upgrade of infrastructure, teaching materials, and research equipment in our universities, which the need assessment of Nigeria’s public universities is addressing.

“As part of the administration’s commitment to ensuring that universities are strengthened and reinvigorated for the fulfillment of their mandate, hence the lifting of the tertiary institutions from the IPPS platform of research, the increase of allocation to the educational sector in our preparation for the year 2024, and the operationalisation of the student’s loan scheme and others,” he added.

Adoke: Despite My Ordeal, My Faith in Nigeria Remains Unshaken

Wale Igbintade

Former Attorney-General of the Federation (AGF) and Minister of Justice, Mohammed Bello Adoke (SAN), has said despite his ordeal in the hands of the Economic and Financial Crimes Commission (EFCC), his faith in Nigeria remains unshaken.

Recall that Justice Inyang Ekwo of the Federal High Court in Abuja had on Friday, upheld the “no case” submission by Adoke on charges of money laundering filed against him by the anti-graft commission.

The EFCC had charged Adoke and Aliyu Abubakar, a property developer in 2017, alleging money laundering to the tune of N300 million.

Justice Ekwo said the EFCC did not provide any evidence to prove the essential elements of the offence

against Adoke, who was listed as the first defendant.

Similarly, the same particulars of the case were also filed against the former AGF, Abubakar, and some other defendants before Justice Abubakar Kutigi, of the FCT High Court in 2020.

However, on March 28, 2024, Kutigi pointed out the contradiction, while dismissing the charges against Adoke and other defendants, chiding the EFCC for wasting the court’s time for four years.

Both charges were premised on allegations that Adoke received money as a bribe from the sale of the OPL 245 oil block by Malabu Oil & Gas Ltd in 2011.

Applauding the judgments in a statement at the weekend, Adoke described them as a vindication

for him.

He said that he leaves all those who contributed to his ordeal to their conscience and the judgment of posterity.

He said his faith in the Nigeria project is not misplaced or shaken, saying the two charges filed at separate courts on the same facts were intended “to annoy and cause me maximum discomfort and expense”. The former AGF said he did no wrong by carrying out the President's lawful directives and that he could, therefore, not be held personally liable for discharging his responsibilities.

He described his trial as “a political witch hunt and scapegoatism,” as the EFCC needed to hang corruption charges on his neck as a way of sustaining the federal government’s claims against the implementation of

Suspected Thugs Attack Former Federal Lawmaker, Others in Edo

Adibe Emenyonu in Benin City

Violence reigned yesterday when a group of persons launched a surprise attack on members and leaders of the All Progressives Congress (APC) in Ikpoba-Okha Local Government Area of Edo State.

The meeting was to install the former member, who represented Egor/Ikpoba-Okha Federal Constituency in the House of Representatives, Ehiozuwa Johnson Agbonayinma, as the ‘Apex Leader’ of the party in the local government.

the Settlement Agreement in foreign jurisdictions such as Milan- Italy, the United States of America and the United Kingdom.

Speaking on the court's ruling, Adoke said: "It will be recalled that the High Court of the Federal Capital Territory, Coram Abubakar Kutigi, J, had on Thursday, March 28, 2024, similarly upheld the no-case submission I made to the charges filed against me. The EFCC had, in their wisdom and the exercise of their prosecutorial powers, filed charges on the same facts in different courts to annoy and cause me maximum discomfort and expense.

Attorney General of the Federation and Minister of Justice in the Government of the Federation could be held personally liable for carrying out or implementing the Presidential Approvals/Directives of the President in exercise his powers under section 5 and 148 of the Constitution of the Federal Republic of Nigeria, 1999.

"The Federal High Court, Abuja, Coram, Binta Nyako, J declared in essence that I did no wrong by carrying out the President's lawful directives and that I could, therefore, not be held personally liable for discharging my responsibilities.

FHC, Abuja, the EFCC proceeded to charge me and other entities for corruption, money laundering, and other sundry offences. I had no option but to submit myself to the legal process. It has been a harrowing experience that has lasted for over nine years due mainly to the antics of the prosecution, which hurriedly filed charges against me to satisfy some narrow political interests but became reluctant to prove their case for want of evidence.

"Nigerians will also recall that when the OPL 245 Settlement Agreement came under the searchlight of the EFCC in 2017, the Honourable Attorney General of the Federation and Minister of Justice, Abubakar Malami (SAN), had in his reasoned legal opinion to the EFCC confirmed that he had reviewed the Settlement Agreement and could not find any illegality in the transaction.

Hardly had the meeting started when the suspected hoodlums and political thugs struck, inflicting injuries on attendees, damaging vehicles and chairs as well as carting drinks and other items from the venue of the meeting, off Dumez Road in Benin City. Speaking to journalists shortly after the attack, Agbonayinma said: “The APC local government chairman, Sunny Ogbewe, called me that the leadership of Ikpoba-Okha was coming to meet with me to rub minds with me on the way forward for the party in the Local Government Area.

husband. Both of them are in the hospital as I speak.

“They also vandalized vehicles, broke chairs and tables, and carted away drinks. “This is not how politics should be played. Going violent and beating up elderly persons?

“However, it was a sad story. My friend, my brothers, one I will call my son, Osarobo Idahosa and Cromwell Osaigbovo, led many others, came here, destroyed, and beat up the woman leader and her

“For some time, the people of the local government have been appealing to me to come and take a leadership position. But I am not interested because of what I have gone through. I lost my son and am still going through it because of the trauma.

“They came here to appeal to me to be the Apex Leader of Ikpoba-Okha”, he said.

Cross River Dismisses Ranking by NBS on Child Labour as Unrealistic

Bassey Inyang in Calabar

The Cross River State Government has dismissed as untrue a survey report by the National Bureau of Statistics (NBS), which claimed that the state has the highest incidence of child labour in the country. The NBS stated in the report that of the 24.6 million children in child labour in Nigeria, Cross River recorded the highest incidence of 67.4 per cent, followed by Yobe with 62.6 per cent.

In the survey entitled: ‘Nigeria Child Labour Survey 2022’, the NBS rated Lagos State as having the lowest incidence of 8.9 per cent.

The NBS described child labour as any work that robbed children less than 18 years of age of their childhood, potential, and dignity or

had a deleterious impact on their physical and mental development.

It stated that its survey showed that children between the ages of five years and 17 years were engaged in economic activities that amounted to child labour in Nigeria.

But dismissing the report in Calabar, the Cross River State capital, the state’s Commissioner for Information, Mr. Erasmus Ekpang, said the figures released did not represent the true position in Cross River.

He said the figure for Cross River was not tenable since the government had put measures in place since the assumption of office in May 2023 to discourage child labour and to uplift vulnerable segments of the population.

He explained that the measures put in place centred on health, education, agriculture, and other empowerment

initiatives.

Ekpang stressed that the government had also put in place programmes that empowered women economically and discouraged them from sending their children and wards out as child labourers.

“Women are empowered to take care of themselves and their families. Youths are also not left out of these policies and programmes.

“The initiatives are mostly in the areas of agriculture and small-scale enterprises.

“We also initiated programmes like school feeding to retain every child in school,’’ he stated.

Ekpang advised the NBS to revisit its 2022 figures and make amends.

The NBS report also stated that more than 14 million affected children were engaged in hazardous work.

"Nigerians will recall that I served the country in the exalted position of Honourable Attorney General of the Federation and Minister of Justice from April 2010 to May 29, 2015. During that period, I received Presidential Approval/Directive to implement the subsisting 2006 Settlement Agreement between the FGN (Federal Government of Nigeria) and Malabu, which at the material time had been reduced into a consent judgment of the Federal High Court, Abuja.

"When the EFCC, at the instigation of some powerful persons in the country, ostensibly because of the enabling political environment, began their shenanigans sometime in 2015, I took out an Originating Summons against the FGN praying the Federal High Court, Abuja, to determine whether I, acting as the

materials were sent out from this place to Ondo South and North senatorial districts. The truth of the matter is that there were no materials sent out.

“Why can’t they follow the due process? The national leadership of the party should call Ododo to order, they should follow the guidelines they released,” he added.

In a statement issued by the spokesman of Oke’s Campaign Organisation, Ojo Oyewamide, the senior lawyer stated that no primary election was conducted in all the 203 Wards of the state.

Mr. Paul Oniyemofe, who spoke on behalf of Prof Faduyile said there was no electoral material since he arrived at the venue.

Aiyedatiwa in Early Lead as Kogi Gov Says Exercise Transparent

However, Ododo, who led the seven-member committee, acknowledged the delay in the distribution of materials but insisted that the exercise was transparent.

In a statement yesterday by the governor’s media aide, Ismaila Isah, the governor commended

"The Honourable Minister of State Petroleum Resources, Dr. Ibe Kachikwu, also wrote an opinion to the president through the Chief of Staff, Abba Kyari, where he opined in essence that the transaction was for the benefit of the country as it would enable the oil block to be developed for the benefit of the country.

"Despite these exonerating opinions and the subsisting judgment of the

stakeholders and APC members on the conduct of the election.

“I have received reports from our committee members and security agencies as well as NGOs monitoring the election including video footage.

“I can say that the process has been transparent and we are going to produce a candidate that will unify the APC ahead of the November 2024 governorship election in the state,” the governor explained.

Ododo said the delay in the distribution of election materials had no adverse effects on the conduct of the poll.

The governor also insisted that the concerns noticed in the revalidated membership list would not have any major impact on the outcome of the election.

He urged aspirants and their supporters to see the primary election as a “contest among brothers and sisters in one family”.

Sixteen aspirants contested for the party’s ticket through a direct primary election.

The incumbent governor, Aiyedatiwa; former Commissioner for Finance, Akinterinwa; Oke (SAN); former member of the

"The trial became an object of a political witch hunt and scapegoatism, as the EFCC needed to hang corruption charges on my neck as a way of sustaining FGN’s claims against the implementation of the Settlement Agreement in foreign jurisdictions such as Milan- Italy, the United States of America and the United Kingdom.

"Predictably, these foreign jurisdictions examined the OPL 245 transaction and my role in implementing the Settlement Agreement and, in their reasoned judgments, held that there were no infractions of a criminal nature. Consequently, the charges in Milan-Italy were quashed, the United States Department of Justice found no criminality in the transaction, and the United Kingdom Commercial Court, which interestingly in affirming the legality of the transaction, commended the role I played in the implementation of the agreement.

House of Representatives, Mayowa Akinfolarin; Senator Jimoh Ibrahim; former National Vice Chairman of APC (South-west), Isaac Kekemeke and former Commissioner who represented the state on the governing board of the Niger Delta Development Commission (NDDC), Gbenga Edema.

Others are Gen. Ohunyeye Olamide Felix (rtd); a current member of the House of Representatives, Jimi Odimayo; Olusoji Adewale Ehinlanwo; Morayo Lebi; Diran Iyantan; Prof. Francis Faduyile; and Ifeoluwa Oyedele, while the two female aspirants among them are Funmilayo Adekojo and Mrs. Funke Omogoroye Judith.

Meanwhile, the Ondo State Governor, Aiyedatiwa, has expressed satisfaction over the turnout of party members in the governorship primary of the state.

Speaking after being counted in the voting exercise Ugbo Ward 4, Obenla, Ilaje LGA of the state, Aiyedatiwa, described the party primary as a crucial step in determining the APC’s flagbearer for the forthcoming governorship election.

Products Company Limited, Chief Ernest Anyaeche; Director, Panda Hotels & Suites, Mrs. Ebere Obi; Chairman, Panda Hotels & Suit es, Chief Wilfred Obi; and former Chairman, FHA Tennis Club, Festac Town, Chief Evans Madu, at the traditional marriage ceremony of Chief Anyaeche’s son, Kizito and his wife, Jennifer, in Festac Town, Lagos…yesterday.

BUSINESS

Recapitalisation: First Bank, Access, Zenith, GTbank, UBA Plot Strategic Expansion

As the Nigerian banking landscape navigates the turbulent waters of regulatory requirements, some frontline banks have mapped out various strategies to meet the new threshold. In this report, Festus Akanbi and Kayode Tokede run through the cocktail of capital-raising plans of these institutions, noting that other banking giants are on the verge of unveiling their strategies too

Weeksafterthewhistle for the commencement of banks’ recapitalisation was blown by the Governor of the Central Bank of Nigeria (CBN), Mr. Olayemi Cardoso, the attention of stakeholders in these institutions has for obvious reasons returned to the boardrooms. are facing minimum capital thresholds of N500 billion for national authorisation.

Similarly, non-interest banks with national and regional authorisations will need to increase respectively.

The directive, which was contained in a CBN circular, emphasised that all banks were required to meet the minimum capital requirement within

To enable the banks to meet the minimum capital requirements, the CBN urged banks to consider injecting fresh equity capital through private placements, rights issues, and/or oflicense authorisation.

Meanwhile, the CBN said all banks were required to submit an implementation plan (clearly indicating the chosen option(s) for meeting the new capital requirement and various activities involved with their timelines) no later

Feelers from banks in the last two weeks task. The CBN’s directive is akin to a seismic shockwave, rippling through the corridors of Nigeria’s banking sector. Directors, management of activity, scrambling to prepare for the new threshold.

Zenith Bank GTbank and United Bank for raise capital through their holding companies,

as a move to meet the new regulatory requirement.

about their missions, sources said others, including Fidelity Bank, are also in the picture. However, most of the banks in this group are said to be waiting for regulatory approval before they make their plans public.

First Bank

For FBN Holdings, the management is planning to seek shareholders’ approval this month to shore up its capital by N300

Nigeria or abroad.

The holding company on the Nigerian shareholders for permission to raise the

The group in its unaudited full year

FBH Holdings’s share capital and while retained earnings increased to Access Bankor its equivalent. This will come in the instruments such as ordinary shares, prefconvertible and/or non-convertible debt, bonds, or other capital and/or funding instruments.

holding company, it expects to raise

to support ongoing working capital needs including organic growth funding for its

banking and other non-banking subsidiaries.

The statement explained that “the programme may be executed through a variety of methods rights issues, book-building processes, or a combination thereof.”

The breakdown of total equity revealed a Share -

UBA

and ensure compliance within the regulatory time frame

remains among the top capitalised banks, said: “This strategy may include a combination of options such as rights issue or private placement. is very well capitalised with shareholders’ funds raise the required component of capital in line with the CBN directive.”

Erhi Obebeduo, who in a signed statement said, the company is authorised to raise additional of securities comprising ordinary shares, preference shares, convertible and/or non-convertible notes, bonds or any other instruments, in the Nigerian and/or international capital markets. He noted that the issued share capital of

ordinary shares of N0.50 each ranking pari-passu with the existing ordinary shares of the company.

Zenith Bank

For Zenith Bank, its Company Secretary, in a statement recently Michael Otu announced the increase in the issued share capital of the

each ranking pari passu with the existing ordinary shares of the company.

GTBank

Giving an insight into the plans for its recapi-

sale to raise N500billion. This tallied with the position of the Group General Counsel/Company Secretary, GTCO,

He said the bank will establish a capital raising programme in the Nigerian or international capital market of up to the authorised capital of the company, through the issuance of ordinary shares, or preference shares, whether by way of or both, or any other method or combination of methods, in such tranches, series or proportions and at such dates, and conditions as may be determined by the board subject to obtaining the requisite regulatory approvals.

not taken up by existing shareholders within the

of the Bank on such terms and conditions as may be determined by the Directors subject to the approvals of the relevant regulatory authorities, he stated.”

INDUSTRY

Amazons Behind Tony Elumelu Foundation

Recently, The Tony Elumelu Foundation raised the bar in philanthropy when it announced the successful entrepreneurs in its tenth selection for the TEF Entrepreneurship Programme. As the ovation for the foundation’s drive for entrepreneurship continues, Festus Akanbi writes on the exemplary leadership roles of Awele Elumelu and Somachi

Chris-Asoluka, two women driving the foundation

At a period when it dawns on everyone that youth unemployment is becoming a monster that the government alone cannot tame, analysts said the authorities will always lean on the private sector to lend hands of assistance.

One such private sector organisation is the Tony Elumelu Foundation, which announced the successful entrepreneurs in its tenth selection for the TEF Entrepreneurship programme in March this year.

Indeed, the foundation has emerged as a key player in nurturing entrepreneurship in Nigeria and across Africa. Through its multifaceted initiatives, the foundation is instrumental in building a robust ecosystem that empowers individuals to pursue entrepreneurial ventures and drive economic growth.

The latest event brings to 20,000 young African entrepreneurs who have received funding, mentoring, and capacity-building support from the Foundation.

The Tony Elumelu Foundation has disbursed US$100,000,000 directly to young African entrepreneurs, who have created over 400,000 direct Africa’s economic growth and development. women, reiterating the Foundation’s commitment to gender inclusion and equity.

The Amazons

Although the success of the foundation is synonymous with the global acclaim and the undisputed entrepreneurial skill of the founder, Mr. Tony Elumelu, the fact is that in the drivers’ seats of the foundation are two amazing women. These amazons are the Co-founder of the TEF, Dr. Awele Elumelu, and the CEO, Somachi Chris-Asoluka.

With impressive resumes, it is obvious the duo were well prepared for the job- Mrs. Elumelu, a leading voice in the health sector in Africa with her commitment to the economic philosophy of Africapitalism, and Chris-Asoluka, who rose through the ranks in the foundation with impeccable records.

Awele Vivien Elumelu

Awele Elumelu’s pivotal role in the success of the Tony Elumelu Foundation (TEF) cannot be overstated. As the co-founder and a trustee, her visionary leadership and unwavering dedication have been instrumental in shaping the

TEF’s strategic direction, guiding its mission to empower entrepreneurs as catalysts for socioeconomic development. Her foresight and innovative thinking have propelled the foundation’s growth and relevance in the entrepreneurship ecosystem.

Reports said her hands-on approach to management and governance has ensured TEF. The foundation has implemented robust systems and processes through her leadership to maximise impact and accountability.

It is also on record that Dr. Elumelu’s advocacy leader in entrepreneurship development. She has forged strategic partnerships with governments, corporations, and international organisations to amplify TEF’s impact and scale its African programmes.

Apart from being a trustee of the Tony Elumelu Foundation, the leading philanthropy empowering entrepreneurs and championing

entrepreneurship in Africa, Dr. Awele Elumelu, also serves as a Director on the Board of Heirs Holdings, a family-owned investment company committed to improving lives and transforming Africa.

Her uncommon investment in the healthcare sector no doubt prepares her for her role in TEF, which focuses on transforming lives in the African continent.

As the Chairperson of Avon Healthcare Limited, Nigeria’s leading health insurance provider, and the Founder/CEO of Avon Medical Practice, a growing network of full-service clinics and onsite facilities with corporate institutions, Mrs. Elumelu is focused on expanding and improving access to quality healthcare in Nigeria, Africa’s most populous nation.ture, absence of medical equipment, and poor healthcare coverage as some of the challenges facing healthcare delivery in Nigeria, she established the two organisations to provide Nigerians from all walks of life. This is helping healthcare services in Nigeria.

In January 2018, Dr. Elumelu was appointed as a Private Sector Champion for Immunisation in Africa by Gavi, the Vaccine Alliance. In this role, she leverages her knowledge, corporate networks, and expertise from the healthcare and business sectors to champion vaccination and immunisation in Africa, where almost 10 million children are yet to be fully immunised.

Dr. Elumelu is particularly passionate about and advocates extensively for the rights of Africans, women, and children. In line with her commitment to the economic philosophy of Africapitalism, which calls on the African private sector to lead the charge in developing the continent, she continues to work to bring together public and private players to deliver

economic opportunity, social good, and greater health and opportunity to all Africans.

She holds a Bachelor of Medicine, Bachelor of Surgery degree from the University of Benin. Her experience as a medical doctor includes medicine, surgery, pediatrics, obstetrics, gynecology, and emergency medicine. She has worked with the Lagos University Teaching Hospital, and with Grantham and District Hospital Grantham in the United Kingdom.

Somachi Chris-Asoluka

Somachi Chris-Asoluka is the Chief Executive

Tony Elumelu Foundation, Somachi served as Director of Partnerships and Communications for the Foundation. Under her leadership, the Foundation is increasingly sharing its unique ability to identify, train, mentor, and fund young entrepreneurs across Africa, through partnerships with institutions such as the EU, UNDP, ICRC, and US Government via the USADF, OACPS, AFD, DEG, GIZ, AfDB, and Google.

She is a Board Director of WINGS, a global network of over 190 philanthropy development and support organisations in more than 50 countries, committed to ensuring philanthropy reaches its fullest potential as a catalyst for social progress. She also serves as Treasurer and Chairperson of the Finance Board Committee of WINGS. She sits on the Advisory Board of the Michigan State University Alliance for African Partnership. She is a Deputy Champion of the World Economic Forum EDISON Alliance, and a member of Omicron Delta Epsilon (National Economics Honor Society, USA).

She graduated Summa Cum Laude from Saint Mary’s College of California with a Bachelor of Science in Economics and a minor in Mathematics, and received the Adam Smith Award, given to the highest-performing graduating

student in Economics. She also has a Master’s in International and Development Economics from Yale University.

The Tony Elumelu Foundation is the leading philanthropy empowering a new generation of African entrepreneurs, driving poverty eradication, catalysing job creation across all 54 African countries, and ensuring inclusive economic empowerment. Since the launch of the TEF Entrepreneurship Programme in 2015, the Foundation has trained over 1.5 million young Africans on its digital hub, TEFConnect, and disbursed nearly US$ 100 million in direct funding to over 20,000 African women and men, who have collectively created over 400,000 direct and indirect jobs.

The Foundation’s mission is rooted in Africapitalism, which positions the private sector and, most importantly, entrepreneurs as the catalyst for the social and economic development of the African continent. The Foundation’s ability to fund, train, mentor, and network young African entrepreneurs have created a unique platform for catalysing growth across the African continent.

The robust ability of the Foundation to reach entrepreneurs across geographies and sectors has enabled it to conduct innovative partnerships with the European Union (EU), United Nations Development Programme (UNDP), the International Committee of the Red Cross (ICRC), the US Government via the United States African Development Foundation (USADF), the Organisation of African, Caribbean andment Agency (AFD), the German Development Finance Institution (DEG), the German Agency for International Cooperation (GIZ), the African Development Bank (AfDB), and Google, with bespoke programmes including targeting female empowerment and growth in fragile states.

Mrs. Elumelu Chris-Asoluka

Operating Under the Yoke of Multiple Taxes

Festus Akanbi captures the dilemma of telecoms operators who are confronted with multiple taxation and the pressure to churn out quality service in an environment where subscribers’ purchasing power has already been eroded by the current economic crisis

The Nigerian telecoms sector has come under siege from a barrage of taxes, which operators said are crippling their potential for growth and hampering access to vital services.

There are complaints that apart from legitimate taxes imposed by appropriate authorities, following necessary due processes, there are other irregular, often duplicated and sometimes hastily imposed taxes and charges from some agencies pursuing short-term revenue gains.

taxes said to be over 49 in number mounts, stakeholders warn of dire consequences for connectivity and economic development in the country.

Harvest of Taxes

levies and fees imposed by the federal, state and local government including aviation height clearance, environmental impact assessment tax, business premises tax, sanitation fees, ecological fees, environmental sanitation levy, signage and

education tax, industrial training fund, output

Other taxes being paid by network providers tax, wayleave tax, water levy, annual operatdischarge levy, annual renewal of right of way levy, hawking permit, audit fees and planning permit.

The list also includes building permits, tenement rates, infrastructure maintenance, building employment development levy, withholding tax, infrastructure maintenance and community access fees, among others.

information and communications sector was as taxes in the quarter under review.

