SUNDAY 23TH APRIL 2023

Sanwo-Olu Orders Demolition of 20 Buildings in Banana Island

Says FG’s agencies reckless, culpable in building collapse

Segun James

Miffed by the frequent incidents of building collapse in Lagos State, Governor Babajide Sanwo-Olu has ordered the demolition of 20 houses in Banana Island, Ikoyi area of

the state.

Speaking yesterday during a visit to the site of the recent building collapse on First Avenue in Banana Island, a visibly angry Sanwo-Olu accused some agencies of the federal government of being

Accuses Lagos State govt officials of collusion

culpable in the incidents of building collapse on the highbrow Island.

The governor also described as reckless the way and manner officials of the National Inland Waterways Authority (NIWA), the promoters of the estate, issued

permission to sand fill the Lagos Lagoon without regard to the topography of the area.

He stated that the site of the collapsed building was not originally part of the island's plan.

"We are at the back of the land

that is abutting. You can see that the original line for Banana Island is not even here. It is way in front and you can see that there are several extensions granted by both the Federal Ministry of Works and Housing and NIWA. These are

the two federal agencies that have been culpable for those extensions. They have done these extensions without our knowledge.

"We have responsibility for

Continued on page 5

Senate Presidency: APC Senators-elect Polarised Along Regional, Religious Biases

Lawan's silence over rumoured ambition unsettles aspirants

There appears to be a sharp disagreement among the 70

Senators-elect of the ruling All Progressives Congress (APC) over the criteria for the zoning of the leadership of the 10th Senate, THISDAY has learnt.

THISDAY gathered that while many of the Senators-elect are pushing for a Christian Senate President to emerge from the South-east or South-south, others

are insisting that the position should be zoned to the North-west. This is coming as the refusal of the President of the Senate, Dr. Ahmad Lawan to confirm or deny

his rumoured ambition to re-contest for the position has created anxiety among other aspirants.

THISDAY’s investigation revealed that two major issues, geopolitical

zone and religious leaning of the prospective aspirants, have sharply divided both the re-elected and fresh

Continued on page 5

Ahead of Transition in 35 Days, Tinubu Returns Home

Ejiofor Alike in Lagos, Chuks Okocha and Adedayo Akinwale in Abuja

Exactly 35 days to his inauguration on May 29, the President-elect, Bola Tinubu, will arrive in Nigeria tomorrow after a one-month rest in France.

Tinubu left the country for France on Tuesday, March 21 to rest and plan the transition programme ahead of his inauguration on May 29.

One of his loyalists informed THISDAY yesterday that the president-elect would arrive in the country on Monday evening, barring any unforeseen circumstances.

The source said: "Asiwaju is coming back on Monday. He will arrive Monday evening."

His Media Office had in a statement in March, explained that he travelled to France to rest and plan his transition programme after a very exhaustive campaign and election season.

The president-elect had left

Mrs Elohor Aiboni; Managing Director, Shell Petroleum Development Company of Nigeria Limited (SPDC) and Country Chair, Shell Companies in Nigeria, Mr. Osagie Okunbor; and Shell’s General Manager, Commercial, Mr. Hans Nijkamp, while receiving the ‘Outstanding Commitment to Nigeria’s Decade of Gas’ Award during Nigerian Gas Association’s Gala Night in Abuja…weekend

Deji Elumoye and Sunday Aborisade in Abuja

To confront challenges of zoning of N’Assembly leadership, formation of cabinet, petrol subsidy, social cohesion, healing process and tribunal cases

NLC Urges Buhari Not to Allow Nigerians in Sudan to Die

Onyebuchi Ezigbo in Abuja

The Nigeria Labour Congress (NLC) has told President Muhammadu Buhari-led government not to allow Nigerians in Sudan to die as a result of negligence.

The NLC pleaded with the government to explore any avenue that could help to bring back to the country Nigerian citizens in Sudan and even make plans to accommodate the business class among them that their businesses have been affected by the ongoing war in that country.

The labour’s advice was contained in a statement issued yesterday by

its President, Comrade Joe Ajaero.

The NLC boss noted with great concern that Nigerians in Sudan have cried out for help to escape the horrors which the war has continued to mete out to the trapped citizens in the country.

The statement read: “Nigerians must not be allowed to die in Sudan because of negligence. No effort should be spared in ensuring their safety and ultimately evacuation to Nigeria if the war persists and escalates into a full-blown war. It remains the duty of the government and we urge the federal government to make this happen unless they want to tell us that these lives are

not as important as the lives of the children of those in authority and do not deserve to be protected?

“We have watched with increasing alarm and despair the unfolding tragedy in Sudan as a result of the ongoing War in that country between two major factions of the Military; the Rapid Support Forces (RSF) led by General Mohammed Hamdan Dagalo and the Sudanese Army commanded by General Abdul Fattah al-Burhan which has led to untold human carnage and destruction of properties of citizens of that nation.

“At this point, we are not especially concerned about the history and immediate causes of the

AHEAD OF TRANSITION IN 35 DAYS, TINUBU RETURNS HOME

the country through the Murtala Muhammed International Airport, Ikeja.

According to the statement, the president-elect decided to take a break after the hectic campaign and election season to rest in Paris and London, preparatory to going to Saudi Arabia for Umrah (Lesser Hajj) and the Ramadan Fasting.

The statement also added that while away, the president-elect would also use the opportunity to plan his transition programme.

“He has directed all the senior aides and campaign staff to also go and observe a short rest. He is expected back in the country soon. We enjoin the media to stop publishing rumours and unsubstantiated claims and to always seek clarifications from our office,” his media office reportedly said.

On his return to the country, the president-elect is expected to hit the ground running to address certain issues that would ensure effective take-off of his government on inauguration on May 29.

One of such issues is the zoning of

National Assembly leadership which has polarised the two chambers of the parliament along regional and religious lines.

While the South-west will emerge as the new kingmaker, the current kingmaker, the North-west, is seeking compensation in the new dispensation for delivering the highest votes to the president-elect.

To this end, the incoming lawmakers from the zone have eyes on the Senate President, a development, which is bringing them on a collision with their colleagues from both the South-east, who are crying due to perceived marginalisation, and the South-south that lays the golden egg. Both the South-east and Southsouth are laying claim to the Senate Presidency to ensure the emergence of a Christian Senate President and balance the same-faith presidential ticket of the All Progressives Congress (APC).

The emergence of a Senate President from the North-west would create a Muslim Senate President, which would be unacceptable to

the South-east and the South-south, given the fact that both the presidentelect and the vice president-elect are Muslims.

The position of the Speaker of the House of Representatives is also in contention. Tinubu is expected to rally the leaders of his party and the members-elect of the two chambers of the National Assembly to resolve these issues by zoning the positions of the principal officers of the parliament to balance regional and religious interests.

The president-elect is also expected to use the next 35 days to assembly a competent team that will form his cabinet to ensure smooth takeoff after his inauguration.

It took President Muhammadu Buhari roughly six months to form a cabinet after his inauguration on May 29, 2015 and it is expected that Tinubu will not make the same mistake.

Another major challenge facing Tinubu on his return is how to handle the removal of petrol subsidy, which is long overdue, without hurting the organised

SANWO-OLU ORDERS DEMOLITION OF 20 BUILDINGS IN BANANA ISLAND

building approval. All of the four buildings at the back never got our approval. This is an illegality that is real and that is why we are going around the properties.

"The excuse that they don't have access is not acceptable. It is total recklessness. All the developers and the culpable officers will be sanctioned.

"But what we are doing now is - we have set up an external committee who are given two weeks to independently ascertain what has gone wrong here and they should finish the work towards the end of next week. This will further strengthen our hands to be able to come up with a robust work plan that we can enforce going forward.

"It is heartbreaking each time we have to go through this and it shows how irresponsible both the developers, some of our citizens that just want to make quick money, and of course our officers, who are not alive to their responsibility.

"We have had to change staff here and there so that we can bring forward robust and very strong monitoring offices, but we are still short of it, I must say. We need to do what we have to do to keep the lives of our citizens safe at all times, " Sanwo-Olu explained.

The governor accused some officials of the Lagos State Building Control Agency (LASBCA) of corruption, stressing that they would be held responsible for the recent collapse of a seven-story building on the island recently.

Sanwo-Olu lamented that approvals were given to developers by the federal government in connivance with some corrupt officials of the Lagos State government, adding that the land on which the collapsed building was built was not originally part of the approved Banana Island’s plans. He stated that no construction should have been carried out on the land.

"There has been a lot of investigation going on. We have seen the extent of unapproved expansion into the water. There have been several extensions approved by the Federal Ministry of Works without our knowledge," he added.

The governor also inspected other ongoing building projects to ascertain their level of compliance.

In some areas, Sanwo-Olu was shocked to find multi-storey buildings constructed directly under high-tension power lines.

After inspecting the buildings, he ordered them demolished immediately.

He was also scandalised that some buildings that had earlier been demolished by the state government had been reconstructed without the government's permission.

The governor, who was accompanied by Commissioner for Physical Planning and Urban Development, Omotayo Bamgbose-Martins, Special Adviser on Works, Adeyoye Aramide, and the Commissioner for Information and Strategy, Mr. Gbenga Omotoso, among others, ordered the demolition of 20 completed buildings on the island.

While three of the buildings are from the commercial section of the island, 17 are from the residential section.

“We are at the site of the last unfortunate building collapse in Banana Island Lagos and I am sure you have all gone around and seen the site. As has been reported before, there has been a lot of investigation that is going on right now and you can see that they are still clearing the rubbles at the site.

“We have given the order to stop work, not only at this site but also in all of the construction sites in Banana Island.

“I think that the exercise we are doing today is not really just about this location. You have all seen the extent of what I will call an unapproved extension into the

war but are worried because many Nigerians have become unwitting victims of the war and are stranded in that country and unable to get out. “They have cried out for help to escape the horrors which the war has continued to mete out to persons still trapped in Sudan.”

Ajaero said that NLC is worried that since the war broke out towards the end of last week, reports reaching it on the number of human casualties “are horrendous and frightening thus leaving every patriot anxious about the safety of our nationals in that country especially that of our students.”

He further said, “We believe that

labour.

The labour unions had given stringent conditions for the removal of subsidy.

The Petroleum Industry Act (PIA), which came into effect in 2022, provides for the removal of subsidy but the implementation of this aspect of the legislation was suspended for 18 months, which expires in June.

The Permanent Secretary, Ministry of Petroleum Resources, Ambassador Gabriel Aduda, had on Friday, stated that a lot of consideration was ongoing to ensure that the subsidy removal is given human face.

Tinubu had also vowed to remove subsidy as part of his campaign promises and how he handles it without creating labour crisis is a task he will map out in the coming weeks before his inauguration.

The president-elect will also face the task of ensuring that there is social cohesion by initiating a healing process that will unify Nigerians.

it remains the responsibility of any government to ensure the safety of their nationals which includes making sure that in the event of a war in foreign countries, their citizens are protected in whatever way possible. This is one of the central reasons of governance: the safety of lives and property. “While we commiserate with the people and workers of Sudan and call for an immediate ceasefire to allow for a peaceful resolution of the issues in dispute that led to the war, we are at a loss as to why the federal government of Nigeria finds it difficult to guarantee the safety of the lives of our citizens in that

Currently, Nigerians are bitterly divided along tribal and religions lines.

One of the ways he will start the healing process is by ensuring that there is equity and fairness in the zoning of the principal offices in the National Assembly.

Tinubu will also have to clear himself of the grievous allegations made against him at the election petition court by the presidential candidate of the Labour Party (LP), Mr. Peter Obi, and his counterpart in the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP), Atiku Abubakar, among others.

The Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC) had declared the APC presidential candidate as the winner of the February 25 presidential election, having polled 8,794,726 votes.

He defeated his closest rivals, the presidential candidate of the PDP, Atiku, and his counterpart in the Labour Party, Obi, who polled 6,984,520 votes and 6,101,533 votes, respectively.

Tinubu had last week submitted

country beyond the tokenism effort at protection through an advisory to all Nigerians in that country to either seek refuge in our embassy in Khartoum or stay indoors which they believe is safer.

“The excuse that attempting to evacuate our nationals through the Airport is risky begs the question and is unacceptable. We do not understand whether other possible options at evacuating our citizens have been explored before relapsing to this seeming helplessness and apparent abandonment of our citizens who are obviously in great distress and are afraid for their lives on a daily basis?

13 names of eminent Nigerians that would make up the Presidential Inauguration Committee ahead of the May 29 inauguration.

But the PDP has knocked Tinubu for not appointing anybody from the South-east to his 13-man transition committee.

The submission of the 13 names was in response to a letter by the Presidential Transition Committee (PTC), headed by the Secretary to the Government of the Federation, Boss Mustapha, asking for nominations into the 13 sub-committees under the Inauguration Committee of the council.

The committee was saddled with the task of planning the week-long inauguration activities that will usher in Tinubu and the Vice Presidentelect, Senator Kashim Shettima, as president and vice-president of the country, respectively, on May 29.

Tinubu had earlier submitted the names of the Kebbi State Governor, Atiku Bagudu, and a former Commissioner for Finance in Lagos State, Wale Edun, to the council.

SENATE PRESIDENCY: APC SENATORS-ELECT POLARISED ALONG REGIONAL, RELIGIOUS BIASES

water, at the back of each of the land that is aborting water.

“You can see that the original line for Banana Island is not even where we are. It's in front there and you can see that several extensions have been granted by both the Federal Ministry of Work and Housing and NIWA. These are the two federal agencies that have been culpable for those extensions.

“They have done these extensions even without our knowledge. We have the responsibility for building approvals and the rest of these.

“From what I have been told, all of the four buildings at the back have never even applied for approvals.

“The illegality is real and so, that is why we are going around other properties in Banana Island.

“Excuses have been given that they don't have access and this is not acceptable. This is a total recklessness of all of the developers and we will make a strong point out of this place and all-around Banana Island and in other developments that we have.

“The officers that will also be similarly found culpable will also be sanctioned, if any.

“In all of these places, it's heartbreaking each time we have to go through these and it shows sometimes how irresponsible those developers and some of our citizens that just want to make quick money.

"And of course, our own officers who are also not alive to their responsibilities.

“We have had to change staff here and there so that we can bring forward robust and very strong monitoring offices. But we believe that we are still far from it, we are still short on it I must say.

“And we will continue to do what we need to do to ensure that we keep the lives of our residents safe at all times. We are going around as I said that this is not the first one, you are free to join us if you want.”

APC Senators-elect.

It was learnt at the weekend that the APC Senators-elect, especially the first-time ones, are worried about the failure of the party's Senatorselect to resolve the issue in the two meetings they held recently.

A ranking and re-elected Senator from the North-central zone confided in THISDAY that two meetings of APC Senators-elect were held recently in Abuja to work on a template to present to the party's leadership as a guide to zoning the Senate leadership.

He said the two meetings ended in a stalemate with Senators-elect pushing different positions as requirements for those aspiring to lead the 10th Senate.

According to him, while some believed that since the South-west and North-east have produced President and Vice-President, respectively, it would not be out of place if the North-west is allowed to produce the Senate President.

He said those championing this position have started canvassing support for the Chairman of the Senate Committee on Appropriation, Senator Barau Jibrin from Kano State, and former governor of Zamfara State, Senator Abdul’Aziz Yari.

Some other Senators-elect, he further explained, were of the view that for equity and fairness, the Senate President should come from either the South-east or the South-south for a Christian Senator to emerge to balance the same-faith ticket of the President-elect, Bola Tinubu, and the Vice President-elect, Kashim Shettima.

Those in this camp are backing Senators-elect, Osita Izunaso, Orji Uzor Kalu, Godswill Akpabio, and Adams Oshiomhole for Senate President.

THISDAY further gathered that the APC Senators-elect are now waiting on the leadership of the party to wade into the matter by coming up with the zoning formula for the Senate Presidency.

"We are waiting on the leadership

of APC to meet with the Senatorselect before formally coming up with the zone to produce the Senate President."

The ranking senator expressed optimism that the President-elect, Tinubu will also meet with the legislators in the coming days once he returns from France this week.

He also stated that all the issues will be resolved so as not to give the opposition political parties led by the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) any room to usurp the leadership positions ahead of the June 2023 inauguration of the 10th National Assembly.

Lawan's Silence over Rumoured Ambition Unsettles Aspirants

Meanwhile, the refusal of the President of the Senate, Lawan to confirm or deny his rumoured ambition to re-contest for the position has created anxiety among other aspirants.

Lawan, who is from the same geopolitical zone as the Vice-President-elect, Shettima, is rumoured to be making moves to retain his seat in the 10th Senate.

THISDAY gathered that the interview he granted to journalists covering the State House on Friday after he visited President Muhammadu Buhari on the occasion of the Eid-el-Fitr celebration, failed to douse the tension that his rumoured ambition had already created in the red chamber.

When asked by one of the journalists if he would re-contest, Lawan replied: "I am not here to answer whether I am running for Senate President or not."

His refusal to clarify his position on the matter has strengthened the speculations that he was holding consultations with newly elected lawmakers and the returning ones at the upper legislative chambers.

This has unsettled some of the aspirants who believe that Lawan should not throw his hat into the

ring since he hails from the same zone as the vice-president-elect.

The Yobe federal lawmaker was said to have told his close allies that coming from the same zone as Shettima won’t deny him the position since Vice President Yemi Osinbajo and the Speaker of the House of Representatives also hail from the same geopolitical zone, South-west.

An aide to one of the aspirants told THISDAY that his principal and other aspirants are determined to oppose the zoning of the position to the North-east.

Report that Northern Aspirants Withdrew from Race Fake, Says Group

In a related development, a civil society organisation, Policy Advocacy, and Integrity Network Nigeria have debunked a report in a section of the media that aspirants for the Senate Presidency from the Northern region have withdrawn from the race.

The group in a statement signed by its Executive Director, Josh Mesele, said the report was completely fake.

"We are amazed and taken aback by the fake report in one of the tabloids belonging to one of the aspirants from the South shamelessly claiming that aspirants from the North have all stepped down from the race. This is a lie from the pit of hell. We can boldly say with all sense of responsibility that no single aspirant from the North has stepped down, rather they are very much in the race.

“The leading aspirant in the race, Distinguished Senator Barau I Jibrin from the North-west, for instance, has been up and doing with his campaign and gaining grounds daily all over the country. We urge all well-meaning Nigerians, especially Senators-elect not to be deceived by this misleading report. The report has clearly shown that the aspirant in question is drowning in the race and desperately clawing at a non-existent straw," the group declared.

Overnight Rate to Decline as N1.352tn FGN Bond, Coupon Payments, FAAC Hit Economy this Week

Festus Akanbi

Barring any unforeseen circumstance, a total of N1.352trillion is expected this week from the maturing April 2023 bond, Federal Government Bond coupon payments, and the April edition of the Federal Account Allocation (FAAC) disbursements.

Financial analysts said the development would lead to increased liquidity in the banking system and a decline in the overnight rate.

The breakdown of the payment showed that N735.96 billion is

expected from the maturing April 2023 bond; N178.50 billion from the FGN bond coupon payments and N438.49billion will come from the FAAC disbursements for April.

The overnight rate, which is usually announced once a month, is the amount paid to the bank lending the funds.

According to a report by Cordros Securities in its Weekly Economic and Market Update released at the weekend, the anticipated financial glut will rub positively on the nation’s financial system, which is expected

EFCC Beams Searchlight on Developers, Says Many Estates in Abuja, Lagos Proceeds of Money Laundering

Adibe Emenyonu in Benin-City

The Economic and Financial Crimes Commission (EFCC) has stated that many estates in Abuja, Lagos, and other states were believed to be proceeds of fraud and money laundering and vowed to unmask those hiding under real estate to launder money and perpetrate other financial crimes.

Speaking at the weekend during a training session for journalists on effective reporting of the economic and financial crimes in Benin City, Edo State, EFCC lawyer, Chris Mishela, alleged that funds that were illegally gotten either from the government or from international crimes were used to launder through estate business.

He said: “In Abuja, you see so many estates coming all over and we believe the sources of these funds are unlawful funds. The funds are illegally gotten either from the government or from an international crime that is used to launder through estate business.

“Real estate is one of the designated and non-designated professions that are also under our obligation under the establishment to do a full disclosure.

“So, EFCC is actually working to look into that dimension and the new Money Laundering Act has provided an opening for

the government to look into the aspect of real estate as we saw under the Act.

“It is not an investigation that is going on, rather we have identified specifically that these are proceeds of crime,” he added.

He explained that the training was to keep journalists abreast of the framework of the new anti-money laundering Act 2022 and the role they were expected to play.

He added that the need to make the public aware of the expanded scope of the Money Laundering (Prevention and Prohibition) Act 2022 as against the repealed Money Laundering Prohibition Act 2011 necessitated the workshop.

The Head of the Cyber Crimes Unit in EFCC, Benin, Mrs Oluwakemi Olawoyin, in her presentation on risks and benefits associated with digital payment systems, charged the public not to open any link which they didn’t initiate while on the Internet.

While highlighting tactics for safe transactions on the various e-business platforms, she advised the public to beware of unsecured sites.

On his part, Assistant Commander, Public Affairs Unit of EFCC, Mr. Dele Oyewale, charged journalists on investigative reporting to provide the commission a lead for fraud investigation.

to experience lower yields in the treasury bills’ secondary market.

The report stated: “Next week, we envisage lower yields in the Treasury bills secondary market as we believe the liquidity surfeit in the financial system will drive demand. In addition, we expect market focus to be shifted to the NTB PMA holding on Wednesday (26 April), where the CBN is scheduled to roll over NGN131.46 billion worth of maturities.

“Next week, we expect the liquidity influx from the maturing APR-2023 bond along with coupon payments will support

demand in the FGN bond secondary market and drive yields downwards in the interim. Over the medium term, we expect an uptick in bond yields as we believe investors will demand higher yields, which will be driven by significant borrowings expected from the FG for the year.”

The report pointed out that in the preceding week, the overnight (OVN) rate remained elevated at 19 per cent, as the liquidity in the system remained low.

“For clarity, debits for the FGN bond auction (N552.47 billion) overshadowed the inflow from

FGN bond coupon payments (N46.44 billion). As a result, the average system liquidity closed at a net short position of N338.33 billion (vs. a net short position of N176.33 billion in the previous week).

In addition, analysts also foresee a positive threshold of performance in the capital market which is expected to take delivery of results of the quarter-one performances of some quoted companies.

The Cordros Securities report stated, “In the coming week, we expect the NGX’s floor to be

flooded with results as the Q1-23 earnings season commences in full swing. Thus, we expect decent earnings releases across the board to temper selling activities and support positive sentiments on the bourse. In the medium term, we expect investors' sentiments to be influenced by developments in the macroeconomic landscape and the movement of yields in the fixedincome space. Overall, we reiterate the need for positioning in only fundamentally sound stocks as the weak macro environment remains a significant headwind for corporate earnings.”

Seplat Crisis Deepens as Ajogwu Resigns from Board

Wale Igbintade

An end is not in sight yet to the crisis rocking Seplat Energy Plc, following the resignation of Professor Fabian Ajogwu (SAN) from the Board of the company.

A reliable source, who informed THISDAY that Professor Ajogwu tendered his resignation on Friday, expressed sadness that such a strong governance pillar left the board of Seplat on April 20, 2023.

It was gathered that his resignation may not be unconnected with the crisis rocking the Board of Seplat Energy Plc, and his resolve not to be part of the internal wranglings within the Board.

Oil and gas industry watchers are of the view that the exit of Nigeria’s first Professor of Corporate Governance, is a negative for the company.

He said: "Truly great men, they say, cannot stand wrongdoing. Professor of Corporate Governance and Senior Advocate of Nigeria, Fabian Ajogwu, has resigned from the Board of Seplat Energy Plc.

"His untimely resignation may not be unconnected with the external interferences on the affairs of the company targeted at the board.

"Ajogwu’s short stay on the board from July 2021 to April 2023 saw him bring the benefit of corporate governance

experience from his works and teachings, including the benefit of having drafted Nigeria’s pioneer code of corporate governance, chaired NCC telecoms Code and assisted with the National Code of Corporate Governance as a member.”

It was gathered that Ajogwu resigned from his position as an independent non-executive Director of Seplat, citing recent events and deliberate external interference that have prevented him from continuing the discharge of his fiduciary and statutory duties as an independent nonexecutive director to the highest standards of corporate governance as he has widely published and subscribed to over the years.

Also, this may not be unconnected to recent developments at Seplat in the past weeks, and these recent events referred to by the distinguished Professor are the acts described by some commentators as forces intent on ruining the company based on orchestrated falsehoods, which have manifested in ex parte injunction issued by the Federal High Court in Lagos, which was subsequently set aside after weeks. A similar case was filed at Federal High Court Abuja, which analysts have described as potentially abusive of court processes.

According to the source, the

framing of the CEO as a ‘racist’ without any due process of court or fair hearing, and "the unwarranted charge was filed against Seplat and its Directors by the Nigeria Immigration Service on April 6, 2023, and withdrawn hours later on the same date by a notice of discontinuance of the same dated April 6, 2023.

According to the source "efforts by these same forces to mislead agencies of the federal government and the courts, to frustrate the lawful business of Seplat, destroy shareholders’ investments and harass and intimidate independent non-executive directors on baseless allegations.

On April 20, 2023, reports officially came out that the Nigerian government, through its Immigration Service, discontinued the case filed against the company and its directors. It is gathered that a “notice of withdrawal/ discontinuance of the action” dated and filed in part on 6th April 2023, was issued by the Director Legal Services of the Nigeria Immigration Service and stated in part that “the claimant hereby discontinues all the proceedings in this charge against the above-named defendants,” Seplat Energy said.

Analysts expect the civil suits pending against the company to also end sooner than later without any doubt. The unnecessary battle waged against Seplat

and its board could derail its enormous gains over the past with a stellar operational and financial performance in the last financial year. The attacks against Seplat and its Board have been designed to intimidate them for doing the right thing and upholding corporate governance. Since the attacks on independent non-executive directors, the company’s shares have sharply declined. Analysts believe that over one-sixth of the market cap of this dual-listed entity has been wiped off over the past month of these concerted attacks. The share price dropped from GBP1.25 to GBP0.98.

"Ayn Rand once said (in Atlas Shrugged): "The man in the middle is the knave who blanks out the truth in order to pretend that no choice or values exist, who is willing to … crawl on his belly to the guilty.”

For Nigeria’s first Professor of Corporate Governance who is also a Senior Advocate of Nigeria, his resignation would appear to signify that there should be no adulteration of goods with any sprinkling of ethical compromises. It is hoped that the forces behind these attacks would realise that the company has multiple stakeholders, including shareholders, creditors, employees, communities, etc, that would also suffer the consequences of their actions.

FACILITY TOUR…

Court Nullifies Sections of CAMA 2020 Infringing on Citizens’ Fundamental Rights

Alex Enumah in Abuja

Justice James Omotosho of a Federal High Court in Abuja has nullified some sections of the Companies and Allied Matters Act (CAMA), 2020, which were considered to infringe on the fundamental human rights of Nigerian citizens.

The judge, who struck out the sections in a judgment, held that sections 839, 842, 843, 844, 845, 846, 847, and 848 of CAMA were inconsistent with the provisions of

the Nigerian Constitution. The court earlier ruled that the plaintiff, Emmanuel Ekpenyong, had a locus standi to institute the suit on the subject matter.

Ekpenyong, an Abuja-based lawyer, had in a suit marked: FHC/ABJ/CS/1076/2020, sued the National Assembly, Corporate Affairs Commission (CAC), and the Attorney-General for the Federation (AGF) as 1st to 3rd defendants, respectively.

