SUNDAY 5TH MAY 2024

Kingsley Nwezeh in Abuja Top northern intelligentia have written to President Bola Tinubu, kicking against the relocation of United States and French military bases from the Sahel to Nigeria. In a letter dated May 3, 2024, and addressed to President Tinubu and the National Assembly leaders, the northern elders urged the federal government to resist such pressures.

Banditry Now Business Venture for Security Agents, Govt Officials, Katsina Gov Raises the Alarm

Francis Sardauna in Katsina

Governor Dikko Radda of Katsina State has accused some government officials and security personnel of aiding banditry in the country, saying that banditry has become a business venture for these officials.

The governor, who revealed that one bandit leader has over 100 camps in his state, said poverty has made recruitment into banditry easy, adding that as little as N500 could lure youths.

This is coming as Kebbi State Governor, Nasir Idris, has said he will sign a death warrant on any informant who is convicted in the state for volunteering information to bandits.

The northern region has in recent years been battling banditry, kidnapping, and a range of security

issues as criminal gangs known locally as bandits have repeatedly raided places mostly in rural areas in the northern region, abducting many and killing others.

President Bola Tinubu’s top priority is to curb insecurity, which many have attributed to politics.

But speaking at the weekend during a television interview, Governor Radda ruled out political undertones, insisting that poverty and injustice are major drivers of insecurity.

He said negotiating with bandits would not be an efficient approach to addressing the menace of banditry.

“It is a business venture for the criminals and a business venture for some people who are in government and some people who are in the

London Mayor Khan Wins Historic Third Term as Tories Routed in Local Polls

London’s Labour Mayor, Sadiq Khan, yesterday secured a record third term, dealing the Conservatives another damaging defeat in their worst local election results in recent memory months before an expected general election.

Khan, 53, easily beat Tory challenger, Susan Hall, to scupper largely forlorn Tory hopes that they could prise the UK capital away from

Labour for the first time since 2016.

The first Muslim mayor of a Western capital when first elected then, he had been widely expected to win as Labour surged nationally and the Conservatives suffered in the polls.

In the end, he saw his margin of victory increase compared to the last contest in 2021.

It adds to a dismal set of results

for Prime Minister Rishi Sunak, as his Tories finished a humiliating third in local council tallies after losing nearly 500 seats in voting Thursday across England.

With Labour making huge gains, the beleaguered leader’s Conservatives lost crunch mayoral races in Manchester, Liverpool, Yorkshire as well as the capital and elsewhere.

In the West Midlands, where Tory incumbent Andy Street is bidding for his own third term, votes were reportedly being recounted and too close to call.

An unexpected Tory defeat there could leave Sunak with only one notable success: its mayor winning a third term in Tees Valley, northeast England — albeit with a vastly reduced majority.

Writing in Saturday’s Daily Telegraph, Sunak conceded “voters are frustrated” but insisted “Labour is not winning in places they admit they need for a majority”.

“We Conservatives have everything to fight for,” Sunak argued.

It seized on winning the Blackpool South constituency and other successes to demand a national vote.

“Let’s turn the page on decline and usher in national renewal with Labour,” party leader Keir Starmer told supporters Saturday in the East Midlands, where the party won the mayoral race.

Labour, out of power since 2010 and trounced by Boris Johnson’s Conservatives at the last general election in 2019, also emphatically snatched a parliamentary seat from the Conservatives.

BANDITRY NOW BUSINESS VENTURE FOR SECURITY AGENTS, GOVT OFFICIALS, KATSINA GOV RAISES THE ALARM

security outfits and some people who are responsible for the day-to-day activities of their people,” he said.

“These are some of the reasons why we are unable to bring an end to the issue of banditry.

“When you understand the terrain of the forest, and the different camps that we have within those forests… like in Katsina, we have more than 100 different camps that are being led by somebody. So, they have many leaders, many camps and if you’re negotiating with camps A and B and don’t negotiate with camps C and D, it will not bring any lasting peace.

“Even if you negotiate with the leaders, the other leaders may not necessarily comply with the directives of the leader. So that is what makes the negotiation very difficult. That is why I said I would never go into negotiations with any criminal at the point of weakness.”

As part of moves to tackle the region’s insecurity, some northern governors had embarked on a trip to the United States of America, which was widely condemned by Nigerians.

But Radda explained that the governors were invited to the meeting by the United States Institute of Peace, as part of moves to tackle security in the north.

He noted that the trip gave the governors fresh insights into insecurity in the region.

“The meeting was not at the instance of the selected governors of northern states but it was at the instance of the United States Institute of Peace. They were the people who invited us; they hosted us for the meeting. We were invited to sit with them so that we could bring about lasting solutions to the problems that are affecting our people,” he said.

“Ten governors were in the United States, Washington D.C and we had a symposium with the United States Institute of Peace so that we can bring about ideas that will end insecurity that is worrying our people and is a major problem to the subnationals and

they carefully chose the governors of the places affected by banditry and kidnapping,” he said.

“All of us sat for three days and we were able to cross-fertilise ideas and interact with all stakeholders that are involved in bringing about lasting peace and security globally,” the Katsina governor said.

“We have been on this insecurity for the last 10 years, and we have been doing the same thing and there was no sign of the end of this problem that is affecting our country and our sub-nationals in particular,” the governor said.

“So, we need to hear from anybody willing to offer any assistance that may help us to look into the issues and bring about a lasting solution to this problem of insecurity,” Gov Radda added.

Kebbi Gov Vows to Sign Death Warrant against Bandits’ Informants

Meanwhile, Governor Idris of Kebbi State has vowed to sign a death warrant against any informant convicted in the state for volunteering information to bandits in the state.

Idris gave this stern warning yesterday during a sympathy visit to the inhabitants of Tudun Bichi in Wasagu Chiefdom of Danko-Wasagu Local Government Area to condole with them on the recurring attacks by bandits.

The governor, who was highly furious about the devilish act of informants, made it clear that he would append his signature to the death warrant of convicted informants.

“The activities of informants defied all norms and religious doctrines. Just for a pittance, some miscreants will provide valuable information to bandits to perpetrate mayhem against their own people.

“I will never condone or be lenient with such unscrupulous persons.

“Let it be known to the informants

that whoever is convicted for volunteering information to bandits leading to the killing of innocent souls, I will sign his death warrant instantaneously,” he warned.

Idris gave an assurance that his administration would continue to provide the necessary support to the security agencies with emphasis on logistics, the welfare of troops, and other material requirements for combat readiness and operational successes.

Earlier, the Village Head of Tudun Bichi, Malam Muhammad Mika’ilu, thanked the governor for his kindness in paying a condolence visit to the people.

He said that the governor was the first Chief Executive of the state

to visit the town among all elected governors.

Mika’ilu in a voice full of emotion, told the governor that the bandits had prevented them from cultivating their farmlands for the past two consecutive seasons.

He added that the bandits had renewed their attacks on the advent of this year’s rainfall, attacking and killing anyone who dared to till the land.

The village head appealed to the governor to facilitate the deployment of security operatives with requisite fighting equipment to deal with the bandits to enable the community to go back to normal uninterrupted farming of both food and cash crops.

Also speaking, an elder of Tudun Bichi, Mallam Sani Manomi, said the bandits had killed a total of 86 people from the town in various attacks on farmlands, adding that the invaders murdered seven villagers in cold blood on Thursday.

Bandits Raid Katsina Community, Kill 24

Persons

Meanwhile, at least 24 persons are said to have been killed and several others wounded in a fresh attack by bandits on Unguwar Sarkin Noma community in Sabuwa LGA of Katsina State. A local security official told

journalists that the hoodlums stormed the villages of Unguwar Sarkin Noma, Gangara, Tafi, and Kore on Thursday night at about 9:00 pm shooting sporadically to scare the residents.

The Chairman of Sabuwa Local Government Council, Faruq Dalhatu, on a telephone call, said 23 of the victims were buried per the Islamic rites on Friday morning after the attack. He added that the last victim was also conveyed for burial from the hospital after he was certified dead.

“Upon hearing of the bandits’ mission to attack the Local Government Council, we swung into action by informing virtually all the security agencies.

TO BOOST POWER AVAILABILITY IN NIGERIA, NERC DIRECTS SYSTEM OPERATOR TO LIMIT SUPPLY TO BENIN, NIGER, TOGO

about seven million.

In a document tagged: ‘Interim Order on Transmission System Dispatch Operations, Cross-border Supply and Related Matters’, sighted by THISDAY yesterday, the power sector regulator stated that the directive will last for six months in the first instance before review.

Nigeria supplies a portion of the electricity it generates to some of its neighbours, including the Benin Republic, Niger Republic, and Togo.

NERC’s order, dated April 29, 2024, and which became effective from May 1, 2024, was signed by the commission’s Chairman, Sanusi Garba, and Vice Chairman, Musiliu Oseni and

In the order, the regulatory agency directed that power delivery to Nigeria’s neighbours must not exceed six per cent of total grid electricity at any point in time.The electricity sector regulator stressed that following the implementation of the April 2024 supplementary order, the commission had observed sub-optimal grid dispatch operation practices.

It argued that this has compromised the Distribution Companies’ (Discos) ability to deliver on its Service Based Tariff (SBT) committed service levels to end-use customers with a significant impact on market revenues.

NERC said the system operator’s sole reliance on limiting Discos’ load off-take/allocation in managing recurring grid imbalances while prioritising international off-takers and Eligible Customers (ECs) is neither efficient nor equitable.

The practice so far adopted by the operator in managing generation availability, it said, has caused significant hardship to Discos’ customers, comprising industrial, commercial, and residential, especially during peak demands while prioritising delivery to other bilateral contracts, including export to international customers.

The commission noted that the current international and bilateral contracts with Generation Companies (Gencos) were based on best-endeavour and with loose terms that are often below the

DON’T ALLOW US, FRENCH MILITARY BASES IN NIGERIA, NORTHERN THOUGHT LEADERS TELL TINUBU

troops previously in Mali, Burkina Faso, and the Niger Republic.

The northern leaders are worried that Nigeria might agree to this defence pact and jeopardise its defence and security.

They noted that the removal of French and American forces from Niger questions the benefit of foreign military bases.

The letter highlighted that US operations in Sahel have not curbed terrorism, which has grown since the military base was established.

Signatories to the letter include Abubakar Mohammed of the Centre for Democratic Development, Research and Training (CEDDERT); Kabiru Chafe, former Minister of State for Petroleum Resources, from the Arewa Research and Development Project (ARDP); Attahiru Jega, former Chairman of the Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC); Jibrin Ibrahim of the Centre for Democracy and Development (CDD); Auwal Musa (Rafsanjani) of the Civil Society Legislative Advocacy Centre (CCISLAC); and YZ Ya’u of the Centre for Information Technology and Development (CITAD).

Relations between Niger Republic

and France became strained after the military coup in the Sahel country.

France had condemned the coup that ousted President Mohamed Bazoum and demanded that constitutional order be returned.

After seizing power, the junta made France’s military exit one of its key demands, a decision that neighbouring Burkina Faso and Mali, both also former French colonies, took after successful coups.

France, a key security ally with the West African nation, had more than 1,500 troops stationed in Niger to help fight jihadist groups linked to al-Qaeda and Islamic State and to prevent further spread of terrorism across the Sahel.

Capitalising on the anti-Western sentiments in the Sahel, Russia began to make fresh inroads into the continent.

After expelling French forces helping in the fight against terrorism, Niger’s military government agreed in January to step up military cooperation with Russia.

In March, the Nigerien junta revoked an accord with the US government that allowed American troops to operate on two of its bases.

Around 1,000 US military

personnel were said to be based in Niger.

The US also reportedly agreed to close down its $100million military drone base near Agadez, which was built six years ago and played a key role in the US/France strategy to combat jihadists in West Africa.

The Russian alliance was solidified when military instructors from the country arrived in Niger with the latest equipment and instructors to train the West African nation’s army.

According to the letter addressed to Tinubu, the northern leaders said the US and French governments have allegedly been lobbying Nigeria, and other countries in the region, to sign new defence pacts allowing them to redeploy their expelled troops.

Citing data from the Pentagon, the letter said the operations of the Western forces to uproot terrorists from the Sahel region have so far been “quite unimpressive, if not a complete failure”.

“This is for the simple reason that terrorism, far from abating, has in fact risen dramatically since the US began its operations in the region,” the letter said.

The leaders also expressed

concerns about the economic and environmental impacts of hosting foreign military bases.

“Economically, the presence of these bases could potentially divert government funds and resources away from critical areas such as education, healthcare, and infrastructure development toward maintaining and securing these military installations.

“This redirection of resources could stunt economic growth and exacerbate poverty in a country where much of the population already lives under challenging conditions,” they said.

“Moreover, hosting foreign troops often leads to increased prices and living costs in local areas, disproportionately affecting the lower-income population.

“Environmentally, the construction and operation of military bases can lead to significant degradation of the local environment. This includes deforestation, soil erosion, water contamination, and loss of biodiversity, which are detrimental to agricultural communities and indigenous populations. The longterm environmental damage could further hinder economic opportunities and sustainable development,” the letter added.

minimum contract standards currently operated in the industry.

It said many of the off-takers contracted bilaterally by Gencos often abuse this prioritisation and raise their off-takers during peak operations beyond their contracted levels at the expense of other grid users without attendant penalties for violation of grid instructions.

According to NERC, the order serves as an interim measure to guide the operations of the system operator and the TCN to implement Standard Operating Procedures (SOPs) to improve transparency and fairness of grid operations in delivering better services to all customers.

It urged the system operator to place interim caps on capacities supplied to international customers for six months from the effective date of the order, thus minimising the displacement and impact on domestic supply obligations by Gencos.

“The commission hereby orders as follows: The system operator shall develop and present to the commission for approval within seven days from the issuance of this order a pro-rata loadshedding scheme that ensures equitable adjustment to load allocation to all off-takers — Discos, international customers, and eligible customers — in the event of a drop in generation and other under-frequency related grid imbalances necessitating critical grid management.

“The system operator shall implement a framework to log and publish hourly readings and enforce necessary sanctions for violation of grid instructions and contracted nominations by off-takers in line with the grid code and market,” it stated.

Among others, it further directed that the system operator shall publish and notify all market participants and the commission of the previous day's hourly log readings of off-take by market participants and the market settlements report by 12:00 noon of the next day.

“The system operator shall ensure that the maximum load allocation to international off-takers in each trading hour shall not be more than six per cent of the total available grid generation.

“The aggregate capacity that can be nominated by a generating plant to service international off-takers shall not be more than 10 per cent of its

available generation capacity unless in exceptional circumstances a derogation is granted by the commission.

“The system operator shall henceforth cease to recognise any capacity addition in bilateral transactions between a generator and an off-taker without the express approval of the commission,” it added.

It urged the system operator and TCN to immediately initiate and install integrated Internet of Things (IoT) meters at all off-take and delivery points of eligible customers, bilateral supplies, crossborder trades, and outgoing 33kV feeders of the Discos to provide real-time visibility of aggregate offtake by grid customers.

“The installation of and streaming of data from the IOT meters should be completed within three months from the date of this order,” it added. FG, NSIA to Inject N1trn to Close Seven Million Electricity Metering Gap

Meanwhile, the Minister of Power, Adelabu has disclosed that the federal government and the NSIA will make capital injections of N750 billion and N250 billion annual debt financing, respectively, to bridge the huge electricity metering gap in the country.

Speaking yesterday in Lagos when he visited Femadec Group, a local electricity meter manufacturing company, shortly after he had earlier in the day inaugurated the 63MVA, 132/33kV Mobile Substation deployed to Ajah under the Phase One of the Presidential Power Initiative (PPI), the minister stated that the federal government has a strategic approach to close the metering gap.

He noted that there are close to 13 million registered electricity consumers currently, with a little over five million metered customers, representing about a seven million gap in metering penetration.

Adelabu stated that there had been a series of accelerated meter acquisition plans in the past including the Central Bank of Nigeria (CBN)'s Phase Zero, where about one million households were metered.

"The target that we have is that within four to five years, we should close the gap, which means that a minimum of two million meters must be installed under the Presidential Metering Initiatives every year.

BIDDING A JURIST GOODBYE…

GTCO, Zenith Bank, Access Bank, Five Others Declare N1.13tn Profit in Q1 2024

Kayode

Guaranty Trust Holding Company Plc (GTCO) Plc, Zenith Bank Plc, Access Holdings Plc and five other banks have declared N1.13 trillion profit in the first quarter (Q1), which ended on March 31, 2024, representing an increase of 267 per cent from the N308.7 billion they declared in the first quarter (Q1) of 2023, according to their financial results and accounts for the period under review.

The leading Nigerian Banks commenced the year with an impressive increase in profit amid challenges facing the local and international financial markets.

The eight banks, during the period under review, declared N1.33 trillion profit before tax, representing a growth of 255.6 per cent from the N374.91 billion profit before tax declared in the corresponding period of 2023.

The other banks are United Bank for Africa (UBA) Plc, Wema Bank Plc, FCMB Group Plc, Fidelity Bank Plc, and Stanbic IBTC Holdings Plc.

The likes of FBN Holdings Plc, Ecobank Transnational Incorporated Plc (ETI), Unity Bank Plc, and Jaiz Bank Plc have not declared Q1 2024 unaudited results and accounts to the investing public.

The breakdown showed that

GTCO’s profit closed Q1 2024 at N457.13 billion, a growth of 686 per cent from N58.17 billion reported in Q1 2023.

GTCO in the period emerged as the most profitable bank in Nigeria amid significant increase in its fair value gain on financial instruments that hit N331.55 billion in Q1 2024 from N99 million fair value loss on financial instruments in Q1 2023.

Commenting on the results, the Group Chief Executive Officer of Guaranty Trust Holding Company Plc, Mr. Segun Agbaje, in a statement said: “Our first quarter results reflect the unfolding value of what we have created in all our business verticals

through the Holding Company Structure – from Banking and Payments to Funds Management and Pension, we are positioned to compete effectively on all fronts and fulfil all our customers’ needs under a unified, thriving financial ecosystem.

“Despite the challenging operating environment, we delivered a solid performance, recording significant growth across all financial and nonfinancial metrics, and we remain on track to meet our full-year guidance.”

Agbaje added: “Looking ahead, we will continue to focus on strengthening our relationships with our loyal customers, supporting not just

Nigeria Joins Afreximbank’s FEDA to Strengthen African Export Development

Nume Ekeghe

In a significant move towards bolstering African export development, Nigeria has officially become a member of the Fund for Export Development in Africa (FEDA).

This marks a pivotal moment as Nigeria becomes the 16th nation to accede to the Establishment Agreement of FEDA, the development impact investment platform operated by the African Export-Import Bank (Afreximbank).

The decision underscores the growing support for

FEDA among African nations, highlighting its increasing relevance in the region’s economic landscape.

Nigeria’s accession to the agreement follows three decades since the establishment of Afreximbank in the country, showcasing Nigeria’s enduring commitment to advancing Afreximbank and FEDA’s shared goals.

FEDA, which focuses on delivering long-term capital to African economies with an emphasis on industrialisation, intra-African trade, and value-added exports, views

new memberships as crucial to expanding its interventions.

The signing of the FEDA Establishment Agreement by Nigeria is expected to pave the way for its ratification, further empowering FEDA’s initiatives within the country.

President of Afreximbank and Chairman of both Afreximbank and FEDA’s Boards, Professor Benedict Oramah, expressed gratitude for Nigeria’s commitment, stating, “We extend our sincere appreciation to the Federal Republic of Nigeria for the signing of the FEDA Establishment Agreement. This

significant achievement further strengthens the already robust partnership between Afreximbank and Nigeria, one of the Bank’s foremost supporters.”

Nigeria joins a list of other nations that have acceded to FEDA’s Establishment Agreement, including Rwanda, Mauritania, Guinea, Togo, South Sudan, Zimbabwe, Kenya, Chad, Republic of the Congo, Gabon, Sierra Leone, São Tomé and Príncipe, Equatorial Guinea, Ghana, and Egypt. This collective effort signifies a united front in driving economic growth and development across Africa.

WHO: Nigeria Needs to Implement Organised Intervention Programme with States, Entities to Tackle Malaria

The World Health Organisation (WHO) has said that Nigeria needs to implement a well-coordinated intervention programme, involving multi-sectoral entities and the subnational governments to effectively drive the campaign of malaria eradication.

The UN agency also advised the federal government to ensure that the present political commitment towards salvaging the health sector is translated into real action that will achieve the desired results.

The advice was given by Africa’s Regional Director of WHO,

held in Abuja.

Various stakeholders, including development partners, who made presentations at the roundtable event, highlighted several strategies that will assist Nigeria in reducing the malaria burden in no distant time.

When asked to give her advice on Nigeria's plan to fast-track the elimination of malaria in the country, Moeti said that combining various intervention mechanisms and using data to monitor the prevalence of the disease will be critical in the effort

to eradicate the malaria scourge.

She commended the federal government for embarking on the plan to tackle health sector challenges.

According to her, the sectorwide approach being adopted by the government in implementing health sector programmes is also commendable.

Moeti also said that what is needed to drastically push back malaria in Nigeria is political commitment.

She described the approach of the current administration in implementing programmes in the health sector as "excellent and courageous."

"I think that what you need, first

and foremost to change the state of the health sector in the country is political commitment translated into action,” she added.

She stated that with the increase in budget allocation, there is a very strong decision to create a framework where the government and development partners can work more effectively and efficiently in more connected ways and less fragmental ways.

"That will make our contribution either financial or technical and also go a long way to supporting the government. WHO is committed to supporting the government,” she said.

individuals and businesses but also our communities through our wellattested free business platforms as well as innovative products and services. We are confident in our credentials to lead the future of financial services in Africa and will not relent in our commitment to excellence whilst delivering long-term value to all stakeholders.”

In its annual reports for 2023, the GTCO reported profit before tax of N609.3 billion, representing an increase of 184.5 per cent over N214.2 billion recorded in the corresponding year that ended in December 2022.

Similarly, Zenith Bank announced N258.34 billion profit in Q1 2024, a growth of 291.4 per cent from N66.01billion reported in Q1 2023; while Access Holdings announced N159.3 billion profit in Q1 2024, representing an increase of 122 per cent from N71.8 billion declared in Q1 2023.

UBA declared N142.58billion profit in Q1 2024, which is an increase of 166 per cent from N53.6 billion recorded in Q1 2023 while

FCMB Group posted N28.77 billion profit in Q1 2024, representing 209 per cent from the N9.29 billion reported in Q1 2023. Analysts at Cordros Research stated that UBA’s Q1 20244 outturn was impressive given the solid growth print in core banking operations amid the expansion in non-core income as well.

“We anticipate the Holdco will persist in growing interests earned from core income lines and envisage non-income growth will also remain healthy. Also, we envisage the stellar earnings will help offset cost pressures in 2024E,” they added.

Wema Bank reported a N9.67 billion profit in Q1 2024, an increase of nearly 80 per cent from N5.38 billion reported in Q1 2023.

In addition, Fidelity Bank reported N31.44 billion profit in Q1 2024, about 101 per cent increase from the N15.06 billion in Q1 2023 as Stanbic IBTC Holdings announced N45.64 billion profit in Q1 2024, a growth of 58 per cent from N28.86 billion declared in Q1 2023.

Danjuma Wants Nigerians to Use Culture to Strengthen National Cohesion

Former Minister of Defence, Lt.-Gen. Theophilus Danjuma (rtd), has identified culture and tradition as veritable tools for strengthening unity, national cohesion and integration among Nigerians.

He stated this in a message to the 2024 Zuru Emirate Uhola Cultural Festival and Agricultural Show held in Zuru Emirate of Kebbi yesterday.

Danjuma, who was represented by the President, Middle Belt Forum, Dr. Bitrus Bagu, who was also the Chairman 2024 Uhola Festival, declared that he was also a witness to the agricultural show of the festival, where indigenous technology was displayed and unprecedented showcasing of agricultural produce.

The ex-minister said the event had portrayed the beauty and richness of the cultural values of the country to the outside world with positive impact on the Nigerian Tourism landscape.

He recommended the establishment of an Uhola Festival Development Fund to create sources of funding with

approval from the Nigerian Tourism Development Authority (NTDA).

On his part, the Chairman, Main Organising Committee, Lt.-Gen. Ishaya Bamaiyi, thanked Governor Nasir Idris of Kebbi for providing financial support to stage the event. He also commended the Emir of Zuru, retired Maj.-Gen. Muhammad Sani-Sami (rtd), for being grand custodian of Zuru culture and tradition.

“The concept of Uhola festival has been widen to attract global attention for tourism and economic development,” he said. Bamaiyi thanked the federal government and President Bola Tinubu for including Uhola into the calendar of the National Cultural Events of the NTDA.

The chairman appealed to the federal government to hasten the rehabilitation of Zaima-Zuru road, Kontagora-Zuru road as well as KoKo-Zuru road, saying that all of the roads were in critical state of dilapidation that negatively affected economic activities of the entire emirate.