“Taxation provides guaranteed and sustainable sources of funding for social programs and public investments; it also serves as a tool

thus evident that taxation is critical for making growth sustainable and equitable

However, despite the possibility of accelerating economic growth through taxation, multiple taxation, or, nuisance taxes,“ as the World Bank has dubbed it, has been and continues to be a hindrance to Nigeria‘s economic development.

tiers of government includes indicating where a category of taxes has become cancerous to economic development. These types of taxes typically manifest themselves in the form of multiple taxation and by design, they reverse

scarecrows mounted by the government to disincentivise development.“

While a level of multiplicity is expected in a federal system of governance, the levying of a particular tax on the same person/entity, in respect of the same liability by more than one state or local government council should be avoided, the executive commissioner advised.

purposes such as sanitation fees, sanitation levy taxes include the annual renewal of right of way levy, bridge crossing levy and community access fees, among others.

taxation in the telecommunications industry

consumers through their services.

of Telecommunication Operators of Nigeria industry is often faced with multiple regulations that usually lead to multiple taxation.

Committee on Telecommunications to quickly address the issues of multiple taxation to avoid our members pay taxes to federal government agencies, state government agencies, and local government agencies.

tively because money earmarked for network expansion must be redirected to pay illegal taxes.”

obstacles militating against the sustainable development of the telecom industry in the country.

tions are hindering the development of telecom infrastructure, the very foundation upon which the entire digital economy relies.

“This is not referring to legitimate taxes imposed by appropriate authorities following necessary due processes, but the many irregular, often duplicated, and sometimes hastily imposed taxes and charges by some agencies pursuing short-term revenue gains,” he said. the greater long-term impacts of their actions well-being of the people, and overall national economic growth.

on infrastructure maintenance, environmental impact charges, and waste collection charges, in addition to value-added tax and sales tax being paid simultaneously, add to the cost of

local government agencies were enforcing taxes and regulations without proper legal authorisation. This unwarranted imposition adversely impacted the telecommunications output.

legal backing for these taxes and regulations raised concerns about their legitimacy and highlighted the need for a more structured and legally sound approach to governing such matters at the regional and local levels. commissioner emphasised the importance of -

operation of the telecommunications industry.

He said that these proactive measures would not only alleviate the burden of multiple taxation and regulations but also pave the way for a more stable and conducive environment for the telecom sector.

Presidential Tax Reform Committee

Committee.

“We have presented our recommendations will make necessary recommendations to conclusively address the various dimensions of the problem of multiple taxations and regulations. tax reform will unlock the full potential of the Nigerian economy.

“These reforms should aim to simplify the tax system, eliminate redundancies, and promote transparency.

“Government at all levels must collaborate to create a harmonised tax structure that fosters

Multiplicity of Taxes

burden which has been blamed for the shoddy performance of some of their networks.

Telecoms operators have to pay multiple taxes including federal, state and local authorities. This

in infrastructure and services.

as managing and complying with various tax be complex and time-consuming for telecom or engaging external consultants to navigate

The ultimate impact is the increased costs of multiple taxes, telecoms operators may put pressure on subscribers, who are already at loggerheads with service providers for poor service quality.

economy around need to be complemented with concrete measures to ease the operation of the existing players in the economy. This therefore makes it imperative to streamline the existing taxes, levies and duties in a way that will resolve the issue of duplication. Until this is done, telecoms operators will have no choice but to pass the additional burden to the consumers with the attendant threats to the economy.

Telecoms mast

POSTHUMOUS AWARD…

L-R: Pioneer Coordinator and Secretariat Manager, Nigerian Association of Indigenous Petroleum Explorers and Producers, Florida Okunowo; Chairman, Editorial Board, Energy Times, Yakubu Lawal; General Manager, Government, Joint Venture & External Affairs, Heritage Energy, Adesola Adebawo; Publisher/Executive Director, Nigerian NewsDirect, Mathew Ibiyemi; Publisher, Energy Times, Mr Kayode Ekundayo; Spokesman of NIPCO Plc, Lawal Taofeek, and friend of NewsDirect, Mr. Onahi Eje, during a posthumous award to founding Publisher of Nigerian NewsDirect, the late Dr. Samuel Ibiyemi, by Energy Times in Lagos... weekend

CSOs Condemn Application of State Power against Yahaya Bello

Segun James

Hundreds of human rights activists yesterday hit the streets of Lagos to condemn what they described as the Economic and Financial Crimes Commission’s (EFCC) anti-democratic approaches to issues of law enforcement, as well as the unjust application of state power by the federal government.

The Anti-Corruption Civil

Society Organisations, numbering over 120, along with a huge crowd of members and supporters, stressed that the actions of the federal government in the ongoing face-off between the EFCC and former Governor of Kogi State, Yahaya Bello, which took an ugly dimension during the week, suggested that the bone of contention was beyond the EFCC exercising its constitutional responsibility.

According to them, from the

NUJ President Calls for Tightening of Enforcement Mechanism to End Electoral Malpractices

Kuni Tyessi in Abuja

The National President of the Nigeria Union of Journalists (NUJ), Mr. Chris Isiguzo, has said that in preparation for the next general election, enforcement of mechanisms needs to be tightened for free, fair, and credible elections.

Reacting to the recurring electoral malpractices that have continued to happen in the history of the nation, Isiguzo stated that weak institutions and lack of consequences, amongst other factors, have been the cause of the ugly trend.

Speaking in Abuja at the National Multi-stakeholders’ Forum on Youth Electoral Reform Priorities, which was organised by Kimpact Development Initiative (KDI) and in collaboration with the National Democratic Institute (NDI), the NUJ President recalled that in the 2023 elections, BVAS didn’t work in some places which resulted in the electoral body, INEC using a manual approach. He said, “Such things give room for manipulation and there’s no doubt about it. It

must be made law that if the country has decided to make use of technology, which of course is the bedrock of democratic governance, then we must equally ensure that we accommodate them in our good book so that they become law.

“We are not taking stringent measures in ensuring that we closely monitor campaign financing. When it is left open-ended, the weak parties will of course be out of the way and the strong parties will have their way.

“We seem to have very weak enforcement systems in our country. The law must have provided for free, fair, and credible elections, but for the fact that our system is weak, it becomes an enabler for those who manage our elections. They feel like nothing will happen, hence the continuity. So, impunity continues to thrive. We are to tighten the noose of enforcement mechanism so that those who deliberately undermine or violate electoral processes will know that there are consequences for such action.

facts and documents obtained on the matter, the EFCC never sent a letter of invitation to exGovernor Bello.

The issue of evading arrest, they said, did not therefore exist. “Someone who was never invited, who has a valid court order restraining his arrest and harassment, among other reliefs, until the determination of the court case, could not be said to be evading arrest. It is deliberate misinformation to turn the public against the governor,” they said.

The anti-corruption activists

and human rights crusaders, specifically condemned the military action threat by an EFCC lawyer, saying that, issuing “such a threat before a judge and inside a court was a violation of the sanctity of the courtroom.”

The Chairman of the Centre for Anti-Corruption and Open Leadership (CACOL), Debo Adeniran, who led other activists during the protest yesterday, noted that the ongoing disregard for the rule of law was not only about Yahaya Bello.

“We don’t know who the next victim will be,” he said.

“If the federal government continues in its iniquitous way of trampling on the rule of law by undermining our judicial system; we will mobilise a much larger number of Nigerians to join this pro-democracy struggle. It concerns all Nigerians because we don’t know who the next victim may be,” Adeniran said.

He called on the federal government to first obey all the court orders preceding their actions in court and then

go ahead to vacate them through due process of law.

“There is no point in endangering anyone’s life unnecessarily because that’s the situation we believe that Yahaya Bello is in now. If the government doesn’t handle this matter carefully, it may shoot itself in the foot and put all Nigerians in collective injury,” the activists said.

The activists warned that the government should not instigate anarchy, insisting that democracy is governed by the rule of law and not the rule of force.

Senate Committee: Port Harcourt Refinery to Begin Operation Before Year-end

Blessing Ibunge in Port Harcourt

An ad-hoc committee of the Senate investigating the turnaround maintenance of Nigeria’s refineries has said the Port Harcourt Refinery will begin operation before the end of December 2024.

This is coming as the Rivers State Governor, Mr Siminalayi Fubara, has stated that his administration is working in line with President Bola Tinubu-led federal government’s policies designed to make life better for

Nigerians through the Renewed Hope Agenda.

In his presentation when the members of the committee visited the Port Harcourt Refinery yesterday, the Chairman of the committee, Senator Ifeanyi Ubah said they had visited the Warri Refinery on Thursday, stressing that they were in Port Harcourt to investigate the work that has been done and assess the level of preparedness of both the old and new Port Harcourt Refinery to recom-

mence operations.

He stated: “We will recall that the old Port Harcourt Refinery was the first refinery in Nigeria built in 1965 and the second one in 1989. And for so long now, they have not been in active operations.

“And with the Renewed Hope Agenda of Mr. President, and also the desire of Nigerians and our determination; the Senate led by our President, Senator Godswill Akpabio, we had a resolution in the Senate to look at it and make sure that Nigeria’s refineries are

working so that we shouldn’t be depending on importation of petroleum products.

“And that is one of the reasons that we are here, as well to look into the contract and investigate the level of compliance vis-a-vis the contract specifications.”

Ubah said: “We are pleased to note that what we saw is most encouraging as the refinery upgrade and full rehabilitation is almost at 90 per cent completed.

“We are confident that the refinery will soon be operational before the end of the year.”

Ikeja Indigenes Demand LG Chairmanship Slot

Segun James

An aboriginal group in Ikeja, the Lagos State capital, the Awori Solidarity Forum (ASF) has set a template for all political parties in the coming local government election, insisting that it is time for an Ikeja indigene to produce a council chairman.

Rising from an emergency meeting held yesterday in Olowu, Ikeja, the group in a communique, noted that for over 40 years, non-indigenes had dominated

the political space in Ikeja, with many of them from the Ijebu extraction of Ogun State. In the communique signed by its Chairman, Mr. Shakibu Areola, and Secretary, Mrs. Olapade Fawole, the ASF urged leading political parties such as All Progressives Congress (APC) and the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) to pick their chairmanship candidates among Ikeja indigenes to achieve ethnic balancing and fairness. It said apart from the incumbent chairman, Mojeed Balogun, no indigene had been chairman in

Ikeja, since Lagos State was created. “We are neither ethnic bigots nor a sentimental group, but it is just and fair in a democratic environment dominated by different ethnic groups for things to be distributed equitably.

“Everywhere in the world, aborigines take the front-burner in dictating tunes in governance but the Ikeja case is in the reverse gear, as non-indigenes have constituted themselves to a strong cabal, muzzling the indigenes and preventing them from aspiring to the position of chairman of the

local government.

“It is regrettable that apart from the incumbent chairman in the saddle, for over 40 years now, the Ikeja aborigines who are the Aworis have been largely denied party tickets to aspire for local government chairman through the shenanigans of non-indigenous cabal, telling lies against the indigenes, “ the group explained. It added that one of the prominent lies being told against Ikeja indigenes, who are of Awori stock, is that they are largely uneducated.

www.thisdaylive.com

NIGERIA: DEMOCRACY, OMINOUS PROPHECIES AND SERVICE DELIVERY

The quest for democracy, democratisation and service delivery is an eternal one, contends KAYODE SOREMEKUN

See Page 20

BELLO, EFCC AND THE LAW

The EFCC should act within the law, argues CHETAM

NWOBODO

See Page 20

EDITORIAL EFCC AND THE YAHAYA BELLO DRAMA

See Page 45

The NMDPRA, through the able leadership of Farouk Ahmed, is driving sustainable development through all its value chain for stakeholders, writes Ifeanyi Onuba

NMDPRA: ENHANCING EFFECTIVE REGULATION OF MIDSTREAM, DOWNSTREAM PETROLEUM INDUSTRY

In Nigeria, implementing reforms in public institutions has always been a difficult task. This is because such tasks come with a lot resistance. The enactment of the Petroleum Industry Act (PIA) 2021 has engendered a new regulatory and governance architecture in Nigeria, thereby providing enormous opportunities that will reshape the landscape of the petroleum industry in Nigeria.

Generally, the PIA focused and provided clarity on the oil and gas governing institutions in Nigeria, evolving petroleum administration systems, community stakeholders’ management system, and fiscal application systems.

The Act provides a legal, governance, regulatory and fiscal framework for the Nigerian Petroleum Industry. Despite being a major source of revenue, the oil sector before the passage of the law had lagged behind other sectors in terms of Gross Domestic Product contribution. It is on this basis that the PIA was formulated to help facilitate Nigeria’s economic development by attracting and creating investment opportunities for local and international investors.

The PIA also created specific institutions to drive the operations of Nigeria’s petroleum sector. Purposefully, the PIA established the Nigerian Midstream and Downstream Petroleum Regulatory Authority in August 2021 as an institution responsible for the provision of legal, governance, regulatory and fiscal framework for the Nigerian Petroleum Industry as well as development of host communities.

Consequently, former President Muhammadu Buhari approved the appointment of Mr. Farouk Ahmed as the Authority Chief Executive of the NMDPRA as conveyed by the then Secretary to the Government of the Federation to the former Minister of State for Petroleum Resources, Chief Timipre Sylva to run the day-to-day affairs of the new regulatory authority.

The NMDPRA encompasses a merger of three defunct regulatory agencies: Petroleum Products Pricing Regulatory Agency (PPPRA), Petroleum Equalization Fund {Management} Board (PEFMB), the Midstream and Downstream Divisions of the Department of Petroleum Resources (DPR). This birth ushered a new dawn for establishing a progressive regulatory framework that encourages investment and full optimization of the midstream and downstream sector of the petroleum industry in Nigeria.

The Authority is responsible for the regulation of the midstream and downstream petroleum operations in Nigeria which includes technical, operational, and commercial activities. In line with the vision of the NMDPRA which is “Enhancing lives through effective regulation of the Midstream and Downstream Petroleum Industry” and the mission which is “To be a world class regulator, promoting economic and social development through sustainable energy,” the Authority has used its core values of transparency, accountability, professionalism, integrity, innovation and teamwork to transform the downstream and midstream sector of the Nigerian economy.

At NMDPRA, the Chief Executive has

created an enabling environment that drives sustainable development across Nigeria’s Midstream and Downstream value chain for all stakeholders. Ahmed has been able to achieve this through effective regulatory oversight which accelerates and deepens the economic development while ensuring sufficient product distribution and supply at an equitable and fair price. Working with his management team and other key partners, the NMDPRA Boss has taken steps to deliver impeccable world class service to oil and gas stakeholders through professionalism.

Since 2021 when he was appointed, Ahmed has been taking gradual, but steady steps towards reforming the Authority in line with the provisions of the PIA 2021. A graduate of Southern Illinois University, Carbondale, USA, the NMDPRA Boss has shown that he is a round peg in a round hole as he continues to take critical decisions to ensure that the Authority’s mandates are achieved.

With a cumulative professional and career experience spanning over 34 years in the American technological space and in the Nigerian oil and gas industry, Ahmed’s expertise as a seasoned engineer and lawyer has, no doubt, been instrumental in giving the regulatory body the needed impetus to achieve its mandate. In line with the mandate to regulate and monitor midstream and downstream operations in and institutionalizes energy security, the Authority under the leadership of Ahmed has been focusing on key regulatory areas.

One of these areas is the attraction of decline in investment especially decrease in capital expenditure by 74 per cent within 2014 – 2022, the Authority is focused in turning around this negative tide by putting

for operators in the industry. Just recently, the Authority stated that it would create over $575bn in capital investment opportunities for Nigeria, through decarbonisation of operations.

Achieving this target of $575bn will

be made possible through the NMDPRA Industry Sustainability Initiative (NISI). NISI is meticulously designed to align with the Global Sustainability Development Goals (SDG 3 – Good Health and Well-Being, SDG 7 - Affordable and Clean Energy, SDG 8Decent Work and Economic Growth, SDG 9 - Industry, Innovation, and Infrastructure, SDG 11 - Sustainable Cities and Communities, SDG 13 - Climate Action, SDG 16 - Peace, Justice, and Strong Institutions, SDG 17 - Partnerships for the Goals). It forms the foundation to reduce emissions, enhance health and well-being, ensure affordable and clean energy, and promote safety and responsible economic growth.

This initiative aims to create over $575bn in capital investment opportunities for Nigeria through the decarbonization of operations. The investment opportunities are $272bn in power; $127bn in infrastructure; $96bn in oil and gas processing optimization; $80bn in industry and $2.8bn in clean cooking. Achieving this target would require government’s commitment and collaboration with the private sector using technological innovation.

The Authority has also been determining appropriate tariff methodology as well as setting cost benchmarks for midstream and downstream operations in addition to advising the government and stakeholders on commercial matters relating tariff and pricing framework. Two weeks ago, the Authority announced the establishment of the year 2024 Domestic Base Price and applicable wholesale price on natural gas for the strategic sectors. The announcement saw an increase in the price of natural gas for the strategic domestic sectors including power generation companies by 11 percent. The move is in line with the provisions of the Petroleum Industry Act, 2021, assented to by former President Muhammadu Buhari on the 16th of August 2021 and gazetted on the 27th of August 2021.

The increased gas pricing would incentivize gas suppliers to bring on-stream gas from higher cost fields. Without significant new gas development, the shortfall in gas supply by 2030 is expected to be as high as 3 BCF per day, exacerbating gas constraints to the power sector, and severely affecting facility utilization for commercial, GBI sectors, and export markets. This is why the PIA 2021 empowers the Authority to set prices of natural gas and to facilitate a shift to a willing buyer/willing seller market.

With this development, it is expected that new gas projects would start coming on-stream in late 2024 and with the new gas price, existing gas supply agreements will remain valid though new pricing is expected to take immediate effect. With the new gas prices, it is expected that Nigeria will continue to be competitive in comparison with other gas producing countries, and mitigations have been designed to cushion the impact on the lower income population, which would be rolled out accordingly.

With Ahmed at the helms of affairs, there is no doubt that he would continue to discharge the mandate of the NMDPRA in the interest of Nigeria and to support the federal government in ensuring that the country continues to derive value from the oil and gas sector.

The quest for democracy, democratisation and service delivery is an eternal one, contends

KAYODE SOREMEKUN

NIGERIA: DEMOCRACY, OMINOUS PROPHECIES AND SERVICE DELIVERY

The problem with a keynote address is that, the speaker has to contend with an informed audience whose members are very conversant with all the issues, which relate to the Nigerian condition or non-condition!! Some of them are even probably more informed on the issues of Nigerian democracy and service delivery. It is therefore something of a herculean task to come up with fresh perspectives on the Nigerian condition.

What strikes me however is that the NPSA appears to be travelling on an old road. For one can almost yawn that the discourse for this conference is on democracy. Even for the casual observer, it is possible to ask: again? But then it should be appreciated that, the democracy project, or better still, democratisation project can be described as an infinite process, in which on a perpetual basis, we will continue to work on this all important project. This is because at one level, it appears that there is really no alternative.

The point I am making here has been amply articulated by Adebayo Williams, a literary scholar whose academic interests border on the encyclopedic. According to this scholar, in his work titled: The fictionalisation of Democratic Struggles in Africa: The Nigerian Example, democracy is best seen as a process of perpetually becoming. He contends further that all arguments for and against it are stricken with intellectual futility since the thing at issue is indefinite. And if I may be allowed to add, the process is so indefinite that between now and eternity, the discourse on democracy and Nigeria will endure. The NPSA is therefore to be commended for adding its own weight to this eternal preoccupation.

Understandably and naturally, I have given some thoughts to what will constitute the kernel of my brief discourse today. Matters have not been helped by the fact that the situation in this social formation is in a flux. Despite this flux, a certain and inclement reality appears to pervade the atmosphere. Living conditions continue to worsen with the concomitant and deepening misery of the populace.

As far as I can recall, this regression or descent into hellish existence has been with us from the dawn of time. Here, permit me, to recall one of the seductive phrases, which in the seventies spoke to our unwholesome situation. It was coined by our departed and inimitable colleague-the late Professor Ayo Olukotun. As far back as the seventies, our dear and departed compatriot spoke along the following lines. Broken Promises In Search of Reasons....

What becomes clear from the immediate foregoing is that our current and dire situation goes back to the seventies and even well before then. Therefore, and in order to fully apprehend the situation, an instant coffee solution will not do. We must think hard and long for us to appreciate fully our untoward circumstances. In contending thus, we may as well ask: When did this rain start to beat us?

Which is why, I have had to draw on famous Nigerian writers like Chinua Achebe and Wole Soyinka to, as it were, come to grips with our contemporary and harsh realities. Even then, a Chinua Achebe appears to be steeped in some smug assumptions when he laconically deposed in his last famous work that: There Was A Country.

However, and in the course of this

address, attempts will be made to challenge Achebe’s presumption that, There Was a Country: My pointed counter to this deposition of Achebe is this: Did we even, ever have a country? At first glance, this question, counter and irreverent assertion may sound outlandish. But in the true intellectual spirit, which is supposed to hallmark our vocation, evidence can in fact be marshalled to indicate that indeed; there was never any country.

And the immediate foregoing may well explain why, since 1960, this country has lurched from one portal of gloom to another. For let us face it, a thoughtful survey of our political and economic circumstances since 1960 will reveal that what passes for Nigeria, has merely stumbled from crisis to the other.

At this juncture, If I may be allowed to reiterate, the inherent assumption as deposed by Achebe is that, there was a country and that somewhere along the line, we lost that country. But the counter point here is this: Can you ever lose what you never had?

One can easily forgive Achebe for this presumption. After all, as he went through the formal and informal motions of prestigious institutions like Government College Umuahia and the University of Ibadan, there was that euphoric wave which carried him and others along such that the thinking was that we indeed had a country.

Incidentally and ironically enough, Achebe himself appeared to have signposted us as regards what we never had, in his classic and seminal work: ‘Things Fall Apart.’ Since things have fallen apart, have we been able to put them together? I leave you to answer this question in the light of the searing realities, which continue to hallmark our existence.

And given the high-voltage profile of this audience, ladies, and gentlemen, you are best placed to answer this question.

Again, this stark pessimism of mine has been borne out by yet another literary giant our own, Wole Soyinka. In one of his books, he revealed the epiphany, which dawned on him when he encountered our nationalists who had gone to London to negotiate independence for us.

According to him what he saw, was a bankrupt and desiccated lot who would not be able to take Nigeria and Nigerians anywhere. Up till that time and as he revealed in one of his books; his avowed aim was to go to South Africa and take up arms against the then apartheid regime.

But when he saw the binging and the wrenching as well as the other indices of decadence which hall-marked the behaviour of our so called nationalists during the constitutional conferences which eventually led to independence, he knew that our nation was going to be something of a stillbirth at inception.

Soremekun,isProfessorofInternationalRelations, DeptofPoliticalScience,LagosStateUniversity, Ojo,Lagos

BELLO, EFCC AND THE LAW

The EFCC should act within the law, argues CHETAM NWOBODO

It is now all clear that the Economic and Financial Crimes Commission (EFCC) is standing both legalism and logic on the head in the case of former Kogi governor, Alhaji Yahaya Bello. With the frenzy and desperation it exhibited these past days, the EFCC is justifying the pervasive notion that it’s being used as an instrument of political vendetta rather than as an anti-graft institution set up by law and obligated to be law-abiding in the discharge of its duties.

Statutorily, EFCC has the right and privilege to investigate, arrest and prosecute persons allegedly involved in financial crimes. But the law does not permit EFCC to disavow any order and judgment of a court as the case may be in the discharge of its lawful duties. Otherwise the commission ceases to serve justice but prejudice.