In the originating summons dated

and filed on August 31, 2020, the lawyer prayed the court to determine whether he had the locus standi to institute the proceeding.

“Whether the provisions of Sections 839, 842, 843, 844, 845, 846, 847, 848, and 851 of the Companies and Allied Matters Act infringes on the plaintiff’s right to thought conscience, and religion as enshrined in Section 38 of the 1999 Constitution (as amended).”

Ekpenyong urged the court to further determine whether those

sections infringed on his freedom of peaceful assembly and association as enshrined in Section 40 of the 1999 Constitution.

He also prayed the court to determine whether the provisions of the Administrative Proceeding Committee in Section 851 of CAMA, 2020 were inconsistent with the provisions of Section (6)(6)(b) and Sections 36(1) and 251(1) (e) of the 1999 Constitution.

He asked the court to determine whether the court had powers to

grant mandatory injunctive reliefs against the defendants.

The lawyer, therefore, prayed the court to void the affected sections, having infringed on his fundamental human rights.

Delivering the judgment, Justice Omotosho held that under Article 3 (e) of the Preamble to the Fundamental Rights (Enforcement Procedure) Rules, anyone could bring fundamental human rights matters in his own interest, on behalf of another person, or even in the public interest.

and void.

He also held that the provisions of the Administrative Proceedings Committee in Section 851 of the new CAMA denied the plaintiff his constitutional rights of access to court in sections 6 (6) (b) and Section 36 (1) of the constitution and also usurped the powers of the Federal High Court under Section 251 (1) (e) of the constitution.

After Two Years in Captivity, Bandit Kingpin Releases

Four

Kebbi Students with Two Babies

Seven others remain in captivity

Onuminya Innocent in Sokoto

Two years after the abduction of dozens of schoolgirls from Federal Government College, Birnin Yauri in Kebbi State, a notorious bandit kingpin, Dogo Daji, has released four of the remaining 11 girls in captivity, after collecting a huge amount of money as ransom,

According to PRNigeria, it was gathered that two of the released students returned with two babies delivered while in captivity.

Daji had insisted that some conditions must be met by the Kebbi State government before the

remaining girls could be released.

Sources added that the ransom had to be generated by parents and other stakeholders when the Kebbi State government was reluctant to meet the bandits’ demands.

The parents had to beg Nigerians to come to their aid financially to rescue their children from their abductors.

In a letter addressed to all Nigerians, the group known as “Committee of Parents of 11 Abducted Students of F.G.G.C Birnin Yauri, Kebbi State, Nigeria,” passionately solicited financial assistance towards raising the sum

of N100 million as ransom to be paid to the terrorists, in exchange for their children and wards.

In the letter, the chairman and secretary of the ‘Committee of Parents, Salim Ka’oje and Mr. Daniel Alkali, respectively, said their female children (aged between 12-16 years) had been in the custody of their abductors for about 20 months now.

“It took six days of negotiations in the forest before four of the girls were released to us. We have seven more still in captivity and two of the parents are still in the forest trying to secure their release.

“…And the abductors are demanding the sum of N100 million before they release the girls,” they added.

It would be recalled that the 11 female students were kidnapped when bandits invaded their school on June 17, 2021.

In November last year, it was reported that some of the girls had become teenage mothers, while about four others were pregnant at the time.

THISDAY could not confirm if the ransom paid by the parents was up to the N100 million demanded by the bandits

A copy of the judgment, which was delivered on Tuesday, was sighted by the News Agency of Nigeria (NAN) at the weekend.

According to the judge, under the new human rights regime, a court shall not dismiss a human rights action for mere want of locus standi.

He, therefore, held that the plaintiff in the case had the locus to institute the suit.

Omotosho held that the powers granted to CAC to regulate and administer Incorporated Trustees in Nigeria under Sections 839, 842, 843, 844, Section 845, Section 846, Section 847, Section 848 of the CAMA 2020 had infringed on Ekpenyong’s right to freedom of thoughts.

He also held that the sections infringed on the conscience and religion as enshrined under Section 38 of the constitution and freedom of peaceful assembly and association enshrined under Section 40 of the constitution and are therefore null

Obaseki, Shaibu, Alimikhena Mourn as Edo Monarch Passes on

Gboyega Akinsanmi

Edo State Governor, Mr. Godwin Obaseki; his deputy, Hon. Philip Shaibu and the Vice Chairman, Senate Committee on Housing, Senator Francis Alimikhena, among others, have described the passage of the Olososo of Ososo Kingdom, Oba Anselm Adeloro Obaitan (Ichama II) is a monumental loss to the people of the Akoko-Edo Local Government Area and the entire state.

After 32 years of peaceful reign, Obaitan has passed on to glory, plunging the kingdom, Akoko Edo LGA, and the state into mourning.

His passage was announced in a statement issued yesterday by his son and Edo State Commissioner for Arts and Culture, Prince Bamidele Obaitan on behalf of the Ososo Royal Family.

In the statement, the royal family said: "It is with a heavy heart,

but with thanks to God, that we announce the passing of our Royal father, Oba Anselm Adeloro Obaitan, Ichama 11, JP, the Olososo of Ososo."

The statement said the late monarch was "a founding teacher at the Annunciation College, Irrua, Edo State, before proceeding to the University of Delaware in the United States of America, where he earned his bachelor's and master's degrees in Education.

"He returned home to serve as an Edo State Judicial Service Commission Commissioner. He ascended the throne of his father in June 1990, as ICHAMA 11, the Olososo of Ososo. He reigned very peacefully for thirty -two years.

"He is survived by his wife, Olori Christiana Abiose Obaitan; three sons; a daughter; two daughters-in-law; six grandchildren; many brothers and sisters, cousins, nephews, and nieces. Final burial arrangements

shall be announced shortly," the statement explained.

In his condolence message yesterday, Obaseki said it was with sadness and great grief that he received the news of the passage of the Edo monarch, whom he described as a committed bridge builder and royalty par excellence.

Obaseki added that the late monarch was a distinguished traditional ruler who dedicated his 32-year reign to building a united community and advancing causes to better the lives of his people, and contributing immensely to the growth and development of the state.

He said: "A committed family man and loving royal father, Oba Anselm Obaitan lived a life of service to humanity and the upliftment of others, endearing him to his subjects and everyone that came in contact with him. He will be sorely missed

for his wise royal counsel, fatherly guidance, and advice.

"On behalf of the government and good people of Edo State, I commiserate with the Commissioner of Arts and Culture, Prince Bamidele Obaitan, the entire Obaitan family, the people of Ososo as well as friends and associates of the late monarch, and pray that God grants all the fortitude to bear the irreparable loss," Obaseki said.

In a condolence message he signed yesterday, the deputy governor also mourned the late monarch, noting that he received the news of his passing with a deep sense of loss.

Shaibu said Obaitan’s reign on the throne of his forebears for 32 years attracted peace, mutual co-existence, and development to the Ososo Kingdom in particular and by extension, Akoko-Edo.

He said: "Oba Obaitan was a royal father who exhibited

uncommon love for his subjects and vigorously ensured the sustainable growth and economic prosperity of Ososo. As the royal symbol of the Ososo people, he pursued and sustained a legacy of preserving and promoting his kingdom's cherished customs, culture, and tradition”.

“Indeed, he endeared himself to the hearts of his people on account of his fatherly disposition, royal candour, and leadership qualities. Though he would be sorely missed, permit me to commiserate with you and through you to the royal family and good people of Ososo Kingdom on the transition of your father and a highly revered traditional ruler in our dear Edo State.

“No doubt, these are trying times, l am confident that his good virtues and enduring legacies will remain a source of pride and inspiration to everyone he left behind," the deputy governor explained.

The judge, consequently, struck down Sections 839, 842, 843, 844, 845, 846, 847, 848, and Section 851 of the CAMA 2020, declaring the same to be null and void, having been inconsistent with the provisions of the constitution.

The judge, however, agreed that since Ekpenyong did not serve the National Assembly with a pre-action notice in line with Section 21 of the Legislative Houses Power and Privileges Act, the suit was incompetent against the legislative organ. In a counter affidavit dated and filed January 20, 2021, by counsel to the CAC, Olasoji Olowolafe, the commission described the suit as “an abuse of judicial process.”

According to the commission, the action is academically hypothetical and of no utilitarian value to the plaintiff.

CAC, which argued that the case was not backed by any credible evidence, prayed the court to dismiss it.

The National Assembly, in its preliminary objection, also contended that the suit was incompetent because a pre-action notice was not served on them and that the plaintiff had no locus standi.

Besides, the AGF argued that the suit did not have a reasonable cause of action while insisting that the plaintiff lacked the locus to file the matter.

Ekpenyong, however, filed a reply on points of law, among others, to counter their arguments, which was substantially upheld.

On March 21, 2023, Justice Inyang Ekwo of a sister court restrained the CAC from suspending or appointing trustees of the Christian Association of Nigeria (CAN) and the churches.

Justice Inyang Ekwo, in that judgment in a suit filed by the Registered Trustees of CAN, held that the provisions of Sections 17 (1), 839 (1) and (7) (a), 842 (1), and (2), 851 and 854 of the Companies and Allied Matters Act (CAMA), 2020 and Regulations 28, 29 and 30 of the Companies Regulations (CR), 2021 did not apply to CAN, the churches and other religious body.

L-R: Chairman, Juhel Nigeria Limited, Dr. Eric Okoye; Chairman, Manufacturers Association of Nigeria, South-east Zone, Mrs. Ada Chukwudozie; Executive Director, MAN, Mr. Amobi Ozor, President, MAN, Otunba Francis Meshioye; and Director General, MAN, Mr. Segun Kadir, during a factory tour at Juhel Nigeria Limited in Anambra State…yesterday

KEEP THE AWARDS COMING…

Bribe-for-vote: Lawmakers Reply APC Govs, Deny Offering Bribe for Senate Presidency, Speakership

Udora Orizu in Abuja

Some members of the House of Representatives have denied the allegation by the Progressives Governors Forum (PGF) that two candidates seeking to become Senate President and Speaker are offering to bribe their fellow lawmakers with as much as $1 million each to get elected.

Governors elected on the platform of the ruling All Progressives Congress (APC) had claimed in a memo to the President-elect, Bola Tinubu, that two aspirants to the positions were offering a bribe.

Premium Times reported that PGF had in the memo called for the intervention of Tinubu on the zoning of the principal offices of the federal parliament. The governors also recommended a zoning formula for the offices.

However, two members of the House of Representatives Akin Alabi (APC - Oyo) and Rolland Igbakpa (PDP- Delta) denied the allegation, noting that none of the lawmakers has that type of money.

Alabi and Igbakpa stated this on Wednesday while appearing on PT Twitter Space. The space titled: How should 10th National Assembly Leadership be zoned?

Alabi, who represents the Egbeda/Ona-Ara federal constituency of Oyo State, who said lobbying and campaigning by different candidates were ongoing in the two chambers, however, said no one has offered any lawmaker money to vote in any particular

direction.

He recalled that in 2019, lawmakers did not only vote for the current Speaker, Femi Gbajabiamila, they spent their money to assist with logistics.

“In 2019, we did not collect N1 to go into that hall (Chamber) and vote Femi Gbajabiamila, and he had about 200 plus votes,” he said.

He added that “I have been in various caucuses—South-west

meeting, new members caucus, and minority caucus. We have held meetings about our joint task that I talked about earlier and with the number of meetings we have held, I have not seen anything like that. It must be a lie, at least for the House of Representatives.”

But Alabi conceded that leadership election is expensive, particularly in terms of logistics. He said aspirants for the position

have to move around the country to visit governors.

“They travelled round, we talked about seeing governors. You are not going to wait till the governors come down to Abuja. You need them to talk to the members in their states,” he said.

Alabi disclosed that aspirants sometimes have to hire private jets in making these rounds.

“You know how much it costs to hire a private jet? It is about

$10,000 per hour. Imagine doing that consistently,” he said.

Igbakpa, on his part, denied the governors’ claim, adding that they may have exaggerated the matter.

“It is quite expensive. But nobody is going to dole out that kind of money. Are you telling me somebody is going to bring out $360 million? Convert that to Naira. Where is the person getting the money from?” he stated.

He also stated that campaigning

for the leadership of the National Assembly is expensive.

“It is quite expensive. When we talk about elections, it is not the money you give to an individual—logistics, people have to fly from one part of the country to another. They have to reach out to the people. Most times—where I come from in Delta State, you cannot visit anybody that you are contesting without a bottle of wine,” he said.

Alleged Blasphemy: European Parliament Urges FG to Release Kano Singer, Sharif-Aminu, Others

Alex Enumah in Abuja with agency report

The European Parliament has appealed to the Federal Government of Nigeria to release Yahaya SharifAminu, a Kano-based singer, who is being held over alleged blasphemy.

It called on the government “to immediately and unconditionally release Yahaya Sharif-Aminu and drop all charges against him.”

In addition, the parliament called for the release of “Rhoda Jatau, Mubarak Bala, and others who face blasphemy allegations.”

Sharif-Aminu, 24, was sentenced to death by hanging in August 2020 by an Upper Shari’a Court in Kano, over an alleged blasphemous song he composed concerning the Islamic Prophet, Muhammad. He was accused of blaspheming

Prophet Mohammed in a song he circulated via WhatsApp in March 2020.

Consequently, judge Aliyu Kani of the Upper Shari’a Court, convicted Yahaya-Sharif based on Section 382 (b) of the Kano penal code of 2000.

However, a Kano State High Court and the Court of Appeal in the state quashed Sharif-Aminu’s conviction.

The two courts premised their verdicts because the singer’s trial at the Upper Shari’a Court was fraught with fundamental irregularities.

The courts ordered a retrial in the case, a decision Sharif-Aminu has further appealed against at the Supreme Court, calling for an outright dismissal of the charges.

But despite the appellate court’s order on August 17, 2022, Sharif-

Aminu is still being incarcerated.

In a resolution on April 20, according to Premium Times, the European Parliament said Nigeria’s blasphemy laws “are in violation of its international human rights commitments, the African Charter, and the Nigerian Constitution.”

Urging the Nigerian government to uphold human rights by ensuring that Sharia law and other similar legislations “do not deny Nigerians protection,” the parliament asked the government “to repeal the blasphemy laws at federal and state level.”

Recalling international efforts to end the death penalty, it admonished the Nigerian state to “immediately withdraw the use of capital punishment for blasphemy and take steps towards full abolition.”

With Shari’a law being practised in 12 northern states in Nigeria, the region is blighted by a legion of extrajudicial killings in the form of mob action against persons accused of blasphemy.

In May 2022, a mob of college students in Sokoto State, lynched one of their colleagues, Deborah Yakubu, for allegedly making derogatory comments about Prophet Mohammed.

Yakubu’s killing triggered nationwide outrage, with many calling for the arrest and prosecution of her murderers.

But aside from the perfunctory condemnation of Yakubu’s murder by President Muhammadu Buhari, no concrete legal action has been taken to bring her killers to justice.

Ten days after Yakubu’s gruesome murder, a mob of

religious fanatics in Warji Local Government Area of Bauchi State, North-east Nigeria, went on a violent protest destroying shops and injuring people over an alleged blasphemous comment posted on social media.

Police in the area said a local council worker, Rhoda Jatau, posted the alleged blasphemous comment on Facebook.

The European Parliament said Jatau is on trial “without the right to bail.”

It advised the government to deal with impunity surrounding blasphemy accusations.

The parliament called on the European Union and its member states “to raise individual cases, human rights concerns and blasphemy laws with the Nigerian authorities.”

Court Orders Shell to Stop Termination of Contracts Awarded to Indigenous Contractors

Olusegun Samuel

A Rivers State High Court sitting in Port Harcourt, the state capital, has re-affirmed its order for the Shell Petroleum Development Company (SPDC) to stop the process of termination of the GSA Logistics Services Contracts handled by indigenous contractors from oil host communities in the Niger Delta region. According to the court presided over by Justice I.P.C. Igwe, the SPDC is restrained from stopping, truncating, or calling off the bidding process of contract number

CW502377 already bided for by indigenous Niger Delta companies, which is for the position of logistic support services for government security agencies in their facilities in the region.

The claimants, in the suit numbered PHC/3578/CS/2022 and filed by Alabo Datelima Membere, and Godknows Ologbolo, on behalf of the Niger Delta Youths for Transparent and Accountability Watchdog, had approached the court seeking an interim injunction restraining the SPDC from the termination of the GSA Logistics Services Contract.

The Nigerian National Petroleum Company Limited, the NNPC Upstream Investment Services (formerly known as National Petroleum Investment Management Services), the Nigerian Upstream Regulatory Commission, and the Shell Petroleum Development Company of Nigeria Limited are listed as respondents/defendants.

The order, which was first issued on November 10, 2022, and was re-affirmed on Thursday, April 20, 2023, was based on the application of the claimant’s counsel.

Justice Igwe, after hearing the motion on notice for an

interlocutory injunction from the claimants' counsel, Tonye Wilson, also ordered that an order of interim injunction be issued restraining the 4th defendants, (SPDC) or its privies, servants, or agents from truncating the ongoing provision of logistic support services for government security agencies in facilities belonging to the 4th defendants, pending the hearing and determination of the motion on notice for interlocutory injunction.

"That the claimant shall enter into an understanding in damages to be paid in favour of the defendants in the sum of N5,000,000 only should

the motion on notice and substantive case be found to be frivolous,” the judge ordered.

The court, however, adjourned the substantive case to June 20, 2023.

It would be recalled that indigenous contractors handling the GSA Logistics Services Contract were locked in a battle with the SPDC over the supply of patrol speedboats and other logistics for the use by security personnel to protect oil facilities in the host communities.

According to the aggrieved contractors, despite the commendable handling of the

GSA contract over the years and the benefits to oil host communities through their indigenous contractors, the SPDC is taking the said GSA contract away from the oil host communities in connivance with NIPEX to re-award the contract to non-indigenous contractors who do not know anything about the terrain of the Niger Delta.

They also alleged that some staff in the security department of SPDC and their cohorts in NIPEX are fronting for their kinsmen and surrogates to take over the said GSA Logistics Services Contracts from the indigenous contractors.

L-R: Managing Director of NIPCO Gas Limited, Mr. Nagendra Verma; Manager, Corporate Affairs, NIPCO Plc, Mr. Lawal Taofeek; Manager, Operations, NIPCO Gas, Mr. Sunday Ayoola; and Manager, Sales and Marketing, NIPCO Gas, Mr. Prasoon Singh, while receiving two awards from the Nigerian Gas Association in Abuja …recently

FOR THE SAKE OF PEACE…

House Asaba to protest the alleged plans to impose another king on the community…recently

FG Begins Payment of Arrears of 40% Salary Increase to Workers

Onyebuchi Ezigbo in Abuja

THISDAY gathered that some federal workers were paid on

Friday.

President Muhammadu Buhari had proposed a 40 per cent pay rise arrears for federal civil servants to

Tackle Ethno-religious Imbalances, Nigeria Baptist Church Tasks Tinubu

The Nigeria Baptist Convention (NBC) yesterday charged the President-elect, Senator Bola Ahmed Tinubu, to work towards mitigating the ethno-religious imbalances in the country, which are over the years responsible for drawing the country backward. With particular mentioning of poverty alleviation, employment generation and insecurity, the NBC demanded that Tinubu must take into cognisance the geographical, religious, and ethnic balances to form an all-inclusive government when he finally takes over power come May 29, 2023.

The NBC President, Rev. Israel Adelani Akanji, made the call while addressing journalists as part of activities heralding the 110th Nigeria Baptist Convention in session, at Baptist International Convention Centre, Lufuwape town, along Lagos-Ibadan expressway in Ogun State.

Rev. Akanji said: “I will request of him to make his government admirable by deploying his wealth of experience to handling the perennial issues of our great

country.

“When in office fully, the new President must ensure an all-inclusive government, taking cognisance of geographical, religious, and ethnic balance; alleviation of poverty, development of infrastructure, especially roads, power, hospitals and education; provision of employment and assurance of security in our Nigeria.

“I believe the president-elect is fully aware of how some of our best brains are dumping their jobs in Nigeria in search of greener pastures in the Western world.

“We believe that with some intentionality to curb this trend, the federal government can devise means of ensuring that these our God-given brilliant Nigerians are retained to serve their fatherland, which they love dearly.

“Nigerians are good people if the leaders show the right example. The new President must take advantage of the goodwill of Nigerians to ensure that mistakes of various past leaders become raw materials to provide our country the best leadership possible.

Michael Oladipupo Ogunbiyi Pay Tribute to

Mr. Aremo Michael Oladipupo Ogunbiyi, has paid tribute to his late father, High Chief K.O Ogunbiyi.

In the tribute made available to THISDAY, Michael said his father was the noblest title a man can be given, adding that he signified a patriarch, a leader, an exemplar, a confidant, a teacher, a hero and a friend.

“Father’ is the noblest title a man can be given. It is more than a biological role. It signifies a patriarch, a leader, an exemplar, a confidant, a teacher, a hero, a friend and my father exhibited these traits distinctly.

Late

Father

cushion the effects of the planned removal of fuel subsidy.

The Minister of Labour and Employment, Senator Chris Ngige, had also announced the approval of the payment, which

he said had been included in the 2023 budget.

Ngige, who disclosed that the payment would take effect from January 1, 2023, added that the increase would be applicable to all

workers from Grade Level 1 to 17.

According to him, the salary increment was a peculiar allowance for civil servants in view of the current economic reality.

He added that the gesture would help the workers to cushion the effects of inflation, high cost of living, hikes in transportation fare, high cost of housing and the increase in electricity tariffs.

Land Grabbing : Ibadan Chiefs Petition IGP, Makinde, over Arrest, Threat to Lives

Kemi Olaitan in Ibadan

Village heads (Baales) in Ibadanland and a Senior Chief, Dotun Sanusi, have petitioned the Inspector-General of Police, Usman Alkali Baba, and Governor Seyi Makinde of Oyo State, over unlawful arrests, harassment, intimidation and threats to lives of the residents of Akanran in Ibadan, by an alleged land grabber aided by police officers from Abuja. Also petitioned were the Chief

Judge of Oyo State; Assistant Inspector-General of Police, Zone XI; Commissioner of Police, Oyo State; Director, DSS, Oyo State and the Chairman, Nigeria Union of Journalists (NUJ), in the state. Sanusi alongside 22 Baales that include Yekini Obisesan (Baale Akanran); Baale Jimoh Aderemi (Baale Bioku-Gbogun); Baale David Ibikunle (Baale Oke Ogun); Baale Moses Taiwo (Baale Ojoku); Baale Suara Ogunyemi (Baale Akita Araowu); Baale Alawaye Toheeb Oyebode (Baale

Alawaye), and several others, in the petition titled, ‘Threat to Life, Unlawful arrest, Intimidation and Illegal acquisition of 95 acres of land at Akintola village, Akanran, Ona Ara Local Government of Oyo State’, described ongoing several invitations being extended to residents in the area as provocative.

The petitioners urged the IGP to investigate and bring to justice, a supposed gender officer of the police force (names withheld) fingered in the unlaw-

ful persecution of residents of Akintola village, and diversionary invitation of chiefs in a matter they knew nothing about.

The Baales under the leadership of Baale Obisesan, said the ‘illegal activities’ of the said officer, who was saddled with gender matters but regrettably dabbling in land matters, was in contravention to his duty call and the position of the Inspector General and the Chairman of the Police Service Commission, Solomon Arase.

Sanwo-Olu to Appeal Judgment Nullifying Oluomo-led Lagos Park Committee

The Lagos State Government has said it has applied for the Certified True Copy of the court judgment nullifying the appointment of the Lagos State Park Administrators Ad-Hoc Committee by Governor Babajide Sanwo-Olu, with the intention to file an appeal.

The National Industrial Court of Nigeria (NICN) sitting in Lagos had last Tuesday voided the appointment of the committee.

Justice Maureen Esowe held that the suspension of the Road Transport Employers Association of Nigeria (RTEAN) in the state was illegal, and ordered the reinstatement of RTEAN.

The state government had suspended the operations of RTEAN in September 2022 and constituted a 35-man caretaker committee to take over the operations of the union.

But in its ruling, the industrial

court also restrained the state government from further meddling in the activities of the union’s executive.

RTEAN in suit marked NICN/LA/381/2022, had challenged the dissolution of its executive council by the Lagos State government.

The first three of the 27 defendants in the suit were Lagos State Governor, the state’s AttorneyGeneral and the governor’s Special

Adviser on Transportation, Sola Giwa.

However, the state government said contrary to reports in some media outlets, what it set up is known as the Lagos State Park Administrators Ad-Hoc Committee on the operations of commercial road transport workers activities within garages and motor parks and not a caretaker committee to run the affairs of RTEAN in the state.

Meningitis Kills 118 in 22 StatesDavido Storms Glo-sponsored African Voices Playmakers

Cerebrospinal meningitis has killed at least 118 persons in 22 states across 79 local government areas in the country.

This is according to the data from October 2022 to April 2, 2023, released by the Nigeria Centre for Disease Control and Prevention released on Saturday.

Late Ogunbiyi

Meningitis is an inflammation of the meninges, a thin layer of the connective tissue that covers the brain and the spinal cord. The inflammation can be caused by a variety of organisms – bacteria, viruses, parasites, or fungi.

CSM remains a priority disease and an ever-present public health threat in several countries worldwide

with frequent epidemics that present a challenge for people, health systems, economies, and societies.

The NCDC said 235 confirmed cases and 1,479 suspected cases have been recorded so far during the period under review.

The Case Fatality Ratio stands at 9.3 per cent.

The 22 states reporting cases are Abia, Adamawa, Bauchi, Bayelsa, Benue, Borno, Ebonyi, Gombe, Imo, Jigawa, Kano, Katsina, Kebbi, Kogi, Nasarawa, Niger, Oyo, Plateau, Sokoto, Taraba, Yobe and Zamfara.

“As of April 2, 2023, a total of 1,479 suspected cases including 118 deaths (CFR 9.3 per cent) reported from 22 states in 2022/2023 CSM seasons.

African Voices Playmakers, Globacom-sponsored magazine programme of the Cable News Network (CNN), returns this week with one of the continent’s most successful showbiz personalities, David Adedeji Adeleke, in a 30-minute exposè of his life and career.

Popularly known by his stage name, Davido, the 2015 graduate of Music from Babcock University, Nigeria, rose to fame after releasing “Dami Duro”, the second single from his debut studio album Omo Baba Olowo (2012), from which six additional singles—”Back

When”, “Ekuro”, “Overseas”, “All of You”, “Gbon Gbon”, and “Feel Alright”—were taken.

By 2012, Davido had gained wide applause as he won the Next Rated award at The Headies.

Between 2013 and 2015, he released the hit singles “Gobe”, “One of a Kind”, “Skelewu”, “Aye”, “Tchelete (Goodlife)”, “Naughty”, “Owo Ni Koko”, “The Sound” and “The Money”.

In 2016, Davido founded the record label, Davido Music Worldwide (DMW), which has since become a launching pad for various artistes.

Chief of Staff to Governor Ifeanyi Okowa, Chief Ovie Agas, addressing the people of Egbudu-Akah at the Government

“Daddy was a role model, a strong support system, a hardworking and strong individual who was always there for his family. Family meant so much to him and he never faltered in his duties. He was a father whose worth can never be told.”

One Strike, Too Many at Airports

Labour

Flight operations were disrupted on Monday and Tuesday at all the airports in the country because the labour unions embarked on a two-day warning strike in protest against the government’s unwillingness to implement an improved welfare package for the workers of aviation agencies.