Onyebuchi Ezigbo in Abuja

Matshidiso Moeti, in an interview with journalists at the end of the Roundtable Conference on Rethinking Malaria Elimination in Nigeria

Tokede

L-R: Senior Advocates of Nigeria (SANs), Chief Chris Uche, Chief Chukwuma Machukwu Umeh, Chief Solo Akuma, Chief George Igbokwe, Chief Emeka Ngige, and Chief Alex Ejesieme, at a special court session in honour of the late Justice of the Court of Appeal, Justice Theresa Ngolika Orji-Abadua, at the Court of Appeal headquarters in Abuja…recently

PAYING LAST RESPECTS…

IPI Nigeria Threatens to Blacklist IG over Abduction, Detention of FIJ Journalist by Nigeria Police

Online editors insist on press freedom, safety of journalists

Olawale Ajimotokan in Abuja

The Nigerian National Committee of the International Press Institute (IPI Nigeria) has threatened to include the Inspector General of Police (IG), Kayode Egbetokun, in IPI Nigeria's book of infamy and branded an enemy of the media and journalists over the abduction and detention of a journalist with the Foundation for Investigative Journalism (FIJ), Mr. Daniel Ojukwu.

This is coming as the Association of Corporate Online Editors (ACOE) has emphasised the need for press freedom in the country, noting that

journalism plays a pivotal role in advancing the environmental agenda, serving as a catalyst for change and as a watchdog for accountability.

Ojukwu was abducted by the Intelligence Response Team (IRT) of the IG and was being held at the State Criminal Investigation Department (SCID), Panti in Lagos.

In a statement issued yesterday by its President, Musikilu Mojeed, and Legal Adviser/Chairman of the Advocacy Committee, Tobi Soniyi, IPI Nigeria strongly condemned the abduction and called on the IG to order Ojukwu’s release. The group raised the alarm over

Return to Site or Face Consequences, Fubara Tells Contractor Who Received N4bn

Blessing Ibunge in Port Harcourt

Rivers State Governor, Siminalayi Fubara, has warned the contractor handling the Bori Internal Roads project, who reportedly absconded with the N4billion mobilisation fund paid to him, to return to site or face the consequences.

Governor Fubara, who visited the site yesterday, expressed anger that the contractor abandoned the project after more than 80 per cent of the cost of the contract had been paid.

The governor, who said the contractor’s approach was unacceptable, ordered him to return to the site and complete the project, or face severe consequences.

He said: “This project was awarded before I assumed office. But I have made two payments for this project. The total value of this project is over N6 billion.

“In June 2023, I paid the first N2billion, and in December 2023, I also released another N2billion, making about 80 per cent of the project value.

“So, I am surprised that somebody will say that we are not interested in completing this project that is in my Senatorial District,” the governor said.

Fubara said it was even more worrisome that after those payments were made, the contractor refused to move men and equipment to the site.

The governor pointed to a very disturbing incident where the

contractor sacked his front desk officer for receiving a letter sent by the Ministry of Works to demand an update on the project.

“I came here this afternoon to inspect the Bori internal roads under construction. And, honestly speaking, my major reason for coming here is because we got very disturbing propaganda.

“Some people were circulating negative reports on social media that we deliberately abandoned the continuation of the Bori Internal Roads project. Maybe the people have political reasons.

“It is very unfortunate that every time we find ourselves in this kind of situation. So, my coming here today is to let the world know of the situation.

“I don’t want to mention the name of the contractor; let it not be that I am being personal. But the contractor knows himself.

“He should better go back to the site or I will do something that will embarrass him as a person,” he added.

The governor also assured the residents of the area who came out in their numbers to cheer him, that the road would be completed to ease movement. He said: “I can assure you that this road project will be completed. You are my people, and there is no way I can abandon a project designed to serve my people and give them a sense of belonging. So, rest assured that this road will be completed for your use.”

the safety of journalists in the country, noting that the report of the abduction of the journalist was coming at about the period the world was celebrating the freedom of the press.

IPI said that Ojukwu should be released immediately or else, the IG, Egbetokun, would be included in IPI Nigeria's book of infamy and branded an enemy of the media and journalists.

It warned that the IG's inclusion on the list carries serious consequences beyond the shores of Nigeria.

IPI Nigeria lamented that the abduction of Ojukwu followed the same pattern where a few weeks ago, the Nigerian military abducted another journalist, Mr. Segun Olatunji, in a Gestapo manner in Lagos and flew him to Abuja under humiliating conditions in violation of his rights to dignity and expression.

"With the two incidents cited above, a pattern has emerged that points to the fact that the administration of President Bola Tinubu does not only condone repression of freedom of the press but also encourages it, in contradiction of promises made

during the president’s inaugural speech that his administration would uphold fundamental human rights,"

IPI Nigeria said.

It said the action of the IG is tantamount to an abuse of his powers and office.

IPI Nigeria called on President Tinubu to sanction the IG for failing to lead by example, saying nobody is above the law.

"Human rights violations have continued unabated because perpetrators are hardly held to account. It is time to begin holding those suppressing freedom of expression to account," the statement said.

Ojukwu was said to have gone missing last Wednesday and was unreachable as his phones were switched off and his whereabouts were unknown.

Twenty-four hours after he went missing, FIJ filed a missing persons’ report at police stations in the area where Ojukwu was headed.

Luckily, a private detective hired by FIJ eventually managed to trace the last active location of Ojukwu’s

phones to an address in Isheri Olofin.

Confirming that Ojukwu was still in police custody, a lawyer, Ridwan Oke, who tweets as @Ridwanullahii, yesterday disclosed that he met with Ojukwu at the SCID, Panti, Lagos.

While narrating his experience at the SCID, Oke noted that the Nigerian police system cares less about the fundamental rights of citizens.

He blamed the judicial system for granting remands without proper consideration for the rights of citizens.

“The Nigerian Police is irredeemable and this is unbecoming of a law enforcement agency. @ Mazi_OJD is a journalist. If he runs afoul of the law, let him face the court, and not detain him with zero charge. Free Daniel now!” he added.

Ojukwu and Olatunji’s travails bring to mind the infamous days of the late military despot, Gen. Sani Abacha when security agents clamped down on media houses and practitioners.

But the Minister of Information and National Orientation, Mohammed Idris, on Friday said that no journalist in the country has been detained

since his principal, President Bola Tinubu became president on May 29, 2023.

Idris said this on Friday at a press briefing organised by his ministry in partnership with the Federal Ministry of Environment and Ecological Management and the United Nations Educational and Scientific Organisation to commemorate 2024 World Press Freedom Day.

But apart from Ojukwu and Olatunji’s travails, a journalist with The Whistler Newspaper, Kasarahchi Aniagolu; a reporter with Daybreak Newspaper, Achadu Gabriel; a journalist with the Sun Newspaper, Godwin Tsa; an online publisher and journalist, Precious Eze; the Editor-in-Chief and Managing Editor of Informant247, Salihu Ayatullahi and Adisa-Jaji Azeez, respectively; Publisher of Just Events Online, Abdulrazaq Babatunde, and Publisher of Satcom Media, Lukman Bolakale, among others have been abducted or detained since President Tinubu came to power.

Abia Speaker Shuns Appeal Court Judgment, Refuses to Swearin Aba North Representative, 10 Months after Inauguration

Ten months after the inauguration of the Abia State House of Assembly, the Aba North State constituency has remained the only constituency in the state without a lawmaker in the 24-member legislature following the refusal of the speaker, Hon. Emmanuel Emeruwa, to swear-in the member-elect representing the constituency.

The lawmaker-elect for Aba North State Constituency, Hon Aaron Uzodike, was declared winner of the 2023 state House of Assembly election by the Appeal Court.

Uzodike told journalists in Umuahia at the weekend that the Speaker of Abia House, Emeruwa, has refused to allow him to take his oath of office and assume legislative duties because of "an order from above".

He said his constituents were worried and confused about the apparent power play, which has been preventing them from having

a voice in the Abia State House of Assembly since June 2023.

The Appeal Court sitting in Lagos had on November 27, 2023 resolved the disputed result of the March 18 State Assembly poll for Aba North in favour of Uzodike, who had contested on the platform of the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP).

But the lawmaker-elect lamented that on two occasions when he was to be inaugurated, the Speaker failed to do so despite the fact that INEC had on December 13, 2023 complied with the Appeal Court order and issued him a certificate of return.

He said: "On the 14th of December 2023, I submitted all my documents to the Speaker, including a certificate of return, a certified true copy of the court judgment, and a letter from INEC affirming that a certificate of return was issued to me.

Uzodike said after filing his documents his inauguration was scheduled for January 18, 2024 but to his surprise "the Speaker told me that 'I have an order from above'

not to inaugurate me.

The Deputy Speaker of Abia State House of Assembly, Hon Austin Meregini had in justifying the refusal of the Speaker to swear-in Uzodike, cited a suit filed by Hon Destiny Nwagwu at an Abia State High Court in Ukwa seeking to stop his rival from being inaugurated.

Nwagwu of the Labour Party (LP) was declared winner by INEC in the poll but had his victory voided by the Appeal Court, yet he refused to give up and went to a lower court to continue the legal battle for the Aba North State Constituency seat.

Uzodike faulted any move to rely on Nwagwu's suit at the high court to ignore an Appeal Court judgement, saying that it was only on January 19, 2024 that his opponent filed the suit claiming that he was "investigating my certificate".

But even after Nwagwu's suit was dismissed on March 19, 2024 after four adjournments occasioned by non-appearance of the plaintiff, Uzodike noted that the Abia House

Speaker has still not deemed it fit to permit his swearing-in.

"As of today, there is nothing pending in any court here in Abia, Nigeria, West Africa, and the whole world restraining the Speaker from inaugurating me.

"On April 16, 2024, I went to the House of Assembly and presented myself ready to start doing my work but the Speaker did not do the needful," he said.

Sensing the high wire politics involved in his ordeal, Uzodike, who was a member of the Seventh Abia House, appealed to Governor Alex Otti "to direct the Speaker to inaugurate me without further delay."

He said the state legislature should not be an arena for politics with elections long gone, adding that the interests of the people should be paramount.

The embattled lawmaker-elect made it clear that even with all the frustrations he wouldn't go back to the court to ask for an enforcement order since the appellate court had done "what it should do."

Emmanuel Ugwu-Nwogo in Umuahia

L-R: Edo State Governor, Mr. Godwin Obaseki; his wife, Betsy, and Enugu State Governor, Mr. Peter Mba, during the funeral service held in honour of Madam Okojie at St. Paul’s Catholic Church in Benin City …weekend.

MARITAL BLISS…

solemnisation of the couple at the Living Faith Church, Osubi, Okpe Local Government Area of the state…yesterday

Ohanaeze Ndigbo: No Plan to Apologise over 1966 Military Coup, Says It was Military Affair

Ikwerre group faults Iwuanyanwu, denies being Igbo

Segun James President-General of Ohanaeze Ndigbo Worldwide, Chief Emmanuel Iwuanyanwu, has said the pan-Igbo group has no intention to apologise for the 1966 coup as it was a strictly military affair.

Iwuanyanwu made the assertion at the weekend in Owerri, the Imo State capital while addressing newsmen.

This is coming as the claim by Iwuanyanwu that Ikwerre in Rivers State, is part of Igbo, has drawn the ire of the Ikwerre socio-cultural group, the Iwhnurohna Progressive Organisation (IPO).

The leader of the Igbo apex group denied claims made by the Indigenous People of Biafra (IPOB) that Ohanaeze Ndigbo was planning a trip to Sokoto State to apologise to the North over the

1966 military coup.

“We can’t go to beg anybody. Igbos were killed in that coup. As far as Ohanaeze Ndigbo is concerned, Igbos did not have any affair with the 1966 coup. It was purely a military affair.

“It’s not true, it’s fake news. The man that even carried the fake news has apologised. What happened was that we had a retreat at Enugu. Nobody talked about it. The only thing we did was to appoint a peace and reconciliation committee because we want peace for our people in Lagos State and everywhere else.

“First of all, the Igb didn’t carry out any coup. People who were killed were not killed by Ndigbo; they were killed by soldiers. Igbos didn’t kill anybody. The coup was carried out by soldiers. It was purely a military affair with nothing to do

with the Igbo. We have no reason to apologise to anybody. Ohanaeze Ndigbo objects.

“The Igbos may been involved but they were wearing military uniforms. Igbos didn’t kill anybody and we are not begging anybody. I have never accepted responsibility for that coup. Nobody told Nzeogu to do a coup just like nobody told the others that did coups in Nigeria”, Iwuanyanwu added.

According to him, part of the mandate of the peace and conflict resolution committee set up by the body is to look into how to compensate Igbos whose shops were destroyed or razed by fire in markets and had nothing to do with the alleged apology to the north.

Further, he disclosed that Ohanaeze Ndigbo will publish a book titled “Our Story” to tell the

story from 1949 about Ndigbo to correct the misrepresentation from different authors and quarters.

Iwuanyanwu maintained that he had championed the cause of Ndigbo worldwide even at personal costs, including the release of Mazi Nnamdi Kanu.

“At my age, I expect people to respect me. I don’t earn a salary as President-General. I used my personal money to pay the backlog of six months’ salary of the staff. I championed the release of Nnamdi Kanu and made it an Ndigbo demand and even his family knows this.

“I was shocked to hear the voice note circulating all over the world that we held a poorly attended retreat in Enugu and insulting me. Most people know it is false. But in that meeting, we had over 200 people in attendance. I didn’t see

Appeal Court Declares Dismissal of Pregnant Unmarried Police Officers Illegal

The Court of Appeal sitting in Abuja has declared illegal, Regulations 126 and 127 of the Nigerian Police, which allow for the dismissal of an unmarried policewomen who become pregnant during their service.

The three-man panel of the court also asked the respondents, the Attorney General of the Federation, the Police Service Commission (PSC), and the Nigerian Police Force (NPF), to carry out a comprehensive review of the entire Police Regulations to ensure that they accord with the demands of a modern society operating under the rule of law.

Justice Olubunmi Oyewole read the lead judgment, which was unanimously adopted by the other members of the panel - Justice Bukola Banjoko and Justice Okon Abang.

The court gave the judgment in the suit filed by the appellants, the incorporated trustees of the Nigerian Bar Association (NBA), against the three respondents.

The legal battle began on February 15, 2021, when the NBA filed an originating summons challenging the discriminatory practices within the NPF.

The appellants asked the court to determine among other things:

Whether the provisions of Regulation 127 of the Nigeria Police Regulations made pursuant to the Police Act, Cap 19 Laws of the Federal of Nigeria, 2004, to the extent that it provides that “an unmarried woman police officer who becomes pregnant shall be discharged from the force, and shall not be re-enlisted except with the approval of the Inspector General of Police,” does not violently contravene the provisions of Sections 37 & 42 of the Constitution of the Federal Republic of Nigeria, 1999 (as amended) and therefore unconstitutional, null and void.

The NBA also asked the court to make “an order striking down Regulations 126 and 127 of the Nigeria Police Regulations made pursuant to the Police Act, Cap 19 Laws of the Federation of Nigeria, 2004, as same is in violent conflict with the provisions of Section 37 & 42 of the Constitution of the Federal Republic of Nigeria, 1999 (as amended).

After taking the arguments, Justice Inyang Ekwo of the Federal High Court, Abuja, delivered his judgment on February 21, 2022, where he dismissed the appellant’s action for lacking merit.

Dissatisfied, the appellant approached the court via a Notice of Appeal filed on March 15, 2022,

containing six grounds.

In the judgment, the Court of Appeal unanimously allowed the appeal, overturning the Federal High Court’s decision in favour of the NBA.

The court held that Regulations 126 and 127 of the Police Act “interfere with the privacy of the lives of female police officers and discriminate against them based on their gender”.

Justice Oyewole said, “I do not agree with the learned trial Judge that the regulations in issue are necessary for morality and discipline in the Police Force as morality and discipline do not have a gender bias.

“It is unthinkable that the Nigerian Police of this day and age operates on the principle that female officers need to be specially moderated and regulated while their male counterparts are free. This is unacceptable in a decent and democratic society governed by the rule of law.

“The argument that the deprivation involved was consented to by prospective female police officers who cannot subsequently complain flies in the face of the constitutional provisions expressly granting them the rights involved as citizens of this country.

“The rights given go beyond those for the personal benefit of

the individuals involved as could be waived by them. They are public rights that accord with the demands of a fair, equitable, and humane society. These are standards and values demanded of modern nations and which are outside the purview of any individual to waive.

“I, therefore, hold that the said regulations 126 and 127 are inconsistent with the provisions of section 37 and 42 of the Constitution and are therefore null and void to the extent of their inconsistency pursuant to section 1 (3) of the Constitution.

“The respondents are advised to carry out a comprehensive review of the entire Police Regulations to ensure that they accord with the demands of a modern society operating under the rule of law.

“I, accordingly, resolve the two issues in favour of the appellant and against the respondents. This appeal is meritorious, and it is hereby allowed.

Consequently, the decision of the lower court in Suit No. FHC/ABJ/ CS/178/2021 delivered on the 21st of February, 2022 is hereby set aside.

“Instead, the questions for determination in the said Suit are answered in the affirmative while the reliefs sought therein are granted as prayed. Parties shall bear their respective costs.”

the need to invite the governors just for the inauguration of committee members.

“We set up industrialisation, health, agriculture, skill acquisition, relief agency, and peace and conflict resolution committees. Already, people have acknowledged and congratulated us for our actions so far,” he said

Meanwhile, the Ikwerre sociocultural group, the Iwhnurohna Progressive Organisation (IPO), led by Dr. Okahchukwu Dibia at the weekend said it was offensive, insulting, shameful, disgusting, insensitive, careless, and uncivilised for Iwuanyanwu to be credited with the falsehood and unfounded claim that Ikwerre people were Igbo.

Reading the position of the members after a meeting in Port Harcourt, Dibia said: “To us at IPO, Ikwerre is Igbo means that all the ancestral communities in Ikwerre originated from Igbo. This is not true and can never be true, hence our reply to him and indeed Ohanaeze.

“For the avoidance of doubt, the Ikwerre people are a distinct ethnic nation recognised in Nigeria and the United Nations. Ikwerre

language is one of the recognised languages in Nigeria and the United Nations (UN).

“Whoever is in doubt can contact the appropriate government authorities in Nigeria and the UN. While Ikwerre is our political name, Iwhnurohna is our native name, and both refer to the same people: Ikwerre Ethnic Nationality.

“We live and own the Emohua, Ikwerre, Obio/Akpor and Port Harcourt City (in alphabetical order) local government areas in Rivers State, Niger Delta, South-south geo-political region of Nigeria''. He said: “Consequently, IPO’s reply to Iwuanyanwu is that language, name, dances, songs, and dressing cannot be and should not be used as determinants of who Ikwerre is. “IPO’s reply to Iwuanyanwu on the history of Ikwerre is that Iwhnurohna is a Federation of Aborigines and Migrants who have come together under one political roof called Ikwerre Ethnic Nation. It is therefore very unthinkable and childish to claim that Ikwerre is Igbo because of the existence of few Aro communities allowed to settle in Ikwerreland”.

Nigerians in a Hurry to See Positive Changes, Sultan Tells Leaders

Igbawase Ukumba in Lafia

The President-General of the Nigerian Supreme Council for Islamic Affairs (NSCIA) and Sultan of Sokoto, Alhaji Muhammad Sa’ad Abubakar III, has tasked leaders on good governance, saying Nigerians are in a hurry to see positive changes that will renew their hopes.

He also urged Nigerians to prioritise the unity of the country and continue to work towards ensuring it remains one indivisible nation.

The Sultan gave the task yesterday during the fifth anniversary of the 17th Emir of Lafia, Justice Sidi BageMohammed (rtd) in Lafia, Nasarawa State.

He revealed that there were problems in every country, adding that secession was not the solution to the state of insecurity confronting the nation.

The Sultan of Sokoto, however, urged Nigerians to always pray for their leaders to succeed.

He also appealed to leaders at all levels to expedite action toward tackling

the economic hardship and security challenges bedeviling the country.

He said: “We know that our leaders are trying, but the people are in a hurry to see positive changes that will renew their hopes for a better life.” He pointed that the presence of traditional rulers across the country in the state was a demonstration of unity and called on other Nigerians to follow suit.

“We are showing the whole world that royal fathers in this country are united, just look at the list of traditional rulers from the six geo-political zones that honoured the occasion,” he added.

Earlier, the Shehu of Borno, Ibn Umar-Garbai, appealed to Nigerians to provide credible information about the activities of Boko Haram insurgency, bandits, kidnappers and other criminal elements in the north east and in other parts of the country.

“When we keep quiet about the activities of criminals in our areas, we are inviting problems, so we should continue to enlighten our people to work with security agencies as traditional rulers,” he said.

L-R: Speaker of the Delta State House of Assembly, Hon. Emomotimi Guwor; former Governor of Delta State, Senator Ifeanyi Okowa; Governor Sheriff Oborevwori, newlywed, Mr. and Mrs. David Anoro; father of the bride, Olorogun Kingsley Esiso; and his wife, Beauty, after the holy

Alex Enumah in Abuja

OILY AFFAIR…

Edo Governorship: PDP Inaugurates 363-member Campaign Council as Obaseki Mocks Orbih’s Camp

Ahead of the September 21, 2024, gubernatorial election in Edo State, the state chapter of the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) on Friday, inaugurated a 363-member campaign council, with Governor Goodwin Obaseki mocking the Legacy group, headed by the party’s Vice Chairman, South-South, Dan Orbih.

He expressed confidence that the governorship candidate of

Abia State Governor, Alex Otti, has said it is the turn of the masses to enjoy the dividends of democracy under his leadership.

Otti said this while hosting a delegation of Course 17, Syndicate 2 of the National Institute for Security Studies, Abuja, at Government House Umuahia.

He said he was on a mission to make the masses and not just a handful of privileged politicians, have a taste of good governance.

He stated politicians who have presided over the affairs of the state since the return of democracy in 1999, have helped themselves enough with the common patrimony.

A Colloquium will be held tomorrow by friends, associates, mentees, and family of Prof Shola Omotola, immediate past Deputy Vice-Chancellor (Admin) of Federal University Oye Ekiti, in commemoration of his 50th Birthday.

The theme of the Colloquium is “Prof. J. Shola Omotola At 50: Personality, Scholarship And Mentorship”

The Keynote Speaker at the Zoom event is Dr. Hakeem Onapajo, Associate Professor of Political Science, at Nile University, Abuja. He will

the PDP in the September 21 poll, Dr. Asue Ighodalo, will win with 80 per cent of the votes.

Orbih had vowed to work against Obaseki and Ighodalo. Obaseki has however hit back at Orbih’s camp, describing the faction as disorganised and a sheep without a shepherd.

The governor, who noted that the party has the best candidate and programmes for the people of Edo State, also said: “The timetable is out; can you see any of them (Legacy Group)?

Can they organise themselves? PDP leads, others follow.”

Orbih, who was appointed as a member of the campaign council, rejected his membership, saying that the PDP governorship candidate, Ighodalo, could not lead the state.

Obaseki, while alleging that the factional PDP members fighting in the party have collected money from opposition parties to destabilise the party in the state, however, warned such persons to stay away.

The governor told his audience that his recent decision to wipe off the backlog of pension arrears owed retirees since 2014, was a demonstration of his passion for the masses, who had been shortchanged by the ruling elite.

He said: “Never again shall Abia pensioners be owed their pension.”

He added that he had also directed that they be paid along with workers on the 28th of every month, a directive, he affirmed, had taken effect from April.

“This is the people’s time, politicians have helped themselves enough for the past 24 years,” Otti added.

Obaseki said: “PDP is one. Those who are fighting the PDP have collected money from the other parties, and they want to sell out. I want you all here to join me so that we can flush them out of our party because we are

not going to allow anybody to divide us; we are one party - one indivisible party in Edo State.

“The money they have collected is enough; let them go and enjoy it; let them go and spend it outside. We don’t have anything to fear. I will fight them if they try us; we will fight them if they try us. They know us; we never fight and lose; let them come and try. They have collected money; let them stay outside with their money, and not disturb us, because this election is ours and we are going to win by the grace of God.”

Obaseki, who further declared that the opposition has no space in Edo, boasted that the PDP has put together hardworking campaign council members who,

according to him, were going to deliver 80 per cent of the total votes to the party.

“By the grace of God, this campaign council will deliver nothing less than 80 per cent of our votes.

“We can’t find them anywhere. They have no place here. They cannot destroy us at the centre and want to still come and destroy us here. We will not allow it. The hunger is too much out there; we are preventing the hunger from coming to Edo State.

“Everybody sees what is happening in Nigeria today. You can see the suffering in the land. You can see the struggle in Edo State, but we pulled Edo State out of those problems. So, our campaign is going to be based

on the hope we will give our citizens in Edo State,” Obaseki added.

He explained that the structure of the campaign council was rooted in all the 192 wards and 18 local government areas across the state, adding that every organ of the party was captured. Earlier, the state Chairman of PDP, Dr. Tony Aziegbemi, disclosed that the campaign council comprised 363 members, excluding the women and youth wings. In his acceptance speech, the Director-General of the PDP state campaign council, Matthew Iduoriyekemwen, thanked the governor and PDP faithful for the opportunity to serve the party.

2024 UTME: AbdulRazaq Celebrates Kwara Students Who Scored Above 300

Hammed Shittu in Ilorin

Kwara State Governor, AbdulRahman AbdulRazaq, has celebrated the 31 students of the state who performed impressively well in the last Unified Tertiary Matriculation Examination (UTME).

Following the release of the just concluded UTME result, Eucharistic Heart of Jesus Model College, an Ilorin-based Catholic secondary school, announced that 30 of its students scored between 300 and 355, out of a total of over

8,000 students who achieved this feat nationwide.

Also, a student of Government Secondary School, Omu Aran area of the state, Olukayode Olusola, scored 362 marks in the examination.