In the case of Bello compared to several other cases, past and present, EFCC is fulfilling the 1963 epic declaration of US Black rights activist, Dr. Martin Luther King who said that “injustice anywhere is a threat to justice everywhere.” Prima facie, EFCC has shown elements of bias, injustice and unfair treatment towards Bello in the manner the commission has harassed and publicly persecuted and traumatized the former Kogi governor. Many now wonder, is Bello’s case beyond justice. Is it criminal prosecution or judicial persecution?

Let it be known that nobody is stopping the EFCC from performing its duties. But let it also be made clear that EFCC should never be seen to be lawless in the course of discharging its mandate. If EFCC wants to be regarded as a lawabiding agency, it must show consistency in that regard. Picking and choosing which law or court order to obey at the whim of whoever issues a command to the commission is not grand, neither self-respecting. Yahaya Bello’s media and legal teams have never shied away from the law. They insist their principal’s case should be treated within the limits of the rule of law. Even more obvious is the fact that Bello himself has demonstrated superior allegiance to the rule of law than the EFCC itself. He has step by step turned to the court of law for redress.

A High Court in Lokoja has issued an order restraining the EFCC from arresting, harassing, detaining and prosecuting Bello. The EFCC has appealed this judgment.

Why then should the same EFCC go ahead to declare Bello wanted or even expect him to appear in court without the appellate court vacating the order of the Kogi High Court on a case bordering on the fundamental rights of Bello, a constitutional right for that matter. As it stands now, neither EFCC nor Bello should take further action on the matter until the Appeal Court determines the case. To do so is tantamount to contempt of court. The Appeal hearing of the case. All parties should wait for the appellate court either to vacate or uphold the order.

In the case of Military Governor of Lagos vs Ojukwu, the Supreme Court eloquently set the legal order when it ruled that once a matter is in court, all parties should respect the court proceedings. Nigerian jurisprudence mirrors the classic Roman legal system of the Doctrine of innocence (Ei incumbit, probatio qui dicit, non qui negat, in Latin) which places the burden of proof on he who declares, not on he who denies.

Every move made by EFCC suggests that the commission has already found Bello guilty of the crime before trial. Or how do we justify the lack of restraint and discipline by EFCC not to wait for the adjudication on a case it appealed? Why the hurry to nail Bello before even hearing his own side of the story? And what is so special about the Bello case that the EFCC is excitedly willing to spurn a court order restraining it from arresting Bello when the same EFCC has over time respected court orders, some curious and spurious, obtained by other politically exposed persons.

A few cases will suffice. For over 16 years, Dr. Peter Odili, a former governor of Rivers State procured a court order restraining the EFCC from arresting and prosecuting him. EFCC has obeyed that order ever since. The operatives did not invade Odili’s home, neither have they subjected him to media trial. Bello Matawalle, a former governor of Zamfara still enjoys his court order handed to him in June 2023 by the Federal High Court sitting in Gusau, Zamfara State, which restrained the EFCC from further inviting, arresting or detaining present or past officials of the State government including Matawalle with respect to how funds meant for security votes, estacodes, traveling allowances or any similar facts were expended by his administration. Case closed. Today, he’s the Minister of state for Defence. He does not enjoy immunity even as minister, yet EFCC did not harass him and will not.

Abdullahi Ganduje has been accused of corruption in his Kano State, a crime he allegedly committed while serving as governor. He is currently the chairman of the ruling All Progressives Congress (APC). He enjoys a restraining court order and despite the weighty allegations against him by Kano State government, Ganduje continues to superintend over his party, a free man. Abdullaziz Yari, another former governor of Zamfara still enjoys his court order which restrained EFCC, ICPC and DSS from arresting him. He is a serving Senator and EFCC is aware of this. No harassment, arrest or arraignment over alleged corruption because of court order. Several other cases including Nyesom Wike, now a minister, using court order to stop the arrest of his former appointees including the current governor of Rivers state, Sim Fubara. What is sauce for the goose should be sauce for the gander. If EFCC has obeyed court orders in the afore-listed cases and others, it should do same in the case of Yahaya Bello. He is not an alien, but a Nigerian fully entitled to his fundamental human rights. The actions of EFCC so far in the case of Bello are premeditated and prejudicial. How do you explain the misnomer that one of EFCC’s counsels is also a lawyer to a political party that Bello and his APC defeated in Kogi? This is an aberrant legal representation that mocks decency and promotes prejudice.

EFCC is casting doubts in the minds of Nigerians and by extension, in the minds of the courts of law about its ability to uphold justice and fairness in the trending case with the ex-Kogi governor. In criminal law, if there is any doubt created in the mind of the law, the judge or the court, the case is usually resolved in favour of the accused.

EFCC AND THE YAHAYA BELLO DRAMA

Bello should stand up and defend his record in office

To willfully hinder, delay or obstruct arresting a criminal suspect anywhere in the world is a serious offence.

be involved in such action is even more shocking. By allegedly shielding his predecessor, Yahaya Bello, from arrest by the Economic and Financial Crimes Commission (EFCC) last week, Kogi State Governor, Usman Ododo demonstrated not only a high degree of irresponsibility but also a gross abuse of po wer. But we commend the EFCC for avoiding being dragged into a constitutional minefield. We also condemn Bello’s refusal to submit himself to the law. According to the 19-count criminal charge, the former governor and his nephew, Ali Bello (currently the Chief of Staff to the incumbent Governor Ododo) as well as Dauda Suleiman and Abdulsalam Hudu are being accused of laundering the total sum of N80bn, belonging to Kogi State. Bello has been declared wanted by the EFCC, after his absence from the Federal High Court in Abuja “stalled his arraignment.” The Nigeria Immigration Service (NIS) has also placed him on watchlist while the Nigeria Police Force (NPF) has ordered the withdrawal of his orderlies. If he is wise, this is the time for the former governor to turn himself in. Recourse to lawlessness is unbefitting of a man who held such a high office for eight years. Nor can Bello use the courts to prevent the anti-corruption agency from doing its work.

elementary decency requires that the lawyer should ask the former governor to surrender himself to the EFCC.

However, it is also important for the EFCC to learn some lessons from this unfortunate development. While the frequency of exgovernors’ trials may indicate the prevalence a suspicion that appearance and drama have overtaken substance and earnestness at the

when the EFCC is putting up a dramatic show of authority and when it is engaged in the nitty gritty established. In some cases, like that of the former governor of Zamfara State, Bello Matawalle, who is now Minister of State for Defence, EFCC conveniently

The sensitive public is now finding it increasingly difficult to draw the line between when the EFCC is putting up a dramatic show of authority and when it is engaged in the nitty gritty of the fight against corruption for which it was established

Even in the instant case of Bello, the EFCC is notorious for staging this kind of drama against former governors at the end of which no credible evidence is presented to secure court conviction. We recall the 18 March 2022 drama involving the immediate past Governor of Anambra State, Willie Obiano, after performing his last duty: the swearing in of his successor, Chukwuma Soludo. Obiano had been intercepted at the Lagos airport and stopped from travelling to the United States. While in EFCC custody in Abuja, a degrading video of him was leaked to social media. The real trial is scheduled to begin only in June this year despite putting up an elaborate show.

In objecting to the arraignment of his client before the Federal High Court Abuja, Bello’s lawyer, AbdulWahab Mohammed says the court lacks jurisdiction. “Our contention is that the defendant on record is not a fugitive. We are talking of rule of law, not rule of force,” argued Mohammed who insists that Bello is innocent. “We are contending that the warrant of arrest was given outside jurisdiction because there is a judgment.” Valid points no doubt, but since the law is no respecter of persons,

Overall, it is important that incumbent president and governors fully understand the full implications of the loss of immunity at the end of their tenure. It means a total submission to the rule of law. It also means preparedness to defend their records as they re-enter society as rise above petty unbecoming drama and face the law. He has the chance to prove his innocence and hopefully thwart his detractors if indeed the accusations against him turn out to be false and baseless.

LETTERS NIGERIA AND THE SPECTRE OF INSECURITY

Ghosts are on the loose in Kogi State. On 4th August 2024, gunmen invaded Agojeju-Odo in Omala Local Government Area of the State and killed many people. The deadly attack has elicited the usual noise from the authorities: The killers will be caught and punished. The communities would be secured. So far, there’s been nothing said about compensation, how to compensate the living for the losses in a country that is failing to secure them.

The clearest hurdle to Nigeria’s rather feeble efforts to check those who kill and destroy its people is that there is no genuine commitment. If there was, the bloody experience of the last decade would have been mined to provide a lasting solution to insecurity.

Every society exists on the basis of a social contract variously hailed as the masterpiece of social engineering. When a

social contract acquires a sacred status. It is this sanctity that the Nigerian government is currently desecrating by failing to keep lives and property safe.

Staring perpetual displacement in the face, the victims of the attacks have appealed to the government that they want to return home or the husk that is left of it. They must struggles of an insecure country along the lines of its failure to secure its people.

Nigeria has become one large litter of displaced people woven together by their anguished desire to return home. Some of them have suffered the spectral humiliation of their attackers occupying their ancestral homes. Some of them have nothing to return to but memories, but are homesick because the squalid camps where they live in render their displacement in even starker relief. But

to return, the ghosts, those they know and those they are better off not knowing must what to do with memory but especially how to treat crime so that criminals no longer have to control the lives of their victims.

Nigeria has tried to wear a human face when dealing with terrorism that has cruelly derailed its progress as a nation. It has sought to redeem the humanity of repentant terrorists by reinforcing not their crimes but the human response to changing circumstances, by rehabilitating and repatriating them to some of the communities they once devastated. If it echoes some of Rwanda’s disconcerting post- genocide experience of perpetrators and victims living cheeks by jowls, it is also a testament to the human capacity to forgive.

However, the government must attempt

the impossible this time around: to break the fall of victims of yet another attack on defenceless community, and most importantly, latch the door after they have gone through. The good people of Agojeju-Odo deserve to exit the grim hopelessness of their present situation and be supported by the government to return to some semblance of normalcy.

The door must be shut against these agents of insecurity once and for all.

Nigeria’s security agencies usually so driven in the pursuit of petty criminals including crossdressers and internet fraudsters must now show that they have an appetite for bigger have so far proven to be formidable foes.

Ike Willie-Nwobu, Ikewilly9@gmail.com

Israeli Genocidal Crimes in Gaza and Global Aficionados: The Emerging ABUAD School of Thought

Israelo-Palestinian Gaza war is particularly most disturbing for different special reasons. First, it has special aficionados, who, as a result of their special interest in the war, are prolonging the war. Benjamin Netanyahu, the Israeli Prime Minister, is at the epicenter of the aficionados. As epicentre, he needs the continuation of the war to sustain his political survival and to stay further in power. Other aficionados, like Germany, United Sates, and the United Kingdom, do also prolong the war by supplying Israel with arms and sustaining the war effort of Israel. Their interest in Israel completely ignores the implication of the Israeli genocide that they are also violating the Genocide Convention.

Secondly, Germany was the agent provocateur in the First Genocide of the 20th Century. The first genocide was the German genocide of the Nama and the Herero people which took place from 1904 to 1907 in Namibia. Germans were directly involved in the genocide by dispatching soldiers from Germany to Namibia to deal with the rebellion of the Herero. The Herero are the indigenous people of Namibia, Botswana and Angola. Again the first genocide in the 21st Century is the ongoing Israeli genocide in Gaza. In both cases, Germany was and still is, an agent provocateur. Germans are also directly supplying arms to Israel, which has prompted Nicaragua to take Germany to the International Court of Justice (ICJ), alleging complicity and therefore of violation of the Geneva Convention on the Prevention and Punishment of the Crime of Genocide.

The Nama and the Herero genocide was a resultant from the rebellion-led by Chief Samuel Maharero on 12 January, 1904. The rebellion was in protest against government’s policy of systematic land confiscation and encouragement of more German settlement in Namibia. Lieutenant-General Lothar von Trotha and the German colonial forces were directly responsible for the genocidal crimes. In between 24,000 and 100,000 Herero were killed, while 10,000 Nama people were killed. The current Israeli genocide of Palestinians is generating global concerns in the context of how to maintain international peace and security.

Israeli Genocidal Crimes in Gaza

Opinion is divided as to whether one can rightly talk about Israeli genocidal crimes. Those who argue that there is nothing like genocide are either mouthpieces of the western aficionados of Israel. They plead the case of right of legitimate defence. They also say the Israelis are children of God and, therefore, should not have been attacked. The proponents of Israeli genocidal crimes underscore the factors of injustice, Israeli violations of international humanitarian law and the reckless abuses of the right of legitimate self-defence.

The 2024 Diplomatic Dialogue Forum had Professor Bola A. Akinterinwa as the Guest Speaker. He spoke on “The IsraeliPalestine Geo-Political Conflict: Implications for Global Peace and Security in the 21st Century.’ Contrarily to the opponents of genocidal crimes in Gaza, Professor Akinterinwa argued based stricto and lasu sensu, that there was no way Israeli genocidal crimes would not be established based in light of the Genocide Convention.

Besides, he contended that ‘there is no time genocide cannot be committed. It can be committed at a time of peace and at a time of war.’ As defined in Article II of the 1948 Geneva Convention, genocide is ‘any of the following acts committed with intent to destroy in whole or in part, a national, ethnical, racial or religious, such as a) killing members of the group; b) causing serious bodily or mental harm to members of the group; c) deliberately inflicting on the group conditions of life calculated to bring about its physical destruction in whole or in part; d) imposing measures intended to prevent births within the group; e) and forcibly transferring children of the group to another group.’ It is necessary to also ask why the main targets of the Israeli Defence Forces are the internationally-protected people, the non-combatants, libraries, hospitals. How do we explain the fact that Israel has only succeeded in destroying 200

Netanyahu

cultural and historical sites partially or totally? As told by Clothilde Mraffko and Samuel Forey, ‘all that remains of the Al-Omari Mosque… are a dew sections of wall and the minaret. The building, built on the foundation of a philistine temple, then by a Byzantine church, was largely destroyed by an Israeli bombardment on December 8. Its library, built next to it and housing rare manuscripts dating back to the 14th century, suffered the same fate.’ The question is why not seek to kill the combatants? Why seek to destroy sources of knowledge? The destruction of historical monuments, educational schools and institutional reservoirs of insformation is very genocidal in character as well.

It is very useful at this juncture to understand the implication of genocide in its ramifications. First, ‘intent’ is an important definitional factor of genocide. In other words, genocide is any act committed ‘with intent to destroy…’ In this case, when is the determination of ‘intent’? When does an intent exist? Does it exist after the commission of the crime of genocide or before the commission of the offence? As we noted in our paper at ABUAD, Israel had truly engaged in genocidal crimes because a genocidal crime necessarily exists even by mere declaration of an

One major question that the Israeli genocide has thrown up, even from the time of Nigeria’s independence, is what should be the national interest to be protected in terms of foreign policy attitude towards Israel. It can be argued that there was no case for the commission of the crime of genocide as at 1960. However, the fact was that Israel was an active supporter of apartheid South Africa, and Nigeria’s foreign policy attitude not only made Africa a primary operational area of priority, but was also ‘No Compromise with Apartheid.’ Most unfortunately, however, Nigeria was sharply divided over what the foreign policy should be. While the Western and Eastern regional governments wanted diplomatic relations with Israel, regardless of Israel’s support for apartheid and discrimination against Africans and Black people, Sir Ahmadu Bello, the then Premier of the North and Sardauna of Sokoto, was against evolving an entente with Israel. At the end, Alhaji Abubakar Tafawa Balewa, a deputy to Ahmadu Bello, decided in his capacity as Prime Minister, to allow Israel to open a diplomatic mission in Lagos but Nigeria would not establish a resident mission in Tel Aviv until 1992 when Ambassador Ignatius Olisemeka was accredited as Nigeria’s plenipotentiary ambassador to Israel. Today, where does Nigeria stand in the face of Israel’s genocidal crimes: neutrality, partisanship, or what? “

intention to engage in the act. This was what Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu did when he made it clear in his policy declaration that the intention of the Israeli government is ‘to wipe out anything Hamas and Palestinian in Gaza.’ Additionally, and perhaps more importantly, the UN Special Rapporteur on the situation of human rights in Palestine said Israel had committed genocidal crime. Prime Minister Netanyahu also predicted the war to last until 2025. This means that the genocidal crimes are being projected to last until 2025.

Secondly, the issue of genocide has seriously damaged the political integrity of both the Israelis and the Americans. The good image of the Americans is necessarily tainted because of the support of US government for Israel even in the face of genocidal atrocities. Israelis are generally perceived to be very stubborn even as recorded in the Holy Bible. The most dependable ally of the Israelis, the United States, is no longer able to put the Israelis under their control.

Thirdly, and perhaps most unfortunately, the number of countries showing animosity vis-à-vis the mania of Israel’s reckless and indiscriminate killing of Palestinians, especially unarmed children, the killing of UN aid workers with the effrontery of suggesting that it was a grave error have all combined to give increasing support to South Africa’s call on the International Court of Justice to look into South Africa’s violation of the Genocide Convention. In this regard, Nicaragua has taken Germany to Court for supplying arms to Israel. Colombia has also asked the same ICJ for authorization to join the suit. As a matter of fact, the international community is currently considering the establishment of a State of Palestine with or without the consent of Israel on the basis of the 1948 decision of a 2-State approach. The enemies of Israel are increasing, the conflict is deepening, andssss an end appears not to be in sight.

Before the exegesis of the emerging ABUAD school of thought on the Israelo-Palestinian conflict, it is also useful to recall the foundational pillars as espoused by Chief Afe Babalola in his write-up in the Vanguard Newspapers published on November 22, 2023. Chief Afe Babalola first asked whether there would be an end to the hate between the Palestinians and the Israelis. He looked at the problem from a historical perspective and considered that the main bone of contention is ownership of the land of Canaan in which three specific areas are in contention: Gaza Strip, located between modern-day Israel and Egypt; the Golan Heights, located between Syria and modern-day Israel; and the West Bank between modern-day Israel and Jordan.

Without any shadow of doubt, Chief Afe Babalola established a very extensive farm land to boost food security and exportable farming products. He has an industrial park by the side of the farm land, where the agricultural products harvested are also processed on the ground for export. There is a Youth Empowerment training facility. For further self-reliance, a water damn is currently under construction to water the mango farm, beehive farm, pepper processing factory, over 150 fish ponds, moringa and teaks plantation, etc. With these endeavours, Chief Afe Babalola wants to bring about international peace and understanding in fighting global conflicts, apparently in the strong belief that an angry man is a hungry man. In the absence of hunger, the mind can be better settled to fight societal ills. But can there really be peace?

Aficionados and the ABUAD School of Thought

Without any whiff of sdoubt, the Afe Babalola University, Ado Ekiti (ABUAD) is a special privately-owned university in Nigeria. It is special because it is seeking international peace and security through knowledge dissemination, industrial and entrepreneurial engagements, promotion of good health, and philanthropic commitment to community development. Additionally, it is located on 130 hectares of land and at an altitude of more than 1,500 feet above sea level, thus providing a cool environment for learning and sporting activities. In the words of the Management of the ABUAD, the university ‘is a model which is unique in many ways… It is the only university in Nigeria, which, prior to the issuance of provisional license by the Federal Government of Nigeria, moved its permanent site and constructed magnificent College buildings and College Hostels, Staff quarters and equipped with modern teaching facilities, including E-learning platform and electronic boards within eight months.

And perhaps more interestingly,ABUAD is quite special because ‘it is the only university founded by an acclaimed educationist, the twice winner of the best Pro-Chancellor of all universities in Nigeria; a former Pro-Chancellor of the University of Lagos, Chairman of Committee of Pro-Chancellors of Nigeria Universities and Member of the Club of Rectors of Europe.’ In other words, the definition of the goodness of the ABUAD is also explicated by the societal status and integrity of the founder.

One cardinal objective of the ABUAD is to provide and lead others ‘in quality education, service, industry and character as… discipline operates the collegiate system.’ The ABUAD has five colleges of which one is the College of Social and Management Sciences specially reputed by the Chancellor to be actively engaged intellectually in sharing ideas on the maintenance of international peace and development.

Oshey! The Koko Master, D’banj, Still Thrills on Stage 20 Years After

In 2004, when most Gen Zs were still children, Oladapo Daniel Oyebanjo emerged on the music scene as a young chap eager to conquer the music industry with his infectious persona. It was the era of Nigerian pop music and young artists, determined to carve a niche for themselves through their authentic Nigerian sounds were popping up.

Oyebanjo, better known as D’banj, armed with an irresistible charm and a pocketful of captivating lingos stood out among the pack with his music, teasing with singles such as ‘Mobolowowon,’ ‘Tongolo’ and ‘Socor.’ With the release of his debut album ‘No Long Thing’ in 2005, D’banj swiftly ascended to stardom, earning him the moniker ‘The Entertainer’ for his charismatic stage presence and electrifying performances, whether shirtless or not.

Fast forward twenty years and D’banj’s magnetic stage presence remains undiminished, as evidenced by his recent electrifying performance at the Trace Naija Live concert. Held as part of his 20thanniversary celebrations in the music industry, the event drew a motley crowd of music enthusiasts to the Terra Kulture Arena in Victoria Island, Lagos.

Hosted by Lasisi Elenu, the evening kicked off with light-hearted banter, accompanied by stand-up comedy from Pencil and pulsating beats from DJ Consequence and an

opening act from multi-talented Nas Boi who got the audience moving with his anthem, ‘Umbrella.’

The stage was then set for D’banj’s grand entrance, with his official MC Jimmie Akinsola hyping him.

D’banj emerged on stage in a glittering outfit that matched the chains on his neck. Accompanied by his impressive 14-piece band, including two-time Grammy Award-winner Lekan Babalola and acclaimed guitarist Fiokee, he took the crowd on a nostalgic musical journey, opening with ‘Mobolowowon’ on his harmonica.

Moved by the performance, the Koko Master couldn’t help but acknowledge the presence of Gen Zs in the crowd, observing their enthusiastic sing-along to ‘Mobolowowon.’ However, the song held a deeper significance for him.

Over the past few years, D’banj faced numerous challenges, including a financial fraud allegation. Standing on stage, surrounded by loyal fans who stood by him during those difficult times, D’banj felt a sense of gratitude towards the Supreme One. He expressed his thankfulness for being able to continue entertaining his fans and for being cleared of the charges against him. As he addressed the crowd, he reflected on how ‘Mobolowowon’ symbolized his escape from those trying times.

His next song ‘Olorun Ma Je’ followed a similar trajectory, showing how he had overcome the challenges of life despite evil wishes on him.

Tingo MD, Mr Macaroni, Others

Sospiro Fragrances Launch

On Thursday, April 18, the founder of Seinde Signature, Olufemi Olaseinde Olusola, alongside the General Manager Oreoluwa Olaseinde unveiled the latest fragrance collection of Christian Provenzano and Sospiro to the Nigerian market.

In a cozy event at Kaly Restaurant in Victoria Island, Lagos, that had in attendance popular personalities like the skit maker and actor Adebowale Adebayo, better known as Mr Macaroni, the former wife of the Ooni of Ife, Queen Silekunola Naomi Ogunwusi, and MD Tingo Media, Ebuwa Martins Agbonwaneten, Olusola introduced the different fragrances created by Provenzano, a renowned nose and grandmaster scent creator.

Provenzano’s eponymous CP brand was created a while ago but is now relaunched in 2024.

“It was formerly in black long square bottles but they were discontinued. So he changed the bottles and relaunched it this year,” explained Oreoluwa.

The new collection now comes in exquisite

D’banj segued to ‘Fall in Love’ where he encouraged the crowd to express their love to their loved ones. Other songs he performed include ‘Suddenly,’ ‘Igwe,’ and ‘Tongolo’ among others.

Throughout his over onehour-long set, D’banj engaged the audience with his trademark dance moves and interactive stage presence, ensuring that every attendee felt valued and appreciated. For instance, he rained heartfelt prayers on them and even lauded every independent successful individual in the gathering. Of course, there were moments when he went shirtless, just to show the ladies (and men too) how ‘Endowed’ he was. Only once did he change his outfit to black sequined pants and a cropped unbuttoned white jacket.

