SUNDAY 9TH JULY 2023

Shareholders Hold Emergency Meeting on Oba Otudeko’s Comeback Bid Today

Festus Akanbi

In a bid to resolve the unfolding drama over last Thursday's acquisition of 4,770,269,843 shares

of First Bank Holding Plc by a former chairman of the holding company, Oba Otudeko, some shareholders of the company have scheduled a board meeting

for today to discuss the matter. Multiple sources told THISDAY yesterday that the shareholders are weighing all the options that would facilitate a quick resolution

of all the issues thrown up by the slew of share acquisitions and Otudeko’s comeback bid, which has fetched him a 13 per cent ownership of the company,

and the right to sit on the board. The current board was appointed by the Central Bank of Nigeria (CBN), and according to one of the sources, the

shareholders are bent on taking control of their bank with the source, adding that these are the

Nigeria's Petrol Consumption Down 28% after Subsidy Removal, Says Downstream Regulator…

CDS in Agbor, Delta State…yesterday

Anambra Panel Indicts Mmesoma for Forgery, Recommends Apology to JAMB

Sunday Aborisade Kuni Tyessi in Abuja and David-Chudyy Eleke in Awka

The eight-man panel set up by Governor Chukwuma Soludo of

Continued on page 5

Irabor: Nigeria’s Peace Guaranteed with Musa as New Defence Chief

Omo-Julius Onabu in Asaba

The former Chief of Defence Staff (CDS), General Lucky Irabor (rtd), yesterday said the peace of the nation would be guaranteed with the appointment of Major General Chris Musa as his successor.

This is coming as Delta State Governor, Hon. Sheriff Oborevwori, urged all other ethnic nationalities in the state and Nigeria to emulate the unity of the Ika nation, which he said led to the kind of reception that attracted dignitaries from across the nation to honour the former CDS.

Group Managing Director of Zenith Bank, Dr. Ebenezer

Onyeagwu has also hailed the Ika nation for producing many men of distinction in the many professions such as banking, politics and others and also lauded General Irabor for his dedication, discipline and meritorious service to Nigeria.

General Irabor who spoke at a

Continued on page 5 Continued

Oborevwori hails Ika’s unity as Okowa, Obaigbena, Onyeagwu, others pour encomiums on former CDS

ANAMBRA PANEL INDICTS MMESOMA FOR FORGERY, RECOMMENDS APOLOGY TO JAMB

Anambra State to investigate the alleged forgery of the result of the Joint Admissions and Matriculation Board (JAMB) by Mmesoma Joy Ejikeme, has indicted her of manipulating her examination result.

While the candidate has also admitted to manipulating her result, the panel has consequently demanded that she should tender an unreserved written apology to JAMB.

This is coming as the examination body has declared that the outcome of the investigative report has vindicated its position that Mmesoma forged the UTME result.

Also following her confession and the indictment by the panel, Innoson Vehicles has withdrawn the N3 million scholarship awarded to her.

Miss Ejikeme had claimed to have scored 362 against her authentic score of 249, prompting JAMB to issue a statement disclaiming the result.

Despite JAMB’s position, the 19-year-old went on social media to display the result, insisting she never tampered with her result. This forced the Anambra State Government to set up a panel to probe the development.

But while appearing before the panel, Ejikeme, according to the panel’s report made available to journalists yesterday, admitted falsifying the result without the knowledge and assistance of anybody.

In an eight-page report, the panel said it discovered that the candidate changed her Unified Tertiary Matriculation Examination (UTME) result after she openly confessed to doing so.

According to the panel, Mmesoma admitted in the presence of her principal, and the Education Secretary that the narration by JAMB officials was the true description of what transpired.

The report said she also admitted to having manipulated the result by herself unaided, using her Airtel phone number.

In its recommendations, the panel asked her to write an apology to JAMB; her school, Anglican Girls’ Secondary School, Uruagu Nnewi; and the Anambra State Government.

It also recommended that Mmesoma should undergo psychological counseling and therapy.

The committee report reads in part, “JAMB revealed the different times that Ejikeme Joy Mmesoma made several requests to JAMB portal asking for her results at different hours, and each of these times (four in number), she received in her phone, same results from JAMB indicating candidate’s UTME Results to wit: English: 64, Physics:54, Biology: 74, Chemistry: 57 with a total aggregate score of 249.

“JAMB disclosed that the candidate was well informed of her correct score from JAMB. Ejikeme Joy Mmesoma had sent a request to JAMB with a different registration number showing a UTM E result of the aggregate score of 362, with English: 98, Physics: 89, Biology: 94, and Chemistry: 81. The results she sent differed substantially from the standard JAMB format where she got an appropriate rebuttal stating her real score of 249.

“Besides, several red flags were also highlighted by JAMB officials showing different date of birth, different Registration Number, and Notification of results template that has been discarded since 2021, amongst others.

“It was also evident that even the centre name “Nkemefuna Foundation (Thomas Chidoka Centre for Human Development as it was known before now) used for the examination was also manipulated where the candidate used the old name of the centre (Thomas Chidoka Centre for Human Development) in her own manipulated result sheet.

“In Ejikeme Joy Mmesoma’s

submission, she admitted in the presence of her principal, and the Education Secretary that the narration by the JAMB officials was a true and correct description of what transpired.

“She also admitted to having given a manipulated result by herself unaided, using the same phone Airtel Number. According to her, she proceeded to the cybercafe (Prisca Global Computers, Uruagu, Nnewi) where she printed the results she had manipulated.

“The Committee tried to find out the motive behind her action, but Ejikeme Joy Mmesoma said NOTHING. In their submissions, the Principal of Anglican Girls’ Secondary school, Uruagu Nnewi, and the Education Secretary – Diocese of Nnewi (Anglican Communion) expressed shock at what transpired where in their presence, Mmesoma admitted to having manipulated her UTME results, deceiving the school, her immediate family and the State Government.

“Committee’s Findings: The results released by the Joint Admission and Matriculation Board (JAMB) concerning the UTME score of Ejikeme Joy Mmesoma is 249

“The results paraded by Ejikeme Joy Mmesoma with an aggregate score of 362 1s fake as buttressed by the very significant and instructive variations in the registration number, date of birth, centre name, and other Ejikeme Joy Mmesoma admitted that she manipulated the fake results herself,” the report explained.

According to the panel, the Principal of Anglican Girls’ Secondary School – Mrs. Edu Uche, and the Education Secretary, Diocese of Nnewi (Anglican Communion) expressed dismay at the conduct of Ejikeme Joy Mmesoma.

Confession, Panel’s Report Have Vindicated Us, Says JAMB

Reacting, JAMB said the outcome of the investigative report has vindicated its position that Mmesoma forged the UTME result where she scored herself 360.

According to a statement by its Head of Public Affairs and Protocol, Dr. Fabian Benjamin, the examination body vowed that it would not relent in its efforts to sanitise the public examination sector.

The statement read in parts: “The report of the Commission of Inquiry set up by the Anambra State Government, an independent and unbiased body, as demanded by some Nigerians to look into the Mmesoma saga, has vindicated the Board. This has further reinforced the position of the Board that its system was not and cannot be compromised.

“It is to be noted that the Board has built a reputation in terms of the conduct of credible examinations over the years and cannot afford to fail the nation at this critical juncture of its development.

“Therefore, we will not despair despite the painful realisation that some Nigerians would do anything to cast aspersions on the good name of the Board,” JAMB explained.

JAMB appealed to wellmeaning Nigerians, who may wish to support and encourage healthy competition by awarding scholarships and other honours to deserving candidates not to be discouraged but should always endeavour to verify from us any claim, no matter how innocuous, put forward by candidates.

It advised that Mmesoma’s case should serve as an eye-opener to those who hold the view that anything goes in Nigeria, adding that it is a great agency with great potential.

Innoson Withdraws Scholarship

Meanwhile, Innoson Vehicles has withdrawn the N3 million

scholarship awarded to Ejikeme after her confession that her UTME result was forged.

In a statement issued yesterday by the Head of Corporate Communications, Innoson Vehicles, Cornel Osigwe, the company said it made the “difficult decision” to withdraw the scholarship “in response to the confirmed findings”.

“In recent days, we have been involved in the process of investigating allegations surrounding the 2023 UTME examination results of one of our scholarship recipients, Miss Joy Mmesoma Ejikeme. It was reported initially that Miss Joy scored exceptionally high on the exam, a feat that led to her being awarded a scholarship by our company,” the company said.

“The findings from this rigorous investigation have now confirmed

that Miss Joy Mmesoma Ejikeme did manipulate her UTME results. This conclusion is deeply disappointing and stands in direct contravention of the values we hold dear at Innoson Vehicles, particularly those that underscore our scholarship program.

“In line with these principles and response to the confirmed findings, we have made the difficult decision to withdraw the scholarship awarded to Miss Joy Mmesoma Ejikeme. This action is a testament to our unyielding commitment to honesty, integrity, and merit-based recognition,” the company explained.

I Support JAMB’s Sanctions, Says Ezekwesili

Also, former Minister of

Education, Dr. Oby Ezekwesili, has expressed her satisfaction with the findings of the panel and has also thrown her weight behind the sanctions imposed by JAMB on the candidate.

“It was necessary to have independent evidence that the result Mmesoma laid claim to publicly was not only fake but that the forgery was personally orchestrated by her,” she posted on Twitter yesterday.

Ezekwesili said Mmesoma’s action has consequences, adding that she supports the sanctions imposed by JAMB on her.

“I, therefore, support the sanctions imposed by JAMB as a deterrent to all who participate in the systemic exam malpractices within our educational system,” she said.

Also commenting, the Director

General of the National Orientation Agency (NOA), Dr.Garba Abari, has urged Nigerians to have faith in the country's institutions by shunning uncomplimentary comments on social media whenever they are enmeshed in controversies.

Abari, who appealed yesterday at a capacity building on Factchecking organised by the NOA in Abuja, described such action as a dangerous development to the integrity of Nigeria's education sector.

"We must believe in the integrity of our national institutions. Where there are in-house rules and regulations, the public should not play around issues that could be easily investigated. Let us allow all the investigation to be concluded before we would start making dangerous comments.”

IRABOR: NIGERIA’S PEACE GUARANTEED WITH MUSA AS NEW DEFENCE CHIEF

reception organised for him by the Ika nation, gave an assurance that with General Musa as CDS, the defence of the nation is in good hands.

Addressing the new CDS, Irabor said: “I am sure that your pedigree is well known. Let me assure the nation that in Gen Musa as CDS the defence of the nation is in good hands.”

He also praised those he said mentored him, citing General Ihejirika under whose tenure as Chief of Army Staff he served as Principal Staff Officer, saying it exposed him to the fundamentals of the operations in the North-east.

General Irabor affirmed that he left the armed forces in good stead, stressing that with the appointment of General Musa as the new CDS, the armed forces will even do better.

Asserting that the peace of the nation was guaranteed with the appointment of General Musa and the new service chiefs, Irabor said: “I am glad that your pedigree is well known and I am happy that no other person was chosen to be the chief of defence staff at this time. Let me use this opportunity to assure the nation that with CG Musa as CDS, we certainly are well pleased and the security and defence of our nation are in good hands.

“The growth and development of the armed forces is in good hands and so be rest assured that Musa along with his team of service chiefs will do the best to ensure that they increase or escalate the approaches that we have established to ensure that within our nation that there will be

no problem of insecurity,” Irabor added.

Irabor thanked the Ika nation for the honour done him and his family, adding that he would remain grateful to the Nigerian military for the opportunity to serve the nation.

He pledged continued support for the unity and growth of the nation.

Also speaking at the event, Governor Oborevwori hailed the contributions of General Irabor to turning the tide against the insurgency that had besieged the country.

Admiring the turnout of dignitaries across the nation and the presence of the different clans in Ika Nation at the ceremony, Governor Oborevwori said: “You can see that this is not a hired crowd. You can see that the unity of the Ika nation has brought about this hosting. God will bless the Ika nation.

“As governor, I must encourage other ethnic nationalities to continue to unite and to host their own and that will spur them to continue to do more. A lot has been said about our brother Gen. Irabor. As a speaker in the 7th Assembly, I’m aware of the lot that he has done, he was upgraded and almost at the point of retirement, he was made the Chief of Defence Staff and put another 29 months.

“And he has done very well as a brilliant officer. And one thing I find about him is that he is someone that has a passion to serve. He is committed, and very focused in all his doing and I am very sure that the person

that has taken over from you, CG Musa, is somebody that I know for almost two decades, is also a fine officer and I know with him peace will come to this nation,” the governor said.

Former Governor Ifeanyi Okowa in his remarks, said General Irabor did a lot for the peace and security of the country. Okowa said: "I thank God that our people have deemed it necessary by organising this befitting reception for you. You are worthy of it all because we know what you did for our country, Nigeria.

"Listening to the testaments here, we are even more proud as Ika nation than we were before. Obviously, you rose as a compatriot to obey Nigeria's call to serve our fatherland and our fatherland you have served with all your strength believing in Nigeria.

"You served with heart and might, the true wording of our national anthem and you have kept faith with this nation and you have made each and everyone of us proud.

"I am particularly very proud to associate with you and welcoming you back home today, we are truly very grateful that God led you through these 37 years and has brought you back home strong and healthy and your wife and children strong and healthy."

On his part, the Group Managing Director of Zenith Bank, Dr. Onyeagwu lauded General Irabor for his dedication, discipline and meritorious service to Nigeria.

Onyeagwu said that the celebration of General Irabor’s feat in rising to the apex of the

nation’s military architecture was with utmost discipline on the path of the erstwhile CDS.

“For you to get to the rank of general you must have passed through a lot of discipline, a lot of regimentation. You don’t get there by mere announcement, you work your way through.

“So, today we celebrate a man who has worked assiduously, meritoriously, dedicatedly to become a Chief of Defence Staff of our nation, Nigeria,” Onyeagwu added.

The reception, which was attended by serving and retired generals led by the current CDS, Major General Musa, accompanied by his wife, also had former defence and army chiefs, including former Chief of Defence Staff, General Alex Ogomudia (rtd); former Chief of Army Staff, Lt. General Azubuike Ihejirika (rtd), among the dignitaries.

Also present were the Deputy Governor of Delta State, Mr. Monday Onyeme; Speaker of the state House of Assembly, Hon. Emomotimi Guwor; the Chairman of THISDAY/ARISE Media Group, Prince Nduka Obaigbena; Group Managing Director of Zenith Bank, Dr. Onyeagwu; Chief Nduka Irabor; the Dein of Agbor, Dr. Benjamin Ikenchukwu; the Obi of Owa, His Royal Majesty, Dr. Emmanuel Efeizomor; Senator Emmanuel Aguariavwodo; and Senator Uche Ekwunife, among others.

Some of these dignitaries, who spoke at the occasion, poured encomiums on the former CDS for his contributions to the fight against insurgents.

SHAREHOLDERS HOLD EMERGENCY MEETING ON OBA OTUDEKO’S COMEBACK BID TODAY

issues the concerned shareholders will try to resolve at the meeting.

The shareholders are said to be concerned about the consequences of having Otudeko back in control of the bank in any capacity, following the debacle he had with the central bank two years ago.

The shares, which Otudeko bought at N19 per unit, are the largest volume of First Bank shares traded in a single day since 2012, when the stock exchange started publishing data. The acquisitions raised his shareholding to 14 per cent of the bank’s outstanding market value.

“The shareholders were appointed by the CBN and they are determined to take full control of their bank. These are the issues that must be resolved,” a source told THISDAY last night.

In April 2021, the central bank removed Oba Otudeko as chairman and sacked the board of the bank.

However, a “disclosure of shareholding” sent to the Company Secretary, FBN Holdings Plc and dated July 7,

2023, by the Head of Governance and Sustainability at Honeywell Group Limited, Yewande Giwa, stated: “We write on behalf of Barbican Capital Limited, an affiliate of Honeywell Group Limited and refer to the provisions of Sections 119 and 120 of the Companies and Allied Matters Act 2020 (as amended).

“In addition to the previously disclosed interests by Honeywell Group Limited’s affiliates, kindly take this as notification that, as of 7th July 2023, Barbican Capital Limited has acquired an aggregate of 4,770,269,843 shares in FBN Holdings Plc.”

On the same day, FBN Holdings Plc acknowledged Honeywell Group Limited’s acquisitions.

In a letter signed by its Acting Company Secretary, Adewale Arogundade, the company stated: “This is to inform the public and our stakeholders that the Company received a notification dated July 7, 2023, from Honeywell Group Limited that its affiliate, Barbican Capital Limited has acquired an aggregate of 4,770,269,843 units of

shares from the company’s issued share capital of 35,895,292,791, as at the above-referenced date.

Based on the foregoing, the equity stake of Barbican Capital Limited in the Company is 13.3 per cent.”

Otudeko, who was chairman of First Bank until 2019, is making a swift comeback to become the single largest shareholder of the bank.

A billionaire, Mr. Femi Otedola became the bank’s single largest shareholder in 2021 after a tussle with Hassan Odukale who was also vying for control of the bank after a leadership gap emerged from Otudeko’s exit.

With Otudeko now leading the battle for the control of First Bank of Nigeria Holdings Plc with 14 per cent shareholding, Otedola has dropped to second with nine per cent shareholding.

Hassan Odukale and Mike Adenuga are joint third, each with seven per cent shareholding, while Saheed Arisekole is fourth with five per cent shareholding.

Honeywell Group’s Barbican Capital Limited was incorporated on the March 9, 2023 – RC

6900918. Persons with significant control of the firm are Otudeko’s children – Oyeleye Foluke of Oladipo Diya Street, Abacha Estate, 2nd Avenue, Ikoyi, Lagos and Otudeko Obafemi Adedamola of Mekunwen Street, Ikoyi, Lagos. The 4,770,269,843 shares bought were moved from 26 different accounts. They are Dogonyaro Investments Limited; Home Securities Limited; Skyview Estates Limited; Thames Investments & Sec Ltd; ESBI(WA) Limited; Fistful Securities Limited; Zanfara Packages; Row Park Limited; Edenvale Limited; Mansion House Limited; Bethlehem Properties Limited,;Musa Haruna Foods; Yazidu Zakari Ventures Limited; Thornbull Securities Limited; Moore House Limited; Impressario Limited; Mahmoud Alheri Limited; Timothy Banfield Limited; The WhitBread Limited and Penrose Securities Limited. Flour Mills, Nigeria’s biggest miller by market value, snapped up Otudeko’s Honeywell Flour Mills Plc last year in a deal worth N82 billion.

CELEBRATING IRABOR…

L-R: Group Managing Director of

Manufacturers Oppose World Bank-funded Bid for Supply of Smart Electricity Meters

Say foreign firms being favoured in the bid process Insist on execution of supply contract awarded to members

Meter producers under the aegis of the Association of Meter Manufacturers of Nigeria (AMMN) have kicked against the World Bank-funded bid process for the supply and installation of 1.2 million smart electricity meters to the 11 distribution companies (Discos) under Phase 2 of the National Mass Metering Programme (NMMP).

The association in a letter addressed to the Director General of the Bureau of Public Procurement (BPP), dated July 4, 2023, called for the immediate suspension of the World Bank-funded bid process.

In the letter, which was jointly signed by the Acting President of the manufacturers’ association, Ademola Agoro, and the Secretary, Duro Omogbenigun, the association urged the BPP DG to direct the Transmission Company of Nigeria (TCN), Nigerian Electricity

Regulatory Commission (NERC) and the Central Bank of Nigeria (CBN) to honour the pending four million meters supply contract awarded to its members since November 2022 under the Phase 1 of the NMMP.

The association argued that the World Bank-funded bid process, which was recently advertised by the TCN, only favoured foreign firms with no track of their investment in the country and was against the backward integration policy of the federal government.

It warned that the: "Tender, which closes on July 11, 2023, if left to continue, would amount to a constructive breach of the award of contract(s) for the supply of four million meters under Phase One of the programme already awarded to some of its members since November 2022 by TCN, a bid process that your office approved", the association said.

The letter further reads: "That

PDP: Opeyemi Bamidele Has Validated Our Claims on Tinubu’s Forfeiture of $460,000 in US

Chuks Okocha in Abuja

As the Presidential Election Petition Court sitting in Abuja awaits the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) and the Labour Party to submit their final written addresses within 10 days, the PDP has said that the testimony of the Senate Majority Leader, Senator Opeyemi Bamidele was a validation of its claim that the $460,000 forfeited by President Bola Tinubu was connected to drugs racketeering.

The party said Opeyemi could not defend the figures declared by the Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC) as results of the 2023 presidential election in Kano State because he was not in the state and was also not at the collation centre on the day of the election.

Senator Bamidele had last Wednesday said as the All Progressives Congress (APC) Witness-in-Chief that President Tinubu did not face any criminal charges in a US court.

The lawmaker was the only witness called by the respondents in the hearing of the court in Abuja.

The Senate Majority Leader insisted that a forfeiture order against the president by an American court for $460,000 did not replace criminal charges because it related to a civil problem.

He also claimed that Tinubu was not found guilty and was not given any punishment.

But the PDP in a post on its Whatsapp platform by the Publicity Secretary, yesterday stated that: "The testimony of Opeyemi Bamidele, one of the star witnesses of the APC presidential candidate, Bola Ahmed Tinubu, further confirms before the Presidential Election Petition Court that Bola Tinubu of the APC forfeited the sum of $460,000, which he earned from trafficking of drugs, narcotics in the United States of America (USA), and did not disclose same to INEC in his nomination forms.

your office be aware that this particular bid process is being opened to foreign companies (manufacturers, suppliers, and exporters) of fully-built electricity meters with planned Custom Duty waiver granted to them to import meters into Nigeria.