The ight disruption was more intense on Monday when the unionists blocked the roads leading to the airport terminals, forcing travellers to trek to the airports, thus causing airlines to delay their ights. But on the second day, they relaxed their blockage and conducted a procession from the domestic terminal to the international terminal at the Murtala Muhammed International irport, agos. o, ights did not experience delays occasioned by the strike. They also locked out many workers from their o ces, as they ensured that work did not take place at the aviation agency o ces.

According to the aviation unions, what they did was a prelude to a total shutdown of ight operations and closure of the airspace next week; if the government did not acquiesce to their demand.

Background

Last week, the unions announced that they would embark on strike from April 17 to 18, 2023 over the plan of the federal government to demolish Lagos o ces of aviation parastatals and the delay to review workers’ Condition of Service, (CoS) as negotiated between the unions and four aviation agencies seven years ago.

Other reasons given for the strike action include the non-implementation of minimum wage consequential adjustments and arrears for the Nigeria Meteorological Agency (NiMet) since 2019. In the notice of a two-day warning strike to workers of all aviation agencies and signed by the secretaries-general of the ve unions, they insisted that if the warning strike failed, an inde nite strike would ensue.

The unions include the National Union of Air Transport Employees (NUATE), Air Transport Services Senior Sta Association of Nigeria (ATSSSAN), Association of Nigeria Aviation Professionals (ANAP), National Association of Aircraft Pilots (NAAP) and Engineers and the Amalgamated Union of Public Corporation Civil Service Technical and Recreation Services Employees. The unions which signed the notice said they had earlier issued a 14-day ultimatum to the Minister of Aviation on February 7, 2023, on the same matter.

According to the notice, the ultimatum had since expired and nothing tangible had been yielded from their e orts.

”Recall our unions issued a 14-day ultimatum to the Honourable Minister of Aviation and speci c aviation parastatals on February 7, 2023, over the following demands: non-implementation of minimum wage consequential adjustments and arrears for the Nigeria Meteorological Agency (NiMet) since 2019, refusal of the Salaries, Income ages Commission, NSI C and O ce of the Head of Service of the Federation (OHCSF), to release the reviewed Condition of Service (CoS) of Nigerian Airspace Management Agency (NAMA), Nigerian Civil Aviation Authority (NCAA), Nigerian College of Aviation Technology (NCAT) and Nigerian Meteorological Agency (NiMet),

as negotiated between our unions and the Agencies, and as duly conveyed by the Federal Ministry of Aviation since upwards of nine years.

“The ultimatum has since expired and nothing tangible has been yielded from our e orts and that of the Ministry of Aviation. Furthermore, it has become evident that the Minister of Aviation remains adamant in carrying out his threat to demolish the headquarters of FAAN, NAMA, and NCAA in Lagos, despite all our entreaties towards caution.

“In view of the foregoing and unless the demands are met, NiMeT consequential adjustment is implemented and the arrears paid, the CoS for NAMA, NCAA, NCAT, and NiMeT is immediately released and the Minister’s demolition exercise is halted, all aviation workers are hereby directed to withdraw all services in the sector on April 17 and 18, 2023 as warning strike. Should the warning strike fail to achieve the desired results, an indefinite strike shall ensue. All workers should comply and all state councils and branch exco members shall enforce this directive without compromise,” the notice said.

Truce

Although during the period the strike lasted, the federal government through the Minister of Aviation, Senator Hadi Sirika, and the Director General of NCAA, Captain Musa Nuhu, urged the workers to withdraw from the strike and assured that their request for their welfare would be responded to positively.

NCAA disclosed that its Director General conveyed a series of meetings with the union members, starting last Sunday, April 16, 2023, and in subsequent days with the Salary and Wages Commission along with all Aviation Agencies Chief Executive Officers and their Heads of Finance Departments’.

According to NCAA, the objective of the meeting with the Salaries and Wages Commission was the examination of the various account books of the agencies to determine whether or not the increases in salaries being demanded could be accommodated in their various Internally Generated Revenues (IGRs).

Impact of incessant strikes

Stakeholders in the industry said that the greatest disincentive to investment in the aviation industry is the activity of labour unions, adding that in the last ve years, the industry has lost about N20 billion to impromptu industrial actions that could have been avoided.

Industry expert and the Executive Secretary of Aviation Round Table (ART), Group Captain John Ojikutu, told THISDAY that for too long the industry has allowed the unions to have their way in their self-serving initiatives, embarking on strikes at whim to press for their welfare while they kill organisations that sustain the industry. He was reacting to similar strike action that happened in January this year, when the unions stropped all economic activities at the airports on behalf of workers of the Nigerian Aviation Handling Company Plc (NAHCO) who insisted on salary increase.

“For too long, we have allowed this to happen because the regulatory authority, the Nigerian Civil Aviation Authority (NCAA) allowed it. I repeatedly said when it happened to Bicourtney at the MMA2 Terminal that labour unions strike should not be conducted to disturb or disrupt other airport users, operators, and services providers. If they have to demonstrate against their employers, it must be carried out in the employer’s main o ces outside the airport’s general operational areas so as not to be disturbing or disrupt other operators,” Ojikutu said.

“With the number of delays and cancellations on Monday, who will be responsible for paying the a ected passengers and airlines compensation for their losses, NAHCO or NCAA or the passengers should hold the airlines responsible? NCAA should learn a lesson from what happened to its account being garnished in 2006 when an air trafc controller of NAMA (Nigeria Airspace Management Agency) cleared a cargo ight to land on a closed runway at MMIA. It was not the Federal Airports Authority of Nigeria (FAAN) or NAMA that paid the money but the NCAA. When I insist that the oversight of any civil aviation function and enforcement of civil aviation regulations is the responsibility of the NCAA, and not the Ministry or the National Assembly,

some persons wanted others to believe that I am too overbearing on the NCAA. The International Civil Aviation Organisation (ICAO) will hold the NCAA responsible any day on matters of civil aviation in this country and not the NASS nor the ministry,” he said.

The Managing Director and CEO of Aero Contractors, Captain Ado Sanusi, who was interviewed on ARISE NEWS Channel, the broadcast arm of THISDAY Newspaper, stated that the workers could have embarked on strike, disrupt the activities of NAHCO as a company, picket their o ces but should not have extended their strike to withdrawing service for airlines, an action that implies the security of the nation and safety threat to ight operations.

He expressed disappointment against the striking workers and NAHCO who did not give airlines prior notice by issuing a Notice to Air Men (NOTAM), which would circulate the information about the strike to the global aviation industry.

The industry stakeholder who has operated in the sector for several years told THISDAY that the labour unions in the industry were overreaching their power because people in the industry are afraid to stop their excesses, noting that one of the foreign airlines was ight was disrupted wondered whether the workers did not know that their action was against national security, positing that in other countries such action could not have happened without notifying all concerned in the industry.

The unions in the aviation industry seem to consider only their interest when embarking on strike and they embark on strikes too frequently this has led to the distrust of the aviation industry by investors and international airlines, many of which at short intervals check the status of Nigeria’s airspace before deploying ights to the country due to frequent strikes and ight disruptions.

One critical issue those in charge of airport management in the country need to know is that airports are so important to national security to allow and tolerate incessant strikes. This is why they always need to be sensitive to issues to timely nip in the bud the challenges before they get out of control.

strikes and protests are becoming a recurring decimal in Nigeria’s aviation industry with passengers stranded and many businesses at various airports in the country recording losses on every occasion. Chinedu Eze wonders why neither government nor stakeholders seem to have an idea of how to end this national embarrassment

Some of the protesters in Lagos last week

ENERGY Seplat Triumphs as FG Withdraws Charges

Even though it quickly retracted the charges it led against Seplat Energy Plc at the Federal High Court in Abuja on April 6, 2023, many feel that the action of the Nigerian Immigration Service is enough to a ect foreign direct investment into Nigeria, writes Wale Igbintade

The Nigerian Immigration Service (NIS) ridiculed the country recently when a few hours after it led criminal charges against Seplat Energy Plc and some of its o cials, it followed it up with a notice of withdrawal of the charges.

The service had on April 6, 2023, led a four-count charge against Seplat Energy at a Federal High Court in Abuja, over an alleged breach of extant provisions of the Immigration Act, 201 . Among those charged alongside the company were the company’s Chief Executive O cer, Roger Brown; Board Chairman, Basil Omiyi, Company Secretary Legal Counsel, Edith Onwuchekwa; as well as some independent directors.

In the suit, marked, FHC AB CR 149 2023, the defendants were accused of conspiring among themselves to allow Brown to accept employment as chief executive o cer at Seplat Energy Plc “without the consent of the Comptroller-General of Immigration, contrary to sections 36 (1) (a) and 71 of the Immigration Act, 201 , and punishable under section 36 (2) and section 71 (a) of the Immigration Act, 201 .”

They were also said to have connived among themselves “to allow Mr. Roger Brown take over the business as chief executive o cer of Seplat Energy Plc without the consent of the minister of interior, contrary to section 36 (1) (b) and punishable under section 36 (2) and section 10 of the Immigration Act 201 .”

The respondents were charged with instigating, encouraging and conniving, through neglect on their part, by allowing Brown to accept employment as Seplat’s CEO after the withdrawal of his immigration documents, “contrary to sections 36, 71, and 10 of the Immigration Act, 201 , and punishable under sections 36(2), 10 (1) of the Immigration Act 201 .”

“That you did refuse to make an application to the comptroller-general of immigration for his permission before employing Mr. Roger Thompson Brown both as chief nance o cer and chief executive o cer of Seplat Energy PLC, contrary to section 38(1) of the Immigration Act, 201 and punishable under section 38( ) of the Immigration Act 201 ,” the charge read.

The federal government had on March 3 revoked his visa, resident permit, and work permit of Brown, following allegations of racism, favouring foreign workers, and discriminating against Nigerian employees, by aggrieved stakeholders of the company.

Seplat Energy refuted the accusations, saying “On March 8, 2023, the board of Seplat Energy unanimously passed a vote of con dence in Mr. Brown, who continues to discharge his duties and responsibilities as CEO from the Seplat U o ce.”

Ironically, just after it led the charges, NIS, as if realising its mistake, secretly led a notice of withdrawal of the charges. The court papers obtained by THISDAY showed that the notice of withdrawal was dated the same day, April 6, 2023.

While the NIS did not disclose why it led the notice of withdrawal discontinuance of the action, its Director Legal Services merely stated in part that “the claimant hereby discontinues all the proceedings in this charge against the above-named defendants.”

Given the speed of the turnabout, many eyebrows were raised. The most burning question is the motive behind the charges. Was it an act of intimidation or simply malicious and ill-conceived?, as some analysts would want to ask.

Apart from the abrupt withdrawal, not a few have spotted inconsistencies in the charges. For instance, the charges alleged that the CEO was employed without a work

permit. But the same charges presuppose that the Board encouraged Mr. Brown to accept employment without a work permit after the withdrawal of the same on March 3, 2023. This action beggars the question if the NIS can withdraw a work permit when it was not granted in the rst place.

If that should be the case, then the NIS would have to explain how the CEO who has been working in Nigeria since 2013 as the Chief Finance O cer up until his latest appointment was in the country without a permit for that long. The withdrawal was done over 30 months after his appointment as CEO and about nine years and nine months after he was appointed CFO.

Upon the withdrawal of his immigration documents, Brown travelled out of the country. How then could he be said to be working in contravention of the law when he has not been in Nigeria to undertake employment or duties as the CEO? Another possibility is that the charges were withdrawn owing to the apparent contradictions on the face of the charges.

Brown’s contribution to Seplat is signi cant in many ways. He is instrumental in completing the dual listing of the company on the Nigerian and London Stock Exchanges, which was the rst for a Nigerian corporate. He was also known to be instrumental in broadening the capital base of the company and increasing its footprint in Nigeria by acquiring oil and gas assets.

Not a few have weighed in on the matter with some sources who pleaded anonymity, concluding that the criminal charge was another typical example of unknown forces misleading an agency of the federal government to frustrate lawful businesses, destroy shareholders’ investments and harass law-abiding citi ens of the Federal Republic of Nigeria and intimidate Seplat and its board for doing the right thing and upholding.

A lawyer who prefers anonymity and who claimed to have seen the court papers said he was embarrassed that the NIS could le such a frivolous charge. According to him, “the charge and proof of evidence attached to it starkly contradicted themselves; it shows some people are using government agencies to achieve personal vendetta.”

According to him, “look at the notice of withdrawal of CERPAC issued by the Ministry of Interior. They claimed to have withdrawn the recipient’s CERPAC and in the same breath accused the recipient

of working with an illegal work permit. Can you withdraw what you did not issue?

“Look at the A davit of Completion of Investigation, it was copiously stated that the investigation was still ongoing. What then is the basis for ling the charge in the rst place? I am embarrassed that the Nigerian Immigration Service could le such a frivolous charge against such well-respected and credible board members of a company listed on both the Nigerian and London Stock Exchanges.

“I also learnt that the charge and the notice of withdrawal were not served on the company and the board of directors, that shows you how some agencies of government could allow themselves to be used by some powerful people, it doesn’t make sense.”

Fingers are however pointing at Seplat’s former Chairman, Dr. ABC Orjiako and his company Ama e Limited as responsible for the company’s recent conundrums. THISDAY gathered that Orjiako plotted Brown’s removal from o ce when he realised that the Consultancy Agreement between Seplat and his company was going to be terminated.

In a statement it released in March, Seplat Energy announced the formal termination of the consultancy agreement it had with Ama e Limited. It added that it unanimously decided to terminate the consultancy agreement on February 13, 2023, after several warnings of infractions including “unilaterally making signi cant commitments on Seplat’s letterhead without prior board authority or knowledge.”

The oil exploration company noted that Ama e Limited was required to o er specied support with some external stakeholder engagements after Orjiako exited its board last year according to details of the pact.

“This course of action was necessary to protect the company and its shareholders, directors, and o cers from potential and increasing liability arising from the conduct of the consultants, Dr. Orjiako and Ama e Limited,” the document said.

Notwithstanding the withdrawal of the charges, the e ects of NIS actions are already felt. The company’s shares su ered a sharp decline, and all manners of suits aimed at scuttling the smooth running of the business of the company have been led in various courts both in Lagos State and the Federal Capital Territory against the company and the Board.

In addition, these inconsistencies will not

help attract Foreign Direct Investment (FDI) into Nigeria. More likely, it will show the seed of discouragement in foreign investors and scare good people away from company administration.

The withdrawal of the suit is not the rst time Seplat would triumph over those trying to bring it down. Recently, a Federal High Court in Lagos vacated the ex parte orders against it, its CEO, Brown, and Board chairman, Omiyi. The court also vacated the order that restrained Brown from participating in the running of the company, led by ve persons who claimed to be minority shareholders of Seplat.

Sequel to the latest victory, the company in a statement last Thursday, said that it would continue to engage with the Ministry of Interior to bring closure to the false allegations presented to the ministry as a result of which the residency status of its CEO was withdrawn.

The statement read: “It has become aware of the notice of withdrawal discontinuance of the legal action that was previously instituted at the Federal High Court sitting in Abuja, by the Nigeria Immigration Service (acting for the Federal Government of Nigeria) against the company and some of its directors and o cers.

“The notice of withdrawal discontinuance of the action dated 6 April 2023, was issued by the Director Legal Services of the Nigeria Immigration Service and stated in part that “the claimant hereby discontinues all the proceedings in this charge against the above-named Defendants”.

Seplat Energy further stated that there’s an ongoing discussion with the Ministry of Interior to settle the work permit, residential permit and visa of Brown after they were sei ed by the ministry, forcing the CEO to leave Nigeria and operate from the rm’s U o ce.

“The company continues to engage with the Ministry of Interior to bring closure to the false allegations presented to the Ministry as a result of which the residency status of its Chief Executive O cer was withdrawn.

“The company also refers to its announcement of 6 April 2023 con rming that the Federal High Court sitting in Lagos had vacated the ex parte Interim Orders against Seplat, its CEO and its Board Chairman, including the orders that restrained the Chief Executive O cer, Mr. Roger Brown from participating in the running of the company.”

SOFT FINANCE with AYO AROWOLO

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

Another Valuable Book To Consider: Eat That Frog

“Eat That Frog!” by Brian Tracy is a self-help book that focuses on how to improve productivity by tackling the most important and challenging tasks first.

Tracy, a renowned author and speaker on personal and professional development, has written over 70 books.

He is considered one of the leading experts in the field of productivity and time management.

The book is divided into 21 Chapters, each of which provides practical advice and tools for overcoming procrastination and achieving more in less time.

The title of the book refers to the idea that if you have to eat a frog, you should do it first thing in the morning, so the rest of your day will be easier by comparison.

In the same way, if you tackle your most challenging or important task first thing in the morning, you’ll feel a sense of accomplishment and momentum that will carry you through the rest of the day.

One of the key themes of the book is the importance of goal-setting.

Tracy emphasises the need to set clear, specific goals and to break them down into manageable tasks.

He argues that having a clear sense of direction and purpose is essential for achieving success and avoiding procrastination. Tracy also suggests that we should focus on the 20% of tasks that will produce 80% of the results, rather than getting bogged down on minor details or unimportant tasks.

Tracy also emphasises the need to prioritise

tasks based on their importance and urgency.

He suggests using a “priority matrix” to categorise tasks, based on their level of importance and urgency.

This matrix divides tasks into four categories: urgent and important, important but not urgent, urgent but not important, and not urgent or important.

By focusing on the most important and urgent tasks first, we can avoid wasting time on unimportant or low-priority tasks.

Another key theme of the book is the importance of time management.

Tracy argues that time is our most valuable

resource and that we should use it wisely.

He suggests developing good habits and routines, such as using a daily planner or setting aside specific times for e-mails and the social media.

He also emphasises the need to eliminate distractions and time-wasters, such as television, social media, and other non-essential activities.

Tracy also provides practical tips for overcoming procrastination.

He argues that procrastination is often caused by fear, uncertainty, or lack of motivation.

To overcome procrastination, Tracy suggests breaking tasks down into smaller, more manageable steps and focusing on the benefits and rewards of completing the task.

He also suggests using positive self-talk and visualisation to build confidence and motivation.

One of the strengths of “Eat That Frog!” is its practicality.

EXAMPLES

Tracy provides numerous examples and exercises that readers can use to apply the concepts and strategies outlined in the book.

For example, he suggests creating a “master list” of tasks, and then, breaking them down into smaller, more manageable steps.

He also provides exercises for overcoming procrastination, such as setting a timer for 25 minutes and working on a task without interruption until the timer goes off.

Tracy’s writing style is clear and concise, and the book is easy to read and understand. He uses real-world examples and anecdotes to illustrate his points. The book is filled with practical tips and strategies that readers can apply immediately.

However, a potential weakness of the book is its narrow focus on productivity and time management.

While Tracy provides valuable insights and tools for improving productivity, the book does not address other important aspects of personal and professional development, such as communication skills, emotional intelligence, or leadership.

In addition, some readers may find Tracy’s advice to be overly simplistic or formulaic. While his strategies are effective for many people, they may not work for everyone. For example, some readers may find it difficult to prioritise tasks, based on their level of importance and urgency, or they may struggle with breaking tasks down.

Takeaways from the Wealthmasters

In this edition, I have decided to share some takeaways and observations from my interactions and interviews with a number of Wealthmasters, over 30 of them. Here are the first set.

THEY ARE PASSION-DRIVEN

1.

Without an exception, each of them is identified with an area of specialisation for which they have developed passion over a period of time.

These have ranged from investing, pastoring, consulting, trading, banking to entrepreneurship and a host of others.

How they came about their different passions is, however, a different matter altogether.

Some stumbled on their passions by specific initial training and continuous improvement and adjustments.

Others came about their passions by identifying unmet needs in the society, and positioned themselves as solution providers, with many ending up building outstanding wealth for themselves.

I also observed that even though some of them developed competencies in other areas, they still managed to project themselves as experts in specific areas.

There are few exceptions. There is one of them who built competencies in about five different areas and over time, has been able to make impact in each of the areas.

When I asked him how he has been able to do that, he said each of the areas came about as a result of his desire to enhance his knowledge in his core area of passion, which is investment .

2.THEY

BRAND THEIR PASSIONS

I also observed that either consciously or unconsciously, every one of them has been able to turn their passions into vibrant brands by a combination of specific activities, including but not limited to writing about

the passions, talking about the passions, granting interviews around the passions, and developing complementary skills around the passions.

They are all focused on constantly pushing the envelopes of their passions to the next levels apparently with internally calibrated brand plans. Someone has said that it takes 13 years of deliberate and unbroken activities to turn a passion into a solid brand.

Each of the WEALTHMASTERS on my radar has logged in a minimum of 20 years in deliberately pushing their brands.

3. THEY FIGURE OUT HOW TO CONVERT THEIR BRANDS TO STREAMS OF INCOME.

Even though they adopt different styles and strategies for achieving this, each of them seems to have a question constantly flashing through his or her mind: where is the cash in this whole thing ?

They do not just work only on how to make money , they also figure out how to manage their money, multiply their money , make their money count and make their money last.

They all use different strategies for accomplishing these objectives.

Sharing how he manages his money, one of them explained that he rarely has excess cash in his wallet and that every cash with him has a specific assignment .

“Here is what I do: either monthly or as occasions require, I generate a list of what I want to do with money, load the amount into a particular ATM card, and get a designated officer to withdraw the amount for me in the bank.

“For salaries and other regular commitments, I give transfer instructions . “Except in rare cases of emergencies, it is difficult to just bump on me for money .

“I am deliberate and intentional in my spending,” he said.

On giving, another said he has developed a method for every given expenditure .

He said, “I have a specific amount allocated to charity and other acts of benevolence; and once that is exhausted, anybody coming for help has to join the queue.”

hand-holding them, and mentoring them.

5. THEY SQUEEZE THE MOST OUT OF THEIR DAYS

4.THEY

SPEND QUALITY TIME TO BUILD RELATIONSHIPS.

Some of them have come to see relationship building as a strategy of some sort for wealth building, so they spend time to build quality relationships which have paid off handsomely in the end .

Two of them have earned seats on the Boards of blue-chip companies without shelling out cash.

One of them explained the strategy this way:

“One of the most important rules for me is invest in people. Investment in people to me is much more important than investment in stocks.

“What is more important to me is to make investments in people.

“When any of these people creates wealth, there is an increase in pool for the whole society.

“Yes, many will be ungrateful and will never come back to you. But like in venture capital, if it is only one that is grateful and comes back, it pays for all others.”

Another one using this strategy put it this way: My motivation for investing has never really been about the money.

“I am motivated more by a desire to use my knowledge, experience, contacts and relationships to help a younger person to get ahead.

“It is, therefore, not an accident that most of my investments are with young entrepreneurs and start ups.

“I will give them a bit of money, but more valuable than the money, I give them are my time, access to me, and my network,

A common trait I also discovered among these Wealthmasters is their focus on how to make the most of each day, using a number of strategies. Their central belief is that time is the most precious resource you have while on earth, and so must be invested in activities that add value.

One of them put it nicely: “You can lose your car and buy another one; you can lose your business and build another one over time; you can lose money and generate far more that you have lost in the process of time.

“But once you lose a minute, it is gone forever. Every minute that passes actually draws you closer to the grave.”

Most of them ensure that their to-do-lists consist of specific tasks that must be done in a day that will bring them closer to the fulfillment of their visions and assignments on earth. And they do this when they are at the peak of their energy, usually in the early part of the day.

They don’t just come with to-do lists; they ensure they use the lists to daily advance what God has called them to do.

One of them told me that any CEO that starts his day in the morning has already lost that day.

He said: “I have tried the method (of using the night season to plan) for years, and it has increased my productivity beyond imagination.”

In his words: “I write, pray, meet, and do all sorts of brain work in the night.

“So, when I show up in the day, I am starting the second day with my colleagues who are still confused on how to start the day.”

You can call it squeezing two days out of a day.

“They do not just work only on how to make money , they also figure out how to manage their money, multiply their money , make their money count and make their money last”

SAMUEL ORTOM: A QUINTESSENTIAL EXISTENTIALIST

Aisha Dahiru

Nigerians

argues AUSTIN ISIKHUEMEN

THE BINANI DENOUEMENT AND THE HUDU MANOEUVRE

See Page 19

IREV: HALF A LOAF IS WORSE THAN NO BREAD JOSEF OMOROTIONMWAN argues we can spend less and get more from our elections if we stick to technology

Senator Aisha Dahiru, popularly known as Binani finally lost the gubernatorial election in Adamawa State. She shattered the myth that was being developed around her. Spectacularly. And the women in politics lost their innocence. The wind blew finally and the rump of the chicken seen was not a pretty sight! The pain Binani’s loss and the accompanying ugly and illegal maneuver she tried to pull is reverberating across the land. Both her party the APC and her PDP opponents in the just concluded election are aghast that a woman could be more adept at the crude game they had thought was the forte of males only.

The 2023 governorship election in Adamawa State was essentially a two horse race between the PDP candidate and sitting Governor Mr. Ahmadu Fintiri and the APC flag bearer Senator Aisha Binani Dahiru. The third force had posed a threat with a heavyweight like the former Secretary to the Federal Government (Babachir Lawal) becoming a chieftain of the hurricane Obidient movement and rallying forces for the Labour Party. Though the results of the March 18th election showed LP in a distant third position, a lot of folks believe Labour Party did better than the figures announced pending the rerun billed for April 15th 2023.

See Page 19

EDITORIAL SUDAN AND THE AFRICAN MALAISE

Pundits had projected PDP to win the state for several reasons. The factor of incumbency on the part of His Excellency Fintiri was expected to play a huge role. The Presidential candidate of the PDP, a former Vice President, Alhaji Atiku Abubakar rumoured to have a huge war chest in dollars was expected to contribute to PDP’s success as he hails from Adamawa State. However, the loss of some states by the ruling party gave hope to Binani’s APC. So did the fact that the First Lady of Nigeria – Aisha Buhari – hails from the State. Admittedly she is also a force to reckon with.

Aisha could easily have emerged as the first elected female governor of a state in Nigeria. She could have broken the glass ceiling especially in Northern Nigeria where the import of such a feat would have resounded through history. It would have also provided a new motivation and inspiration for girl child education and aspiration. It would have taught us men that gender is just a chromosomal happenstance and should not be a barrier to participation and achievement in any sphere of our national life. It would have provided the APC and the PMB era something else to crow endlessly about. But fate had a different plan since the pursuit was not genuine.

See Page 22

That plan played out last week. In very ugly colours that reminded us that the old order is still very much alive and well while its protagonists are ready for the perpetual rewinding of our progress clock. Shockingly enough, it was not the PDP who wanted to do the ‘jibiti’ in Adamawa, it was the same party hailed for the enactment of the impressive Electoral Act 2022 that deployed impunity in its most ugly, immoral and illegal form. What played out in Adamawa is the stuff of blockbuster movies in which the stars are Italian Mafiosi who care less about the law or morality.

The drama started when after the general

election of 18th March 2023, Adamawa State gubernatorial election was inconclusive due to some polling units that had issues. At this time, the incumbent governor and candidate of PDP, Umaru Fintiri, had 421,524 votes while Hajia Binani of APC was trailing with 390,275 votes. The Returning Officer had declared the election inconclusive because the total cancelled votes was greater than margin between the winner and the closest opponent. Umaru cried foul, claiming that the margin of his lead could not be changed by votes from the outstanding units where a re-run was scheduled to take place on 15th April 2023. The Returning Officer had spoken and that had to be obeyed.

On Sunday the 16th of April 2023, the collation of votes was suspended after midnight to restart by 11 am later same day. At this time results of 10 of the 20 polling units had been collated leaving 10 outstanding with Fintiri still having a very comfortable lead. By 9 am, the devil entered the arena and weird events began. A Resident Electoral Commissioner decided to play Lucifer throwing the oath he swore to, the Electoral Act 2022 and the INEC Guidelines into a fiery furnace.