In addition to thrilling the crowd with his classic hits, D’banj also teased his upcoming album, ‘The Entertainer (The Sequel),’ treating fans to a sneak peek of what’s to come, including ‘Taya’ (featuring Zlatan, Timaya, Kayswitch, Bhadboi DML), ‘Since 04,’ and ‘Serious.’ Special guest Reekado Banks further delighted fans with songs such as ‘Ozumba Mbadiwe.’

While appreciating Trace for putting together the concert, D’banj explained that the event was just a teaser of what was to come during his 20-year musical odyssey. Earlier, D’Banj had unveiled a partnership between his D’Kings Men Media Limited and The Temple Company, a foremost entertainment and production powerhouse, to drive

‘Brain

Vanessa Obioha

activities marking his anniversary celebration. The partnership will see him go on a global city tour alongside various initiatives highlighting African talent and their rights.

The New York African Film Festival has announced the documentary ‘Brain Drain’ as the official closing film for its 2024 edition.

‘Brain Drain’ is produced by Mr Collins Akpapunam, the Head Honcho at Efizzi Communications, a Lagos/US-based multidimensional digital content-creating company with an emphasis on social issue documentaries and short films.

In the documentary, Akpapunam examined the effects of migration on the host country and the country of origin. The high rate of migration has been a concern for Nigeria in the past few years given the high cost of living and other economic hardships. The documentary plumbed the effects of migration from the lenses of Nigerian Americans who are excelling in their chosen fields. ‘Brain Drain’ premiered at the UN auditorium in Abuja, in August 2023 and did a pit-stop screening at the American Film Institute and Cultural Center downtown Silver

Spring MD, USA, both to critical acclaim. With the support of APSS and the International Organisation for Migration, the documentary was screened in Lagos at EbonyLife Place, Victoria Island.

“The selection of ‘Brain Drain’ by the board of the African Film Festival New York, as the closing documentary feature film at the 31st anniversary of the three-week-long festival is a huge recognition of my work,” said Akpapunam. “It is one of the 30 documentaries from Africa’s 54 countries that has put the documentary format on a world stage.”

Founded in 1993, the New York African Film Festival has been at the forefront of celebrating the unique storytelling of filmmakers in Africa and the African diaspora. The theme of the 31st edition, ‘Convergence of Time’, delves into the historical and contemporary roles of individuals in the representation of art in Africa and its diaspora. It is scheduled from May 8 to June 1, 2024.

shorter square emerald green bottles with bejewelled caps to showcase luxury. The CP brand boasts 11 fragrances spread across older scents and new fragrances.

“They are all extraite de parfume, so higher oil concentration than the regular ones which means that they would last longer and project more as well,” said Oreoluwa. The CP fragrances boast fruity, spicy and woody notes and include Cuir Elite, among other scents. Sospiro, another world-renowned perfume brand in the niche market, paraded 17 fragrances, also created by Provenzano.

It is especially known for distinctive opulence concerning the ingredients that are used in its production as well as the exquisite packaging as each is wrapped in suede. The range is inspired by the sophistication and beauty of classical music.

With the launch of the two world-class brands, Seinde Signature scores a major milestone as it is the first time the brands are launching in Africa. Seinde Signature Ltd is the Nigerian sole distributor of the brand.

Vanessa Obioha

Grace Seinde Signature Christian Provenzano,

Olaseinde and Macaroni at CP and Sospiro launch

‘Brain Drain’ producer Collins Akpapunam

Vanessa Obioha

Portrait of a Polymath Kayode Aderinokun

A man of many parts with an intriguing personality, Chief Kayode Aderinokun has made significant strides across various sectors of the economy. From media and advertising to banking, mining, manufacturing, politics, and creative arts, he has left his mark in each domain. With roles on the boards of numerous companies, both locally and internationally, Chief Aderinokun’s versatility and leadership shine through. In a recent encounter, Vanessa Obioha delves into the intricate layers of his multifaceted persona

Nigerians Have the Amazing Capacity to Create in All Forms of Life

Lately, Chief Kayode Aderinokun has been deeply pondering humanity, nature, and the quest for order and survival in our society. These thoughts weigh on him, especially considering our limited space and resources, and how often we seem to overlook this reality.

“We don’t seem to love ourselves enough to preserve the little we have,” he said on a recent morning chat in his abode in Lagos.

“That bothers me a lot. Look at the environment, look at the carnage we inflict on it. And we don’t seem to be alert to any of these.”

More specifically, Chief Aderinokun is concerned about our lost humanity, wondering if anyone would remain if we control life itself.

The present realities differ vastly from Chief Aderinokun’s formative years. The septuagenarian was born in Kano State and raised partly as a northerner. His mother, Madam Rebecca Aderinokun, was a trader and often engaged in businesses with the northerners. This provided Aderinokun access to the people, embracing their beauty and warmth, such that he was bestowed with the Hausa name Balarabe, typically given to Wednesday-born babies.

The Aderinokuns lived in the Sabon Gari area of the state, a hub for nonnortherners, where he mingled with diverse tribes.

“I saw the beauty and kindness of humanity. There were no walls demarcating our houses. Most of our

distinguish Nigeria too because our capacity seems to be limitless. We can actually translate it into an economic agenda. Do you want to talk about sports where we are not especially good but notwithstanding, we still hold our own in our small space? And if you want to talk about the creative arts, can one put a price tag on some of the amazing things that are coming out of here? I don’t even want to limit it to that. Is it by chance that there are so many Nigerian doctors in America in key positions?

“I went to Perth, Australia, 20 years ago. I was amazed when my host told me that there were 70 Nigerian doctors in Perth. I was in Melbourne two years ago and I was amazed at the number of Nigerians doing well there. Those are the remote parts of the world coming from where we are.”

“More recently,” he continued, “I cite technology. I don’t think anything can hold us back in technology. We are going to break bounds despite our setbacks.”

As someone who experienced Nigeria during a time of ease and affordable living, Chief Aderinokun remains optimistic about the country’s future. He reminisced about a time when his salary as a clerk in the Lagos City Council, a little over £16, afforded him a comfortable lifestyle.

“That money was enough to give me a good life. When Pelé (the Brazilian football legend) came to Nigeria, not only did I pay to watch him, but I also paid for my younger brother, Tayo, who is late now. When James Brown came, we did the same thing. It’s hard to tell people that even the transportation system then was organised.”

Yet, Chief Aderinokun is confident that Nigeria will get back its groove with restructuring. Though he commended the present administration of President Bola Tinubu, he believes that more can be done.

impress, and upon moving abroad for studies, he garnered attention for his exceptional skills, ultimately earning the position of editor for the university magazine.

Despite his remarkable writing abilities, Chief Aderinokun grappled with the idea of solely relying on writing for a living. Fortunately, it was during a period of nationalisation in the economy, and opportunities emerged in advertising. With aspirations of pursuing a career in advertising and public relations while still nurturing his passion for writing, he initially began as a copywriter. But his entrepreneurial spirit led him to explore various business ventures.

However, it was his collection of poems ‘Inferno in the Rain’ that thrust him into global spotlight.

Despite being a successful business executive at the time, his enduring passion for the arts remained irresistible. First published in 1995, ‘Inferno in the Rain’ contains timeless poems that resonate with our present-day social and political conflicts. For instance, in ‘Chaos Incognito,’ he poses poignant questions about the consequences of our actions. The closing line “When heroes hawk our faith, who conjures dreams for the foetus,” particularly encapsulates the political leadership dilemma faced by the country today.

“Some of the ideas still resonate, almost prophetic. We did not know that Nigeria was going to get to this point. We didn’t know.”

Oftentimes, people have queried his decision to remain in the country given that he has the resources to relocate to any part of the world. His response remains unchanged.

neighbours were Igbos and we used to traverse the supposed divide to go and eat in each other’s house. And each of the parents will virtually take ownership of you, including discipline; they don’t need to apologise to anybody.”

This spirit of oneness was further seen during an ill-advised riot in Kano between the northerners and the Igbos. His parents risked their safety to protect the Igbos, hiding them in their home, and refusing to divulge their whereabouts despite threats.

“That act still sticks with me. I wonder how many lives were saved because of that shared humanity. For me now, when we play up division and tribalism, it hurts me. When you start seeing major divisions, starting with colour, which is global, then you come back to your home state, and you see the same, it is baffling.”

While Chief Aderinokun could not provide an immediate answer to the scarcity of humanity in today’s Nigeria, he takes comfort in the nation’s abundant creativity, seeing it as a beacon of hope amidst numerous challenges. He explained his bias for creativity this way:

“Our economy has been in trouble for quite some time now and I always tell people that at the risk of contradicting some economic analysis, I believe creativity is such an inherent part of Nigeria.”

According to him, Nigeria’s creativity is evident in many sectors of the economy.

“We have this amazing capacity to create in all forms of life. And I

A man of many parts with each layer revealing an intriguing personality, Chief Aderinokun has straddled many sectors of the economy; from media and advertising, banking, mining, manufacturing, and politics to creative arts. He sits on the boards of many companies, both local and international. He is also the younger brother of the late famed journalist, Eddie Aderinokun and the older brother of Tayo Aderinokun, the late founder of Guaranty Trust Bank, now GTCO Plc.

Of all his endeavours, Chief Aderinokun’s love for the creative arts is fascinating. The walls of his home are adorned with paintings alongside shelves filled with books. He humorously remarked that he and his daughter playfully competed for space to accommodate their growing collection of books. These literary treasures keep his mind engaged, even during restless nights.

His proclivity towards the arts was inspired by his late brother Eddie who encouraged him to write, even though he knew he had the gift of writing. He traced the creative zest in his family to his mother whom he fondly remembers as a passionate storyteller.

“My mother especially had this incredible knack for storytelling. She would give you a vivid acc ount of where she’s been, who she met, what the weather was like, who wore what, what colour, whether it was matching or not. She would go into detail about the co untenance on their faces, what transpired in the place and how she dealt with it in sequence. That was Madam Rebecca Aderinokun. She was extraordinary.”

With his brother’s influence in the media, Chief Aderinokun started contributing entertainment articles to newspapers after high school. His writing prowess continued to

“If I choose to relocate, in the culture of extended family, how many of my extended family can I carry along? That’s food for thought. I simply think that the word hope again pops up. We have to ensure that we don’t give up. Even in this seemingly intractable condition we found ourselves in, you still found some gems; against plenty of odds.”

Chief Aderinokun is not unaware of the economic hardship, despite his abundant wealth.

“I’m a Nigerian. I might not experience it directly but I’m aware of its existence and I respond to it in my own little way, one of which is the arts.”

Chief Aderinokun is greatly revered in the arts community, having served as the former chairman of the Association of Nigerian Authors. He was among those who advocated for writers to shift their mindset from one of deprivation to abundance by creating opportunities for collaboration within the corporate world. His efforts were instrumental in enabling many writers, especially during the early days of Nollywood, to earn a livelihood through training workshops he established in partnership with the late Amaka Igwe and Gabriel Okoye.

He currently chairs the Board of Committee of Relevant Art (CORA) whose projects include the Lagos Book and Art Festival (LABAF). This year, the committee inaugurated its flagship CORA Library and Resource Centre at Freedom Park, in honour of Prof. Wole Soyinka. As part of the committee’s celebrations for the 90th birthday of the literary icon, Chief Aderinokun shared that each weekend in July (the birth month of Wole Soyinka) will be dedicated to celebrating Soyinka’s life and his contributions to society.

“Soyinka is larger than life and God has surprisingly ordained and sustained him in spite of himself. People like him don’t live long but he has dabbled in everything that you think should kill a man. He exemplifies the complexity of nature. All the idioms and metaphors of nature are all ensconced in him in different measures.”

As a multifaceted individual, Chief Aderinokun sees himself deeply intertwined with the arts community, embracing it wholeheartedly as a lifelong mission.

Aderinokun

Wema Bank: Gradually Leading the Pack against Digital Wolves

Wema Bank is going all out to prove itself once and for all. Renowned for its forwardthinking approach and innovative strategies, the bank is currently spearheading an antifraud campaign aimed at addressing the alarming rise in fraudulent activities targeting its customers and individuals across Nigeria.

The recent development revolves around Wema Bank’s proactive measures to combat fraudulent activities perpetrated through certain fintech partners and wallet accounts. Recognizing the detrimental impact of fraudulent transactions on customers and the broader financial ecosystem, Wema Bank has taken decisive action to identify and clamp down on dishonest actors within its network.

By disengaging fraudulent fintech partners and holding accountable those implicated in fraudulent activities, Wema Bank demonstrates its unwavering dedication to maintaining the integrity of its banking services.

The importance of this anti-fraud campaign cannot be overstated, particularly in light of the staggering financial losses suffered by Nigerian banking customers due to fraudulent schemes. Recent data reveals that customers have collectively lost a staggering N51 billion to fraud, which is not strange since cybercriminals are increasingly targeting fintech bank customers.

In addition to cracking down on fraudulent activities, Wema Bank has launched an extensive awareness campaign designed to educate customers on identifying and mitigating potential fraud risks. By empowering customers with the knowledge and tools needed to detect suspicious transactions and safeguard their accounts, Wema Bank aims to enhance financial literacy and promote a culture of vigilance among its customer base.

Wema Bank’s proactive approach to combating fraud not only reflects its commitment to customer protection but also underscores its status as a trailblazer in the Nigerian banking sector. By leveraging technology, data analytics, and strategic partnerships, Wema Bank continues to set the standard for excellence in financial services while upholding the highest standards of integrity and trustworthiness.

Segun Agbaje: Changing Things at GTCO

It was Steve Jobs who said that the only way to do great work is to love what you do. While others are complaining about the difficulties in the finance industry, Segun Agbaje, the visionary leader steering Guaranty Trust Holding Company (GTCO) is doing great work and loving it. The result is that he is leading GTCO to new horizons.

Amidst the backdrop of regulatory changes and market evolution, GTCO, under Agbaje’s stewardship, is poised for growth. The recent announcement of a capital raise is the perfect evidence for the company’s commitment to fortifying its position within Nigeria’s financial landscape.

GTCO’s decision to seek shareholder approval for a $750 million capital injection comes at a time of robust earnings growth. In 2023, the company witnessed a staggering 219 per cent surge in earnings. This indeed solidified its status as a leading financial services

“Age is not measured by years, but by deeds.” This timeless quote resonates deeply as Nigeria celebrates the remarkable journey of Mutiu Are, who recently marked his 65th birthday. As tributes pour in from high-ranking figures, including President Bola Tinubu, it becomes evident that Are’s influence extends far beyond his years. His contributions to governance and politics, particularly within Lagos State, have left an indelible mark on the landscape of Nigerian politics. Are, a revered figure in Nigerian politics recently celebrated his 65th birthday amidst glowing tributes from high-ranking personalities. President Bola Tinubu led the chorus of well-wishers, extending warm congratulations to Are on this significant milestone.

Known for his influential role as the Secretary of the Governor’s Advisory Council (GAC) and his prominence within

provider in Nigeria and also showed the stuff that Agbaje is made of. The recent capital raise is even more revealing in this regard.

Joining GTBank in its nascent stages, Agbaje’s rise through the ranks was swift and steady. His tenure as Group CEO of Guaranty Trust Holding Company since August 2021 kick-started GTCO’s strategic expansion, transitioning to a holding company structure while delivering consistent growth across its commercial banking and non-banking financial services divisions. This proactive approach to growth continues to position GTCO as a formidable player in Nigeria’s evolving financial ecosystem.

As Nigeria’s banking sector braces for transformation, Agbaje’s strategic acumen and commitment to excellence shine through. With a keen eye on regulatory changes and market dynamics, he is leading GTCO towards a prosperous and resilient future

Mutiu Are at 65

the All Progressives Congress (APC) in Lagos State, Are commands respect and admiration from various quarters. His leadership within the GAC has been lauded for its positive impact on governance and development in Lagos State.

President Tinubu’s recognition of Are’s contributions demonstrates the esteem in which he is held within political circles. Are’s dedication to public service and steadfast commitment to the welfare of Lagosians have earned him widespread acclaim.

Are

What Next for Senator Bukola Saraki in Kwara?

How often does hegemony fade into obscurity? In politics, more times than can be imagined! Consider the story of Senator Bukola Saraki who, once a towering figure in Kwara State politics, continues to lose his grip on power with each passing election cycle.

From his days as a former governor to his tenure as senate president, Saraki commanded respect and admiration, synonymous with the political dynasty he inherited from his father, the late Senator Olusola Saraki. However, recent events paint a different picture, one of dwindling relevance.

Critics speculate that the winds of change began to blow after he departed from the All Progressives Congress (APC) to the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP). Therefore, when Saraki’s stronghold in Kwara was dismantled in the 2023 presidential elections, with the APC emerging victorious in all 16 local government areas, it became clear that Saraki’s influence was not what it used to be.

Of course, even though the 2023 elections may have served as the final nail in the coffin for Saraki’s political influence in Kwara, it was

really the weight of Governor AbdulRahman AbdulRazaq, the incumbent governor of Kwara, that started everything.

In the past, the allegations of imposition and dissatisfaction within Kwara’s PDP ranks alienated the party’s stakeholders and sowed discord within the party’s ranks, eroding Saraki’s support base. Against this background, the AbdulRazaq-led administration focused on good governance and prioritisation of welfare issues, which resonated with Kwara residents, particularly civil servants who had experienced delayed promotions and irregular salary payments under previous administrations.

This way, Governor Abdulrazaq’s seemingly total commitment to addressing everyday citizenry concerns bolstered his popularity and dealt a significant blow to Saraki’s political fortunes. And since AbdulRazaq remains on the throne, Saraki is forced to take the role of the political villain, just waiting to spoil everything. At least, that’s what the scene looks like.

So, what comes next for the former Senate

Bola Atta Throws High-Octane Wedding for Daughter

Genuine motherhood is a gift. This became obvious during the radiant celebration of love and family, as dignitaries from various walks of life recently converged to witness the traditional wedding of Zeinat, the cherished daughter of Bola Atta, CEO of UBA Foundation, to Yinka Ajose-Adeogun.

The engagement of the couple last December set the stage for this unforgettable occasion, which drew luminaries from politics, business, and media. Among the most esteemed guests were Ogun State Governor Dapo Abiodun, the esteemed Ooni of Ife, Oba Adeyeye Ogunwusi, and the renowned business magnate Tony Elumelu.

Atta’s journey to this remarkable moment reflects her extraordinary career path and

steadfast commitment to excellence. Recently hailed as the Outstanding Corporate Communications Personality of the decade, Atta has left an indelible imprint on the media, marketing, and corporate communications landscape across Africa.

A graduate of the University of Sussex and Duquesne University, Atta’s career traverses diverse industries, from banking to publishing and entertainment. Her tenure as Editor-inChief of True Love West Africa Magazine and CEO of Flair Productions showcased her leadership acumen and creative vision.

Atta’s pivotal role as Group Director of Marketing and Corporate Communications at UBA Plc has seen her

orchestrate innovative strategies across eighteen countries, while her leadership of UBA Foundation has touched countless lives through grants and initiatives. Throughout her illustrious career, Atta amassed - and continues to amass - numerous accolades and awards, including recognition among the 100 most influential women in Nigeria and the esteemed Best Marketing Professional in West Africa accolade.

Therefore, even as Atta revels in the joy of her daughter’s wedding, she embodies the essence of motherhood and leadership, gracefully balancing family commitments with professional achievements. Her legacy of excellence and dedication is the sign at the door of lifetime relevance for aspiring professionals and mothers alike.

Beyond his political affiliations, Are’s birthday celebration served as an occasion for friends, associates, and well-wishers to honour his remarkable journey and legacy of service. The outpouring of support and affection from those in positions of influence reflects Are’s standing as a highly respected figure in Nigerian politics.

President? Will he regain his groove in the state or eventually settle in Abuja where political retirees and those hiding from past failures slink in? Opinions are divided. But all of this shows the fickleness of power and the inevitability of change.

Atta

Oseni

Agbaje

Saraki

Genius is innate but prowess mostly comes from practice. Someone should have said this already, especially seeing as Tony Elumelu is applying it all the time. Recently, Transcorp

Elumelu: Making Continuous Waves in the Corporate Sector

Power announced the full repayment of its foreign currency loans, including the hefty $215 million acquisition loan utilised for the purchase of Ughelli Power Plc.

This development isn’t just another business update; it’s a testament to Elumelu’s strategic vision and Transcorp Power’s commitment to fiscal prudence. It is a bold statement of financial strength and stability, signalling to investors and stakeholders alike that the company is wellpositioned for future growth and expansion.

But why is this announcement so significant? For starters, it showcases Elumelu’s leadership in steering Transcorp Power through challenging economic landscapes. By prioritising the repayment of its acquisition loan, the company is demonstrating its commitment to financial discipline and prudent management - a quality that’s become increasingly rare in

All Set for Lagos Big Boy, Chike Ogeah’s Wife Burial

In the words of Lao Tzu, “Life and death are one thread, the same line viewed from different sides.” These profound words encapsulate the universal truth of mortality, reminding us of the interconnectedness of life’s journey and the inevitability of its end. They also reflect the hearts of the family of Olufunke Ogeah, the beloved wife of Chike Ogeah, former Commissioner of Information in Delta State, who passed away recently.

The family only recently released information on the funeral arrangements to honour the memory of Lady Olufunke. First, an evening of music and tributes will be held on Tuesday, April 23, 2024. Here, family, friends, and well-wishers can gather and share fond memories of the elegant wife, mother, grandmother, sister, and daughter that was Mrs. Ogeah.

“Good leaders inspire greatness in others,” is a timeless English adage that resonates deeply with the transformative initiatives spearheaded by Senator Oluremi Tinubu, wife of President Bola Tinubu. The esteemed First Lady of Nigeria, and game-changer

On Thursday, April 25, 2024, a Service of Songs will be held to offer prayers and reflections in remembrance of Lady Olufunke. Then, on Friday, April 26, 2024, the funeral service will be held. The solemn occasion is expected to offer comfort and closure as loved ones come together to honour and remember this remarkable woman.

All the events have been scheduled to take place at Trinity House Zion Centre, Victoria Island, Lagos.

As the Ogeah family prepares to bid a final farewell to their beloved matriarch, the burial arrangements may help them find solace in the knowledge that her spirit will forever reside in their hearts. There, she would find eternal peace, her memory would continue to inspire love and compassion in all who knew her, especially her husband, Chike.

today’s volatile market conditions.

Moreover, the timing of the repayment couldn’t be more strategic. With the loan settled ahead of schedule, Transcorp Power can now redirect its foreign currency cash flows towards financing future capital expenditures. This forward-thinking approach not only safeguards the company’s financial health but also sets the stage for continued innovation and development within Nigeria’s energy sector.

And then the numbers! Transcorp Power’s stellar financial performance speaks for itself. With a staggering 57.3 per cent increase in revenue and a whopping 74.9 per cent surge in profits, the company’s bottom line is looking stronger than ever. This isn’t just a testament to Elumelu’s leadership; it’s a testament to the hard work and dedication of Transcorp Power’s entire team.

Oluremi Tinubu: The Game Changer

extraordinaire in her recent unveiling of “The Renewed Hope Initiative,” brought renewed vigour to the agricultural landscape, touching the lives of countless women across the Southwest.

Senator Remi’s visionary leadership shines brightly through the innovative programs initiated under “The Renewed Hope Initiative.” With a commitment to empowering women in agriculture, she announced the allocation of N60 million to support 120 women farmers from the six South-western states. Additionally, N10 million is to be disbursed to 100 persons with disabilities to bolster their existing businesses—a testament to her unwavering dedication to inclusivity and economic empowerment.