"These importers, who are primarily foreigners, have yet to make a verifiable investment in the backward integration programme of the federal government, nor have they made any investment in local manufacturing and assembling of meters in Nigeria, which has always been the standard requirements for Meter Assets Providers (MAP) in Nigeria to show proof of investments in the backward integration and must have Meter Assembling/ Manufacturing Plants and factories in Nigeria.

"You may further be reminded that TCN and NERC, under Phase 1 of the Mass Metering Project of the Federal Government, a bidding process that your office supervised and gave a “Letter of No Objection to”, awarded 4 million meters to the local meter manufacturers in 2022."

As a result of backward integration, the body said its members had scaled up their production capacities by obtaining facilities from the banks to meet

the supplies of these meters to the distribution companies.

It added that they had readied to supply these meters before the government abandoned the awards already made to its members and went ahead to advertise the World Bank-funded international procurement for 1.2 million meters under Phase 2, which the requirements, the association said were majorly in favour of foreign companies.

Specifically, the meter manufacturers urged the BPP and the federal government to save the local metering sector from total collapse and save the investments and jobs of Nigerians.

As part of their prayers, the association called on the BPP DG to direct the immediate suspension of the TCN bid process for Phase 2, pending proper consultation of the stakeholders in the power sector, especially the meter manufacturers.

It said such action would help to address its members’ concerns regarding the pendency of Phase 1 of the NMMP and the award of the contracts for the supply of four million meters already awarded to their members since November 2022, which had not been funded till date.

They also pleaded with the BPP

boss to direct the TCN, NERC, and CBN to honour the award of contracts for the supply of four million meters as awarded to the local meter manufacturers in Phase 1 of the NMMP.

The association further requested the BPP CEO to "Direct consultation among local stakeholders during the suspension of Phase 2, to create viable options and strategies to restructure the evaluation criteria and guidelines of Phase 2 World Bank Bid to prioritise local meter manufacturers, thereby align Phase 2 with the Local Content Policy and Backward Integration Programme laws of the Federal Republic of Nigeria to catalyse economic growth and development.

"We pray and hope for your urgent intervention to address this issue".

While appreciating the good intentions of TCN and NERC to achieve the mass metering of Nigerians and bridge the metering gap in the sector towards solving the nation’s electricity problems, the association also stated that such good intentions should be executed while taking into consideration the sanctity of contracts.

It noted that such good intentions by the TCN and NERC should reflect the present economic state

of Nigeria where the nation imports fully-manufactured products but make policies that encourage building local production capacity to create employment for the teeming youthful population.

The association, however, warned that the proposed World Bank-funded bid process would lead to a disastrous outcome for its members as well as local meter manufacturing and assembling companies in Nigeria, who have invested over $500 million in the industry.

It added that the bid process would also cause massive job losses in the industry that currently employs over 10,000 Nigerians in direct employment and more than 30,000 Nigerians in indirect labour with competitive wages comparable to the communications sector.

"Our members have invested considerable resources in the metering sector with capacities to improve if only Government could sustain its present policy of allowing only genuine local meter manufacturers and assemblers to continue to supply meters to the Discos without skewed tender processes like the proposed World Bank Bid that seems to shut out local manufacturers from even participating in the process,” the association added.

DSS Didn’t Cart Away Any File Implicating Tinubu from Us, Says ICPC

Adedayo Akinwale in Abuja

The Independent Corrupt Practices and Other Related Offences Commission (ICPC) has denied media reports that the Department of State Services (DSS) carted away incriminating files relating to President Bola Tinubu from its facility and that of the Code of Conduct Bureau (CCB).

The commission emphatically stated that the ICPC never possessed files implicating Tinubu at its headquarters or offices across the states, adding that the alleged carting away of such ‘imaginary files’ was unfounded and should

be disregarded by the public.

The commission’s reaction was contained in a statement by its spokesperson, Azuka Ogugua.

In a statement issued via its verified twitter accounts, ICPC described the news report as fake and irresponsible.

The commission warned that while the commission does not dispute the role of the media to inform the public, it was deeply disturbed by the non-adherence to the tenets of the journalism profession by some media outlets.

It urged media organisations not to allow the use of their medium to propagate lies and unfounded

reports by subversive agents.

The commission added that its channels of communication remain open for clarification and confirmation of stories.

“The attention of the Independent Corrupt Practices and Other Related Offences Commission (ICPC) has been drawn to a spurious news report,” which was titled: ‘Secret Police, DSS Carts Away Files Implicating President Muhammadu Buhari, Close Aides from ICPC, CCB’.

The commission stated that “there were no files implicating President Tinubu or close aides at its headquarters or offices across the states and therefore the alleged

carting away of such imaginary files is unfounded and should be disregarded by the public.

“While the commission does not dispute the role of the media to inform the public, it is however deeply disturbed by irresponsible practice and non-adherence to the tenets of the journalism profession by some media outlets.

“For the umpteenth time, the commission wishes to urge media organisations not to allow the use of their medium to propagate lies and unfounded reports by subversive agents. The commission’s channels of communications remain open for clarification and confirmation.”

Zenith Bank, Dr. Ebenezer Onyeagwu; Chairman, THISDAY/ARISE Media Group, Prince Nduka Obaigbena; Mrs. Ebele Nduka-Irabor; Obi of Owa, Dr. Emmanuel Efeizomor; Dein of Agbor, HRM Benjamin Ikenchuku, Keagborkuzi; and former federal lawmaker, Chief Nduka Irabor, at a reception organised by the Ika nation for former Chief of Defence Staff, General Lucky Irabor (rtd) in Agbor, Delta State…yesterday

Peter Uzoho

COURTESY VISIT…

Tinubu, Gowon, Abiodun, Dangote, Others Bid Subomi Balogun Farewell

Deji Elumoye in Abuja

President Bola Tinubu; former Head of State General Yakubu Gowon (rtd); Governor of Lagos State, Babajide Sanwo-Olu; Governor of Ogun State, Prince Dapo Abiodun; his predecessor, Senator Gbenga Daniel, and former Governor of Bayelsa State, Senator Seriake Dickson were among the dignitaries who paid the final respect to the founder of First City

Monument Bank (FCMB), the late Otunba Michael Olasubomi Balogun, as his remains were laid to rest, yesterday in Ijebu Ode, Ogun State.

Others include the Chairman of Dangote Group, Alhaji Aliko Dangote; philanthropist, Mr. Femi Otedola; and President, of the African Development Bank, Dr. Femi Adesina, among others. Balogun died in London on May 19, 2023, at the age of 89.

President Tinubu, who was

represented by Vice President Kashim Shettima, described the late Balogun, as an institution in the Nigerian banking sector and a model for generations of bankers and lawyers, among other professionals.

The president made the remarks at the funeral service for the late banking icon at the Cathedral Church of Our Saviour in Ijebu Ode, Ogun State.

President Tinubu, according to a statement issued by the

Director of Information in the office of the Vice President, Olusola Abiola, described the late FCMB founder as a banking icon "who was everything our ailing world desired."

Speaking further about the deceased virtues and impact, the President said the late Balogun was "a philanthropist extraordinaire and departing from this world at age 89 is a gift that only a few have benefited from."

Gangs of Lagos Movie Sacrilegious to Our Cultural Heritage Rights, Oba of Lagos Alleges

Gboyega Akinsanmi

For the first time since the production of ‘Gangs of Lagos’ four months ago, the Oba of Lagos, Oba Rilwan Aremu Akiolu has described the movie as defamatory and sacrilegious for depicting the Eyo as criminal gangs that commit grotesque murder and visit terror on innocent citizens.

The monarch has therefore asked Amazon Web Service, Greoh Studios, and the film producers “to immediately remove, cease from using the image getup and manifestation of the Eyo in the Gangs of Lagos.”

He raised grave concerns about the film in a threepage letter he addressed to the management of Amazon Prime Nigeria and Greoh Limited on June 28, listing four conditions that the producers and promoters should meet within 14 days.

Since its official release on April 7, Gangs of Lagos has been a subject of controversy among the indigenous people of Lagos State with the Isale Eko Descendants Union claiming that the film depicted Isale Eko as a den of criminals and Eyo masquerade as a gang of murderers.

The descendants of Isale Eko

had equally instituted a suit seeking N10 billion damages against Amazon and other producers over what they described as huge reputational damage the Gangs of Lagos inflicted on the Eyo brand.

In his letter copied the Governor of Lagos State, Mr. Babajide Sanwo-Olu, Oba Akiolu claimed that the illegal representation of the Eyo has caused huge reputational damage to the Eyo brand by the defamatory movie which portrayed the brand as an instrument of terror, mayhem, and murder.

On the international stage, the monarch claimed that potential tourists and visitors to Lagos are likely to question the authenticity of the Eyo as a true cultural event deserving of respect and reverence.

He further claimed that the film producers had used the complete getup, indistinguishable image, and traditionally designed and ordained appearance of the Eyo which forms part of the cultural heritage of the indigenous people of Lagos, for commercial gain and exploitation without permission or due reference to the office of the Oba of Lagos.

“I am the custodian and final authority of the Adimu Orisa and its manifestation the Eyo.

These traditional rites are the tangible and intangible property of the indigenes of Lagos and these are their bundle of rights of our intellectual property in our cultural heritage.

“This cultural heritage is the legacy of physical artifacts and intangible attributes, that have been inherited from past generations over two hundred years ago, maintained in the present by the Oba of Lagos, and bestowed for the benefit of future generations.

“These traditions express our way of life and thought. They are proof of our intellectual and spiritual achievements. They must not be used without the indigenous owners’ express permission or desecrated in any way whatsoever,” the monarch wrote.

The monarch alleged that the film grossly violated the rights of the indigenous people of Lagos contrary to the provisions of the United Nations Declaration on the Rights of Indigenous Peoples 2007.

Oba Akiolu argued that the declaration protects “our indigenous right to practise and revitalise our cultural traditions and customs.

“This includes the right to maintain, protect and develop the past, present and future manifestations of our cultures,

including artifacts, designs, ceremonies, technologies, and visual and performing arts and literature.”

On these grounds, the monarch demanded that the continued use and depiction of the Eyo in this film and its obvious violation of our indigenous intellectual property rights as well as, at the same time defaming our sacred rites, should stop forthwith.

As part of peace conditions, the monarch directed the film producers “to immediately remove, cease from using the image get up and manifestation of the Adimu Orisa – the Eyo – your film Gangs of Lagos.”

He also asked the film producers to submit within 14 days a proposal for consideration – for the restitution of the sanctity of the Eyo brand.

The monarch also asked the film producers “to provide within 14 days a compensatory proposal for the infringement of our intellectual property rights in our cultural heritage which you have commercially exploited without licence.”

The monarch finally demanded that the producers of Gangs of Lagos should submit within 14 days a draft of an appropriately worded apology to the Oba of Lagos and the indigenous people of Lagos.

According to him, "he not only immortalised your industrious spirit as the founder of the flourishing First City Merchant Bank, which we all know as FCMB, but the world is going to remain grateful to him even much longer than he lived.

"We are here to celebrate life. As he peacefully departs from this earthly realm at the remarkable age of 89, we lift our voices in prayer, offering our heartfelt appreciation for the profound impact he made during his time among us.

"So, this is more of a gratitude to the Almighty God for bringing such a noble person to our world and changing the course of our history."

The president then condoled with the Balogun family, government, and people of Ogun State and offered prayers for the departed elder statesman.

He said "Our dear people of Ijebuland and the Ijebu Christians, must be grateful for the personality you have raised for the nation and the world.

"In this moment of farewell, we ask for your divine comfort and solace to embrace the loved

ones and friends of Otunba Balogun. May they find strength in the shared memories, and may their hearts be filled with gratitude for the privilege of knowing and being touched by such an extraordinary individual.

"May Otunba find eternal rest in your heavenly abode, and may his legacy continue to inspire generations to come."

In his remarks, the Governor of Ogun State, Mr. Dapo Abiodun said the late Michael Balogun was a prodigious intellectual, an economist, and lawyer who attended the Igbobi College, Yaba, Lagos before proceeding to the London School of Economics to read law in 1956.

He said the late Balogun worked in the banking sector first, as the Principal Counsel and Company Secretary to the Nigerian Industrial Development Bank (NIDB) and held many positions in the sector before he founded the First City Monument Bank (FCMB).

The governor also said, "In 1989 Late Michael Balogun donated the newly built and fully equipped General Hospital to Ijebu Ode."

In Fresh Attack, Gunmen Kill 25 in Benue

Gunmen yesterday afternoon invaded Akpuna village in Ukum Local Government Area (LGA) of Benue State, killing 25 residents.

According to local sources, the invaders came to the settlement and shot repeatedly.

Many of the residents ran for their lives but the unfortunate ones were hit by the bullets.

When contacted, the state Police Public Relations Officer, DSP Sewuese Anene, said eight people were killed at the scene of the attack while many others with severe injuries were taken to the hospital.

She said: "Upon receipt of

this information, police teams in collaboration with other security agencies rushed to the area and engaged these bandits who were eventually repelled. Eight corpses were recovered at the scene while many other injured persons were taken to hospital for treatment. Operation is ongoing in the area."

Meanwhile, the senator representing Benue Northeast, Emmanuel Udende has condemned the attack.

The senator called on security agencies to fish out the perpetrators of the killings and prosecute them. He disclosed that 25 people were killed without any provocation.

George Okoh in Makurdi

L-R: Supply Chain Director, Nigerian Breweries Plc, Martins Kochl; Company Secretary/Legal Director, Uaboi Agbebaku; Corporate Affairs Director, Sade Morgan; Managing Director/Chief Executive Officer, Hans Essaadi; Director General, Nigeria Employers’ Consultative Association, Adewale Oyerinde; and Director, Social and Labour Affairs, NECA, Adenike Ajala, during a courtesy visit of the NECA team to NB Plc in Lagos ...recently SUNDAY ADIGUN

MEDIA BRIEFING…

Nigeria's Petrol Consumption Down 28% after Subsidy Removal, Says Downstream Regulator

According to the industry regulator, average daily petrol consumption slumped to 48.43

FG Re-opens Eko Bridge after 15 Months of Closure

The federal government in collaboration with Lagos State Government, yesterday reopened the Eko Bridge, after 15 months of closure due to rehabilitation work.

Recall that the bridge was severely damaged at the Apogbon section during a fire caused by illegal trading under it.

The intensity of the inferno was said to have weakened major components and supporting pillars of the bridge, prompting its closure for extensive repair on the entire stretch.

Eko Bridge is one of the three bridges linking the mainland to the Island of Lagos.

The bridge’s reopening brought huge relief for motorists and commuters, who endured months of pain transiting in and out of Lagos Island.

Scores of excited commuters, yesterday evening, received Governor Babajide Sanwo-Olu and the Federal Comptroller of Works, Mrs. Olukorede Keisha, at a drive through ceremony for the reopening of the flyover.

According to Sanwo-Olu, the repair at the Apogbon axis had been completed, but disclosed that maintenance work would continue on the infrastructure, which would lead to intermittent closures in the coming months.

The governor conveyed the federal government’s apology to Lagos residents for the delay in getting the bridge back to use, stressing that it would be risky to reopen the bridge without proper reconstruction of the damaged section.

“It is with great delight to announce that we have carried out comprehensive tests with the contractor from the Federal Ministry of Works and we

believe that Apogbon section of the Eko Bridge can now be opened for motorists. But the maintenance work on the entire bridge has not completed. There are lots of bearings that still need to be reinforced along the entire stretch of the infrastructure.

“In future, there will be more intermittent closures at different sections of the bridge but the period may not be longer than one or two weeks. This is necessary for us to jerk up the bridge and complete the maintenance work. We are reopening the bridge to bring relief to road users, who have endured hardship due to the repair work,” Sanwo-Olu stated.

The governor said the contractor handling the work would also be reconstructing ancillary roads along the corridor to prevent further misuse of the bridge.

Sanwo-Olu said continuous trading activities under the bridge would no longer be permitted to prevent further damage to the flyover.

The Governor issued a sevenday ultimatum to all traders and illegal squatters to remove their belongings and vacate the space under the Eko Bridge.

He directed the Lagos State Environmental and Special Offences Enforcement Unit (Taskforce) to clear any illegal structure found under the bridge after the ultimatum.

Sanwo-Olu said: “We are using this medium to warn those trading under the bridge that we will not tolerate any form of illegal activities under this bridge and other bridges in the State. The bridges are important assets to the State and we cannot fold our arms and allow a few people to destroy them.

“We have seen the effect

which the destruction on Eko Bridge caused the entire city. We cannot afford to have these bridges shut down again because of illegal activities. We will clear all squatters from Ijora Olopa to Costain and there will be zero tolerance for market activity under the bridge.”

Keisha commended Lagos State Government for collaborating with the Federal Ministry of Works to hasten up the repair work on the bridge, noting that the reopening of the bridge was made possible because of the intervention of the State Government.

She said comprehensive maintenance work had already started on Eko Bridge before the fire incident happened, which made the contractor to abandon the work to focus on the damaged sections. Having repaired the parts damaged by the fire, Keisha said the contractor would continue the maintenance work to reinforce the bridge for public safety.

million litres in June, down from the previous average of 66.9 million litres, Reuters reported, quoting figures released by NMDPRA.

Nigeria still does not know her actual daily petrol consumption, but relies on loading and truck-out data from depots to the states nationwide, rather than the actual volume dispensed by filling stations to customers daily.

Also, a quick check on the June daily loading information from the NMDPRA showed that the 28 per cent reported reduction in consumption may not have told the full story of Nigeria’s current petrol use.

The initial shock of the subsidy withdrawal announcement and the threeday holidays in June may have affected consumption substantially.

Last month, Nigeria observed the annual June 12 Democracy Day as well as a two-day Muslim festival holiday. There is usually only skeletal loading by oil marketers during those days. The country’s actual consumption figure remains a subject of controversy.

In September last year, the NMDPRA said Nigeria consumed 66.8 million litres of petrol daily, while the state-owned oil company, the Nigerian National Petroleum

Company Limited (NNPC), insisted that the country utilised 68 million litres of petrol daily.

On its part, the Nigeria Customs Service (NCS) however said the NNPC released 98 million litres daily even when it previously claimed the country consumed 60 million litres of petrol daily.

The subsidy had kept prices cheap for decades in Africa's biggest economy, Reuters reported.

But it had become increasingly expensive for the country. The government spent $10 billion last year - leading to wider deficits and driving up government debt.

Since the subsidy was removed, a black market in neighbouring Cameroon, Benin, and Togo that relied on petrol smuggled from Nigeria has been reported to have collapsed.

Despite having spent $2.41 billion on the subsidy in the first five months, Nigeria could save up to $5.10 billion this year from scrapping the petrol subsidy and from FX reforms, the World Bank said on June 27.

But the varying figures provided by different agencies of government have left many Nigerians concerned about the transparency of the management of the government’s expensive fuel subsidy programme before its removal in May.

Last month, the Nigeria Extractive Industries and Transparency Initiative (NEITI) vowed to seize the gauntlet and carry out a comprehensive nationwide study of the actual volume of petrol consumed by the country.

Meanwhile, oil prices climbed about three per cent to a nineweek high at the weekend, as supply concerns and technical buying outweighed fears that further interest rate hikes could slow economic growth and reduce demand for oil.

Brent futures, Nigeria’s benchmark rose $1.95, or 2.6 per cent, to settle at $78.47 a barrel, while US West Texas Intermediate crude (WTI) rose $2.06, or 2.9 per cent, to settle at $73.86.

That was the highest close for Brent since May 1 and WTI since May 24. Both benchmarks ended up about 5 per cent for the entire week.

After two months of price consolidation between roughly $73-$77, data showed that Brent moved into technically overbought territory for the first time since mid-April.

But THISDAY reported last week that the rise in the international price of crude oil could also mean an increase in the pump price of petrol which currently sells for between N488 and N600 across the nation, depending on location.

DSS Quizzes, Detains Senator Yari

Former Governor of Zamfara State, Senator Abdulaziz Yari, who was detained by the Department of State Services (DSS) since Wednesday, was still in the custody of the secret police as of 8 pm last night.

Yari, a member of the All Progressives Congress (APC), represents Zamfara West in the Senate.

No reason was given for his detention but the ex-Zamfara State governor was believed to have provoked the ire of President Bola Tinubu and the APC when he contested

the Senate President of the 10th Senate with the anointed candidate of the party, Senator Godswill Akpabio.

Yari defied Tinubu and the APC and pushed to be Senate President even after party leaders publicly endorsed Akpabio for the position, largely on account of Akpabio’s southern Christian identity and second Senate term.

The party sought to dispel insinuations about the alleged Islamisation agenda by ceding the Senate presidency to a Christian, since Tinubu; his vice, Senator Kashim Shettima,

and the Speaker of the House of Representatives, Hon. Tajudeen Abbas are Muslims.

Also, the Chief Justice of Nigeria (CJN), Justice Olukayode Ariwoola is Muslim.

But Yari, who defied his party’s zoning arrangement, insisted that a northerner should head one of the three arms of the government.

However, Akpabio scored 63 votes to defeat the Zamfara senator, who got 46 votes in the June 13 election.

There were speculations that Yari’s arrest was connected with the election.

However, others linked his arrest to alleged corruption.

Efforts to speak to the spokesman of the DSS, Dr. Peter Afunanya, proved abortive.

Yari had earlier secured a Federal High Court directive forbidding the DSS, EFCC, and other law enforcement bodies from arresting the senator on corruption charges.

The restraining order was renewed last month, with law enforcement sources telling The Gazette they would continue investigations on the matter meanwhile.