The REC, Hubu Ari, went to the collation centre and declared Binani the winner of the election! He had no collation documents, he did not read from a result sheet signed by the agents of the two parties in the election. He did not care that what he was doing could set Adamawa ablaze and put the people’s lives in jeopardy. Obviously, he had neither respect for INEC as a body nor concern for the sensibility of Nigerians who were already aggrieved by the outcome of a up at the tribunals. He just made an illegal the law – a police commissioner and several policemen and perhaps, non-uniformed government security agents! The legally

in sight! After cries of foul play and a national outcry, INEC headquarters took a firm action and reversed the ignoble pronouncement and after a final collation, pronounced Ahmadu Fintiri of the PDP, the winner by a large margin. Fintiri scored 430,861 while Binani had 398,788 votes. With such a clear difference, it beats the imagination that someone had the effrontery or foolhardiness to declare Binani a winner in such crude, devil-may-care, go-to-court, cavalier manner. This new election rigging tactic, which I hereby name as the *Hudu Manouevre*, is the latest in the arsenal of electoral malfeasance and subversion of the people’s will that has kept Nigeria matching on the same spot.

It is a condemnable tactic which only a man of no values, who feels no shame and does not care for history and his children’s future can implement. Apparently, Hudu fitted the bill and it is not unlikely that, like Judas, he accepted “30 pieces of silver” to betray democracy and Adamawa people. How many billions of our devalued naira did he collect that compensated for that crude address he read at the collation centre in Yola? It was good Hudu has been suspended to save INEC’s face since adding this to INECs load of sins would make the albatross on Mahmood’s neck too unwieldy. Nigerians need to see Hudu in prison soonest. And while there, he should, to save what is left of his honour, hang himself as Judas did in the holy book.

How did Aisha Binani end up in infamy by making an acceptance speech on the basis of a crooked and illegal pronouncement by the wrong person? Could it be she does not have the moral courage to say no to the men of vulture character who planned this subterfuge? I am under no illusion that she planned this failed heist. She must have been presented the blueprint by devilish men who have always used this route to get what they want and shortchange the people. She could have left her integrity intact if she did not fall for the ill thought-out plan.

Now we have to compare her with the VC of Federal University of Technology, Owerri who, in spite of threats and entreaties, chose to do the right thing and stand for truth and democracy. Today, she stands tall anywhere she goes. You needed to see her triumphal return to her campus after delivering justice to Abia voters and make their votes count. Should she decide to run for elective office in the future, you can be sure she will be considered worthy by right thinking electorate. For Benani, that may be a forlorn hope now.

Lost in the Hudu Manoeuvre are the opportunities for Binani to demonstrate the acclaimed incorruptibility of women that was badly tarnished by a lady in the petroleum ministry. She failed those Nigerians who, though of different political persuasion, had rooted for Binani to win so we can move forward in the match for women emancipation and empowerment.

Isikhuemen is a writer, poet, and management consultant

The Benue State governor is a man of his people, writes BODE OJOMU

failed

who rooted for her in order to advance women empowerment,

SAMUEL ORTOM: A QUINTESSENTIAL EXISTENTIALIST

The Benue State governor is a man of his people, writes BODE OJOMU

An illustrious son of Benue and highly revered Senator David Mark describes Ortom as “an uncommon political leader and a man of the people, a brave soldier committed to the well-being of Benue people.”

In contemporary Nigeria, Ortom’s political trajectory made him a household name, frequently making headline news along with his Rivers State counterpart and friend, Governor Nyesom Wike. He prepared for leadership and came into revolution to take the ‘Food Basket’ of the Nation to higher heights as a critical source of economic advancement for his state. However, force majeure occasioned by the major stumbling blocks to the achievement of his goals.

IREV: HALF A LOAF IS WORSE THAN NO BREAD

The Great Defender of the Benue Valley, His Excellency, Governor Samuel Ortom celebrates yet another birthday on Sunday, 37 days to the end of his eight-year tenure. It is, therefore, necessary to pay a tribute to this special man, an exceptionally bold and courageous homo sapien I have ever met.

Very much under-celebrated special breed of his generation, he has enjoyed so much of the exceeding grace of God to become what the world knows him as today. This is a man, who by sheer providence has excelled where most of his peers met the end of the road to their great dreams.

Ortom’s vision to become a governor had been in incubation for 20 years before he eventually mounted the saddle of leadership of his cherished home state in 2015. If a man stands for nothing, he can fall for anything. Our Comrade, Friend, and Brother stand for whatever he strongly believes in, even if he stands alone. He knows his onions and he is ever committed to whatever he is convinced to be the best of altruistic intentions. People deserve sincere and honest feedback when they are still able to receive it.

Good deeds should be rewarded so that it will serve as an encouragement in the face of hostilities from people who extol whatever perceived human shortcomings far above their sterling qualities. Perfection is only found in our creator. Existence precedes essence and humans have free choice to create purpose and give meaning to life and living. An existentialist creates his own identity and attributes meaning. It is a philosophy that drives what a man stands for as it stresses the importance of human experience. Corollary to this is acceptance of responsibility for the results of their own actions. This philosophical premise best explains the persona of Ortom.

These ugly developments were a serious distraction to the governor’s developmental objectives as he struggled daily to defend his people. His deft political moves averted genocide, a deliberate mass killing of a large number of Benue people with the aim of destroying them and seizing their land as well as their heritage. This tangible achievement I believe prompted a General of the regular Nigeria Army, Senator David Mark to describe Ortom as “a brave soldier”.

Today, a tangible number of Benue citizens are still in IDP camps either chased away from their ancestral homes the neck for Governor Ortom is the very limited resources of Benue to handle a full restoration programme for the displaced persons and for the total security of the Benue valley. He has done his very best in the circumstances and posterity will surely vindicate him even as the Benue people value his rare heroism.

Governor Samuel Ortom is a role model to many, and his life and leadership style deserves a study in courage, patriotism, and moral uprightness. He is readable like a book. His perseverance, persistence, focus, and entrepreneurship stand him out as a man with the Midas touch. He is kind-hearted and amiable in his human relations, devoid of any iota of the arrogance of power.

His nationalism and love for our country are incontrovertible. Ortom is a man of faith and a child of the covenant who believes in God as the hallmark of his life and living. His commitment to the things of God is taken seriously just as he commits himself to the services of humanity. His devotion to God is exemplary. I have been privileged once or twice, to be a part of his usual morning worship even with aides and associates. What I found very striking is the prophetic nature of a song (by Aunty Faith) that we usually sang to close the morning ministration. “We are able to go up and take the country (Benue). To possess the land from Jordan to the sea (Benue Valley). Though the giants may be on our way to hinder …God will surely give us victory.”

Admittedly, ours is an ever-changing world. As the world changes, our behavioural patterns and belief systems change along. Until recently, we believed that a man does not appeal in a case he has won– a man goes to court; and at the end of all proceedings, the judge tells him, “You are discharged and acquitted”. We used to know that the man did not raise his hand to say, “I appeal”. Rather he jumped out of the court; and started rejoicing with the crowd that came to court with him. In most cases, he reached for everything white – white powder, white chalk, and the rest; and got himself immersed in them all from head to toe. It began to dawn on us, with the passage of time, that success at the polls has many parts – some bigger than others. That was when, in politics, the idea of cross-appeal began to creep into our lexicon.

Ordinarily, the courts would hardly grant you the relief you did not ask for. That’s one way of explaining when your opponent is appealing a case you had originally won, you could come under cross-appeal to rub in a relief that you originally did not seek.

On February 25, 2023, Nigerians trooped out in their millions for the presidential and national assembly elections. All those who went to congratulate Labour Party (LP), in beating the All Progressives Congress, (APC), in Lagos returned disappointed because, by LP’s estimation, it beat the APC silly in Lagos. Labour says it had about one million votes at the presidential election in Lagos, such that the APC did not come within a shouting range of securing even 10% of the total votes cast in Lagos.

The APC brought down its bags of tricks, and through it, trimmed LP’s scores; added the trimmings to its own figures until the difference between LP and APC was just 10,000 votes. These are all cases where a man can now legitimately appeal a case he has won.

In the webs of the Old Spirituals, “You ain’t seen nothing yet”. The March 18 Gubernatorial Election in Lagos was simply a war on the LP candidate, Gbadebo Rhodes-Vivour. He was suddenly declared an Igbo man. They went voodoo. They went spiritual. Slightly short of deporting him across the Niger, anyone and anything that did not agree that he was an Igbo was set ablaze. “Peter Obi beat them more than he beat us”. Mr. Labaran Maku, the profound Journalist and government spokesman of the President, Goodluck Jonathan era, was more honest and forth-coming on the issue at hand.

In appraising the Imbroglio between the APC and the PDP in his native Nasarawa State, he said that the State is predominantly PDP. Labaran quickly retorted: “Obi beat the APC more than he beat the PDP. He maintained that they all underrated the LP. They fell into the trap of thinking the LP was still four men tweeting in a room.” Until they were swept off the ground. We keep dancing around in circles. Our lawmakers are the very lawbreakers. Rather than write a law, they write themselves into the law. Where they cannot do so, the proposed law simply dies in embryo.

fallen for another half technology. For us, half technology is worse than no technology!

What we mean by the Full Technology is that system that would upload the election result into the iRev for onward direct transmission to the Situation Room. What this does is that it cuts off all the Collation Centres, so-called and with the system already properly configured, as the results trickle in, they fall in place and the computer does the Collation automatically.

Let’s face it. In a Presidential Election, the result from the Oghada polling centre has been uploaded into the iRev. Other than corruption and confusion, what value gets added to that result by stopping over at Eduaeholor, Ehor, Benin City and Mahmood Yakubu’s Office in Abuja? What a bundle of waste!

Yes, we are proudly Nigerian. Hence everything we do must be affected by Nigeria. The medicine is not effective if it is not bitter. The job is not important, until we make it look cumbersome. In the name of collision, that election results from Oghada must touch ground in every village between Oghada and Abuja. At every stop, it receives some additives that make it truly Nigerian.

From the Benin City Collation Point, Prof. Grey who has been selling handouts to poor students all his life, now sees an opportunity to produce a President. In the fashion of a hunter, he must carry that big elephant he just killed on his head to personally go and deliver it to the Village Headmaster.

In that black box containing the elephant, he has a tippex and a biro.

In the economy compartment of the plane, Prof. Gray has up to two or three hours, depending on the duration of the flight, to romance with the elephant before delivering the same to the Village Headmaster – the only poison authorised to announce results!

It sounds like a 15th-century tale in the moonlight, eh? but that’s exactly what we are doing in Nigeria far into the 21stcentury.

The giants in the herdsmen and the And in spite of many attempts on his life, Samuel Ortom survived to see this day.

To God be all the Glory!

Happy birthday to a governor who cared for his people and humanity.

Adoption of his social roles in challenging the forces that desire the conquest of the Benue people may have shaped the public image of his personality. As a leader deserving applause from a section of society and thumb down fear to tread, he is a hero of the Benue People, who will be better appreciated after he takes his glorious bow out of the Ojomu, a chieftain of the Peoples Democratic Party, writes from Lagos

What readily comes to mind here is the Electoral Offences Commission Bill, which we have been talking about for only God knows how long. This is certainly an area in which the legislators must foot-drag. After all, directly or indirectly, they are the main offenders in this area. So, why should they set the trap that will soon catch them? For them, let the spoilt world spoil!

It is almost a full year now since the Ninth Senate passed the Electoral Offences Commission Bill but the House of Representatives is still vacillating on it.

As a way of bringing last that which affects us most, we shall now return to the Nigerian Elections vis-a-vis the electronic transmission of results which we have opted for. After spending what could easily have procured the best system, it is clear that we may have finally

In the civilised climes, electronic transmission means uploading the results at the polling booths into the iRev for onward transmission to the situation room as the results trickle in from various polling booths in the country, each falls into its box; stress-free, hassle-free and error-free. In fact, if the figures for Agenegbode were to mistakenly fall into the Umunede box, the entire system would trigger off ERROR… ERROR…ERROR and that will persist until the error is corrected. As the results come in, they are put on display in the Situation Room, there is no rule for any Village Headmaster.

Thus, as the results come in, they are computer-collated and put on display. It is from here that they are beamed to everybody in the comfort of their homes. These facilities are available at every street corner in the west and they are cost effective!

JOSEF OMOROTIONMWAN argues we can spend less and get more from our elections if we stick to technology

Editor, Editorial Page PETER ISHAKA

Email

peter.ishaka@thisdaylive.com

SUDAN AND THE AFRICAN MALAISE

AU and the UN must do more to restore peace in Sudan

Sudan is unraveling in a relapse of political instability and military adventurism. A bloody power struggle has exploded into a shooting war between factions of the military and security forces. The raging confrontation has pitted the forces of General Abdul Fattah alBurhan, Commander of the Army, against those of General Mohamed Hamdan Dagalo, commander of the Rapid Support Force (RSF). Forces supporting the two powerful men have converted Khartoum, the capital, into into a bloodbath.

At the last count, more than 400 deaths had been reported with over 3,500 injured. Many of the victims are innocent civilians and international workers. Thousands of Nigerians have also been stranded and are seeking help on how to get out. The diplomatic community has been badly hit with United openly ravaged and looted.

As usual, the African Union (AU) has been generous with meaningless resolutions and threats. It is unfortunate that AU, like the Organisation of African Unity (OAU) before it, remains a ‘toothless bulldog’. Nigeria that has played critical role in the past in resolving Sudanese crisis, is also nowhere to be found.

Meanwhile, the drivers of the resurgent violence in Sudan go beyond a mere interpersonal power tussle between two leading political and military leaders. It goes the country’s existence and recurrent crises. The primary and the long-standing conservative power establishment. The forces that led to the street protests that toppled and ousted Omar Al Bashir’s 30-year autocracy in 2019 are essentially those of a new democratic surge of youth and popular street masses. It started with agitations for greater accountability and a better standard of life. Pitted against this nascent populist wave is the conservative core of the Sudanese state which is inspired by a deep-seated religious conservatism and power hegemony.

The military administration that hijacked the 2019 revolution refused to cede power to the leadership of the popular masses. In many ways, a perennial power tussle among the usurping military leaders has become the centerpiece of Sudan’s political life in recent times. The compromise behind the present government was an attempt to forge a tenuous balance of ambitions between these two dominant forces. Predictably, therefore, the

Letters

uneasy political stability that would lead to the planned democratic elections later in the year was bound to end Over and above the deep-seated ideological discomfort is the series of international conspiracies and interests that converge in the strategic location and constitution of the Sudanese nation. The United States has always seen Sudan as something of a precarious rogue nation that needs to be constantly kept under watch. Sudan was for a long time a hiding place for terrorists associated with a long tradition of anti-Western activism. These range from Yassir Arafat’s Black September organisation to elements of Al Queda in the run up to the emergence of Osama Bin Laden. As a result, the two opposing tendencies in the global Islamic world have sought and found allies within the Sudanese political leadership. At different times, Iran and Saudi Arabia as well as their client states and allies in the Middle East have courted different regimes in Sudan. At the present time, the Russians have emerged to complicate an already complex scenario. They have seen an opportunity in the establishment of a naval base in Sudan as an opportunity Similarly, the Saudis remain interested in exploiting the Others like Egypt and the United Arab Emirates (UAE) eminence.

It is understandable that there is a convergence of international interest in the current instability in the country. Sudan contains 10 per cent of the arable and fertile land mass of Africa. In addition, the country has an abundance of natural resources. Its oil reserves are the main attraction for an increasing Chinese presence in the country. It also has abundant gold and uranium resources in which both its immediate neighbours and major international players are now interested.

For both the UN and the AU, therefore, a resolution of the sudden violent outburst in Sudan is more than a casual engagement. By the sheer complexity and multiplicity of interests at play in the worsening crisis, the international community requires maximum diplomatic dexterity way out. The forces contesting for supremacy in Sudan ought to see a quick resolution through the restoration of civil authority and a democratic election as the only destination for enduring peace.

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

WHY IS AFRICA A HUNGRY CONTINENT?

When we started Feed the Hungry project, we were not fully familiar with the grim reality of how a toxic cocktail of conflict, climate change, and government’s failure to provide basic amenities has already left millions of people in Africa exposed to food price shocks and vulnerable to further crises. We just wanted to see hungry people smile by providing food for them. As I landed in Kigali in advance for the African Heritage Award in recognition of our work in the zero-hunger space, alongside former President Goodluck Jonathan and other distinguished African leaders in different spheres, I couldn’t but pounder on the paradox of plenty. Why should Africa be poor and hungry?

It is no doubt that with increasing food crisis, our food systems in their current form are inadequate to the task of sustainably ending poverty and hunger. This is especially true in countries that face the highest rates of undernourishment, child wasting, stunting, and child mortality due to malnutrition. Why has our food systems become inadequate to ensure that hunger is reduced? According to the 2022

Global Hunger Index, out of 54 countries, 37 African countries have levels of hunger that rate “Serious” or higher. Four countries in Africa rank among the hungriest: Chad, Madagascar and DRC all rank at “Alarming” levels of hunger in the 2022 GHI. There are some other countries with incomplete data for 2022 but assumed to be in the “alarming” range, such as Burundi, South Sudan and Somalia. Last year, Somalia ranked as the world’s hungriest country with the only “Extremely Alarming” GHI ranking.

The question is - why is Africa faced with hunger when it can feed the world? This question finds bearing with plethora of social challenges like poverty, inequality, conflict, political instability, and climate change. Almost all these issues are man-made. There are however no shortcuts to complex challenges, a substantive response towards changing the broken food system is for governments to invest in critical infrastructure within the food system, including security. Such infrastructure investment must go beyond national interventions, regional leadership is required, like the West African

Agriculture Productivity Programme (WAAPP), a joint initiative of ECOWAS and the World Bank which deals with agricultural technology. But it is not enough to initiate these projects, sustainable results are needed. In West Africa alone, there are many agricultural projects with the main objective to promote food and nutrition security in all the 15-member states and at the same time, constitute the process of regional economic integration.

Governments at all levels have a duty to connect small-scale farmers to local markets while providing them with the resources to improve production, reduce their post-harvest losses, develop business skills and gain access to financial tools. More importantly, work to eliminate food loss and waste by providing farmers with modern storage equipment like silos and air-tight bags; offer long-lasting foods like flour, dried beans and salt – all properly packaged in sturdy containers; and invest in innovations like hydroponics that allow communities to grow, sell and store food in the harshest conditions.

At the national level, the right to food by every citizen is a critical component of achieving zero hunger. The right to food protects the right of all human beings to be free from hunger, food insecurity and malnutrition. The right to food, and its variations, is a human right protecting the right of people to feed themselves in dignity, implying that sufficient food is available, that people have the means to access it, and that it adequately meets the individual’s dietary needs.

The Kigali consensus is that ending hunger and poverty in Africa is not a one-way traffic nor a one-off thing for heroic records. Africa needs share responsibility to achieve shared prosperity. Corporate social responsibilities from cooperations must be impact driven rather than just for the record; government’s implementation of policies targeted at zero hunger and our collective commitments must go beyond tokenism. A hunger-free continent is possible but we must build it now.

Emmanuel Nnamdi Osadebay, Executive Director, T200 Foundation, Kigali

By the sheer complexity and multiplicity of interests at play in the worsening crisis, the international community requires maximum diplomatic dexterity to sufficiently assuage the interests and reassure the combatants that a ceasefire leading to dialogue is the only way out

AMVCA Nominations Celebrate African Cultural Diversity

Stories by Vanessa Obioha

The nominees of the ninth Africa Magic Viewers Choice Awards (AMVCAs) were unveiled recently and boasted a few historic moments. ‘Anikulapo,’ the 2022 film from Kunle Afolayan received a record-breaking 16 nominations, including Best Actress for Bimbo Ademoye, Best Director for Kunle Afolayan and Best Overall Movie. It displaces ‘‘76’ which in 2017 scooped 14 nods, the highest of the edition. ‘Anikulapo is closely followed by Jade Osiberu’s 2022 film ‘Brotherhood’ and the Ajibola-directed 2023 TV series ‘Shanty Town,’ which got 11 nominations each.

Uganda, the East African country which has celebrated a few wins at the award, scooped its largest number of nominations since it started submitting entries. This year, the country had 17 nominations, a 112.5 per cent increase compared to last year’s eight nominations.

Two new categories were also introduced, making the total number of categories in this edition, 32. The categories are Best Original Telenovela and Best Unscripted Original. The nominees

in the latter category include ‘Come Play Naija,’ ‘Judging Matters,’ and ‘Off Air with Gbemi & Toolz,’ while ‘Covenant,’ ‘Itura,’ and ‘Salem,’ are nominated in the Best Original Telenovela category.

With over 2600 entries submitted, the Head Judge of the ANVCAs jury, Femi Odugbemi described the nominations as a celebration of African cultural diversity.

“Cultural diversity is recognising strength in our differences,” said the veteran filmmaker. “Nigeria is incredibly blessed with having over 100 different tribes. Africa is blessed to have this multiplicity of tribes, peoples, religions and languages, and we have to figure out a way in our story, to represent all this diversity as a strength. Culture is not about our past. Culture is also about our future. We own the future. And for us to own the future, it will be through telling our stories.”

Unlike last year when the AMVCAs was an eight-day affair, celebrating fashion, music and of course movies, this year will be a three-day event that will culminate with the awards ceremony on May 20, 2023. Voting will be open to the public in 10 categories only. The remaining will be determined by the jury.

Tony Elumelu Storytellers

Initiative

Boasts More Female Creatives

a CSR initiative sponsored by the two insurance companies.

Out of the 17 finalists, chosen from 3,600 entries, 60 per cent are female and 40 per cent male. They are selected from 12 African countries and will receive grants ranging from $500 to $2,000 each to develop projects that highlight entrepreneurship in Africa and challenge the negative stereotypes that often pervade the continent. Working with ANF, they will begin work on their submitted projects ranging from film to visual arts, journalism, and digital content creation.

Chief Marketing Officer, Ifesinachi Okpagu, of both companies while congratulating the finalists, reiterated the project’s mission to place Africa firmly on the map. “We commend the finalists of the Tony Elumelu Storytellers Fund on their ideas and commitment to this joint mission. We are confident that this CSR initiative will progressively change the often-negative stereotype about Africa. Heirs Insurance and Heirs Life have been at the forefront of democratising access to insurance, and this starts with empowering people, especially our youth. This is why we are proud to sponsor this project and create a platform for young people to change the future for the better. We will support all finalists to make their project a reality.”

Realness Institute and FAME Week Africa Collaborate to Empower African Creatives

Heirs Insurance Limited (HIL) and Heirs Life Assurance (HLA), in partnership with Africa No Filter (ANF), recently announced 17 young creatives from across Africa as recipients of the Tony Elumelu Storytellers Fund,

The fund, named after the African business leader and philanthropist Tony Elumelu, is an independent initiative that aims to empower Africa’s youth and their creative ideas to redefine African success stories. Heirs Insurance and Heirs Life, both subsidiaries of Heirs Holdings, a pan-African investment group, are on a mission to democratize access to insurance and have been leading digital insurance providers in Nigeria.

Nigerian Idol Season 8: Search for the Next Superstar Begins Tonight

Fans of the reality TV singing competition Nigerian Idol will be entertained tonight as the search for the next music superstar begins. Fans can expect to be wowed by the auditioners’ incredible talents, enjoy great music, and have a good laugh when clips of auditions air tonight. The show will air in phases until the live shows begin on May 28, with the grand finale set to air on July 16.

Nigerian Idol has been a platform for discovering some of Nigeria’s biggest music stars, such as Timi Dakolo, Mercy Chinwo, and Omawumi. Last year, Progress Chukwuyem emerged as the winner. For this season, songwriter Simi and multiple-award-winning entertainer D’banj retained their seat for the second time, while Obi Asika and IK Osakioduwa are returning for the third season.

Organisers of the show, MultiChoice Nigeria and Africa Magic are optimistic about the new season, promising to give fans undiluted and premium entertainment.

“MultiChoice is committed to bringing another season deserving of every vote cast. We have taken the time to scour

the nation for talents to showcase this season,” said the Executive Head of Content and West Africa Channels at MultiChoice, Dr Busola Tejumola. Dans can also catch up on all auditions and “behind-the-stage” conversations on a Nigerian Idol pop-up channel (DStv ch. 199).

Family Feud Nigeria Brings Unfiltered Excitement to Families

Since it launched last year, Family Feud Nigeria, the Nigerian iteration of the globally acclaimed game show, has endeared families. The show hosted by Bisola Aiyeola allows participating families to showcase their personalities and win up to N2.5 million naira. The show airs.

Family Feud Nigeria is one of the ways MTN Nigeria is empowering Nigerians. The company has a track record of achieving this through premium entertainment, from platforms like MTN Project Fame to Y’ello Star.

After the challenges of the COVID-19 pandemic, many families turned to technology to stay connected, and Family Feud Nigeria became a perfect addition to that lineup. Studies show that playing games helps to reduce stress and anxiety, and the chance to win cash prizes makes it even more exciting for subscribers. Families can now look forward to an enjoyable time together while fostering family ties through quality entertainment when new episodes air on DStv and GOtv’s Africa Magic Family and Africa Magic Urban on Fridays and Saturdays, with reruns on Tuesdays and Thursdays.

Realness Institute has announced a significant partnership with FAME Week Africa, in which it will be hosting three of its programmes - the Southern AfricaLocarno Industry Academy, the Realness Screenwriters’ Residency, and Episodic Pitches - for the first time in Cape Town, South Africa from September 3 to 9 this year.

The Southern Africa-Locarno Industry Academy is a Locarno Film Festival initiative dedicated to the development of young film professionals working in various aspects of the film industry. Nine film professionals will be provided with an opportunity to participate in a focused programme of networking meetings with international professionals, masterclasses, workshops, and panel discussions at FAME Week Africa. They will also play an active role in curating its short film programme to be screened at The Labia Cinema in Cape Town.

Realness Screenwriters’ Residency, the 7th in its edition, is an incubator for African screenwriters that provides oneon-one practical support through mentorship, focusing on the creative aspects of their work while Episodic Pitches will have its first edition this year, bringing the best of the series concepts developed across all Realness’s Episodic efforts from 2021 to 2023. A cohort of 10 creators will be invited to present their well-crafted and developed ideas on stage.

These three programmes housed by Realness Institute, which now has its permanent home base at The Coot Club in Stanford, Western Cape South Africa, will provide opportunities for African filmmakers to develop film and television projects, widen their international networks, and strengthen industry skills. FAME Week Africa is a development and networking platform for the African creative industries, including film, television, animation, music, and entertainment technology. The three Realness programs will be housed within the MIP Africa event at FAME Week, which is a B2B market for film, television, digital content distribution, and co-production businesses in Sub-Saharan Africa.

“We hope to expand this partnership even further and to continue to supply the best talent and stories incubated by the Realness Institute, with an aim to stimulate the appetite of buyers and investors to return to FAME Week Africa for more quality projects in the future,” said Elias Ribeiro co-founder and Executive Director of Realness Institute and Regional Manager of Locarno Industry Academy.

Mentors for these programmes include Ayanda Halimana, Cait Pansegrouw, Denis Ruh, Eddie Bertozzi, Elias Ribeiro, Frank Spotnitz, Femi Odugbemi, Mehret Mandefro, Mmabatho Kau, Ozi Menakaya, Pauline Fischer, Selina Ukwuoma and Thandeka Zwana to name a few.

AMVCA Head Judge, Femi Odugbemi

17 Tony Elumelu Creative Storytellers Receive USD30,000 Fund from Heirs Insurance and Heirs Life

Dr. Busola Tejumola and IK Osakioduwa

The Realness Institute team with writers and creators at a Lab at Series Mania in Lille France, in March this year.