Furthermore, the First Lady’s strategic collaboration with the Federal Ministry of Agriculture shows her proactive approach to addressing systemic challenges. By prioritising the training and empowerment of young female and male farmers, she seeks to foster a new generation of agricultural trailblazers, poised to drive sustainable growth and innovation.

Who Else is with Godfather Wike … From Rotimi Amaechi, Odili, and Fubara?

British-American organisational consultant and motivational speaker, Simon Sinek, once said that leadership is not about being in charge; it’s about taking care of those in your charge. In this direction, he speaks to Nyesom Wike, former governor of Rivers State and present Minister of the Federal Capital Territory (FCT).

Wike’s political journey in Rivers has been marked by tumultuous relationships with key figures, revealing a complex web of power dynamics and personal animosities. In more than one way, his rocky relationship with his predecessors and former allies sheds light on his approach to governance and political manoeuvring.

Firstly, Wike’s strained relationship with Rotimi Amaechi, his immediate predecessor, is well-documented. Amaechi, who governed the state from 2007 to 2015, has clashed with Wike more times than there are stars in the sky. It doesn’t matter if it’s over political and administrative issues or how many bottles of alcohol one drinks—their confrontations are always bitter, harsh, and enduring.

Then there’s Wike’s alleged feud with

his successor, Siminalayi Fubara. Despite initially supporting Fubara’s candidacy, their relationship quickly soured, leading to public spats and accusations of betrayal. Here, critics have noted that Wike’s inability to maintain a harmonious relationship with his successor evidences his confrontational style and inability to foster unity within his political circle.

What about Wike’s rift with Peter Odili, a former governor and political mentor?

According to accounts, Wike was once considered a protégé of Odili, but they fell out, due to shifting power dynamics and personal grievances.

Therefore, Odili’s recent endorsement of Fubara as the political leader of the state has been raising dust previously believed to have settled.

Apparently, the FCT minister’s tumultuous relationships with key figures in Rivers’ politics paint a picture of a divisive and confrontational leader. While his influence may have once been formidable, recent developments suggest a waning grip on power and influence, which raises questions about his future political trajectory in Rivers.

What’s This Governor Doing?

In governance, promises are the currency of trust, the foundation upon which leaders build their relationship with the electorate. However, when those promises are broken, the fallout can be swift and severe, as seen in the case of Osun State Governor, Senator Ademola Adeleke, who stands accused of failing to fulfill his electioneering social contract with the people of the state.

The impact of Senator Remi’s initiatives extends far beyond monetary contributions. By championing women in agriculture and providing them with the necessary resources and support, she is promoting a culture of resilience and self-sufficiency. Through her advocacy, she empowers women to expand their agricultural ventures, contribute to national food production, and serve as role models for future generations.

The ripple effects of Senator Remi’s efforts are evident in the testimonies of empowered women and the tangible improvements in agricultural productivity. Governor Dapo Abiodun’s endorsement of her initiative further validates its significance in advancing women’s welfare and economic empowerment. Together, they are paving the way for a brighter future, where women are recognized as catalysts for agricultural innovation and economic growth.

At the heart of the controversy are the fundamental obligations of any government: the timely payment of salaries and pensions to workers and retirees. Despite the ample revenue that has flowed into the state coffers over the past 16 months, the Adeleke-led administration has allegedly been unable to prioritise the welfare of its citizens, leaving many struggling to make ends meet.

The Osun Workers Union (OWU) has been especially vocal in its criticism of the governor, lambasting him for paying mere lip service to their welfare while failing to deliver on his promises. According to the union, the situation has become untenable, with workers and pensioners left in limbo as they await their overdue emoluments.

The union’s frustration is palpable as it questions why, despite the influx of over N300 billion into the state’s coffers, citizens should still suffer from hunger and deprivation. The situation has reached a critical juncture, with citizens growing increasingly disillusioned by the government’s apparent indifference to their plight.

While the governor’s motives remain unclear, speculation abounds as to why he would risk his political capital by reneging on his promises. Some attribute it to incompetence or mismanagement, while others suggest more nefarious motives may be at play.

Regardless of the underlying reasons, the consequences are clear: a fractured relationship between the government and the governed, and a populace left to bear the brunt of broken promises. As the cri sis deepens, the onus lies on Governor Adeleke to address the grievances of the people and restore faith in his leadership.

Elumelu

Adeleke

Ogeah

Amaechi

Tinubu

Dupe Onitiri-Abiola: What Manner of an Activist

CUBANA CHIEF PRIEST AND TOO MUCH SENSE

I think the EFCC may have one small wahala on their hands. They scored a major PR coup last week with the conviction of Nigeria’s most popular “mummy,” the wonderful “Bobrisky.” This buoyed them up to move to the next celebrity and they targeted and got the immensely popular celebrity barman, the one they call Cubana Chief Priest.

I sat down in this my Shomolu residence, believing that like the first one, this was an open and shut case. After all, we have seen the videos and the clips of this gentleman at parties doing all of that with the naira with so much “alacrity” as Chief Eleyinmi of the Village Headmaster would say. Anyway, to my greatest shock, the man, unlike his compatriot, pleaded not guilty and was released on a N10 million bail, which he secured very easily and went home a temporary free man. Wait, that is not the script. Why did he plead not guilty, I asked myself. Is this young man not playing with fire? Why is he postponing the evil day? Why couldn’t he just agree and pack his load like his

Mbok, which kind of widow is this one again o? It is widows like this that make men postpone their passing for fear that their wives will “scatter” everything. See this one o that I don’t think even understands the notion of democracy, let alone the more complex gambits of keeping Nigeria one, suddenly becoming a “balkaniser.”

She seemed tired of all the “owambes” and the makeups and bleaching creams which has made her a very angry lady. That was how she wore her latest lace, called her housemaid to record a video of her with her phone, and unlike her late husband, made a very unpopular

brother/sister and just take the sixmonth vacation and save us all the drama?

Then I saw a clip that explained everything. Unlike his senior colleague who just “accepted” like that, this one’s lawyers really went to school. The lecturer in the clip stated that the prosecution, to secure his conviction would have to prove amongst others that from all the videos submitted, that firstly, he was spraying actual naira notes and not fake currency or dummy currency used as props in movie sets. To do this, they must also show the serial numbers on each of the notes authenticating the fact that it was truly originally issued naira notes lastly, they must also be able to convince the judge that the naira submitted in evidence is the actual naira sprayed at the particular event and by the suspect on trial. How all of these would be achieved is left for the audience to see. No wonder the young man’s lawyers pleaded not guilty to the charge.

My people, the only thing that has come out of this one is that there are lawyers and there are lawyers. Kai!

and almost idiotic broadcast to the nation, declaring one Republic that I will not even mention the name here.

She must have watched her late husband very well when he made his own declaration at Epetedo at the height of the June 12 imbroglio and borrowed the template. She not only made a senile broadcast but also sent a motley crew into the Oyo State Government House with uniforms and weapons to seize the place. How and why they chose Oyo State beats me. Maybe because of the Cocoa House or the many amala joints that they felt if Oyo State was captured, then the

Well, there is nothing else that we can do but take our seats, order very fresh pepper soup for a change instead of the usual afang and watch this case very well, because something tells me that this would be another landmark case within the annals of our judicial jurisprudence. Kai, too much sense or “agbari po” as they say it at the famous Onipanu Bus stop.

AIR PEACE AND THE ‘MAJA’ SYNDROME

I have coined a new sickness which I called the “maja” syndrome. The maja syndrome is when you go emotional, off tangent and almost abusive to positions on public issues rendered by superior authorities like myself. What led to this is a regular occurrence that I experienced on a particular WhatsApp group where an old soldier would always pick on me, while not understanding my positions would run off tangent, drive arguments to the left and generally irritate and annoy as he pontificates with so much authority but with irreverent fallacy and idiocy. In some very bad cases, someone

whole of the South-west region would automatically fall, and she would automatically become Madam President of the new nation.

Well, she got her house destroyed for her efforts; all her “troops” were captured within five minutes and her rebellion was quelled by Amotekun.

How someone can just wake up and carry wahala and give herself and her family beats me. In this harsh economic climate, you no go relax and focus on how to feed your family, especially as a widow. It is to look for government trouble that is the next thing to do. I hope that she and her cohorts realise that this is high treason. I really wish them well. Na wa.

suffering from the “maja” syndrome would get very abusive in a verbally violent manner. A typical case is my recent write-up on the ongoing price war between our darling Air Peace and the “evil” forces as represented by the foreign airlines who are looking like they are about to start offering us free trips to London, just to drive our favourite “isiagwu” airline out of business.

In a very intellectually sound write-up submitted to Nairametrics which is the business online platform of choice by many stockbrokers, I proffered many suggestions to my brother Mr. Onyeama on how he would “fight” back to mitigate the dastardly effects of the price war.

My suggestions include getting the airline listed on the stock exchange which would open him up to long-term cheap funds, boost his corporate governance and make him an even more enviable Nigerian brand with thousands of Nigerian shareholders. I also pushed for a dual listing which would involve him getting listed on the London Exchange and could draw some benefits to his airline and the rest of my people. Oya, see person’s response in

Onitiri-Abiola

El-Rufai: Cubana Priest Bello Osime

the comment section: “Duke of Shomolu is a bastard working for Nigeria’s detractors. Onyema will remain a winner, no matter how the pendulum spins. Go f..k yourself, Duke Axxhole.”

See another one: “The writer of this article is an idiot of a journalist...” My people, you see what we face in this commentary business? The maja syndrome is real. Lol.

YAHAYA BELLO: A BARRICADE AND AN ODODO MOMENT

Nigeria sha! It is one drama per day, I swear. As we are leaving one, another one is unfolding. Did you guys see news reports on the attempted arrest of the former Kogi State frontman and the very brave rescue carried out by the incumbent on the streets of Abuja? The EFCC in carrying out its legitimate duty was reported to have sealed off the street in preparation to “pick up” oga. Lessons had been learnt with the Okorocha episodes where they had to go in through the roof. So this time, they decided to be more strategic. So, they watched many Hollywood “SWAT” movies which made them very methodological and strategic. They first sent in their guys in red uniforms. Now red would make them invincible because it would blend with the red soil of Abuja and nobody would see them coming. Then they used all of their cars and trucks and sealed off the road just in time before they launched like US Marines to pick up the target. It was supposed to be swift so that they could all go back to their offices in time for lunch and a quick game of Ludo or whatever the agents did to recreate. But they didn’t calculate the emergence of the superhero Ododo. That one was in his house, just emerging from the other room when the distress call came. As part of the handover ceremony, one green phone was handed over to His Excellency. The phone would only ring when there was distress. Kai, the phone rang and instantly, Small Oga knew that Big Oga was in trouble.

Small oga immediately rushed into his closet, pulled out his superhero babaringa and flew straight to the rescue. He drove in the way Superman or was it Batman used to swoop down on a lady in distress to save her from a roaring truck in the nick of time.

Little oga moved in and with the swiftness of lightning, rescued big oga from danger, all to the amazement of the people who fell into songs of praise.

Only in Nigeria, I swear. Only in Nigeria. An allegation of such monumental proportions, one would think that big oga would be eager to be arraigned in court to clear his name and not hide under the skirt of his “boy” to evade arrest.

Well, we are watching. Luckily, I am in Band A so I have constant power, meaning that I will not miss the next episode of this very exciting new drama. Na here we dey. Kai!

RUTH OSIME AND LAILA MATTHEWDANIEL: REAL PASSION KILLERS

My people, I was not in an

FEMI OTEDOLA AND THE CHRONICLE OF WHEELCHAIRS

I recently got two clips about this prominent Nigerian, Mr Femi Otedola.. The sender said, “Edgar, watch this,” and I watched them. The clips were of two clergymen telling the same story about Mr. Otedola and his gift of wheelchairs to a group of young people. What first struck me was the contradiction between the Asian clergyman who looked more like a Buddhist monk in his long robes than the Catholic priest that he was and the boisterous almost drama-like presentation of the Nigerian clergyman in the second clip.

The monk-like Catholic priest was calm and methodical in his presentation as he reeled out Mr. Otedola’s answer to a question about the four stages of life. He was calm and angelic, not making the message about himself and thereby not distracting us.

But our Nigerian brother was in a performance as he said, “I’m not sure Mr. Otedola is here” and then it looked like he got a positive affirmation, and he went into a full Oscar-winning performance complete with voice modulation, aggressive and punchy gesticulations and a faux admonition to his listeners as if he was warning us that if we were not like Mr. Otedola, we would have ourselves to blame. Now this was certainly not the Femi Otedola we all know that he was talking about. Very far from the noisy presentation is the Mr Otedola the public knows.

The first preacher reminded us more of Mr. Otedola who carries along his philanthropic activities in a noiseless but massively impactful manner. So I went back to the ‘monk’ and listened very carefully to the story.

Mr. Otedola had stated in response to a question, that the four stages of his life all led to the pursuit of true happiness. The first was the wealth creation stage, followed by the value acquisition stage, then the big-budget stage where according to the clergyman, Otedola controlled 95% of Africa’s diesel import, and lastly, he told us the story of the wheelchairs.

Apparently, a friend had asked Otedola to buy 200 wheelchairs for some young people and he decided to personally present them. It was here he met true happiness, the joy in giving and the warm and pleasant feeling that cascades through your soul as God leads you to impact lives.

He also now told us the part where as he was

leaving, a young man held on to his feet and he stopped to ask if he needed any more thing and that one said, no I just want to look at your face so that when I see it in heaven I will remember you. What a lot of people don’t know, especially the big moguls who create a media frenzy when giving, is the stupendously calming effect of righteous giving. Many will not feel it because they ‘give for a purpose.’ They will never see God in the eyes of the recipient and will never shed tears as they watch God use them as vessels to touch lives.

Mr. Otedola is arguably the biggest philanthropist on the continent. He once called me very late at night and said, “Duke, what is the essence of wealth, if you can’t impact? Tomorrow, I will be throwing a challenge…

The next day, his beautiful daughter announced the massive N5 billion fund which I do not think has been replicated or matched. So for me and most watchers, it’s not as much as what he gives but the way. His push into society does not come with the sometimes obvious “look at me as I give” or the annoying “I am giving now o, I am the one giving o” that comes with most giving in his social strata. The last stage of happiness as epitomised in the story told by these clergymen and as personified by the monk is the quiet, very simple and engaging giving which leaves the recipient and indeed society with the warm glow of cascading humanity which is key in a period of constant rife and chicanery.

I have watched Mr. Otedola’s brand of philanthropy with guided interests, especially as he even struggles to make the most of his impact undercover and with no real or deliberate media coverage. In fact, I have come to discover that the majority of his engagements are not even announced. For him, it is not the public adulation, it’s the silent effectiveness of the impact that drives him and the attendant effect on society that fuels his drive for good. It is no wonder the boy held on to his feet to see his face again so he would recognise him in heaven. For me, since we are not sure of heaven just yet, let me recognise Mr Otedola here and now for being who he is and for inspiring ‘little’ philanthropists like us who remain driven by his selfless, non-ego and penetrative leadership in the era of impactful giving.

enviable place last Saturday. I was ensconced between two formidable beauties – the delectable and ever-so-sweet Ruth Osime and the wonderfully exquisitely beautiful Laila Mathew-Daniel on ARISE TV to discuss, of all things, passion killers.

Mbok, I turn right, I see fine woman, I turn left, I see fine woman and they are asking me questions about passion killers in relationships. How I agreed to put myself in such a quagmire to this day, I fail to understand. When Ruth asks me a question, all I can see are luminous eyes and a smile that can give more power than all the DISCOs will give Band D where we dey.

When I try to answer the question, I turn to Laila as I am running away from Ruth. I jam another exquisite beauty with skin like the olives from Mount Galilee and the lips of Queen Nefertiti and I just weak.

I swallow saliva and in a barely audible voice, say, “I am sorry guys, I cannot remember those things that used to kill passion in the bedroom again o, please forgive me I have forgotten o.” Who will not forget with these two mesmerising beauties sitting very close to you, smiling at you and with the hot lights of the studio and your mind running gaga, mbok, tell me which full-blooded Nigerian man will sit in between Ruth and Laila that will not forget. Mbok, I forget everything o…. no be small.

BELLO EL-RUFAI: UNCOUTH, UNBRIDLED AND BEAUTIFULLY UNHINGED

This is my favourite ex-Governor Nasir El-Rufai’s son, Bello. The young man represents his people in the House of Representatives from where he has been sending missiles at those who are “persecuting very falsely” his father.

The young man was recently reported to have called the Kaduna State House of Assembly to a fight in a post which I later heard he deleted. Now what kind of fight, if I may ask? I sincerely hope that the fight is not of the physically variant one because when one looks at his stature and that of the members of the House, if any kind of physical altercation was sanctioned by boxing authorities, we may have an emergency case at the National Hospital on our hands.

My brother Bello has been at his verbally assaulting best since his father’s travails with the Kaduna State Government began. The government has alleged that his dad took a lot of unapproved loans and also left the state with a huge debt burden, and as such, are expecting an explanation, which if you ask me, is a legitimate although distracting assertion. But Bello will not let his very brilliant father focus and tackle the issue with all these tweets and yabis and calls for a fight and all that. My humble request to the gentleman is to allow the process to play through joor. I am 100% sure that Mallam can and will defend himself very brilliantly on the matter.

Nasiru Haladu

Becomes Sardaunan Dutse

When prominent politician and billionaire, Bello Maitama Yusuf, died at 76 on October 13, 2023, many of his family members, friends and business associates were thrown into a prolonged mourning. The deep state of mourning was not unexpected considering his towering status in life.

But in the midst of the tearful moments, one of the thoughts in the inner recesses of some prominent citizens in Dutse, Jigawa State, was finding another worthy “son of the soil” who could step into his large shoes as the Sardaunan, one of the highest chieftaincy titles in the emirates. He held the prestigious traditional title until he breathed his last on that fateful day.

For several months, there was a serious and tortuous search for a fitting replacement, another man who would fit the role the same way Yusuf did. The man they wanted must be very wealthy, powerful, influential and well-connected like the former holder of the office.

At last, after wider consultations, Nasiru Haladu Danu, OFR, a construction magnate and stupendously wealthy mogul was unanimously chosen as the next receiver of the distinguished title.

His selection, Society Watch gathered, went down well with all, given that he literally oozes class and social eminence, which all come with the age-long traditional title.

A source who was privy to the rigorous selection process disclosed to us that Haladu Danu became the popular choice based on his influence and connection that go beyond the shores of Africa as well as his almost unmatched generosity. For the business magnate, therefore, it is an icing on the cake.

And last Thursday, all roads led to the palace of the Emir of Dutse, His Highness Muhammad Nuhu, when Haladu Danu was turbaned. As gathered, top and eminent personalities graced the occasion among who were the former President of Nigeria, Muhammadu Buhari, who doubled as the chairman of the day, Vice President Kashim Shettima, Governor of Jigawa State, Umar Namadi, His Imperial Majesty Enitan Ogunwusi, the Ooni of Ife, among other several others.

Display of Wealth, Opulence at Tunde Ayeni’s Daughter’s Wedding

Olatunde Ayeni is no doubt a man of high repute, blessed with suave, elegance and finesse. He has carved a niche for himself as a seasoned investor and a financial wizard. He is a man who knows the true spirit of friendship and brotherhood, two virtues that have elevated him to the position he holds today.

The erstwhile Chairman of Skye Bank has etched his name in gold as one of the best brains to have come out of Nigeria as he sits atop several high business conglomerates. For him, one thing has remained constant - his unconditional love for his family. This explains why he spared no cost to ensure his daughter Abolaji gets one of the biggest wedding soiree with her heartthrob, Oluwatobiloba Adeoye last weekend. We gathered that Ayeni put resources together into making the two-day event a memorable one.

The ceremony kicked off on Thursday, April 11, 2024, when Ayeni and his family hosted a traditional engagement wedding in Ikoyi, Lagos, an event that paraded cultural aesthetics from the best Aso-Ebi to the best of Agbada and music, as Yinka Aiyefele serenaded the audience with his musical renditions. Of course, there was an array of cuisines that guests savoured their taste buds with and lots of high-cost drinks.

On Saturday, April 13, Ayeni also pulled many heavyweights to the main wedding at Citadel Global Community Church in Oregun, where Pastor Tunde Bakare joined the couple as one. The train later moved to the reception at the Balmoral Hall, Federal Palace Hotel, Victoria Island where guests were given royal treatment.

Expectedly, the whole of the V.I. corridor was locked and filled up with state-of-the art cars that left people jaw-dropped.

It was an absolute display of wealth, opulence and splendour, as the who-is-who in Nigeria’s business, political and social space were in attendance. The roll call was quite elitist and a gathering of the high networth in the society. The carnival-like event had on the bandstand King Wasiu Ayinde Marshal, the Fuji maestro and veteran gospel star, Evangelist Dunni Olanrewaju (Opelope Anointing).

A guest confirmed that Ayeni is not only a master planner in the boardroom, he is also a master planner of soirees and a good host with a high sense of hospitality. The roll call include the governor of Ogun State, Prince Dapo Abiodun; former governor of Ogun State, Senator Ibikunle Amosun; Chairman, Federal Inland Revenue Service, Dr Zacchaeus Adedeji; Former governor of Delta State, Chief

Ex-Ogun Governorship Candidate, Abdulkabir Akinlade, Hibernates

election had been more circumspect, he would have heeded the advice of some of his friends and close associates, and reconsidered his political calculations. But he followed the instruction of his political godfather and former governor of Ogun State, Senator Ibikunle Amosun.

Akinlade would never forget his experience in the election in a hurry. In fact, the 2019 episode will remain indelible in his mind for the rest of his life.

When Amosun picked him as his anointed candidate to succeed him towards the twilight of his tenure, many kicked against it based on his antecedent. The ‘war’ in the All Progressive Congress (APC) became too much and too hot to handle, which Amosun and his loyalists ultimately lost.

Undeterred, the former member of the House of Representatives moved out en masse to a

Ageless Socialite, Adebisi Edionseri, Refuses to Step Down

An established socialite, Adebisi Edionseri, otherwise known as Cash Madam, has been around for many decades. A successful businesswoman, her fame is not confined to Ogun State, where she resides.

At 89, the Ogun State-born magnate still possesses all that has given her fame and recognition all her life. She loves the good things of life and this reflects in the clothes and accessories she wears. You cannot help but turn your head in admiration anytime you see her at any event.

This respectable octogenarian and socialite has been ruling the social scene for decades and has lived her life in absolute dedication to her first love- fashion, style and beauty. It is no exaggeration to say that she had been a millionaire since the late 70s, when she was in her 30s. Many musicians benefitted from her largesse at the time. It is also worth noting that

she got her sobriquet, Cash Madam, from the Juju legend, Chief Commander Ebenezer Obey in the 80s.

It was gathered that she was the definition of colourful and flamboyance, and no party was worthy of its onion if Edionseri was not in attendance. She rocked the social scenes to the envy of many years back then. Indeed, for her, life must be enjoyed to the hilt.

Though she is now well advanced in age, everything about her still points to the fact that life has been fair to her. One cannot help but wonder how she has been able to maintain the lovely looks and fashionable mien even at 89.

While many ask when would the woman that clocked 89 last Thursday slow down, she has definitely not shown any sign of that, as she still parties hard the way she did in her early age.

Edionseri still attends parties hosted by her many affluent associates, and she still displays

totally unknown party, APM. However, this was the beginning of his political albatross.

He lost the governorship election to the candidate of APC, Prince Dapo Abiodun. Again, with the advice of his godfather, he refused to accept the result of the election and pursued it to the Supreme Court, where he lost.

Maybe if had known then, he would have accepted his fate in good faith. But like an unrepentant optimist, he decided to challenge the outcome of the election.