Emmanuel Addeh in Abuja

The average daily petrol consumption by Nigerians fell by 28 per cent since President

Bola Tinubu scrapped the country’s costly subsidy on fuel on May 29, data from the Nigerian Midstream and Downstream Petroleum

Regulatory Authority (NMDPRA), has shown.

L-R: Chairman, Finlab/Council Member, Scientific Products Association of Nigeria (SPAN), Chief Uzomba Uwajie; Country CEO, One Network Limited, and Vice President, SPAN, Mr. Oladapo Sonola; Chairman, Katchey Group/President, SPAN, Mrs. Kate Isa; Chief Executive Officer, Finlab Scientific/General Secretary, SPAN, Mr. Olufemi Ayeni; Financial Secretary, SPAN, Mr. Ebubechukwu Anowai; and Chief Executive Officer, Winelight Analytical System Nigeria Limited. Mr. Femi Onanuga at the SPAN press conference in Lagos…. yesterday SUNDAY ADIGUN

BUILDING MEDIA PROFESSIONALISM…

L-R: Deputy Editor, Sunday Title, THISDAY Newspapers Group, Mr. Festus Akanbi; Executive Director, Africa Foundation for Young Media Professionals, Mr Olaito Yinka, and Senior Programme Manager, Microsoft Nigeria, Jaquelyn Ekwueme, at a two-day workshop for young media professionals in Lagos... recently

Sit-at-Home: We Won’t Take Orders from Murderers, Mbah Fumes

Enugu State Governor, Dr. Peter Mbah, has declared that the state will win the war against sit -at-home enforcers.

Mbah said he would never take orders from people he described as murderers and enemies of Igbo land.

Mbah said the state government was equally exploring the option of dragging both the instigators and enforcers of violence and illegal sit-at-home order in the state before the International Criminal Court (ICC) in the Hague to answer to the crimes against humanity.

He argued that in the 21st Century, nobody should be allowed to stay in one part of the world to enjoy life while causing deaths and pains in other parts.

The governor added that there was no way Enugu could become the premier destination for investment, living, and tourism or its economy rising from $4.4 billion to $30 billion when the people were still talking about or taking orders from faceless persons outside the state, insisting that, “we cannot be defeated by evil and we must not allow

Fubara Signs N200bn Supplementary Budget to Fund Road Infrastructure

Blessing Ibunge in Port Harcourt

Rivers State Governor, Mr. Siminalayi Fubara has signed the supplementary budget of N200 billion recently passed by the Rivers State House of Assembly.

With the supplementary budget, Fubara said his administration was poised to begin construction work on the proposed Port Harcourt Ring Road and that the project would connect communities across several local government areas.

He gave the assurance yesterday after signing into law the Rivers State Supplementary Appropriation Law No. 4 of 2023, presented to him by the Leader of the House, Hon. Edison Ehie, at the Executive Chamber of Government House Friday.

After signing the budget, Fubara restated his resolve to actualise projects and ideas bequeathed to him by the previous administration, which will improve the lives of Rivers people.

FG Takes Waste to Wealth Programme to Grassroots

Michael Olugbode in Abuja

The federal government has taken its waste to wealth programme to the grassroots, promising to transform waste to wealth in Kuchingoro, a community in Abuja.

Permanent Secretary, Ministry of Environment, Mallam Ibrahim Yusufu made the remarks at the 2023 National Environmental Sanitation at Kuchingoro yesterday.

Yusufu, represented by the Director, Pollution Control and Environmental Health, Mr Usman Abdullahi, said the ministry would enlighten the community on waste segregation.

He said: “You can convert that waste to wealth where you separate your plastics and

biodegradables. These biodegradables can be converted to compost and these plastics can also be converted for use.”

In his response yesterday, District Head of Kuchingoro, Umar Dogo commended the different stakeholders on environmental sanitation that graced the event in the community. He assured that everyone in the community would support the initiative, while thanking the stakeholders for the supply of tools to carry out the environmental sanitation exercise in the area.

The Country Director of Breakthrough Action Nigeria, Mr Ian Tweedie, said that Kuchingoro stands out in the area of environmental sanitation.

that to happen.”

The governor urged concerted efforts by the media and Enugu people against scaremongering and fake news, which he described as the latest resort by the sit-at-home promoters, having lost their capacity to inflict havoc on lives and property as was previously the case due to re-energised security measures applied by the government and security agencies since the ban on Monday sit-at-home in the

state.

Mbah spoke during his maiden media chat with Enugubased journalists and media executives at the Government House, Enugu, at the weekend. The governor urged journalists to be professional in their duty by seizing the opportunity presented by investigative and modern journalism to fact-check and verify the authenticity of information before feeding them to the public.

“The truth is that we have won the actual war against sitat-home enforcers and murderers who are out to destroy Enugu State and Igboland. We have unleashed the security resources on them and they have been thoroughly defeated and discomfited.

“Because they no longer can unleash terror on lives and property of Ndi Enugu, that is why they have now resorted to

scaremongering, peddling of fake news, and all manner of dramas to instill fear in our people and control their minds and actions.

“We practice democracy. We can never allow murderers and terrorists to dictate to us. We must not allow those who do not have the mandate of the people to dictate to us how to live our lives; when to go out; when to close our businesses and when to sit at home.

I sese Festival Cancelled to Prevent Crisis, Emir of Ilorin Replies Soyinka

The Emir of Ilorin, Ibrahim Sulu Gambari, has said the planned Isese festival was cancelled to prevent a crisis in Ilorin, Kwara State.

This is in response to the criticism by Nobel Laureate, Prof Wole Soyinka, who took a swipe at the monarch for his role in preventing an Osun priestess, Yeye Ajesikemi Omolara, from holding an Isese

festival in the state.

In a statement signed by his spokesperson, Abdul-Azeez Arowona, the emir said the decision to cancel the festival was the only way of preventing situations that might lead to a crisis in parts of the country.

The statement read: “To set records straight, Professor Wole Soyinka tends to be economical with facts, forgetting that war is

what nobody wants.”

The spokesperson noted that the emir decided to cancel the festival because it was capable of causing chaos in the society, if not quickly addressed.

“This is to prevent crisis and not wait until it erupts because the cost of managing crises cannot be equated to the wisdom or courage required to prevent it.

“Such proactiveness is neces-

sary in order to sustain peaceful co-existence in the society.

“It is therefore surprising to hear that the position of Professor Soyinka is identical to someone who does not consider what might transpire if the programme was hosted,” the statement said.

It added that the priestess had lived “harmoniously” in the town for years “until she decided to go beyond her boundaries.”

Adamawa Guber Tribunal Summons Suspended REC, DSS Deputy Director

Chuks Okocha in Abuja

The Adamawa State Governorship Election Tribunal sitting in Yola, the state capital, has summoned the suspended Resident Electoral Commissioner (REC) of the Independent National Electoral Commissioner (INEC), Mr. Hudu Yinusa Ari; the Deputy Director of the Department of the State Services (DSS), Aminu

Suleiman and the INEC National Commissioner, Abdullahi Zuru.

Ari and Zuru were allegedly beaten up by angry voters in Yola for allegedly aiding the announcement of the discredited results.

They are to appear before the tribunal this week Thursday July 13.

Also, the Social Democratic Party (SDP) governorship candidate, Dr. Umar Ardo,

who submitted seven prayers for determination, wants the election to be annulled due to non-compliance with electoral laws.

According to a copy of the tribunal document made available to THISDAY, Ardo wants the tribunal to determine: “Whether or not the petitioners’ petition complied with the provision of the Electoral Act 2022?

“Whether the harassment and violence against government officials: INEC National Commissioner and Official of the Department of State Security during the collation of the result of the Adamawa State governorship election on 15 April 2023 and 16 April 2023 did not compromise the result that INEC declared and so renders petition to be set aside?

Lagos Faces Legal Battle over Demolition of Alaba Market

Segun James

The Alaba International Market Association yesterday disclosed that it would pursue legal action against the Lagos State Government for demolishing no fewer than 30 buildings that legally belonged to its members within the market.

The association, also, challenged Lagos State Governor, Mr. Babajide Sanwo-Olu to come up with palliative measures to cushion untold agonies and

miseries that the affected shop owners and their family members were facing after the demolition.

The President of the market’s electronics section, Chief Camillus Amajuoyi made the disclosure while fielding questions on ARISE News Channels yesterday, pointing out that that relative peace had returned to the market after the demolition that displaced many traders.

The Lagos State Building Control Agency (LASBCA) had demolished some physically

distressed structures at the market in Ojo Local Government Area after serving notices of demolition due to structural weakness.

Following the controversies that trailed the demolition, Sanwo-Olu constituted a joint peace and reconciliation committee empanelled “to settle and douse the increasing tension between the two vibrant groups” after a meeting with his Imo State counterpart, Senator Hope Uzodimma.

Giving updates about over 30

buildings that were demolished on ARISE News Channels yesterday, Amajuoyi disclosed that the traders at the Alaba market “are going to fight for the demolition of their buildings legally. We are going to pursue it legally.

“I do not see how they will tell us that this place does not belong to us because it is close to the canal. At the end of the day, they demolished and handed over the place to somebody else to develop.”

Hammid Shittu in Ilorin

The ‘High & Mighty’ of Nigeria’s Stock Market

10mostcapitalisedstocksdazzleinvestorsinH1

Festus Akanbi,

Nigeria’s economic and business fundamentals have continued to respond positively to the tweaking of some policy measures by the current administration, raising optimism about the nation’s economic and business fundamentals in the second half of the year.

Economic analysts are of the view that the moderate improvements in the perception of the nation’s economy should be attributed to the boldness displayed by President Bola Tinubu’s administration in putting an end to the corruption-ridden fuel subsidy programme and the cessation of multiple foreign exchangeistration.

Perhaps, one visible evidence that the nation’s economy is looking up is the current impressive performance of the capital market where 10 leading companies on the Nigerian Exchange Limited (NGX) were able to contribute a cumulative N25.6 trillion to overall N33.198trillion market Market capitalisation refers to the total value of all a company’s shares of stock. Knowing a company’s market cap can help you compare the relative size of one company versus another.

The list of the 10 most capitalised stocks as of June 30 included MTN Nigeria, Airtel Africa, Dangote Group, BUA Cement, BUA Foods, Zenith Bank, GTCO, Seplat Energy, and Geregu Power, respectively.

10 companies, investors on the NGX who have endured long periods of bearish sentiments had cause to smile as their wealth grew by N5.3 trillion in H1 amid audacious macroeconomic reforms under the new administration.

MTN Nigeria

Nigeria, MTN Nigeria, which traded at N274 per share on Wednesday, July 5, boasted of N5.56 trillion capital as of June 30 this year.

MTN Nigeria is the Nigerian subsidiary of the MTN Group - a telecommunications group

operating in 22 countries across Africa and the Middle East. Since its inception, MTN Nigeria has led the growth of the telecom industry to become the biggest mobile operator in the whole of West Africa. The company is listed on the Nigerian Exchange Limited (NGX) since May 16th, 2019. MTN is traded on the NGX under the ticker symbol “MTNN”.

Airtel Nigeria

Another telecom operator in this category is Airtel Nigeria, which recorded a capital base of N4.96 trillion as of June end. Meanwhile, a unit of its share price traded at N1,319.90 on Wednesday. Airtel is a leading provider of telecommunications and mobile money services with a presence in 14 African countries, primarily in East, Central, and West Africa. The company solutions to its subscribers, including mobile voice and data services as well as mobile money services both nationally and internationally.

Airtel Africa Plc was listed on the NGX on July 9th, 2019.

Dangote Cement

Dangote Cement is currently the third most valuable stock on the NGX with a market capitalisation of N 4.86 trillion, which makes up about 14.5% of the entire NGX equity market as of June end. The company engages in the manufacture, preparation, import, packaging, and distribution of cement and related products in Nigeria, and has plants or import terminals in nine other African countries.

The current share price of Dangote Cement (DANGCEM) is N285. DANGCEM closed on Tuesday at N285 per share on the NGX. Dangote Cement was listed on the exchange since October 26, 2010 and it traded. The cement company is traded on the NGX under the ticker symbol “DANGCEM”.

BUA Cement

With a share capital of N3.12 trillion as of June 30, BUA Cement’s share price was N83.15 per unit on Wednesday. The company is engaged in the manufacturing and marketing of cement products. It is the second largest producer in

Nigeria after Dangote Cement. The company was founded in 2008 and is headquartered in Lagos, Nigeria. name BUA Cement. It produces and markets cement products in the country. BUA Cement was created as a result of the consolidation of BUA Group’s cement holdings in Nigeria, namely, Obu Cement and Cement Company of Northern Nigeria (CCNN).

BUA Foods

BUA Foods is a leading food and fast-moving consumer goods (FMCG) business that processes, manufactures, and distributes food products as well as packaged food. The company is a member of BUA Group, a leading conglomerate in Nigeria with business interests spread across the food and infrastructure sectors. BUA Foods’ and pasta. As of June 30, it boasted of a capitalisation of N2.44 trillion while a unit of its share price was sold at N135.75 on Wednesday.

Zenith Bank

The undisputed leader in the banking sector category, Zenith Bank grew its share capital to N1.08 trillion in June end. Meanwhile, its share price was traded at N34.10 per unit on Wednesday. Zenith Bank Plc is a Nigerian commercial bank providing services to corporate, commercial, and individual customers. The company’s core businesses include corporate and investment banking, commercial and consumer banking, trade services and foreign exchange, treasury and cash management services, and other its subsidiaries.

GTCO

With a share capital hitting N1.03

trillion on June 30, GTCO has shown resilience as it maintained its position as one of the most capitalised stocks. Its share price as of Wednesday was N36. It is traded on the NGX under the ticker symbol “GTCO” Guaranty Trust Holding is currently the seventh most valuable stock on the NGX with a market capitalisation of N1.06 trillion, which makes up about 3.16% of the NGX equity market as of July 5, 2023.

Nestle Nigeria

Nestle Nigeria is currently the eighth most valuable stock on the NGX with a market capitalisation of N990 billion on June 30, 2023. Its share price was N1,200 on Wednesday. Nestle is traded on the NGX under the ticker symbol “NESTLE”. It is one of the largest food and beverage companies in Africa.

Seplat Energy

Seplat Petroleum Development Co. is currently the ninth most valuable stock on the NGX with a market capitalisation of N824 billion, which is about 2.46% of the Exchange equity market. Seplat Petroleum Development is traded on the NGX under the ticker symbol “SEPLAT and a unit of its share price was sold for N1,399.80. Seplat was formed as Seplat Petroleum Development Company in June 2009 through the partnership of Shebah Petroleum Development Company Limited and Platform pursue upstream oil and gas opportunities in Nigeria and in particular divestment opportunities arising out of the incumbent Major IOC’s portfolios.

Geregu Power

Power Plc emerged as the 10th most valuable stock on the NGX with a market capitalisation of N750 billion, which was about 2.24% of the NGX equity market. With a share price of N285 on Wednesday, Geregu Power is traded on the NGX under the ticker symbol “GEREGU”. Acquired in 2013, with generating plants in Ajaokuta, Geregu is one of Nigeria’s leading GENCOs that uses gas turbines as a clean energy source to generate power.

Again, Telecoms Operators Fret over High Cost of Diesel, Multiple Taxes

Although the federal government, last week, announced the suspension of the implementation of the operators, Emma Okonji writes that other factors including the hike in the cost of diesel, other forms of

under the aegis of the Association of Licensed Telecomsworried that the hike in diesel, coupled and development of telecoms sector, despite is worried that the pump price of diesel has to rise further when the federal government haulage of diesel to the various sites, adding has increased the cost of haulage of diesel Fuel Hike

The increase in the cost of petroleum in the cost of petroleum products was ad-

Multiple Taxes

killing the telecoms sector and eroding its

announced the suspension of the

the implication of diesel hike on telecoms operations said: “As a telecoms service provider, we consider the interest of the have continued to maintain the same cost move to increase the cost of service since do not have the right pricing in the telecoms “Telecom operators have their own chalthe cost of providing telecoms services and we must price right and we must have access ensure full protection of telecoms infrastruc-

engaging with the relevant stakeholders

“We are engaging with all the relevant stakeholders, in particular, we are in contactunmindful of the challenges that people are going through, in particular, we are not

Suspension of 5% Telecoms Tax

which the federal government introduced stakeholders, who said its implementa-

that the suspension is a good developgrateful to the current government for

the commission, the telecoms sector has recorded tremendous growth from an initial

operators will no longer collect such Telecoms Investments posing on telecoms operations, the

Lagos during an interactive session with the media, where he provided his scorecards and landmark developments that have shaped the growth in the telecoms sector since he assumed

the government must address the challenges

Telecom masts

Dispute Over OPL 310 and Doctrine of ResJudicata

The ongoing legal dispute over Oil Prospecting Licence (OPL) 310 awarded to Optimum Petroleum Development Company Limited has raised the question of whether a trial court can review its own judgment or sit on appeal over its own decision, Wale Igbintade writes

The right to review a judgment is one of the two exceptions of a Latin term ‘ResJudicata ’ which means, once the court lawfully hears all the contentions made by both parties in a suit and then after such delivery of judgment, the case cannot be reopened for further hearing and the verdict is binding on both parties.

Oil and Gas Nigeria Limited and Lekoil 310 Limited has again highlighted the legal principle, which prevents a party from re-litigating a claim, defence or issue already litigated. This principle and protect litigants from multiple litigations involving the same or similar claims or issues. Court documents sighted by us revealed that the federal government on July 27, 1993, awarded OPL 310 to Optimum Petroleum Development Company Limited from February 3, 1992 to prospect for petroleum on a 100 per cent sole risk basis as the operator with a proviso allowing Optimum to choose to give up at most 40 per cent of the interest to a technical that by some agreements entered into in 2009 and Gas Nigeria Limited (a company incorporated in Nigeria), Optimum agreed to assign and transfer 40 per cent of its participating interest 26, 2009, the ministry conveyed the approval per cent participating interest in OPL 310 to compliance with the agreements executed cent of its 40 percent interest in OPL 310 to a sister company of Lekoil 310 Ltd which is its consent to the assignment of the 17.14 per and Optimum are amended to take account of the consent of the minister to the assignment. of State for Petroleum Resources.

Subsequently in 2015, the Chancery Court in London granted an administrative order company incorporated in the UK and the majorGas Nigeria Limited), and three administrators were appointed for the company. ministry rejected Lekoil’s application for consent of the minister to transfer the entire to Lekoil on the ground that the application and the application should be supported by evidence of written consent of Optimum and amended agreements to accommodate all the already under administration in the UK), notited, applied to the Department of Petroleum Resources (DPR) for the consent of the minister for the acquisition of 100 per cent of the shares -

formed DPR that it was not supporting Lekoil’s application for consent based on the fact that it which had been communicated to DPR and that Optimum has been unable to reach an agreement with Lekoil even with respect to the 17.14 per cent interest in OPL 310 due to

as Lekoil’s inability to show Optimum proof of funds and to agree on commercial terms which have resulted in the prolonged delay in optimally developing OPL 310.

an action by originating summons in 2018 (Suit No. FHC/L/CS/482/2018) at the Federal High of Petroleum Resources seeking declaratory and injunctive reliefs that Lekoil had validly interest in OPL 310. With the prior leave of court, Optimum was joined in the suit as the 2nd defendant.

28, 2019 having found the suit unmeritorious.

by that, the interest in OPL 310 as its purported acquisition is inchoate and invalid.

to obtain the prior consent of both Optimum and the minister.

withdrew the appeal.

agreed that the 22.86 per cent interest in OPL and they further agreed that Lekoil 310 Ltd has no business with the 22.86 per cent interest in OPL 310 but it has a non-exclusive right to nominate a third party as a technical and -

and Optimum exercised its right to terminate

Prior to the expiration of OPL 310, Optimum applied to the Nigerian Upstream Petroleum Regulatory Commission (NUPRC) for the conversion of OPL 310 to a Petroleum Prospecting Licence (PPL).

Sometime in January 2023, Optimum said

and Lekoil in violation of the laws of the Federal No. FHC/L/CS/482/2018 particularly with of management.

remedy them. Optimum also copied the said petition to Lekoil 310 Ltd and the NUPRC.

to respond within two weeks to the issues raised

FHC/L/CS/563/2023) by originating summons against Optimum as defendant before the same Federal High Court, Lagos Division restrain Optimum from unreasonably refusing to give subsequent consent to the acquisition restrain Optimum from further representations regulatory and government agencies, in respect of the 22.86 present participating interest in OPL 310.

obtained an ex parte order of injunction from the said court restraining Optimum from interfering with the subject matter of the suit by statutory bodies, regulatory and government the 22.86 per cent participating interest in OPL 310 has reverted or devolved to Optimum or any other person or authority, or carry out any action that will foist a fait accompli on the court in any way, form or manner. which was granted by the court in the fresh suit

However, the court documents reveal that Optimum is contesting that the fresh suit has the same or similar issues with the previous suit that was decided in favour of Optimum and the minister.

For instance, Optimum in its Notice of Optimum raised objections to the suit on grounds of lack of jurisdiction, lack of locus standi, res judicata, limitation of statute, andessary parties were not added to the suit as none of the parties to the suit are the owners of OPL 310 or the interest therein as recognised by Section 44(3) of the 1999 Constitution (as

written address to the originating summons contending, among others, that the entire right to own immovable property in Nigeria under the provisions of Section 43 of the 1999 Constitution (as amended) and by that section, only a citizen of Nigeria has the right to acquire and own immovable property anywhere in Nigeria, and that Lekoil 310 Limited is not a Nigerian company.