Shareefah Abiola Andu

Expanding Her Horizons

Shareefah Abiola Andu has made a name for herself in Nigeria as a successful business woman. She is a top fashion icon in the country known for the popular Islamic merchandising brand, Arabel. The diva recently rendered her fans speechless after sharing the big news of her exploits with her movie debut, “The Two Aishas”, a story of friends turned rivals. As the film is being premiered today and released to cinemas nationwide tomorrow, Andu recounts to Funke Olaode her exploits in filmmaking.

On Her Debut Flick, ‘The Two Aishas Movie’

production debut of the fashion icon in film production. Andu expressed her excitement about the film stating that “The Two Aishas” provided a new opportunity for me to expand my horizons, but this time through the lens of filmmaking. Indeed, there is a nexus between fashion and film, so this is not totally strange terrain for us. This marks an exciting new journey for Arabel and we are absolutely thrilled to share the output of this beautiful experience with the rest of the world.”

The Two Aishas movie according to her also stands for its humanitarian slant: the production team provided street kids with a rare opportunity to experience the magic of Nollywood by featuring them as movie extras. Other cast members include Paul Utomi, Akeem Ogara, and Shushu Abubakar. With special appearances by Nyma AkashatZibiri, Sulaiman Aledeh, Alero Edu, I.k. Okechukwu, Kunle Coker among others.

Talking glowingly about the film she said: “The Two Aishas is a film of love, rivalry, bitterness, friendship, forgiveness, faith in God (Allah) and reconciliation. It is not just your regular film, it is a film that you get more from it. We are Muslims, so we are conservative. You will see conservatism in the film, you will see culture in the film, you will see elegance in the film and you will see excellence in the film. You go out of the cinema room and you want to watch it again. The audience will feel like it is a time well-spent, because sometimes when people are watching some movies, by the time they are watching the 4 to 5 minutes, they know what is going to end the film. But this is full of suspense, you are going to get into suspense on every level. When you think it is done, it is just starting.”

With a stint in journalism and a romance with TV production in the later years, Andu believes she is not newly venturing into movie production or the world of entertainment. Then how did she come about the Two Aishas Movies’ concept?

I have known and I have spotted in one way or the other, even people who have done some things for me on my TV station joined us. I also sourced for new talents, new faces because I want the story to be believable.”

Considering the saturated film industry in Nigeria, Andu is optimistic that ‘The Two Aishas’ movie will break even. She explained: “This is a niche. You have a market that has never been served. This is the first Muslim movie that would hit the cinemas. There could be northern movies, there could be Yoruba movies or English movies but this is the first Islamic movie that would hit the cinema. It is coming at a time that is so auspicious, the Ramadan period. We are using it to celebrate the end of Ramadan. We will finish Ramadan maybe on May 22nd, and then the film will hit the cinema on the 24th. So, it is like you have about 100 million people and this is the film. So you have a catchment, it is a block viewership and that is very, very huge. It is a Muslim oriented movie but made for everybody. People can watch and appreciate that this is a wonderful movie and that I want to learn something from here and I am enjoying the experience. It is a movie that you enjoy and say ‘Oh, this is beautiful.’ People like beauty things and you will see a lot of beauty, a lot of panache, a lot of suspense and a lot of humour in the film[WU1] .”

Life in the news room or a TV producer is a different ball game compared to movie production. Andu said she handled the pressure on the movie sets like a pinch of salt. “Patient, patient, patient and patient, sometimes you want to tear your hair out, sometimes you want to cry, sometime you feel like what am I doing here during the shooting process. But it didn’t start with the shooting, it started with the writing of the story. And then you read a story, you read and read, and read over again. Then when you have the actual people, where you have all manner of people with all their characters. The tension is there. But at the end of the day when you are through you feel so relieved. So, it was a very wonderful experience for me. I didn’t regret it and I am sure I am going to do a lot more next year.”

Andu

Her cosy home in the heart of Lekki, an upper class neighbourhood in Lagos, is befitting of a woman who has walked through the ladder of success to earn herself a place. Mrs. Shareefah Abiola Andu who is known for the popular Islamic merchandising brand, Arabel has established herself in Nigeria’s space as a successful business woman. The 61 year old grandmother of four and native of Abeokuta in Ogun State began her career as a banker and later as a journalist at Nigerian Tribune. And in 1998, having identified the gap, she dabbled into Islamic merchandise by floating Arabel, a departmental store for Islamic materials which brought her fame and fortune.

Andu has always been an entertainment enthusiast. Her unending passion for Television production led her to a TV programme around Ramadan 15 years ago tagged: “Living in the light of Allah. She also has a book called “Living in the Light

of Allah, a daily devotional that she used to write every month. She turned it into a TV programme but only aired during Ramadan on NTA2 Channel 5. So she has always been familiar with the camera, about production and so on.”

With her experience, no doubt, Andu has a tried and tested taste in entertainment. And then in 2017, she got a digital TV licence, Aleef TV where she does production but not movie production. In 2023 April, the budding business icon rendered her fans speechless after sharing some big news on her new exploits with the debut of her movie, “The Two Aishas,” a story of friends turned rivals.

In the movie, Kennywood’s most popular actresses, Rahama Sadau and Maryam Booth are set for a showdown in the new film which will premiere today and set to hit cinemas nationwide on Monday April 24. Produced by Arabel Productions, the family drama film pits the two actresses against each other in a tale of loyalty, betrayal and redemption.

The movie marks the executive

“I have actually been nursing this idea for over 11 years. I like to read comics and then about 11 years ago I came up with a comic called ‘The Two Aishas.’ It was just a comic. I did about two episodes. I did the story and my graphic artist did the booklet. Then along the line, when I wanted to go into a movie, I thought, ‘why don’t you just pick that book and do something?’ Although it was for teenagers, this has now progressed to adulthood. In the film, you will see bits of teenagers which progressed into adulthood.”

As a successful business woman, Andu’s experiences garnered over the years came in handy in her new exploits. Again, working with a team who aligned with her vision helped to pull through.

“It has been a smooth ride. Honestly, I got a very good producer in Florence Okechukwu. And while I was writing, I called a young niece of mine, Dijah, the musician. I am sure people know her. I said, Dijah I am going to do this movie, what are we going to do? And she said I am going to introduce you to some of the big names. She introduced me to Rahama Sadau and Maryam Booth. Again, my producer is very, very resourceful, so she brought a lot of the cast. And then a lot of the people that I want, that

Movie productions require huge funding, how did she cope? “My sister, it is a lot of money, a lot of money. When people saw the movie, they were like, oh, the passion is just so awesome. I thought about Dubai and Turkey combined together. So they are like this is passion. The fashion elements also are captivating. It is like watching a very glamorous high-class movie. The setting, the people and everything about it, was simply classy. The normal movie calendar is Friday but because Ramadan is finishing about that period, we have to respect that. So, the public holiday which is on the 24th is when the movie is coming out. So, we are having a premier on the 23rd in Lekki and it is going to be a very big premiere.

After this movie what next? Should Nigerians watch out for more from her stable? “Of course, this is a new journey and a new beginning of a new era. Nigerians should watch out.”

As Nigerians wait in expectation of Andu of Arabel’s movie debut, the business magnate is also seeing production in bigger pictures as talks are ongoing to collaborate with streaming giants such as Netflix, Amazon as well as international airlines.

“I have a dist ributor that will be distributing to the cinemas in Nigeria to start with and all over Africa. Also, talks are ongoing with VOD and airlines. When you are travelling anywhere in the world, it will be in-flight entertainment. So there are plans to have it on those platforms as well. This is a movie that is made for Nigerians and the global audience,” she stated.

HighLife

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

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

Kyari: The Game Changer End of an Era … Is Adaobi Nwakuche Forced out of Heirs?

Politics seems to be the trending issue in Nigeria these days. In civil governance, the courts are full of cases to be heard, settled, or thrown out. This is not the case for corporate governance where the end is the end. Thus, in the alleged issue circulating about Adaobi Nwakuche and Heirs Holdings, time (not courts or judges) will be the deciding factor of which party was right or wrong.

Heirs Holdings, the successful brainchild of popular businessman, Tony Elumelu, is currently caught in a bind. Nwakuche, the MD/CEO of the conglomerate’s insurance arm, Heirs Insurance Limited (HIL), has reportedly been forced out of the company. Moreover, the report from HIL is that she is out to seek and nurture greener pastures, even though online town criers have given an alternative narrative: that others were jealous of Nwakuche and schemed against her.

Things are happening in Nigeria, of this, one cannot debate. Some of these things are so bad they beggar the imaginative mind. Others are commendable, leaving outsiders to sigh in envy. Among the latter, Mele Kyari, the Group Managing Director (GMD) of the Nigerian National Petroleum Company Limited (NNPC) is doing well. Considering that he is walking in the light of his predecessors in terms of achievements, one can easily call him the game changer, weakening the hold of foul management in the leading oil company.

Too many things are flying around these days, things that can easily mislead a person into thinking that a particular figure of note is a criminal when said figure is half a step into angelhood. Kyari has become subject to this kind of treatment, leaving a few to wonder if the NNPC boss is the brand of bad that his detractors paint him to be. The simple truth is that Kyari is not.

Since he came into the NNPC GMD position, things have been different for the oil dynamics in Nigeria. Despite the challenges of revamping the industry, Kyari has done loads that are deserving of honours. As for NNPC itself, it is to Kyari’s credit that the company is doing far better today than it used to, whether the point of comparison is the company’s refining capacity or the plans towards ensuring the sustainability of petroleum products.

Kyari is not one to blow his trumpets. However, records show that many of the recent turnarounds in crude oil marketing come from him. These include NNPC’s partnership with the Italian company, Eni, the proceeds of which are expected to be seen across the country this year.

What about his contributions to the Port Harcourt refinery? What about his prompt feedback to Nigerians wanting to know what’s going on in the oil industry? Kyari is doing things differently, showing himself to be unique, the game changer.

In the world of oil and gas, Julius Rone is a name that sends shivers down the spines of competitors and fills the hearts of admirers with wonder. He is the giant of a man who has taken the gas industry by storm, rising from humble beginnings to

Nwakuche came into the highestranking position of HIL in 2020 after five years as the company’s Executive Director of Business Development. Before she was made the company’s MD/CEO, she was recognised as having accomplished much, including initiating policies that greatly benefit HIL and promoting it as a sustainable company worthy of trust.

Nwakuche maintained a solid track record of accomplishments after she was made HIL MD/CEO. Of worthy note is her innovative insurance scheme for women called Her Motor Plan: it covers all the motor breakdowns, accidents, and needed repairs for women that own cars. Ultimately, that and other initiatives by Nwakuche helped bring HIL closer to Nigerians.

Nwakuche may get something far better than HIL. Only time will tell. Regardless, it is the end of an era at Elumelu’s insurance company.

Another Honour for the Gas King, Julius Rone

become a shining star on the global stage.

And the thing about shining stars is their rays blaze brightly overhead, filling onlookers of all stripes with warmth. Little wonder Rone’s peers at the Nigerian Gas Association pencilled his company UTM in for the prestigious Gas Innovation Pioneer Award at the NGA’s Gala Dinner and Award Night. The event, which took place on Wednesday, April 19 saw all voices raised in applause at the giant strides and welldeserved accolades for an indefatigable gas merchant.

Just recently, Vanguard newspaper honoured Rone with the title of Gas King, recognising his unparalleled contributions to the gas sector in Nigeria and beyond. This comes on the heels of a series of other prestigious awards, including the Young Entrepreneur of the Year award from ThisDayLive.

But what makes Rone such a standout figure in the gas industry? For one thing, he is a man of vision and ambition, always seeking out

new opportunities and pushing the boundaries of what is possible. This was evident in his recent mega deal in London, where he secured a landmark agreement that promises to transform the gas industry in Nigeria and boost the country’s economy.

But Rone is not just a shrewd businessman; he is also a philanthropist who has touched the lives of many through his African Child Foundation. This foundation is dedicated to empowering young people in Nigeria and providing them with the tools they need to succeed in life. It is a testament to his generosity and compassion, and a reflection of his deep commitment to making the world a better place.

Of course, no discussion of Rone would be complete without mentioning his stunning wife, Utibe who dazzled the world with her beauty and grace at a recent event honouring her husband’s achievements. She is a fitting partner for a man of his stature, and together they make a formidable team that is the envy of many.

From Abuja to Lagos, Aisha Babangida Returns to Lagos Social Space

What is charm and what is beauty?

Some philosophers think it is a matter of the eyes of the beholder. Others think this ideology is a pure scam: charm is charm— what does the observer have to do with it?

This second group would be delighted to see Erelu Aisha Babangida in Lagos. After all, her charm is not debatable, beholder’s eyes notwithstanding.

It has been an eventful number of days over at Lagos. The social scene has been bustling with lots of people hoping to get a good look at Aisha, the beautiful daughter of former Head of State, General Ibrahim Babangida. Given her widely known reluctance to stay in the limelight, the people who have managed to sight her consider themselves blessed.

When it comes to Aisha, no stretch of the imagination suffices to capture her

The Rise and Rise of Bishop Chris Kwakpovwe

When people say that a person is special and then turn around to say that we are all special, they have not said anything profound. The truth is that even in our shared specialness, what makes us different from one another is how we use our gifts. For Bishop Chris Kwakpovwe, this is a no-brainer. If you have ever seen or read the Christian daily devotional known as Our Daily Manna, you have benefited from the specialness of Bishop Kwakpovwe.

Different men of clergy in Nigeria are known for different things. For Kwakpovwe, the daily devotional is the main force for his peerless reputation. Placed against others that started the pastoral ministry at the same time as he did, Kwakpovwe looks far more demure, cool, and content. But there are many reasons for this.

For one, Bishop Kwakpovwe did not take up the pastoral mantle to be popular. Second, he did not come to leave the world in stitches or do the motivational speaking thing

that many people have grown numb to. No, Kwakpovwe came to change the world, making series after series of impacts with whatever he has in his hand.

Indeed, Kwakpovwe has done exactly this with Our Daily Manna. With this daily devotional, the trained pharmacist and author has changed lives. And yet, many of those he has helped do not know that he is the founder and senior pastor of Manna Prayer Mountain (MPM) Ministry Worldwide, Lagos. They have little idea that he holds an annual program titled ‘World Anointing Night’ which was reportedly streamed live in more than 200 countries in 2018. What about his other books, including War Against Haman? Or his welfare ministry to the underprivileged, Mercy Week? Or his Dream Center (Nigeria) initiative for those in need, whether bereaved or substance users?

But it is good that Kwakpovwe’s daily devotional, Our Daily Manna, is the most popular thing about him. After all, that is changing lives every day.

personality. When she descended upon Lagos to celebrate the wedding of Folorunsho Alakija’s son, people came to understand the depths of their minds’ inability to imagine a woman that compares to Aisha. In the area of natural beauty, she is so far removed from the inadequacies of the mortal coil that she causes flowers to bloom ahead of time. And she is not lacking in compassion and a sense of duty, as her devotion to her late mother’s initiative, Better Life for African Rural Women, is the real deal.

Basking in the coloured lights of Lagos’ high society, Aisha managed to retain her distinctive charm.

With Aisha, time has become a grinding stone for perfection. The older she gets, the more imperfections are chiselled out of her. The result is the immaculate lady of beauty, charm, and grace that we all know and love.

Kyari

Babangida

Nwakuche

Rone

Kwakpovwe

The Love of Pastor Tobi Adegboyega … How Nigerians Turned

His SPAC Nation to ‘New Mecca’ in London

Clergy in Nigeria has always enjoyed the love of the people. After all, the thought is that the individuals that make up this group have the ears of God. But Pastor Tobi Adegboyega, the founder of the Salvation Proclaimers Anointed Church (SPAC Nation) is different. People love him, it seems, because he knows how to have a good time and is a magnet for celebrities. Thus, Adegboyega has remained an oddity; an oddity that has the ears of very powerful and influential people across the country.

Adegboyega’s name is SPACNation, and that already says something about him. One, it says that he is not like the others who live outside the limelight of society and are so afraid of offending God that they remain within rank. Adegboyega is bolder and has shown his interest in high society, earning himself many friends as a result. Should any of the people running to meet up with Adegboyega in London come to a regular

church in Nigeria, it would make strong waves. But, in Adegboyega’s SPACNation, such things are normal.

Among the celebrities that are five and six with Adegboyega is Davido. The singer has always loved Adegboyega and received the latter’s love in return. Adegboyega even postponed a concert after the death of Davido’s son as a way of honouring the singer. That struck many chords with people.

But Davido is not the only person that sees Adegboyega as a breath of fresh air and treats his London home as the New Mecca. There is also the Fuji music sensation and legend, K1 De Ultimate. So close has K1 become with Adegboyega that he wrote a song to celebrate the latter’s birthday last year. Adegboyega had a thrill, noting that “Alhaji just did a gospel song!! The scriptures he read here are amazingly powerful!!!!”

What about celebrity barman, Cubana Chief Priest and so many others? With Adegboyega,

Strategic

Investors and

Development Partners Prepare

for Abia

there is no discrimination, only open arms. And that is how he became the New Mecca for these celebrities, with his house becoming a compulsory stopover whenever they are in the UK.

Special Honours for Luxury King, Prince Julian Osula, Kingsley Obiora, Pastor Paul Enenche, Others

Things are looking really good over at the University of Benin (UNIBEN). According to reports, the well-celebrated university is preparing to pour out a deluge of honours and special awards to a number of prominent Nigerians at its 2023 edition of the school’s annual Lecture Series. With these honours and awards, the university is going to establish itself as an institution that can tell precious things from others, recognizing talent and impact.

On Friday, May 5, 2023, these prominent Nigerians will gather at the Festus Iyayi Building, Faculty of Management Sciences, to receive UNIBEN’s recognition.

Among the people to be honoured are Kingsley Obiora, the Deputy Governor of the Central Bank of Nigeria (CBN); Prince Julian Osula, the luxury king and MD of Julian Luxury; Pastor Paul Enenche of Dunamis International Gospel Center; Philip Edigin, the MD of Phil Hall Mark; Chief Dan Orbih, the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) Chairman for South-South; Ayuba Ibrahim Abba, the General Manager of the

National Petroleum Investment Management Service (NPIMS); Barrister Osarodion Ogie, the Secretary to the Edo State Government; and Henry Oroh, the Executive Director of Zenith Bank.

Along with these are others like Prof. Darlington Obaseki, the Chief Medical Director University of Benin Teaching Hospital; Chief Mike Agbedor Abu Ozekhome (SAN) of Mike Ozekhome Chambers; Mrs. Joy Enwa, the Accountant General of Delta State; Senator (Pharm.) Matthew Urhoghide, the Senator Representing Edo South; Ehi Agenmonmen, President of The Freedom Group; Pastor Charles Osazuwa, the Senior Pastor of Rock of Ages Christian Assembly; Sharon Ikeazor, the Honourable Minister of State for the Federal Ministry of Environment; Dr. Gideon Chidiebere Osi, the Chairman and MD of Diamante Global Service Ltd; and Dr. Daniel Omoyibo, the Chairman/ Managing Director DEMOTECH.

Knowing the astute administrator and businessman that he is, Umuehim, Nvosi, Isialangwa South Local Government Area country home of the Abia State Governor-elect Dr. Alex Otti, has remained a destination of choice as high-profile corporate chief executives continue to call on the incoming governor.

Last Friday, the Group Managing Director and Chief Executive Officer of the United Bank for Africa (UBA), Mr. Oliver Alawuba, led a team of the very senior management staff of the pan African bank on a courtesy visit to Otti. Alawuba congratulated Otti on his electoral victory at the March 18, 2023 governorship election in Abia State, where the Labour Party (LP) candidate effectively ended 24 years of the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) hegemony in the state.

The visit afforded the Abia governor-elect a nostalgic opportunity to reflect on his days at UBA, where he worked as a Principal Manager overseeing the corporate banking sector for the entire South Division with the responsibility of growing the oil and gas business for the bank.

Since being declared Governor-elect of Abia State on March 22, 2023 by the Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC), Otti has been meeting with several groups, corporate organisations and individuals, many of whom come to felicitate him on his victory at the polls, while some others come with proposals to partner the state in the area of investments and infrastructure development.

A joke was going around in Nigeria some time ago. It went something like this: no matter what you are going through, try and eat first. That has proven to be deep wisdom and something approved by Shina Peller, the member of the Federal House of Representatives standing for the Iseyin/Itesiwaju/Iwajowa/Kajola Federal Constituency in Oyo State. Despite losing the Oyo North senatorial election, Peller appears no different. He ate first.

It has been an interesting few months for many people. For Peller, it was a lot of turnarounds. First, he turned around and left the All Progressives Congress (APC). Next, he turned around and joined the Accord Party. But the senatorial elections were not as easypeasy as he expected and were a turnaround experience for him. However, Peller turned around after losing and returned to his club business.

For those that kept up with the goings-on in Oyo North, neither Peller nor his Accord Party was able to break through to victory, although they tried. The victory went to

After Losing Senatorial Election, Shina Peller Goes Back to Club Business, Kickstarts Massive Renovation at Quilox

Senator Fatai Abdulfatai Buhari of the APC, Peller’s former party. Coming in second place was not Peller but Hon. Akinwale Akinwole of the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP).

Truth be told, Peller committed quite a lot to the elections. He was also convinced that he would win, especially since he said that the people of Oyo North were clamouring for change and a breath of fresh air—and he was all that and more. However, the choice of the people is the choice of the people, so Peller has turned around and returned to being Quilox’s boss.

According to recent reports, Quilox is undergoing a massive renovation at the moment. One might say that Peller has resigned himself to his fate. To his credit, he has remained with the Accord Party until this time, not running out upon losing the elections. Peller

Princess Oladunni Odu: The Lioness of Ondo Politics Set to Throw Hat into the Ring

Some things are better left in the shadows until there is a reason to bring them into the light. Other things cannot remain in the shadows no matter how one attempts to force them. The achievements of Princess Oladunni Odu are examples of things that cannot be hidden. No wonder machinations are underway to make sure that she succeeds her boss, Ondo Governor, Oluwarotimi Akeredolu.

Odu is one of the brightest stars in Akeredolu’s administration. As the Secretary to the State Government, she has stood as one of the strongest pillars in the government, strengthening the work of her boss and ensuring that two adds to two to make four for him. Nevertheless, not a few understand that Odu loves the Ondo people as much as she is loyal to Akeredolu. Thus, in her serving Akeredolu, she is killing two birds with one stone.

Odu’s doings have now come into the limelight in a way that she may not like but can do nothing about. According to the gist in the streets, the powers that be have considered available options and come to the conclusion that Odu would be the best person to continue the good works of Akeredolu. So, come 2025, Ondo people should expect to see Odu’s posters in every nook and cranny.

Odu has much going for her, to be honest. Since she did wonders with her position as the first female executive chairman of SUBEB, she has become an endearing figure to her people. The main point for celebrating Odu is that she did similarly amazing things as Commissioner for Education, and then Commissioner for Women Affairs, and both of these periods were under military rule.

One of the earlier callers was Nigeria’s telecoms giant MTN, whose team of senior management, led by the Chief Enterprise e-Business Officer, Lynda Saint Nwafor, said MTN would be looking at collaborating with the incoming Abia State government in different sectors, including telecommunications access, empowering the small and medium enterprises (SMEs), education, security, and e-Governance, among others.

Also last week, the Managing Director of Nigeria’s construction giant, Julius Berger, Dr. Lars Richter, was at Umuehim to visit with the governor-elect. It was a rare visit by a such highranking officer of the company.

Otti had, in one of his interactions with the media during the campaigns for the governorship election, declared that the mere fact that he was announced governor of Abia State would attract many strategic investors and development partners to the state.

Adegboyega

Osula

This is a tad confusing. They say removing the fuel subsidy will save N18 trillion annually, yet, they want to borrow another $800 million as palliatives to give to Nigerians, about 50 million Nigerians or is it households. A quick maths will show that one can only give out N8,000 per person. An amount that cannot even get you the finest pick at Hotel Rosy in Shomolu.

Wait o, it gets worse. Our total debt is almost N46 trillion, up from N12 trillion in 2015. So why now add this unnecessary $800 million. I don’t understand it o.

It is not a joke when they say we are the poorest capital in the world. The figures justify it. See, we have 130 million ‘multidimensional poor people’ according to one man that was interviewed by Dr. Abati on ARISE NEWS the other day. The man went on to say that he is an investment banker and that they have run the numbers. You know investment bankers no dey lie. He said that we have 112 million bank accounts and that out of this, only 0.6% can boast of N500,000 savings. Me, I no kuku dey inside the 0.6%, my account is firmly on the other side of the divide.

Less than 400,000 of those accounts can boast of savings up to N500,000 and about 182 million of us earn less than N60,000 per day. He concluded that in seven years, we have added N34 trillion new debts and this is outside the ways and means debt at the CBN that is inching close to the N23 trillion mark and Fashola’s N11 trillion that we are owing contractors with mostly no projects tied to it. We now have over $200 billion brand new debts. Kai!

Na yeye people dey rule us. It is so clear, na real yeye people dey control our monetary and fiscal policy abi, if they are not yeye, will they be doing this? See the leakage from the oil industry and instead of plugging it comprehensively, they call Tompolo and that one will now be catching a canoe and a small jerry can of crude oil. Are we serious people?

$1.5 trillion edged against receivables that will come from the removal of subsidy, we will not need to borrow any money from anybody, this man shouted on screen.

Another thing that is even nagging me, is the IMF people and others who keep lending us these funds. Why do they still keep doing this

with these figures staring them in the face? Why are they not throwing up the very first thing in credit – the 3 Cs. Character, I no remember the other two abeg. Why do they keep throwing these funds at us when there are no real thought out modalities for repayment, when there is no transparency with which the funds will be used and when there has been no clear reporting on previous loans taken? This thing just tire me. Be like say, anytime I want to go and borrow money again with any of these microfinance banks, I will ask the Minister of Finance to follow me because those ones will be asking me for a credit bureau report, collateral and all of that before they even pick my call. But the Minister of Finance seems to have a way with these things. It’s just madness. Then again, why go borrowing when you have less than 50 days to go in power? Why the hurry, e no suppose concern you again na. Let the incoming if he can find his way back from Guinea come and handle that one abeg. Just go, Buhari, just go abeg. You have tried. Thank you. Kai! Buhari

NIGERIAN RAILWAYS AS A GIANT FUMBLE

This was always set up to be a giant fumble. The trains are financially fumbling all over the country and the infrastructure has started decaying less than how many years since they started service. The other day, the power failed and the alternative source didn’t come up. The electronic sign boards have stopped working and the place is beginning to crumble.

Look, when I saw the news report that with about N111 billion debt, the service generated only N12 billion in revenues, I just clapped. My people, if una like don’t let me enter the train again, the whole thing na scam and you don’t need to be a Nobel prize winner in economics to see through it very clearly.

Just walk into the Yaba station or any of their stations and you will be asked to pay with cash. Abeg, who still does that at this time and age. You cannot pre-book, you cannot pay electronically, it must be cash at the point of departure. My people, there is a sharing formula which I swear does not involve government or the people wey help us borrow

this money abi how can we explain this one na.

Another thing doing this railway is insecurity. So, they say they lost about N113 million after the Kaduna-Abuja attack and another N5.3 billion due to the suspension that came afterwards.