Many in the state were not surprised with the outcome of the result for many reasons: the party was not popular and his emergence was also condemned across the state. Shortly after the apex court ruling against his party, he went back to APC and also directed others to bury their grievances and return to the fold.

her knack for fashion. Not a few continue to gape at her choice of clothes and diamond jewelries. The woman is simply ageless!

Stella Okotete’s Unusual 40th Birthday Celebration

If Stella Okotete’s success story is well scribbled, it will make a best-selling play if well adapted and also cast with A-list actors to bring the characterisation to life. This is so because it teaches determination, tenacity and hard work. Thriving in a male-dominated world is more reason for her to remain solid and firm, thereby staying ahead of her game to become a force to reckon with. With her numerous degrees and current status as an Executive Director (Business Development) at Nigeria Export-Import Bank NEXIM, she has continued to learn and contribute her quota to the country’s development in her capacity as a top brass at NEXIM bank.

The woman of intellect yesterday, Saturday, April 20, celebrated her 40th birthday. Although

as gathered, due to the current situation of the country and as a public servant with human feelings, instead of the usual fanfare attached to birthdays celebrations like many of her peers would do, she chose to be modest, and instead worshipped her Creator in a church service with a ‘Night of Worship’ on Friday the 19th of April 2024 at the GT event Centre in Warri, Delta State.

The ‘D ‘day’ was shared with the downtrodden, extending her hands of love to the needy, during which she reached out through an empowerment schemeattheOkoteteStreetinUghelli,Delta State.

Society Watch gathered that she will wrap up the celebration today with a church thanksgiving service at the Christ Missionary Crusaders in Ekpan, also in Warri.

Ayeni and daughter

Akinlade

Haladu

Edionseri

Maybe if Abdulkabir Akinlade, the flagbearer of Allied Progressives Movement (APM) in Ogun State 2019 governorship

James Ibori, former governor of Ekiti State, Mr Niyi Adebayo; Bola Shagaya, Olugbon of Ile-Igbon, Oba Francis Alao; Elegushi of Ikate Land, Oba Saheed Elegushi; Oba Otudeko, former Fidelity Bank MD, Mr Nnamdi Okonkwo; Segun Awolowo, Terry Waya, Comfort Obamuyiwa, Aisha Achimugu, and a host of others.

ARTS & REVIEW ARTS & REVIEW

From Tiffany-Annabelle Davies, a Floral Ode to Womanhood

With her sights set on a forthcoming exhibition in Abuja, Tiffany-Annabelle Davies reprises her pet theme bordering on femininity. Okechukwu Uwaezuoke reports

One of the paintings by the artist Davies

Another painting by the artist

At Nigeria’s Second Venice Biennale Outing, Culture Minister Expresses Pride

At the Nigeria Pavilion’s opening at the Venice Biennale on Tuesday, the federal government—represented by the minister of Art, Culture, and the Creative Economy, Barr Hannatu Musa Musawa— seemed resolute while making a pledge to enhance the global creative economy by championing the arts and culture sector. While making this declaration at the Rio Terà Canal, she also highlighted the ministry’s strategic alliances with key stakeholders like the Museum of West African Art (MOWAA) to drive investments in the art sector.

“We must be creative in our approach to facilitating investment in arts and culture,” a statement from her ministry quoted her as saying. “We are committed to working with private sector institutions and foundations such as MOWAA, and we see the Nigeria Imaginary as a shining example of what can be achieved by such partnerships.”

Musawa also expressed excitement about the long-term partnership with MOWAAand anticipated further achievements, such as the eventual return of the exhibition to the MOWAA Creative Campus in Nigeria. The collaboration aims to highlight Ni-

VENICE BIENNALE

geria’s vibrancy, diversity, and talent on a global scale, solidifying their dedication to nurturing a appeal.

The minister also commended the group of eight artists handpicked to represent Nigeria at in promoting the nation’s cultural essence. The artists Tunji Adeniyi-Jones, Ndidi Dike, Onyeka Igwe, Toyin Ojih Odutola, Abraham Oghobase, Precious Okoyomon, Yinka Shonibare CBE RA, their roles as cultural envoys. “Their ambitious and thought-provoking works engage with themes of identity, democracy, migration, history, and heritage, their unique lenses,” she added.

Emelife as well, Musawa praised her remarkable foresight in showcasing Nigeria’s cultural heritage on a global stage through the Nigeria Pavilion. “We seek to empower young passionate storytellers and feel the theme ‘Nigeria Imaginary’ is precisely what

the world needs to see from Nigeria.More than a display of artistic achievement, the Nigeria Pavilion geographical and governmental boundaries, celebrating the voices of both our homegrown and diaspora artists.

“This is why the ministry is dedicated to fostering environments that celebrate and nurture artistic excellence, ensuring that such exhibitions inspire our emerging talents and honour our established artists, and ensuring that the arts remain at the forefront of our national agenda.”

Expressing immense pride in the day’s achievements, she extended her gratitude to stakeholders and participants on behalf of Mr. President.

This is Nigeria’s second time at the prestigious Venice Biennale. This time around, distinguished personalities like Edo State Governor Godwin Obaseki, Nobel laureate Prof. Wole Soyinka, and curator Aindrea Emelife graced the momentous event.Also present was Phillip Ihenacho, the director of the Edo Museum of West African Art, EMOWAA Trust. In its 60th edition, the Venice Biennale serves as a grand platform uniting worldwide creators, curators, collectors, and art enthusiasts, fostering international artistic dialogue and cultural appreciation.

For a Blend of Two Cultures, an Exciting Corps Expression

In a display of cultural fusion, dancers from Nigeria and Germany united to present the Ofuobi dance piece, seamlessly blending traditional African movements with contemporary dance styles. Organised by the Society for the Performing Arts of Nigeria (SPAN) in collaboration with the Kari Tanzhaus in Germany, the performance captivated audiences with its powerful message of unity and progress.

The performance featured six dancers, including two from Germany, Anna Chiara Goerig and Ladina Taudien, and three graduates and dance teachers from SPAN: Agocha Davies, Bakare Rukayat, and Wisdom Ojije. Guided by a German choreographer, they showcased their skills in a performance that lasted over an hour.

With slow-motion movements set to classical and jazz rhythms, the dancers expressed themes of peace and connection, addressing global challenges such as war and racial hatred. Through acrobatic strokes and dance styles, they conveyed messages of openness and the importance of breathing together.

The dance addressed global challenges such as war, alienation and racial hatred. This artistic collaboration between European and Nigerian dancers is in itself a symbol of unity and humanity. Through the joint exploration of the six dancers and the fusion of contemporary and African dance, it not only overcomes cultural boundaries but also makes a strong statement against prejudice and discrimination. This dance

A

For the Well-being of Youths

BOOKS

Trapped in Oblivion, the Theodore Jnr, E. has indeed been impactful for the younger generation, especially as it addresses societal issues which, in Africa, are understated due to culture and traditions.

Anyone reader would easily notice the characters and characterisation thus projecting the structure that the society is built on. A structure that is on the bridge of collapse except some of the issues raised in the book are addressed. Issues like teen pregnancy, cyber bullying, child molestation, STD's, paedophilia and more. In the Western society, these are the subjects of discussion and global interest. Here in Africa, certain discussions are not encouraged especially, discussions Ifeoma Theodore Jnr has raised in her books.

The bright light at the end of this tunnel is that the society has been made to take note of the importance of Trapped in Oblivion, and has been approved by the Nigerian Ministry of Education to be read in schools. It's also been endorsed by UK Aid, UNICEF, and NACA.

Trapped in Oblivion, in a review by Publishers Weekly, is described as a book which addresses critical issues, feeling overwhelmed.

DANCE

becomes an expression of the longing for peace and connection and emphasises the transformative power of art as a means of creating shared creative dialogue across all boards.

Mrs. Sarah Boulos, Founder/Chairperson of collaboration, stating, “Cultural collaboration is key to a progressive society.” She explained that the dance sequence was structured around the acronym OFUOBI, representing concepts like openness, freedom, unity, and inspiration.

The performance, held at the German Embassy, Victoria Island Lagos was attended by the Consul General, Weert Börner, diplomats, and dance enthusiasts. The word “Ofuobi,” meaning “one mind” in Igbo, perfectly encapsulated the essence of the performance.

Artistic Director Kaija Klug shared her vision behind the piece, expressing a desire for unity and peace. “I wanted to create a piece where I can show if everybody is working together, maybe there would be an end to wars,” she said. “If all come together in one heart, one mind, and one soul, there would be peace, and our world would have a better chance.”

Indeed, the author took the bulls by the horn, and stepped in where angels fear to tread. A novel which was released in 2013 at a time when certain conversations were treated in hush tone is definitely one to be proud of.

“Trapped in Oblivion is not a story for just Africans, but every teen and young adult the world over,” says Theodore in a recent interview. “A teen in Africa is the same as a teen in the Western world. They go through the same form of self awareness especially when they are experiencing puberty. Their wellbeing matters, and that is what Trapped in Oblivion is all about. The well-being of the younger generation, the world over. The story is only told from the African perspective.”

Yinka Olatunbosun

Yinka Olatunbosun

L-R: Culture Minister Musawa, British-Nigerian artist Yinka Shonibare and Edo State Governor Obaseki at the event

scene from the dance performance

IN THE ARENA

Torturing of Civilians to Death by Military

Within two weeks, Nigerians witnessed the torturing to death of a member of civilian staff of the Ministry of Defence attached to Nigerian Navy hospital in Lagos by navy personnel, as well as a hotel manager in Abia State and a pregnant lady in Enugu State, by soldiers. Ejiofor Alike reports that these incidents have demonstrated the growing notoriety of soldiers for torturing innocent civilians to death over minor disputes

Why do Nigerian soldiers always torture and kill civilians over minor disagreements? This is one question many Nigerians often ask each time this happens.

On many occasions, rather than halt this barbaric and cruel act, military authorities chose to live in denial, covering up erring soldiers in some cases and sanctioning others in cases that cannot be swept under the carpet.

Responding to the criticisms of the military’s alleged killing of civilians in Okuama community in Delta State in retaliation to the killing of 17 soldiers in the area, the Chief of Defence Staff (CDS), General Christopher Musa had told the ARISE TV that: “We are not animals and we are not barbaric and we are not an irresponsible military that will go about killing people; but the truth is that if they had not tempered with our own gallant soldiers, we would not have come out in the first place.”

While the figure of casualties arising from the military’s invasion of Okuama community have not been ascertained, the Bayelsa State Governor, Senator Douye Diri, last Wednesday confirmed that at least 20 youths were killed in Igbomotoru community in Bayelsa State, by soldiers who invaded the community in search of the killers of the 17 military men brutally murdered in Delta State.

But contrary to the position of the CDS, the Nigerian military has over the years killed or tortured civilians to death not only over alleged killing of soldiers but also for minor offences such as disagreements over failed relationships, traffic-related offences, tenancy and land disputes, as well as failed business agreements.

In cases where military personnel are not directly involved in a dispute, what the party who has access to soldiers needs to do to have his or her enemies murdered in cold blood is to go to the barracks and procure the services of soldiers.

That was the fate of a civilian staff of the Ministry of Defence, Mr. Ifeanyi Onuamegbu, who was attached to the Laboratory Department of the Nigerian Navy Reference Hospi-

tal (NNRH) in Ojo, Lagos, since 2009.

Onumaegbu died on March 31, 2024 in his office after being tortured by some personnel of the Nigerian Navy whose services were procured by a civilian lady with whom he had an altercation.

Though the Chief of Naval Staff, Vice-Admiral Emmanuel Ogalla, had ordered an investigation, how this investigation will bring him back to life or prevent similar barbaric behaviour by some notoriously lawless naval personnel in the future remains to be seen. Nigerians were yet to recover from the news of Onuamegbu’s death when some personnel of the Nigerian Army tortured to death the Manager of Hotel Royal Damgrete, Umuahia, Abia State, Mr. Achimugu Etubi, on April 13 following the drowning of an Air Force cadet, Emmanuel Onyemereche, in the hotel’s swimming pool.

In what has become a ritual, the Nigerian Army has also ordered an investigation, according to a statement by its spokesman, Onyema Nwachukwu, a major general.

In Enugu, a pregnant lady, Miss Hauwakulu Tabra was also murdered in a most gruesome manner and her body dumped around the division’s officers’ quarters by Private Mohammed Adamu of the 82 Division (Airborne and Amphibious) Division of the Nigerian Army in Enugu.

Adamu is said to be a repentant Boko Haram fighter who joined the Civilian Joint Task Force (CJTF) before he was recruited into the Nigerian Army.

Between 2020 and 2021, the Nigerian Army had reportedly absorbed 400 members of the civilian JTF into its fold to assist in prosecuting the war against terrorists.

It is common knowledge that some northern states recruit repentant Boko Haram fighters into the CJTF to help fight the terrorists. Therefore, it is not surprising that many of the repentant Boko Haram fighters later found themselves in the army and continued their atrocities.

In Ikorodu area of Lagos, a commercial motorcyclist, Saheed Isa, was lucky to survive after he was stabbed on April 13 with a gunlike Jack Knife in the abdomen by a Nigerian Army lance corporal attached to 159 Battalion in Yobe State.

Lagos State Police Command’s spokesperson, SP Benjamin Hundeyin confirmed the arrest of the soldier last Monday.

In what seems like a threat to the muchcherished esprit de corps, Private Yahaya Sani, a soldier attached to the 74 Supply and Transportation Brigade, 82nd Division of the Nigerian Army also reportedly stabbed his colleague, Private Aliyu Musa for allegedly accusing him of stealing his phone last Monday

POLITICAL NOTES

in Enugu metropolis.

Some soldiers were also allegedly involved in the case of stealing of armoured cables at Dangote refinery in Lagos last week.

The Nigerian Army had in a statement admitted that the two soldiers were hired by a civilian contractor simply identified as Mr. Smart, who claimed he wanted to recover some armoured cables he had left behind on the refinery’s premises.

It is increasingly worrisome that soldiers are hired for fraudulent escort duties and by those who want to settle scores over disputes.

Before these latest incidents, similar atrocious acts carried out by soldiers had also resulted in the killing of policemen and civilians.

In November 2023, soldiers of the 23 Armoured Brigade in Adamawa State invaded the police headquarters in Jimeta-Yola and killed a police operative following a disagreement that led to the shooting of a soldier by police officers attached to Jimeta Division, who were conducting routine checks on the road at target junction via Yola North Local Government Area.

The military later mobilised armoured trucks and attacked the state police headquarters.

Many believe that a more responsible military would have utilised constitutional means to avenge the shooting of its personnel by a sister agency instead of resorting to acts of barbarism and lawlessness.

In August 2022, soldiers at the Ojo Military Cantonment in Lagos had also tortured and killed an inspector serving with the Lagos State Police Command, Monday Orukpe, over traffic-related issues.

Men of the Nigerian Air Force (NAF) had also in July 2021 stormed the Ladipo Spare Parts Market in Lagos and shot at traders, following a disagreement over a motor spare part purchased by a soldier.

No responsible military personnel torture and kill policemen and civilians at the slightest provocation like the Nigerian soldiers who believe that they were trained to kill without any consequences.

President Bola Tinubu should end this barbarism being perpetrated by Nigerian soldiers against the civilian population, which successive administrations failed to address.

Akpabio’s Sycophantic Second Term Bid for Tinubu

Even when President Bola Tinubu has not spent up to one year out of his first four-year term in office, Senate President Godswill Akpabio has begun drumming support for his re-election in 2027.

Addressing a gathering of state governors and federal lawmakers that paid Sallah homage to Tinubu at his residence in Lagos penultimate week, Akpabio expressed confidence in the president’s leadership, and set the tone for an early push for Tinubu’s victory in the 2027 general election.

“As you coast home to victory for a second term, may all the governors

seated here also coast home to a second term victory in their states,” Akpabio proclaimed.

Isn’t it too early to be talking about a second term when Tinubu has not even spent one year in office? Is this what should be bothering people like Akpabio? Shouldn’t he be thinking of how to help to address the insecurity facing the country where farmers still cannot farm; where people cannot conveniently travel on the roads?

It is unfortunate that our politicians will never change. The senate president cannot say he does not know the current mood of the citizens of the country. From the

northern to the southern part of the country, the people are hungry and unsafe. Poverty, hardship and insecurity have worsened as armed herdsmen intensified their killing spree to seize people’s ancestral lands.

As insecurity and economic hardship continue to linger, many Nigerians who have been pushed to the wall are left with no option but to throng the palliative distribution centres put in place by government officials or other stakeholders.

All over the world, what usually happens is that after elections, those elected are allowed to govern. This is why is sad that rather than advising the president on how to tackle the challenges facing the country, Akpabio is busy plotting and talking about 2027.

Akpabio

General MusaFagbemi

BRIEFING NOTES

Why is Yahaya Bello Running from EFCC?

By refusing to submit himself to the Economic and Financial Crimes Commission to prove his innocence of the allegations against him, and also using Governor Usman Ododo of Kogi State to prevent the anti-graft commission from arresting him, former Governor Yahaya Bello, having turned himself to a fugitive, is on a knife-edge of which the result may potentially damage his case, Ejiofor Alike reports

Former governor of Kogi State, Yahaya Bello was on the news again last week for wrong reasons.

However, the news was not on issues that were related to election rigging and electoral violence, or hounding of political opponents, neither was it about the unpaid salaries of Kogi workers.

The news was that the incumbent governor of the state, Usman Ododo, last Wednesday helped his embattled predecessor to escape arrest by operatives of the Economic and Financial Crimes Commission (EFCC).

The anti-graft agency had named Bello in an amended N80 billion money laundering charge filed against Governor Ododo’s Chief of Staff, Alli Bello.

While it is not on record that the commission had invited the former governor, his refusal to submit himself has shown that he is actually evading arrest.

This perhaps has made it operatives to storm his home on Benghazi Street, Wuse Zone 4, Abuja, on Wednesday morning.

But the operatives were prevented by some policemen and other armed men guarding him from entering the house.

Governor Ododo later arrived with heavy security in the afternoon and later drove out with Bello in his car.

The development forced the helpless EFCC operatives laying siege to Bello’s home to retreat from Benghazi Street, Wuse Zone 4, Abuja.

While the siege to Bello’s residence was still on, two conflicting court rulings emerged in respect to the attempt to arrest the former governor by the EFCC.

One of the rulings, which came from Justice I.A Jamil of Kogi State High Court sitting in Lokoja, on Wednesday restrained the commission, from arresting, detaining or prosecuting him.

But Justice Emeka Nwite of the Federal High Court sitting in Abuja granted permission to the EFCC to arrest the ex-Kogi State governor in preparation for his arraignment last Thursday.

In its official reaction to Governor Ododo’s action, the EFCC had warned that it is a criminal offence to obstruct its officers from carrying out their lawful duties.

In a statement on Wednesday, the spokesperson of the agency, Dele Oyewale, said the warning became necessary due to the “increasing tendency of persons and groups under investigation by the commission” to “take the laws into their hands by recruiting thugs to obstruct lawful operations of the EFCC.”

“Section 38 (2) (a(b) of the EFCC Establishment Act makes it an offence to prevent officers of the commission from carrying out their lawful duties. Culprits risk a jail term of not less than five years,” the statement said.

Governor Ododo’s action was not the first attempt by an incumbent governor to stop a security agency from arresting an influential Nigerian.

When the DSS was raiding homes of judges at ungodly hours in 2016, the then Governor Nyesom Wike had also prevented the secret police from arresting Justice Mohammed Liman of Federal High Court, Port Harcourt.

Wike foiled the attempt by the DSS to arrest Liman on October 8, 2016.

Operatives of the DSS had stormed 35, Forces Avenue, Port Harcourt, the residence of Liman.

But Wike rushed to his residence to rescue him, accusing the security agencies of not following due process in the discharge of their duties.

Wike had also rescued the former Managing Director of the Niger Delta Development Commission (NDDC), Joi Nunieh, from forceful arrest.

Policemen had stormed Nunieh’s residence hours before she was to appear before a House of Representatives’ panel probing the alleged fraud at NDDC.

Nunieh had spoken of illegalities at the commission, levelling many allegations against the then Minister of Niger Delta Affairs, Godswill Akpabio, whom she accused of sexual harassment.

But for the arrival of Wike, Nunieh, who joined Wike’s convoy to Government House, Port Harcourt, would have been taken away from her residence in Port Harcourt by the policemen, who according to her, pulled down the gate and attempted to break down the security door.

But Bello’s case has generated more interest than Justice Liman and Nunieh’s cases given his position as a former governor and his unimpressive performance as a governor, which his traducers believe brought shame to the Nigerian youths.

Bello has since been declared wanted by the EFCC, which alleged that the former governor, alongside the chief of staff to Usman Ododo, and one Daudu Suleiman, diverted about N80.2

NOTES FOR FILE

billion belonging to the Kogi State government.

Reacting to Bello’s attempt to evade the law, the Attorney-General of the Federation (AGF) and Minister of Justice, Lateef Fagbemi (SAN), had asked the former governor to turn himself in to the commission.

Fagbemi said in a statement on Thursday that the EFCC has statutory powers “to invite any person of interest to interact with them in the course of their investigation into any matter regardless of status.”

“A situation where public officials who are themselves subject of protection by law enforcement agents will set up a stratagem of obstruction to the civil and commendable efforts of the EFCC to perform its duty is to say the least, insufferably disquieting,” Fagbemi said.

Meanwhile, Justice Nwite of the Federal High Court Abuja on Thursday adjourned the suit instituted by the EFCC against Bello to April 23, 2024.

The adjournment is for substituted service and possible arraignment of Bello for alleged money laundering.

At the resumed sitting, counsel for the EFCC, Kemi Pinheiro, told the court that the immediate past governor of Kogi State was absent from court for his arraignment because he was being protected by someone with immunity.

Pinheiro said the anti-graft agency might seek the help of the military to fish him out to come face his arraignment.

But responding to this submission, Bello, through his counsel, Abdulwahab Muhammad, told the court that there is an order restraining the EFCC from arresting him.

Following the stand-off between the EFCC and policemen guarding the former governor, the Inspector General of Police, Olukayode Egbetokun, has withdrawn all police officers attached to Bello, according to a police wireless message seen on Friday.

The Nigeria Immigration Service (NIS) has also placed the former governor on a watchlist, according to a statement signed by Assistant Comptroller of Immigration, DS Umar, on behalf of the ComptrollerGeneral of the NIS, Kemi Nandap.

Why is Bello running away from the EFCC instead of submitting himself to prove his innocence?

Is it a case of the guilty being always afraid? Won’t Bello’s action jeopardise his chances of bail in the likely event that he is arrested and arraigned? Is he not giving the court and the prosecution the impression that he is a flight risk who will jump bail when it is judicially and judiciously granted?

These are the questions agitating the minds of many Nigerians.

Beyond the media frenzy, the EFCC should ensure that they have rock-solid evidence against the former governor. Let it not be that after arresting him, it is then they will begin to shop for evidence.

Failure of Intelligence Gathering in Nigeria

The news on the invasion of the Oyo state secretariat at Agodi in Ibadan, by some Oodua nation agitators penultimate Saturday hit most Nigerians like thunderbolt with many shocked over lack of intelligence gathering on the part of security agencies in the country.

The group, dressed in military camouflage, had removed the Nigerian national flag at the secretariat and replaced it with their “Oodua nation flag” before the intervention of the security personnel. Videos of the incident that appeared on social media showed two persons - a man and a woman - declaring that the “Oodua Nation” had separated from Nigeria.

Though security operatives arrested some of them while others escaped into the nearby bushes, the incident showed the

complete lack of intelligence gathering by security agencies in the country.