Optimum, among others, is arguing that the Federal High Court cannot sit and assume the status of an appellate court over its own decision in the previous suit more so as the earlier judgment of the court to the Court of -

that the appeal is dismissed and the judgment of the court in Suit No. FHC/L/CS/482/18 -

attempting to surreptitiously use the same court, to implead its previous judgment, halt, frustrate or freeze its enforcement, set it aside and thereby deprive Optimum and the Federal Government of Nigeria the fruits of the judgment.

the application for security for costs, notice and written address against the originating

Oil rig

From Rags to Riches and Back: Cyrille Bahmou’s Journey of Redemption and Business Expertise

Life, they say, is full of surprises. Cyrille Bahmou, a business consultant, had a taste of these surprises early on in his life. His story is not just another grassto-grace tale; it has a unique ring that sets it apart. Bahmou experienced the heights of wealth, and the depths of poverty and then rose like a phoenix to help entrepreneurs navigate the pitfalls that nearly trapped him for life.

Bahmou was once a prosperous businessman, enjoying the trappings of a good life. Luxury cars? Check. Beautiful house? Check. Media fame? Absolutely! He commanded attention everywhere he went in Cameroon. Life was sweet as his businesses flourished and brought him greater wealth. But suddenly, life spun a surprise on him. Like a domino, all his accumulated wealth started to crumble one by one. In a weekend, he lost everything he built in seven years, leaving him penniless.

“From my exalted position as a CEO with a workforce of over 72 staff in Cameroon and offices everywhere in the country, I found myself on the roadside of the expressway Sango-Ota Idiroko-road selling cooked noodles to night travellers,” he recounts. His downfall was baffling. He described that time as the worst experience for him and his family.

“My family and I began experiencing nightmares, living in an uncompleted building, sleeping on the bare floor with less than N300 daily profit to feed a family of four. Unable to afford diapers for our son, we forcefully disciplined the young boy of less than one-year-old on toilet habits and cleanliness. It was tough.”

At this nadir point of his life, Bahmou began to reflect on his struggles. Certainly, this was not the life he envisioned for his family. The more he thought about it, the more miserable he became, crying most nights for a miracle, almost on the edge of depression.

Somehow, he encouraged himself with the thought that diligence in his small business could eventually pave the way out of his financial struggles. After several attempts, Destiny finally smiled at him. Just like it took a weekend to lose his wealth, it took a miraculous Sunday to connect him to a destiny helper that turned his life completely around.

“To change a man, you need to change his mind. My mentor took me through a process of mind transformation whereby I stopped thinking like a grasshopper and began to see possibilities everywhere. He made me understand that building lasting wealth requires me to discover my passion, and I embarked on that journey, and that is what is making me who I am becoming today and doing what I am currently doing.”

“The truth was that when I met this mystery man, my expectation was that he would either get me a job or assist me financially so that I could take care of my financial needs. I was worried the man was giving me books and talking to me about attending seminars. At that point I told my wife, this may not be the messiah we were looking for after all. We are talking of money he was talking of books and seminars. I almost stepped out of that divine connection”, Cyrille further explained, adding: “Thank God I persisted and this has paid a dividend that has been beyond my imagination. He did not give me money; he gave me what was more than money. He assisted me to activate the wealth within me that enabled me to eventually capture the wealth outside”, Cyrille further said.

Today, Bahmou is a business consultant who runs a

business consultancy firm called Charis Business Intelligence Consulting. Through this platform, he helps businesses grow nine times faster and become 50 per cent more profitable. His own failure in business propelled him to embrace this new role.

“It takes someone who has travelled that road to guide others,” he explains. “Navigating through the rough and tumble world of business start-up is the common experience of every business owner. Starting a business is the easy part; the increasing numbers of business start-ups today are evidential to this fact. The hard part most business owners never realise until it is late is that making a business succeed, become profitable and remain relevant over time requires a lot of work and most business owners are not able to do that until they collapse. From what I have been through, seen and experienced, I gave myself the mission to help business owners and entrepreneurs to grow their businesses while avoiding these pitfalls.”

To achieve this, Bahmou encourages his clients to have a mindset that prioritises paying customers over everything else.

“From the analogy of what blood is for the human body, so is money to a business system. I will rather put it this way: what blood is to the human body, so are paying customers to a thriving business.”

He points out that the main purpose of establishing a venture should not primarily be to make a profit but “to identify the needs of people (customers) and provide solutions. Therefore, the pursuit of profit should

not be the drive of the business owner but to identify the people (prospects) and meet their needs with your tailored products and services. Thus, turning them into paying customers.”

Bahmou understands the importance of information and, therefore, advocates for data collection to enable a businessman to operate successfully in any market. While this will help his clients stay ahead of his competitors, Bahmou offers a caveat.

“Competition should not be the concern of any business owner, but the application and the improvement of his value proposition will make the business thrive. The point here is that as human beings, we will all have our peculiarities due to the uniqueness of our fingerprint; this is the key differentiator so is our business value proposition.”

He recalls a client who once had issues in the real estate business. “I discovered during our consulting session that she did not know what value her business was offering to her prospects. So, we began to address that, and I made sure that all her communication material portrayed this fundamental aspect. Today her business is doing awesomely well.”

Additionally, Bahmou emphasises the importance of marketing research. He breaks this down into consumer segmentation, purchase situation analysis, and direct competitor analysis. Exploring these factors, according to him, will make a business grow.

Given his experience in business, Bahmou believes that a business owner should have a clear distinction in how to handle money. “The understanding of the use of money is very crucial. There should be a clear distinction between your money as the owner of the business and the money belonging to the business. The business owner is a steward. His primary function is to serve, and thus administrate the resources of his business as a separate entity completely different from him. He should be able to see his business as another entity whereby its survival depends on how well it is taken care of.

“Therefore, it is very important to put in place as a business owner a financial structure and policies by which you have to comply with and be financially disciplined as to maintain the balance between what money belongs to you as a person and that of the business. Do not think for one second that the cash flowing into your business belongs to you. No, it is the company’s money. Secondly, put yourself on a salary whereby you consider yourself being a staff in your own company. This will help you to be financially disciplined and empower the business to run as a separate entity.”

Budgeting, he adds, is also crucial to business growth. “I define budgeting as telling your money where to go

rather than sitting down and wondering where it went. A proper budget will keep you at rest. It is very difficult to adhere to it, but once you succeed in this simple but life-rewarding financial principle, every other principle of financial education will fall in place.”

Apart from budgeting, Bahmou advocates for emergency funds. Given life’s unexpected turns, he advises business owners to always set money aside for unforeseen contingencies. For clients who have gone through a similar “grace to grass” story like his, Bahmou offers sustainability practices that can help them manage their resources and maintain long-term growth.

“Systems and structures in business make the business. As a business owner, you can’t afford to think of growth and sustain it when you have not put the right structures and systems in place. One major reason for my failure in business back then was that my business outgrew me. I thought the business was big and solid, whereas it was established on a sand foundation. I can’t make that mistake today, and it will be stupidity to the uttermost.

Charis Business Intelligence Consulting, aka Charis BI, the current business I am now running, is established on a very strong foundation,” he said.

According to Bahmou, there are three essential structures that business owners should have. They are the legal pillar, financial and marketing pillars. These pillars address the issues of financial discipline and a magnetic way of attracting new customers that stay and refer your business to other customers.

Having turned the lemons life served him into many jars of lemonade, Bahmou’s perception of financial freedom is instructive. He puts it this way:

“Financial freedom to me today means being able to afford all my needs, bless the world around me, make a difference in the lives of the people I love, and affect my community at large without any fear of lack.”

Cyrille rounded off: “For all this, I am eternally grateful to my mystery mentor who has refused to allow me to reveal his identity freely; who initiated a 360-degree shift in my thought process. I later discovered that he runs a foundation quietly dedicated to rescuing those who have lost their purposes and visions and bringing them back to the original pathway. With my experience with my mentor, I have discovered that real wealth is not limited to cash; the real wealth is inside and until you change your mindset, you will be underachieving God’s best”.

“I have made up my mind that I will commit my entire life to help other individuals who are possibly now at their wits’ end to turn on their internal switch and to pursue mental renovation instead of just pursuing material things. That is the higher pathway”.

For all this, I am eternally grateful to my mystery mentor who has refused to allow me to reveal his identity freely; who initiated a 360-degree shift in my thought process. I later discovered that he runs a foundation quietly dedicated to rescuing those who have lost their purposes and visions and bringing them back to the original pathway

Cyrille, now a Business Consultant

Cyrille’s wife, Michelle, a lawyer now an executive assistant to the CEO of a top legal firm in Nigeria

Vanessa

Obioha

writes about the transformative life of this business consultant.

Cyrille: in his kiosk in the night selling indomie noodles

www.thisdaylive.com

REBUILDING THE SOUTH EAST REGION

EMEKA ALEX

DURU canvasses

a unity of purpose among southeast leaders

SADIQ ABUBAKAR GULMA writes on developing Nigeria beyond flyovers, palliatives and scholarships

THE MOON AND THE GHETTO

“That’s one small step for a man. One giant leap for mankind.”- Neil Armstrong

See Page 20

AFRICA’S STRUGGLE FOR PEACEFUL POLITICAL TRANSITION

The West Africa Elders Forum has helped in safeguarding democracy in Sierra Leone, argues Wealth DICKSON

OMINABO

Ihave been in Sokoto State every quarter of the year for the past two and half years for the implementation of a development cooperation project between the organisation I represent, the Sokoto State Government and its parastatals. On a particular day this year, we drove all over the capital city of Sokoto, surveying functional solar water pumps. We went under and above four flyovers that had interestingly distinct names: Gadar Bafarawa (Bridge of Bafarawa), Gadar Alu (Bridge of Alu (Alu Magatakarda Wammako), and Gadar Tambuwal (Bridge of Tambuwal). But these are not the official names of the flyovers. The names of the flyovers correspond to the names of all the previous state governors. Each of these past governments built a physical edifice in the form of a flyover for various reasons; to (over) ease traffic flow, to serve as a political reminder to those who traverse the city and ask what did so and so do during his tenure and for other reasons best known to them. And as if that is what the state governors wished for, the people of Sokoto remember these flyovers with the names of the governors who built them. It was a bullseye.

As the baton of government has changed in most states of Nigeria and at the federal level, both executive and legislative, people have already taken stock of what physical edifices exist before the new leaders ascent to power. Whoever completes a construction takes the laurels and the golden opportunity of naming it or having it named after them.

See Page 20

EDITORIAL A MILITARY WITH MANY GENERALS

I didn’t recall this flyover experience until recently when I sat in a class discussing solving societal challenges through social innovations. I listened to the professor talk about a 50-yearold book titled “The Moon and The Ghetto,” in which the author Richard R. Nelson, an American Professor of Economics at Yale University, essentially argues that “If we can land a man on the moon, why can’t we solve the problems of the ghetto?” He mentions how gains on the basic urgent social needs. The moon landing achievement Nelson refers to in his book is the Apollo 11 Mission, where on the moon on July 20, 1969. This month is almost 44 years since this “one giant leap for mankind” achievement. The goal of landing a man on the moon was a national goal set by the then US President in 1961, John F. Kennedy, characterising it as one of the urgent goals the US must achieve.

See Page 45

As we discussed how social innovations can be used as a process to solve complex and urgent societal challenges, the affairs of on how some basic needs such as access to potable water, quality healthcare and quality education still elude the majority of Nigerians and how our leaders have not laserfocused on solving these urgent issues but are interested in our own mediocre NASA-esque airports, and dual carriageways, when the you wonder if there aren’t more pressing needs that need massive investment than the transportation infrastructure.

Nigeria has just witnessed a change of government in so many states and even at the Federal Executive Level and the Legislature. Many promises have been made, as usual. What do these promises entail? Thankfully, the NASA-esque goals aren’t promoted in the manifestos. But somehow, at the end of tenures of different governments, you will states and the federal failing to ensure or solve the fundamental issues setting the trajectory of the typical Nigerian to be terminally living in multidimensional poverty. Instead, there is success in these white elephant projects that make us easily remember how much of an investment they have made in building infrastructure for most of the population that can afford to go by without it easily.

But if we are to borrow a leaf from the ambitions of man to be on the moon, as I believe we need such grand purposes if leadership requires the moon mission mindset and a NASA-level type of coordination, in transforming the country and the areas they govern. President John F. Kennedy spoke about the man-moon-mission everywhere he believed he could garner support after setting it as a national goal in 1961. He addressed the US Congress later that year, saying it is an “urgent national goal” that needs more investment and that needs to be met. That same year, he tried to convince the then Premier of the Soviet Union to have a joint mission between the US and USSR. He spoke in 1962 at Rice University in Houston, Texas, where he is famously quoted as saying, “We choose to go to the Moon in this decade and do the other things, not because they are easy, but because they are hard; because that goal will serve to organise and measure the best of our energies and skills because that challenge is one that we are willing to accept, one we are unwilling to postpone, and one we intend to win, and the others, too.” Later in 1963, he proposed a joint mission to the moon to the United Nations General Assembly. JFK was murdered in 1963. There was no joint mission to the moon. But the US Government ensured a successful mission to the moon six years after JFK’s death.

We need our leaders to have this unwavering resolve to talk about the most important goals that will take the majority of Nigerians out of poverty sustainably (not on palliatives), to canvass for support wherever they get the opportunity, to do all that they can to achieve it and build systems that will

ensure successive governments make on where they left off.

The multidimensional poverty situation of many Nigerians is a monster that limits productivity when we need to, limits opportunities and access, and sets off a trajectory that does not bear much promise. As we have seen, governments have already started promising palliatives and the promise of educational scholarships. While these are good, our Nigeria ought to be led with clear manifestos and measurable targets and in a trajectory that aims to improve the overall system with which most citizens function.

It is expected to send the brightest of us to the best institutions abroad since the ones at home offer far less compared to the foreign ones. But what is the plan for revamping our educational institutions to start a journey of being able to compete for Nigerian students going to Sudan, Kenya, Egypt, Niger Republic, Uganda, and eventually the UK, Germany, and the US maybe? How will the quality of primary and secondary school education change to ensure O’ level results are passed with a 95% success rate?

As boldly claimed, the President said the federal government could no longer fund the affairs of its universities. What is the roadmap for ensuring our universities are run with adequate resources? Where does that lead us in 20 years? Why should governments rush to send students abroad and not run to ensure all the public schools have roofs to ensure they have class during this rainy season, to ensure they have seats to sit on, books to write in, and most importantly, good teachers and lecturers to teach them? Aren’t these more urgent education problems, as it affects the majority of Nigerians, than flying people abroad? But yes, some. But those people who get sent out will eventually return to a system that they will

As good followers, we must ensure systemic changes are aimed for, especially at the beginning of the new government eras and subsequent years. More interest needs to be placed on the state and federal legislators to ensure the executives are charged with the sustainable development of our country. If anything, the previous federal government has taught us or reemphasised that a tree cannot make a forest. A good structure and system of square pegs in square holes across the board can initiate the process of revamping the Nigerian system, with proper accountability non-negotiable.

With six successive tenures in democratic government in Nigeria and 23 years in power, to the amazement of Nigerians. The sectors are still a mess from power, roads, healthcare, education, and agriculture (yes, including rice cultivation). States still rely on federal government to fund their accounts. How many states can survive off the federal government, like fund its recurrent expenditure? The system depends on free allocation constitutionally.

Suppose the leadership prioritises Nigeria, and the followership provides the proper support, maybe one day, a certain Amarachi, Kabir or Ayoola will also plant a Nigerian flag on the moon.

Gulma is the CEO of Green Habitat Initiative

REBUILDING THE SOUTH EAST REGION

EMEKA ALEX DURU canvasses a unity of purpose among southeast leaders

AFRICA’S STRUGGLE FOR PEACEFUL POLITICAL TRANSITION

The West Africa Elders Forum has helped in safeguarding democracy in Sierra Leone, argues WEALTH DICKSON OMINABO

Africa has a complex history characterised by political violence and numerous challenges associated with achieving peaceful transitions. The continent has experienced military adventurism in the form of coups and countercoups, flawed elections marred by irregularities and disputes, as well as full-scale political and civil wars.

Africa’s journey towards democratization has been an arduous one. There has been a disconcerting trend of opposition candidates across Africa consistently alleging electoral fraud and irregularities in elections. This alarming practice has been observed in Guinea, Togo, Sudan, Burundi, Burkina Faso, and Mali. This often resulted in demonstrations and a refusal to recognize the election results. Such actions have contributed to instability on the continent and hindered the development of many African nations.

There is need for clarification on the originality of the headline for this conversation before we proceed. It was taken from a recent thought-provoking piece by Evangelist Elliot UgochukwuUko, Deputy Secretary, Igbo Leaders of Thought (ILT). The piece came the same time Dr. Uche Nworah, adjunct Professor and former Managing Director and CEO of Anambra Broadcasting Service (ABS), wrote on ‘Marketing and de-marketing Anambra State’.

A common thread ran through both materials. They offered insights on how to reposition the South East. Though Nworah’s intervention was on the need for the image managers of Anambra State government to handle criticism with maturity and gain from it, he made useful propositions on how to make the state optimize its human and material resource potential. If Anambra gets it right, a significant step would have been made in reinventing the South East. Uko took the debate further in identifying the challenges facing the zone and making recommendations on the strategies to fix them. He wrote, “It’s no news that our region is at the bottom of the ladder politically. It needs no saying that our zone craves and actually needs altruistic and proactive leadership. It is also obvious that lack of these brought us to where we are today”.

That is the crux of the matter. No matter how anyone may wish to look at it, developments in the south east in the last couple of years, have not been cheery. If anything, rather, the zone is in bad shape and needs urgent intervention from relevant stakeholders, particularly, its leadership class.

Since last Monday, some major cities in the region, have been on lock-down, no thanks to a one-week sit-at-home order imposed on the people by agents of a certain Finland-based Simon Ekpa, who claimed that the measure was a sacrifice by the people for the release of detained leader of the Indigenous People of Biafra (IPOB), Mazi Nnamdi Kanu. The one-week exercise is aside the weekly Monday lockdown that has seen the economy of the region bleeding since August 2021 when it came in force.

To illustrate how critical the situation has been, as of April 2022, Anambra governor, Prof Chukwuma Soludo was quoted to have lamented that on every sit-at-home day, the state alone lost an estimated N19.6 billion. Within the period, more than 150 persons, including security personnel and civilians had been killed by criminals masquerading as sit-at-home enforcers. Similar stories were replicated in other states in the region. The

cost in human and material loss must have risen, subsequently.

Last Tuesday, July 4, enforcers of the directive ran wild in Isieke Market, Ebonyi State, gunning down traders and commercial motorcycle operators who defied the order. Their only offence was going out to fend for their families. In Imo, Enugu and Abia, it is the same gory tale. Insecurity has virtually become the norm in the region. Reports from the Orlu end of Imo stretching through Awo-Idemili, Awo-Omama, Oru, Agwa, Izombe, Oguta axis, have not been funny, lately. Loss of investments is the immediate consequence, with the people bearing the brunt.

The question has been at what point events began getting this bad in the zone. And the answer is simple! We have argued repeatedly that the sorry state of the present south east can be told without linking it to the obvious leadership failure in the zone. For long, many of those elected or appointed to leadership positions in the area have seen such as opportunity to enrich themselves and their families rather than a call to service. Consequently, the region has become a byword for failure and object of mockery before others.

Putting it mildly, occurrences in the region are disturbing. They are piteous and discouraging. That was an area, which seven years ago, was rated the most human security secure geopolitical zone in Nigeria by the United Nations Development Programme (UNDP). The verdict was contained in its 2016 national human development report for the country. That was a zone that had produced men and women of class in all aspects of national development. This was a region from which Dr. Nnamdi Azikiwe, the first President of the nation, Dr. Michael Iheonukara Okpara and Dim Chukwuemeka OdumegwuOjukwu hailed from. This was a zone that within a space of nine years after the 1967 –1970 Civil War, had risen from the ashes of crushing defeat to produce Nigeria’s Vice President (Alex Ekwueme) and Speaker of the House of Representatives (Edwin UmeEzeoke), among other top-rank government officials.

These were a people who the literary icon, Chinua Achebe, captured in his concise book, ‘The Trouble with Nigeria’ as though not having advantage of early head-start, had ‘wiped out their handicaps in one fantastic burst of energy in the twenty years between 1930 and 1950’.

In an effort to address this trend, former Nigerian President Dr. Goodluck Ebele Jonathan established the West Africa Elders Forum (WAEF) in 2020. The primary objective of WAEF is to safeguard Africa’s democratic progress and prevent election-related crises in West Africa. This homegrown democratic peace initiative draws on the experiences of eminent statesmen and past leaders in the region to tackle political challenges and avert election-related disputes. Through various activities and programs, the organization engages with political actors and stakeholders to maintain national stability and foster consensus in sustaining democracy while nurturing fertile civic grounds in member countries.

Notably, WAEF has successfully mobilized stakeholders and key political actors to prevent political unrest in countries like Gambia, Nigeria, and recently Sierra Leone. The 2023 Sierra Leone elections were conducted against a backdrop of political animosity and deep-rooted sentiments between the two major political parties: the Sierra Leone People’s Party (SLPP) and the All People’s Congress (APC). Prior to the election, the political climate in the country was tense, with divisive campaigns, protests, accusations, and deplorable political tactics employed by both parties in their pursuit of victory.

Recognizing the early warning signs and signals, WAEF deployed a pre-election mission to Sierra Leone in April 2023. Led by former Nigerian President Chief Olusegun Obasanjo, the team also included former Nigerian President Dr. Goodluck Ebele Jonathan and former Vice President of The Gambia Fatoumata Tambajang. The purpose of this mission was to assess the preparedness of various stakeholders, instill confidence in the electoral process among citizens, and address any concerns.