It is no wonder that the issues of derailment have started rearing its very ugly head. It is inevitable na, are you surprised? When the revenues are not reaching interest payment obligations, maintenance will suffer and with that the trains will start having mechanical problems and this one you cannot rush to Oyingbo and go and buy the spare part from Obinna. If it was just a derailment, I would not mind. After all, if the train derails near Iwo road, shey I will just walk into the nearest village and eat Amala and collect a new wife. But with the prospect of kidnapping, robbery and all staring you in the face inside Itakpe bush, you will begin to rethink the train service as a veritable alternative to road transportation and this will further kill the revenues. Kai, a wicked and vicious circle.

My people, the solution is very clear as taxpayers cannot add this over N100 billion debt on top of the one CBN and Fashola are generating daily. What we need to do is to remove the thing as a government benefit to us and sell the whole damn thing to private sector people who will now reprice and run the thing efficiently. Sorry o, it doesn’t make sense to pay N3,000 from Lagos to Ibadan because Buhari wants to prove a point that he is a caring President when on the other side, we pay heavily for that crap by covering the huge hole. Privatisation of the whole damn thing, a repricing and an efficient module will solve the problem once and for all…..

DAVID HUNDEYIN AS PUBLIC ENEMY NUMBER TWO

Well, as a man who has looked for enough trouble in Lagos, I don’t know if I will be adding more pepper to my matter if I say Hundeyin is my friend. This enemy number 2- after Peter Obi continues to push. The more his mortal enemy Asiwaju progresses, the

more David digs in with steely resolve.

To him, I think he believes that if the courts or the people cannot stop this, he will use his super hero powers as the world’s biggest investigative reporter since the ones that brought down Richard Nixon to bring down this Asiwaju President-elect.

The fight has been rough and tough. David will be releasing and the trio of Alake, Keyamo and Onanuga will be pushing back. When everything is calm, David will throw another one.

The bomb will shake the system small and calm down and then he will throw another one.

As he is throwing, Asiwaju is progressing- primaries, elections, emilokan declaration and now President-elect. As we are looking at May 29, with baba moving steadily and growing in confidence, David threw another one. This one is massive o. Baba is from Guinea he screams.

Twitter bans him, he says no problem, Baba is from Guinea ooo.

Kai! I don’t even know what

Sambo

Osula Savage

Hundeyin

to say again. I once interviewed David and asked him why. You are a Lagos establishment person. Your brother na police spokesman, your papa na top civil servant before he died, your uncles all have powerful positions in the system so why you come dey do David and Goliath.

His response was crisp and emotional. He told me of how he watched his father die from corruption and inefficiency within the Lagos State structure and came to the realisation that if this could happen to his fathera retired Lagos State perm sec with access to everybody plus the Asiwaju himself, then the common man had no hope. He watched his father die at the Gbagada General Hospital, an avoidable death. A process where from beginning to end, bribery and callousness lined the whole street, so where then is the much vaunted, ‘I built Lagos.’

It was from that morning as he bowed his head to his dad’s corpse that he swore to get his superman costume and fight injustice starting from Asiwaju who to him personified the evil that was the system that not only killed his father but keeps killing millions of Lagosians. So, guys, you now understand why David is the way he is. Only God knows how this David and Goliath fight will end. Will Asiwaju be the bigger man and go and kneel down to David and say, ‘aburo ma bi nu’ — the only leader in recent history I know that can do this is IBB — or will David say, I have fought for years but this monster still keep getting stronger, make I leave am go find who I go marry? Either of these prospects don’t look possible so my advice to Nigerians is to tighten your seat belts and prepare for a very bumpy ride.

My only plea to my aburo David, please I really beg you, in your investigative journey, if you see Asiwaju nude, no release am o, I beg I no go want vomit for my food o. Let that be the only line you will not cross o. Kai.

JULIAN OSULA’S DESERVING RECOGNITION

I sha used to avoid writing about this my great brother, Julian Osula. The reason is not farfetched. I envy the man, I swear. From his beards, to his convivial attributes and his extremely beautiful wife not to talk about his very successful life. I will be looking at him from afar and be saying why man go fine like this, get better intelligent and beautiful wife and people come like am like this.

Anyways, today I want to congratulate him for the honour his alma mater the Faculty of Management Sciences of the University of Benin is about to bestow on him. Julian leads a huge pack of top alumnus that would be honoured by the faculty for their huge contribution to life and society. The instructional thing in this award, is that Mr. Osula studied Law at the Faculty of Law of the university but the Faculty of Management Sciences in the award letter stated that the ‘prestigious award is usually given to personalities that have contributed to the academic growth, and development of their chosen career, society and humanity.’ This na

AN UNRESERVED APOLOGY TO CHIEF AFE BABALOLA

I have entered chief wahala o. An eminent Senior Advocate of Nigeria (SAN)? I am sure that the fight won’t be an easy one. I really wish I could get some wise men to go and help me beg him. It is not the one that I can cope with at all. Anyways, let me quickly tender my unreserved apology to his eminence, Chief Afe Babalola, for my last rants on his donation to a British university published in this column sometime ago. That I hold the eminent chief in high regards cannot be discounted by any stretch of the imagination.

I remember as a young stockbroker meeting with him in his chambers and in his school where he had given me the mandate to help collect pledges given during the launch ‘of something’ in his school. That meeting went a long way in dimensioning his personality and outlook as a patriotic and selfless Nigerian. My write up was on the back of my belief that the educational system in our

country was in dire straits and needed all hands to be on deck to rebuild it and that despite all the good works Chief Babalola had done both in the University of Lagos and in his School the well respected Afe Babalola University, a lot more still had to be done.

It is in this regard that I tender my unreserved apology to the highly respected Chief Afe Babalola and pray to him to kindly forgive me if my words offended him in any way. Chief should kindly remember that skinny boy with the bow tie that used to come and eat in his chambers in Ibadan while waiting for him to come back from Ekiti and he will now come and give me money to go back to Lagos.

It is me that wrote the piece o. Please don’t vex my Lord. I am sorry. If you allow me, I will come to Ibadan or Ekiti with a big bowl of Afang to really tender an unreserved apology.

Julian o. Kai!

The man deserves this and a lot much more. From the day I was introduced to him by my biggest brother, Hon. Chike Ogeah, to this day, I have continued to feel his very pulse on society. From philanthropy to empowerment, Julian continues to touch lives. Abeg make I no talk again, before people will start to think I want marry him pikin. Congrats my brother. Congrats and well done.

TIWA

SAVAGE, PLEASE STAY SAFE

The news crept in during the week that her domestic staff had led a mission to kidnap Ms. Savage. Let it be known that I remain a loyal servant and great admirer of Ms. Savage and as such this news was not received with great aplomb by me.

Ms. Savage has remained an iconic artist and great inspiration of not only the youths but old men like me who continue to wish that she would even as much as smile towards my direction.

So this ‘house girl’ I don’t know why we are giving her a big name – domestic staffto attempt this dastardly act did not sit well with me and millions of Nigerians. Thankfully the sinister plan was truncated and Ms. Savage was returned to the lovely arms of whoever. My very strong advice to her is to move to Shomolu with me. You see, life has no duplicate; you are no longer safe in that place. I have one vacant room, my son’s former room where you can stay in safety. We have maiguard on our street and street gate. Our maiguards have whistle such that if that kind thing wants to happen again, they will just be blowing the whistle and everybody will run out and catch the kidnappers. Please Tiwa come. Please, it’s for your own safety. I really can do a better job than Nigeria Police and Amotekun put together. When you decide, just let me know so that I can come and pick you myself, resign my job so that I can personally be in charge of your security 24 hours. Pele baby, ma fa ra le o. Daddy is on standby, you hear. Kai!

FOR MRA ELECTIONS, NIYI ODUSI IS MY MAN

Magodo Estate is on fire. My man Niyi Odusi is gunning for chairmanship and I am standing by him o. Not only me o, even Osa and Niyi are all standing with him and the reason for this is not farfetched. You see, good governance at the communal level is the very beginning of a renaissance in this country and Niyi of all the candidates that we are seeing in Magodo best describes what I want to believe is our very best chance at communal good governance. Niyi brings to the table over 10 years at Executive management levels in some of the most enduring insurance firms in the country. It is believed that he will be bringing to the table very astute decision making, above the top financial integrity and much more importantly the visioning that will most likely bring about a peaceful coexistence in the estate of over 5,000 units that has long eluded us. Some people say he get big head, he no matter. What matters na the stuff wey dey inside the head. The head no be like Osa own. Simple.

Babalola

The Business World of Ghanaian Billionaire, Henry Djaba Jnr

His name may not be a familiar one in Nigerian social circles, since he is not keenly pursuing a reputation as a socialite, but Ghanaian billionaire businessman, Henry Djaba Jnr has been quietly and discreetly operating big in the Nigeria business sector and several African countries for decades.

When will Olu of Warri, Ayiri Sheath Their Swords?

If you think that the longdrawn rift between Olu of Warri, Ogiame Atuwatse III and Chief Ayiri Emami is getting over soon, you may be wrong. The messy fight is now the talk of the town among the people of Warri and the entire Delta State.

Society Watch gathered that the reconciliatory committees that were constituted to resolve the ugly crisis have met with deadlock as the two gladiators have blatantly maintained their stand and refused to sheath their swords and embrace peace.

Many are aware that Ayiri, who held the Ologbotsere title of Warri Kingdom, has been in a running battle with the Olu since he attained the throne. It was hinted that Ayiri had refused to support the coronation of the king when he was chosen by the kingmakers and vowed to do everything possible to prevent it. Since then the two powerful Warri sons have refused to see eye to eye.

As revealed, many eminent personalities have mediated in the matter that shook the entire kingdom in a battle which our source likened to a fight of two elephants. However, all efforts have proved inefficacious; instead, the fight is getting messier.

It, however, took a complete twist last Sunday when the Royal Majesty installed Chief Oma Eyewuoma with the prestigious title of the new Ologbotsere. As expected, this development did not sink well with Ayiri, he hit the ceiling and vowed a serious showdown with the youthful king. The billionaire businessman claimed that he remains the substantive Ologbotsere of the Warri Kingdom till death, according to the traditional rite.

In his words: “Having held the title of Ologbotsere of Warri Kingdom, I could not be cajoled with a lesser title of Eyela that was held by my father in the interest of peace.

“You cannot move forward and start going backwards in the interest of peace as such peace can be that of the graveyard and we do not want that.”

Tongues are now wagging over the imbroglio between the two eminent citizens of the kingdom.

His family, the Djaba family is famous in Ghana, counting among the richest families in the country. Henry was born into wealth, as his late father, Mr. Henry Djaba Snr was a renowned Ghanaian industrialist and heavily into property investment. He was one of Ghana’s richest men as far back as the 1960s, owning several highvalue properties in the UK, Germany and the USA.

It wasn’t a surprise that his son, Djaba followed his father’s footsteps in business, and soon expanded his business portfolio to include oil and gas, besides his involvement in construction.

Just like in his home country, Djaba has been a familiar face in the highest Nigerian business

circles with friends among the movers and shakers across the country, one of whom is Prince Adetokunbo Sijuwade, the son of the late Ooni of Ife.

Djaba’s involvement in the business sector in Nigeria saw him registering a business in the country with Sijuwade serving as its Chairman. He is the founder, owner and current CEO of Lakeland International Commodities Nigeria Ltd, a special purpose vehicle company for Lakeland Oil and Gas International Trading and Supply Company Limited.

With over two decades of experience in the oil and gas business, Djaba has represented the largest independent oil trading companies in the United Arab Emirates (UAE) such as FAL Oil in Sharjah and collaborated with the state-owned Oil Company of Fujairah, Link Energy.

His company is the local partner of CRCC International, whose parent company is one of the largest integrated construction groups both in China and in the world with a turnover of over USD110 billion. The company was ranked

Real Estate Topshot, Dorry Okojie’s New Ambition

Despite being born with a bourgeoisie background, the DAF Homes and Estate boss believes working hard to earn one’s money is essential. He, therefore, abandoned his father’s wealth and set out for greatness on his own strength.

In his quest to make a name for himself, he found solace in construction, which today has thrown him into the consciousness of the people as a top player in the real estate sector with several condominiums littered across the skyline of Lagos and highbrow areas in Benin and Abuja.

he has never allowed money to control him. Instead, he remains in charge of his life and has maintained a humble, calm, and goal-oriented attitude.

The Edo-born real estate billionaire has always wanted to serve because of his compassion and love for his people. Over the years, he has spent proceeds from his business to empower lots of people by personally building roads, empowering security outfits and youths, paying house rent and giving scholarships to numerous students.

Highly cerebral and cosmopolitan real estate magnate, Dr. Dorry Okojie is undoubtedly not a greenhorn in Nigeria’s real estate sector. After starting his business early in life, one thing has remained constant for him: he is a stickler for success. For him, anything worth doing at all is worth doing well.

For those who might feel that his success was attained on a platter of gold or by chance, it’s instructive to explain that Okojie’s success was achieved with sheer dint of hard work and a strong will to survive against all odds. These two uncommon attributes have kept him standing for over two decades in the murky waters of entrepreneurship.

Despite attaining wealth at a young age,

Jade Osiberu Makes Wave with ‘Gangs of Lagos’

Those who know Jade Osiberu, a renowned and prolific movie director, say she is someone full of ideas. This, undoubtedly, is not a fulsome praise, if you consider the fact that she is the creative mind behind the much- awaited ‘Gangs of Lagos’ that premiered on Prime Video, Amazon Original Movie on April 7 to its huge viewership after a long series of intensive promotions, campaigns and global awareness across media platforms and billboards.

The movie is a high-stakes, gritty, and hardhitting action crime-thriller, with an authentic storyline centred on a group of childhood friends who each have to navigate destiny, growing up on the bustling streets and neighbourhood of Isale Eko, Lagos.

Revealing a short teaser for the film at a media briefing just before its release, Osiberu who directed the movie shared, “I’m thrilled to be introducing the audiences to this epic storyline and A-List talent from Nigeria with the launch of

Gangs of Lagos.

“It’s a great opportunity to elevate Nigerian stories on a global scale with Prime Video. I asked myself, what it would feel like to be born into this life. Isale-Eko is very unique in the sense that it is very dense and highly populated while also being surrounded by a lot of wealth. I wanted to know what it felt like to be born there, to want to leave, to have dreams of a better life and struggle for that.”

She added that the story is not inspired by anyone in particular but by the Lagos society and the idea of humanising ‘area boys’ and dealing with circumstances larger than them.

Ned Mitchell, head of African and Middle East Originals, Prime Video, pointed that, “At Prime Video, we are looking to work with original voices to create spectacular stories and events that audiences can connect with wherever they may be.”

Wangi Mba-Uzoukwu, head of Nigerian

After doing all these for years, he feels it will be a disservice if he does not do it on a larger scale, which will in turn benefit the general populace in his state. Society Watch gathered that as the tenure of Governor Obaseki is winding up, the real estate top shot has yielded to the calls of his people and has thrown his hat into the ring for the state’s top job come 2024.

Though he is yet to officially announce this, he is already reaching out for the blessings of those that matter in the state.

Osiberu

Originals, Prime Video, added that, “As the first Nigerian Original to launch on Prime Video, Gangs of Lagos sets the tone and standard, with the authentically Nigerian storyline in a genre that is so popular around the globe, making it a movie for our audiences at home and abroad.”

Funsho Lawal: A Flag-waving Compatriot

Funsho Lawal, Chairman Sogenal Petroleum, is an embodiment of numerous virtues. These include diligence, excellence, integrity and many more. That his workaholic disposition has taken him to places where kings wine and queens dine is a testament to his growing influence and resultant affluence. A force to be reckoned with in Nigeria’s economic sector, his entrepreneurial exploits readily qualifies him as one of the most audacious businessmen Nigeria can boast of. The exceptional achiever grabbed life by the lapel and got transformed into an enviable status filled with great accomplishments.

Lawal, a sure colossus in Nigeria’s oil and gas industry, is also a trailblazer. His name will enjoy good mention in the history of the sector. His contribution and influence on the nation’s economy have earned him a place in political circles in the country. But this, it was hinted, transcends party politics as many presidents have at various times sought his opinions

on matters of the economy. This, we further gathered, is simply because of his excellent grasp and experience in his chosen career.

Little wonder he has remained a decimal factor in the country. This, we gathered, has also earned him three national honours, OON, OFR, and CON. These honours are in recognition of his worthy deeds and love for his country, an attestation to his sterling credentials that validates his life of commitment to nationbuilding in terms of promoting economic growth through jobs, wealth creation and empowerment.

It was also revealed that he has been playing pivotal roles in who occupies the nation’s topmost political office through the Corporate Forum, simply because of his belief in the unity of the country.

“The former President of Petroleum Club’s love and patriotism for Nigeria is simply out of this world. This is the reason he has all his businesses in Nigeria,’’ our source added.

Okojie

Djaba Jnr

59th among the Fortune Global 500 with a presence in more than 79 countries all over the world, covering engineering procurement and construction, energy and resources, investment and financing, logistics, trade etc.

ARTS & REVIEW ARTS & REVIEW

Anticipating Yenwa Gallery, a Cultural Oasis in Lagos

For Nigerian-American independent curator Ugonna Ibe, setting up Yenwa Gallery in Lagos not only provides a home for her and her artists, but also offers a space for ideas and dialogue. Okechukwu Uwaezuoke reports

With the launch of her fashion line

Cinnamon Lagos in 2013, Ugonna Ibe paved the way for her eventual reabsorption into the visual arts circuit, which has now culminated in the development of an art gallery. This is one reason why it would not be incorrect to see, in the newly founded Yenwa Gallery in the a uent Victoria Island neighbourhood of Lagos, a logical blooming of her subsequent curatorial endeavours since that daring entrepreneurial decision. The gallery’s name, Yenwa, which tangentially alludes to fecundity, derives from Ibe’s middle name, Chinenyenwa, and translates from Igbo as “the Lord gives children.” Its shortened form suggests an imperative tone that translates as “Give me a child” and somewhat sounds like a prayer for those who visit the space to give life or be fruitful.

About the gallery, Ibe, who until recently worked as the director of the Guild of Professional Fine Artists of Nigeria (GFA), must have recognised that it was a project whose time has come because she described its impending opening as “a really organic decision.”

“It already felt as though I was operating a gallery without walls, but eventually I knew I needed to provide a home for my artists and for myself,” the Nigerian-American curator, gallerist, art advisor, designer, environmental activist, and philanthropist says.

Of course, she didn’t dislike her job as an independent curator. She was equally enthusiastic about the expansion and development of museums, as well as their impact on education and preservation. However, not always nding possibilities that felt right for her was an impetus she needed to take the next step. “Don’t get me wrong, there is so much work to be done still, and so there are roles to be lled, but I found myself saying no to a lot of o ers last year, and I had to sit with myself and decide what I wanted to do,” she cautions. “Eventually, I knew I had to create the opportunity I wanted. What did I think was missing but was also within my capacity to provide? I think that’s the sweet spot, you know? Using your passion and capacity to ll gaps and leaving the rest.”

Behind the desire to broaden her platform lurks the hope to do more for the artists and collectors. Already, the gallery’s rst group exhibition, a visual homage to the Lagos art scene and exhibition circuit, highlights its interconnectedness. “I am so thrilled to be working with all these artists, it was important for me to have Kolade Oshinowo be a part of the show, it’s an intergenerational show bound by such a relatable theme, and we have two young artists who will be exhibiting for the rst time.”

Talking about the exhibition, which is titled Inner Space, it brings together the following 11 contemporary artists, drawn from di erent generations and who are known to work across various mediums: Amarachi Odimba, Duke Asidere, Edosa Oguigo, Ehinomen Okoeki, Enotie Ogbebor, Fiyin Koko, Foluso Oguntoye, Joshua Nmesirionye, Kolade Oshinowo, Nola Ayoola, and Kelechi Orode Chukwueke.

Even though the gallery’s overriding purpose continues to be to feature the greatest of contemporary painting and sculpture from Africa and its diaspora, it makes no secret of its keen interest in African photography and EDITOR

new media. Ibe acknowledges her fondness for photography and cites the fact that she organised Emmanuel Oyeleke’s photography exhibition in 2019, the rst one that Terra Kulture had held in almost a decade.

Meanwhile, Yenwa Gallery’s next exhibition, a photography exhibition featuring Laila Cadne, she says, is a survey of women’s beauty trends in Lagos from the 1960s to the present. “It’s such important archival work that often gets overlooked, but it’s so critical to archive culture and safeguard for future generations. We don’t want to keep losing our national narratives.”

The gallery, which also houses a library and workspace where workshops would be held in its building located at an easily accessible part of Victoria Island, can be described as a cultural oasis in a bustling metropolis. It seeks

to give a platform for artists and curators to expand and grow their careers by positioning itself as a vital complement to the ecosystem that it intends to develop in Lagos.

“We want to ensure our artists are placed in important collections and museums,” Ibe explains. “I want to increase interest in Nigerian, African, and Black arts and culture, not just internationally but also locally. Ultimately, we want to be a space of discovery, which means incubating and supporting the arts. A space of ideas and conversations; culture, spirituality, and interconnectedness.”

If the gallery, which promotes expansion as its credo, is already planning its rst overseas locations, it is because it sets a high value on its physical reach. As a result, it intends to improve its relationships with local and in-

ternational institutions while expanding its collector network.

Back to its founder, despite growing up with a strong appreciation for the visual arts, in part because of her family background and early education, she chose to pursue a bachelor’s degree in biology from the University of Texas and a master’s degree in sustainability and environmental management from Harvard University in the United States.

Her arrival in Nigeria for her National Youth Service Corps (NYSC) programme in 2004 marked the start of years of re-acquainting herself with Nigerian art and culture. Over time, she found herself immersed in the local art scene, became overwhelmed by the sheer quality of the o erings and the obvious talent glut, and soon curated her rst show in 2017. This was when she experienced a deep, physical passion for this form of storytelling and artistic expression. “I had found that connection I had been missing all Those years ago as a young artist in London,” she says.

Joining the Terra Kulture Art Gallery team, which she described as “a crash course in Nigerian art history as well as the best training for exhibition planning and execution,” was yet another career-de ning step. “I truly value that experience and the relationships I built during my time there.”

Perhaps it was the desire for the validation provided by certi cations that drew her to egged her on to enrol in an intensive art history course from the Southeby’s Institute ofArt, which, while she described it as rigorous, was nonetheless refreshing and bene cial to the development of her curatorial writings.

Her dissatisfaction with the absence of representation of the African story quickly inspired her to explore deeper into the elds of research. This is because the African perspective always seems to be left out of the art historical canon when it is presented chronologically. This explains why The Studio Museum in Harlem chose her for the Museum Professionals Seminar last year, where her research focuses on innovative collaborative strategies to make archival information accessible to the public. “My research during the Studio Museum in Harlem’s Museum Professionals Seminar has provided a strong foundation for my work in both academic and cultural presentation, and I intend to continue that research locally,” she discloses. “As a curator and art practitioner focused on African and Black stories, it is important for me to play a part in the restoration, dissemination, and preservation.”

Interestingly, she became the inaugural creative director for NXT.ART, a physical art fair and dialogue series presented at the Landmark Event Centre in Lagos, the same year, an event she felt suitably equipped for thanks to her curatorial experience. For, apart from her previous experience at the Terra Kulture Art Gallery, where she was the head curator and was instrumental in reviving the TKMG Lagos Art Auction, she was also chosen in 2019 to conceptualise, plan, and execute the rst UAE-Nigeria Cultural Arts Exhibition hosted by the UAE Ambassador.

In addition, as an independent curator, she has advised di erent institutions, art fairs, and private collections, as well as consulted on art direction and costume for lm and television, the titles of which can be found on Net ix and Showmax.

okechukwu.uwaezuoke@thisdaylive.com

A painting in the Yenwa Gallery's collection by Kolade Oshinowo

Ugonna Ibe

A paper collage work by Ehinomen Okoeki, titled Siblings

Day ‘Mr Gatwick’ Called at Gateway Agro-Cargo Airport

Kunle Somorin

Parroted as the man who owns Gatwick and former adviser to the United States President Donald Trump, an iconic investor, Adebayo Ogunlesi, was in town. His visit was fortuitous but nonetheless memorable. He had come to bury his equally well-decorated late father, Nigeria’s first professor of medicine, Theophilus Oladipo Ogunlesi, who passed on a little shy of his centennial birthday. Our August visitor had just performed the ritual of dust-to-dust and decided to breeze into the complex housing Nigeria’s avant-garde international agrocargo airport.

Time-check: 6:07pm. On hand to receive him was the Governor of the state, Prince Dapo Abiodun and a retinue of his aides –commissioners, advisers, senior special assistants and yours truly.

From a sinecure Range Rover that snaked in through the Ilishan end of the road emerged the debonair lawyer and innovative investment banker. Welcome, Adebayo (better known as Bayo) Ogunlesi. In private employment, he was known to have brokered deals by arranging financing for $20 billion worth of industrial projects in a career that spanned over 20 years with Credit Suisse First Boston (CSFB). He made other daring efforts at the bank. Many of his clients were governments and firms developing energy resources in emerging markets. In 2002 Ogunlesi became the head of CSFB’s global investment banking division with 1,200 bankers and $2.8 billion in assets under his supervision.

But, he is by far more famous for his exploits as chairman and managing partner of the private equity firm, Global Infrastructure Partners (GIP), with multi-billion dollar global investments across sectors like transport, natural resource and power generation with company’s assets including seaports, freight, rail facilities, midstream natural resources and power generation businesses. The icing on the cake and raison d’être for calling on us this evening was his stake in the aviation industry. His company is the owner of five international airports in First World countries, including the London City Airport, Edinburgh Airport and Gatwick Airport.

A proud Remo man and illustrious son of Ogun State, Bayo Ogunlesi accompanied by his brother, Folabi, a professor and clinicianscientist were met by the State Government team. As Governor Dapo Abiodun thrust his hands in greeting, the legendary financier enthused: “You mean this place was put together under two years? That is unbelievable. That is a rare feat in the history of aviation globally!”

Going down memory lane, Prince Abiodun narrated the history behind the airport that was conceived 17 years ago but remained inchoate - what he calls PowerPoint project - until two years ago.

“It was becoming a pipedream but we are breathed life into it. We are actually transforming this space that was once a refuse dump site into an aerotropolis. This is unique and that explains the pace of project execution, and quality of delivery because we believe in public-private sector-driven investment initiatives and there are waiting markets to be served,” Gov. Abiodun enthused.

Abiodun added that already there is a Special Agro Processing Zone project that has been flagged off with commitment of a $400 million (out of $800million), sited at the Agro-Cargo Airport, to be executed by the state government in partnership with Arise Integrated Industrial Platforms. According to the governor, the project would be completed in another 12 months.

“We are not just building an airport; we are building an aerotropolis – an airport city. Ours is an investment hub for businesses, besides cargo and passenger air transport. Already, a lot of agencies of government and private sectors are scrambling to be here. There will be an international agroprocessing centre. We have established with the African Development Bank (AfDB), a world-class agro testing centre in Sagamu, to stimulate the standardisation of farm produce export from Africa and there a large scale aircraft maintenance, repair and operations company that has approached us to commence business,” Abiodun further retorted.

Indeed, the focus of the airport is more on agro-export as a potential non-oil mainstay of the economy. Nigeria is indeed blessed with year-round arable food crops that are now equivalent to crude oil in the global market. Already, no fewer than 22 non-oil products have been pencilled down in the new export promotion programme of the Federal Government and Ogun State has seized the initiative as part of the zero-oil plan currently being implemented by the Nigeria Export Promotion Council in collaboration with the private sector, which is estimated to be worth over $150 billion in yearly export value at full capacity.

Among the products are palm oil, cashew, cocoa, soya beans, rubber, rice, petrochemical, leather, ginger, cotton and Shea butter, tomato, banana and plantain, cassava, cowpeas, and spices, some of which are cultivated in the region.