A statement yesterday by the chief press secretary to the governor, Rafiu Ajakaye said the governor was glad to receive reports of students from across public and private schools in the state posting impressive results in the recently held UTME.

“Particularly heartwarming

is the result of Master Samuel Olanrewaju Oluwasemilore of Government Secondary School, Omu Aran, who scored 358 in the exam.

“Governor AbdulRazaq also congratulates the Great 30 (students) from Kwara-based Eucharistic Heart of Jesus Model College, who got between 355 and 300 marks in the exam — and similar high-performers from other schools in the state.

“We are proud of achievements like this; they serve as shining examples for younger ones to

work harder, be at their best in their studies, and make their parents and community proud,” the governor said.

“We are also excited that these are not isolated successes in our education sector, coming only a few weeks after Kwara State represented Nigeria on the global stage at the World School Debate in Singapore, among other feats.” He stated that statewide coverage for the tech-based learning programme has been approved to improve learning outcomes in the state.

Police Grill Mohbad’s Ally, Darosha over Singer’s Death

The last has definitely not been heard on the death of the singer, Ilerioluwa Aloba, aka Mohbad, as the operative of the Nigeria Police Force (NPF) have interrogated his Personal Assistant, Boluwatife Adeyemo aka Darosha.

Darosha was said to have visited the Zone 2 Command headquarters on Thursday following a police invitation. Also present at the meeting were Mohbad’s mother, Abosede and his father, Joseph.

The lawyer of Aloba’s family, Monisola Odumosu, who

disclosed this to the Punch, said Darosha was invited to name those who instructed him to embalm the late singer in his home when he died on September 12, 2023.

Odumosu said, “The police invited Darosha and interrogated him based on a petition written and signed by Emmanuel Oroko of the Hillceetee Partners on the instruction of Mohbad’s father.

“He had visited alone earlier in the week, but was asked to return on Thursday when Mohbad’s father and mother would be present, which he did.”

Odumosu disclosed further that a statement was taken from Darosha in which he mentioned those who were present when the deceased was embalmed.

The lawyer added that the police had invited those mentioned in the statement.

“Those present at the residence of the late Ilerioluwa Aloba when the embalmment was done will appear before the investigation panel of the police.

“The local embalmment violates the Coroner’s System

Law 2007: Section 48 of this law addresses the offences and penalties of tampering with a dead body contrary to Section 16. “The police, upon interrogating Darosha, have asked all those mentioned in his statement to be brought in for further interrogation. When Mohbad died, there were allegations that he was given local embalming without authorisation from his father or a death certificate from any medical practitioner who could certify the cause of the death of the late singer,” he added.

L-R: President, Cosmopolitan Club, Dame Marie Fatatai-Williams; member, Governing Board, Petroleum Club, Dame Sena Anthony; and Principal Consultant and CEO, RTS Mobile, Oluseyi Afolabi, during the second quarter dinner of the Petroleum Club at the Metropolitan Club in Victoria Island in Lagos...yesterday

PHOTO: MUBO PETERS.

Adibe Emenyonu in Benin City

SOFT FINANCE

INVESTMENT | ECONOMICS | FINANCE | MONEY | E-COMMERCE

“If the Foundation be Faulty…”

“If the foundations be destroyed, what can the righteous do?”–Psalm 11:3

“These words I speak to you are not incidental additions to your life, homeowner improvements to your standard of living. They are foundational words, words to build a life on. If you work these words into your life, you are like a smart carpenter who built his house on solid rock. Rain poured down, the river flooded, a tornado hit—but nothing moved that house. It was fixed to the rock.

“But if you just use my words in Bible studies and don’t work them into your life, you are like a stupid carpenter who built his house on the sandy beach. When a storm rolled in and the waves came up, it collapsed like a house of cards”-Matthew 7:24-27 (MSG)

“To date, we have only raised tribal chiefs and not national leaders. Those who come up to leadership positions in Nigeria quickly surround themselves with people from their own side of the geographical location and sideline others no matter how good they are. That needs to change” - Matthew Ashimolowo

AS IT WAS IN 1975, SO IT IS NOW

Some five years ago, I led my team to the residence of my boss for life, the chairman of THISDAY and Arise Media Group, Prince Nduka Obaigbena, to interview him as part of the video documentary I was coordinating for his 60th birthday. In the course of the interview, while answering some of our questions, he made two statements, which have refused to fade out of my memory.

The first was in response to why he was no longer interested in active politics. His response: “Nigeria’s politics is a very funny and interesting one; if your followers invite you to their places, you pay and if you invite them to your place, you also pay!”

The second was to pick his mind on the state of the economy. To buttress his point that nothing had changed, he pulled out some old editions of THISWEEK as far back as 1987 which I had helped him source from Lanre Idowu, the first editor of that influential magazine and some current copies of THISDAY and asked all of us to scan through the headlines to spot the difference. To our surprise, we discovered, true to his statement, that nothing had indeed changed as the headlines were highlighting the same issues that had confronted the country since God knows when. A friend even stretched this scenario further as I was putting this article together by sharing with me an old edition of The New Nigerian of Monday 24 March 1975 with this screaming headline: PETROL SCARCITY STILL ACUTE, with an image of a long queue. That was some 49 years ago. Will the headline not match if you just change the masthead to that of THISDAY 24 May 2024?

The interesting puzzle is this: why has Nigeria been circulating on the same spot, appearing to make one progressive step forward but in a twinkle, the gain is reversed 10 steps backwards? The story of Nigeria has remained like a circuit show since about 1975 with no net progress made if you discount all the gyrations we have been making.

THE FAULT IS AT THE FOUNDATION

On deep reflections over a long period, what the writer of the Psalms says in Chapter 11 verse 3, reproduced above, pins it down for me: “If the foundation be destroyed, what would the righteous do?” It is a question and interestingly, the answer is very clear and easy. I would interpret it this way: if you are trying to build a house on top of bad or no foundation pillars, regardless of the material you use for the house on top, it is just a matter of time before the whole house comes down. That is the problem of Nigeria and nothing has changed and nothing is likely to change until the contradicting foundational dynamics are addressed. A Yoruba proverb puts it this way: a passer-by is complaining that the load on the head of a cripple is tilted and another person asked him to stop looking at the load on the head but instead direct his gaze to the right place, the crippled legs, to gain an understanding

of the problem he is complaining about.

When Biodun Akinjayeju, managing director of Fund Quest sent me an invitation to attend a colloquium organised to mark the 60th birthday of his deputy, Bisi Oni, a close friend of over 20 years, I was drawn to the subject of discourse: Transcending from Financialism to a productive and innovation for impactful development”. I was even more curious when I saw that the keynote speaker is a banker Mr. Abubakar Suleiman, the MD/CEO of Sterling Bank. I wanted to see how he would address the obvious disconnect between the banking sector which is portrayed to be progressing in an economy that is almost failing, where banks are declaring fat profits every year while the manufacturing companies are closing shops in their thousands. Walk through Oba Akran road in Ikeja, for instance, you would see that the spaces that used to be occupied by manufacturing companies have now been taken over by religious houses, eateries and banks. In the country, the population rate is growing faster than the rate of GDP growth.

Except for a few, most of the banks have virtually abandoned their core banking role which according to a World Bank report involves “accepting funds from those with surplus (depositors) and lending them to those with ability to use additional funds for productive purposes (borrowers). Borrowers must be able to use the funds to create products or services that generate adequate income to repay the principal plus a usage fee (interest, markup) at a rate high enough to provide the bank with interest differential income”. The first transgression by the majority of the banks is that most of their loans are not in production, not in locally dependent businesses but in speculative lending activities that fuel high levels of bad loans recorded by most of them since most of those transactions are usually at high interest rates which make loans to go bad.

I knew the keynote speaker was going to be on the hot spot and I, like many of the guests, was eager to hear how he would extricate the banks. In his opening remarks, Akinjaiyeju hit the nail directly on the head telling the audience that the theme of the discourse encapsulates a critical aspect of the country’s economic landscape and that “as we journey into the future, it becomes increasingly clear that the role of financial institutions, particularly banks, is pivotal in fostering a conducive environment for productivity and innovation across industries”. He called out the banks, asking them “to transcend from the perceived predatory disposition to a more symbiotic and supportive partner in national development and stop being a General Overseer that is getting fatter while the congregation is getting leaner.”

The keynote speaker had not finished making his presentation when members of the panels discussing his presentation started to fire salvos at him in quick succession, taking a cue from Akinjayeju’s subtle attack.

Femi Adaramaja, an accountant, put the guest speaker on the duck flaunting evidence of his customers that the banks had wrecked through their predatory under-hand banking practices.

Tim Akano, CEO of New Horizon System Solution, submitted that without redefining the purpose of banks, Nigeria cannot develop. According to him, trillions of naira are declared as profit yearly in a country where hundreds of companies are either folding up or in distress. “For whom do the banks exit?” Akano asked.

Mrs Oluwaseun Adesoye, Group CEO, Myrtle Asset Management & Trust Limited not too frontal in her intervention also urged the bank to listen to the voice of reason.

ON THE SPOT

I looked and listened intently to see how Abubarker would wriggle out of the hostile environment with no one saying anything positive about the banking industry. Interestingly, I would assume that the guest speaker had accurately predicted what scenarios would play out and he was prepared and by the time he was through, he won the heart of everyone, including mine. His first tranquilising intervention was to apologise on behalf of the banks for the perceived wrong they had done to their customers and, by implication, the economy. But he was going somewhere and everything he said in his presentation tallied with my initial framing of the country’s problems.

In his contribution, Mr Abubakar explained that the banks are mere intermediaries for capital, to complement other sources of capital like savings, friends/family support, and venture capital and that they are not expected to play the role of a Father Christmas.

He maintained that for growth, the nation must focus on education, electricity and the issue of population explosion. “Let us get our priority right, the banks alone cannot lift people out of poverty. The government must fix the problem confronting the efficient use of capital. The bottleneck at the Port in Apapa, for instance, must be fixed. Presently, it is cheaper to bring goods from China than to move them from Apapa port to Ibadan”, he said. Abubarkar was not through yet as he finally dropped what looked like a bombshell. He said of every 100 naira every bank mobilises from customers, only 25 naira is available for lending as both the

If the banks are not performing their duty of lending from where then are they earning their income which according to him could not be other than forex and other speculative activities

Nigerian Deposit Insurance Corporation and the CBN confiscate about 75 naira! “Where do they expect us to get the money to lend out to the productive sector of the economy?

Expectedly the atmosphere of the colloquium changed when my very good friend, Olufemi Awoyemi, chairman of Proshare Group of companies strolled into the hall a little after the discourse had started. As Akinjayeju had warned the audience to prepare for disruptive engagement, while introducing him, Awoyemi’s short intervention was indeed a table-shaking one. His interventions summed up the contradictions in the country’s economic reality. He concluded that the patterns of disconnect were evident all over but just that Nigerians had not been paying attention. He asked if everyone in the hall had bothered to probe into the component of the banks’ earnings and what they meant by other income. Here is the poser according to Awoyemi, “if the banks are not performing their duty of lending from where then are they earning their income which according to him could not be other than forex and other speculative activities”. Another poser from Femi: “How can a country progress when most customers put their cash deposits in current accounts as opposed to savings accounts? Can any country develop without a culture of saving?”

Abubakar stole my heart away and I believe those of most of the guests in the hall, especially those who had thrown antagonistic salvos at him initially. Awoyemi also spoke highly of Abubakar: “As far as I am concerned, Abubakar is the future of the banking industry in Nigeria”.

THE CRUX OF THE MATTER

Abubakar’s final submission tallied with my refrain: “What is happening in the banking industry is a perfect reflection of Nigeria’s economic realities. The Nigerian experiment as a whole is challenged suggesting that until this faulty foundation is fixed any policy, no matter how grandiose they may appear cannot stand even if you bring Barrack Obama to take over as the president of the country. What then are these foundational issues and how can they be solved? I will make a few observations quickly to complement Abubakar and Awoyemi’s submissions that the foundation issues be resolved first before we can expect positive changes and then follow with two suggestions on what I think should be done.

The first foundational problem was summed up in the statement from Pastor Matthew Ashimolo, the General Overseer of the Kingsway International group of churches when I interviewed him in 2017: “To date, we have only raised tribal chiefs and not national leaders. Those who come up to leadership positions in Nigeria quickly surround themselves with people from their own side of the geographical location and sideline others no matter how good they are. That needs to change”.

NOTE: Read the full article in the online edition on www.thisdaylive.com

Obaigbena: Nothing has Changed

Oni: The Connecting Point

Abubakar: Blame not the Banks

Akinjayeju: CEO Fund Quest

Editor: Festus Akanbi

08038588469

Email:festus.akanbi@thisdaylive.com

Much Ado About Telcos’ Agitation for Tariff Hike

economic realities in Nigeria, writes Emma Okonji

Like operators in other sectors of the economy, Nigerian telecoms operators have again indicated their resolve to increase complaint is that the current economic realities have made

oil and gas, electricity, transportation, housing

However, each time telecoms operators raise from the regulator, the Nigerian Communications Commission (NCC), which regulates the of telecoms equipment supply, which he said of the high cost of diesel in running telecomsity and transportation, which according to him, maintaining quality service delivery to telecoms

cost of telecoms operations, insisting that telecoms operators will have to shift the cost to telecoms

Worried that telecoms operators may soon run

Nigeria, without shifting the cost to consumers, coupled with the resistance from the telecoms regulator, the telecoms operators, penultimate telecoms services, to further drive their agitations

Collaboration -

and telecommunication companies in Nigeria, their leaders, called on the federal government to regulatory independence, and other numerous is-

adverse economic headwinds, the telecommunications industry remains the only industry yet to review its general service pricing framework upward in the last eleven years, primarily due to

current price control mechanism, which is not aligned with economic realities, threatens the

government to facilitate a constructive dialogue with industry stakeholders to address pricing

A telecoms mast

holders in the telecoms industry underscored the

who opened the discussion on the state of telecoms industry in Nigeria, said there was a need to protect telecoms operators to sustain telecoms

supply and vandalism of telecommunications

“By fostering a conducive regulatory environment, prioritising infrastructure development, enhancing security measures, and facilitating the full potential of Nigeria’s telecommunications sector, driving economic growth and societal degovernment to address the challenges facing the telecommunications industry in Nigeria,” the

that designates telecommunications infrastructure

State of Telecoms Industry

an extensive discussion on the dilapidating state shifting the cost to telecoms consumers through

chukwu Nnamani, said supply cost for telecoms equipment has tripled over the years, while

from N800,000 monthly to N10 million monthly, and the cost of diesel to run generators has gone

Initial Agitations

for an increase in the cost of delivering telecoms services, a development that is gradually draw-

wrote the NCC, demanding a 40 per cent hike data services, after they had reviewed the high

over the negative impact of the economic and security issues on the Nigerian telecommunications industry, which they said had adversely

NCC’s Position

to immediately reverse the hike in their data

an upward review of the cost of their voice and

who kicked against the hike, NCC, in a stateto reverse the hike, and it was immediately

40 per cent rise in the cost of telecoms service delivery, the NCC, in a statement, said that

individually or collectively without recourse to

EFCC AND BELLO’S COMEDY OF THE ABSURD

MOHAMMED ODODO urges the immediate past Kogi Governor to step forward and give account of his stewardship

Literarily, absurdity is the portrayal of situations, events, or characters that are impossible, unreasonable, or ridiculous. That appears to be the best description of former Governor Yahaya Bello’s conduct and the hide-and-seek game he’s playing with the Economic and Financial Crimes Commission. But for how long can he run away from justice and the law?

With his nickname of a white lion, a lion with all his strength, courage, and craftiness, believing he could evade giving an account of his stewardship. He used the days of state power and immunity, which have expired. Installing a successor governor appears to have given him a false sense of security, which can only be temporary. Power is transient. Immunity neither his associates nor benefactors.

The EFCC’s case against Yahaya Bello long predated his invitation to answer for his deeds after his tenure on the 27th of January 2024. The Chairman of the Economic and Financial Crimes Commission, Mr. Olanipekun Olukoyede, recently spoke of how courtesies were extended to him on how to be interrogated. But Bello chewed the fat with the EFCC boss and reneged on the gentlemen’s understanding only to blame it on the technicality of the non-production of a formal invitation letter. Naively, and in cahoots with Governor Usman Ododo, he thought he could escape from the law, ostensibly assured of some level of state government protection. There’s no way to put back the hand of the clock.

It was no secret that the EFCC would one day arrest Bello. The anti-corruption agency was all along aware of his cloakand-dagger strategy to set himself free perpetually using legal gymnastics and other antics. His sins against the state had been well advertised. They were crystal clear to the average citizen of Kogi State, some of whom were not getting salaries as and when due. Promptly, on 5th February 2024, he was charged before the Federal High Court, Abuja Division, for conspiring with others, including a Kogi State Government House cashier, in September 2016, to convert the sum of N80 in his defence, Bello embarked on a wild forum shopping, for a legal logjam to avoid being docked and tried in the court of justice.

As anticipated, a High Court in Kogi granted him reprieve and also purportedly restrained the EFCC from inviting, arresting, and prosecuting him, pending the determination of the Originating Motion for the enforcement of his fundamental rights. It has been suggested that those blanket orders were neither here nor there. How would a court grant an order to strip the EFCC of its statutory responsibility? This appears absurd. Isn’t it better to scrap the institution rather than tie its hand to stop it from carrying out its duties?

lost cause to think of fighting an institution like the EFCC without first submitting to the time-tested legal procedure. Instead, he is contriving issues to bring down an institution and its hard-earned reputation. Hiring protesters and professional hackers to mould public opinion against a credible institution like the EFCC cannot alter the facts against an accused person in the law court. One day, all the shenanigans would end and the court would give a verdict of guilty

or not. Declaring an accused person wanted should have been an added impetus and a moral ground for anyone with a conscience to surrender himself and proceed to plead his innocence in court.

In the United States of America, former President Donald Trump has been docked severally facing charges ranging from supporting insurrection, hush money, and other financial crimes. The American Supreme Court ruled him out of any kind of immunity from such trials. It appears Bello is more haunted and intimidated by the embarrassment he could suffer being docked and watched by his traducers and those bullied by him while in office. The Dino Melayes would wax a new song while Senator Natasha Akpoti-Uduaghan would watch his trials with amusement. Whatever the situation, Yahaya Bello can only run but cannot hide.

He didn’t need that drama to resist arrest on 17th April 2024. The alleged involvement of Governor Ododo of Kogi State in rescuing him was rather unfortunate. His convoy of vehicles was seen at Yahaya Bello’s residence in Abuja where the EFCC operatives had laid siege to effect his arrest. That was another absurdity and shows his inexperience in the workings of the government. The government is like the proverbial Iroko tree that doesn’t strike back its abuser the day it is abused but never forgets. Governor Ododo was overtly seen to be shielding a person wanted for a crime. From Yahaya Belo’s experience, he should have realized that immunity is tenurebased with a well-written expiry date at the inauguration.

The EFCC and the CBN should also beam their investigation on institutions like Yahaya Bello’s children’s schools and organisations, who flagrantly defy the laws of the land by charging dollars for services rendered in Nigeria. There have been several directives and CBN guidelines against such acts which have negatively affected the rate of the Naira. The American International School cannot claim not to be aware of these directives

Many Nigerians have also queried: What manner of desperation will make a man pay his children’s school fees four years in advance? The school cannot be forgiven on many grounds including being an accomplice in crime, if proven in the court of law. Feelers from the EFCC indicate that set of charges against Yahaya Bello and constitutes just a mere drop in

is available to the EFCC. That should be expected as the white lion is reported to have stepped on several toes while in China’s shop, the white lion should end all absurdities like the drama associated with his escape from arrest, dusting up his papers for his defence in court.

IN PRAISE OF COMPETENCE

Solomon Agwana PDP State chairman in Bayelsa, is doing exceedingly well, writes OBAKIMO DESIRE

Competency can be both innate and developed through learning and experience. Some individuals may have certain inherent traits or abilities that contribute to their competency in certain areas. Whether innate or developed, it is one quality that matters that affects the general populace.

Well, competence is surely one word that can be used to describe the current state Chairman of the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) in Bayelsa State, Chief Solomon Agwana fondly hailed as “Chemical Ali” by party faithful and the vast majority of Bayelsans. His impact and the level of competence he has displayed in handling the affairs of the PDP in the state is quite remarkable.

Having taken the helm of affairs of the state chapter of the party that was in a shambles, the way he has managed to put the house in order, cleaned up the mess to a large extent, and then reposition the party well enough to return to its state of being the undisputed political authority in Bayelsa State, many would agree he deserves some good accolades. Often the case, state party chairmen are the unsung heroes of a stable and prosperous party at that levels. His successes in a relative short of true competence.

However, same thing cannot be said of his predecessor. A personality laden with controversy, Moses Cleopas had kindly. His tenure saw a mass defection party, strengthening it enough to mount a challenge and claimed a good number of National Assembly and House of history of the state. Cleopas during his time as chairman displayed a tremendous level of ineptitude that cost the PDP heavily in Bayelsa State including losing the governorship seat initially, save for a somewhat miraculous turn around of events that rightfully brought the now two-term Governor Duoye Diri.

Being on the verge of losing the apex seat of leadership in the state was expected when as then chairman it was clear he never wanted Douye Diri as the party

gubernatorial candidate. Even when fate prevailed and Diri emerged, he further displayed his incapacity in not being able to deliver traditional strongholds of the party during the elections, including his own Koluama clan. As bad as that, he still couldn’t harmonise the party during the gubernatorial election cycle in Bayelsa State. All this begs so many to question the value he brings to the table. Looking retrospectively at the events that played out during the Bayelsa PDP primaries and elections that eventually term as Governor, one can relate to the recent squabbles and unrest fermented in the state. Yes Cleopas had a personal right to pitch his tent behind a candidate then during the primaries but having lost that battle it is only logical for a state party chairman to further the course of the eventual winner for the good of the party. But that wasn’t really the case. Senator Cleopas was poor at handling party issues and disputes, but instead

Chief Agwana thankfully has done well to harness and maintain the synergy between the party members, leadership and the Diri- led administration. These efforts have ensured that the party reclaimed almost all the lost National Assembly and State Assembly seats. Internal crisis in the party seems to be a thing of the past, defection of members is old news and clearly he looks to domineering future for Bayelsa PDP. Today, the Bayelsa State PDP has taken its rightful place as the political authority in the state. Some aggrieved members who had earlier decamped have returned, there is synergy with the current administration, lost political seats have been reclaimed, members are feeling inspired to attain greater heights, there is generally a feelgood atmosphere in Bayelsa PDP. All this is testament to the work done and remarkable transformation in the fortunes of the party overseen by Chief Solomon Agwana. He deserves all the accolades he is getting.

DesirewritesfromApiawaricompound,Biseni, Yenagoa OdodowritesfromLokoja

Editor, Editorial Page PETER ISHAKA

Email peter.ishaka@thisdaylive.com

THE ATTACKS BY ‘REPENTANT’ INSURGENTS

The violence unleashed by the ‘repentant’ criminals holds lessons for all

When in 2018 the military established a camp to ‘rehabilitate and reintegrate surrendered and repentant Boko Haram terrorist members’ via an exercise known as Operation Safe Corridor (OPSC), many Nigerians, including retired and serving military personnel, expressed concerns about the dangerous gambit. An intergovernmental programme aimed at rehabilitating ‘low risk had not ended made little sense. The fear was the system by returning to the communities and reenacting their bloody orgies. Especially when then Chief of Army Staff, Tukur Buratai, admitted publicly to deradicalise an indoctrinated person.

Last week invasion of a police station in Maiduguri by Boko Haram insurgents to set free their colleagues earlier arrested over alleged drug offences, came as no surprise. If there is anything the hasty release of these ‘repentant’ insurgents has achieved, it is to boldly advertise the helplessness of the authorities. While we commiserate with the families of the dead, we hope that the authorities will take care of those injured in the attacks.

We warned in this space that it would be impossible to hold a group of outlaws to any form of agreement. With many sophisticated guns in their possession, what would they do when they run out of cash?

SUNDAY NEWSPAPER

EDITOR DAVIDSON IRIEKPEN

DEPUTY EDITORS FESTUS AKANBI, EJIOFOR ALIKE

MANAGING DIRECTOR ENIOLA BELLO

DEPUTY MANAGING DIRECTOR ISRAEL IWEGBU

CHAIRMAN EDITORIAL BOARD OLUSEGUN ADENIYI

victims of their brutalities reel in pains, is one of the most insensitive ideas implemented in the country. When it was revealed in 2021 that 603 ‘repentant’ Boko Haram insurgents who had completed the de-radicalisation programme would be reintegrated into the communities, we raised the alarm. In addition, we shared the misgivings of the neglected widows and other victims of the insurgency who queried the wisdom of the decision at the expense of the internally displaced persons (IDPs). We described as unconscionable the fact that the federal government would be expending huge resources on some ‘repentant’ insurgents while neglecting their victims. Indeed a former Senate Leader, Senator Ali Ndume condemned the policy outright. Ndume, who hails from Borno State and was then chairman of the senate committee on Army, alleged that most of the insurgents earlier integrated into the communities had gone back to their old ways. “Many among those released have since run away. They will never repent. The government should know what to do about them, but not reintroducing someone to you, who has killed your parents or your relations”, said Ndume. “This programme is unacceptable to our people. The right thing is to stop it forthwith.”

careful planning by these renegades. According to the Police spokesman in Borno State, Kenneth Daso, on April 30, 2024 in a joint raid at the Kasuwar Fara, following an intelligence report that some drug peddlers, smokers, repentant and Boko Haram insurgents were indulging in nefarious activities, eight persons including a female were arrested with substances.