After the pre-election mission, WAEF deployed another mission to Sierra Leone on June 21, just before the general election. The objective was to encourage and support a peaceful democratic transition. Upon arrival, the head of the mission urged Sierra Leonean citizens to approach the election with utmost patriotism, prioritizing the nation’s peace and stability while refraining from any acts that could undermine the democratic process.

During their week-long stay in Freetown, the WAEF team engaged in consultative meetings with different political actors and major stakeholders, including party leaders, candidates, the Election Commission for Sierra Leone (ECSL), security agencies, the diplomatic community, and civil society groups. In line with its mission of preventive diplomacy to reduce electoral-related tension and violence in West Africa, the mission emphasized the importance of the election to the region and the responsibilities of all stakeholders in ensuring a credible and peaceful outcome.

In their meeting with the ECSL, the WAEF mission challenged the commission to fulfill its responsibilities and emphasized the importance of a credible poll for the sustainability of Sierra Leone’s democracy. The mission also conveyed complaints from stakeholders and sought assurances from the commission regarding their concerns.

Engaging with members of the diplomatic community proved to be insightful and encouraging. Diplomats from various countries provided an impartial assessment

of the election’s issues and challenges. They commended the commitment of the WAEF team members to pursuing peace and democratic stability in the region. The diplomats highlighted the polarization of the campaign and the sensitivity surrounding party colors and symbols, which even restricted their own choice of attire to avoid signaling political preferences. The situation escalated to the point where students in schools were reportedly victimized and punished for wearing colors associated with political parties. In Sierra Leone, red is the official color of the APC, while green is associated with the SLPP.

The meeting with presidential candidates and party leaders was a crucial aspect of the mission. Among the 13 candidates, the spotlight was on the Sierra Leone People’s Party (SLPP), with incumbent President Maada Bio as their candidate, and the All People’s Congress (APC), fielding Samura Kamara as their candidate. During these engagements, the WAEF team emphasized the need for candidates and their supporters to prioritize peace and the interests of the country. Drawing from his personal experiences, Dr. Jonathan reiterated his political philosophy, reminding politicians that no ambition is worth the blood of any citizen. The WAEF mission sought assurances and commitments from the politicians regarding their dedication to peace and justice.

The engagements with politicians allowed the team to identify key areas of concern and threats to peace, leading to follow-up meetings with relevant stakeholders to address these concerns.

One remarkable aspect of the mission was the unwavering trust and confidence stakeholders placed in the WAEF team. On election day, when members of the mission visited polling stations and encountered protests due to delays in voting materials, citizens were relieved to have the team present. They conveyed their grievances, entrusting the team to deliver their messages to the authorities. There was a sense of assurance and confidence that the issues would be resolved.

The Sierra Leone election mission undertaken by WAEF was not solely an election mission but also a mediation mission. The team employed soft power and quiet diplomacy while engaging with stakeholders.

Following the election, tensions in the country escalated, prompting the WAEF team to collaborate with other delegations, including the African Union, ECOWAS, and the Commonwealth. This joint effort aimed to build a consensus towards peace and national stability, as it became evident that the peace of the nation was at risk due to concerns regarding the election process. A joint statement issued by the groups urged the electoral body to ensure transparency in the tallying of results while also calling on citizens to refrain from actions that could jeopardize their country’s peace and democracy. The statement significantly contributed to diffusing tension in the country.

Duru is the Editor, TheNiche Newspapers, Lagos

Editor, Editorial Page PETER ISHAKA

Email peter.ishaka@thisdaylive.com

EDITORIAL

A MILITARY WITH MANY GENERALS

The authorities must ensure that only the very best make it to the apex of the profession

Arecent directive by the Nigerian Defence Headquarters that military appointed service chiefs should proceed on retirement effective July 3rd has continued to generate considerable interests. It is unhealthy for the military

that reveals are fundamental structural problems. For instance, part of the challenges created by the long stay of service chiefs under President the armed services. Even at that, mass retirement as bad as this. What result of arbitrary mass promotion to senior to global norms and practices.

challenges. The concern is genuine considering Harmonised Terms and Conditions of Service 2017.

Retirement is ordinarily a routine exercise in the military, but never has it reached such a tipping

One reason that military observers advance for this massive promotion of officers to the General rank is the wide disparity of almost 100 per cent between the salary and pension paid to a Major General and that of the next lower rank of Brigadier General

In most countries, promotion in the military is highly competitive, essentially to ensure that only the best advances to the apex of the pyramid. Documents from the Congressional Research Service of the United States, for instance, reveal that as of 2017, General and above) make up just about 0.4 per cent

a projection to keep this at same level up till

In Nigeria, details as of 2021 indicate a ratio of the other services.

may be retired in the current exercise, Nigerians have continued to question the rationale for

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

EDITOR NATION’S CAPITAL IYOBOSA UWUGIAREN THE OMBUDSMAN KAYODE KOMOLAFE

THISDAY NEWSPAPERS LIMITED

EDITOR-IN-CHIEF/CHAIRMAN NDUKA OBAIGBENA

heavy. Questions have the rationale for having so yearly to the rank of Major General and its equivalent that in many other countries, only the best and cent members of a course advances to that enviable rank in Nigeria contradicts the military pyramidal One reason that military observers advance for rank of Major General at all costs. The military this, the political class must also take special oversight interest on issues regarding promotion in the Armed Forces and its impact not only on the the integrity of the institution.

Letters to the Editor

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

LETTERS

JENIN’S BLOODSHED: THE WAY OUT

harshly laid bare the fault lines and friction that abound in the Middle East.

dealt a particularly heavy hand established the Independent state of Israel.

had earlier been occupied by Palestinians. Israel, unimaginably persecuted themselves, established the state of Israel on lands they had long laid claims to. But it came at a catastrophic

But the most forceful impact has been on the Israeli occupation suddenly found themselves displaced and effectively rendered homeless. Over the years, Israel’s occupation of the disputed West Bank region has become a nightmare for

to tread carefully, having to cautiously balance Israel’s genuine apprehension over its security and the right of the Palestinians to lands they claim are ancestral.

side by side.

Refugee Camp in the occupied West Bank Region for an operation that turned out to be its largest in the camp since 2002. Their targets

stronger by the day and resorted to launching armed attacks against Israelis and Israeli interests. It appears that a couple of deadly hands after Jenin had long become a flash point disproportionately affect innocent civilians episodically occur, the international community

led by the United Nations huff and puff over the

As it is, Jenin is already a symbol of the failure of the international community to clarify things certainty as far as the rights of people in their territories are concerned. As a refugee camp the Israeli occupation of disputed territory. At the end of the day, it is a humanitarian problem more than anything else. There is really

failed to find a solution to the horrors in the region. treatment of the issue as insoluble comes from

GROUP EXECUTIVE DIRECTORS ENIOLA BELLO, KAYODE KOMOLAFE, ISRAEL IWEGBU, EMMANUEL EFENI DIVISIONAL DIRECTORS SHAKA MOMODU, PETER IWEGBU, ANTHONY OGEDENGBE DEPUTY DIVISIONAL DIRECTOR OJOGUN VICTOR DANBOYI SNR. ASSOCIATE DIRECTOR ERIC OJEH ASSOCIATE DIRECTOR PATRICK EIMIUHI CONTROLLERS ABIMBOLA TAIWO, UCHENNA DIBIAGWU, NDUKA MOSERI DIRECTOR, PRINTING PRODUCTION CHUKS ONWUDINJO TO SEND EMAIL: first name.surname@thisdaylive.com Kene

activities in the Palestine region. To deflect the question, Israel usually calls on its considerable radical Islamism and the unspeakable sufferings

The Palestinian situation Is heartbreaking, and it has over the years become a forceful question of justice.

Resolving the humanitarian situation in the occupation is critical if one of the most pressing questions of the century is to be put to bed once and for all.

To do these, the State of Israel must go beyond commitments to cogent and credible actions to have something to give up in commitments that other’s throats.

Six Celebs, Dramas in the First Half of 2023

Stories byVanessa Obioha

Takeitorleaveit,celebritieshaveawayofshapingtimelinesinpopculture,oftentimesgoingthroughcontroversialroutes. The 2000s were distinctwiththemaritalinfidelitiesofafrobeatssinger2Baba.Thisnewssentripplesacrosstheentertainmentrealmandbeyondand,todate, servesasareferencepointtosimilaroccurrences. Awayfrommattersofinfidelity,superstarsiblingduoP-Squaresentshockwavesafterthey announcedtheirdisbandment.Inwhatstartedasarumourandwaslaterconfirmedbythem,thedisbandmenthadmusiccriticstheorising possiblereasonsforfallingoutwhilefansandmusiclovershadtheirmoodsdampened. Inentertainment,controversyanddrama are a continuum.Anditdoesn’tmatterthecrowditattracts,beitanichefollowingortrendingonanationalandglobalscale.Inthepastsixmonths, Nigerianshavewitnessedsomememorablecontroversialmomentsthatwillhaveustalkingforyearstocome.Innoparticularorder, we look at thedramasthatshockedandleftusspeechlessinthefirsthalfoftheyear.

called him out on social media to announce that she got knocked up by him and his refusal to support her.

Iyabo Ojo at Loggerheads with LIRS

Arriving in a regal, fiery dress only befitting Maleficent, Nigerian actress Iyabo Ojo stunned Nigerians with the announcement of her N37 million dress at this year’s AMVCA.

Weeks after her extravagant outing, her war with the Lagos Internal Revenue Service started. She was given a seven-day ultimatum to pay over N18 million in taxes accrued in 2021 and 2022. In her rebuttal, she explained that the taxes were not correctly calculated and further showed proof of her ear lier payment in a video published on Instagram.

Seun Kuti Assaulting a Police Officer

One of the sons of late afrobeat legend Fela Kuti, Seun Kuti, in May, assaulted a police officer on the Third Mainland Bridge. The singer takes after his father’s footsteps in activism, so his actions came as a surprise to many who judiciously followed the story.

He voluntarily provided himself for detention at State Criminal Investigation Department, SCID, Panti, Yaba, Lagos, and was later released on bail. The application to arraign him was also dismissed by a magistrate court.

Tems the Official Oscar View Blocker

Just being present at this year’s Oscar was a win in itself for Tems following her nomination for penning ‘Lift Me Up’, as performed by Bajan singer Rihanna for the sophomore ‘Black Panther’ movie.

Immaculate on the red carpet in her white rose-inspired gown with a high slit, she charmed the paparazzi and viewers who tuned in for the red carpet ceremony.

However, things turned for the worse when she sat for the event that evening. Tems’ once elegant ensemble quickly morphed into a view blocker that had global audiences talking, with so many saying she was inconsiderate of those sitting behind her. She ultimately became an internet meme after the Oscars.

Hilda Baci, Guinness World Record, and the Wannabes

It took Hilda Baci, a Nigerian foodpreneur and TV producer, six years to prepare and attempt to break the longest cook-a-thon, which she achieved in under 98 hours. With this record attempt, she inspired dozens of

Nigerians who sought fame to embark on the same journey without following the requisite steps.

This has led to all sorts of record-breaking attempts that include cook-a-thons and hair-athons, with the latest being a case of Massagea-thon, where the masseuse, Joyce Ijeoma, attempted to break a 72-hour record. She collapsed at the 50th hour. Also, a scheduled three-day kissing marathon was banned by the Ekiti State government recently.

Banky W And Davido’s Baby Mama Drama

Within a week, both Banky W and Davido were rumoured to have impregnated women other than their spouses. Banky was alleged by a popular online gossip platform to have impregnated singer Niyola, who formerly was signed to his record label, EME Records.

Banky later addressed the situation at the Waterbrooks Church, saying it was all rumours orchestrated by satanic elements. He and his wife have since shown support for each other through various Instagram posts.

On the other hand, singer Davido made the news rounds recently after US-based lady Anita

Wande Coal Goes Extra with Legend

One of Nigeria’s most gifted music superstars, Wande Coal, was recently unveiled as the new brand ambassador of Legend Extra Stout.

At Crossroads, Eko Hotel, where the unveiling took place, Coal’s legendary status shined brightly as his exceptional talent and soulful melodies were on full display. His musical journey and commitment to excellence perfectly align with the values and spirit of Legend Extra Stout, as conveyed by Maria Shadeko, Portfolio Manager, Flavored, Non-Lager, and Craft, Nigerian Breweries Plc. The appointment of Coal as the brand ambassador is coming on the heels of his latest album ‘Legend or No Legend’, a strategic play on words that highlights the brand’s name. The new partnership signifies the beginning of an exciting chapter for Legend Extra Stout, which aims to further strengthen its connection with consumers, create unforgettable experiences, and celebrate the legendary moments that define our lives.

Heineken Plans Biggest Concert of the Year

The renowned beer brand, Heineken, is rolling up its sleeves to deliver an unforgettable experience to its consumers as it marks its 150th anniversary.

Revealing plans for the historic celebration at a press parley, the brand said that it will hold the biggest musical concert Nigerians have ever experienced at the end of the year. Details of the concert, which will further enhance the Detty December euphoria experienced during the yuletide festivity period, will unfold in the coming days according to the Portfolio Manager, Premium, Sessionable & 0.0 Lager, Nigerian Breweries Plc, Sampson Oloche.

“We will be organising events in key cities across the country, where our valued consumers can come together and experience the true essence of gezelligheid. These celebrations will showcase the vibrancy of the Nigerian culture, featuring live music, entertainment, and unforgettable moments that capture the spirit of Heineken,” said Oloche.

Heineken’s 150th anniversary celebration will be marked under a new global campaign that captures the good times people experience while enjoying the brand. The campaign ‘150 Years of Good Times’ specifically speaks to the various mispronunciations and misspellings of the brand in various cultures across the globe. The campaign underscores the brand’s message of inclusivity and diversity. The Corporate Affairs Director, Nigerian Breweries, Plc, Sade Morgan, pointed out that the 150th-anniversary celebration “celebrates the fact that Heineken is called in different ways by different people. When you bring all that together, and all the different views, you find that they have a good time together. We bring people together, we make human connections, we have joy and have great and unforgettable good times.”

Heineken’s Good Times campaign can be traced to Freddy Heineken’s famous words, “I don’t sell beer, I sell gezelligheid. Gezelligheid, loosely translated, means the feeling of good times. As the MD/CEO of Nigerian Breweries Plc, Hans Essadi puts it, the brand is all about finding ways to “elevate and make people happy.”

Wande Coal

Seun Kuti

Banky W and wife, AdesuaDavido

TemsWande Coal

Hilda-Baci

Curtain Calls for Banking Icon

CURTAIN CALLS FOR BANKING ICON

For a long time to come, the impact Olasubomi Balogun, who was laid to rest yesterday, had while alive will remain on the lips and hearts of many Nigerians.

A good biography on him would identify him as a pioneering investment banker, lawyer, and philanthropist. Perhaps, a goodhumoured account would paint him as an illustrious Ijebu man, while a more daring one would capture his kaleidoscopic love life, adventures, and good life. He was simply a colossus.

His famed residence in Ijebu Ode is unmissable: a stunning white edifice along a relatively busy road. A handful of security men guard the gate as one walks past to access the sprawling home. The swimming pool area was one of the late banker’s favourite places in the house. He would swim and spread out on the lounging chairs, enjoying the serenity of the home surrounded by some dedicated domestic staff.

Inside the gold-themed walls are magnificent décor pieces befitting royalty. Family photographs are often the usual icebreakers for new arrivals at the home. Balogun was a direct descendant of the Awujale. His early childhood years were spent in Ijebu before he was moved to Lagos where he had a secondary school education. He completed his O’Level at Igbobi College, Yaba before writing and passing the Cambridge School Certificate in Grade One in 1952, followed by the General Certificate Examination (GCE) Advanced Level. As typical of many of his peers at the time, Subomi taught at a Muslim college school briefly before enrolling at the London School of Economics (LSE) to study law in 1956. Later, he was admitted to the English bar in December 1959 after graduating in June of the same year.

Subsequently, he received the sponsorship of the Western Regional Government to obtain training in Legal Drafting in Whitehall and the City of London with a particular focus on financial legislation, instruments, and agreements. Following his graduation, he worked as a Crown Counsel in the thenWestern Nigeria Ministry of Justice and then as an assistant parliamentary counsel in the Federal Ministry of Justice in Lagos.

Ascending the Banking Heights Subomi’s interest in banking was nurtured by his work at the Nigerian Industrial Development Bank (NIDB) as the Principal Counsel and Company Secretary for nine years, precisely from 1966 to 1975.

Furthermore, he received training at the International Bank for Reconstruction and Development (IBRD), also known as the World Bank, and its private sector affiliate, the International Finance Corporation (IFC), both of which are located in Washington, DC. He went on to study with top stockbrokers, investment banks, and merchant banks in London and New York.

He founded City Securities Limited in December 1977, the first institution in Nigeria to combine an issuing house and a stockbroking business under one name. Initially, he kept his lips sealed on the ownership. This was only the first step toward establishing the merchant bank he desired. At City Securities, he developed relationships with Mobil, Texaco, and Total Petroleum marketing companies where he began handling the companies’ equity offerings.

“By some divine intervention, the government of this country decided to have a scheme called indigenisation,’’ he revealed in his final interview with THISDAY.

“All companies should sell 49% or 50% of the companies to Nigerians. There were four oil marketing companies in the country at the time. There was Mobil, Texaco, and British Petroleum. Some friends who knew that I needed a job badly introduced me to Mobil. Earlier, Coca-Cola had made an offer to me. when I told them I had resigned and that I would be pleased if they could help me. They thought my company was too new. They wanted me to have a joint issue with my former employers. My former employers said no way.

“The directors of Leventis went in and came back and decided that the job should be given to City Securities, me alone. So, I formed a company, Primrose Investment Limited. Primrose was where I lived in London. When people ask me, I say some foreign friends of mine own the company. We handled Coca-Cola. They gave me one of the biggest accounts that anyone could handle. They gave me N143,000. I’m talking about over 50 years ago. That was big money. Then another friend working in Mobil Oil also gave me an offer on the promise that I would work hard and go to the US to meet some people.”

That was the beginning of the watershed in indigenous banking in Nigeria. From international meetings to closed deals, the banker was grateful to the friends who extended their helping hands while he was starting his own company.

“Another friend of mine was the Chief Accountant at Total so I got a referral. I got

Late Balogun flanked by the children during his last birthday

CURTAIN CALLS FOR BANKING ICON

the business too. Within six months, I handled three of the four oil companies in Nigeria. You can imagine the adulation. Meanwhile, I was not disclosing the fact that I owned the business. I just kept claiming the company belonged to a friend. A lot of American companies picked me. I was well off. I asked my wife and children to move to Britain so that the children could continue their education there.

At the end of the indigenisation period, I was being described by the Nigerian media as a colossus of the capital market,’’ he recounted heartily.

In 1979, he applied for a merchant banking license to establish First City Merchant Bank, Nigeria’s first wholly-owned merchant bank. The operations of the bank took off in 1983. The common practice in Nigeria, especially in the early 90s, was for banks to be set up by persons of diverse professional callings. Hence they are usually set up by groups of investors. In the case of FCMB, it was a different ball game as the bank was solely the idea of Balogun. Not just that he set it up, but he imbued it with an enduring culture of excellence. To his credit, he was the first to create a special dining room for bank employees and a classy dress code: dark and conservative suits. He is the mastermind of the phenomenal and palatial architectural model that is synonymous with all FCMB branches nationwide.

A Man with Heart of Gold

One thing that Subomi Balogun was known for all through his life, was his exemplary and uncommon magnanimity. Unlike those who built their wealth by profiting from other people’s misfortunes, Subomi Balogun’s life is a lesson in sincerity and love for mankind.

One that stood out the most was the story of how Subomi, as the young banker decided to protect the property of one of his neighbours (an Igbo man) in Apapa during the Nigeria-Biafra civil war when many Igbos fled other parts of the country for the East to avoid being killed.

His neighbour was Alex Ekwueme, a young Igbo architect, who joined others by abandoning his home and business and with his family fled for the East.

While the war lasted, Subomi rented out his neighbour’s house and kept every kobo for him while he was in the East. After the war, the Igbo architect returned to Lagos and the Yoruba banker handed over the entire proceeds of the rent and also the house to him. Some few years later, Ekwueme became the Vice President of Nigeria and Balogun had established a commercial bank, the first by a private citizen in the country’s history. However, Balogun could not get a licence to begin banking operations. Many people were against him because it was unheard of at the time. At this time, Balogun remembered his neighbour who was now the Vice President and tracked him to the Christ Church Cathedral, Marina, Lagos on a particular Sunday. He had tried to get an appointment to see him in his office but without success.

After the church programme, they positioned that he would see them on his way out. However, the people following him out and security blocked his view. That was when the banker’s wife decided to take a risk and like the woman with the issue of blood, she pulled the Vice President’s cloth to get his attention who then turned and saw his old friend.

The young banker then narrated his plight and told the Vice President how he had tried to see him and what he needed to see him for. He told him about his application for a bank licence.

“Don’t worry yourself. Just come tomorrow at the Federal Executive Council meeting which I would preside because President Shehu Shagari would not be there,’’ the Vice President assured him.

By 3.00 pm the next day, the Finance Minister called the banker on the phone that his licence was ready. And the First City Monument Bank became a reality. The rest they say is history.

His Philanthropic Side

Having achieved success in his businesses, Balogun shifted his focus to philanthropy and touching lives. He built a National Pediatric Centre in Ijebu-Ode and donated it to the University College Hospital (UCH), Ibadan.

“The University of Ibadan named their children’s emergency ward after me based

on what I have done there,’’ he revealed. “It is called Otunba Tunwase Children’s Emergency Ward. I had done other things. I also built the National Pediatrics Centre, the largest in Nigeria which is now given to the University of Ibadan and University College Hospital. I set up a scholarship for my father and mother. When I started my business, I wanted to show appreciation to my God. So the scholarship is still going on.