As the conversation continued, amidst suspense and surprise, Ogunlesi requested a facility tour of the ambitious project, sitting on 5000 hectares of land in the agrarian community of Ilisan in the Ikenne Local Government Area of the state and industrial hub of the South-west region. Ensconced in the passenger’s seat of the Governor’s staff car, Prince Abiodun, like the lead marketer for the project narrated to Ogunlesi the business model of the Agro-cargo Airport and was overheard saying: “We took the bull by the horn to revive this dream and keep the vision of Ogun First alive.”

From the apron of the airport, the icono-

clastic investor saw the expansive 3.8km runway that is 95 per cent ready, the ongoing work on the fivestorey control tower, administrative building and fire station, with the twin terminals for cargo and passenger. Barring any shift in timelines, the multi-billion-naira facility, he was told, will hold one of the fastest-built airport records in the country – that is, about less than 24 months from start to finish.

Construction started here in late October 2021. The State government said that the new facility promises far more to the local and regional economy despite viability concerns. Abiodun’s Commissioner for Works and Infrastructure, Ade Akinsanya, was handy to explain the engineering details.

“The strategic location of the Class E facility was strategic to its economic goals. On the west-end of the airport is the Lagos-Ibadan Expressway, while the Sagamu–Benin Expressway is on the south. That is central to the entire region. Note that Lagos is too crowded as it is. The cargo operators are not having a good time; the passengers also are complaining. So, this will be a relief to everyone. Passengers can land here and be in Lagos within 30 minutes and those going to the east, they can land here and be anywhere within a few hours. So, the basis for viability is its best location and it will be a big relief for Lagos,” Akinsanya said. He said further that the runway was built to land wide-body aircraft models like Airbus 350 and Boeing 777, with an apron wide enough to accommodate four aircraft at a go.

“Right now, the runway is ready. We have had a couple of test flights for both commercial and private aircraft. I don’t think any airport can rival it anywhere within this country and the facility is unique. The standards are world-class. The terminals – one for passengers and the other for cargo – are a hybrid of what they have in Morocco and a bit

of Paris, in France. It is a work of art. The same thing also with the control tower – it is something unique,” Akinsanya said to the amazement of the home-comer. The team, Akinsanya quipped, learnt valuable lessons from the chaotic Lagos Airport, therefore, opening six access routes into the new facility, to which an unusually patriotic Ogunlesi jokingly interjected: “San Francisco where you (Akinsanya) lived may be going under, not our Lagos and Ogun State!” Akinsanya earned his epaulets as a resourceful engineer in the US city.

As the inspection came to a close and darkness and showers of rain drizzled, Ogunlesi shared his thoughts saying: “This is no doubt the fastest airport to be constructed anywhere in the world. The place is fantastic. I was telling the governor that I have never heard of any airport constructed so fast. In fact, when he told me, I had to bow because I have never heard of an airport built in two years and the concept, the idea, the location and the strategic nature of this airport are fantastic.

“These are exactly the things we need in Nigeria; this is what will take Nigeria forward to the next century and beyond.

I am ecstatic because as the governor mentioned, the government’s role is to facilitate the development of the airport; the government has no interest in running airports. There are people whose businesses are to run airports; so, we get it built, we get it financed,” he said.

Ogunlesi said the airport built to international standard is capable of taking any size of plane, noting: “The governor said once we get it built, we will find somebody who is in the business of running airport to come and manage it professionally and by the way, they will pay taxes to the government. So that will be good, that is the way things should be done.

“Think about the strategic location, right in the middle of Ogun State with access to two critical super highways. Think about all of the industrial facilities that can be built around this airport, and all the jobs that will be created. I think Mr. Governor is a visionary.”

Governor Abiodun (left) and Ogunlesi

IN THE ARENA

Halting Incessant Building Collapse in Lagos

Lagos State, Nigeria’s commercial hub again penultimate week dominated familiar news headlines after a seven-storey building under construction collapsed on First Avenue, in the upscale Banana Island area of Ikoyi.

While many observers try to decipher why Lagos continues hogging the headlines for cases of building collapse, building experts question the role of government agencies in the approval processes for buildings in the state.

According to a former President of Nigerian Institute of Building, Kenneth Nduka, the inability of the government to prosecute those responsible for the frequent building collapse in the country is a factor fuelling its reoccurrence.

His words: “Let me integrate backwards, there have been collapses and these collapses have been investigated. I am yet to hear or maybe I am not being so cognisant of what is happening, but I am yet to hear that Mr. X or Mr. Y has been sent to jail because he participated in the development of a building that has collapsed.”

Nduka further called on the Lagos State government to ensure buildings in the state are constructed under proper guidelines.

“If you are using material, there is a specification of the type of material you use. If you are going to start a multi-storey building, it should be such that there should be geotechnical investigation of the soil,” he added.

According to the Lagos State branch of the Nigerian Institution of Estate Surveyors and Valuers (NIESV), between 2011 and 2019, there were 88 building collapse incidents in Nigeria. Significantly out of this number, only 21 of this occurred outside Lagos.

Interestingly, according to the Building Collapse Prevention Guild in Nigeria, Lagos State has recorded 115 building collapse incidents in the last 10 years. Whatever the seeming dissonance in specific figures and timelines these statistics speak to a common worrying reality.

This scenario also apparently validates findings by researchers at the Department

of Engineering Sciences in Kwara State University, Ilorin, which indicated that the Southwest recorded the highest number of building collapse incidents in the country between 2009 and 2019.

That Lagos is leading in recorded incidents of building collapse in the country should have an obvious reason.

By sheer numbers, Lagos is a megacity. However, it is one of the smallest megacities in the world in terms of landmass. But population wise it is certainly not with its estimated population 20 million. The megacity’s demographics loudly mismatches its landmass.

This has consequently created concomitant economic, social and environmental problems that translate to housing deficit and overpopulation challenges. Many residents here are in constant and desperate need of housing as both public and private sector efforts at increasing supply are grossly inadequate to meet the gushing demand.

According to a Lagos-based architect and urbanist, who spoke off the record, the fact that private developers are the group mostly involved in the re-construction of old houses in Ikoyi, Victoria Island and Lagos Island is a factor to be looked into. He also noted that verticalisation, to accommodate the ever increasing demand for residential and commercial spaces, is a continuous activity all over the Island.

He apparently hit the nail on the head when he observed that, “while the best of technical and financial means are deployed in Victoria Island and Ikoyi, the same cannot be said of the building consultants, building contractors and the shylock developers involved in the construction of the buildings in Lagos Island.

“And government officials, both responsible for building drawings approvals and building construction supervisions, are not more compromised in Lagos Island than in Ikoyi, Victoria Island or any other location in Lagos for that matter. What sets Lagos Island apart is the government’s overly relaxed attitude to the chaos that has been taking place there for over five decades! There is the seeming position that the place is a mess anyway and cannot possible get worse,” he explained.

He also noted that, “the other reason is that it is the ancestral homes to the indigenous Lagosians even if the most notable members of them no longer live there. This latter is the main reason why succeeding governments have shied away from taking incisive corrective measures.

“Unfortunately, the corollary to that laisserfaire attitude will be the ever recurring collapsing of these precarious buildings. I make bold to say that 90 per cent of them or more are not fit for human habitation especially in this digital YouTube 21st Century. Indeed

POLITICAL NOTES

many of them are accidents waiting to happen.

“Urgent steps need to be taken to guarantee the safety of lives in Lagos Island. And the government must be bold; it can no longer continue the erstwhile “politically correct” postures that have yielded only further chaos instead of positive results.”

The emerging consensus among key stakeholders in the building sector is that the government must declare an immediate moratorium on new constructions in this area even where planning approvals have been granted. He suggested immediate moratorium on the approval of new building permit requests.

“Update the data of unstable buildings and these must be immediately evacuated. Their controlled demolition must commence at once, starting from the most precarious of them,” he said.

He also believes that government must semi privatize the approval of building plans to augment the capacity of the badly understaffed government officials by utilizing the professional services of the numerous reputable consultancy firms that abound in Lagos.

“The government should almost completely privatise the supervision of the construction of buildings by again utilising the services of the professionals referred to above. This should provide a more rigorous implementation of the Building Codes and will create more job opportunities,” he added.

But Lagos as a city and government has been so lax in minding what happens in its housing sector. It does seem that the regulatory authorities in the state are accessories to the unwholesome activities in the sector that threw up massive constructions with questionable professional supervision. There is so much more that the Lagos State government can do to end the frequent loss of both human and material resources to building collapse. Time has come for it to prove wrong, popular views that building collapse problem rests with it as its planning authorities seem to be so much in a hurry that they don’t go further than the approval of the building plan.

As Touts Take over Lagos Uncontrollably

The setting ablaze of a Bus Rapid Transit (BRT) vehicle in Ogudu, along the Oworonshoki Expressway, in Lagos, last Wednesday was a sad reminder of the evil effects of the takeover of Lagos State by touts and street urchins, who take the laws into their hands at every opportunity.

A commercial bus was coming from Lagos Island, heading to Ojodu Berger when it lost control along the Ifako Bridge and collided with the BRT vehicle.

The accident drew the anger of hoodlums who vandalised the BRT bus and set it ablaze after they learnt that the commercial bus driver died on the spot.

Sanwu-olu

AccordingtoastatementbytheDirector,PublicAffairsandEnlightenmentDepartmentoftheLagosState Traffic Management Authority (LATSMA), Adebayo Taofiq, seven passengers were injured in the crash. Thestatementconfirmedthathoodlumsinthearea

set ablaze the bus belonging to the Lagos State Bus Service Limited.

“TheGeneralManagerofLASTMA,MrBolajiOreagba, however, warned members of the public particularly street urchins not to take laws into their hands at any accident scene but to allow appropriate authorities to do the needful.”

OneofthefalloutsoftheOctober2020#EndSARS protestswasthetakeoverofLagosStatebytoutsand hoodlumswhoblockthehighwaystoextortcommercial vehicles, heavy duty trucks and other road users.

They attack and kill motorists and set ablaze their vehicles at the slightest provocation.

Hiding under the cover of the #EndSARS protests, these hoodlums had set ablaze 80 BRT vehicles in Oyingbo and Ojodu Berger areas of the state.

The destruction of private and public property in

Lagosbythehoodlumswashoweversaidtohavebeen triggered by an alleged attack on the once-peaceful protesters by thugs allegedly sponsored by the state. Apparentlyoverwhelmedbythelevelofdestruction causedbythesehoodlumsduringthe#EndSARScrisis, thestategovernmentappearedtohaveallowedthem to take over the roads and extort road users.

However, the number of these touts increased astronomically at the end of the general election after they were allegedly used by politicians to attack and intimidate voters and snatch election materials.

Today, not only have become emboldened, the impunitywithwhichtheycausegridlock,extortprivate and commercial vehicles, company buses, heavy duty vehicles and other road users clearly demonstrates the complicity of the different authorities, including the security agencies in this illegal enterprise.

Against the background of frequent building collapse in Nigeria’s commercial hub, the state government must enforce a more rigorous implementation of the building codes to rein in unprofessional property developers, writes Louis Achi

BRIEFING NOTES

Who Sponsored Electoral Coup in Adamawa?

With the failed attempt by the suspended Resident Electoral Commissioner in Adamawa State, Hudu Yunusa-Ari, to impose the governorship candidate of the All Progressives Congress, Senator Aishatu Dahiru,betterknownasBinani,onthepeopleofthestateinanelectoralcoup,Ejiofor Alikewritesthatthe Inspector General of Police, Usman Alkali Baba, should arrest and prosecute Yunusa and all the security chiefs in the state, who provided cover for the REC to allay the strong suspicion that the leaderships of the various security agencies backed the ignoble attempt to undermine Nigeria’s democracy

As part of the month-long intrigues to manipulate the results of the governorship election in Adamawa State in favour of the candidate of the All Progressives Congress (APC), Senator Aishatu Dahiru, better known as Binani, the then Resident Electoral Commissioner (REC) in the state, Mr Hudu Yunusa-Ari, had on Sunday usurped the power of the Returning Officer and declared Binani as the winner of the poll without waiting for the collation of the results to be concluded.

The REC’s action was viewed as an electoral coup in the sense that Binani was clearly losing the election to the Adamawa State Governor and candidate of the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP), Ahmadu Fintiri, coupled with the fact that only the Returning Officer (RO) is empowered by law to declare the results of a governorship election and not the REC.

According to the results of the election held on March 18, Fintiri was leading Binani with over 30,000 votes, having polled 421,524 votes against the APC candidate’s 390,275 votes.

But in a strange twist, the Returning Officer, Prof. Mohammed Mele, announced the cancellation of elections in 69 polling units in Fufore LGA, which affected no fewer than 37,016 potential voters.

In accordance with the electoral law, INEC declared the election inconclusive on the grounds that the cancelled votes were more than the margin of victory recorded in favour of the governor.

At the end of the first round of the collation of the April 15 supplementary poll, Fintiri was leading with over 1,500 votes in the 11 LGAs collated, apart from the over 30,000 votes margin in his favour.

The final round of the collation was adjourned by the Returning Officer to Sunday, April 16, at 11.00 a.m.

But at about 9a.m on April 16, and in the absence of the RO, the REC stormed the collation venue with the Commissioner of Police on election duty in the state, Mohammed Barde, and made the unconstitutional announcement of the winner without relying on any result.

When the tension rose very high following the REC’s insistence to announce the fake results, two of the agents of the political parties present moved to the high table and pleaded with him, reminding him that as Muslim who was fasting, he should fear God.

“The Returning Officer is not here. No, you are not the Returning Officer. Wait for the Returning Officer; let us hear what all the (political) parties got. Let us fear the Almighty God, please. I respect you as a father, you can’t do this. You are fasting

and the Almighty Allah is watching you; fear Allah; fear Allah,” one of the agents told the REC.

At this point, CP Barde stood up and ordered the party agents to stay away from the high table.

When the coast appeared to have been cleared by the CP, the REC also stood up and declared Binani as winner amid protests.

The electoral coup was another instance of security agencies’ connivance to undermine free, fair and credible electoral process in the country as the CP and other security chiefs openly provided cover for the REC.

In what many described as a desperate quest to emerge as first elected female governor in Nigeria, and in subversion of the electoral process and the will of the people, Binani quickly delivered an acceptance speech.

But in a prompt reaction, INEC nullified her purported victory and also withdrew the REC from the state.

In a similar vein, the Inspector-General of Police

(IG), Usman Alkali Baba, ordered CP Barde out of the state, and replaced him with the Commissioner of Police in charge of Gombe State, Etim Equa.

But Binani did not give up as she rushed to court to argue that only election tribunal can constitutionally nullify her victory, apparently in line with the script of her backers, who might have misled her to believe that his opponent would be asked to go to the tribunal once she was declared as winner.

However, her traducers quickly reminded her that no result was lawfully declared as the collation was yet to be concluded even as the REC who made the purported declaration has no such power under the law.

Expectedly, Justice Inyang Ekwo of the Federal High Court in Abuja refused to hear her ex-parte application, and thereafter adjourned the suit till April 26.

At the end of the successful collation of results, INEC on Tuesday, declared Fintiri as winner and

NOTES FOR FILE

subsequently issued him with a Certificate of Return.

According to the results announced by the Returning Officer, Mele, Fintiri polled 430,861 votes to defeat Binani, who scored 398,788 votes.

Having successfully foiled the electoral coup, the IG should bring the principal plotters to book.

A Bauchi Islamic cleric, Dr. Idris Abdulaziz, had described Yunusa, an indigene of the state, as a disgrace to the state and the same can also be said of all the principal plotters of the electoral coup.

The Commandant General of the NSCDC, Ahmed Audi, had on Wednesday done the needful by removing the Adamawa Commandant of the agency, Muhammad Bello and summoning him to Abuja to give the details of his role in the illegal declaration.

The IG should arrest and prosecute CP Barde, Bello and the heads of other security agencies that provided cover for Yunusa.

This will serve as a deterrent to power-drunk security chiefs who may plot to truncate Nigeria’s democracy.

It will also dispel the strong speculation that the leaderships of the security agencies backed the shameful roles of these compromised security officials.

Hours after Yunusa’s illegal declaration, a video of a DSS deputy director had surfaced online showing the said official confessing that Binani gave N2 billion bribe to be announced as the winner.

Though Binani had denied the allegations, insisting that the officer of the DSS made “very bizarre, unfounded wild allegations” against her, the police should also quiz her.

INEC had also last Thursday denied the allegation of partisanship in the election, but the electoral umpire created suspicion when it awarded over N430 million contract for the printing of sensitive election materials to Binani Printing Press, a company allegedly founded by Binani.

There were speculations that INEC and the APC were neck-deep in the saga but the commission washed its hands off when Justice Ekwo refused to grant an ex-parte order to void the nullification of the REC’s action.

In line with the call by the President-elect, Bola Tinubu, in his congratulatory message to Fintiri, the police authorities should fully investigate all that transpired in the election.

President Muhammadu Buhari’s last Thursday’s approval of the suspension of Yunusa, as well as his marching order to the IG, the Director General of DSS, and the Commandant General of the NSCDC to probe the role of their officers in the saga should also be enforced immediately.

The Barbaric Action of OAU Students

The recent killing of a final year student of the Obafemi Awolowo University, Ile-Ife, Okoli Ahize, by a mob in the institution over alleged phone theft has demonstrated how low some Nigerian ivory towers have sunk in both learning and character.

The gruesome murder of Ahize, a Part 5 student of the DepartmentofCivilEngineeringwassaidtohaveoccurred at the Awolowo Hall of Residence of the institution.

For students of the premier university to murder their colleagueinsuchadastardlymanneronmereallegationof phonetheftshowsthattheso-calledleadersoftomorrow may turn out to be worse than the present generation of Nigerian leaders who have thrown morality and good conscience to the winds.

Students in universities are supposed to demonstrate that they are worthy in character and learning before they

are considered fit for graduation.

But the OAU incident has shown that some of the country’s tertiary institutions have become breeding grounds for cultists, touts and other miscreants, who pose potential danger to the larger society.

ThebarbaricactionoftheOAUstudentswasdespicable, dastardly, uncivilised and condemnable.

ThePublicRelationsOfficeroftheinstitution,Abiodun Olarewaju,haddisclosedthattheuniversitymanagement had condemned the action and had set up a panel to investigate the matter.

“Nobody knows that students can go to that level of indiscipline to cost the life of their mate,” he added.

The Students’ Union President, Olayiwola Festus, had also condemned the act, describing it as inhumane.

“Our union does not support mob action and justice

must be served in this incident,” he added.

Protesting students from the Faculty ofTechnology had earlier shut down the Students’ Union building, demanding that it should be locked pending the outcome of the investigation.

Theyalsobarricadedthemainroad,therebyblocking vehicular movements in and out of the campus until the Dean of Student Affairs, Prof. Isiaka Aransi, addressed them. Inthesamevein,UniversityofIfeLawClassof1987 Associationhadalsocondemnedtheactioninastatement signed by its President, Caleb Arogundade, describing the action as “despicable, lawless and disheartening.”

“It is worrisome that students of our prestigious university, which we proudly call “Great Ife” could resort to barbaric behaviour in dispensing jungle justice to a fellow student, who was accused of theft.

Baba

Adamu

for Dual Citizenship?

The

For the President-elect, Bola Tinubu, there is no end to the controversies trailing his past. Last week, social media went abuzz with the dual citizenship allegations against him with his critics claiming that dual citizenship disqualifies him from the presidency based on Section 137 of the 1999 Constitution.

The fresh controversy started when an independent journalist, David Hundeyin, uploaded images of a Guinean diplomatic passport bearing “Bola Ahmed Tinubu” on his Twitter account. The passport, which also carried Tinubu’s image was said to have been issued in October 2015. It however expired in October 2020.

There had been controversies surrounding Tinubu’s age, name, educational background, health status, businesses, hometown and past links with drug trafficking, all of which have not been cleared.

Tinubu’s emergence as President-elect in the February 25 presidential election has been challenged by some of his opponents, including his two main rivals, Atiku Abubakar and Peter Obi, in a battle that would drag up to the Supreme Court in a span over 240 days.

The dual citizenship dimension, which has caused the former governor of Lagos State to trend, has dominated the social media amid the ongoing election petition trial because of potential legal actions over alleged constitutional violations.

With the latest development,Tinubu is suspected to have committed perjury, having told the Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC) in his form EC-9 - application for the presidency - that he never obtained citizenship of another country. He reportedly ticked “NO” in response to “Have you voluntarily acquired citizenship of any other country” posed by INEC in the form.

He also appended his signature on the form swearing that the information given on the form was “correct, true and to the best of my knowledge.”

While it may not amount to constitutional violations that Tinubu, who was born in Nigeria, carries dual nationality, he is expected to fight to extricate himself of perjury accusations.

Tinubu faced a similar legal conundrum shortly after he was elected governor of Lagos in 1999. He had allegedly made false claims about his primary, secondary tertiary education.

Though he had constitutional immunity from criminal prosecution, he also claimed at the time that he did not knowingly make false claims on the INEC document, as the document was filled on his behalf by a political ally.

The question of whether or not a Nigerian who holds citizenship of another country is qualified to contest for political offices in Nigeria is not novel. The question has been part of Nigeria’s political configuration, particularly since 1999 when democracy was enthroned in the country.

The salient questions are: Are persons with dual citizenship prohibited from contesting for any election in Nigeria? Can the President of Nigeria have dual citizenship?

One of the chapters of the Nigerian Constitution contains eight sections dedicated to issues of citizenship. Specifically, Section 28 of the constitution of Nigeria is on issues of dual citizenship. Also, many other sections in the constitution refer to citizenship as a condition for certain rights and privileges.

Among the sections that refer to Section 28 of the Constitution (that is, relating to dual citizenship) are sections relating to disqualification/ requirements for persons to be elected into offices at federal and state levels. The specific sections are Section 66 of the constitution which is on disqualification/requirement for election into the

National Assembly (the House of Representatives and the Senate); Section 107 of the constitution which is on disqualification/requirement for election into the House of Assembly in any state in Nigeria; Section 137 of the constitution which is on disqualification/requirement for election of the President of Nigeria and section 142 for Vice-President of Nigeria; and Section 182 of the constitution which is on disqualification/requirement for election of the Governors and section 187 for Deputy-Governors in states in Nigeria.

All the above sections make citizenship a requirement for any person to be elected into legislative or executive office in Nigeria. The sections of the constitution cited above refer readers back to Section 28 of the constitution.

The first requirement to be qualified to be President of Nigeria and for some elective positions is that the candidate must be a citizen by birth. However, there is a section of the constitution which appears to provide that dual citizens are exempt from becoming Nigerian Presidents. Section 137 paragraph (a) of the Constitution provides that subject to the provision of section 28 of this Constitution, anyone who voluntarily acquired the citizenship of a country other than Nigeria or, except in such a case as may be prescribed by the National Assembly, has made a declaration of allegiance to such other country. It should be noted that for a dual citizen to be disqualified he must have voluntarily acquired citizenship of another country.

Also, section 28 goes on to make the disqualification of a dual citizen subject to Section 28 of the Constitution. Section 28 (1) talks about individuals who acquire Nigerian citizenship (by means other than birth) and go on to acquire or retain citizenship of another country (acquired other than by birth), such individuals shall forfeit Nigerian citizenship or shall renounce Nigerian citizenship.

In simple terms, Section 28 says that individuals who are disqualified from holding dual citizenship in Nigeria, are those who have citizenship of another country, which was obtained by either naturalisation or registration and then seek to acquire a form of Nigerian citizenship (and that form is by registration or naturalisation) and vice versa.

That individual has to renounce the citizenship that he held prior to the application for Nigerian citizenship, (if he is not a citizen by birth) or lose his Nigerian citizenship when he wants to obtain citizenship in another country.

In other words, only citizens by birth can acquire citizenship of another country and they are not required to renounce their Nigerian citizenship except that other country requires such renunciation.

Therefore, Section 137 of the constitution seems redundant because citizens who acquired citizenship by naturalisation or registration (which it refers to) can never be President as the first requirement for candidates for the presidency as contained in Section 131 of the constitution is that such a person must be a citizen by birth.

The above discussed requirement for the presidency has not been tested by Nigerian courts. However, there have been issues relating to the dual citizenship of candidates for the National Assembly. These issues came up in Anthony George Ikoli v. Ben Murray Bruce and Willie Ogbeide v. Arigbe Osula & ors.

It should be noted that the constitutional requirements discussed above for an aspirant to the presidency are almost the same as that of an aspirant to the National Assembly. The only difference is that the aspirant has to be only a Nigerian citizen; there is no mention of the type of citizen.

In the two cited cases, the same issue came

up; individuals were challenging the elections of the elected candidates (amongst other grounds) on the ground that the respondents had dual citizenship. In other words, though they were Nigerian by birth, they had sworn allegiance to other countries (United States of America).

The Court of Appeal in Ogbeide’s case held that with sections 25, 26 and 27 of the constitution, a citizen of this country by birth never loses his citizenship even where he holds dual citizenship of another country and cannot be disqualified from contesting election into the House of Representative on the ground that he holds such dual citizenship.

Unlike Section 137 which appears to be redundant for presidential aspirants, Section 66 which contains similar provisions is not. This is so because, since every citizen can aspire to be a member of the National Assembly, it therefore means that some of them can be caught in the web described in Section 28 which Section 66 like its counterpart 137 refers to.

Therefore, the only question Tinubu may likely have to answer is to explain why he allegedly told INEC in form EC-9 that he never obtained citizenship in another country.

It remains unclear whether the LP, PDP and the other parties could introduce the argument to favour their prayers at the presidential elections petition court.

Though the 21-day window for amending petitions has passed, if the presiding judges consider their argument to be sufficiently compelling, the deadline may be extended or waived.

It would be recalled that during the build-up to the presidential election, human rights activist and lawyer, Mr. Kayode Ajulo, had warned President Muhammadu Buhari and the National Chairman of APC, Senator Abdullahi Adamu, against the danger of picking a presidential candidate with dual citizenship.

Ajulo said there was a plot by the opposition to ensure that the APC was disqualified based on this just as was done in the Bayelsa Governorship race in February 2020.

According to Ajulo in a letter he wrote to Buhari, some of the aspirants either had dual citizenship or criminal records, which could be used in disqualifying the APC.

Ajulo then asked the APC to take into consideration the 1999 Constitution specifically Chapter VI, Part 1, Section 131 and which outlines the basic requirements to be met by a candidate to be eligible for an election into the office of the President in Nigeria. He said among others that these requirements include that the aspirant must be a citizen of Nigeria by birth.

Ajulo reportedly added: “Section 137 of the same constitution as amended, goes further to illuminate this matter by providing for several situations which doth render a candidate ineligible to be elected as the President, stating that a candidate will be ineligible: If he/she has voluntarily acquired the citizenship of a country other than Nigeria or has declared allegiance to such other country.”

However, the Minister of Works and Housing, Babatunde Fashola (SAN), has argued that the 1999 Constitution does not bar Nigerians with dual citizenship from becoming president of Nigeria.

Fashola, while speaking during a television programme, said: “I know he (Tinubu) carries a Nigerian passport. I don’t know about dual citizenship. I know he resided abroad when he went into exile. I don’t know if they gave him American citizenship. What does that have to do with the results of the election? The last time I checked, I think the Nigerian constitution allows you to have dual citizenship. Doesn’t it?”