But few hours after the arrest, some so-called repentant Boko Haram, dressed in military attire tried to invade the police station at Ibrahim Taiwo but were repelled. Thereafter, they went and attacked the Nigeria Immigration Service and NDLEA check points and burnt them.

Rehabilitating terrorists while the innocent

EDITOR NATION’S CAPITAL IYOBOSA UWUGIAREN THE OMBUDSMAN KAYODE KOMOLAFE

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With thousands of displaced Boko Haram victims reportedly sleeping in the open and living in deplorable conditions in the IDP camps, we have always queried the idea of pampering those who put them in the situation they are in. We warned in this space that it would be impossible to hold a group of outlaws to any form of agreement. With many sophisticated guns in their possession, what would they do when they run out of cash?

Now that the ‘rehabilitation programme’ has blown up in the faces of those who conceived it, we hope that they can muster the courage to put an end to it. Hardened criminals should be put in their place – behind bars.

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

LETTERS

IN SEARCH OF TRANSPARENCY AND ACCOUNTABILITY

In today’s Nigeria, it’s no longer news that excellence and competence Nepotism, favoritism, and godfatherism are the order of the day. It’s safe to say that if you don’t know someone in high places, forget about getting a job on merit. Nepotism is in its worst form in the country. People typically are appointed to positions, get contracts, and obtain job placements by virtue of personal loyalty, family ties, and friendship, or based on

In a sane climate, no one cares about religion. What matters is the value you can offer: your competence, capacity, talent, and skills.

The current Prime Minister, Rishi Sunak, is of Indian descent and a Hindu

devotee. He practices Hinduism. People voted for him, not because of his race or religion.

A few days ago, the Economic and Financial Crimes Commission (EFCC) laid siege to the residence of the former governor in a highbrow area of Abuja. He had been on the commission’s radar for months. Bello faces charges of embezzlement of public funds to the tune of billions.

The governor of Kogi state prevented the EFCC from arresting Yahaya Bello at his residence. The constitution is clear on willful obstruction.

Some governors behave like demigods and operate with impunity because they enjoy immunity. However, it is just a matter of time; they

has nothing to hide, why did he fail to honor the EFCC’s invitation and take refuge at the Government House? I commend the Ministry of Justice for its warning to politicians against obstructing the anti-graft agency in performing its duties.

To the best of my knowledge, the only governor in Nigeria who did not impose his successor is the immediate past governor of Katsina State, Aminu Bello Masari. Governors often select their successors to cover up their mismanagement of public funds. This deprives the electorate of their right to choose.

Another case of favoritism and nepotism involves the immediate past Minister of Aviation, Hadi Sirika, and his younger brother, Abubakar Ahmed Sirika. During

to the anti-graft commission, Hadi Sirika awarded a contract to his brother’s company. This demonstrates deep rooted nepotism and corruption.

The 700km Lagos-Calabar Highway project is a much-needed initiative that would not only open up a new corridor but also boost commercial activities between the South-West and South-South regions. However, the highly publicized project is currently embroiled in controversy surrounding the contract award.

If Nigeria is truly serious about league of developed nations, it must ensure equality and transparency.

Arc AliyuTanimu, Kaduna

Power of Teamwork Tops Agenda at 5th Sterling Leadership Series

For the attainment of the goals of any corporate organisation, there is a need for its employees to work as a team, with the right coach, strategy, talent, and skills which will help in maintaining a

Sterling Leadership Series, where Dr. Segun Odegbami, a former footballer stressed the importance of teamwork in the attainment of corporate goals, reports Festus Akanbi

s part of its commitment to the development of quality leadership both in the private and public spheres of the Nigerian economy, Sterling Financial Holdings Company (Sterling Holdco) recently with the theme, “Climbing Beyond.”

The SLS is a quarterly interactive session that connects Sterling leaders and customers with thought leaders and captains of industries.

This edition was a hybrid event - physical

Segun Odegbami as the keynote speaker. Odegbami is a multifaceted personality He is a former professional footballer who captained the Nigerian national team and represented the country as a two-time Olyminto writing, emerging as a published author,

Since its maiden edition in 2018, the SLS has sought to empower participants and provoke transformative dialogues. Past editions have featured distinguished speakers such as Professor Wole Soyinka, Dr. Omobola Johnson, Howard French, and

how to stand out in society, Odegbami stated,

trying to think as a team, having a clear vision, and a strategy, who go out to practice and rehearse in combination with modern technological tools to make their dream a reality.”

He shared the advice that the late Dr. Samuel Ogbemudia, former governor of the defunct Bendel State, gave him about harnessing the power of teamto have the right coach, strategy, talent, skill sets, and all those elements of intelligence. We have a young generation who can dare to go where angels believes in his team and can lead them, they will succeed.”

a street cleaner, sweep it as cleanly Perform it with such precision that the hosts of heaven and earth will stop and remark, ‘This man has swept did for football and Beethoven did for music.”

he embraced a life of resilience and continuous reinvention, inspiring all to defy limitations and relentlessly pursue their aspirations. He heartily expressed,

regular tennis matches when possible.”

my plateau, achieved greatness, and should and hope to inspire others to keep on dream-

mountain there was. We live in an era when new world order is imminent; the world will the future.”

cool, calm, collected, and brilliant. Fearless and unadulterated by other cultures.”

the face of challenges, he remarked, “Without failure, you cannot succeed. Failure is the do more, and this is more pronounced in sportsmanship”.

He further illustrated his point by sharing

rose from scandalous allegations to become the 1996 Summer Olympics in Barcelona. Olympics. She was training for the sprint, and lo and behold, she went to work, only to see all the hard work she had put in, all built in herself to prove everyone wrong.

incredible things.”

to leave many years ago when Coca-Cola

that what appears as chaos is an opportunity.”

“Because not everything works as it should, the little that you do stands out. That’s all loss for our country that the best of us are leaving, but they are creating opportunities for those who remain.

“But if you have a clear vision of where you want this country to go, the opportunity is now, and it is in this country. We have brilliant Nigerians who are seizing these opportunities and succeeding,” Odegbami stated.

To conclude, he remarked that the football business is a huge global business that we have not even scratched the surface of because we are not thinking about it yet. He also stated that we have young Nigerians who are brilliant and innovative, and urged them to take advantage of the opportunities available in the game through information technology

to ignite conversations and foster leadership excellence, Odegbami’s insights serve as a clarion call for integrity-driven leadership and unwavering pursuit of excellence. Through thought-provoking engagements and visionary leadership, Sterling Bank reaffuture for Nigeria’s corporate landscape.

L-R: Group Head, Commercial Banking, Sterling Bank Limited, Akporee Idenedo; Country Manager, African Management Institute for Nigeria, Sheila Ojei; Proprietor, Eagle7 Sports Radio Station, Chief Segun Odegbami; and Group Chief Marketing Officer, Sterling Bank Limited, Ibidapo Martins, at the 5th Sterling Leadership Series held in Lagos…recently

OLUSEGUN ADENIYI:

At Wema Bank, Anti-fraud Campaign is Our Priority

Nume Ekeghe, speaks on measures the bank has put in place to combat fraud from all touchpoints and keep its customers

Wema Bank has reportedlylaunched an anti-fraud campaign. Kindly walk us through thedetailsandthe why/motivebehind thiscampaign?

As a bank that prioritises consumer protection and is resolute in our stance against fraud, we believe that we have a responsibility as a leader mile in ensuring that every Nigerian can access of both their funds and personal information, especially in today’s ever-evolving digital world. It is this sense of responsibility and duty to our customers and our nation, that has prompted the birth of this comprehensive anti-fraud campaign to simultaneously raise awareness on evolving fraudulent tactics, educate our customers on how best to stay steps ahead of the perpetrators of these fraudulent activities and further take action against these fraudsters as a deterrent to others. Our goal is to combat fraud from all touchpoints and keep our customers as well as other Nigerians, fully insulated against fraud, especially on their bank accounts. We are committed to staying proactive and prioritizing the safety of our customers’ funds and this campaign attests to that fact.

Bankaimstocoverwiththiscampaign,what timelineisthebankworkingwithandhowdoes itimpactcustomerlifecycleandexperience?

Our focal points for this Anti-Fraud Campaign are: Educating customers on how to identify and avoid falling prey to phishing attempts, raising awareness about card-related fraud schemes and promoting secure card usage, promoting digital and mobile banking security, including strong password creation and two-factor authentication by identifying and taking stringent actions on the perpetrators of fraud.

The goal of the campaign is to establish longterm awareness and vigilance among customers while rooting out fraudsters for action and sanctions by relevant law enforcement agencies; this is a commitment that we are prepared to commitment to combating fraud so rest assured

is a lifetime campaign for us. We believe that consistent education, awareness and strategic actions are all crucial in combating fraud.

About your concern about the impact of this tell you for a fact that you have nothing to worry about. One of our superpowers as a bank is our ability to strategically multitask and maintain without dropping the ball. Today, we stand strong as leaders in the digital, tech, innovation, MSME, sustainability landscapes amongst others, and we are not only thriving, but our impact is rapidly proliferating simultaneously across these key areas. If anything, this campaign will even serve to positively impact our customer securely with peace of mind and by empowerindustry, this initiative is creating a safer banking environment for all.

Giveneconomic,nationalandglobalneeds& goals,whatisthebigpictureforthiscampaign?

Adeniyi

First, I’d like to say that I am particularly thrilled that it is now becoming clear that for us at Wema Bank there is always a big picture beyond the surface level of impact that you may recognise. Of course, the same applies to this campaign. Wema Bank’s anti-fraud campaign protecting our customers into addressing a prevalent challenge that threatens Nigeria on the global level, and this challenge is fraud. By security for all, this campaign fosters a more is essential for economic growth in Nigeria and

goal. Now, the unique thing is the impact of this campaign isn’t limited to national goals serve to boost our position on the global playing in our economy and boost economic growth for us. Furthermore, I think it’s also worthy of note that our commitment to robust security system on a global scale. I couldn’t overemphasise the potential and impact of this campaign on individual, national and global levels. We are championing a transformation that will change the narrative for the best.

servicesindustry,WemaBankisassociated withmanyFinTechsacrossNigeria.Whatisthe relationshipbetweenWemaBank,itsWallet accounts&otherFinTechpartners?

Wema Bank has been a key partner, enabler and supporter in the Nigerian FinTech ecosystem over the past 5 years. One of the key planks of this support is our wallet infrastructure platform that many FinTechs leverage as a platform through

in a safe, seamless and secure manner. This is why Wema Bank is the household name that remains constant as the power behind a plethora of FinTech organisations. We understand that the technology and digital terrain have infrastructural challenges that make it hard for the FinTech industry to thrive. As a leader in the upon ourselves to empower the Nigerian FinTech industry with the platform to operate seamlessly and thrive, thereby bridging the gap in access to infrastructure for FinTechs and strengthening both the banking and FinTech ecosystems. So our relationship? We are partners and enablers for the FinTech industry, providing an avenue for them to operate with ease through our 3rd party wallet accounts.

Looking into customer enlightenment, canyourunusthroughhowcustomerscan identifyeachoftheseuniqueplayersinthe bankingecosystem?

The Nigerian banking landscape is indeed evolving with the rise of innovative FinTech companies. While it can be challenging to difplayers you might encounter are traditional banks like us and FinTech companies. One way to identify these players is the account number format. 3rd party wallet accounts usually begin

may see a Wema Bank or ALAT Account that begins with “02”, wallet accounts would start FinTech will also have clear information about services, regulatory oversight and functional contact information on their website or apps.

How do customers prevent or protect themselvesfrombeingdefrauded?

At Wema Bank, we understand that security is a partnership between the bank and the customer. Both parties have a clear role to play and must be vigilant. On our end, we stay constantly innovat-

ing, conduct constant checks and strategically reinforce our security framework to ensure that there are no loopholes, and this is how we have services industry. However, as I have said, we can’t do it without you. While our anti-fraud campaign will delve deeper into anti-fraud best practices for you, some key points to note are these: Guard all personal and sensitive inforchannels; Safeguard your devices. Use strong,

available and stay informed. Remain abreast and up-to-date with common fraudulent tactics. Fraudsters are evolving and to stay ahead, you too must keep up, and this is where our Anti-fraud campaign comes in. Sit back and stay tuned to to discover. Lastly, If a transaction, interaction or engagement seems suspicious or fraudulent, do not hesitate to contact your bank directly

Alotofpeopledon’tknowwhatstepsto takewhenfraud-relatedissuesarise.Please enlightenusonthestepsavailableandwhat insuchasituation.

The key is to act promptly and communicate clearly. Contact your Bank Immediately; report Service Representative and ensure you call Customer Service details on the bank’s website credit card or online banking account has been compromised, request the bank or FinTech Company to block your account immediately to prevent further fraudulent transactions. A lot can happen in a minute so act quickly and smartly and if possible, keep copies of emails, suspected fraud. This can be helpful in the investigation process.

Let’stakealookatthemanagementoffraud cases.Whataretheprocessesandstructures thatWemaBankhastomanagethreatsoffraud againstcustomers?

As I mentioned earlier, we conduct constant reviews of customer transactions and account activity both for our direct customers and on the accounts used by the FinTech companies we power. We have robust fraud detection systems that monitor account activity for suspicious patterns and trigger real-time alerts on such transactions.

We also have a dedicated team of investigators specialized in identifying and resolving fraudulent activities. In addition, we don’t work alone. We take reports of fraudulent activity very seriously and encourage the public and our customers to always report any cases of suspected or committed fraud to us. Our dedicated team of investigators is on standby daily to probe into every report.

whichcustomersandotherNigerianscan reportsuspiciousaccountsoractivity?

To escalate fraud cases connected to any send an email to frauddesk@wemabank. com or contact us via DM or email on our wemabank, @alat_ng on Instagram, Facebook and Twitter, and for our women community, @sarabywema on Facebook and Instagram. We are here to assist you.

STEPHANIE LINUS

An Advocate of Maternal Health

For Nollywood’s stylish actress and filmmaker, Stephanie Linus, maternal health is not just a cause, it’s a personal mission. Through her platform and various collaborations with research institutes and global health organisations, the actress is tackling systemic health issues in Africa, with a special focus on improving maternal health outcomes. Vanessa Obioha reports on her efforts in the healthcare space from a recent encounter with the Nollywood icon

Stephanie Linus’ household was in a lively mood on a recent Wednesday morning when I visited. The family had just returned from the U.S., and a few friends stopped by to say hello. Stephanie, exuding charm and grace, effortlessly glided from one living room to the next, clad in a chic black crop top and flowing skirt. She seamlessly juggled her hosting duties, sharing wedding tips with a couple and checking in on a younger friend while her eldest son immersed himself in a chess lesson. The room buzzed with camaraderie, the infectious laughter creating an atmosphere of undeniable warmth and joy.

But behind Stephanie’s radiant smile lies a mission for global health advocacy, a commitment she has embraced since the release of her award-winning film, ‘Dry,’ in 2015, leading her to become a UNFPA Regional Ambassador on Maternal Health for West and Central Africa.

The film’s poignant narrative sheds light on the plight of young girls like her main character, Halima, a child bride who suffered from vesicovaginal fistula due to prolonged obstetric labour.

Vesicovaginal fistula is a condition characterised by an abnormal opening between the vagina and the bladder or rectum, which results in continuous leakage of urine or stool.The condition is still prevalent in many African communities, including Nigeria.

According to the Federal Ministry of Health’s National Strategic Framework for the Elimination of Obstetric Fistula (2019-2023), about 150,000 women are living with fistula in Nigeria, a disproportionate 7.5% of the global burden, and about 12,000 new cases of fistula are added each year.

This worrying trend led Stephanie, a prolific actress and filmmaker, to take her message of maternal healthcare from local villages to the global stage, including Gambia where her campaign led to the banning of child marriage. Through her foundation, Extended Hands, she has provided vital support for fistula surgeries and upgraded hospital facilities.

Maternal health is not just a cause for Stephanie—it’s a personal mission. In our conversation, her voice carried a palpable urgency as she spoke about a friend’s preventable death during childbirth.

“It’s crucial to echo the message that no woman should lose her life while giving birth,” she asserted. “The tragedy I witnessed was due to clear mismanagement. A proper medical response could have saved her. There was no way the woman could have died if the doctors managed her situation properly. There was no ambulance to move her to a more equipped hospital, and when they finally got one, the ambulance team said they had no fuel. So when you listen to the different stages of what people go through, especially during healthcare crises, you know our survival is mainly by God’s grace.”

These harrowing experiences made her more determined to improve healthcare across Africa. “While healthcare systems globally face challenges, ours are compounded by inadequate facilities and a shortage of skilled professionals needed for critical care,” she said. “This reality fuels my drive to advocate relentlessly so that our healthcare outcomes can fundamentally change.”

Since she started advocating for global health, Stephanie has

No Woman Should Die Giving Birth

been working with research institutes and global health organisations to find practical solutions for women’s and girls’ health in Africa. She’s been using her platform to address systemic health problems, engaging with a wide range of stakeholders, including educational institutions, committees, policymakers, and cultural custodians to make global health better. She’s especially focused on improving maternal health outcomes and ensuring tangible progress is made.

The actress is very keen on making healthcare policies and practices better globally, so everyone can get the care they need, showing how important it is to have good healthcare facilities, training, and access to services to reduce Nigeria’s maternal mortality rates.

Recently, she achieved a historic feat by becoming the first Black recipient of Thomas Jefferson University’s Lennon K. Black International Prize for Excellence in Medicine. This prestigious award acknowledged her exceptional contributions to social activism and her pioneering efforts in advancing women’s health and rights.

Even though her interest in healthcare started during her university days, Stephanie’s first real experience with Nigeria’s healthcare issues happened during a trip to the Africa Movie Academy Awards in Yenagoa, Bayelsa State, in 2005. She suffered severe injuries in a serious car accident, sustaining burns and a broken leg.

for more action: from government interventions that alleviate these conditions to medical professionals continuously upgrading their practices and adhering to strict guidelines. Moreover, it’s essential for us as citizens to actively seek out and utilise the healthcare services available to us.”

Stephanie often envisioned a future where all Nigerians have access to safe, effective healthcare. She strongly believes that improving healthcare infrastructure and standards will not only save lives but provide a compelling reason for Nigerians in the diaspora to return home more frequently.

“Majority of the scare is healthcare. If something happens to me, will there be an immediate response that will save me?”

At times, she grappled with questions about the value placed on Nigerian lives when the healthcare system fails to function as it should. The inadequacies and challenges within the system weigh heavily on her conscience, prompting reflections on the fundamental rights and dignity owed to every individual, regardless of their circumstances.

For now, she is focused on improving maternal healthcare in Nigeria with plans to expand healthcare centres and establish global partnerships to enhance the expertise of Nigerian medical professionals.

Beyond her advocacy for maternal health, Stephanie is also deeply committed to combating gender-based violence.

“I worked with the Ford Foundation on a series of gender-based violence campaigns across secondary schools in Lagos. We organised debates and educational sessions where we taught young girls and boys about gender and sexual violence, their reproductive rights, and the importance of consent, as well as the legal consequences of violating these rights,” she explained.

She commended Lagos State for its proactive measures against gender-based violence and expressed hope that other states would adopt these initiatives to provide a safer environment for everyone, especially starting with the younger generations. Stephanie also disclosed that she is collaborating with organisations to establish a unique nationwide emergency line for victims.

While Stephanie’s passion for improving maternal healthcare remains strong, she’s equally drawn to her love for acting and filmmaking. She excitedly told me that she’s ready to dive into her creative projects, after taking a hiatus to focus on her family. Understanding the power of storytelling, Stephanie disclosed that she would be making impactful films that address women’s issues like the Aba women’s uprising, and other projects that would spark inspiration and resonate with audiences.

“After the accident, I found that people were initially reluctant to help, deterred by a cultural fear of being implicated legally or arrested,” she revealed.

Fortunately, the timely intervention of three compassionate individuals ensured she received immediate and effective assistance. She was swiftly transported to a well-equipped hospital in the city, where she could receive the care she urgently needed.

“Had they taken me to a lesser facility, I might not have survived,” she reflected.

Unfortunately, her initial leg surgery failed, setting her on a long path toward recovery.

After numerous surgeries and treatments that subsequently failed, Stephanie finally found success with a corrective surgery at a hospital in South Africa.

“My experiences shed light on the layers of challenges within our healthcare system, highlighting our collective vulnerability, regardless of status,” she said.

“It’s clear we have the potential to elevate our healthcare standards. We boast of Nigerian doctors excelling globally and at home. However, the ongoing issues across all sectors in Nigeria are formidable, yet not insurmountable. We possess unique strengths as a people; it’s crucial we harness these to foster improvement.”

She continued: “We must press

On April 21, Stephanie and her husband, Linus Idahosa, celebrated their 13th wedding anniversary. Reflecting on their journey together, Stephanie radiated love, reminiscing about their courtship, marriage, and shared aspirations.

“We are sharpening each other,” she remarked with laughter.

Stephanie and Linus dated for just a year before he proposed, and they exchanged vows in a private ceremony in Paris.

“I’m grateful for my husband,” she expressed fondly. “I met him just a week after I had a conversation with God, telling Him I was ready for a committed relationship. It was a funny time,” she chuckled, humorously admitting that every time she looked at their wedding photo, she reassured herself that choosing him was the best decision she ever made.

“He is truly wonderful—a man with a clear vision and steadfast determination. He is hardworking, loving, patient, and exceptionally kind, not just as my partner but also as a devoted father who adores his children,” she expressed warmly. “He’s my rock, my ‘G.’ He is one to really watch out for as far as strategic leadership goes on the continent.”

Just before I took my leave, Linus descended the stairs with his youngest child in his arms. As they stood in the middle of the living room, laughing and having light banter with their guests, they exuded the same warmth and joy that embraced me upon my arrival, painting a beautiful scene of a loving family.

Stephanie and her husband, Linus Idahosa

HighLife

Senator Gbemi Saraki Adds Another Year

The journey and brilliance of a lifetime starts with a choice. Senator Gbemisola Saraki has decided these things earlier on with her dedication to public service and her unwavering commitment to the development of Nigeria resonating profoundly. Born into a family deeply entrenched in Nigerian politics, Senator Saraki has carved her path, leaving an indelible mark on the political landscape.

Hailing from the distinguished Saraki lineage, the good senator is an authentic beacon of hope and progress for her constituents and beyond. Her illustrious career spans decades, marked by notable achievements and unwavering dedication to the betterment of society.

From her early days as a member of the House of Representatives to her tenure as a Senator of the Federal Republic of Nigeria, Senator Saraki has been a tireless advocate for good governance, economic empowerment, and social justice. Her leadership roles, including chairing the Senate Committee on National Planning, Poverty Alleviation, and Economic Affairs, underscore her commitment to addressing critical issues facing the nation.

Senator Saraki’s contributions extend beyond legislative duties, as evidenced by her impactful tenure as Minister of State for Transportation and later Minister of State for Mines and Steel Development. Her strategic vision and proactive approach played a pivotal role in driving progress and innovation in these vital sectors, setting the stage for sustainable growth and development.

On account of all these, every May 3, her birthday, is a day to celebrate her resoundingly. Saraki continues to inspire generations with her exemplary leadership, integrity, and unwavering dedication to the service of humanity. Her legacy serves as a testament to the power of perseverance, passion, and purpose in shaping a brighter future for Nigeria and its people.

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

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

For Wale Tinubu, Good Times are Here

Where business genius crackles and minds always churn with new ideas to boost profit, Wale Tinubu has emerged as a titan, a visionary leader whose strategic prowess knows no bounds. As the nephew of President Bola Tinubu, his ascent to greatness mirrors the indomitable spirit of enterprise and innovation that runs through the veins of the Tinubu lineage.

Tinubu has once again proven his mettle with a bold and far-reaching move - the acquisition of Nigerian Agip Oil Company Ltd (NAOC) through Oando PLC, Nigeria’s leading indigenous energy solutions provider. This landmark transaction, soon to be authorised, signals a paradigm shift in the nation’s oil and gas sector, with profound implications for the industry’s future trajectory.

With a keen eye for opportunity and a deep understanding of the intricacies of the energy market, Tinubu has positioned Oando PLC

for unprecedented growth and expansion. The acquisition of NAOC not only solidifies Oando’s standing as a key player in Nigeria’s oil and gas landscape but also underscores Tinubu’s unwavering commitment to driving sustainable development and economic empowerment across the nation.

Under his leadership, Oando PLC has evolved into a powerhouse, a beacon of excellence in a fiercely competitive industry. His strategic vision and relentless pursuit of excellence have propelled the company to new heights, earning him accolades and recognition both at home and abroad.

The details are not fully out yet, but it is already evident that good times are indeed here for Tinubu and Oando Plc. His wisdom and farsightedness have once again come to the fore, setting the stage for a brighter, more prosperous future for Nigeria’s energy sector and the nation as a whole.

All Eyes on Olusegun Alebiosu as FirstBank’s New MD

New waves will overcome the old. The appointment of Olusegun Alebiosu as the Acting Managing Director/Chief Executive Officer of First Bank of Nigeria Limited (FirstBank Group), effective April 2024, has captured the attention of stakeholders and industry observers alike. Everybody now understands that a new era has come.