“40 beds donated to the hospital. We were there when a woman was rushed in. She gave birth right in front of us and the baby was named after me. I adopted the baby. He is now a graduate and not only that, he is now working at FCMB,’’ he narrated with a smile of contentment on his face.

The Subomi Balogun Foundation scholarship was instituted to create access to educational funds for exceptional students. Many beneficiaries have emerged, leaving a good name for its initiator. He uplifted individuals and communities through scholarships, empowering the disadvantaged to pursue their dreams, achieve their goals, and make a positive impact beyond their communities. To his credit are over 300 education scholarships offered to Nigerians from different walks of life.

The consummate stockbroker recounted yet another personal experience that pointed to the benefits of caring for the youths and the community at large. Often, one good turn deserves another.

“I went somewhere with my wife when they were registering voters. There was a long queue in the grammar school. Then someone cleared the way for me and my wife to register. I later found out the boy was one of the beneficiaries of a scholarship and at that time, he had no job. Right there, I called and he got employed at FCMB. He is one of the top people at the bank now.

“There are many old students of Muslim college that are around me. All the churches approach me and in my modest way, I have played my role as the leader of the laity. God has chosen me as his special son.”

A direct descendant of Oba Tunwase of Ijebu-Ode, Chief Balogun was the Otunba Tunwase of Ijebuland and Olori Omoba of Ijebuland as well as the Asiwaju of Ijebu Christians. Apart from his banking ventures, he

had diverse business interests, including real estate, agriculture, and telecommunications. At 13, he converted from being a Muslim to a Christian. At 89, his final days were filled with utterances of gratitude reflecting inner peace and contentment.

“I want my God to use me. I want to spend the rest of my life serving God and humanity. I want my God to allow me to always show my appreciation. I am not asking for anything again in life. All the beautiful things of this life God has given to me.’’

Recognitions and Awards

His life of selfless service wound up with several recognitions and awards. He also has the American Biographical Institute Inc’s Distinguished Leadership Award for outstanding contributions to the development of Investment Banking. Balogun was also a recipient of the University of Ibadan’s Degree of Doctor of Laws (Honoris Causa) in recognition of his outstanding achievements, both in the field of Law and his contributions to the socioeconomic development of Nigeria.

He also emerged as winner of the Hallmarks of Labour Foundation (HLF) Role Model Award for Excellence in Entrepreneurship and Corporate Governance.

In 1994, he became the holder of the Cavaliere dell’Ordine Al merito della Repubblica Italiana (Knight of the Order of Merit of the Republic of Italy), conferred on him by the Italian President. He holds several revered traditional and cultural titles in recognition and appreciation of the number of lives touched and transformed, not minding religious and ethnic divisions. They include Otunba Tunwase, the Olori OmoOba of Ijebu, Asiwaju of Ijebu Christians, the Baba Oba of Ijebu-Ife and the Asalu-Oba of Ijebu Mushin and many others from other parts of Nigeria. The federal government also decorated him with the national honour of Commander of the Order of the Niger (CON).

He would be remembered for his investment in both human and material assets as well as his contribution to advancing humanity.

HighLife

Standing at the right height, life is all about status. All complexities disappear for the individual who acknowledges this fact. The recent marital union between two great houses, the Akabuezes and the Kachikwus, proves this point. In addition, the wedding also highlighted the importance of being a ‘big person’ in Nigeria, able to celebrate the holiest of unions in the most colourful of ways.

The family of the former Minister of State for Petroleum and Group MD of NNPC, Prof Ibe Kachikwu, has gained a powerful ally in the family of Pastor Ben Akabueze, a former Commissioner for Budget and Planning in Lagos State and the current DG of the Budget Office for the Federal Republic of Nigeria. The alliance follows the fact that love can also be found in high places.

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

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

Wigwe

Another Mega

In corporate circles, trust and confidence are not easy to come by. However, given certain indices, an investor can bet his life on an organisation, especially upon recognizing that the leadership of the organisation is committed to their interests. This is the level of confidence that the stakeholders of Access Bank have on account of the doings of the institution’s Group MD, Herbert Wigwe.

The Kachikwu and Akabueze families bore witness to the marriage solemnisation of their children, Uchechukwu, the son of Kachikwu, and Solumtochukwu, the daughter of Akabueze. The wedding ceremony was a grand affair held at RCCG, King’s Court, Victoria Island, Lagos. Immediately after the main event, an even more colourful wedding reception took place at Landmark Event Centre. To add to the glory of the event, prestigious individuals were in attendance.

Apart from the parents of the couple, who are dignitaries in their own right, the guest list also had state governors, deputy governors, and senators in attendance. Among these

Move from Herbert Wigwe Adenuga: Still Radiant and Awe-inspiring between Awujale and Asiwaju

The ceremony was spectacular, and every session had the couple, their families, and the guests stimulated and electrified. They showed that even those born with wealth and prestige can find love among themselves.

The current banking sector in Nigeria is on the edge of its seat following the recent move of Wigwe. According to reports, Wigwe has acquired 50 million shares in Access Holdings, estimated to be valued at N762.5 million. Adding the new shares to what he had before, financial analysts have appraised his portion of the organisation to be about 8.8 per cent.

Compared to Wigwe’s total Access Holdings shares of 2.94 billion units, the addition of 50 million shares is akin to a drop in a bubbling ocean. However, Wigwe is believed to have spent around N14.5 billion to make this drop possible, which is an eyeopening sum.

In reality, Wigwe’s additional shares were obtained through Tengen Holdings, an agency reported to belong to him. There are others apart from Tengen that he has reportedly used over time to accumulate Access Holdings. Even so, Tengen is the biggest, and through it, Wigwe is now the largest shareholder of the bank. Wigwe is not alone in consolidating his might in his native bank. Other Group MDs, MDs, and CEOs have been doing the same in recent times. However, less than a handful can hold a candle to Wigwe, seeing as his commitment to Access Bank is unquestionable, and his contributions are not small.

Ultimately, Wigwe’s moves are as meaningful as they are magnificent. His peers cannot duplicate this success.

Dr. Mike Adenuga Jnr can be likened to many things. One such tableau of the Globacom telecoms boss is a big wave, known to the average Hawaiian as a Kahuna. This depiction is accurate because, despite being humble to a fault, Adenuga has a sweeping personality and presence. When he arrives at a place, even one as grand as Awujale’s Palace, things grind to a halt, and gasps arise from the crowd.

This time at Awujale’s Palace, Adenuga accompanied President Bola Tinubu. Given the royal prestige of Oba Sikiru Adetona, the Awujale of Ijebu-Ode, one might have expected Adenuga’s presence to grow dimmer. Instead, his participation in the casual back-and-forth between Asiwaju and Awujale lent additional credibility to his reputation as a man of high destiny.

The grand meeting at Awujale’s palace was held on Thursday, June 29. Initially, it was reported that President Tinubu would be paying a cordial visit to the Ijebu monarch with other influential people. This retinue of

influence included the Chief of Staff to the president, Femi Gbajabiamila; the Ogun State Governor, Dapo Abiodun; the Special Adviser on Special Duties, Communications, and Strategy, Dele Alake; and the National Security Adviser, Nuhu Ribadu.

Compared to such a powerful entourage, not minding President Tinubu, few expected Adenuga to be present. Even fewer expected him to shine so brightly. But he did, in his typical quiet manner, pulling the gazes of spectators as they mulled over all his achievements in the past and present day.

Without question, Adenuga is still himself. Despite a handful of grey hairs, his vitality is still billowing. More than this, his intellect has only grown since he last made a corporate move. To the sensitive, one can tell that the man is consolidating his advantages and reinforcing his edge over his peers.

Since he can stay radiant, not frazzled by the surging eminence of Asiwaju and Awujale, one can only conclude that Adenuga is still a majestic character.

Akinwunmi Ambode: The Technocrat Politician Who Bounced Back

Former Lagos Governor, Akinwunmi Ambode, is still turning heads years after leaving office. Granted, his departure from the gubernatorial position was not without pain and sorrow. However, many years after, despite staying out of the way of old colleagues and rivals, Ambode’s presence is indistinguishable from one whose time is ripe for destiny’s approval. Ambode is a charismatic fellow with enough experience on his part to recognize aggression and peace. This ability is the token that enabled him to return to the circle of power, this time eclipsing the state level and reaching the federal rank in one

fell swoop.

Ambode’s return to power comes on the heels of his reunion with his former godfather, President Bola Tinubu. The reunion has heads turning and palms meeting in wonder, all because no one really expected it. But since it happened, it is clear that Ambode will soon be untouchable.

The former governor has not been on very good terms with Tinubu since he retired from office in 2019. Even Babajide Sanwo-Olu, his successor to the Lagos State governorship, is reported to have inherited Ambode’s irritation.

Allegedly, Tinubu was the puppet master that had Ambode replaced with Sanwo-Olu.

Ever since his return to normal

life, Ambode kept a low profile. Different reports spread abroad about him, from leaving the country to becoming a real estate venture owner. However, when it was time for the presidential elections, street news analysts argued that he had the opportunity to repay his former godfather’s debt. But he ignored such things.

Now that Tinubu has taken the initiative to reconcile with him, Ambode’s reputation will cross the limit. From his narrative, one can learn to be patient with the times, choosing kindness and amity over wickedness and enmity. Even Sanwo-Olu is back to being good friends with him.

Uchechukwu and Solumtochukwu

Adenuga Ambode

were Governor Babajide Sanwo-Olu of Lagos, Governor Dapo Abiodun of Ogun, Governor Alex Otti of Abia, Deputy Governor Obafemi Hamzat of Lagos, and top senators like Victor Umeh, Tony Nwoye, and Binani Aishatu.

Triumphs and Grace of Former Imo Deputy

Governor, Prince Eze Madumere at 59

Depending on perspective, life can be one episode of celebration after another. For Prince Eze Madumere, the former Deputy Governor of Imo State, this perspective holds. Recently celebrating his 59th birthday, Madumere received goodwill from a long list of individuals and organisations, big and small.

When considering the life he has lived so far, one can only conclude that Madumere is one of the luckier individuals born into this world. However, one must also take into account that although Madumere’s origin enabled him to start life at a reasonably high position, it was his diligence and personal accomplishments that helped him arrive just a level lower than the summit of leadership in Nigeria.

Madumere served as Imo State Deputy Governor from 2013 to 2019. Before that period, he served the Imo people as Chief of Staff. Despite serving under the limelightdominating Rochas Okorocha, Madumere managed to carve out a good name for

himself.

In 2018, just before preparing to leave office, Madumere was targeted for impeachment. Despite the schemes of his detractors, a number of reputable individuals emerged to defend him, helping to throw out the charge of incompetence levelled against him on account of his neighbourly uncle personality.

But his humble character is surprising in and of itself. After all, Madumere was born into a prestigious royal family, that of Eze Henry Anoruo Madumere of Ezi Autonomous Community, Mbieri, in Mbaitoli Local Government Area of Imo State. Thus, his gentleness is at odds with his gentility, even at 59.

Ultimately, the grace of Madumere is not something that his peers can compare to, whether those in political power or those outside it. Even at 59, he remains unsoiled with the vestiges of false narratives padded against him, trusting that his still-enduring commitment to the people of Imo is enough for him.

The Daggers in Governor Alex Otti’s Smile … Why He Refused to Hang President Tinubu’s Portrait in His Office

The distance that one can travel in politics often depends on one’s breadth of mind. The broader the mind, the further the achievements. This is something that individuals like President Bola Tinubu recognise and use whenever necessary. However, there is still speculation as to whether Abia State governor, Alex Otti, holds the same view.

The news made the rounds recently regarding the interior design of some of the offices at the Abia Government House. Allegedly, these officers did not have the portrait of the president as they had been removed prior to the date the rumours swirled. Given that this is not the normal procedure, speculations arose regarding Otti’s reception of Tinubu’s presidency.

The bite of these speculations is that Otti is not at all interested in serving under Tinubu and would rather have somebody else as president. Seeing as Tinubu is of the All Progressives Congress (APC) and Otti came into gubernatorial might under Labour

For Senator Opeyemi Bamidele, Loyalty Pays off

Party (LP), his rumoured preference for the handler of the presidential mantle is obvious. The issue was further compounded by the fact that Otti’s office was included in the offices without Tinubu’s presidential portrait. Thus, critics argued that he could supply no valid excuse for subtly indicating that he does not accept Tinubu.

However, Otti rebuffed the allegations. According to him, the only reason the portraits are missing in the identified offices is that there is a bit of renovation going on and not enough of the portraits to go around. However, they have requested for more to duly distribute to the offices, bringing an end to the matter.

But many people remain unconvinced. Moreover, it does not help that Otti is rumoured to have a rebellious streak and could turn against anybody at any time. But such rumours are unsubstantiated, and Otti’s people have even tagged them as the work of his rivals.

Encomiums… Toyin Subair Gets New Appointment

Good things come to those who wait. There is no arguing this idea. But it is also good to include affiliation. So, good things come to those who wait while having good connections. For Toyin Subair, media entrepreneur and businessman, good times are here again. Counting his new appointment from the presidency, Subair has much to be grateful for.

Given his tight relations with President Bola Tinubu, it was only a matter of time before Subair earned an appointment. According to reports on social media, the appointment has come, and Subair’s name is spelt out in large letters on the commissioning correspondence.

For people like Subair, experienced figures with a good grasp of the waves of politics and administrative interest in Nigeria, befriending the right individual helps the realisation of potential. In his new position, Subair is expected to unleash this potential, garnering the salutations and commendations of his peers and

rivals and winning face for President Tinubu.

Without a doubt, Subair will give his ultimate best to ensure that the obligations of his new role are met, not compelling discomfort and dissatisfaction from Tinubu. After all, Subair recognises the latter as his president, boss, and mentor.

Once again, Subair’s appointment did not cause any wave of surprise in the minds of the informed. This is because he played a significant role in the emergence of Tinubu. Folks would remember that he never expressed derision regarding Tinubu’s presidential ambition but surrendered his might as a media mogul to see that ambition reach its current level of manifestation.

Thus, Subair has worked hard for his position. Moreover, he is qualified to handle the mantle of the office and will fulfill its requirements with the same level of diligence accorded to him in times past. This is why encomiums are flowing towards him from all over.

As in every other domain of human endeavour, loyalty attracts favour in politics. This is something Senator Opeyemi Bamidele of Ekiti Central Senatorial District can peg his life on following recent events. With his new status in the 10th National Assembly, Bamidele is a blazing example of the value of dedication and dependability.

The raffles for the power positions in the National Assembly have been completed. The victorious principal officers emerged after weeks of cold deliberation mixed with controversy, contention, and query. But the games are over, the awards have been distributed, and individuals like Senator Bamidele are better off for belonging to the right team.

Senate President Godswill Akpabio has announced Bamidele as Senate Leader, Senator Dave Umahi from Ebonyi State as the Deputy Senate Leader, Senator Ali Ndume from Borno State as the Chief Whip, and Senator Lola Ashiru from Kwara State as Deputy Chief Whip.

The emergence of Bamidele and the others represent the closure of senatorial machinations. Before now, some senators still wanted to cause trouble, relying on external influences to have their way. However, Bamidele’s fidelity is well-noted, so it comes as no surprise that he got the top senatorial position.

Bamidele served under President Bola Tinubu in 1992. Back then, Tinubu was a senator, and Bamidele was his Special Assistant on Legal Matters. When Tinubu became governor, Bamidele was there as Senior Special Assistant on Political and Intergovernmental Relations and later as the Lagos State Commissioner for Youth, Sports and Social Development.

Even though his journey with Tinubu was not very smooth all the way, Bamidele has proved his loyalty over time. Thus, his current position as Senate Leader for the 10th National Assembly is no surprise.

Madumere

Bamidele

Otti

Joke ‘Nightingale’ Silva: My Kind of Woman

One of my fears for growing old is how I will be treated in my weak and vulnerable state as I grow older. One wise man at the golf section of the Ikoyi Club had told me one day – Edgar, get a new young wife as you get older. Remove your mind from the fact that she will cheat, at least she will not carry years of grudge against you as you grow weak and need absolute care from your partner.

This theory however has been blown to bits by my elder sister and favourite thespian, Mummy Joke Silva. The way she has been taking care of Uncle in his moments of need as occasioned by his debilitating condition has put a lie to the assertion that our w omen can be “wicked” to their men in old age.

Aunty has shown commendable love. She has been very brilliant in her love and care of her husband as he grows through the ravaging illness. In an interview recently, she asserted that the man she married is no longer there but that she still loves him maximally and will continue to stand by him. What else can a man in the twilight of a glorious life hope for. This is what some of us are praying for and Aunty Joke should be a shining example for womanhood.

Well-done Aunty, I just felt I should send this shout out to you in praise and utter maximum respect for what you do for Uncle. God will mightily bless you; He will stand by you and give you the continued courage and strength to be the pillar that you are to him and may he allow your sons to marry women like you o. Very important. Mbok, where can I send you big juicy bowl of afang? Send me address abeg. I don’t want to send it to Glover Hall before Soji will now go and chop the thing and tell you story. Well-done Mummy.

KWAM 1 VS SUBOMI BALOGUN: I REMAIN IN STOIC SILENCE

Taju came at me with anger, very unlike him. Tope Fasua immediately joined and for once I was pushed to a corner, too scared to fight back so I remained in stoic silence. What led to the verbal bullying of the great Duke of Shomolu?

It was the amazing announcement, even before the great Otunba Balogun was laid to rest, of the bestowing of one of his titles to the famous and obviously very popular fuji exponent, Kwam 1 by the highly respected Awujale of Ijebu land.

My people, I had very colourful things to say about this matter and said it o. The attack was almost immediate.

“Duke why don’t you mind your business,” “Duke what really concerns you in this matter,” “Are you Ijebu?”

“Why not just shut up or go back to Akwa Ibom and complain about the chieftaincy titles there?”

Na so me I decided to keep my mouth shut o. After all, like they have said, am I Ijebu? The closest that I have ever come to being Ijebu is dating one or two Ijebu beauties – they have some fine women though. Beyond that, I am very far from Ijebu and as such they can decide to do anything with their titles. It is really their prerogative.

After all, if you look at the National Awards list, you will see different kinds of people collecting the honours. Shebi one person even “wear lipstick” go collect award, almost giving former

President Buhari cardiac arrest. My people, the only thing I will say is that Ijebu people will not find a more distinguished and elegant person like the late Balogun. It will not happen in years. A man of such impeccable character, a man of style, a man of high integrity, a man who took that title, this same title to the very heights of international allure, a man who did not joke with that title, a man who gave Nigeria investment banking, a devout man and a brilliant and good man. It will take centuries for this type of man to reemerge not only in Ijebu land but in the world, and as such the Ijebus can decide to honour or remember him

in any way that they want to. It is really their prerogative, wetin concern me. I don keep quiet. Thank you. No comment.

EUROPEAN UNION’S PENETRATIVE BLAST

Did I just see a picture of the INEC Chairman posing with a representative of the European Union, holding the same report that could push him into the record books of electoral infamy? Don’t let me say anything just yet because, for all you know, the picture could have been doctored.

But what was definitely not doctored were the contents of the report. Mbok, the report finish the election and its organisers o. It just carried the whole exercise and used it to wipe a baby’s

Joke Silva

vomit. The elections, according to them, was nothing more than a show of shame.

The government as expected has risen up against the report in a vain attempt to rubbish it, failing very woefully because we all were living witnesses to what transpired during that fiasco called elections.

Me, I don’t want to rehash the trauma

Nigerians went through in that scam called elections but to absolutely thank the EU for having the courage to throw up this report. The elections have thrown up all sorts of journey men into positions of power nationwide. People with huge investigations over their necks are now presiding over institutions that have the constitutional mandate to appoint the heads of institutions investigating them. That is the folly in which we find ourselves in this country.

This report may not have its desired end game as the pervasive nature of entrenched corruption will wrestle it down, the fact still remains that the point has been made about the elections and the point is very clear- it was really a “funny” kind of thing. Na wa o.

DELE ALAKE AS A BRILLIANT STRATEGIST

I don’t like him but I admire him. Nigerians must begin to understand some things. When I announced that I was going to write a book on President Tinubu, some like Stan tore their clothes and poured sand on themselves in rage. Others like Wole called in to say, “shebi I told you, you will come around.” These are people JAMB should go back and check their results.

The fact that I have a position does not mean that I cannot admire their brilliance. It’s like Mr. Alake, he is quite a brilliant strategist who goes about his work with the brilliance of a Chukwumerije - remember him?

Dele, in short, has moved presidential spokesmanship away from Mr. Femi Adesina’s “God will punish una” style to a much more refined and controlled narrative.

See his comeback at the EU report. He dropped statistics that almost belittled the report. In fact, if most of us did not witness the thing live, we can go and slap that person who wrote that report. Saying that they covered less than 1,000 polling stations out of the over 700,000 in reaching their conclusions, was a masterstroke in public propaganda.

This Alake man sure knows his audience, no wonder Asiwaju brought him back after their “fight.” Yes o, I heard they had a bad fight and the guy “japa.” But Baba knowing that with the kind of baggage he would be carrying into the elections and in government would need a refined and experienced strategist, sent people to go and beg sugar mouth to come back o.

See the good work he is doing in positioning and repositioning this “product.” Anybody that can sell this “Tinubu” cannot only sell ice to Eskimos, he can even collect their wives. I swear. Well done bro. This does not mean I like you, but well done.

LADI ADEBUTU: A LION IN THE MIX

One of the most intriguing things in life is that you don’t get to choose your enemies. Otherwise, Dapo Abiodun the Governor of Ogun State would definitely not choose the scion of the Adebutu family as enemy.