He, however, added that he needed to check what the constitution actually says on the issue of dual citizenship.

dual citizenship allegation is the latest in the series of controversies surrounding the President-elect, Senator Bola Tinubu. While his critics claim it is enough to bar him from the presidency based on Section 137 of the Constitution, his supporters think otherwise. Alex Enumah examines the constitutional implications

Tinubu

Politics of Corruption in International Relations: The Particular Case of Nigeria and the World

The foundation of corruption, in whichever way it is defined, is dishonesty. It is dishonesty that corrupts and is manifested in many ways. Deliberate intention to commit a crime, often based on self-deceit, dovetails into commission of crime by an individual or a group. The United Nations differentiates between a serious crime and organised crime of which there are many types, like economic crimes which include money-laundering. Generally, emphasis is placed on intention. For instance, money-laundering is necessarily an act by many collaborators. Acting collaboratively also means that the collective aim is known by all the collaborators. The element of dishonesty is evident in the collaboration.

As provided in Article 2 (a) of the United Nations Convention Against Transnational Organised Crime, done in 2000,‘organised criminal group shall mean a structured group of three or more persons, existing for a period of time and acting in concert with the aim of committing one or more serious crimes or offences established in accordance with this Convention, in order to obtain, directly or indirectly, a financial or other material benefit.’ From this provision, the emphasis is on ‘with the aim,’and‘acting in concert.’Whoever has any aim necessarily has an intention. When the intention is criminally in nature and by design, dishonesty is at the base.The crime becomes serious when it is ‘punishable by a maximum deprivation of liberty of, at least, four years or a more serious penalty’(vide Article 2(b) of the 2000 Convention).

Similarly, the United Nations Convention Against Corruption, done in 2003, noted in its preamble‘the links between corruption and other forms of crime, in particular organised crime and economic crime.’More importantly,‘convinced that corruption is no longer a local matter but a transnational phenomenon that affects all societies and economies, making international cooperation to prevent and control it essential, and‘convinced also that a comprehensive and multi-disciplinary approach is required to prevent and combat corruption effectively,’the UN Convention was done to combat corruption in all its ramifications.

It is against this background that we observe that it will take a new generation to effectively do away with corruption in Nigeria because of the endemic institutionalisation of corruption in economic institutions. Corruption now cuts across churches and the judiciary.

International Politics of Corruption

In understanding the politics of corruption internationally, it is important to first differentiate between the domestic foundations of corruption, which are generally explained by legal provisions or by criminal code, on the one hand, and foreign policy attitude of the State toward the international community, on the other. In some cases, laws are specifically promulgated to deal with foreign persons, which is an expression of the foreign policy attitudinal behaviour.

In China, for example, a distinction between political and commercial corruption is made. Commercial corruption is considered a ‘serious crime.’Employers of labour are at times held responsible for the corrupt practices of their staff. The seriousness of this is to the extent that the reputation of the company can also be damaged permanently. Besides, China launched an anti-corruption campaign in 2012, which was largely limited to government officials and government companies. In this regard, the Chinese Central Commission for Discipline Inspection has it that 4.6 million people have been investigated while legal action has also been brought against 200,000 officials. While the Central Commission for Discipline Inspection partly explains the anti-corruption at the domestic level, the foreign policy dimension appears to be more significant, especially from the perspective that Chinese and non-Chinese are given the same punishment without fear or favour.

Apart from the foregoing focused attention on state corruption, one notable high-profile bribery case was that of the British pharmaceutical company, GlaxoSmithKline (GSK) which was‘fined RMB 3 billion (US$ 490) for bribing doctors and hospitals to promote its products. More important, in terms of politics of corruption, President Xi Jinping told the 20th Party Congress that he was committed to continue pursuing corrupt officials and entities. In other words, Chinese policy does not tolerate corruption in whatever form.

In fact, Chinese criminal law as amended in 2020 punishes extortion and bribery of a public official, commercial bribery, and embezzlement.

Any foreigner who commits a crime against China or any citizen of China outside of China is also liable to prosecution. The 2020 law was amended in 2021 to increase the punishment for bribery in the private sector, by bringing it to the same level of penalty for the public sector. In this regard, there are three types of attitudes of private sector employees that are punishable by law:‘demanding money or property or illegally accepting another person’s money or property in return for the benefits they seek for such person; taking possession of the money or property of the company unlawfully; and accepting rebates or service charges and taking them into their possessions.

It is the extent of amount involved in the act of bribery that determines the gravity of the punishment: imprisonment of up to three years or criminal detention, as well as imposition of a fine for ‘a relatively large amount’(RMB 60,000 or $8,406); fixed-term imprisonment of between three and ten years for crimes involving‘huge amount (RMB 1 million or US$ 140,103); and sentencing to fixed term imprisonment of not less than ten years or life imprisonment and imposition of a fine for crimes involving particularly huge amounts or particularly serious circumstances.

In essence, regardless of the amount of money involved, dishonesty is always at the base. It is the extent of dishonesty involved that defines the heaviness of the punishment. Put differently, if you do not want heavy sentencing, do not take too much of bribe. There is nothing like a small bribe in China. This situation is not different from what obtained in Nigeria in the 1970s when anti-corruption campaigns adopted the good slogan of ‘do not give a bribe as both the givers and the receivers are guilty and are punished.’ In China, a government official who accepts or promises to accept a bribe within the framework of his duties is generally punished by‘imprisonment for not more than five years.’

The domestic base and politics of corruption in the United States is quite interesting and noteworthy. At the domestic base, for example, the US Congress limited in the late 1980s the Honest Services Fraud to bribes and kickbacks. Specifically in 1987, the Supreme Court decided

Finally can there be any honesty of purpose in using force or manu militari approach to keep Nigeria united? Is the Federal Government of Nigeria not the most criminally bearing in mind that it collected my deposit in 1994 for a 3-bedroom detached bungalow in FESTAC and as at today, no house is provided, no refund is made? What about Lagos State? We also fully paid for 800m2 plot of land under the Isheri North project under Brigadier Buba Marwa regime. The size was reduced to 700m2 under Governor Bola Ahmed Tinubu, the now Presidentelec of Nigeriat. Up till this time, no concrete allocation has been given me. This is dishonesty that breeds institutional corruption. Adamawa gubernatorial election is a reflection of electoral dishonesty which is worse than the annulment of the June 12 1993 election results. Implementation of Fulanisation Agenda over which the PMB administration has been silent is dishonesty. PMB’s nepotistic policies are expressions of dishonesty. If Nigeria is to be truly free from scintilla of political chicanery, ideological thuggery, attitudinal irrationalities, and to permanently throw corruption into the garbage of history, a fresh people’s national conference to determine the future of Nigeria is a desideratum. The presidential system should be reviewed to allow for either semipresidential system or parliamentary system. Restructuring, based on a new constitution, is another necessity. Governments cannot be oppressing and suppressing agitations for survival and still be expecting patriotism to thrive. Government cannot be corrupt and be fighting the followers and observers not to be corrupt. This is not helpful to Nigeria’s global image. A UN Convention on Eradication of Dishonesty is what is needed now.

in McNally v. United States, 483 US 350 (1987) that 18 USC Sections 1341 and 1343 did not reach ‘honest services fraud.’ In reaction to this, the Congress passed the 18 USC Section 1346 which defines a ‘scheme or artifice to defraud as including the failure to provide honest services’. The issue of honesty and dishonesty is again at the background of the law-making.

Perhaps more interestingly, the US Supreme Court not only narrowed the reach of the honest services fraud statute to bribery and kickbacks schemes in the case between the United States and Skilling, but also further narrowed the scope in June 2016 during the conviction of former Governor of Virginia, Bob McDonnell. He was convicted on the basis that the federal prosecutors had erroneously relied on a boundless definition of an official act that could result in criminally liability under the 18 USC Sections 1346 and 1951. He was convicted on a federal bribery charge in 2014. He reportedly accepted US $175,000 in loans, gifts, and other benefits in exchanges for arranging meetings, hosting promotional events and contacting other government officials on the payee’s behalf.

Above all, The Congress also adopted the Honest Leadership and Open Government Act in 2007 in reaction to the lobbying scandal in which Jack Abramoff, a former lobbyist, and Randy Duke Cunningham, a former House Representative, were informed. As explained, the statute criminalises taking or influence private luring decisions on the basis of political party affiliation (18 USC Section 227 (a) – (b). What is more interesting, as noted earlier, is the international politics of corruption, which is explained from the perspective of the United States.

First, it is argued internationally that all Member States of the international community have a sovereign status and that international relations are largely predicated on sovereign equality. By implication, no State is inferior or superior to another, at least in theory. In practice, there is absolutely nothing like equality. Even when the idea of a United Nations was first mooted in the early years of World War II and the negotiations for a UN Charter generated disagreements in terms of who should or should not be a Permanent Member of the UN Security Council, the issue of inequality was manifestly raised. It was eventually the United States that dictated more, the direction of the UN in the making. This self-belief that it is the duty of the United States to police the world is an expression of inequality and dishonesty of purpose that have come to characterise the conduct and management of international relations.

In this regard, the current US President, Joe Biden, made it clear to the whole world that whoever votes against US foreign policy interest will be sanctioned. This policy stand was announced in the context of Africa’s non-supportive voting on the UN General Assembly’s resolution aimed at condemning Russian invasion of Ukraine. Many African countries voted against the resolution, many others abstained and this stance apparently angered the United States. On the issue of dishonesty in this case, why should the United States want to protect US interest and expects others not to protect their own interests? This is an expression of dishonesty per excellence and a dynamic of international corruption. Those who disregarded their own national interests and supporting the United States are expected to be on the list of good friends to be bribed in various manners thereafter. Additionally, on February 24, 2023, during the commemoration of one year anniversary of the Russian invasion of Ukraine, the G-7 noted that the Russian invasion was‘also an attack on the fundamental principles of sovereignty of nations, territorial integrity of States and respect for human rights.’ This observation is right, but why is the G-7 silent on the same principles when the US-led NATO countries were abusing the principles in many other countries? The current conflict in Sudan is reported to be a new proxy war between Russia and the United States. True or false, Sudan is simply the theatre of the battles. Again, aiding and abetting wars of disintegration in the form of humanitarian assistance is dishonesty-driven corruption. This is why the international system is conflict ridden.

The Case of Nigeria and the World Nigeria promulgated in 2000 the Corrupt Practices and Other Related Offences Act, that is, more than five decades after the discovery of corruption and indiscipline as the bane of the Nigerian society. In the Report of the Political Bureau, set up in 1986 by Military President Ibrahim Babangida, to conduct a national debate on Nigeria’s political future and to also‘review Nigeria’s political history and identify the basic problems which have led to our failure in the past and suggest ways of resolving and coping with these problems,’ Professor J.S. Cookey, the chairman of the Bureau, reported that corruption and societal indiscipline had been the bane of political governance since 1967 in Nigeria. If the root of corruption dates back to 1967, why is it that in more than 56 years, corruption has been thriving in spite of the promulgation of a Corrupt Practices and Related Offences Act that was done in 2000?

The Political Bureau received more than 27,000 submissions from the public and for releasing the unofficial report to the public The Newswatch Magazine was proscribed for some months. This was how dishonesty began to characterise political governance since then in Nigeria. Cases of dishonesty and corruption in Nigeria surely abounds. First is the non-sustainment of the good policy of Option A4 voting system, an open ballot system sss introduced by the Professor Humphrey Nwosu-led Commission. It was an open ballot mechanism that enabled the freest, the fairest and most credible election ever held in Nigeria. The novel system was first used during the 12 June 1993 elections.

Onyeama

From Sudan, the Perils of Bad Manners

In a tragic sense, Sudan is somehow lucky. Its leading political figures, who also happen to be combatant generals, have not hidden their differences beneath a façade of mutual deceit. They have instead allowed their differences to blossom into an open bloody confrontation. The two top generals who also happen to be the top political citizens of a nation with many hidden wounds have spared no effort in coming into the open to display their differences and clashing ambitions. These differences also happen to reflect the many hidden complications in Sudan’s national life: religious differences, economic interests, political ambition, a politicized military, big power transferred aggression and the aggressive strategic goals of big powers.

When an animosity between two rotten warlords blossoms into a shooting war, it opens the path to either a national meltdown or some kind of settlement. It is either the stronger force subdues the weaker and dictates the terms of a peaceful settlement or an equilibrium of forces is achieved in which case peace through negotiation becomes the only path open to all. In the next couple of weeks, Sudan may have to migrate from the present rage of clashing warlords to a full civil war, yet another in a series since after independence in 1956.

In a little over a week, Khartoum, the capital, has been transformed from a scraggy sprawling city in the sun into the battlefield of an undeclared civil war. A contest for power supremacy between two corrupt ambitious generals has reopened the window for familiar military adventurism. The bloody rivalry between the two topmost senior military and political leaders has exploded into a real combat situation between factions of the Sudanese military and security forces. War planes, tanks and other weapons of war are being used freely as troops shoot into civilian population centres in Khartoum and beyond.

The raging confrontation is between the forces of General Abdul Fattah al-Burhan, Commander of the Sudanese Army, against those of General Mohamed Hamdan Dagalo, commander of the Rapid Support Force(RSF), a paramilitary security force. Both are semi autonomous forces competing for pre-eminence in the post al- Bashir era. Both men happen to be the topmost political figures, Head and Deputy respectively, in an interim semi military government presiding over the country after a series of shifting power arrangements after the toppling of Omar al Bashir in a 2019 coup led by both men. Both men also staged a coup that wrested power from the revolutionary civilian coalition of civil society groups whose protests facilitated the ousting of al-Bashir’s three decades of Islamist authoritarianism.

The raging bloody confrontation has degenerated into a blood bath. Casualties have mounted and order has collapsed. Close to 300 deaths have been reported with over 3,500 injured. Most of the victims are innocent civilians and international workers according to independent journalists and observers. The diplomatic community has been badly hit with United Nations offices and diplomats’ residences openly ransacked and looted. Disturbing cases of open harassment of female diplomats have been reported. Attempts by the international community to broker a

cessation of hostilities has led to two failed ceasefires that collapsed within minutes of being announced.

The African Union(AU) has, as usual, been generous with condemnations of the violence with a basket of resolutions and threats, calling on both sides to come to the negotiating table. The United Nations has in turn joined in ritual condemnations of the fighting and its tragic fallouts. Meanwhile, the hostilities are assuming the character and dimensions of a full blown civil war.

The origins and drivers of the resurgent violence in Sudan go beyond a mere interpersonal power tussle between the two very corrupt and ambitious political and military overlords. It goes down to the strategic issues and factors that have always defined the country’s existence and recurrent crises. The primary conflict is that between a growing popular democratic wave and the long standing conservative Islamist power establishment that was the basis of the three decades long Omar al-Bashir hegemony. The pro- democracy forces led the 2018 street protests and revolution that helped topple Omar Al Bashir’s 30 year autocracy remain alive. They had started with agitations and street protests for greater accountability and a better standard of living. Pitted against this nascent populist democratic wave is the conservative Islamist power core of the Sudanese state. The current power structure led by both Generals Hamdani and Dagalo are thinly disguised factions of the al-Bashir regime.

It would be recalled that the popular uprising softened the al Bashir autocracy for toppling by the military. In turn, the two dueling generals staged a coup that upstaged the popular revolution, refusing to cede power to the leadership of the popular movement.

In many ways, a perennial power tussle between factions of the usurping military leaders has become the centerpiece of Sudan’s political life in recent times. It has consistently sidestepped the transition to popular democracy which remains the major issue in the post al-Bashir era. The compromise that legitimized the now crumbling semi military administration remains an attempt to forge a tenuous balance of ambitions between these two dominant forces on the one hand and the popular civil society coalition on

the other.

Predictably, therefore, the appearance of uneasy political stability that would lead to the planned democratic elections later in two years was more an appearance than a reality. It has now burst into the bloody confrontation on display in and around Khartoum. It is unlikely that the two dueling generals and their followers will be willing to sheath their swords for as long as they still have forces and formations under their respective command and control. Already, deal to subsume the paramilitary Response Force under the larger umbrella of the Sudanese Armed Forces has fallen apart.

Strategically, Sudan’s peculiarities may escalate the present confrontation. The interplay of internal political interests may be overwhelmed by international conspiracies and interests occasioned by a convergence of Sudan’s strategic location and internal composition. The United States has always seen Sudan as something of a precarious and suspicious rogue nation that needs to be constantly kept under watch because of its deep Islamic leanings and sporadic terrorist affinities. Sudan was for a long time a hiding place for jihadist terrorist and fundamentalist organizations associated with a long tradition of antiWestern activism. These range from Yassir Arafat’s temporary refuge in Sudan in the days of the Black September organization. Similarly, al-Queda found refuge in Sudan in its formative years leading President Bill Clinton to send cruise missiles to bomb suspected terrorist havens in Sudan in the run up to the emergence of Osama Bin Laden.

As a result, the two opposing tendencies in the global Islamic world have sought and found allies within the Sudanese political leadership. At different times, Iran and Saudi Arabia as well as their client states and allies in the Middle East have courted different regimes in Sudan. Even now, major interests in the Middle East are tending to support either of the

two warring generals. Egypt and Libya have assumed opposing alliances in the ongoing confrontation.

At the present time, the Russians have emerged to further complicate an already complex scenario. They have seen an opportunity in the establishment of a naval base in Sudan as an opportunity to counter long standing US and Western influence in Sudan. Similarly, the Saudi’s remain interested in exploiting the political fluidity in the Sudan to advance their interests. Others like Egypt, Libya and the UAE have of late weighed in in a running jostle for regional influence and pre eminence. Sudan’s neighbours like Egypt, Ethiopia, Eritrea, South Sudan and even smaller African authoritarian regimes all have an interest in the contest for supremacy among Sudan’s ambitious and politicized military leaders.

As it turns out, contrary to the prevalent notion that Sudan is merely a vast arid semi desert country, the country actually contains 10 percent of the arable and fertile land mass of Africa. In addition, it has an abundance of natural resources. Its oil reserves are the main attraction for an increasing Chinese presence in the country. It also has abundant gold and uranium resources in which both its immediate neighbours and major international players are deeply interested. Therefore, there is a convergence of international interest in the current instability in Sudan which may make the confrontation degenerate into a full blown civil war with deeply interested external players intent on finding lasting foothold.

For the international community especially both the United Nations and the African Union, a quick resolution to the sudden violent eruption in Sudan is now imperative before the parties ossify into combatant footholds with friends abroad. Sudan should be more than a casual engagement. The international community will have to untangle the web of complex interests that are at play in the Sudanese crisis. The Sudan crisis calls for the highest display of diplomatic dexterity to sufficiently assuage the interests and reassure the combatants. A ceasefire leading to dialogue is the only way out. A quick resolution is imperative if the escalating humanitarian tragedy is not to worsen. Most importantly, the challenge in Sudan is first and foremost that of restoring the original sanctity of the civil society coalition that pressured al Bashir out of power. This should be quickly followed by the restoration of civil authority through a democratic election and return to civil rule. Continuing to sweep the prodemocracy current under the carpet of warlords can only prolong the crisis and plunge Sudan into yet another avoidable civil war. Sudan is boiling from an urgent desire for genuine democracy, not the superficial contest of the huge ego of ambitious war mongers and power oligarchs.

For Nigeria, the evolving tragedy in Sudan has far fetched repercussions. The United States initiative with its special military mission in AFRICOM will be in peril if Sudan crumbles in an all out civil war. Sudan holds a delicate geographical place in the international effort to contain the spread of jihadist terror in the Sahel.

Happily, the Nigerian political landscape has evolved beyond the point where politicised generals have privatized commands that can be used to hold the nation to ransom. It is perhaps a happier place to be in the hands of rough political entrepreneurs than be caught in a cross fire between armed warlords funded by the state.

General al-Burhan (left), and his deputy General Dagalo

Sanwo-Olu to Developers

WAZIRI ADIO POSTSCRIPT

Binani, Adamawa and the Nigerian Irony

Many Nigerians took an unusual interest in the last governorship election in Adamawa State mainly for symbolic reasons. History was beckoning. There was a high probability that Nigeria’s first elected female governor would come from the state. Of the 25 women that contested for governorship posts in 28 states in the 2023 general election, only Senator Aishatu Dahiru Ahmed (popularly known as Senator Binani) ran on the platform of a major political party. And she was the only one who posed a credible threat of not just winning but also of unseating an incumbent governor.

This likelihood forced many Nigerians to pay attention to the politics of the state known as the ‘Land of Beauty’. That such a probability loomed from a very conservative northern state added some extra sensation. During the main and the supplementary elections in the state, the camp of keen watchers of the Adamawa election swelled beyond residents and the usual political junkies to newshounds, history students and gender advocates. This expanded camp included those who cannot locate Adamawa on a giant map, who do not care a hoof about the potential history-maker, and who cannot stand her party, the All Progressives Congress (APC).

However, before interrogating the Binani phenomenon, I want to underscore the fact that Adamawa State has an important lesson in political accommodation for the rest of the country. I will highlight two other cases, and both are about women, (as is the case with Binani who incidentally defeated six men to clinch the APC gubernatorial ticket—including Mallam Nuhu Ribadu, former Chairman of EFCC and 2011 presidential candidate of ACN and Senator Jibrilla Bindow, governor of Adamawa State between 2015 and 2019.)

The first case is the election of Senator Grace Folashade Bent to represent Adamawa South Senatorial District between 2007 and 2011. Made up of nine local government areas, Adamawa South is the largest senatorial district in the state in terms of landmass and population. But the real story here is that Senator Bent nee Makinwa is Yoruba (specifically an Ijesha woman from present Osun State) married to a Bachama man, Mr. Jackson Bent.)

Yes, Senator Bent lost her re-election in 2011 and has unsuccessfully tried to stage a comeback, but the fact that a woman could be elected to represent her husband’s senatorial district is still a rarity in Nigeria. In fact, for women it is usually a double jeopardy as they are hardly accepted in their home constituencies too in case such are not the same as their husbands’. But look at what the people of Adamawa South did in 2007: a Yoruba woman elected to represent one of the senatorial districts of the north east state.

The second case is that of the then Hon. Binta Masi Garba. She was born and raised in Kaduna though her parents were from Michika, Adamawa State. In 1999, she was elected to represent Kaduna South Federal Constituency in the House of Representatives. She went on to serve two terms. Then in 2007, she returned home to contest for the Madagali/Michika Federal Constituency in Adamawa State, and she won.

In 2015, she upped the ante. She ran to represent the Adamawa North District in the Senate. Again, she won, and was the only female senator from the 19 northern states in the 8th National Assembly. Senator Garba happens to be the first legislator to represent two federal constituencies, from two different states located in two separate geo-political zones. It is worth emphasising too that she is a woman.

Incidentally, the three women mentioned here have at different times represented the three senatorial districts of Adamawa State in the National Assembly: Bent, Adamawa South, 2007 to 2011; Garba, Adamawa North, 2015 to 2019; Binani, Adamawa Central, 2019 to 2023. There is something that Adamawa State is telling the rest of the country.

This is not to say that Adamawa is a shining model of gender equity or adequate political representation for women. Far from it. There is a lot of work to be done within Adamawa itself to increase the voice and agency of women. The odyssey of the three women mentioned here is by no means representative, even for the state. But their stories also show how far ahead Adamawa is when compared to other states. Beyond symbolism and tokenism, that ‘far-north’ state has an important message about accommodation, labels, and assumptions for the whole of Nigeria. We should pay

attention.

Now back to Binani. After some highoctane drama, including some post-April 15 reprehensible episodes, the Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC) announced the final result of the Adamawa governorship election on Tuesday. INEC returned Alhaji Ahmadu Umaru Fintiri as the governor of Adamawa State with 430,861 votes compared to Senator Binani’s 398,738 votes. With this result, Governor Fintiri snapped 50.46% and Senator Binani secured 46.70% of the valid votes cast in the election.

While awaiting the outcome of the investigations into the role of INEC, security and state officials (and even Binani herself) in the dark episodes of the election and without prejudice to the expected contestations at the election tribunal, I will submit that Senator Binani has already made history. She fell short, no doubt. But she was just inches away from the prize. It is no mean feat for someone running for a position for the first time to secure 47% of the valid votes. Especially so when such a candidate ran against an incumbent and is a female.

Then, there is an additional wrinkle: Senator Binani achieved this unusual feat almost all by herself, and while battling powerful political forces within and outside her state, and outside and within her own party.

To start with, Adamawa is the home state of Alhaji Atiku Abubakar, former Vice President and the candidate of the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) in the 25th February presidential election. Atiku expectedly enjoyed the homeboy advantage in Adamawa in the presidential poll, netting 417,611 votes and securing a margin of more than 200,000 votes over Asiwaju Bola Ahmed Tinubu. No matter his alleged misgivings about and issues with his state governor, Atiku definitely has more than a symbolic reason to keep Adamawa under the PDP umbrella. It is also conceivable that Fintiri, the incumbent governor, would leverage every instrument of state, fair and foul, to ensure that he is re-elected.

But Atiku and Fintiri were not the only forces that Binani had to battle in the gubernatorial contest on March 18 and April 15. Her own party basically let her hang out to dry. Yes, President Muhammadu Buhari was in Adamawa on 9th January 2023 to campaign for both Tinubu and Binani. And yes, President Buhari raised up Binani’s hand and urged the state to elect Nigeria’s first female governor. However, it is doubtful that the first lady, who is from Adamawa, supported Binani. It is an open secret that the northern APC governors did not enthusiastically rally behind her, that the Northeast leaders of APC gave her cold shoulders, and that some APC bigwigs in Adamawa (especially a prominent person that she defeated in the primaries) openly

worked with her opponent and some are even gloating about it.

Given how powerful forces from within and without undermined her, and how traditional and religious institutions were dragged into the fray, Binani actually put up a stellar shift. She should take her performance as a win by itself. To be sure, there is no silver medal in our brand of electoral politics. But some performances offer a window into future pathways and serve as inspiration for others. However, this is not to say that Binani should not approach the tribunal to seek redress if she thinks she is the rightful winner of the election. She should.

(By the way, the only other woman who came close to shattering the glass ceiling as elected governor was late Senator Aisha Alhassan who contested against Arc. Ishaku Darius for the governorship of neighbouring Taraba State in 2015—by the way, both states used to be one as Gongola State between 1976 and 1991. The first governors election in Taraba in 2015 was also inconclusive. After the supplementary election, INEC declared Darius the winner with 369,318 votes against Alhassan’s 275,984 votes—a victory margin of 93, 334 votes. However, Alhassan—popularly known as Mama Taraba—was declared the winner at the tribunal, though the decision was not upheld on appeal.)

One of the ill-digested things that have been said about the Adamawa election is that Binani didn’t make the cut because of her gender. That’s not right. Being a female didn’t stop Binani from getting elected as a member of the House of Representative between 2011 and 2015, from becoming a senator in 2019 and from snapping 47% of the votes in the just-concluded governorship election. Beyond the calm and soft exterior, she is a steely politician. She is also well-resourced and is blessed with ardent supporters and fervent opponents.

Even when our politicians will cynically mobilise any identity marker available to them, the truth is that Binani was not pushed aside because of her gender. In response to a chauvinistic campaign by her opponents, some of her male supporters started dressing like women to show they had no problem with giving a woman the number one position in the state. And that state, by the way, is the one where the Fulani identity and language (Fulfulde) are deeply entrenched, perhaps more than in most other northern states. It cannot get more conservative than that.

Being conservative and accommodating are not necessarily at odds. No matter how we define ourselves or how we are defined by others, the real test is how we handle inclusion. This is one key moral from Adamawa, as illustrated by the enchanting political odysseys of Binani, Garba and Bent. It is a legacy that Adamawa needs to sustain, and an important lesson that the rest of Nigeria must imbibe.

“It is heartbreaking each time we have to go through this and it shows sometimes how irresponsible those developers and some of our citizens that just want to make quick money are. And of course, our officers who are also not alive to their responsibilities.” – Governor Babajide Sanwo-Olu carpeting developers of unapproved structures in Lagos State.

Binani