Virtually all security agencies in Nigeria, whether the Nigerian Army, Navy, Air Force, the police, NSCDC and the Department of State Services (DSS), have intelligent units or departments. In fact, the DSS was specifically established to nip such terrorism and treasonable crime in the bud through intelligence gathering.

While the agitators were sewing military uniforms, amassing weapons and training for the operation, many Nigerians were surprised that their plan did not leak to security agencies, particularly the police and DSS, for them to burst their activities before the actions were executed. What is really the work of the security agencies if not to burst crimes through

intelligence gathering? Why is it that in Nigeria, whenever terrorists are planning evil against the country or persons, their evil plots are not prevented?

A few years ago, there were media reports that the Indigenous People of Biafra (IPOB) had established and successfully trained its militant wing, Eastern Security Network (ESN) for months in a forest in Delta State without the knowledge of the police and DSS. It was not until the video of the training went viral on social media that the security agents knew that there was such training.

Many Nigerians believe that security operatives, particularly the army, police and the DSS only show their power and might when dealing with unarmed civilians while heavily armed non-state actors hold the country to ransom.

Indeed, many security agencies are pre-occupied with inglorious roles which have continued to make Nigerians to hold them in disdain.

Bello

Bishi

Will Ganduje Survive the Plot against Him?

The National Chairman of the All Progressives Congress, Dr. Abdullahi Ganduje, narrowly escaped a palace coup orchestrated from his ward, as a counter move by the State Working Committee of the party ensured that the move to oust him was thwarted, Adedayo Akinwale writes

The National Chairman of the All Progressives Congress (APC), Dr. Abdullahi Ganduje was sent into a panic mood on Monday when news filtered in that he had been suspended by the executive of his Ward in Dawakin Tofa Local Government Area (LGA) of Kano State.

His ward executive had accused him of gross misconduct and misappropriation of public funds during his administration in the state.

The legal adviser of Ganduje’s ward, Haladu Gwanjo, explained that they decided to suspend Ganduje from the party due to the allegations against him by the state government bordering on bribery.

It would be recalled that in 2018, a viral video had captured Ganduje allegedly receiving bundles of dollar notes as a bribe from a man said to be a contractor and stuffing them in the pockets of his babanriga.

Ganduje had denied the content of the video when it first surfaced and maintained his innocence. However, the New Nigeria People’s Party (NNPP)’s administration of Governor Abba Yusuf revisited the case and vowed to prosecute the former governor.

The state government arraigned Ganduje in Kano High Court on April 16 on charges bordering on allegations of bribery, diversion, and misappropriation of funds, including the purported acceptance of $413,000 and N1.38 billion in bribes.

The state Attorney General and Commissioner of Justice, Haruna Dederi, had said Ganduje would be arraigned alongside his wife and six others.

The accused individuals, as listed in the writ of summon, included: Ganduje, Hafsat Umar, Abubakar Bawuro, Umar Abdullahi Umar, Jibrilla Muhammad, Lamash Properties Limited, Safari Textiles Limited, and Lesage General Enterprises.

But the State Working Committee (SWC) of APC in a counter move, overruled the alleged suspension of Ganduje by the ward executive and even suspended those involved.

Also, the party leaders in the local government level thwarted the suspension and described it as null and void.

Avoiding Oshiomhole’s Dose

The counter move became imperative as it brought to mind how the former National Chairman of the ruling party, Senator Adams Oshiomhole was ousted using his ward executive.

Recall that the executive of Etsako Ward 10 suspended Oshiomhole during a battle of wits between the former chairman and Governor Godwin Obaseki of Edo State.

Oshiomhole had earlier denied Obaseki the ticket of the party to contest for a second term in office on the platform of the APC. To get back at him, Obaseki through his ward executive orchestrated his suspension from the party.

But Oshiomhole and the APC national leadership discountenanced the suspension, saying it was invalid. They said only the party headquarters could suspend national officers of the party including the chairman.

But a Federal Capital Territory (FCT) High Court okayed the suspension of Oshiomhole, pending the determination of a substantive suit.

The court said that Oshiomhole, having been suspended as a member of the APC by the party in Edo State, stood suspended.

Panic in APC’s Secretariat

Hours after the drama began unfolding, there was palpable tension at the national headquarters of APC in Abuja. The secretariat staff were seen in pockets of groups discussing the development, while expressing concerns whether the same fate that befell Oshiomhole would consume Ganduje.

The tension-soaked atmosphere worsened when a few national officers that reported at the party secretariat hurriedly left after spending a few minutes. Among them were: Deputy National Chairman (South), Emma Eneukwu; and the National Organising Secretary, Suleiman

Argungu, who left immediately after presenting certificate of participation to the aspirants for this weekend’s Ondo State governorship primary.

However, the arrival of the National Secretary, Ajibola Basiru, and the Deputy National Secretary, Festus Fuanter, doused the tension and brought some relief to the anxious workers.

Some of the secretariat staff admitted that they were worried over the future of their boss, and the possibility of his wriggling out of the situation that consumed his predecessor a few years ago.

“He should not have even allowed the pronouncement to take place in the first place. Now that the suspension has been announced, it may go beyond the state chapter executive overturning the ward executive decision. Was there any weapon Oshiomhole did not apply to nullify his suspension, including obtaining several court judgments, yet he could not escape the dangling hammer?” a staff member said in a hushed tone.

While the drama was unfolding, a joint press conference by the Ganduje’s Ward executive and Dawakin Tofa LG executive committee members held on Monday, April 15 described the ward executive that suspended the national chairman as impersonators and impostors and would be charged to court accordingly.

Expectedly, the chairman of Ganduje’s ward, Ahmed Koko maintained that those that purportedly suspended the national chairman were members of NNPP.

He said: “The attention of the Ganduje Ward executive committee members and that of Dawakin Tofa Local Government was drawn to a purported suspension of the national chairman of the party, Dr. Abdullahi Umar Ganduje, by, unfortunately, non-APC members in the ward.

“Those who addressed the press conference were sponsored by the NNPP-led state government, and from the record of the party at the ward, local government and state, they are not card-carrying members of the APC”.

“The purported suspension was null and void, and would have no effect on the national chairman. The ward and local government executives, having identified the persons involved in this unfortunate situation, have already prepared to charge them to court for impersonation and calculated attempts to embarrass and dent the image of the party and that of the national chairman.”

Koko, therefore, called on all party members to disregard the purported suspension and remain calm.

Similarly, the Kano State APC chairman, Abdullahi Abbas, said the State Working Committee of the party deemed it necessary to adopt the suspension of the ward leaders for working in tandem with the opposition to suspend Ganduje from the party.

Adopting the suspension of the ward’s leaders, the state chairman set up a committee to investigate their anti-party activities.

He said: “We have evidence of meetings between the state government officials and those that suspended the national chairman. The state working committee has agreed to sanction them for six months and they stand suspended.”

Also, the Progressives Foundational Movement (PFM) described the ward executives as moles planted in APC by the NNPP.

The group, in a statement by its Chairman, Emmanuel Aribigbe, maintained that Ganduje has not committed any offence that should warrant suspension by the ward executive.

While there were still condemnations against attempts to move the APC national chairman from office, his legal problems were stepped up with the decision of the Kano State Anti-Corruption and Public Complaints Commission to file more charges against him including the alleged diversion of state funds to Bureau De Change operators. The chairman of the commission, Muhuyi Magaji who spoke during a television interview, said the commission had uncovered the diversion of N51.3 billion from local government funds to unauthorized individuals during Ganduje’s tenure.

Magaji alleged that the Ganduje’s administration withdrew N1 billion monthly from state coffers before its tenure ended in May 2023, purportedly for road renovation, but diverted to BDC operators instead. He also cited a case involving N4 billion transferred to an agricultural company from Kano’s consolidated revenue account.

Legal Fireworks

Unfortunately, Ganduje’s respite appeared to be short- lived as a Kano State High Court affirmed his suspension following an ex parte order restraining him from further parading himself as a member of APC. The order was granted by Justice Usman Na’abba, on Tuesday. The order followed an ex parte motion filed by Haladu Gwanjo and Laminu Sani by their counsel Ibrahim Sa’ad.

The plaintiffs, who identified themselves as the executive members of APC in Ganduje ward, said they brought the motion on behalf of the executive members of the ward. Consequently, the court ordered that henceforth, Ganduje should desist from presiding over all affairs of the NWC of APC.

But the party’s NWC said the court order is unenforceable. The party described the order restraining Ganduje from further parading himself as the chairman of the party as a nullity.

The National Legal Adviser of the party, Prof. Abdulkarim Kana, insisted that the order was obtained by fraud and as such is not enforceable. He said the ward executive would petition the National Judicial Council (NJC) to call the high court judge to order.

The Ganduje ward executive of the party also passed a vote of confidence in him. Dismissing the order, the APC national chairman, also told the ward executives that he was not moved as those who purportedly suspended him were impostors.

In what could be seen as a battle of judicial wits, by Thursday a Federal High Court in Kano ordered that the suspension of Ganduje as national chairman of the party, be halted.

Ruling the ex parte motion filed by the embattled APC national chairman seeking to enforce his fundamental rights to fair hearing, Justice A.M Liman, ordered all the parties involved in the attempts to remove Ganduje from office to maintain status quo and to stay action pending the hearing and determination of the substantive application.

The respondents in the application are the police, Department of State Services (DSS), Nigeria Security and Civil Defence Corps (NSCDC), and nine other individuals. The judge then fixed April 30 to hear the case.

It is not yet clear if Ganduje will survive the plot against him or go the way of Oshiomhole. Events in the next few days will tell.

Ganduje

High-Octane Party as Obi Cubana Celebrates 49

Philip Adun

Chief Obinna Iyiegbu “Obi Cubana” was born on April 12, 1975 and he studied political science at the University of Nigeria, Nsukka, graduating with a Second Class Honors, Upper Division. An astute businessman and socialite, he turned 49 on April 12, 2024.

The weekend of April 11–14, 2024 came to a standstill as this living legend of business and entrepreneurship, a hospitality czar, celebrated his birthday with a plethora of bespoke activities. The business tycoon had numerous events hosted by corporate organisations such as Samsung Electronics West Africa, GAC Motors, Pernod Ricard and others, an unusual celebration with pomp and pageantry. The four-day packed events featured back-to-back cocktail parties, after-parties, dinner sessions, grand ceremonies, and the complete closure of the Vaniti Club and Knowhere Restaurant, two of the best luxury dining establishments in Lagos, Nigeria’s commercial capital.

Founder of Cubana Trading and Investment Limited, the owners of Odogwu Bitters, Obi Cubana, who is distinguished for his vibrant social life and ability to attract the powerful at any time, came through with elegant display of mastery of the human emotions, attending to all his guests, friends, business partners, associates and all with the masterful fineness of a complete gentleman. Supported by his amiable wife, Ebele Iyiegbu (Lush) and his awesome children, Obi Cubana gave everyone a reason to smile while celebrating him in their unique and preferred way.

Known for his success in the hospitality industry before branching out into other profitable ventures, Obi Cubana has built a strong social capital becoming an inspiration to many young entrepreneurs who strive to achieve financial success and the reputation, status and acceptance that follows hard work and self-actualisation.

The well-loved Nigerian entrepreneur and serial business magnate, Chief Obinna Iyiegbu, popularly known as “Obi Cubana,” was hosted to an extravagant event featuring excitement, glamour, and delectable food, the epitome of legendary hospitality by Samsung Electronics West Africa, the leading consumer electronics giant with a global presence.

The dinner held at the newly opened luxury restaurant KNOWHERE on Adeola Odeku on Victoria Island, Lagos, and it was an elaborate event which culminated in the celebrant and his wife cutting a beautifully designed birthday cake. The businessman was visibly thrilled with the unique rendition of classical music that accompanied the fine dining and fine wine that was enjoyed by a select group of guests.

Top Nigerian business leaders and celebrities, industry icons, figures from the worlds of music and film, banking, real estate, oil and gas, government, hospitality, and telecommunications, among many others, turned out for the dinner event to show support and celebrate the businessman extraordinaire, Obi Cubana.

At the event, Obi Cubana stated “it feels great to be celebrated by a global brand like Samsung, in recognition of great partnership, I am delighted today that Samsung came through by hosting this unique birthday eve dinner”

He noted that his partnership with Samsung extend to ensuring that the brand is entrenched in Nigeria and in ensuring that every Nigerian mobile user, elites and everyone, embraces Samsung as the first choice in mobile experience whether for work, leisure or for business purposes.

GAC Motors, the top car manufacturer in Nigeria, hosted the renowned businessman and chairman of the Cubana Group, Obinna Iyiegbu, and his friends to an emotional and all-inclusive birthday celebration event. It was dubbed a “Night of Icons, Obi Cubana Edition.”

The party which was held at the GAC Motors G-Style Showroom on plot 7, Ligali Ayorinde Street in Victoria Island had in attendance many Nigerian celebrities, industry experts, and friends of the hospitality and entertainment businessman and owners of the Cubana brand. The event was also to celebrate the ongoing partnership between Obi Cubana and GAC Motors.

Speaking on the partnership, the General Manager of GAC Motors, Jubril Arogundade said Obi Cubana has brought tremendous goodwill to the GAC Motors brand with the deployment of over 250 units of its vehicles for

the Enviable Transport services in key cities in Nigeria including Abuja, the Federal Capital Territory.

Arogundade said: “We are proud of our partnership with Dr. Obinna Iyiegbu and his commitment has brought us valuable progress and so on this day we have decided to celebrate this great icon and to specially recognize him for this beneficial partnership.

“Obi Cubana is among the very top Nigerians that have recognized and accepted GAC Motors brand for our quality and in his first set of purchases for our vehicles, he paid cash, one hundred percent, and took delivery of 150 units GAC motor Gs3 and 100 units of WULING EV Vehicles, over the same period. Please let’s celebrate him”

On his part, Obi Cubana said GAC Motors has the best vehicle for Nigerian roads, describing how he started the engagement with the company, he said, “We were looking for suitable vehicles for our logistics and transport business and so I was introduced to GAC Motors

presentation of an ALL-new GS8 GAC Vehicle, a surprise birthday gift to the celebrant, Obi Cubana.

Arogundade noted that the car gift was GAC Motors’ way of honoring and appreciating Obi Cubana for a long-standing partnership. On his part, obi Cubana thanked the GAC Motors group for the magnanimity of gifting him with a brand new vehicle, while assuring them that all will be done to sustain the partnership.

Martell Cognac and Pernod Ricard Nigeria honored Obi Cubana, with a stupendously thrilling birthday dinner and after-party with a display of complete grandeur and celebration. The opulent birthday celebration began with a formal dinner at the upmarket Knowhere restaurant, which was lavishly decorated to fit the upscale setting.

The festivities then moved to the Vaniti club, both on Adeola Odekun Street in Lagos. There, guests were treated to a sophisticated evening of live music, delectable food, and emotional tributes in honor of the well-known businessman, whose name is synonymous with generosity and luxury.

Obi Cubana was all smiles and thankfulness during his lavish birthday celebration all night long. He was so happy and appreciative of everyone he met, including friends, colleagues from many industries, and distinguished guests. Perfectly groomed and full of smiles, he was the epitome of the hospitality for which he is known.

In an interview, Obi Cubana expressed profound gratitude for his health and life experiences, emphasizing the importance of leaving a positive legacy and positively impacting the lives of others.

He shared: “I am truly grateful for another year of life and good health. This birthday has reminded me of the importance of leaving behind a positive legacy and using every opportunity to positively impact the lives of those around me.”

Obi Cubana, surrounded by family and friends, treasured every minute and understood the importance of changing someone else’s life. Celebrity attendees at the star-studded event included Burna Boy, Flavour, and Patoranking, which heightened the glitz of the occasion. A gourmet feast prepared by award-winning chefs was served to the guests, who were also offered a carefully chosen assortment of exquisite wines and spirits to heighten the celebration.

The celebration of achievement and luxury brands came together at the event, which was masterfully organised by Martell Cognac and Pernod Ricard Nigeria. It highlighted Obi Cubana’s noteworthy contributions as a business and cultural icon.

Obi Cubana’s birthday celebration was more than just a party; it was a demonstration of his power and impact in a number of fields. The invitation-only event showcased the art of celebrating in elegance, leaving a lasting impression on everyone who was honored to be a part of this remarkable occasion.

The four-day gathering not only celebrated the birthday of an extraordinary individual but to honor the legacy of a visionary entrepreneur whose impact reverberates far beyond the realms of business and commerce.

Obi Cubana stands as a shining beacon of inspiration, a testament to the power of passion, perseverance, and unwavering dedication. As Chairman of the Cubana Group, his entrepreneurial spirit knows no bounds, traversing diverse sectors from entertainment and hospitality to real estate, manufacturing, and beyond.

“We decided to drive the vehicles up to a very long distance. What I found was amazing, the vehicles are resilient, rugged, and suitable for the Nigerian road. So we placed our orders and paid in full. Anywhere you see GAC Motors in Abuja, we brought it, and Enviable Transport, and one of our subsidiary partners has continued to deploy more GAC Cars as we go to other cities across Nigeria”

Speaking at the event, Chukwuemeka Ituma, Managing Director/CEO of Enviable Transport, said it was a historic moment as GAC Motors found it worthy to celebrate the birthday of a Legend in such a unique way.

He noted that Enviable Transport is committed to providing “bespoke hailing services among several other top-notch logistics offerings, with a fleet of brand new cars from GAC Motors which are well suitable for corporate trips as well as leisure rides. It comes with adequate security plus an easy booking system and fast picks up and drops off for both residents and visitors alike”.

The high point of the evening was the

Yet, amidst his vast empire, Obi Cubana remains grounded in the belief that true success is measured not only in wealth acquired, but in lives touched and communities uplifted. His commitment to talent development and job creation has breathed life into countless dreams, offering opportunities where there were once only obstacles.

All that has been acknowledged is that while the glasses were raised in celebration, it was important to toast to another year of life and prosperity and to the indomitable spirit of Obi Cubana, a philanthropist, a socialite, a titan of industry, and above all, a beacon of hope in a world hungry for inspiration as he marches to the 5th floor in 2025, a golden jubilee. On his part, Obi Cubana hopes that this birthday will unveil the boundless potential that lies within everyone, and his journey will continue to inspire generations to come.

Celebrities, captains of industries, business leaders and society movers and shakers all turned out to celebrate an icon.

Adun writes from Lagos

Obi Cubana

L-R: Flavour and Obi Cubana

Reactions to Recent Positive Signals in the Nigerian Economy - Turning a Blind Eye

Hafiz Bakare

The reactions of some of our compatriots to the rebound of the naira after the initial turbulence can be typified by the Yoruba saying: “Ajanaku koja mo ri nkan firi, t’a ba r’erin e je a pe a r’erin”. This is roughly translated as follows: “An elephant is too massive in size and majestic in strides for anyone to simply claim to have seen “something” fleetingly in a split second. If we have seen an elephant, let’s be honorable enough to admit that we have seen an elephant”!

There is obviously still a lot to be done in many areas but the skepticism of some of us is bewildering. The same people complaining some time ago are struggling to acknowledge clear progress when confronted with it, almost as if they never wanted a solution in the first place! And for most of them, that is the truth that is quite difficult to hide now given the reactions.

Even those who claim to be neutral as policy analysts have resorted to the clever point of view that there is nothing to acknowledge in a government correcting its mistakes because it was the policy and/or implementation missteps that worsened the economy significantly in the first place. Indeed, that it’s only when the exchange rate gets back to pre-May 2023 level of N700:$1 that they can accept that the government is just starting!

This argument refuses to put our situation in context. If a man has been able to take care of his family for a long time simply because he has been irresponsible in borrowing money all over the neighborhood and brazenly defaulting over the years, the family would be inconsiderate to expect that things must remain the same initially when he decides to stop living a false life and enhances the credibility of his family by meeting his obligations to his debtors. A counter narrative to this by some of our people is that he shouldn’t have done everything to clean the slate of his obligations all at once and should have sequenced implementation just like the observations made about the government.

But from events in the last couple of months, while there are always areas for improvement, it is obvious that the sequencing which has been much touted as a sure way to have lessened the pain might not really have changed the course of events. What we saw in reaction to the twin policies of fuel subsidy removal and floating of the currency was extreme opportunistic behavior by some of our citizens and in many cases outright sabotage riddled with malice as many refused to move on after the last election. This behaviour was pervasive among a number of citizens resident in Nigeria and abroad including collusion by institutions. Sequencing would not necessarily have dealt with this and government perhaps in good faith initially underestimated the extent of opportunistic tendency of individuals and institutions (including some of the banks unfortunately) in both the private and public sector as well as the extreme malicious intent of those who would rather the country failed if their candidate was not in the saddle. Once government realized the extreme nature of the citizens’ reactions along these two dimensions of opportunism and malice/sabotage, decisive steps taken with ruthless efficiency have resulted in the progress we are experiencing. That is the context that should not be ignored!

When the CBN first started involving the EFCC and NSA after realizing what the country was up against with respect

to Binance and BDCs as well as even banks, many of these analysts (naively or otherwise) and those citizens who knew that their game was about to end, criticised the involvement of law enforcement as a pointer to the “incompetence” and “cluelessness” of the CBN and the administration, wondering how law enforcement could be expected to play any role in matters that were perceived strictly in the realms of monetary policy!

We all know that virtually everything in Nigeria depends on the exchange rate which is what also drives domestic inflation. There was ample evidence that apart from the manipulation from BDCs and the Binance platform, pressure on the exchange rate was also driven considerably by many of our public officials who were taking the extra allocations they had been getting since the removal of subsidy (because the constitution compelled the federal government to share based on an agreed formula) to BDCs for dollar exchange at any rate available. Rather than the masses benefiting from the increased allocations since June 2023, the people felt little or no impact despite empirical evidence of significant increase in FAAC allocation to states and the federal government.

The relatively high increase in interest rate along with the scrutiny on BDCs and Binance was therefore meant to discourage the undue focus on fx by those with excess naira to “invest” and direct their attention to naira based investment. Since the rate hike, we’ve seen the effect as most in-

vestors have shifted to take advantage of high Treasury Bills rate in the local market, leading to over-subscription. The effect is also being felt in the stock market which has dipped considerably as investors continue to take advantage of high rates in the local money market. There is a disincentive to keep investing in dollars with the DSS, EFCC and NSA scrutiny on BDCs when you can lock in high rates in naira.

The cumulative effect of this has been the steady appreciation of the naira against the dollar and a much-desired pause in the pervasive hopelessness before the rate hike and other co-ordinated policy measures from CBN including the collaboration with law enforcement. It would ultimately calm domestic inflation as we are gradually seeing signs of prices dropping here and there even though there is usually a lag period for optimal effect in terms of lower inflation numbers as well as reduced cost of living.

This wasn’t a result of “burning foreign exchange reserves to defend the Naira“ as some of our biased and ill-informed Nigerian writers in Bloomberg and similar organisations would have us believe, because the reserves were utilized mainly to clear fx backlogs with some debt service and very little channeled into the market.

Of course, high interest rates negatively affect the real sector from a borrowing perspective but the regulatory actions and the implications stated earlier will ultimately benefit the real sector.

Notwithstanding, the CBN Governor has been very clear that in our drastic situation, it was necessary to take drastic steps to halt the slide and seeming hopelessness while trading off growth in the short term. When confidence gradually returns to the market, there would be a need to loosen things up a bit as the CBN and other stakeholders

watch very closely.

Subsidy removal and floating of the exchange rate were never going to be easy decisions. This government understood very clearly from the beginning that while keeping the overall objectives in focus, there might be need for intervention in one way or the other if such became necessary. As early as two months into the administration in his 31st July 2023 address, the President was frontal in paragraph 38 stating that “We are also monitoring the effects of the exchange rate and inflation on gasoline prices. If and when necessary, we will intervene.”