Despite a court case on his neck, that if not properly handled could lead him to a long jail term, he is still on the field fighting and tearing the governor into shreds. Me, I fear and respect these kinds of opponents o. Kai! If you read his latest statement on the Ogun situation, you will pity Mr. Abiodun o. He stated how his family have supported him and how the people of Ogun have rejected him and how all his travails have been a machination of the governor in a vain attempt at winning at the tribunal where the election is being contested.

This Ladi has been on this Ogun governorship thing ever since Abiodun was selling fuel at VGC and trying to run a nightclub somewhere in Ikoyi. So,

JOSEPH EDGAR: A TROUBLEMAKER AT 54

It was my birthday during the week and I went on an afang eating binge. To hit 54 in this country with our dropping male mortality rate is a milestone o and I celebrated the thing well. I asked my friends to send me cash instead of buying me gifts and they responded massively. They sent me N3 Million with which I rewarded 12 widows with the total cash. Yes, I sent N2 Million to two different widows and N100,000 each to 10 other widows.

I will need their prayers against mid-age wahala that affect men in this our country. At this age, we begin to experience power failure. Yes, it was my brother Patrick Doyle who told me that power failure will begin to be “coming and be going” at this age and na true. Sometimes, I will be like a bull, other times I will be like “point and kill” fish for beer parlour. Then BP and blood sugar will start

threatening, if it has not already begun. Then prostate? My people, all sorts o. They say you must “release” at least 21 times a month to stand a chance against prostate. In this Nigeria of today? Even if you are lucky to have a madam that is ready, will traffic, fuel price, inflation and the rest even allow you to concentrate to make the thing come up? The most important wahala, is that I do not think there is any madam at that age that will be open to 21 attacks a month. She will still break your head if you try to hire sub-contractors for the service. It is really a herculean time for the 50 and above male gender in this our country. Anyways, let me thank all my friends who contributed so much in making these widows to at least have momentary respite. I thank them and God will continue to bless you all for me. Thank you so so much.

it is not today o for Ladi. Be like there is something in that Government House that is pulling him.

Anyways, the movie never end. I have grabbed my popcorn and I strongly suggest that you guys should do the same, because something tells me that this is going to be a very exciting movie. Kai!

THE EKITI

BOOK OF WORLD RECORDS

Please make una no laugh o. I have new friends in Ekiti. From the gentleman governor, to the Baba Afe who asked me to cut my hair before meeting with him, to my sister Adeola who is the Special Adviser on Trade and Investments and my brother Niran Olotana, the tax guy and finally Prof Bakare Ojo who is renowned, so don’t show them this write up o. Na beg. But seriously, the fixation of Ekiti people with the Guinness Book of World records since my sister, Hilda Baci, broke into their hall of fame has been making me laugh and peeing myself all through.

First, it was one person calling herself Chef Dami. She announced that she was going for Hilda’s record. She started cooking “dundun” and “boli” and started walking around with security and making a lot of funny noise in the media.

Her joke sparked another attempt. Not sure if this one was from Ekiti too but was definitely Ekiti-inspired. It also ended in ignominy as hunger made her switch off the gas burner to steal some spoons of rice.

Just as we were about to move on, another Ekiti person released his intention of kissing himself into the record books. The Ekiti State Government quickly shut it down before someone will now sue the government for allowing them to give her mouth ulcer within their territory. Not only Ekiti o, Nigerians have generally tried everything within their powers to belittle Hilda’s feat. Nothing we have not heard. Massage-a-thon, prayer-a-thon, sex-a-thon. Everything possible, even the Guinness people have called me the other day to beg me to beg Nigerians to let them be o. Na wa for our people sha! Na the suffering of the masses dey lead to the need for all these momentary distractions, I tell you. Me, I will soon do my own thing. I am thinking of what to do. Yes, maybe I’ll go on an afang eating world record. That is where my own power dey. Kai!

NDIANA MATHEW: A HERO, MY HERO AND OUR HERO

My brother went through the valley of the shadow of death and came out victorious. A healthy and vibrant young man with life all ahead of him. A beautiful career as one of the most brilliant PR and marketing professionals handling some of the biggest events on the continent including the CAF football awards among others and a beautiful family, suddenly had the light switched-off on him in broad daylight. He contracted the Delta variant of COVID virus and from there his journey through hell began. While the rest of us were doubting the existence of COVID, Ndiana was having his kidneys and other vitals being blown off by the dreaded illness. His battle for survival now commenced, dragging him through Port Harcourt, Accra, South Africa and finally India where he went through a successful kidney transplant. Now in all of these stood one major pillar. Apart from God, his beautiful wife, Diamond stood firm and resolute to pull her loving husband away from the jaws of death. She made the ultimate sacrifice of donating her kidney despite opposition from all and sundry.

As we relieved the experience over bowls of afang and smooth fufu - kai, I have not eaten that kind of fufu since the one I ate at Castle Hotel in Uyo - I could see the love and warmth that saw this wonderful family through the darkness that could have easily eclipsed them. We thank God.

Edgar

When Former Lagos Big Gal, Grace Egbagbe ‘Resurrected’

When Elites Shared Gladsome Moment with Iyalode of Lagos, Bintu Tinubu at 80

‘’Of all the gifts that life has to offer, a loving mother is the greatest of them all,’’ so says a popular quote.

To say that Oando boss, Wale Tinubu and his siblings were blessed with a loving mother is like stating the obvious, their mother, Chief (Mrs.) Bintu-Fatima Tinubu, the Iyalode of Lagos is a one-a-million whose love and care has guided them to who they are today.

To appreciate the loving, selfless and hardworking mother, her children Wale, Shola, Iyabo, Kunle, Jide and Olu yesterday gathered the world when they celebrated the woman as she clocked 80 in a blaze of glory.

For the children, the attainment of the ripe age of 80 is worth celebrating, particularly in a country where death is so cheap.

It was a great moment for the Edo Stateborn businesswoman as her families, friends and business associates gathered to share in her gladsome moment. Trust the Tinubus; they are detribalised Nigerians whose circle of friends cuts across the various Nigerian tribes that they have built over the years. The city of Lagos was literally shut down when they hosted the crème de la crème of the society at the Grand Ballroom, Eko Hotels and Suites, Victoria Island, Lagos. With the halls beautifully decorated and exotic refreshments served generously, the Tinubus ensured that each attendee was given premium hospitality.

For many decades, Grace Egbagbe’s name echoed among the foremost stylish icons in Nigeria. The beautiful, chic and elegant former NTA Director of Marketing was regarded as one of Nigeria’s most fashionable, powerful and rich women.

Her sense of style was considered distinctive and majestic as she swayed as one of the matriarchs of high society. Expectedly, this endeared her to many fashion magazines as she graced their covers times without number. Not only that, she has won some style awards, including Allure Style Icon, an award she won in 2009. But suddenly, the woman, who called the shots among the heavyweights, fizzled out of the social scene. But just as many began to wonder about her whereabouts, she reappeared suddenly in the U.S.

As gathered by Society Watch, the woman, who is also a trained lawyer, had a Thanksgiving recently at the Our Lady of Grace Catholic Church, Norbeck Blvd in Silver Spring, MD, on Sunday, July 2, 2023.

Egbagbe shared her amazing story with the congregation. She spoke about how God brought her back from the dead after she lost consciousness at home and was rushed to the hospital.

With no pulse found after oxygen was administered to resuscitate her for a while, she was pronounced dead by the nurses. But to their astonishment, she miraculously came around shouting, “Jesus! Jesus!!” This was a great relief for her family, and they were thankful. God gave her another lease of life.

Her testimony of God giving her a second chance at life hit the congregation, and they reacted with loud applause in appreciation of the Almighty God.

Tein and wife, Elizabeth

The event was further enhanced by the beautiful sounds of Vintage Band while the foremost comedian Adeyinka delivered ribcracking jokes.

However, the peak of the party was when the King of Juju music, King Sunny Ade, mounted the stage, and that proved that he was still on top of his game with his worldclass beat while guests danced until their legs could no longer carry them.

‘’Without exaggerating, it is a five-star birthday bash, and it will take a very long time before we can witness anything near this party. It was simply sophisticated and captivating.’’ a source disclosed.

Some of the guests at the star-studded birthday bash include the governor of Lagos, Babajide Sanwo-Olu, with his wife, Ibijoke; Ogun State governor, Dapo Abiodun; Kwara State governor, Abdulrahman Abdulrazak; Senator Gbenga Daniel with his wife, Funke; Senator Ibikunle Amosun with his wife, Funsho, Aliko Dangote, Femi Otedola, Tony Elumelu, Abdulsamad Rabiu, Bola Shagaya, former Senate President, Bukola Saraki with his wife, Toyin; Babagana Kingigbe, Folly Coker, Wale Edun, Mo Abudu, Founder and Coordinator of Tinubu Support Group, Hon. Aminu Suleiman; Segun Awolowo, Abah Folawiyo, Yomi Awobokun, among several other eminent personalities.

Family?

Who is after handsome billionaire Tein Jack-Rich and his delectable wife, Elizabeth? What do these people hope to gain from this wicked, calculated and totally unpalatable smear campaign? Who are the people behind the sad and calculated attempts to splatter mud on the resplendent white of this young 48-year-old billionaire oil and gas tycoon behind the thriving indigenous brand, Belema Oil?

These and more questions are on the lips of many that know this loving couple who in the past had concentrated their entire time on their businesses until recently when some naysayers came into the street with the smear campaign to tar them with the brush of a wheeler-dealer.

As gathered by Society Watch, before this campaign of calumny began, both the husband and his wife enjoyed unprecedented positive media. And now, with these allegations, which many have described as uncalled for, it’s surely a deliberate effort to bring them down to a place of derision!

In those dark allegations, the name of President Bola Tinubu’s son, Seyi, cropped up over infidelity. It was alleged that the businessman voluntarily

Sophisticated, dandy and classy, Peter Obafemi exudes the characteristics of an accomplished American business tycoon. The tall and handsome dude is a personality with an eye for detail and success. A hard worker and a firm believer in equity, he understands the pains of the poor and the gains of the great.

Shrewd and benevolent, he is familiar with the intrigues of being successful when the odds are against him. Apart from being a businessman, Obafemi is a socialite who knows how to enjoy himself, and he loves every good thing in life with enough cash to satisfy his luxurious lifestyle.

When he announced that he had found love again and distributed the gold colour and beautiful invitation cards, the social barometer flailed wildly while many Nigerian elites were thrown into a state of frenzy. They discussed in hush and loud tones the high-octane wedding that was bound to leave them starry-eyed in awe.

The best party planners were contracted, ace fashion designers had their hands full, and makeup artists geared up to skip to their banks as the Nigerian elites also geared up in anticipation for this shindig, all in anticipation of the wedding ceremony of the man many know has eyes for sophistication.

Indeed, the event that took place at Jogor Center on Saturday, July 1, 2023, lived up to its expectation. A host of celebrities, business tycoons, politicians and high net-worth individuals all converged for the wedding of the Ekiti State businessman with his beautiful and elegant bride, Wuraola.

The business tycoon exhaled whoops of joy as he took the lightcomplexioned belle to the altar. Society Watch gathered that it was a gathering of the affluent and aristocrats across the country.

The business mogul and philanthropist successfully proved to the whole world that his pre-eminence in the business world was not a fluke, given the array of guests who graced the colourful event inside the upscale event centre.

led his beautiful wife to Seyi for an amorous relationship to enable him to secure an appointment as minister.

A source who spoke with Society Watch gathered that this unfounded allegation was just a way to tarnish the hard-earned reputation of the billionaire oil tycoon that has just secured a license from the federal government to import petroleum products into the country.

“It also noted that those behind these attacks are just envious of Mrs Jack-Rich’s giant strides as a young woman. This is the climax of political desperation by desperadoes who want to forcefully enter a house they fought against,’’ the source said.

Another source revealed that this is not the first time that naysayers would ignite rumours around the couple. A few months ago, a sad story of a misunderstanding between the hitherto role models hit the street. Our source revealed that in the end, the story came out as one of those wicked scuttlebutt from detractors.

Mr. and Mrs. Obafemi

Egbagbe

ARTS & REVIEW ARTS & REVIEW

Art and the Man Called Jimoh Akolo

Fame just wouldn’t let Jimoh Bola Akolo (a.k.a. Jimoh Akolo) be. Instead, it tracked him down to his hometown, Egbe, in Kogi State. This was where this reticent contemporary of the trail-blazing Zaria Art Society members had relocated—and sought a haven of peace, so to speak—after retirement fromAhmadu Bello University, Zaria, sometime between the end of 1999 and early 2000.

Oftentimes, Akolo’s name had continually art circles who, seemingly scandalised by the scant attention he was getting in the amnesia-prone art scene, took decisive steps towards redressing which predated his years at the Nigerian College of Arts, Science, and Technology (abbreviated as NCAST) in Zaria and had earned him several awards at the Northern Regional Festival of Arts, there were also the recent sales of his paintings for respectable prices at the BonhamsAfrican Modern and ContemporaryArtAuction, which wouldn’t have gone unnoticed among the cognoscenti.

It came as no surprise, therefore, that last year’s retrospective exhibition at kó, a gallery in the upmarket Ikoyi neighbourhood of Lagos, which was curated by Professor Jerry Buhari of included a video conversation with him and scholarly tributes from people who had closely interacted with him. Yet not even the laudatory remarks of his contemporary, Dr. Bruce Onobrakpeya, his former classmate and colleague at the Faculty of Education at Ahmadu Bello University, Professor Adamu Baikie, his only surviving son, Richard Ayodeji, or those of his younger female siblings, Mercy Feyisola Akolo and Grace Yemisi Ukhueleigbe, among others,

Jimoh

around this reclusive artistic great.

So much about Akolo, who, after a brief illness, departed this earthly life on Saturday, June 3, at the ECWA Missionary Hospital in Egbe, remains shrouded in obscurity. Clearly a man who valued his privacy, he seemed to have deliberately shunned the limelight, beginning with his resignation from the Zaria Art Society, invoking “personal reasons” after three months of membership.

Then, there was the early and painful demise of his second son, Ayokunle, a third-year student of theAhmadu Bello University,ABU Zaria, in 1999

after a brief illness at 25, which seemed to have further driven him into his shell. “To be honest, Dad never really got over it,” his survivor son

This could also be why Ayodeji cited being of the reasons his dad retired to Egbe sometime between 2001 and 2002. Akolo had left Zaria ahead of his wife, who only joined him later. Meanwhile, Ayodeji, then a student at the University of Ilorin, which was two hours away frequent visits, which continued even after his graduation. On one of these later visits, Akolo told his son that he had no regrets since he had spent his earthly life the best way he thought he could. “We were brought up to be very modest and with principles,” Ayodeji added, lifting a corner of the veil on his and his late younger brother’s years growing up as Akolo’s children.

Akolo, who would have turned 88 on September 20, would be best remembered for his paintings and drawings, whose themes swirl around indigenous cultural traditions and everyday life and proclaim his commitment to a uniquely Nigerian aesthetic canon. This despite his being quoted as telling the late Ugandan playwright and novelist Robert Serumaga that he didn’t “think that there should be any rules guiding African artists,” adding, “They should do what they like. They are expected to produce. It’s not necessary to tell them what to think.”

Perhaps his early interest in engineering, which he was reported to have abandoned thanks to teacher Dennis Duerden, crept into his paintings, the hues of which appear measured and calculated. Akolo, whose stylised representational style in loose brushstrokes of matt yet

intense colours seems to have found new life in works by Kolade Oshinowo, Edosa Oguigo, Alimi Adewale, and Abiodun Olaku, was once famously described by the late German-born editor, writer, and scholar Ulli Beier—in a review of Nigeria’s Independence Exhibition—as the “coolest formalist among them.”

Talking about his works, there are some that hark back to his Northern Nigerian experience— like the oil on board works “Test of Manhood” (Sharo) 1982, “Horn Blowers from Southern Kaduna Welcoming the Governor” 1984/1986, “Milk Maid” (Fura da Nono) 1998, “Man on Horse” 1996, “War, Red War” 1996, the oil on canvas works “Dambe” (Native Boxing) 1998, “Mother and Child” 1998, “Wrestling Match” 2000, as well as the pencil on paper works “Horse Man II” 1995 and “Durbar”, among others— and culture such as the oil on canvas works “Owambe” 2013 and “The God of Thunder” 1964, as well as pencil on paper works like “The Model” 1961.

Akolo, whose works have been sold at such prestigious auction houses as Arthouse Contemporary, Bonhams, and Sotheby’s, among others, has participated in several exhibitions both within and outside of Nigeria. In a brief comment in reaction to his demise on her Instagram account, Mrs. Kavita Chellaram, who runs the Arthouse Contemporary auction house and kó Gallery, wrote: “We were honoured to work with JimohAkolo… and privileged to have met him.” The National Gallery of Art, which had in 2019 published a book on his life and works, meanwhile said in a statement signed by its director general, Ebeten W. Ivara, that it was “glad to have been associated with such a renowned artist and mentor”, adding: “His passing is a great loss to the arts community and the society at large.”

Some of Akolo's paintings display at kó Gallery

A section of kó Gallery's exhibition space displaying Akolo's drawings.

Despite his enviable career highlights as one of Nigeria’s visual arts luminaries, the octogenarian artist, Jimoh Akolo, consistently shunned the limelight until his demise. Okechukwu Uwaezuoke writes

African Stories Reclaimed in Alabi-Hundeyin II’s NotACountry

Yinka Olatunbosun

With a renewed consciousness to reclaim the western gaze on the black body, as well as the cultural heritage of the African, a documentary photographer Hundeyin II, held the audience spellbound with his recent photography exhibition, Not A Country.

A showstopper, the exhibition was part of the Brighton Fringe, the largest arts festival in England. For a visual storyteller like Alabi-Hundeyin II, perspective is more than just a concept in art. It is about authenticity as well as the preservation of humanity. When he holds his camera and prepares to take a shot, he bears a responsibility to tell the story of everyday people from a place of strength, not weakness.

creative and critical practice at the University of Sussex, UK, Alabi-Hundeyin II’s previous experience in documenting humanitarian projects has served as an eye-opener into the way Africans are portrayed, understood, and how their stories are told across generations. As a photographer for UNICEF, he worked on images for the organisation’s Ending Violence Against Children campaign. Often, the vulnerability of Africans captured African arts are gaining traction in cultural spaces across continents, Africa has always been viewed through a condescending lens. Poverty, hunger, homelessness, and ravaging illness are regular tropes in images of Africa.

Alabi-Hundeyin II is consciously challenging these stereotypes.

“Stereotypes themselves may not be the truth,’’ and creatively curated perspectives about a thing, by misinformed people with poor assumptions

PHOTOGRAPHY

a stereotype may be truthful, but a single story of a multifaceted phenomenon is equally injurious because of its element of truth, which is but a version of a bigger picture.”

Alabi-Hundeyin II challenges the spectacle of that characterise the depiction of the African under the white supremacist’s gaze. In retrospect, the photographer recalls how his work at an IDP camp changed his perspective on visual documentation.

“I don’t know if what I did in Durumi Camp

has been successful or if it managed to escape the stereotypes that I tried to work against. My images aimed at empowerment; they tried to show humanity, agency, resilience, and dignity without disguising the hardship that is undeniable.”

Alabi-Hundeyin II grew up with cameras. His -

tion. When he was two years old, he was on the directed on 35mm celluloid in the 1980s. Young Alabi-Hundeyin II grew from being in the live dad’s crew shoot the annual Lekki Sunsplash. Many music video shots in the 1990s are credited to Alabi-Hundeyin II’s father. But he wouldn’t live in his father’s shadow.

After several years of work in the telecommunications industry, he decided to pursue documentary photography on a freelance basis. Five years later, he moved to England for a master’s degree and is now almost completing a doctorate degree in creative and critical practice. But if anything block, then it would be his preoccupation with the representation of the black body.

His latest show at the Brighton Fringe is in itself a cultural education to correct the misconception that Africa is popularly misconstrued as a country in western social norms. By exploring a variety of attires and textiles worn by Africans, the project interrogates the black body within the British landscape. In her body of work, AlabiHundeyin II explores the fabric as an element of shared identity. His photography series ‘Not A Country’ raises conversations around colonialism, capitalism, religion, and globalisation.

Alabi-Hundeyin II sought models among migrant postgraduate students while scrutinising their material culture for intricate ethnic symbol-

aso-oke robe from Nigeria is a ceremonial garment that has become a cross-generational

Zambian culture. Habesha Kemis is a shred of the pristine culture of Ethiopia, which is the only uncolonized African country. With the Maasai Shuka, the photographer recreates the African wildlife of the subregion and the lifestyle of the Maasai—a visual reminder of the culture of the traditional households. Perhaps one of the most fascinating images at the show is that of the Igbo ethnic group, where the model wears the ceremonial wrapper, George, accessorised with coral beads known as echi ocha, a red suede cap called okpu onye Nze, and the horsetail commonly known as odu iyiya.

Not A Country has inevitably demonstrated how African attire is an essential access point simplicity of the subjects in the images would remain cultural indicators of the prevalent temperament of a people.he body of work may also be seen not just as an exhibit of cultural by an artist to document cultural transplants on British soil. Without manipulating the background, the images appear to be regular pictures, especially when the eyes long to see beyond what the camera sees. Not A Country is a testament to the African pride in the land of the coloniser, nearly obliterating memories of an imperial past. One of his earlier works includes the television Government released in 2005. He was also one in Enugu in 2012, with exhibits showcased at Addis Foto Fest the same year.

International/Africa World Documentary Film

at the Abuja International Film Festival in 2022.