Alebiosu steps into this pivotal role with a wealth of experience, having served as the Executive Director, Chief Risk Officer, and Executive Compliance Officer since January 2022. His ascension follows the unexpected departure of Adesola Adeduntan, who vacated the position ahead of schedule.

With over 28 years of extensive experience in the banking and financial services industry, Alebiosu brings a diverse skill set to the helm of FirstBank. His expertise encompasses credit risk management, financial planning and control, corporate and commercial banking, as well as specialisation in sectors such as agriculture, oil and gas, transportation, and project financing.

Kudos to Visible Construction Limited

Visible Construction Limited, under the adept leadership of Olalekan Adebiyi, has emerged as a cornerstone in Nigeria’s journey towards progress. Their steadfast commitment to the renovation and enhancement of the esteemed National Assembly Complex in Abuja has earned them widespread commendation, marking a significant milestone in the nation’s infrastructure development.

In an industry as competitive as construction, Visible Construction has distinguished itself as a leading force, solidifying its reputation through exemplary performance and unwavering dedication to quality. Despite facing challenges, the company has completed its mission to restore the iconic complex to its former glory.

Adebiyi’s exemplary leadership, coupled with the dedication of Visible Construction’s workforce, has been instrumental in the successful advancement of the NASS Complex project. Their professionalism and commitment

to delivering top-notch workmanship have set them apart as a reliable and responsible construction agency.

The completion of this high-profile renovation project not only enhances Visible Construction’s standing in the industry but also opens up new opportunities for growth and collaboration. Their success in restoring the National Assembly Complex positions them as a trusted partner for future projects and reinforces their role as a key contributor to Nigeria’s infrastructure development.

Under the visionary leadership of President Tinubu, and with companies like Visible Construction leading transformational initiatives, Nigeria is witnessing unprecedented progress and improvement. The firm’s commitment to excellence is after all reflected in their diverse client base and their dedication to delivering quality-built projects on time and within budget.

Alebiosu’s professional journey began in 1991 with Oceanic Bank Plc. (now EcoBank Plc.), where he honed his skills before assuming key roles in prominent financial institutions. Prior to joining FirstBank in 2016, he held positions such as Chief Risk Officer at Coronation Merchant Bank Limited and Chief Credit Risk Officer at the African Development Bank Group. His academic background further underscores his qualifications for the role, with degrees from prestigious institutions including Harvard School of Government, University of Lagos, and London School of Economics and Political Science.

A distinguished member of various professional bodies, Alebiosu is known for his unwavering commitment to excellence and ethical practices in the banking sector. His leadership is expected to steer FirstBank towards continued growth and innovation, solidifying its position as a leading financial institution in Nigeria and beyond.

Beyond his professional achievements, Alebiosu is recognized for his passion for golf and adventure, adding a dynamic dimension to his persona. With his appointment, stakeholders anticipate a new era of success and prosperity for FirstBank.

Saraki

Adebiyi

Tinubu

Alebiosu

Abdul Rabiu Samad… Changing Lives in Many Ways

Age is not a guarantee of wisdom, but in the case of Dr. Mike Adenuga, each passing year seems to enrich his legacy and deepen his impact on the African business landscape. As he approaches his 71st birthday on April 29, 2024, the world marvels at the enduring wisdom and towering achievements of this titan of industry.

Last year, when he turned 70, accolades poured in from global leaders, including French President Emmanuel Macron, and Nigerian President Bola Tinubu, extolling the virtues of this African icon. Why would such grand gestures be made by these world leaders? Simple: there is something special about Dr. Adenuga.

Born into modest beginnings, Adenuga’s ascent to the upper echelons of business is a testament to his tenacity, vision, and relentless pursuit of excellence. His company, Globacom, stands as Nigeria’s second-largest telecom operator and boasts a presence in Ghana and Benin, solidifying his status as a key player in Africa’s telecommunications landscape.

Adenuga’s entrepreneurial journey began with humble roots, working as a taxi driver to support his university education. His early ventures in lace trading and soft drink distribution laid the foundation for his future

Akinruntan’s

Amid all the turmoil of ethnic violence in Plateau State, Nigeria, Abdul Samad Rabiu’s ASR Africa Initiative emerges as a beacon of hope, one that is illuminating the path towards peace and progress. Founded with a commitment of $100 million annually, the initiative aims to foster sustainable development in health, education, and social welfare across Africa.

One of ASR Africa Initiative’s notable contributions is the recent donation of a N250 million ultra-modern sports complex to the University of Jos. Equipped with top-notch facilities including a 300-seater spectator stand, changing rooms, and sports courts, the complex symbolises more than mere athletics— it embodies unity and solidarity in a divided community.

Professor Tanko Ishaya, Vice Chancellor of the University of Jos, aptly describes the

complex as “a centre of unity,” emphasising its role in fostering camaraderie and bridging divides. Through sports, Rabiu not only enriches the lives of students and athletes but also cultivates a sense of belonging within the broader community.

Beyond Jos, the ASR Africa Initiative’s impact spans Nigerian universities, from Ibadan to Maiduguri, through various projects such as career support centres and infrastructure development. Rabiu’s generosity is not just financial; it emanates from a genuine desire to uplift others and create lasting change.

In a world often overshadowed by discord, Rabiu’s philanthropy is more than a single beacon of hope—it is a lighthouse. It inspires others to embrace compassion and kindness. His actions remind us all of the transformative power of empathy and the boundless potential of human generosity.

The Pride of Africa, Mike Adenuga, at 71

Giant Leaps as Obat Oil Set to Open 1,000 Retail Outlets

Prince Akinfemiwa Akinruntan, the scion of the renowned Akinruntan lineage, is making significant strides in the energy sector with the introduction of Obat Energy, a revolutionary product aimed at boosting energy levels for Nigerians. With this bold initiative, Prince Akinruntan continues to uphold the legacy of excellence and innovation established by his esteemed father, Oba Fredrick Akinruntan. Obat Energy represents a culmination of Prince Akinruntan’s visionary leadership and commitment to meeting the evolving needs of consumers in Nigeria’s dynamic market. Leveraging his extensive experience as the General MD of the Obat Group, Akinruntan has spearheaded the development of this groundbreaking product to provide Nigerians with a reliable source of energy to power their daily lives.

As Obat Energy prepares to enter the market, Akinruntan has unveiled plans

success. In 1991, his company, Consolidated Oil, made history by striking oil in Southwestern Ondo State, marking a significant milestone as the first indigenous oil company to do so in commercial quantity.

Throughout his illustrious career, Adenuga has been recognized with numerous accolades and honours, including being named African Entrepreneur of The Year and receiving the Grand Commander of the Order of the Niger from the Nigerian government. His contributions to business and society have earned him a Yoruba tribal chieftaincy as the Otunba Apesin of the Ijebu clan and the prestigious Commander of the Legion of Honor from President Macron of France.

As he celebrates another year of life and achievements, Dr. Adenuga remains an inspiration to both existing and aspiring entrepreneurs and a symbol of Africa’s boundless potential. At 71, his legacy of resilience, innovation, and philanthropy continues to shape the economic landscape of the continent and inspire generations to come.

to establish 1,000 retail outlets across Nigeria, marking a significant expansion of the company’s footprint and enhancing accessibility for consumers nationwide. This ambitious endeavour reflects the young Akinruntan’s strategic vision and determination to drive widespread adoption of Obat Energy, ultimately empowering individuals and communities across the country.

Under Akinruntan’s leadership, Obat Oil and Petroleum Limited has solidified its position as one of Nigeria’s leading privatelyheld oil companies, with a strong presence in both domestic and international markets. The company’s commitment to excellence and innovation has earned it a reputation as a trusted provider of high-quality petroleum products, further bolstering its competitive edge in the industry.

Beyond his professional accomplishments,

embodies the values of integrity, diligence, and service to humanity instilled by his esteemed family lineage. Even with his bright achievements in the energy sector, the young Akinruntan is still guided by a steadfast commitment to driving positive change and making a meaningful impact on society.

Great Time to Be Jim Ovia: Zenith Bank’s

Evolution and Ongoing Success

(EGM) saw overwhelming shareholder approval for this strategic move, marking a significant milestone in Zenith Bank’s evolution.

The transition involves the transfer of ordinary shares from Zenith Bank Plc to a newly formed Zenith Bank Holding Company Plc (HoldCo), as per the approved Scheme of Arrangement. Shareholders stand to benefit from equivalent shares in the HoldCo while existing Global Depositary Receipt (GDR) holders will receive one new HoldCo GDR per existing GDR.

Beyond share conversion, the restructuring includes the transfer of Zenith Bank’s shares in its subsidiary, Zenpay Limited, to the HoldCo. Furthermore, the Board has been authorised to delist Zenith Bank shares from the Nigerian Exchange and existing GDRs from the London Stock Exchange, with plans to re-register as a private limited company under Nigeria’s

Companies and Allied Matters Act (CAMA) 2020.

The HoldCo structure not only positions Zenith Bank to thrive in the dynamic financial services landscape but also enables the exploration of untapped sectors like fintech. With approvals and licences from the Central Bank of Nigeria (CBN) secured, Zenith Bank is poised to drive innovation and growth, surpassing traditional banking boundaries.

Ovia, the founder and Chairman of Zenith Bank, is very satisfied with the Bank’s transition to a holding company, foreseeing opportunities to leverage the Fintech sector and bolster digital and retail banking initiatives. It adds to his corporate stars that this is coming in the shadow of his recent appointment as the chairman of the board of the Nigerian Education Loan Fund (NELF).

The recent announcement from MRS Oil Nigeria Plc, spearheaded by the visionary Sayyu Dantata, has ignited significant intrigue and anticipation. This leading oil marketing company, closely associated with the esteemed lineage of Africa’s industrial titan, Aliko Dangote, has unveiled its intention to seek shareholder approval for delisting from the Nigerian Exchange (NGX). This strategic manoeuvre, unveiled within an Extraordinary General Meeting (EGM) notice submitted to the NGX, stems from a meticulous examination conducted by the company’s board, under the sagacious guidance of Dantata. Evaluating factors such as regulatory constraints, administrative overheads, burgeoning opportunities, and overarching strategic objectives, Dantata’s leadership has charted a course for transformative change. With an unwavering commitment to unlocking value and driving innovation, Dantata envisions that delisting will empower MRS Oil Nigeria with greater operational flexibility, enable strategic alliances, and optimise cost structures, thus letting it wield more competitive advantage within the market. This strategic initiative, likely to encompass a share buyback and capital reduction, sets the stage for future endeavours to seek shareholder endorsement for listing on the NASD OTC Securities Exchange.

Despite MRS’s commendable financial performance, including an impressive 80.9 per cent annual surge in revenue for 2023, Dantata remains focused on positioning the company for sustained success and enduring growth. With his commanding 60 per cent ownership stake, the sibling of Dangote has a strategic vision to propel MRS Oil Nigeria to prominence not only within Nigeria but also across the vibrant markets of West Africa.

As the driving force behind MRS Oil Nigeria’s strategic evolution, Dantata’s leadership shows a commitment to innovation, resilience, and adaptability. The envisaged delisting represents a strategic recalibration aimed at optimising operational efficiency, stimulating growth, and enhancing shareholder value under Dantata’s astute guidance.

Sayyu Dantata’s MRS to Exit Exchange

Dantata

Samad

Akinruntan

Ovia Nigeria’s financial landscape is abuzz with news of Zenith Bank’s transition into a holding company structure, spearheaded by the country’s richest banker, Jim Ovia. The recent court-ordered Extraordinary General Meeting

Akinruntan

Adenuga

AA, as he is fondly called by very close associates, is thinking of legacy. This very influential Governor of Kwara State who also doubles as the Chairman of the Governors Forum, in his second term, has mapped out a clear road map that would move his state from being just a semiagrarian cum civil service state to a major oasis of socio-economic development, leveraging heavily on a developmental tripod –technology, entertainment and industries.

For him, the vision has always been to drive developmental traffic towards the state in a bid to ramp up economic activities which will now impact jobs, infrastructure, and youth engagement in the first instance, and then generally ramp up the basic standard of living while gently reducing the burden on the scarce resources of the state by opening private sector-led revenue-generating initiatives. To achieve these, his administration has embarked on very strategic projects that would serve as trigger projects for the anticipated economic flows. By this, he has plotted a very aggressive road map that has as pinpoints – a massive movie studio named the Sugar Factory, a huge tech hub which has been described as the biggest of its kind in the West African subregion, a modern high-

LET’S STOP BULLYING MULTICHOICE

We sha like to just bully this company and the reason is very simple. Shebi it went to get the “monopoly” of all of those very beautiful football stations and did not stop at that. They also acquired Nollywood, Zee World and cartoons, thereby literally holding Nigerians in their “balls.”

This is why anytime they make a small move to increase their subscription rate, the whole country will run into a frenzy, forgetting that they are not NTA nor have been granted any form of subsidy, making them very vulnerable to a harsh economic climate.

Mbok, even the police have increased the cost of their police report from N5,000 to N40,000 so why can’t MultiChoice whose content acquisition cost is tied to the dollar rate, high diesel cost, multiple taxes from all levels of government and also technology

AbdulRahman AbdulRazaq: Plotting Creative Dots

acquisition and maintenance cost also ramping up in incremental costs. And you say they should continue doing magic with their subscription? You think it is everybody that has the “juju” that the federal government has been using in keeping fuel prices at the same rate even though the dollar is going up and they have “removed” subsidy?

Mbok, MultiChoice is even trying by doing only a 20% increase. If I were their MD, I would tie it to the dollar rate. As the thing is going up, my subscription rate is going up because I cannot go and tell my shareholders story o.

Last I checked, pay TV is not a social or essential service o. If you cannot afford it, you leave it na, after all, you have alternatives like NTA or even start another round of tales by moonlight under the tree in your backyard for

tech animation studio and finally a massive garment factory just away from the airport.

The idea, according to him, is to leverage the deep fountain of youthful talent that can be pulled from the tertiary institutions in the state and around to drive talent toward these projec ts, thereby creating critical opportunities in these areas which will now jump-start a massive economic renaissance in the state.

To timestamp his seriousness, he is building a world-class Conference Centre complete with three massive conference halls, and a hotel with over 200 rooms within the same complex. According to him, this will give Abuja a run for its money in that space.

Already traffic into the state has witnessed a major lift with the airlines recording more flow, thereby leading to an increase in scheduled flights and expansion of fleets, making AA’s dream of turning Kwara into a major economic hub almost a re ality. He really does not need our p rayers as from what I have gleaned, all the projects have reached over 90% completion and as earlier mentioned with human traffic, his vision has started emerging into the phase of reality. Na only one massive restaurant that will serve afang is what is left to attract tourists from Spain. That’s all. Well done sir.

entertainment. Taking them to court, abusing them and calling them all sorts of names is just misplaced aggression. The fight is with the people whose policies are causing these harsh economic realities that are making these companies either shut down or raise their prices. It’s not to be fighting a private concern who only is just looking for a way to survive.

Las las, it’s a simple case of demand and supply – market forces. If DStv “overpriced” themselves, leave am na. Na by force to watch Africa magic? Mbok, I tire o.

DAVE UMAHI VS LAILA JOHNSON: AN EPIC CONFRONTATION

You know how men get weak in the knees in the face of wicked beauty? That was what must have happened to our “village boy” minister. This

wicked beauty not only appeared at his press conference looking like the famed Delilah but carried with her the brains of Albert Einstein.

I had started seeing this divine beauty just this week and muttered under my breath that this ARISE TV has scored a goal with this lady o. Her beauty regaled my senses with the soft ambience of wonder. Her eloquence and clarity reminded me of the very serious TV presenters to dazzle global audiences in some of the most influential international stations, and her brilliance not leaving any doubt as to her emergence as a critical draw in this very competitive market.

I also remember saying to myself “Channels, don die o,” How will they come back from this one, only for me to stumble on the clip of Minister Dave Umahi dawdling and doodling as this beauty held him in her hands and

AbdulRazaq

Umahi

Ugbe

Momodu Ajai-Lycett

made a mockery of him.

Mbok, the lady didn’t have to say much o. All she did was just to keep repeating the same question- can we have the document…… and Mr. Minister started embarrassing himself telling us how he didn’t go to school, how he is a village boy and how he needs an interpreter.

By this time, my sweet Laila just knew that she had him on the ropes and delivered the deadly sucker punch: “You have a lot of people around you, I am sure they can help interpret for you,” and that gave our minister some sense. He started answering her questions like a recalcitrant student who had just been knocked on the head by a no-nonsense teacher. He answered her questions very dutifully and obediently like a nice little “boy.”

Mbok, Laila has landed o. The next encounter should be with Wike. Kai, I cannot wait o. Na wa.

WAS ADEREMI ADEOYE TRULY A POLICEMAN?

This is a new confusing one o. We don’t know whether to hail him or ask questions. Egbon, in his farewell speech reportedly said that while in office, he had “started the Alpha Trust Investment Club (ATIC) in 2018 and they started with a modest N54million but the investment is worth over N20billion today.

My people, too many questions o. Was the CP a part-time policeman? Was he running around chasing Boko Haram with his calculator on one hand and gun on the other? Is this permissible under police service rules? Where did he get the N54million startup funds as a policeman? Was he allowed to set up a firm, talk less of an investment vehicle while in office and was it regulated by the SEC or any other regulatory authority?

You see the Nigeria of today, this kind of news even comes with a sigh of relief because normally, na EFCC will be pursuing him for thieving the place dry or for diverting funds meant to buy condoms for policemen in their safe sex campaign. Instead, we have seen an officer who served with no reported blemish, pulled out respectfully but he himself come open his mouth and “blemished his record”.

So, you see my confusion this morning, do we hail him as a straightforward and exemplary policeman, or do we ask him more questions?

Please, anybody that can explain, my number is on top of the page, kindly call me and explain this one o because I must really confess, I am very very confused as I write, kai.

TAIWO AJAI-LYCETT ROARS BACK TO LIFE

This cerebrally beautiful icon has roared back to life. During the week, someone sent me a promo she had just shot for a London stage play she will be participating in, depicting the life and times of a great sage- I am not mentioning the name of the play o. The promo was quite electric. Even at her age, I hear close to 80, she still has the charisma and energy to hold down the audience. Her piercing eyes, clear elucidation and timing reminded the viewer of her legendary weight in the art space.

Mummy is today one of the biggest ever actresses in Nigeria. Her inputs crisscrossed international lines, bringing not only to her but to Nigeria accolades and respect. She continues to bedazzle with her beauty and charm. I was first introduced to her as a teen watching the hilariously wicked British comedy “Some Mothers Do Have Em.” Her classic turn, beautiful visage and wonderful gap tooth used to capture the audience, thereby making her a permanent fixture in our minds.

The promo I just watched took me back to the years of my youth, reminding me of the days when you did not have to be a slay queen, show us your nude or indulge in various scandals to contribute to the space. All hail Mummy Taiwo Ajai-Lycett and if you want to see the promo, just send me a plate of afang and it’s all yours to savour. Well done Mummy.

DELE MOMODU: A RICH LIFE

I was privileged to sit beside this iconic media man to discuss Nigeria amongst others. Mbok, by the time we finished, he had taken us – complete with cameramen and all on a PhD course on Nigeria, its people, culture and tragedy. Uncle Dele is such an encyclopaedia

on Nigeria that it is amazing how he keeps all of that information in his head. Thankfully, he announced that he is writing a book on Nigeria and his experiences and also I have just seen a poster announcing his talk series. It would have been very very sad if he just left us at his appointed time without sharing his experiences and thoughts. From Tinubu to MKO, to Obi, to Babangida, to Abacha to almost everybody down to his foray in the media with May Ellen Ezekiel, to his colleagues at the then wave-making FAME Magazine and finally his relationships with such iconic figures like Nduka Obaigbena, Mike Adenuga and the rest.

The talk was amazing I swear. Me that I

TONY ‘MONTANA’ ELUMELU:

HOLLYWOOD CALLING

You know how my mind works. The thing works funny and that’s why people say I craze. The other day, I was watching one of Tony Elumelu’s many clips on Instagram — I think it was the one he was visiting one of his recipients in her factory in South Africa — and I noticed something. His carriage, his charisma, his bowlegs like Idris Elba and the fact that the camera loved him and I wondered, just how would this man fare on the large screen. He understands camera angles, posturing, and blockings and he carries his clothes well with a style that remains eclectic. Immediately the thought came to my mind, but I pushed it back- Tony in a movie? That will be the day. Then the super beautiful Tayo Elesin, a British Nigerian movie star with some very strong movie credits including

the American hit series ‘Law and Order’ called in. Edgar, I am working on an $11m movie on a Nigerian adopted by Queen Victoria and would be shooting in Nigeria and the UK and I want you to be coproducer.

Immediately I sent Tony’s clip on the South African visit and she screamed- oh my God, ohh my God. He photographs well and I said, I was just thinking about this before your call came.

Would you consider him in a big role as this would open up a whole new vista in the N3 trillion entertainment industry? Imagine Tony on a movie set. She loved the idea and asked if he would agree. I said nothing is impossible in this life, let’s pray about it and when he is in a good mood after UBA announce their latest results, we ask him. My people, fear is catching me. Any advice?

was hungry after talking to Tonye Cole and Ruth Osime who were both equally brilliant, I just sat there glued as Uncle Dee continued with his evocation. He will break into song, poetry and recitation. At some point, almost broke down in tears when he talked about his last moments with Chief MKO Abiola and ended the whole convo with the last thing MKO said to him: “I don’t think Sani can do that.”

Uncle Dee, I bow. That’s all I can say for now. My mouth is still open with amazement. Thanks so much.

MAGNUS ONYIBE LEADING FROM THE STREETS

Magnus is a very brilliant and extremely erudite scholar. He is, if I am going to be very factual, one of the leading lights of contemporary Nigerian politics. Although I recently do not understand his boundarybending outlook on politics, his brilliance remains very much secure. He recently sent me his new book, ‘Leading from the Streets,’ a wellpacked voluminous book that has captured Nigeria’s descent from glory to international pariah in very beautiful prose.

The moment I got the book, I rushed to devour it but stopped almost immediately. It was a compilation of all of his articles from one particular period to another period. This was disappointing for me because I was expecting fresh insights into Nigeria from such a beautiful mind. Throwing together past essays that had addressed issues that events seem to have overtaken, to me, was a lazy way of throwing in a commentary on contemporary Nigeria. I lost interest and threw the book aside. I called him and told him my mind but he no gree. If you know Magnus very well, you will know why he no go gree. He no dey gree o. He argued very strongly in support of his vision of the book and went ahead to offer me five minutes to speak at the launch.

Another thing again is that he has now gathered “yesterday’s people” to come and talk at the launch- from Gowon to all those kind people and this is my second grouse.

All these people will now come and be reminiscing. They will take us down the road of the beautiful old days and will smile and nod their heads and just say, “Kai, things have changed.”

I told my brother my mind. Mbok, let Gowon go and rest, let IBB go and rest, let Abdulsallami go and rest, they have tried. Allow them to take care of their dentures. Use your brain power and push for an intellectual renaissance in thought, in pragmatic engagement not putting people together who will come and tell us how Awo flew the first helicopter campaign in the North. If Oga Magnus gives me that five minutes, this is exactly what I will tell Gowon and his crew – just leave us alone. Thank you

FUNKE OGEAH: A BEFITTING FAREWELL

Last Friday, Funke Ogeah was laid to rest after a very colourful funeral service at Pastor Ituah Ighodalo’s church. Chike was solemnly glamorous, their beautiful kids looking splendid as they bade their elegant mum farewell. It was a very touching ceremony as she was heralded with songs, tributes, recitals and homilies. Chike handled himself well with his kids.

Funke lived well as attested to by President Bola Tinubu’s Chief of Staff, Mr. Femi Gbajabimila in his own tribute as he reminded the audience of how she never asked him for a favour for herself but for others.

Funke will be sorely missed but we will all be consoled by the fact that she lived a very sweet and impactful life. Sleep well, my sister.

Elumelu

Billionaire businessman and Chairman of SIFAX Group, Taiwo Afolabi, is definitely not one of your runoff-the mill businessmen.

The business tycoon has glided from the lowest rung of the ladder to the limelight; and this is evident in the phenomenal growth of the business that he started decades ago.

The story of his life is not as smooth as a bowling ball gliding on a varnished lane. It is the story of a man who flailed and floundered against the maelstrom and headwind of a tempestuous homegrown economy but whose resilience and steadfastness kept on the straight and narrow path to fame and fortune.

In reminiscence, Afolabi had graciously grabbed the singular opportunity that came his way with both hands at a time when many of his peers lacked the ability to see beyond their noses.

And for his inspiring efforts, he is one of the most successful indigenous moguls in Nigeria today.

Always driven by passion, his entrepreneurship skill, without exaggeration, is legendary.

Fascinatingly, unlike many successful men who have reportedly allowed fame, success and sometimes stardom to turn their heads, Afolabi has rather focused on charity simply because he recognises that only God is the unseen hand behind his success story.

No wonder, his success story is a lesson to many, especially youngsters whom he has mentored.

In appreciation of his kindhearted roles in their lives, his staff organised a remarkable birthday celebration for him last Monday, April 29, 2024 in Lagos.

It was gathered that the man, who many love to call a mentor, icon and benefactor, was honoured by his staff across his conglomerates, Marriott Hotels, SACHOL, among others.

It was also revealed that the Ogun State born magnate had a private dinner for his 62nd birthday in his palatial residence at Ikoyi, Lagos. The party had in attendance high net worth individuals.