That is what every responsible and responsive government should do but many of our compatriots were not listening only to gloat almost a year later that government has reversed its policies or is now moving to “managed float” or has brought back subsidy “through the back door” etc.

So, as indicated at the beginning of this long piece, there appears to be a tendency by some of our fellow citizens (including local commentators, formal and informal analysts as well as those who work in international media organizations) to put a subliminal downer to their reports/comments even when the overriding theme is meant to be about positive developments.

A further stretch to this is that some of our people have also chosen not to move on from the last election because their candidates lost and therefore continue to openly, subtly or even subconsciously wish ill for the country under this administration.

What is important is for government to keep focused on doing the right things so that it would be difficult not to acknowledge, even if grudgingly.

BakarewritesfromLagos.

Tinubu

Dangote, Air Peace and the Patriotism of Capital

Money is perhaps a homeless vagrant. It has no nationality or permanent homestead in real terms. It goes and stays only where its masters are wise, prudent and far sighted. But in a world dominated by nations and their interests, real money is first a national asset and tool of governance and sovereign assertion. When money thus becomes a source of power, the nation whose flag the conquering company flies shows up to claim its own. Apple, Microsoft, Tesla, Coca Cola are synonymous with America. It is not because every American can walk off with a can of Coke from the supermarket without paying for it but because somewhere along the way, brand and nation have become fused and interchangeable. Every successful Business may aspire to an international identity but when the chips are down, every successful business needs to be anchored first on a specific sense of sovereign belonging. Ultimately, then, the companies to which sovereign wealth is usually ascribed have a final responsibility to that nation or sovereignty in times of trouble or goodness. Make no mistake about it. Businesses are in business to succeed as businesses. To succeed as a business is to make tons of profit and invest in even more business and wealth creation. Sensible companies do not always overtly toe the government’s line. They instead buy into the hearts and minds of the citizens through the products they offer and how friendly their prices are.

Two Nigerian brands have recently stepped forward to identify with the citizens of our country in this moment of grave challenge and desperate self -inflicted hardship. Dangote and Air Peace are now on record as having risen to use their products, brand presence and pricing strategies to identify with and ameliorate some of the harrowing difficulties that Nigerians are currently going through. The worst moments of our present economic travail may not be over just yet. The epidemic of hunger still looms over the land. Innocent people are still being trampled to needless death at palliative food centers. Some are getting squeezed to death while scrambling for tiny free cash. Inflation figures just got even worse at over 33.4%. Those who fled the country in awe of rampaging hardship have not yet started returning or regretting their decisions to flee. Most Nigerians, rich and poor alike, are still needing to be convinced that the curse of recent hopelessness can be reversed any time soon. Yet out of the darkness and gloom that now pervades our national mood, a tinge of sweetness has begun to seep into the air. The exchange rate of the Naira to major currencies has begun heading south. The dollar, which at the worst moments in recent times exchanged for as low as N2,300 to a US dollar, has climbed up in value. As at the time of this writing, a little over N1,000 can fetch you the same miserable US dollar. That may not sound like paradise yet since it is still worse than the worst of the Daura emperor. Most Nigerians are praying that Tinubu should minimally take us back to the Buhari days in terms of the exchange rate and relative food security. We are still far from there.

What has Dangote got to do with it all? The removal of fuel subsidy had unleashed an astronomical hike in energy and fuel prices. While motorists and transporters wept and wailed at the gas stations, the price of nearly everything else went through the roof. Since public power supply remains as epileptic or absent as in the 1970s or worse, we have been living in a virtual generator republic that is dependent on diesel and petrol generators. The price of diesel in particular jumped through the roof. Industrial production suffered just as transportation and haulage costs became unbearable. Every high cost was passed down to the suffocating hapless citizens.

Fortuitously, the gigantic Dangote refinery complex was coming on stream in a time of great difficulty. Somehow, the hope was alive that the Dangote refinery would come

Edun

on stream with a bit of good news on the pricing of gasoline and diesel. But no one knew for sure what Mr. Dangote’s cost accountants had in stock especially with the devilish exchange rate that reigned in the first nine months of the Tinubu tenure.

Energy and fuel prices were off the roof. A liter of diesel went for as high as N1,650 in some places. Gasoline was not any better. Those who wanted to keep their homes powered from generators needed troves of cash to procure diesel whose prices kept going up as the dollar exchange rate escalated. Factories fared worse.

Refreshingly, Mr. Aliko Dangote whose mega billion dollar refinery in Lagos has just started producing petroleum products has a bit of good news for all Nigerians. He has reduced the price of diesel from the mountain pe58% to a more considerate N1,000 per liter, nearly a 58% reduction in price in less than a week. The prospect is good that when his gasoline products begin to flow through the pumps. Mr. Dangote may have even better news at the gas stations. Along with his fellow cement oligarchs had promised to deliver cement to Nigerians at a more friendly price. The full benefit of that promise is still a long way away.

It needs to be said in fairness to Dangote as a brand that more than any other single company in Nigeria, it has invested in the things that touch the lives of the people most immediately. Sugar, salt, fertilizer, tomato puree, fruit juices, cement and now petroleum products. No other single Nigerian brand can boast of a wider and more expansive range of socially relevant products than Dangote.

In direct response to the prevailing hunger and hardship in the land, Mr. Dangote has himself stepped forward to provide millions of bags of rice

Nigerians than the plain business sense which is what it really is. It was a drive for volume in a market of low volume driven by high fares.

To drive home the patriotic edge of its revival of international flights, Air Peace rebranded its crew and adorned its senior cabin crew with uniforms that featured the traditional Igbo “Isi Agu” motif. For those who are hard at hearing, the Isi Agu motif on Nigerian traditional outfits is of Igbo ancestry just as the Aso Oke, Adire and Babanriga are South Western Yoruba and Northern Hausa-Fulani respectively. A Nigerian airline intent on striking a recognizable indigenous resonance and identity could adapt any combination of these traditional dress motifs to drive home its original and national identity. The isi Agu features a series of lion heads, obviously severed at a moment of unusual valor. To go on a hunt and successfully kill and decapitate a lion is an undisputed symbol or infact a metaphor for unusual valour and heroism among the Igbo. Therefore the choice of that motif by Air Peace in its new cabin outfit is in fact a modern statement on the unusual heights to which Nigerian enterprise can rise if inspired by a patriotic commitment to national greatness. The Isi Agu is therefore Nigerian national heroism captured in an outfit.

In their recent pricing strategies, neither Dangote nor Air Peace has acted out of pure charity or patriotic feeling. Both are reacting to the pressure of latent demand in a market where the purchasing power has been depressed by economic difficulty brought about by government policy and political exigencies. Yet each of them is intent on being seen as acting out of altruistic patriotic motives. That may be true in the short term.

and other food items to Nigerians across the length and breadth of the country as humanitarian palliatives. In terms of the human face of capitalism, Dangote would seem to have perfected an enlightened self interest above his peers.

Just when life was about to gradually grind to a halt, a bit of good news has come from unusual quarters. In a nation that has grown dependent on a feeding bottle tied to the beast of external suppliers of everything from tooth picks to civilized coffee, the belief persisted that all good news can only come from abroad. Nigerians could only hope to enjoy more friendly prices for the things that make them happy if our foreign partners changed their mind. Not any more.

It requires pointing out that the Nigerian spirit is too expansive to be bottled up within our borders just because air tickets are unaffordable. The urban- based Nigerian wants to go abroad for business, on holidays or just to flex!

At the worst of the recent moments, a return Economy Class ticket to nearby London sold for as much as N3.8m-N4million. Major international airlines insisted that the Central Bank had seized and was sitting on their dollar ticket sales proceeds. They needed to keep the high fares to hedge against the uncertainties that were everywhere in the Nigerian air. Nigerian travellers were being punished for the bad fortunes of their national currency and the untidy book keeping habits of the Central Bank.

Almost from nowhere, Nigeria’s largest international airline, Air Peace, announced a low fare flight into London’s Gatwick Airport. The airport itself is also owned by a Nigerian businessman. The fares were unbelievably low, as low as N1.2 million in some cases against the exploitative fares of all the major foreign airlines plying that route. Unbelievably, Air Peace pulled off the London Gatwick deal with quite a bit of fanfare and patriotic noise making that set the foreign competitors scampering back to the drawing board. Air Peace floated the Gatwick fare reduction as a patriotic act, more like social responsibility to fellow

For every liter of diesel sold, Dangote is saving the Nigerian consumer 60% of the current market price. A savings of 60% is a lot for households and businesses. Similarly, for every Economy Class ticket sold by Air Peace on the London route, the average Nigerian traveller gets to save between N1.3million-N1.6 million. That is an awful lot of relief which travellers can apply to other competing needs in these hard times. No one can deny that these are direct savings and benefits that accrue directly to Nigerian citizens. To that extent, both Dangote and Air Peace can be said to be applying their capital to serve a patriotic end.

It is common capitalist gimmick for companies to apply a percentage of their profit to pursue communally beneficial ends in their territory of operation. Oil companies build schools, hospitals, libraries and other socially beneficial infrastructure in their catchment localities. In normal corporate parlance, that only qualifies as Corporate Social Responsibility(CSR) or targeted social beneficence.

But Dangote and Air Peace are doing something a bit more far reaching. They are shedding handsome percentages of their revenue and therefore profit to fellow Nigerians at a time when such savings are desperately needed and deeply appreciated. That is an instance of capitalism serving a patriotic end over and above its statutory tax obligations to the government. This should be commended.

It does not ,however, make these companies any less rapacious as capitalist ventures than any others. They may in fact be investing in better times and bigger profits when the bad days are over. They are investing in the goodwill of the market and therefore deepening their brand penetration and mass sympathy. These are strategies which are far sighted marketing ploys that dig deep into the hearts and minds of generations of consumers.

Ultimately, every capitalist is like a cat; selfish with nine lives and prone to inherent cunning. But, as former Chinese leader Deng Zao Ping said when embracing the free market for his long standing communist nation: “A cat is a cat. It does not matter whether it is a black cat or a white cat. For as long as it catches mice, it is a good cat.”

SUNDAY SPORTS

Duro Ikhazuagbe

Super Eagles duo of Wilfred Ndidi and Kelechi Iheanacho could returning to the English Premier

Albion yesterday afternoon. disappointment of succesPlymouth to return to the top

made three goal-line clearances to ensure the points stayed at After the game, the Sky man of determination to get the job done and a change in attitude

title rivals Leeds United and

Championship glory reaches a climax.

Iheanacho (left) and Ndidi are two wins away from returning to the English Premier League after win against West Brom.. yesterday of the Championship. The manner of those losses had many Foxes fans discussago- that their team might bottle not only their title chances but also automatic promotion back to the Premier League. But goals from Super Eagles and Jamie Vardy overcame a determined challenge from the to the determination of central

been through a tough couple of months since the turn of the to be a team. Everyone loves it so much - for ourselves, for our families, for the fans. the line in a game like this, it can dig deep and hang in there

Nigerian Teenager Finishes Second as Kenyan Wins Abuja Half Marathon

A17-year-old Plateau State indigene, Francis James,ished second at the maidenAbuja City Premier Trust Bank International Bank Half-Marathon. James crossed the line in 1hr. to of the race, Shadrack Ngumbau from Kenya.

secs to claim the gold medalsive Nigerian outing in both the male and female categories.

West Brom boss Carlos side managed to squander so many opportunities to score, and a second successive defeat no means certain. They did

from time, but could not force an equaliser.

they could go up on Tuesday if they beat Southampton at the

Choudhury added: “You lads have spoken about it. the tank, they can dig deep and not lose concentration. And I

Fireworks in Abuja as NOGIG 2024 Begins

Tnext year if I continue to get support and encouragement like this Raticm Kenneth of Kenya

as the best Nigerian performer promised by the CEO of Nilayo Sports Management, Bukola Olopade.ant feeling. I have been running

Nigerian performer. Nigerian athletes also had an respectively.ahead of Toofrida Lodefa and Rotto Nancy Jebat both from Kenya.

Man City Beat Chelsea 1-0 to Berth in FA Cup Final

Manchester United are one from a secondside, though the manager said a huge challenge.ship (second tier) side Coventry City at Wembley after beating Liverpool in a thrilling FA Cup

That memorable game at Old

amid numerous poor ones that have left the squad seventh in the Premier League standings.

told reporters on Friday. “So disappointed, are frustrated, beat the best teams.

highs night.

glamour and at the Moshood Abiola National Stadium, Abuja as the of the Nigeria Oil and Gas Industry Games (NOGIG)

the Nigeria National Petroleum Corporation Limited, Mele Kolo Kyari. Expected to grace the opening ceremony are the Minister of Sports DevelopEnoh, CEOs of participating the Ministry of Petroleum among others. Teams from 13 companies

presenting NNPC, SHELL, TOTAL ENERGIES, NCDMB, NMDPRA, NUPRC, ARADEL, OANDO, SEPLAT, NLNG, CHEVRON, PTI and EXXONMOBIL in 13 sports including Athletics, Golf, Chess, Football, Table Tennis and Tennis. Other sports to feature inming, Basketball, Volleyball,

Olawale Ajimotokan in Abuja

“I am aware that this is not the actual number of members of this committee. You are more than this. I am also aware that the senator representing, unfortunately, my senatorial district, didn’t want you to come here. But because you are men of integrity - the real ones, who have integrity; you decided to come and do what is right”

– Rivers State Governor, Siminalayi Fubara, condemning the ongoing politics of bitterness in the state Gov Fubara to Senator Mpigi

WAZIRI ADIO

Need to Review the Naira Mutilation Law

There are sound financial and moral arguments against wilful mutilation of the Naira, Nigeria’s national currency. These arguments provided the basis for the grudgingly passed provisions captured under Section 21 of the Central Bank of Nigeria (CBN) Act, 2007. However, these financial and moral arguments, in my view, are not strong enough to invite criminal conviction, especially incarceration, on some practices that could be framed as Naira mutilation in the eyes of the law. Recent developments have exposed the danger of broad definition, expansive discretion and lack of proportionality in making and enforcing laws. To prevent overzealousness and needless but credible charges of selective application, that section of the CBN Act needs urgent amendment.

Ahead of the presentation and the passage of that segment of the bill, the CBN had launched a vigorous campaign against what it termed the abuse or the mutilation of the Naira. The then CBN governor, Professor Charles Soludo, offered two major points: one, it costs a lot to replace abused/mutilated naira notes; and two, the national currency deserves the same respect as other national symbols. These are not trivial arguments. It would be hard to argue against legally frowning upon and criminalising deliberately defacing, tearing and counterfeiting Naira notes. Scarce state resources need to be optimally managed and symbols of national identity, including the national currency, deserve utmost respect.

But the bill, and the eventual law, veered into contentious and problematic grounds when it included squeezing and spraying of Naira notes as criminal abuses which, upon conviction, would be punishable by a jail term of not less than six months or a fine of not less than N50,000 or both. The subhead of Section 21 of the CBN Act is actually about ‘tampering and trading in notes and coins’, but the law adopts an expansive and potentially tricky definition of what constitutes tampering. In Section 21(3), the CBN Act states: “for the avoidance of doubt, spraying of, dancing or marching on the Naira or any other notes issued by the Bank during social occasions or otherwise howsoever shall constitute an abuse and defacing of the Naira and shall be punishable under subsection (1) of this section.”

And in Section 21(5) (i) (ii), the law goes on to stretch the meaning of marching and spraying to include not only egregious acts such ‘littering’ and ‘stepping on’ the currency but also borderline acts such as ‘spreading’, ‘adorning,’ ‘spraying anything or any person or any part of any person with Naira notes or coins in a similar manner regardless of the amount, occasion or the intent.’ We will address other issues later, but this expansive definition is not only open to controversial interpretations but could also circumscribe harmless and dignified cultural and religious practices and limit the livelihoods of some citizens. We will return to this too.

It is important to remember that some senators objected to this clause during the debate on the general principles of the bill on 13 June 2006. According to a Daily Trust story, prominent senators who opposed that section included Senator Sanusi Daggash, Senator Daniel Saror, Senator Idris Kuta and Senate Ibrahim Mantu. The reasons they cited for their opposition included impracticality of the law and cultural insensitivity and affront. Senator Jonathan Zwingina, then the Deputy Senate Leader, had to move for the bill to be stepped down for further consultations. As reported by Daily Trust on 14th June 2006,

“Zwingina later told journalists that ‘it is a very unpopular bill which many senators find to be inimical to our culture’, adding that if the ban was approved, market women, politicians and voters would go to jail for abuse of the Naira notes.”

After some consultation and slight modification, the clause was passed by the National Assembly as part of what became the CBN Act. It was one of the last bills assented to by then departing President Olusegun Obasanjo who had while launching the polymer notes three months earlier taken issues with how some Nigerians step on and spray Naira notes at social functions. The CBN Act was gazetted on 1st June 2007.

The CBN subsequently and rightly invested in sensitisation campaigns on proper ways to handle the Naira during celebrations and in some peculiar circumstances. The CBN stopped doing this long ago. It shouldn’t have. During a sensitisation visit to the late Ooni Okunade Sijuade in 2007, Soludo was reported by ThisDay to have told journalists that: ‘the most important part of the bill (law) was not to punish offenders, but to sensitise and appeal to them to voluntarily stop the habit of spraying or squeezing the notes.’ This remains the sensible path to follow on this issue. Many Nigerians are still not aware of the provisions of this law. While ignorance is not an excuse under the law, it is neither practical nor a good use of scarce public resources to start going after those who spray Naira notes in the different ways defined by the law.

It is important to quickly dispense with some issues. I am unlikely to indulge in spraying money at parties or events. I frown upon obscene displays of wealth in any form. I feel repulsed by the vulgar but now common practice of throwing money at people at parties, stamping on money or tossing money into the crowd at rallies and other events. Also, I sometimes share the widespread suspicion that the people who spend money tastelessly probably got their wealth through some shady or illegal avenues.

But some people derive indescribable joy in spraying money and being sprayed money, and not all of them do it in distasteful manners. Also, it is not everyone who sprays money out of celebration or benevolence that made their money illegally, and it is not the business of the state or the rest us of to prescribe to people how they should spend their money. The fact that I won’t do or that I don’t like

something doesn’t mean those who like them or engage in them should be hauled into jail. Stamping on Naira notes should be where we draw the line, but we should not, as a society, elevate personal or moral preferences and unproven suspicion to the status of a high crime.

As long as we have the expansive definition of ‘spraying’ and ‘spreading’ of Naira in our law, someone who hands over Naira notes in pieces or in straps or in bundles to artistes or celebrants or other partygoers or into a carton can be deemed to have abused the Naira and is liable to be convicted of a crime, even if spared the option of jail. This will not only be against the intent of the law (which is about preventing contact with sweat and to stop defacing/dirtying of notes through stamping and contact with the floor), it will also take spontaneity and gaiety out of owambe parties and circumscribe the joy of celebrants and the livelihoods of some artistes.

Fuji and juju artistes and other traditional singers and drummers run a business model that revolves mostly around money sprayed to them at events by celebrants and guests. Weddings, naming and even burial ceremonies in most parts of the country are not complete without some forms of what the CBN Act has criminalised as abuse of the Naira. There are other traditional events like Dambe and Kokuwa wrestling competitions in the north where winners are showered with cash by excited spectators. Congregants in churches and mosques squeeze money into offering bags and donation boxes. As the legislators stated when they objected to the overtly expansive definition of Naira abuse in 2006, spraying money is an age-long practice bound up in tradition, culture and even religious practice, and cannot be erased simply by threatening to throw or actually throwing people into jail. As long we leave that flexibility in the law, it can be used for all sorts of ends, including political witch-hunt. A popular line of argument since Justice Abimbola Awogboro handed out a six-month jail term to Idris Okuneye, popularly known as Bobrisky, for abusing the Naira is that the cross-dressing artist ran afoul of an existing law. The law is the law, those enamoured with this argument have been saying. True, we have a law against Naira mutilation. But laws can be bad or misguided, and there are too many examples bad laws in history to delay us here. The dangerous aspects of some laws may not be evident until the laws are enforced or until when law enforcement and judicial officers push a particular interpretation.

To start with, even the most egregious aspect of Naira mutilation shouldn’t be more than an infraction or a simple offence deserving no more than a fine and possibly community service, except for repeated offenders. There should be proportionality between offence and punishment. Sending those who mutilate the Naira to jail or including a jail sentence as an option is clearly disproportionate. One of the solid arguments that Soludo made in the lead-up to the inclusion of Clause 21 in the CBN Act is that the Naira deserves the respect and status of other national symbols like the national flag. Neither the National Ordinance Act nor the proposed amendments (like the Bill for the Flag and Coat of Arms Act, 2004) prescribes imprisonment for violation or disrespect of these national symbols that CBN thinks the Naira should be upgraded to. If you are not sending people to jail for disrespecting your flag, why do you think jail term is necessary for disrespecting your currency?

True, Judge Awogboro didn’t go outside a duly passed law to sentence Bobrisky to jail. Section

21 (1) grants the judge the latitude to choose between a sentence of not less than six months in jail or a fine of not less than N50, 000 or both. The law gave the judge the agency of discretion. But discretion can be exercised wrongly. This is what I think the judge did in this case. Bobrisky was a first-time offender, pleaded guilty and even offered to campaign against Naira abuse. All these should be grounds for leniency, even within the bounds of the flawed law.

But in exercising her discretion, the judge went for what many, including myself, consider an overreach, inviting unfair and dangerous insinuations that Bobrisky might have been sent to gaol for an offence not on the charge sheet. The fact that another judge had given Oluwadarasimi Omoseyin, an actress convicted of the same offence, the option of fine strengthens such unfortunate suspicion. The problem, however, is the law that criminalised spraying money and grants such discretions. Bobrisky’s lawyers should file an appeal.

The Economic and Financial Crimes Commission (EFCC), the law enforcement agency that got Bobrisky convicted, has vowed to continue to prosecute anyone caught abusing the Naira. It is doubtful if this is one of the high and difficult-tounravel crimes for which EFCC was created as a specialised anti-corruption agency. It is doubtful if most Nigerians will rank spraying Naira as a serious economic and financial crime that should be a priority for their leading anti-corruption agency.

Yes, an agency can define its priority and maybe EFCC can find an omnibus provision within its law to give it the locus to investigate and prosecute those spraying Naira notes. But everything has an opportunity cost. The time and resources that EFCC will invest on what is at best a low-level crime are the time and resources that would not be available to the agency to put into very serious crimes that occasioned its creation and should be its priority. There should be more important things for the agency to do than chasing money sprayers and bragging about putting them behind bars.

Then, there is the issue of selectivity. No agency can practically track or prosecute everyone, including for some technical reasons. A sitting governor is on video throwing money into a crowd very recently. About four years ago, a private citizen, now the sitting president, handed out bundles of Naira notes to a famous Fuji artiste singing his praises at the 80th birthday of a Lagos business mogul in a manner that could be described as Naira spraying under the expansive definition of Section 21 (5) (ii) of the CBN Act. Of course, the governor has immunity from prosecution (though not from investigation). And the president handed out Naira to the artiste long before EFCC formed its taskforce, and an argument could be made against retroactive application.

But the fact that the anticorruption agency will need to be explaining itself or will need to demonstrate that it is not selectively going after some easy targets underscores how much of a distraction and a total waste of time the befuddling preoccupation with money sprayers has become. This is an issue that is better handled with persuasion, as Soludo, the brain behind this curious piece of law, had said when pushing for its passage. The legislation alongside the sudden zealotry invested in its enforcement amounts to trying to kill a fly with a sledgehammer. It is an overkill and a form of work avoidance. Our lawmakers urgently need to revisit the legitimate objections and misgivings that some senators expressed about the contentious parts of the clause on Naira mutilation in 2006, and do the needful.

Cardoso