Ooni of Ife’s Growing Business Empire

The desire and determination of the Ooni of Ife, Adeyeye Ogunwusi, to do things differently and remain distinct in his ways has largely contributed to his success since he ascended the throne nine years ago.

The Arole Oduduwa, as he is fondly called, remains steadfast in his ways and has always been driven by the interest of his people. He is blessed with a repertoire of knowledge in his culture and tradition. Little wonder he has remained one of the most influential monarchs in Nigeria.

Before he ascended the throne, he was a top shot in property and real estate, with a lofty vision to become the best real estate company in Nigeria, Africa and beyond. He was among those who revolutionised the industry in no time with huge

Although his position as a king, to some extent, has slowed him down from operating his business, the man who was born with a high sense of business orientation has not jettisoned his youthful dream of becoming one of the best businessmen in the country and beyond. It can be said that his royal position does not stop his

At the recent 60th birthday of his wife, Yeye Olufunke Daniel, many were surprised at how Senator (Otunba) Gbenga Daniel was able to pool a mix of politicians from different political parties to the event.

Although he is a valued member of the

Little by little, the monarch has been actualising his lofty ideas. He has invested billions of naira in retail shopping outlets with his trademark Ojaja Mall across the South-western states, such as Osun, Ondo, Ekiti, Ogun and Lagos.

A source hinted that the highly revered king has also invested in education, with the Ojaja University, located in Ilorin, Kwara State. The school, as gathered, is poised to be the most preferred choice in the country and aims to produce globally competitive and entrepreneurially savvy solutions providers who would be leaders and future employers of labour as well as a global centre of excellence in cultural studies and renaissance.

A few weeks ago, Oba Adeyeye expanded his business empire with the launch of Tingo Cola. The set of drinks was launched in Lagos to the admiration of all and loads of unprecedented razzmatazz/fanfare with consumers giving kudos for a job well done.

Although only two out of nine variants were launched, a source revealed that it has a propensity to give others in the market a run for their money.

The Ooni also has his hands in other businesses, such as agriculture, tech, banking and tourism.

Gbenga

Influence Has Been on the Rise

ruling All Progressives Congress (APC), politicians from opposition parties such as the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) and Labour Party turned up to honour him colleagues at the Senate all showed up at the party, held at Balmoral Event Centre, Sheraton Hotels, Ikeja, Lagos. Members of the House of Representatives were not left out as they turned out in large numbers to honour the man of the people.

It was a mixture of the who-is-who in the two chambers of the national assembly, with many former governors in attendance.

The colourful birthday also sent strong signals to many politicians about the political strength of the man, fondly addressed as OGD. Though a first-timer at the senate, his influence has risen beyond the sky. That OGD is a powerful politician from the South-west is pretty obvious. He has scaled and survived all the land mines thrown his way over the last

NATCOM Boss, Adejare Adegbenro’s Leadership Legacy

In the intricate mosaic of Nigeria’s societal fabric, Adejare Adegbenro stands tall as a testament to the power of leadership, resilience, and unwavering dedication to the common good.

In him, Nigerians have found not only a visionary leader but also a compassionate steward of progress, whose impact reverberates far beyond the shores of his homeland.

Being the grandson of the late Premier of Western Region, Daudu Adegbenro, he draws inspiration from the deep well of a lineage steeped in the political legacy of his grandfather. Raised in a family that values service to the community, Adegbenro has carved his path as a distinguished figure in Nigerian society.

The culmination of his familial heritage and dedication to community service was marked by his installation as the first Otunba Laje of Owu Kingdom in Ogun.

Since this historic event six years ago, he has reinforced his deep-rooted ties to his cultural heritage and commitment to uplifting his

people.

Beyond his traditional titles, his influence extends globally, with his appointment as High Commissioner by the International Human Rights Commission (IHRC), where he spearheads foreign special missions aimed at preventing illegal migration and human trafficking. This appointment is a testament to his reputation as a renowned security expert and industrialist, whose expertise transcends national borders.

In his role as the acting Director-General of the National Commission against the Proliferation of Arms, Light Weapons, and Pipeline Vandalism (NATCOM), Adegbenro has demonstrated a steadfast commitment to combating threats to national security.

His vast experience in security consultancy and supply of security gadgets has positioned him as a pivotal figure in Nigeria’s security landscape.

However, Otunba Laje of Owu Kingdom’s contributions extend beyond the realm of security. Through his foundation, the Otunba Adejare Adegbenro Foundation (OAAF), he channels

“Memories are the one place we can visit those we’ve lost. Since memories are portable, we can take our lost loved ones with us anywhere at any time.”

This anonymous quote captures the mood of a popular automobile top player and business mogul, Adebayo Adesola and his siblings. Since their mother Madam Caroline Adesola, exited this mother earth four years ago, her memories have remained with the children.

She died on May 1, 2020, at the age of 71, leaving a trail of grief in the hearts of her loved ones. However, they were quickly comforted by the fact that Mama lived a fulfilled life and impacted humanity positively.

So, Adesola, the Ondo State-born managing director of Vision Wheel, alongside his siblings, pulled all the stops and gave their septuagenarian mother a befitting burial. She was interred at the Vaults and Gardens, Ikoyi,

25 years, beginning from his days as governor. One thing he has going for him is his mastery of politics and politicking.

During his days in the PDP, he was quite influential, so much so that he vied for the chairmanship of the party. That made him travel around the country several times, during which he built alliances across the Niger and in the northern region.

When he handled Abubakar Atiku’s campaign a few years back, he again engaged in marathon journeys across the 36 states of the federation. This explained his numerous friends and political associates spread across the country. The accomplished engineer and a consummate politician, who, undoubtedly is also a quintessential manager of man and resources, is one of the finest and most detribalised Nigerian who values the unity of this country. Little wonder his influence has continued to rise astronomically.

his resources towards uplifting the less privileged in society. With initiatives ranging from the provision of boreholes to communities lacking access to clean water to scholarships for deserving students, he exemplifies the spirit of philanthropy and communal solidarity.

Lagos, in a funeral that was attended by top personalities from all walks of life from home and abroad.

Family sources said Mama was given everything she dreamt of and so much more by her children even before she was diagnosed with cancer during a summer trip in 2015. The business mogul and his siblings didn’t spare anything to ensure that she underwent intensive treatment till her cancer was in remission. Unfortunately, it resurfaced five years after, finally succumbing to it. Since she was taken away by the Grim Reaper, she has remained in their memories. Last week, her children gathered once again for a memorial prayer for the soul of their loving mother. Society Watch gathered that they shared food and money with the less privileged in honour of the woman who meant the world to them.

Oba Adeyeye

Daniel Taiwo Afolabi, Celebrates at 62

Adegbenro

Late Adesola

ARTS & REVIEW ARTS &

A PUBLICATION

Now, It’s Time to Celebrate the Masters…

Two galleries located in two affluent Lagos neighbourhoods are partnering for the first time for an art exhibition to celebrate Nigeria’s art lecturers. Okechukwu Uwaezuoke writes

Amidst the kaleidoscope of vibrant hues and eclectic styles that often define the bustling Lagos art scene, a forthcoming exhibition gleams with a promise of intrigue and enchantment. Titled My Lecturers Art Show, it illuminates the horizon, offering its alternative uniqueness and equally compelling and captivating creativity. The exhibition, a collaborative effort between two Lagos-based art galleries, Iwalewa Gallery of Art and Ogirikan Art Gallery, plans to bring together, for the first time ever, art lecturers from various backgrounds and styles all around Nigeria.

Scheduled to open sometime in early June, the eagerly anticipated exhibition positions itself as a towering paradigm of artistic brilliance, inviting aficionados and collectors to immerse themselves in the captivating offerings of such accomplished artists as Auchi Polytechnic lecturers: Omodamwen Eguasa, Wale Ajayi, Shola Kukoyi, Emmanuel Ikoro, Samuel Viyaje, and Kent Onah; Lagos State University’s Olojo K. Kosoko; University of Benin’s El Dragg Okwoju; University of Nigeria’s Oluwafemi Oloidi; Niger Delta University’s Timipre Willis Amah; University of Lagos’ Bolaji Ogunwo; and Yaba College of Technology’s Kunle Adeyemi.

Surely, it would be reasonable to expect the exhibition organisers to elevate its essence by meticulously refining it to encapsulate a rich and vibrant portrayal of Nigeria’s dynamic and multifaceted cultural landscape. Their attention to detail would not only amplify the avant-garde allure of the upcoming art extravaganza but also shed light on a mesmerising blend of cutting-edge contemporary artistry and time-honoured traditional motifs interwoven across the ages—a juxtaposition that captures the very essence of Nigeria’s cultural panorama. By meticulously unravelling the intricate web of artistic influences and interwoven narratives, this exhibition has the potential to offer an enlightening glimpse into a nation where innovation flourishes harmoniously alongside ageold traditions.

More importantly, the proposed annual event, beyond its celebration of Nigeria’s art educators, stands as a potent catalyst for profound dialogues, intricate explorations, and heartfelt appreciation of the vibrant tapestry of Nigerian artistry. In other words, it will be a dynamic hub for cultural exchange, weaving together diverse communities in a harmonious symphony of shared creativity. This transformative platform, therefore, not only offers a stage for esteemed artists from tertiary institutions to unveil their exceptional talents but also serves as a showcase, displaying the richness and variety of the burgeoning local art landscape. Interestingly, almost all of the exhibiting artists—with the exception of a handful—seem to be well-known personalities on the local exhibition cir-

cuit. However, this does not necessarily imply an unofficial sneak preview of the exhibition for the local art scene’s cognoscenti. Much, after all, still hinges on the artists’ submissions and the curatorial team’s competence. Take the works of Yaba College of Technology, Lagos, lecturer Kunle Adeyemi, for instance. They previously seemed to be eclectically impersonal and characterised by restlessness, but they have apparently come together in a coherent vernacular during his last year’s solo exhibition, Innovative Testament, at the Tim and Carrol Gallery in Ikeja, G.R.A.

Then, there is Niger Delta University’s Timipre Willis Amah, who might wish to leave more memorable impressions with his participation in My Lecturers’ Art Show. In his last solo exhibition in Lagos, held four years ago, he displayed works done with additive plastography, a printmaking technique patented by the iconic Bruce Onobrakpeya. This forthcoming exhibition offers him an opportunity to transcend what he once described as his big-fish-in-a-small pond status. Aficionados should, on the other hand, expect the same subtly contrasting brighter and more sombre-hued colours

from the paintings of the University of Lagos lecturer, Bolaji Ogunwo. With a painstakingly burnished profile, he presents himself for not just his three solo exhibitions—two

in Nigeria and one in the UK—but also for his participation in 42 local and international group exhibitions.

Having a sculptor like Omodamwen Eguasa, who draws inspiration from the cultural elements of Benin folklore, in the exhibition not only emphasises the organisers’ dedication to diversification but also spotlights the heritage-rich artistic traditions. Eguasa’s expertise in metal casting, originating from a prestigious Benin bronze-casting lineage, adds depth to his contribution. With academic achievements—a B.A. (Hons.) and an M.F.A. in sculpture from the University of Benin, Benin City—he brings forward a legacy of commitment to the craft. This inclusion elevates the exhibition, showcasing the intricate craftsmanship entrenched in Eguasa’s family legacy and providing attendees with a vivid portrayal of skilled artistry. The other sculptor, Shola Kukoyi, under whose tutelage many established successful sculptors have passed, also holds an MFA in sculpture from the University of Benin. He is known for his proficiency with metal sculpting, showcasing intricate designs that enthral viewers. Despite the demands of his academic duties, he gracefully carries out his roles as the Auchi Polytechnic’s head of the sculpture department, dean of the school, and chairman of the Polytechnic Schools Management Board (PSMB).

El-Dragg Okwoju, on the other hand, is a prominent figure in the local art scene. Despite juggling between his studio work and over 30 years of teaching art at the Department of Fine and Applied Arts at the University of Benin, his name still resonates strongly in artistic circles. An alumnus of the University of Benin, like a larger part of the participating artists, he is also inspired by themes revolving around the cultural heritage of the historic Benin City.

Reading between the lines of bringing together these artists under the same banner suggests a profound synergy existing between the two organising galleries, Iwalewa Gallery and Ogirikan Art Gallery. Both renowned for their deep passion for African art, they symbolise a vibrant artistic spirit. Bolstering this connection, the founders—Femi Williams of Iwalewa and Adeolu Tahouf of Ogirikan—have embraced a friendship that transcends the confines of their professional lives. Williams asserts that this bond has kindled a powerful synergy resonating across the art community. Together, they have forged a collaborative partnership that not only enriches their respective galleries but also amplifies the global influence of African art. Tahouf echoes this sentiment, acknowledging the profound impact of their intertwined fates on the art world’s landscape.

Yet, a lot more should still be expected from these gallery spaces, which are situated in upscale Lagos neighbourhoods—Iwalewa in Lekki and Ogirikan in Ikoyi. Indeed, this subsisting partnership for the My Lecturers’ Art Show may be a precursor to more fruitful collaborations in the future.

A painting by El-Dragg Okwoju

A sculpture by Shola Kukoyi

A painting by Bolaji Ogunwo

On Chokehold, LagosPhoto Festival Looks Elsewhere

Yinka Olatunbosun

The annual Lagos Photo Festival, a vibrant hub for passionate artists to showcase their creativity, has hit a roadblock this year. Due to an ongoing legal dispute leading to the closure of the African Artists Foundation building, where countless artist works are housed, the festival’s 2021 edition has been put on hold. This setback has not only impacted the local art community but also disappointed international visitors who extravaganza.

The Director, AAF, Azu Nwagbogu, revealed that the forceful closure had halted most of the activities of the organisation in the last two years.

“Sometime in October 2020, we were evicted by Keystone Bank in the most embarrassing and humiliating manner, claiming ownership through a court order,” he disclosed. “They claimed several properties belonging to the Umanah family, our landlords, claiming they were owed money by the late patriarch of the Umanah family.”

Nwagbogu elaborated further, pointing out a previous legal case where it was established that the Umanah family not only did not owe Keystone Bank but actually had an excess credit with them. This highlighted the bank’s questionable attempt to sidestep a prior court ruling. Subsequently, the court dismissed the current lawsuit, reprimanding Keystone Bank’s lawyers for abusing the judicial to seek a reimbursement of N600 million from the bank, citing an indemnity clause and past correspondence. However, the refused the refund. Following this deadlock,

The AAF building before the foreclosure

CONTROVERSY

a pivotal board meeting was convened, resulting in the decision to relocate the esteemed foundation to another African nation. This decision, made with heavy hearts, marks the end of an era as the organisation bids farewell to Nigeria after achieving acclaim in the global art sphere. The African Arts Foundation (AAF), an

Lagos since 2010, remains steadfast in its commitment to showcasing and promoting African art and culture worldwide. Through its celebrated annual LagosPhoto Festival, its position as the premier international photography festival in West Africa but has also successfully curated captivating art exhibitions and hosted prestigious competitions such as the National Arts Competition.

Furthermore, AAF has taken a proactive role in advocating for the repatriation of stolen artefacts back to Africa, championing the cause on a global scale. In a recent development, Izore Bamawo, Head of Corporate Communication at Keystone AAF building was not instigated by the bank but rather by the Umanah family. The legal implications of this closure are still unfolding, with the matter currently in court and awaiting resolution.

Mirroring the Society through a Book Called Distortion

For Ejiro Umukoro, the journey into writing Distortion was an inevitable one. As an investigative journalist, harrowing accounts of cultism, sexual abuse, religious hypocrisy, and family values have been a common sight on the job. These stories are pointers to a systemic failure in Nigeria, and most contemporary writers of prose do not always have the deep insights that this Pulitzerrecognised journalist, media entrepreneur, and facilitator possesses.

At the onset of the COVID-19 pandemic, Umokoro knew this book had to be written.

At the onset of the COVID-19 pandemic, Umokoro knew this book had to be written. But as the name implies, is a book that wrote itself on so many levels,” the author, who lives and works mostly in Delta State, explained during a virtual interview. “There is a lot of distortion in our society, in Nigeria. You can see this manifest in the stories that I told in the book, from how we handle gender-based violence to how we treat it as nothing.We normalise bad conduct and say that it is the victim’s fault, or we condone the perpetrator’s actions and hide them.

“There is a lot of distortion in our society, in Nigeria. You can see this manifest in the stories that I told in the book, from how we handle gender-based violence to how we treat it as nothing. We normalise bad conduct and say that it is the victim’s fault, or we condone the perpetrators actions and hide them. will go after them after they have committed a heinous crime. There’s also the issue of child surrogacy and building baby-making factories. It became so clear to me when I did the

investigative story on how our young girls were being recruited by cultists because they are fresh, young, innocent, and very impressionable.”

In her experience while combing the streets for feature stories, she discovered stories of children who were lured into an unwholesome lifestyle and crime by cultists. For her, distortions such as examination malpractice are rife in Nigeria.

“You see, all these children are easily lured, and it became normal for cultism to thrive in Nigeria. Well, we have the concept that Godfatherism is the only way to succeed when mediocrity is the real order of the day and excellence and hard work are no longer rewarded. Instead, you’d see the incidence of a parent writing exams for his own son. That is how distorted we have become as a people, and the other silent killer is the mental health issue. We need to accept that Nigeria is actually doing damage to its own people because the leadership in Nigeria does not want Nigeria to work.”

This argument of hers was further strength-geria. She wondered how the non-functioning pay salaries to workers.

“Even the nature of religion has become distorted,” she continued. “It is no longer a place where people look for succour, but it has become a place where people are also milked they give is tithes.”

She lamented the level of distortion and manipulation and how wrongfulness is normalised.

“That is why you have gender-based violence at its highest at the height of COVID-19. When this book was also inspired to be written, parents turned their daughters into women that they were raping on a regular basis, particularly in the northern and eastern parts of Nigeria, and it’s now a common thing all over the country. You see how we normalise kidnapping and terrorism.”

‘Distortion’ is a captivating literary piece that delves into the human mind and challenges taboos around the Osu caste system, widowgender-based violence, and the issues of mental health in a society that does not protect its own.

As a socially committed journalist, she wanted to do more than just write a book. With the

Lightray Book and Literary Society that she established, she has been able to encourage a young generation of readers and writers in Delta State.

“Lightray Book and Literary Society is a hub where we teach others how to write. We started with Young Writers, and as the advocate for children that I am, I’ve always felt that children’s voices matter. I’ve always loved to speak about children’s voices. I don’t know if this has to do with something about my childhood; growing up, I knew good and bad and how much I wanted to express myself, but I was denied doing so in a very authentic manner. I realise that parents don’t listen to their children. A lot of havoc is done to them.

“What I’m doing with the literary society is seeing that we have more diverse voices. We read a variety of books, and we encourage people and ask them, What are you reading? Why is this book important?

“Nowadays, we have more smart children leave our children behind, and literature is a way to build up their intelligence. They now have discernment and the capacity for quick thinking. They also know how to interact with the environment. It’s been amazing how young children are responding to it, and our parents are happy about it. We’re going to be churning out a lot of books under the publishing arm of the company.”

Meanwhile, the Ministry of Education has endorsed Ejiro Umokoro’s Distortion for schools. The book has been listed on the recommended textbooks for senior secondary schools (SS1-3) signed by the Director of Education Research Centre, Kelly N. Kentoa, under the Ministry of Basic and Secondary Education, Asaba, Delta State.

Umokoro is the recipient of the Distinguished Changemaker Award from the United States Agency for Global Media (USAGM).

Yinka Olatunbosun

Umukoro

Editor: Ejiofor Alike

IN THE ARENA

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email:ejiofor.alike@thisdaylive.com

The Charade Called LG Elections in Nigeria

The results of the recent local government elections held in Gombe and Oyo states have again shown that efforts to entrench credible polls at the local level have remained futile, Wale Igbintade writes

The charade, which most state governments organise in the name of local council elections in Nigeria reared its ugly head at the recent local government elections conducted in Gombe and Oyo states. In each of the local government elections, the ruling political parties in the states won all chairmanship and councillorship seats. For instance, in Gombe, the state Independent Electoral Commission (GOSIEC) declared that the ruling All Progressives Congress (APC) won all the 11 chairmanship seats as well as an unopposed victory in 114 councillorship positions.

However, the state chapter of the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) rejected the outcome of the exercise, alleging that it was a travesty of democracy and mere drama.

While the PDP said it was planning an appropriate redress mechanism to contest the outcome of the polls, the newly elected local government council officials were quickly sworn in by Governor Inuwa Yahaya to forestall any plan to scuttle their inauguration.

Unfortunately, the same PDP that complained in Gombe State, swept similar polls held in Oyo State where the state Independent Electoral Commission (OYSIEC) said the candidates of the party won the chairmanship positions in all the 33 local government areas despite the allegations of widespread electoral fraud, late arrival of materials and personnel, as well as unavailability of sensitive materials.

This time, it was the African Action Congress (AAC) that registered its displeasure with the conduct of the elections, called for its cancellation and described what transpired as a charade.

The National Publicity Secretary of the party, F mi Adeyeye, alleged that the state government did not conduct a credible election and called on security agents to release its state chairman and another member who were arrested during the elections.

Since Nigeria returned to democracy in 1999, LG polls have virtually become a charade. The results are usually predictable as the ruling party in the states usually sweeps the council polls, producing all the chairmen and councillors.

Despite repeated discussions on improving local government administration issues, each State Independent Electoral Commission (SIECs), has continued to make mockery of democracy.

While lack of credibility has generally bedevilled local government elections, some states are notorious for using caretaker committees to run local governments in breach of Section 7 of the

Constitution which provides that “the system of local government by democratically elected local government is guaranteed….”

In all the states that have so far conducted local government elections, it is a fact that the governors delivered between 90 per cent and 100 per cent of all the seats to their cronies.

The mockery of democracy extends to the process that leads to the emergence of candidates for local government polls even within parties. Instead of a competitive process, where aspirants sell their programmes to enable party members to evaluate their strengths against those of other contestants, a selection process devoid of internal democracy, in the name of consensus, is adopted. Governors handpick their cronies, who may not necessarily have the capacity to administer local councils, as ruling parties’ candidates. And with pliant SIECs, state governments select local government chairmen and councillors in sham elections.

The governors often rely on the constitutional provision, which states that, “….Accordingly, the government of every state shall, subject to Section 8 of this Constitution, ensure their existence under a law which provides for the establishment, structure, composition, finance and functions of such councils.” They usually use this proviso to justify the sacking of duly elected council officials.

According to Premium Times, on several occasions, the Supreme Court has declared that sack-

ing local government chairmen by governors is illegal. For instance, in May 2021, the court in a landmark ruling declared the sacking of 33 local government chairmen by the Oyo State Governor, Seyi Makinde, illegal and fined the state government N20 million for the act.

Governor Makinde had sacked all the elected officials, who were elected in 2018. Interestingly, his predecessor, the late Governor Abiola Ajimobi, only conducted the elections one year to the end of his eight-year tenure. When the election took place in 2018, his party, the APC, had cleared all the seats.

Nigerians have consistently argued that local government elections are too important to be surrendered to SIECs. They have called on the National Assembly and the federal government to abrogate SIECs and give the Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC) the powers to conduct all elections in Nigeria – federal, state and local councils. Their position is that the quality of local council elections does not only make a mockery of the country’s democracy, but also makes Nigerians at the grassroots develop cynicism and apathy towards council elections.

As they are today, local councils have been incapacitated by state governments to the point that they cannot effectively accomplish these roles.

Funds allocated to local councils from the Federation Accounts Allocation Committee (FAAC) are

POLITICAL NOTES

hijacked by state governments in the name of local and state governments’ joint accounts. Even now that federal allocations are paid directly into local council accounts, appointed chairmen in some instances are made to surrender those resources to state governments.

To address this anomaly of state governments manipulating the council electoral system through their appointed SIECs, the House of Representatives in 2021 considered transferring the conduct of council polls to the Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC).

A bill sponsored by Musa Bagos (PDP, Plateau) sought to amend Section 7 of the 1999 Constitution.

The proposed amendment provides broad functions of the local government and empowers INEC to conduct the elections. Bagos’ alteration sought to delete the entire Section 7 in the Constitution and provide a new section of functions of the council, election, process of removal of the council and other sundry matters relating to the local government system.

Section 197 of the Constitution establishes SIEC for each state, while the Third Schedule Part II establishes the functions of SIEC. Item 22 of the Exclusive Legislative List excludes elections into the local government from duties of the federal government.

This was not the first time such a move had been made. In the eighth National Assembly (2015-19), the Senate passed an alteration that sought to achieve this same purpose. Then, the Ike Ekweremadu-led constitutional amendment committee made 32 recommendations.

Ex-Senator Dino Melaye, who represented Kogi West in the Senate, moved an amendment that SIEC should be abrogated. According to him, local government autonomy will mean little if SIEC continues to conduct elections.

That amendment was passed by the upper chamber but it was not passed by the House, hence it died in the course of that alteration.

To this end, the proposal by a former Senate Leader, Senator Victor Ndoma-Egba, that state governors who fail to conduct local government elections as and when due should be sanctioned needs to be enforced. As a country that operates a constitutionally guaranteed three-tier government, Nigeria cannot have a situation where the democratic process is left in a hiatus at the grassroots level, as a result of the undemocratic proclivity of state governors, while the other tiers are trudging along. The democratic institutions and structures at all levels should be allowed to flourish at will.

Is Dan Orbih Planning Another Anti-party in Edo?

Is the Vice Chairman (South) of Peoples DemocraticParty(PDP),ChiefDanOrbih,andhis godfatherplanningtoplayanti-partyorspoiler-role toensurethedefeatofthePDPinEdoStateashis godfather did in the 2023 presidential election?

In what appeared like an afterthought, Orbih hadlastweek,alongwithhisalliesfromEdoNorth, opposed the emergence of Asue Ighodalo as the party’s governorship candidate in Edo State.

SpeakingathiscountryhomeinOgbona,Etsako

Central Local Government Area during the Edo North PDP (Legacy) leaders’ meeting, Orbih said thecurrentPDPledbyGovernorGodwinObaseki andPDPcandidate,Ighodalo,cannotleadthestate, addingthatthePDPlegacygroupwouldvotefora candidatewhowouldrepresentthebestinterest

of the good people of the state.

He claimed that since Obaseki came into the party in 2020, he abandoned the group who worked for his re-election.

Orbih had also rejected his membership of the statePDPCampaignCouncilwhichGovernorObaseki graciously included him as a mark of respect.

Many political analysts believe that his godfather willusehimandothermolesheplantedinPDPinother statestodestabilisethepartyinthestatestofacilitate thevictoryofAPCinthe2027presidentialpollasthey did in 2023.

But what is his value in Edo politics? How many councillorshipseats,localgovernmentchairmanship, stateconstituency,federalconstituencyandsenatorial elections has he ever won for the party?

Everybodyinthestate,particularlyEdoNorth,knowsthat since AdamsOshiomholeruledthestateasgovernor,Orbih has never secured victory for his party in the zone, making him a paper weight. So why is he arrogating so importance to himself, deciding who would be governor or not?

OrbihandothersledbytheMinisteroftheFederalCapital Territory (FCT), Mr. Nyesom Wike, were the spoilers who disorganisedthePDPinthelastpresidentialelection.Today, they are plotting to frustrate Ighodalo’s governorship ambition, possibly to facilitate the victory of the APC candidate. Having survived any form of sanction for their anti-party activitiesin2023elections,theyareemboldenedtoimplement theirwiderplottodestroyandweakenthePDPinthestates toensurethevictoryoftheAPCinthe2027presidentialpoll. Orbihandhisgodfathershouldbetoldthatthosewhoplay spoiler-roleforotherscanneverbetrustedbytheirnewfriends.

Orbih

Chairman of NGF, Governor AbdulRasaq

BRIEFING NOTES

Mamman’s Retrogressive Age Limit for University Admission

Ejiofor Alike reports that it amounts to chasing shadows for the Minister of Education, Prof. Tahir Mamman, to propose a backward and retrogressive age limit to exclude young and brilliant Nigerians from admission into universities when he should be worried by protracted challenges that disrupt the academic calendar of public universities in Nigeria

In an era when 16-17 years old students have demonstrated exceptional academic brilliance and brought fame to their families and countries, Nigeria’s Minister of Education, Professor Tahir Mamman, is fixated on a retrogressive and backward policy of excluding young and brilliant Nigerians from admission into universities.

More worrisome is the fact that the education minister is proposing this archaic age limit policy at a time public universities in the country are bedeviled with protracted challenges, which have disrupted their academic calendar and turned four-year degree courses into six-year programmes.

The Academic Staff Union of Universities (ASUU) had embarked on an eight-month industrial action in 2022 to press home some of its demands, which included a better welfare package.

It was on October 14, 2022, that ASUU withdrew its eight-month-old industrial action, and directed that all universities should be reopened on October 17, 2022.

The union suspended the industrial action on the grounds that the federal government should abide by the tenets of the new resolutions reached.

Following ASUU’s industrial action that lasted for four months in 2009, the late President Umaru Musa Yar’Adua’s administration signed an agreement with the union, which was referred to as the FG/ASUU 2009 Memorandum of Action (MOA).

However, the failure of successive administrations to implement the 2009 agreement led to subsequent strikes over the years.

While the administration of former President Muhammadu Buhari had invoked a ‘No Work, No Pay policy’ against the unions for their eight months industrial action, President Bola Tinubu last October approved the release of four of the eight months withheld salaries.

The president also removed the universities from the controversial Integrated Personnel and Payroll Information System (IPPIS) in line with ASUU’s demand.

While the issues that caused the eight-month action remain largely unresolved, attention has been shifted to the eight months withheld salaries.

The Senior Staff Association of Nigerian Universities (SSANU) and the Non-Academic Staff Union (NASU) had expressed displeasure over the exclusion of their members in the payment of withheld salaries, insisting that the government should extend the same gesture to their members.

ASUU had also in February threatened that it might embark on industrial action again if the federal government failed to release the N170 billion in the 2023 budget allocated for universities’ revitalisation

and also address other pressing issues.

The union identified some of the lingering issues to include: Non-injection of revitalisation funds as agreed and also appropriated for in the 2023 budget, the proliferation of both federal and state universities without financial support, the prolonged delay in the renegotiation of their 2009 agreement, and the continuous use of “deceptive IPPIS” as a payment platform.

Others, according to the union, are the continuous delay in the payment of their Earned Academic Allowances, demand for university autonomy, the continuous use of Treasury Single Account (TSA) for university operations, the non-full payment of their eight-month withheld salaries, the non-recall of ASUU officials sacked five years ago at the Lagos State University (LASU), and the non-release of the university’s white paper on the 2021 Visitation Panel.

None of the challenges that disrupted the calendar of public universities over the years was related to the age of students admitted into the universities.

A serious education minister should focus on how to resolve these protracted challenges, which past administrations had failed to resolve, instead of proposing a backward age limit to exclude young Nigerians from accessing university education.

Mamman had late last month while monitoring the

2024 Unified Tertiary Matriculation Examination (UTME) in Bwari, Federal Capital Territory (FCT), insisted that “the minimum age of entry into the university is 18, but we have seen students who are 15, 16 years going in for the entrance examination.”

“Parents should be encouraged not to push their wards too much. Mostly, it is the pressure of parents that is causing this.

“We are going to look at this development because the candidates are too young to understand what the whole university education is all about.

“This is the period when children migrate from controlled to uncontrolled environments, when they are in charge of their own affairs.

“But, if they are too young, they won’t be able to manage properly. I think that is part of what we are seeing in the universities today,” he reportedly said.

The Chairman of the Senate Committee on Tertiary Institutions and TETFund, Senator Muntari Dandutse, was subsequently quoted as saying that his committee would come up with a legislation to support 18 years as entry limit for admission into tertiary educational institutions.

Lawmakers and their collaborators who want

to increase the number of out-of-school children by denying young Nigerians university education should be told that there are more pressing challenges that require urgent legislation to save the country’s education system.

The minister and his allies should be told that the age of students is not part of the problems of the universities.

It is curious that the same ASUU, which has been clamouring for the autonomy of the universities, has thrown its weight behind Mamman’s unprogressive proposal that seeks to usurp the powers of each university to determine the age limit of its students.

ASUU President, Prof. Emmanuel Osodeke, had reportedly described the proposition as a welcome development.

The minister’s proposal is archaic, retrogressive, backward, condemnable and stands condemned. In many advanced countries, admission into the universities is based on the academic achievements of the students and their perceived capacities to cope as undergraduates.

Last month, a 17-year-old Nigerian and member of the Class of 2023 of The Ambassadors College, Ota, Ogun State, Master Oluwafemi Ositade, secured full scholarships worth $3,5 million to multiple Ivy League universities in the United States, including Harvard, as well as other top-notch universities in Canada and Qatar.

Ositade received 14 scholarships from renowned institutions nine of which are full-ride scholarships - covering tuition, accommodation, allowance and all other student’s expenses.

The universities that have extended scholarship offers to Ositade are Harvard University, Brown University, Duke University, University of Toronto Lester B Pearson Scholarship, Wesleyan University, Carnegie Mellon University in Qatar, University of Miami, Howard University, Stetson University, Fisk University, University of Toronto, Mississauga Campus, University of Toronto St. George Campus, University of Toronto, Scarborough Campus and Drexel University.

In the Unified Tertiary Matriculation Examination (UTME), with a score of 358, he ranked as the secondbest in Nigeria in 2023.

In the 2023 West African Senior School Certificate Examination (WASSCE), Ositade boasts of eight As and one B2

Nigerians should not allow the education minister and his allies to drag the education of young Nigerians backward and deny many other Oluwafemis in the country the opportunities to display their academic brilliance and win accolades that promote the image of Nigeria.

Ganduje Distracting Tinubu with Comments on 2027

The National Chairman of the All Progressives Congress (APC), Dr. Abdullahi Ganduje, recently attempted to use 2027 to distract President Bola Tinubu from concentrating on the four-year mandate given to him by Nigerians.

Addressing some APC support groups at the national secretariat of the party in Abuja, Ganduje had told the opposition political parties that there was no vacancy in Aso Rock in 2027.

The former Kano State governor stated that the administration of President Tinubu had been contending with an accumulation of many years of neglect, policy somersaults and other disjointed decisions by previous administrations.

Ganduje further implied that the leadership of the New Nigeria Peoples Party (NNPP) and its chieftains were afraid, having been defeated in the last general election and already foreseeing another defeat.

He described the NNPP as too insignificant to cause any upset politically.

While such utterances by the APC national chairman are not new to Nigerians, he should not distract President Tinubu who has not served Nigerians for up to one year in this first four-year mandate given to him. Tinubu has more than three years before he completes this first four years and should not be distracted by such sycophantic comments.

Ganduje’s claim that the previous administrations were characterised by many years of neglect, policy somersaults and other disjointed decisions was mischievous and sycophantic because unlike Tinubu who was in opposition since 1999, Ganduje was a key actor in the PDP administrations where he served as deputy governor twice, first from 1999 to 2003 and 2011 to 2015.

Under the past APC administration, Ganduje was also a governor for eight years, while Tinubu was a private Nigerian.

He is therefore part of the “many years of neglect, policy somersaults and other disjointed decisions.”

Instead of assuming the unsolicited role of a seer, he should help the president address the insecurity and economic challenges bedevilling the country.

Mamman

Ganduje

Elusive Gains of Subsidy Removal in the States

While it is true that the removal of fuel subsidy has led to more revenue for the federal, state, and local governments to share, not only are more Nigerians being driven into poverty, infrastructure still remain deplorable due to the mismanagement of the accrued revenues by the various tiers of government, writes Festus Akanbi

With the removal of petroleum subsidy by President Bola Tinubu in May last year, there were expectations that the Nigerian people would be better for it as the policy would free up financial resources for other sectors of the economy, incentivise domestic refineries to produce more petroleum products and reduce Nigeria’s dependence on imported fuel.

Fuel subsidy removal was also expected to increase employment opportunities, channel funds for the development of critical public infrastructure, reduce the budget deficit, reduce government borrowing, curb corruption associated with fuel subsidy payments, increase competition, reinvigorate domestic refineries and reduce pressure on the exchange rate.

Unfortunately, these expectations appear to have been dashed 11 months after the end of subsidy regime as the exorbitant cost of living brought by the current hike in fuel prices, coupled with the mismanagement of the accrued revenues, has pushed more Nigerians into poverty.

The irony is that the various tiers of government have more to share but the new revenues have regrettably failed to reflect on the people’s quality of life, especially at the states.

Nigerians are worried that the poverty scourge, which took a worsening dimension during President Muhammadu Buhari’s administration is yet to be tamed as the impact of some of the economic policies of the Tinubu’s administration continues to affect Nigerians adversely.

According to PricewaterhouseCoopers, poverty levels are projected to increase to 38.8 per cent in 2024.

At the state level, the degree of inefficiency is greater as conditions of living get worse by the day. Today, only very few states pay the N30,000 minimum wage, while the level of infrastructural developments in many of these states is appalling.

As the unemployment rate rises, so does the crime rate. Education is at its lowest standard as private schools take shine away from government schools most of which are in a state of disrepair.

With the fuel subsidy removal, the federal government has been able to ensure a drastic increase in the amount of money distributed to all the tiers of government monthly by the Federation Account Allocation Committee (FAAC).

Residents of the states are h owever alarmed at the inability of state governments to improve the quality of their deliveries.

For instance, while N860.04 billion was shared among the three tiers of government in March 2023, the figure rose to N1,123.391 in March 2024.

In April 2023, FAAC disbursed the sum of N872.55 billion to the three tiers, whereas N786.161 billion was distributed in May of the same year.

However, the three tiers of government began to get bumper packages in June 2023 when the figure rose to N1,134.03 trillion.

According to the Nigeria Extractive Industries Transparency Initiative (NEITI), the removal of subsidy on petrol pushed up the statutory revenue allocations from the Federation Account that were shared by the three tiers of government in 2023 to N10.14 trillion.

Data released by the NEITI on the Federation Account revenue allocations for 2023, showed that the amount shared by the federal, state, and local governments increased by N1.93 trillion last year when compared to what they got in 2022.

In January 2024, the figure was N1.67 trillion, while the amount shared between the three tiers of government almost doubled in February 2024 to N2.07 trillion.

In his comment on the 2023 figures, NEITI’s Executive Secretary, Dr. Ogbonnaya Orji, said a breakdown of the revenue receipts showed that the federal government received N3.99 trillion, representing 39.37 per cent of the total allocation.

The 36 states got N3.585 trillion representing 35.34 per cent, while the 774 local government areas of the federation shared N2.56 trillion equivalent to 25.28 per cent.

The removal of subsidy on petroleum that was expected to take more Nigerians out of poverty and improve infrastructure through higher revenue accrual to both the federal and sub-national governments seems to be ineffective with almost all the states of the federation having very little or nothing to show for the huge revenues that accrued to them since May 29, 2023.

Reports showed that aside from their internally generated revenue that runs into billions of naira, the states received over N5.108 trillion in revenues from FAAC in eight months – from July 2023 (when the proceeds of the subsidy removal started coming in) to February 2024.

The overall revenue of N5.1 trillion received by the states includes the N2.69 trillion that came in directly from the federation account and N1,975,899,000,000 (N1.975 trillion) disbursed to the local governments’ account that is controlled by the state governors and another N441.929 billion as 13 per cent solid

minerals derivation revenue shared by some of the states.

While the subsidy removal increased the average monthly disbursement from FAAC to about N1.09 trillion against the previous figure of average of N620 billion, the governors of the states have failed to raise the standard of living and the per capita income of their residents.

At the last count, only about 10 states had started the implementation of the N30,000 labour/governmentagreed minimum wage benchmark for public workers. Despite the increase in revenue, most states are yet to implement the old rate even when labour is already demanding an increase of over 200 per cent.

State-by-state share of the allocations showed that Delta State received the largest share of N402.26 billion (gross). The figure is inclusive of the state’s share of oil and gas derivation revenue.

Delta State was followed by Rivers State, which received N398.53 billion. Akwa-Ibom State received the third largest allocation of N293.58 billion. Nasarawa State received the least amount of N73.32 billion, while Ebonyi and Ekiti states received N73.91billion and N74.04billion, respectively.

The first five states that topped the allocation during the period under review are among the major oil-producing states in the country.

On the share of 13 per cent deriva-

tion revenue, nine states received the 13 per cent allocated to mineral-producing states from the proceeds from mineral revenue.

The derivation revenue remains a significant portion of revenue for states like Delta, Akwa Ibom, Anambra, and Rivers states. Also, the derivation revenues of states such as Delta, Akwa Ibom, and Bayelsa, which were 161.47 per cent, 141.25 per cent, and 127.89 per cent respectively, eclipsed their statutory revenues.

Rivers State’s derivation revenue was 74.15 per cent during the period. Notably, the other five oil-producing states recorded lesser derivation revenue compared to the four above.

For example, Ondo State had 27.71 per cent, Edo had 30.04 per cent, while Abia, Anambra, and Imo recorded a derivation revenue of about 20 per cent or less.

Despite the improvement in the financial fortunes of most of these state governments, there is almost nothing to show for it, a development largely blamed on the failure of the people to call their governments to order.

It is a sad development that despite the increase in the revenue allocated to the states, the condition of their roads is terrible.

The question is: When will Nigerians begin to make their state governors and local government chairmen accountable? The truth is as long as Nigerians concentrate on the federal government for their legitimate demands, state governments will continue to mismanage funds and the cycle of underdevelopment will continue.

Tinubu

INTERNATIONAL

New Dimensions of Israeli-Hamas War: Reciprocity, IR2P and Relocating US Troops to Nigeria

The ongoing war between Israel and the Palestinian Hamas is witnessing new dimensions: unprecedented painful impacts at the national, bilateral, and international complicity in the inapplicability of law. At the national level, the United States is the first victim to be challenged by pro-Palestinian protests at the University of California. The protests started from the University of California and have spread across several other universities in the United States. The support for the Palestinians has garnered much support internationally, and prompted the organisation of pro-Israel protests in the United States. In short, a political lull has been created which is threatening Joe Biden’s election chances in the November 2024 presidential elections.

At the bilateral level, Turkiye announced on Thursday, May 2nd, 2024 the severance of its trade ties with Israel. The Istanbul authorities said they would not resume trade with Israel until there is a permanent ceasefire and enablement of humanitarian aid in Gaza. And true enough, Turkiye is an important trading partner of Israel with about $7 billion worth of bilateral trade. While Turkiye is considering the deepening situation of human sufferings in Gaza, Israel is raising the issue of Turkiye’s non-compliance with the rule of pacta sunt servanda, that is, disregard for the sanctity of their trade agreements. In the words of Turkiye’s President, Tayyip Erdogan, Turkiye cannot be idle in light of ‘Israeli bombardment of defenceless Palestinians.’

As regards politics of law and law of politics, the International Court of Justice (ICJ) made it clear on 26 January 2024 that it would not rule on South Africa’s plea to order Israel to stop its military operations in Gaza. However, the ICJ required Israel to enable access to international humanitarian aid to the internationallyprotected civilian populations. This is quite interesting because many countries, like Germany, United Kingdom, and France, are supplying arms to Israel with which Israel is committing war and genocidal crimes. Nicaragua took Germany to the ICJ on the matter. Colombia and Turkiye want to join South Africa’s case. Yet, the ICJ refused to rule on it. This was politics of law more than law of politics.

The New Dimensions, Reciprocity and IR2P

The aforementioned new dimensions necessarily raise two critical principles of international law: principle of reciprocity and international responsibility. The action of South Africa, by going to the ICJ, the decision of the Government of Nicaragua to take Germany to the ICJ, etc. are legitimate expressions of application of reciprocity. Besides, there is no reason why the international responsibility of Israel shouldn’t have been raised for its recidivist violations of humanitarian law.

True, reciprocity can be positive or negative in character. In international economic relations, it is generally positive, especially in terms of the most-favoured nation clause or treatment which requires that signatories to an accord should give the ‘most favourable tariff and regulatory treatment given to the product of any one Member at the time of import or export of “like products” to all other Members.’ Explained differently, the most-favourednation clause is the ‘status conferred by a clause in which a country promises that it will treat another country, as well as it treats any other country that receives preferential treatment.’ This founding principle of the World Trade Organisation is not what we are focusing our attention on in this column.

Reciprocity in its negative sense is what is at stake in the management of the quest for peace in Israel and Gaza. Reciprocity is applied on the basis two other principles: retorsion and reprisal. Reciprocal retorsion involves the use of diplomacy and never the use of force, while reciprocal reprisal involves the use of force. Therefore, the understanding of reciprocity in the context of Israeli-Hamas war should be done in its appropriate context. In doing this, it should be noted that there cannot be an act of reprisal without the existence of an initial offending act.

Put interrogatively, is the declaration of an Israeli genocidal

war on Gaza an act of reciprocal reprisal? Does the war fall under the purview of a legitimate self-defence? In whichever way the answers to these questions are conceived, there can be no disputing the fact that reciprocity is a major factor in the prolongation of the Israeli-Hamas war. In the eyes of the Israelis, the October 7, 2023 attack by the Hamas militants was unprovoked. Besides, the killing of about 1200 Israelis during the attack and also taking hundreds of people into unwanted hostage were considered unacceptable. This was what prompted the Benjamin Netanyahu government to resolve to completely wipe out the Gaza of Hamas militants in all its ramifications.

Most unfortunately, Netanyahu’s perspective ignores the background to the October 7 Hamas attacks. There is no disputing the fact that since the 6-Day war in 1967, the war between the Israelis and the Palestinian Arabs has never been ended. Battles have been ended. The 1966 battles were concluded. So were the battles of the Yom Kippur in 1973 but the war was never ended. The 1973 war was therefore a prolongation of the 1966 war. At the end of every battle, the Israelis have always imposed the policy of military occupation of the newly acquired territories. Additionally, and perhaps most disturbingly, the Palestinians have been continually mistreated, particularly in terms of living standards. This

? Already, many people rightly or wrongly see PBAT as a stooge of the West, particularly of France. In the event of acceptance to play host to unwanted US troops in Niger, will the image of PBAT be stronger or weakened? The reality of international politics of the Israeli-Hamas war is such that the life of Palestinians, property of Palestinians, and whatever they represent do not matter. Consequently, for as long as the national interests of the major powers are protected, for as long as the world continues to condone the policy of ‘do what I say and not what I do,’ as espoused by the big powers who all cherish ‘might is right,’ and for as long as global governance will remain largely predicated on unfairness, denial of justice, dreaming of international peace and security cannot but remain a myth. In fact, consciously arming Israel to commit war crimes and genocide in Gaza, and still un-shamefully coming to plead for humanitarian aid for the same Palestinian people, relocating the troops of France and the United States to Nigeria will replicate the Israelo-Hamas saga in Nigeria. Nigeria should not at all contemplate the proposal. It is against Nigeria’s national interest. It is self-defeatist for the giant of Africa. It is most insulting for those who cherish Nigeria’s national sovereignty. It belittles Nigerians that are citizens of Nigeria by ius sanguinis. PBAT must spare Nigeria of future unrest in the country by not attempting to accept any such proposal

is one major dynamic of the continuation of the war as at today. And true, it is the cumulative effect of the bad treatment suffered under the Israelis who were taking Palestinian land and settling themselves on it that apparently led to the frustration of the Palestinians. International law prohibits military occupation of territories acquired by use of force following war. It was when the frustration of Palestinian Arabs appeared to have reached its crescendo that the Hamas militants opted to be more militarily confrontational and to damn the consequences by responding to the Israeli occupation of their land on October 7, 2023. In this regard, can it not be rightly argued that Palestinians have engaged in reciprocal reprisal? Can it not also be posited that Palestinian Hamas reciprocated the double-standard policy attitude towards the conflict before the October 7 attack?

For instance, is it not very shameful for Member States of the United Nations Organisation to be preaching the sermons of democratisation and good governance, on the one hand, and doing the contrary, on the other hand? The United States is an internationally acknowledged ally of the Israelis in the commission of Israel’s war crimes and genocide. United States wants to be a credible mediator but has partisan interest. International law does not allow for partisanship as a mediator. The big powers want every country to democratise but refuse the democratisation of the UN system. The P-5 of the UN Security Council want to maintain their right to nuclearisation but refuse the same right to others. The dirtiness of the politics of the Israelo-Hamas conflict is to the extent that Israel is openly, but indirectly, encouraged to engage in genocidal crimes, and for that matter, with international impunity.

This point raises the question of international responsibility in international law and relations. International responsibility is very critical in the study of international law. In this regard, the principle of classical international responsibility should not be confused with the International Responsibility to Protect (IR2P), the genesis of which is traceable to Canada. IR2P has its own logic and principle. As a logic, it is internationally expected that all Member States of the international community are responsible enough. The enough responsibility is to the extent that the Member States should be able to protect its people from genocide, war crimes, ethnic cleansing, and crimes against humanity. In the event that all these crimes cannot be prevented or consciously condoned, the international community owes it a duty to intervene to stop any further injustice, or unfairness and prompting the sufferings of the people.

As regards classical responsibility, it is about internationally wronged acts of a State. The Yearbook of the International Law Commission, 2001, Volume Two (Part Two) stipulates in Article 1 of the General Principles that ‘every internationally wrongful act of a State entails the international responsibility of that State.’ More important, ‘there is an internationally wrongful act of a State when conduct consisting of an action of omission is attributable to the State under international law’ (vide Article 2 (a), and ‘constitutes a breach of an international obligation of the State’ (Article 2(b). What is particularly noteworthy here is Article 4 on the conduct of organs of a State. It stipulates that ‘the conduct of any state organ shall be considered an act of that State under international law, whether the organ exercises legislative, executive, judicial or any other functions, whatever position it holds in the organisation of the State, and whatever its character as an organ of the central Government or of a territorial unit of the State.’ In this regard, an organ ‘includes any person or entity which has that status in accordance with the internal law.’

In the context of the rule of self-defence, Article 21 says ‘the wrongfulness of an act of a State is precluded if the act constitutes a lawful measure of self-defence taken in conformity with the Charter of the United Nations. In the same vein, ‘the wrongfulness of an act of a state not in conformity with an international obligation of that State is precluded if that act is due to force majeure, that is, the occurrence of an irresistible force or of an unforeseen event, beyond the control of the State, making it materially impossible in the circumstances to perform the obligation.’

Relocating US Troops to Nigeria

From the foregoing, to what extent can Israel rightly lay claim to the rule of self-defence in its war on the Gaza of Hamas, and particularly in light of Article 24 on situations of distress and Article 25 on necessity? Can the classical international responsibility of a State, like Israel, be ignored considering the requirement of compliance with peremptory norms of general international law? Article 26 says ‘nothing in this chapter precludes the wrongfulness of any act of a State which is not in conformity with an obligation arising under the peremptory norm of general international law,’ (Vide UNGAresolution 56/83 of 12 December 2001 and corrected by Document A/56/49 (Vol. 1), Corr.4

And perhaps more interestingly, in which way will the principles of IR2P and classical international responsibility not be similarly raised in the event of relocation of French and American troops, declared unwanted in Niger Republic, to Nigeria? In other words, in which way will the possible relocation of US troops from Niger to Nigeria not precipitate unprecedented influx of terrorists to Nigeria, and as a result, quickly ending the beginning of President Bola Ahmed Tinubu (PBAT)’s presidential career nationally and internationally?

Netanyahu

ON THE ESCALATING COSTS OF

patent payments which contribute in no little way to the price at which patients buy drugs. Let us return to India briefly. In the 1970s, they started preparing to solve problems associated with drug importation. They came up with the revolutionary Indian Patents Act (1970) and Drug Policy (1978) which stimulated local production of generic drugs, compared to the costly Western patents. In the 1980s, India had graduated from the sick position Nigeria is today to that of a leading exporter of drugs. Vision. Tenacity of purpose. Preparations also met opportunity. In 1984, the US enacted the Hatch-Waxman Act to facilitate the production of generic medicines. Indian companies became perhaps the biggest beneficiaries. As Prince Adelusi-Adeluyi highlighted, they are now the leading exporters of generic medicines. They supply 20 percent of global demand. More than half of the world’s vaccines are produced in India. Drugs produced in India account for about 40 percent of generics used in the US and 25 percent of medicines sold in the UK. There are over 3,000 Indian pharmaceutical companies and they earned about $25 billion from exports in 2023 alone. Industrialisation. Why can’t we seize this opportunity?

Mr Muonemeh, the voice of Nigerian drug manufacturers at the webinar, listed the obstacles they face — from various regulators to revenue-collecting agencies. Things are not always as simple as you would think they should be. You would think that government would take as priority anything that has to do with health — especially given the critical role medications play in wellbeing. Nigeria is complicated. Muonemeh pointed the myriad of obstacles faced by local producers and proposed that local production of medicines be treated as a national security issue. I agree with him. The COVID-19 experience opened the eyes of many countries to this vulnerability, but

WAGE WAR

On Tuesday, federal government announced a pay rise of between 25 and 35 percent for its civil servants across salary structures. This has been rejected by the labour unions. The Nigeria Labour Congress (NLC) is insisting on a minimum of N615,000/month — more than 20 times higher the current N30,000. I think we can have a scientific solution to this perennial controversy over the minimum wage. There should be a mechanism agreed by all parties involved. Can we have certain benchmarks to create this mechanism? The simplest one that comes to my head straightaway is a proportional relationship between the wage and inflation rate. That can minimise the rift. Hopefully.

did it really open ours?

Prof Adeyeye listed a number of policy measures being adopted by NAFDAC to ease the crisis, including fast-tracking the licensing process for imported drugs in order to address shortages. She also spoke about the Five + Five (5+5) Policy which is designed to migrate imported products to local production. This policy stipulates a timeline during which an importer/ manufacturer must show plans to produce locally or partner with local producers. “If we do not focus on local manufacturing, we will continue to have drug insecurity,” she said, adding that there is nothing the multinationals produce that we cannot make in Nigeria — apart from the inhalers used to manage asthma.

Local manufacturing is a long-lasting solution that should kick in at some point in the future if the right policies are adopted and implemented. Dr Ojinmah, however, wants the adoption of both short-term and long-term strategies and measures. I find his suggestion that tariffs on imported drugs be reduced very fascinating. I thought that this should be the first policy reaction of the government when prices started going through the roof. We grant waivers on many imports but medicines that save lives are not considered worthy. There is a place for revenue for government, I won’t argue against that, but have we considered the dangers of Nigerians being unable to buy life-saving drugs?

The NMA president made a number of proposals. He wants things kick-started with the declaration of a state of emergency on the health sector, which I believe is a way of saying government should pay extraordinary attention to the challenges. He wonders why there are government banks for many sectors without any for health, specifically to help the pharmaceutical industry. “Nigeria should inaugurate a health sector development bank that will have different facilities for all the health

care contributors and stakeholders, such that they can go to this bank and fulfil conditions which should not be as stringent as the fund at the Central Bank of Nigeria (CBN),” the dermatologist said.

“This will encourage pharmaceutical companies to go into production of drugs like antibiotics, antihypertensives and anti-diabetes. Government should reduce import levy on importation, equipment and production of these drugs to enable people bring in drugs into the country. We would be the greatest beneficiary as economic productivity will rise. Government should also bridge the gap between the rich and the poor in terms of access to medicines,” Ojinmah further suggested, while also emphasising the need for government to improve the health insurance scheme so that millions of ordinary Nigerians can have access to treatment without having to pay out of pocket.

An interesting proposal was put on the table by Mrs Chisom Uchem, the executive secretary of the Anambra Primary Health Development Agency (ASPHDA): encourage research into local herbs. The pharmacist oversees an agency that attends to medical needs at the grassroots and testifies that many people suffering from common ailments often come back to say they have used herbs and are back on their feet. Uchem wants the federal government to mandate the Nigerian Institute of Medical Research (NIMR) to play a lead role in that endeavour. China has done well in promoting use of herbs, even exporting them. Our own NIMR is one of the most poorly funded federal agencies.

“I’m looking at policies of government that will promote research enterprise,” Uchem said. “I’m thinking that if government will encourage clinical research, essential drugs will be affordable to the grassroots because this is the basic level of care. We can have

And Four Other Things…

EFCC’S BELLOW Nigerians have been treated to a spectacular face-off between the EFCC and Mr Yahaya Bello, former Kogi governor — quite similar to what they saw between the commission and Mr Ayo Fayose, former Ekiti governor, as well as Owelle Rochas Okorocha, former Imo governor, in recent years. Bello, who has mindboggling allegations lined up against him, needs to be a man and turn himself in. He can run but he can’t hide. It is a matter of time before he is captured. But am I the only one thinking the EFCC chairman, Mr Ola Olukoyede, went overboard with his press conference and threats? He needs to be calming down. I think this media drama is too much and not good for the commission. Caution.

A MONTH OF TWO KEY NATIONAL MILESTONES

and democratisation call ‘democratic consolidation.’ On that score, there is reason to cheer, even if cautiously. But longevity is not necessarily the same as maturity or growth. Likewise, endurance is not necessarily an insurance against backsliding or reversal. While we should celebrate how far we have come in our democratic journey, we should see this jubilee as an opportunity to examine the quality of our democracy and as a reminder of the need to get democracy to live up to its promise. This approach should take us back to philosophical and practical debates about the value of democracy and the link between democracy and development.

As Amartya Sen and others have argued, democracy has both intrinsic and instrumental worth. The freedom to choose and change who governs you and to benefit from other suites of freedoms/rights that should be taken as a given under civil rule represent the intrinsic worth of democracy. Those rights and freedoms extend the God-given rights of individuals and enhance their agency to function as complete human beings and full citizens. As someone who grew up and worked as a journalist for some years under military rule, I do not need to be persuaded that democracy has an intrinsic value or that this dimension is indeed valuable beyond the symbolic.

But when many Nigerians clamour and put their lives at risk for democracy, they expect to enjoy more than just a bundle of rights and freedoms (which even a benevolent dictator may permit). They expect democracy to translate to visible and sustained improvements in their lives. They expect democracy to be beyond an end by itself, but also a means to a higher end. This is the instrumental value of democracy, which in everyday parlance is called dividends of democracy. There is an old argument that there is no automatic link between democracy and development and shared prosperity, which is the higher and ultimate end-goal. This is still a valid argument. However, it is equally a valid point that democracy has an edge over autocracy because of the option of choice embedded in regular, free and fair elections. It is this implicit threat that a non-performing government can be peacefully thrown out of office that should serve as an incentive for good governance.

The expectation of a much better life for Nigerians under civil rule was well captured by Mr. Segun Babatunde in a story published by the Pan African News Agency (PANA) on 31st May 1999, two days after the transfer

our local brands, our local products. It will cut down on the prices of essential medicines. So, I’m thinking that amongst other things that we’ll do to cut the high cost of medication in Nigeria is that emphasis and premium should be paid on government supporting and promoting research enterprise… All of these lemon grasses, all of the guava leaves, all of the quinine, you know, this quinine, most of them are anti-malaria.” Fascinating.

I have always respected Prof Pate and I found his contributions reassuring. He said President Bola Tinubu was working on a comprehensive plan to address the issues affecting local manufacturing. He acknowledged the challenges: naira devaluation, power supply, technical know-how, supply chain and regulatory landscape. He said the government has been having a series of engagements with industry players, practitioners, and stakeholders on the escalating costs and hinted that an executive order was in the offing. While I was happy, a part of me was quietly praying fervently that MDAs will not frustrate the plan. As we know, they are always working at cross purposes. It is a Nigerian thing.

There were so many take-aways to curate and synthesize. TheCable plans to produce a comprehensive report and send to the appropriate authorities in the lawmaking, policy and regulatory chain as its modest contribution to the discourse on improving the state of the nation’s health care. One theme that rings through contributions is “medicine security”. We need to ramp up local manufacturing with tenacity. Who knows, we may even become net exporters. Didn’t India do it? It took vision and tenacity of purpose. In Nigeria, we are not short of good ideas. What we need is honest commitment to them. Implementation is where the devil always shows up in the details.

BY CHOICE

The publicity-crazy Federal Competition and Consumer Protection Commission (FCCPC) has threatened to review the subscription rates announced by Multichoice for its DStv and GOtv packages. The FCCPC did not review the FX rate when it fell from N460/$ to N1400/$. Those guys don’t know that rights for foreign contents, such as the English Premier League, are paid for in FX. The FCCPC did not review Band A tariff when it was tripled despite power poor supply. They didn’t review the prices of life-saving drugs. But we hear “monopoly” when it comes to Multichoice. Is Pay TV a fundamental human right? Or are we just obsessed with South African businesses? Bullies.

of power to President Olusegun Obasanjo. “It is a new beginning,” Babatunde said, echoing the sentiments many Nigerians who had lived for almost 16 years under the jackboots of the military. “It is like we have just won independence from the military.”

A quarter of a century after, not many Nigerians remain giddy with excitement about democracy birthing a new beginning or signifying another independence. Without a doubt, some gains have been made in the last 25 years. We can easily point to roads, bridges, rail lines, airports, telephones lines, schools, hospitals and others that didn’t exist 25 years ago. Equally, there is the eight-fold increase in gross domestic products (boosted by rebasing, of course, and a few episodes of soft oil booms). Then, there is a slew of public financial management and other reforms that have been undertaken and have made governance comparatively more transparent and accountable.

But overall, more could have been done with the time and resources available. The quality of leadership and governance has been patchy. Despite restraining mechanisms, the level of state capture and official

perfidy has multiplied. There are many areas we have not moved the needle much like electricity supply and the management of our oil and gas sector and on reduction of poverty and inequality. Also, there are some critical areas where we have actually regressed like security of life and property. Understandably, these areas of gaps play high on citizens’ minds when they assess the performance of our democracy. According to a 2022 survey by Afrobarometer, 70% of Nigerians preferred democracy as a form of government but most of them took issues with the quality of Nigeria’s democracy. A whopping 77% of Nigerians expressed dissatisfaction with the quality of our democracy in 2022, up from 57% in 2017. Also, 64% of Nigerians described our variant of democracy as a democracy with major problems or not a democracy in 2022 up from 48% in 2017. The takeaway here is that most Nigerians believe that the quality of their democracy is deteriorating at an age the democracy should be maturing. This should get us worried. Relatedly, Nigeria has posted a spotty record on major measures of democracy, governance and

NO COMMENT

You must have heard about the “housing estate” under the Dolphin estate bridge, Lagos. Each room was either 10x10 or 10x12 and the tenants were paying N250,000 per annum, according to Mr Tokunbo Wahab, commissioner for environment and water resources. There were no amenities such as power and water. Lagos state officials have made a public show of how they cracked down on the squatters and arrested some of them. Somehow, they do not know that the joke is on them. There is a serious housing crisis in Lagos state and what officials should be showcasing is what they are doing to address the issue, but they were busy shaming hapless squatters who were being exploited. Sad.

development in the last 25 years. In its 2024 report, Freedom House ranked Nigeria as ‘partly free’, with a score of 44 out of 100. (Ghana, one of the five African countries ranked as free, scored 80 over 100). On the 2023 Democracy Index of the Economist Intelligence Unit, Nigeria is still categorised as a ‘hybrid regime,’ with a score of 4.23 out of 10, and ranked at number 104 out of 167 countries. On the Varieties of Democracy (V-Dem) Index of Liberal Democracy, Nigeria is scored 0.33 out of 1.

In 2021, Nigeria was ranked 30 out of 54 African countries on the Ibrahim Index of African Governance with a total score of 47.7 out of 100. Transparency International, in 2023, ranked Nigeria 145 out 180 countries on its Corruption Perception Index, with a score of 25 out of 100. On its part, UNDP still categorises Nigeria as low on human development, with a score of 0.55 out of 1 and a ranking of 163 out of 191 countries on the 2023/2024 Human Development Index, a composite index of income, health and education. All round, these are abysmal scores.

The point here is not a clamour for a return to autocracy, or a manifestation of what some call autocracy nostalgia. Definitely not for me, as I have as an adult experienced both democratic rule and military rule, and will never wish for the latter, even in its most benevolent form. The message is that Nigeria’s democracy could have delivered much more in terms performance on major indexes and especially in meeting the valid expectations of Nigerians. Even when we factor in the complications that electoral politics introduce to a patronage-based, heterogenous and complex country, we have to agree that twenty-five years is a very long time for Nigeria to have made significant improvement on external ranking and internal perception of the quality and the performance of its democracy.

The best argument for democracy, especially in the context of recent reversals around us and at a time the majority of our citizens do not have a memory of how nasty military rule can be, is that democracy is indeed the best option, not only in symbolic but also in substantive ways, for citizens’ welfare. As we look back and look forward, this is the point that should not be lost on us. We need to remove the binding constraints to good governance, deepen the democratic temperament of our politicians and citizens, and enhance the instrumental value of our hard-won democracy.

(To be continued…)

Tinubu

SIR MICHAEL AGBOLADE OTEDOLA:

An Undying Whisper from the Past

Otedola

Nike Jones

Edited by: Duro Ikhazuagbe

email:Duro.Ikhazuagbe@thisdaylive.com

WORLD CUP QUALIFIERS

South Africa Plotting to Unleash Nigerian against Super Eagles

In a desperate move to ensure that Bafana Bafana beat Eagles In the 2026 World Cup qualimonth in Uyo, Akwa Ibom State, South Africa’s football chiefs are plotting to draft a their squad.

Ime Okon is a talented father by a South African for either of the two nations. According to reports in South African media yesterday, pressure is on SAFA calls him up.

Okon is one of the breakthrough young stars for SuperSport United this season together with Shandre Campbell. Okon holds dual South Africa.

Currently a central defender for SuperSport United, Bafana Bafana legend, Andre Arendse, yesterday urged SAFA to be decisive and secure the future of the highly-promising

He has been named in provisional squads a few times by Bafana coach Hugo Broos but he is yet to earn a cap, and Arendse is concerned South Africa may lose a “super tal-

As a sign of his burgeoning career, the tall central defender has made 18 appearances for coach Gavin Hunt in the DStv Premiership and has tasted appearances in the Confederation Cup.

on the radar (of Ronwen Williams when it comes to development) and I don’t want to hype him up or put him out there and say he is the

best because he is only 20,” said Arendse, who is assistant coach to Hunt.

“He is a super talent but I am not intending to put pressure on him though I know he can handle it. He is starting to prove he can handle pressure during games and we need to look after him.

“You spoke about dual citizenship and we better be careful we don’t lose him for the future. I know what I am talking about because I have had the privilege of playing behind some of the best defenders in South Africa.

“I don’t need to mention names, you guys know who I am talking about, but I am

telling you in a few year’s time he’s going to be up there.”

What perhaps is makingcome desperately in search of a credible central defender is the spate of injuries involving

Arsenal Pay Tribute to Nigerian Teenager Killed in London, Crush Bournemouth

Arsenalpaid tribute to teenage schoolboy, Daniel Anjorin, who was killed on Tuesday in a sword attack in London on Tuesday, during their home game against Bournemouth on Saturday.

Anjorin, 14, a boyhood Arsenal fan, died in hospital after being attacked on a suburban east London street in Hainault while walking to school.

One Marcus Arduini Monzo, 36, has been charged with Anjorin’s murder.

Anjorin was a pupil at Bancroft’s School, who described him as a “true scholar” who had a “positive nature and gentle character.”

Meanwhile, Arsenal cruised past Bournemouth to go four points clear at the top of the Premier League before Saturday’s later games.

Manchester City with a game in hand, later cut the lead to just one point after similarly crushing Wolves 5-1.

The Gunners dominated the opening 45 minutes and took the lead just before half-time

Mothobi Mvala. There is also Grant Kekana and Siyanda Xulu — and I read Siyabonga travel documents, but I don’t know what is happening there. SuperSport United sources

hinted that Ime Okon is a strong supper of the Super Eagles and has been supporting the team each time they are on international tournament Cup.

Cheers as Gov Mbah Joins 2024 Coal City Marathon

the Emirates Stadium in North London...yesterday

Governor of Enugu State, Dr. Peter Mbah, has received cheers and commendations from residents of the state for actively participating in the 2024 Coal City Half Marathon held in the state’s capital yesterday.

Speaking at the marathon, the governor promised that his administration was working towards strengthening and improving subsequent marathons in the state by making it attractive enough for international athletes to participate as a world-class sporting event.

Governor Mbah, who joined in the 21.79km half marathon, Azikiwe Stadium, stated that the event would serve as an opportunity to discover young talents and for all sports lovers as well as the elderly to keep

He said his administration was keen on sustaining and consolidating the huge success recorded in this year’s marathon through the right investment in the development of the sports industry in the areas of sporting infrastructure and facilities, adding that the state saw sports as business and source of wealth creation for the people.

“We’re investing hugely in our sports sector, and we’re not treating sports as leisure or recreation anymore , but seeing the sector as key business. That’s why in addition to quickly refurbishing the pitch, once we came in, to enable Rangers International Stadium. We have just awarded the contract to renovate and overhaul our stadium and bring it to world-class standard.

“You also know that in that sector, we’ve just recently entered a memorandum of understanding ( MoU) to build a world-class entertainment and sports centre and this is all going to reinforce our position in the sports industry,” he added.

While congratulating the participants, who came from over 20 states across the country for the Enugu half Marathon race, the governor stressed that the goal of the event was to promote unity, disciplinegerians, stressing that in a few years, the state would join the league of those hosting World Athletics competitions because of the level of investments our administration is committing to the industry.

Femi Solaja

Bukayo Saka celebrating his opening goal in Arsenal

L-R: Enugu State Commissioner for Youth and Sports, Mr. Lloyd Ekweremadu; Governor Peter Mbah; and the Special Adviser to the governor on Health, Dr. Yomi Jaye, participating in the 21.79km 2024 Coal City Half Marathon held in Enugu....yesterday

Ime Okon... courted by Bafana Bafana youngster.

“Those fighting PDP have collected money from the other political parties and I want you all present to join me to flush them out. Let them stay out, since they have collected money” – Edo State Governor, Godwin Obaseki, boasting that Asue Ighodalo will win the September 21 governorship election in the state Obaseki to Opposition

SIMON KOLAWOLE

simon.kolawole@thisdaylive.com, sms:

On the Escalating Costs of Medications

There is a medication I buy for my 79-year-old mum every month. It was going for less than N10,000 per pack at this time last year. Today, it is N31,000. Although I consider it pretty expensive, I can still afford it. But each time I buy it, my heart goes to Nigerians living on the minimum wage and those surviving on pensions. How are they coping? My mum is fairly healthy for her age and uses only one prescribed medication. But what about the less privileged and less lucky Nigerians who have to treat hypertension, diabetes and organ-related ailments? How are they coping with the costs? Will they not become vulnerable to fake drugs and harmful options? Will some not simply ignore medications?

I was deep in this thought when Dr Henry Ewunonu, a physician and health advocate, asked me if TheCable — the online newspaper I founded in 2014 — would consider convening a public forum to discuss the escalating costs of medicines and medical consumables in Nigeria. He suggested that the diagnostic evaluation of the causes of escalating costs should lead to a prescription of actionable proposals by the forum. That was music to my ears. TheCable’s 10th anniversary was approaching and our mandate is “to deliver knowledge-driven journalism in the pursuit of Nigeria’s progress”. We just don’t want to be saying there is a problem — we also want to be part of providing solutions. We immediately set sail. On first dial, Prince Julius

Adelusi-Adeluyi, founder & chairman, Juli Pharmacy Plc and former minister of health, graciously agreed to chair the event. Prof Ali Pate, coordinating minister of health and social welfare, instantly accepted our invitation. Dr Stella Okoli, founder of Emzor Pharmaceutical, did not respond, but we still formed a solid panel: Prof Moji Adeyeye, NAFDAC DG; Dr Uche Ojinmah, president, Nigerian Medical Association (NMA); Mrs Chisom Uchem, ES, Anambra Primary Healthcare Development Agency (APHDA); and Mr Frank Muonemeh, ES of the Pharmaceutical Manufacturers Group of the Manufacturers Association of Nigeria (MAN). I had plenty take-aways from the webinar, which was held on April 30. Prince Adelusi-Adeluyi set the ball rolling by pointing out how India moved from

TANIMU YAKUBU

GUEST COLUMNIST

being an importer of medicines to becoming a global industrial giant in pharmaceuticals. “Industrialisation is the way,” he said, emphatically. This is more loaded than it appears. Nigeria imports about 70 percent of its drugs. Even the locally manufactured drugs rely 100 percent on imported active pharmaceutical ingredients (APIs). As Prof Adeyeye put it, the only thing our pharmaceutical companies don’t import is water. In one word, Nigeria relies entirely on imported medicines or APIs. We are at the mercy of the forex volality. The dependency on imported drugs comes with several issues. The forex challenge is probably the most obvious and impactful, but there is also the cost of

Remembering Umaru Musa Yar’Adua:

A Tribute to a Noble Leader

In the quiet chambers of the heart, Mallam Umaru Musa Yar’Adua dwells, A leader, a guiding light, where memories softly swell.

Beyond mere titles and roles, his essence shines bright and pure, Leading our souls with wisdom, steadfast and sure.

Governor, President, a depth greater still, Honoured for his integrity, a leader with an indomitable will.

In a realm where deceit often takes the stage,

He stood tall, honest, a beacon beyond age.

His gaze spoke truths, stirring emotions within, Sincere and radiant, a rarity against life’s din. Teaching us to transcend the shadows of ill will, embracing kindness, a light our hearts fulfill.

Our paths intertwined, a student humbled by his grace, enchanted by his visions, seeing far in every space.

Into the night, deep discussions would delve, Guided by his wisdom, our spirits would unveil.

In history’s tapestry, his name gleams in gold,

A

forever retold.

light carries on.

Rest in peace, noble soul, cradled in God’s gentle embrace, Your spirit endures, an emblem of grace. President, Commander, revered and true, In our hearts, eternally, we pay tribute to you.

•Yakubu was Chief Economic Adviser to the late President Yar’Adua

A Month of Two Key National Milestones

Since that hopeful Saturday in 1999, the month of May has held a special significance for Nigeria. But this year is a bit special. By May 29th, two key milestones will coincide: 25 years of unbroken civil rule and one year of the President Bola Tinubu administration. Some Nigerians will have the urge to roll out the drums; others will strongly object; and yet some others will remain indifferent to both landmarks. The dual-anniversary is worth marking separately and collectively. More appropriately, however, this May 29 should serve as a day of reflection on what could have been for both our democracy and the current administration. On both fronts, more work is needed.

A quarter of a century of civil rule is, unquestionably, no mean achievement for the country. Combined, our first three attempts at democracy didn’t last up to ten years: the First Republic fell apart after five years, three and a half months; the Second Republic unravelled after four years and three months; and the Third Republic came out of the delivery room as a stillbirth. Until the current dispensation, it could be argued—and it was indeed widely argued—that democracy was jinxed in Nigeria. Not anymore.

Elected officials have now ruled the country for 34 of our 63 years of independence or for 54% of the time. This is a sharp contrast to the pre-1999 period when military rule was the overwhelmingly dominant form

of government in Nigeria. Today, more than half of Nigerians, according to official estimates, were born after the 1999 transition. This means that a majority of Nigerians, including a sizeable number of those currently qualified to vote, have never experienced military rule. This is quite significant.

Many jinxes have been broken on the way to the silver jubilee of our current democracy. The records that have been shattered include: seven successive elections, against the previous record of two apiece in the first and second republics; peaceful transfers of power from one elected administration to the other thrice, against the previous record of zero; two elections in which incumbent presidents were term-barred after serving

out the constitutionally allowed limits of eight years, against the earlier record of zero; and the defeat of an incumbent party and president, hitherto thought totally impossible in Nigeria.

Based on these and other parameters, as well as the longevity of the current republic, it can be argued that democracy has finally taken root in Nigeria. It has not all been smooth-sailing though. We have had nasty elections and testy moments and elected leaders with autocratic impulses. But through it all, democracy has managed to emerged as the ‘only game in town,’ that phase that scholars and students of democracy

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legacy of grace, a tale

As tears once flowed for heroes long gone, Mallam Umaru Musa Yar’Adua’s

Yar’Adua