Rebirth of Cultural Diversity at the Lagos Cultural Extravaganza At Thought Pyramid, Visionary Voices Showcase Children’s Talents

Agege Stadium in the densely populated Lagos mainland neighbourhood was recently abuzz with activities that had nothing to do with sports.

Rather, the activities swirled around two Sato drums potowering drums, dating back to 1543, were said to have roots in Badagry among the Ogu people. Considered religious emblems, the pair drum is said to represent male and female, with the wider one considered the male.

Sato drums have been ascribed deep cultural

Customarily, the drums were said to belong to the king and were beaten for him on special occasions and to announce the assent of the new moon. Due to its link with royalty, Sato is a symbol of authority and power deployed to maintain peace and social order in the community. Its performance is considered both spiritual and physical, as it is believed to bring prosperity, good fortune, and fertility.

It was no surprise then to see the drums at the Lagos Cultural Extravaganza, a day set aside to celebrate the victory of Governor Babajide Sanwo-Olu and his Deputy, Dr. Obafemi Hamzat, at the gubernatorial election of March 18 and to strengthen unity through a display of cultural diversity.

venue just as the surround speakers boomed with party music. Setting the tone for the day, the opening act, Adulade Ado, delivered a Yoruba oral poetry the afternoon as the audience witnessed scintillating cultural performances, magical displays, dance and music, and the exhibition of artefacts drawn from that is, the IBILE: Ikeja, Badagry, Ikorodu, Lagos Island, and Epe.

CULTURE

described culture as the aggregation of both the tangible and intangible heritage of a people that gives them a distinctive identity.

“It is no-gainsaying that in the contemporary world, the celebration of the culture of a people has become a major tourism product in the global tourism market, with the number of outbound tourists engaged in culture-related activities in destinations across the globe accounting for over 40% of international arrivals,” he pointed out.

Other masquerades at the cultural display include Zangbeto, the terrestrial deity and sea spirit, and Kori, a women’s masquerade seen in the riverine area of Lagos. It involves the use of calabashes decorated with toys and things that represent childbearing carried by women.

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Children’s Day celebrations took Pyramid, Ikoyi, Lagos when a collective of creative students drawn from Okun Ajah Community Senior Secondary School, Olomu Community Senior School, Eti-Osa Community Senior Secondary school presented their artworks, launched an anthology of creative writings and staged a drama performance to the audience despite the heavy downpour in Lagos.

It was a gratifying way to mark a global celebration in honour of children across ethnic or racial barriers. From wall to wall, miniature pieces of paintings and drawings revved up the youthful energy in the hall. Mostly boisterous, the students were drawn from senior secondary schools, and all of them do not have formal art education available in their schools.

Still, their works are enthralling, thought-provoking in the group, show titled Visionary Voices. While some displayed remarkable skills in abstract paintings, others recreated their animation heroes with edgy linesists include Alozie Ugochukwu, Bankole Faith, Enikanoselu

Joseph, Obuesi Chisom, Saluta Mabel, Akinlolu Fuhad, Moses Martins and Prosper Udoh.

Visionary Voices is a project initiated by Odunayo Adegbaju, a chemistry teacher at Okun-Ajah Community Senior Secondary School to celebrate youthful artistry. She sought a partnership for its dedication to promoting

CULTURE

artistic expression and fostering creative talent. Art Centre aligned perfectly with the objectives of Visionary Voices,” Adegbaju said. “Both our organisations share a commitment to nurturing the creative potential of young artists and advocating for created a strong foundation for our partnership We needed partnership that would provide a solid foundation for the successful execution of Visionary Voices, enhancing the artistic experience for the students and promoting the importance of arts education in our community.”

Pyramid Art Centre described visionary voices as a testament to the power of collaboration and inclusivity.

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Yinka Olatunbosun

Yinka Olatunbosun

A view of the cultural display

Children in performance at Thought Pyramid

IN THE ARENA

History Beckons on Egbetokun to Tame Police Impunity

Ending police brutality, impunity and extra-judicial killings will be among the major challenges for the new Inspector General of Police, Kayode Egbetokun, writes Louis Achi

Almost three years after the #EndSARS protests, the devastating aftermath and the attendant negative effects on police-public relations, police brutality and impunity have continued unabated.

It would be recalled that within a few days of the protests, in October 2020, the Nigerian Police Force announced the squad’s dissolution with immediate effect. But what has changed?

“I think that we need to go deeper in our analysis of the root causes of police violence, brutality and misconduct,” the Executive Director of Rule of Law and Accountability Advocacy Centre (RULAAC), Okechukwu Nwanguma, told THISDAY recently.

“The Constitution gives the executive arm the responsibility for the police. Police reform seems not to be yielding the desired result and effects because the government has not mustered the political will to implement the proposed far-reaching reforms that should change the philosophical and operational doctrines of the police,” he added.

Shortly after his appointment as Acting Inspector General of Police, Kayode Egbetokun had humorously told Nigerians that “I feel like a tiger,” adding that he was anxious to start working. He said he would devise both human and technical intelligence to tackle the country’s security challenges. Shortly, he communicated a decision to withdraw Police Mobile Force personnel from VIPs and guard duties. The Police Act 2020 is very clear on the use of supernumerary police officers to protect individuals, VIP escorts, and others. To many, this sounds like a familiar, favourite sing-song of new police bosses.

Clearly, by relieving the Police Mobile Force of VIP escort and guard duties, the Force can redirect their focus and efforts towards addressing critical security concerns that affect the communities at large. The withdrawal will also free up regular police officers to focus more on frontline policing duties across the nation.

A former Assistant Inspector-General of Police had made a startling revelation when he disclosed in 2018 that only 20 per cent of police officers are engaged in the core police duties. According to him, 80 per cent provide security for individuals, businesses, and government officials.

Also, a former IG and ex-Chairman of the Police Service Commission (PSC), Mike Okiro, had confirmed that more than half of police officers are concentrated in private guard duties. He particular-

ly deplored the practice of some former ministers retaining police escorts many years after leaving public service.

Constitutionally, the Nigeria Police is the principal law enforcement and the lead security agency of the country. The force is typically responsible for maintaining public order and safety, enforcing the law, and preventing, detecting, and investigating criminal activities.

It is the first line of defence against crime and anarchy and the first sign of the strength of the state. Today, it’s indisputable that the role of law enforcement agencies - particularly that of the police force - has never been more important.

The Acting Inspector General of Police, Egbetokun assumed office at a very turbulent time in the life of Nigerians. It is undeniable that there are multiple threats to law, order and public safety. These challenges would obviously test the mettle of the new police boss.

According to RULAAC’s Nwanguma, “the funds appropriated annually by the legislature for the police, apart from being grossly insufficient to meet the basic needs of the police, are also not fully getting to the police and the little that eventually gets to the police are not being accounted for.

“Nobody is held responsible for the mismanagement of funds meant for police training, equip-

ment, operations and investigation. How much does a DPO get quarterly to run operations at the divisions? Don’t you know that most police checkpoints are set up to generate revenue and those checkpoints most times turn out to be avenues for police harassment and extrajudicial killings?

Clearly, when the police are unable to professionally and effectively carry out investigations due to poor resourcing and capacity deficits, and therefore have to secure the majority of convictions through confession (meaning torture), part of the reason police brutality emerges. This must be stopped. The government beyond bland rhetoric must commit to improving policing resources, operational capabilities and welfare and deliberately rehumanise the police.

One of the remarkable actions Egbetokun has taken since ascending the saddle is to disband the police team responsible for recently running over a citizen in handcuffs in Ekpoma area of Edo.

According to the Force Public Relations Officer, CSP Olumuyiwa Adejobi, the disbandment was in line with the IG’s move to address unprofessional conduct of some officers attached to the police command in Edo and to regularise and standardise police operations in the axis and restore public trust in the police.

He also revealed the operatives involved were currently facing disciplinary and administrative procedures. “This move underscores the commitment of the IG to hold officers accountable for their actions which will never be tolerated in the Nigeria Police Force.”

Egbetokun had also said the Force would establish a Quick Intervention Squad to tackle the menace of crimes and criminality and promised development of a comprehensive training programme that would prioritise attitudinal and behavioural changes. But there is so much more to be done.

It could be recalled that on December 25, 2022 (Christmas Day), a Lagos-based pregnant lawyer, Omobolanle Raheem, was shot dead in the presence of her husband and children by a police officer on a stop- and-search duty under Ajah Bridge in Lagos state. The senseless murder was not an isolated case of police brutality in Nigeria.

According to Human Rights Watch, a year after the October 2020 incident, Nigeria recorded about 164 cases of extra-judicial killings between January and September 2021. These scenarios appear unending.

On January 11, 2023, operatives of the Nigeria Po-

POLITICAL NOTES

lice Force guarding the palace at Ilasan, Lekki Phase 1 were captured in the video assaulting a lady when she attempted to record them during a conversation with an Uber driver.

The lady’s phone was seized and she was also arrested. Responding to the incident, the spokesperson of the state police command, Benjamin Hundeyin said: “It is not a crime to record a policeman on duty as long as it does not obstruct duty.”

In March 2023, a mobile policeman, Sergeant Olalere Michael, killed a woman identified as Miss Tosin, suspected to be his mistress, and later shot himself dead on school premises in Ilorin, Kwara State.

On April 21, 2023, some armed police officers were secretly filmed using a machete to smack two unidentified persons in Imo State. In the 45 seconds clip, five officers were seen assaulting the two people in an open space while a sixth officer pulled out a machete from a parked SUV believed to be a police operational vehicle.

On April 6, 2023, there was tension in Asaba, Delta State capital, following the killing of a middle-aged businessman, identified as Emmanuel Onyeka, by a police officer after the deceased reportedly refused to offer him an N100 bribe at a checkpoint. In some cases, these persistent killings trigger a cycle of violence and reprisal attacks from members of the communities.

Clearly, a lot of police activities escape appropriate scrutiny. The centralisation of the police administration at the federal level means they are unable to oversee all police activities across the country effectively. The emerging consensus is that police must establish an internal control mechanism for investigating its officers’ excessiveness and misconduct.

It is imperative to decentralise internal control measures, such as a system for receiving and resolving complaints, internal investigations, and disciplinary actions. More importantly, external oversight is critical to maintaining sanity in the NPF.

According to the oversight framework of the NPF, the police council has oversight functions on the activities of the NPF. However, the police council has been ineffective on the duty. The lag is due to a lack of collaboration among the president, governors, and inspector general of police, and ambiguity in the separation of power.

History beckons on IG Egbetokun to radically change the sad narrative of the police’s unflattering police image.

Breath of Fresh Air in Abia

Things are beginning to look up in Abia State as civil servants are now having a breath of fresh air. According to reports, the state governor, Dr. Alex Otti, who promised to pay all salary arrears owed by his predecessor, has so far paid arrears of 38 months.

Under Governor Okezie Ikpeazu, the state was notorious for owing workers’ salaries. Life was tough for many civil servants. Things were so bad then that the then President of the Nigeria Labour Congress (NLC), Ayuba Wabba, accused the state of becoming one of Nigeria’s most worker-unfriendly sub-national governments on account of the huge unpaid salaries.

UntilOtticameonMay29,thestatesince1999had beenunfortunatetohavetheworstformofleadership

inthesouthernpartofthecountryandtheSouth-east in particular. It had benefited at least twice from the Paris Club refund running into billions of naira specifically meant to pay salary arrears and bailout funds. Apart from always getting huge allocations from the Federation Account, it also enjoys the 13 per cent derivation. There were also loans obtained by the successive governments in the state, yet the state was replete with infrastructural decay.

Despite all of these, Governor Ikpeazu’s body language did not reveal any attempt to resolve the issues. While the Abia workers and residents were being denied of dividends of democracy, Ikpeazu was seen gallivanting the globe and other parts of Nigeria with other G-5 governors holding

secret meetings against their party, the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP).

Under him, staff of Abia State UniversityTeaching Hospital (ABSUTH) were owed 23 months’ salary arrears; secondary school teachers, 11 months; primary school teachers – three months; pensioners, 30 months; and pensioners in the judiciary sector owed pension benefits for more than two years.

Also, Abia State Polytechnic were being owed 30 months’ salary arrears, while workers in Abia State College of Education had their 29 months’ salaries left unpaid.

Workers in Abia State College of Health Sciences and local government areas were also owed five months.

Egbetokun

BRIEFING NOTES

Can Adamu and APC Mend Latest Cracks?

Since the All Progressives Congress successfully managed the dispute arising from the failed attempt to anoint the former President of the Senate, Dr. Ahmad Lawan, as the consensus presidential candidate of the party, internal wranglings in the ruling party have persisted. Ejiofor Alike writes that the public pronouncement by the party’s National Chairman, Senator Abdullahi Adamu, that the National Working Committee had no hand in the emergence of the principal officers announced by the Senate President, Senator Godswill Akpabio, and Speaker of the House Representatives, Hon. Tajudeen Abbas, is another indication that the crisis of confidence in the party has not been resolved

The National Chairman of the All Progressives Congress (APC), Senator Abdullahi Adamu, had stirred a controversy in June 2022 when he unilaterally announced a former President of the Senate, Dr. Ahmad Lawan, as the consensus presidential candidate of the party in the 2023 general election.

Adamu reportedly announced the consensus decision during the meeting of the party’s national working committee (NWC), in Abuja.

However, signs of cracks in the ruling party emerged when its National Organising Secretary, Sulaiman Argungu, dismissed Adamu’s claim, maintaining that it did not represent the position of the NWC.

“It’s just an information he gave us. All of us are entitled to our opinion. We are all democrats. This decision was never taken by the NWC, but an information given to the NWC,” Argungu reportedly told journalists in Abuja.

The APC governors from the North had also rejected the choice of Lawan and told the then President Muhammadu Buhari that power should rotate to the southern part of the country.

The then Chairman of the Northern States Governors’ Forum, former Governor Simon Lalong of Plateau State, who revealed the position of the governors had also told journalists that Buhari informed the northern governors that he did not anointed any candidate.

Despite Adamu’s claim that the decision to anoint Lawan was taken in consultation the Buhari, the backlash that followed the announcement forced Buhari’s Senior Special Assistant on Media and Publicity, Garba Shehu, to clarify that the former president had “no preferred candidate,” nor an “anointed” one.

With the rejection of Lawan as consensus candidate, the party held a presidential primary where President Bola Tinubu emerged as its presidential candidate in a keenly contested election.

Since the failed attempt to impose Lawan on the party, it is believed that there is no love lost between Tinubu’s core loyalists and Adamu’s allies in the party, despite their public posturing that all is well within the party.

At the peak of the alleged cold war between Tinubu’s loyalists and Adamu’s allies in September 2022, Tinubu had denied any rift with the former Nasarawa State governor, insisting that he was not nursing grudges against the APC national chairman.

According to him, it was rare to see big masquerades dance in a cage instead of the

market square.

Addressing journalists at the APC’s national secretariat, Tinubu who admitted reading his alleged cold war with Adamu in newspapers, claimed that it was a rumour manufactured to suit a particular purpose.

He said: “To the rumour manufacturers, I read in some papers about a disagreement between myself and the chairman and that was a very big lie. They didn’t know that we have come a long way. The big masquerade dance is not in the cage but in the market square.

“And that is what Adamu used to be, full of wisdom; we were governors together, before God put us together on this project again. He is going to be the chairman of the party for me to become the president of Nigeria. And I am very confident of that,” Tinubu reportedly said.

Despite Tinubu’s claim, his strategists have allegedly continued to view Adamu’s actions with suspicion.

The crisis of confidence had also manifested

when APC leadership and Tinubu anointed Akpabio and Abbas as their consensus candidates for the positions of Senate president and Speaker, respectively.

The former governor of Zamfara State, Senator Abdulaziz Yari, who was challenging Akpabio was believed to be enjoying the support of a section of the leadership of the party, who was allegedly opposed to Tinubu’s interest.

Yari had insisted that the position of the Senate President should be zoned to the North.

When Abbas and other lawmakerselect visited Vice President Kashim Shettima before their inauguration, the vice president had addressed Abbas as “by God’s grace, our Speaker-in-waiting.”

Shettima had also referred to his anointed deputy, Benjamin Kalu, as “our Deputy Speaker-in-waiting.”

NOTES FOR FILE

However, when Abbas and his team visited Adamu, he reportedly warned Abbas’ supporters to stop addressing the Kaduna lawmaker as the incoming Speaker.

Adamu’s statement had angered the National Vice Chairman of the APC for North-west, Dr. Salihu Lukman, who alleged that the leadership of the APC was subtly working against Tinubu on the zoning arrangement adopted by the party.

In a press statement, Lukman said: “The same conservative bloc is now spewing up hardcore ethnic northern arguments against the zoning decisions approved by the NWC following the outcome of consultations between Senator Abdullahi Adamu-led NWC team with President Tinubu.”

Though APC successfully wriggled out of the dispute with the successful emergence of Akpabio and Abbas as the presiding officers of the National Assembly, Adamu’s recent claim that the party’s NWC had no hand in the emergence of the principal officers announced by the two presiding officers was an indication that the crisis of confidence has not been resolved.

Akpabio and Abbas had recently unveiled the names of principal officers in the Senate and the House of Representatives.

Tinubu was believed to be behind the announcement of the principal officers who are made up of his loyalists.

But in a swift reaction, Adamu told the APC governors under the aegis of the Progressives Governors’ Forum (PGF) that the party’s NWC heard the announcement as a rumour.

“So, whatever announcement is made, either by President of the Senate, Deputy Senate President, Speaker or Deputy Speaker, is not from this secretariat,” Adamu reportedly said.

However, addressing journalists after the APC governors’ meeting with the NWC, the Chairman of PGF and Governor of Imo State, Senator Hope Uzodimma, declared that Adamu did not say that Akpabio and Abbas were on their own.

Uzodimma said: “Chairman never said that they are on their own. The National Assembly leadership belongs to our great party and they are members of our party; they are members of our party and they enjoy our support.

“If there is any way there is a communication gap anywhere, we will make it up and we have our internal mechanism of resolving such things. The National Assembly leadership enjoys the support of Progressive Governors Forum and that of our party. We don’t have any problem at all.”

The events of the next few weeks will reveal if Adamu and the APC will be able to mend the latest cracks.

Lessons DSS, EFCC Can Learn from ICPC’s Case

The order by a Federal High Court in Abuja for the Independent Corrupt Practices and other related offences Commission (ICPC) to pay N1 million to a former Registrar of the Joint Admissions and Matriculation Board (JAMB), Professor Dibu Ojerinde, should be a lesson to the federal government and its agencies such as the Economic and Financial Crimes Commission (EFCC), Nigeria Police and the Department of State Services (DSS) against arbitrariness and unlawful detention

The presiding judge of the court, Justice Obiora Egwuatu, also awarded a N200,000 fine against the ICPC as the cost of instituting the suit and ordered the immediate release or arraignment of the applicant.

In March 2021, Ojerinde was arrested by the ICPC.

On July 6, 2021, he was arraigned on an 18-count charge bordering on alleged misappropriation of

funds to the tune of N5.2 billion while in office. He was later granted bail while the trial continued.

In January 2023, Ojerinde was re-arrested by the ICPC at the premises of the court. But the former JAMB Registrar sued ICPC for allegedly violating his right to dignity and liberty.

Delivering judgment last Tuesday, Egwuatu held that though Ojerinde’s re-arrest was legal and lawful based on the search warrant obtained from the chief judge of the court, the anti-graft commission ought to have obtained a detention warrant.

The judge held that detaining the applicant without a proper order and not arraigning him was a breach of his fundamental right to liberty. However, the court held that Ojerinde’s right to the dignity of a person was not breached since he was unable to show that he was either tortured

or brought into forced slavery, among others.

He ordered that the former JAMB registrar should be released or arraigned immediately.

Although Ojerinde had sought N500 million as compensation and another N100 million as the cost of instituting the suit, the court awarded N1 million as damages and N200,000 as litigation cost.

The order by the court should be a lesson to anti-corruption and security agencies who should ensure that suspects are thoroughly investigated before rushing to arrest them.

Till date, the Governor of the Central Bank of Nigeria (CBN), Mr. Godwin Emefiele and Chairman of EFCC, Abdulrasheed Bawa, are still languishing in the custody of the DSS after their arrests due to the much-denounced arrest-before-investigation policy.

Ojerinde

Adamu

PEPC: Attention Shifts to Judiciary

With the Independent National Electoral Commission, President Bola Tinubu and the All Progressives Congress closing their defence last week at the Presidential Election Petitions Court, attention will now shift to the five-man panel to do justice to the case, writes Wale Igbintade

Ater calling only one witness, President Bola Tinubu, Vice President Kashim Shettima and the All Progressives Con- gress (APC) last Wednesday concluded their defence in the petition filed by Peter Obi and his party, Labour Party (LP) at the Presidential Election Petitions Court (PEPC).

Lawyer to Tinubu and Shettima, Chief Wole Olanipekun (SAN) announced the closure of his clients’ case after their sole witness, Senate Majority Leader, Senator Michael Opeyemi Bamidele concluded his testimony. -

Olanipekun also tendered 18 sets of documents, including LP’s membership register for Anambra State, which Bamidele claimed did not contain Obi’s name, the implication of which, he averred, was that he was not a member of the party when he contested the last presidential election.

Tinubu and Shettima argued that not being a member of the party as at the time of the last presidential election, was enough to disqualify Obi and insisted that he ought not to have contested the last election on the platform of the LP.

Olanipekun tendered the document along with LP’s letter, dated April 25, 2022 forwarding the membership register to the Chairman of the Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC).

The documents were tendered along with other documents at the commencement of the defence of Tinubu and Shettma in the petition by Obi and the LP before the PEPC. –

Some of the documents tendered before the five-member panel of the court chaired by Justice Haruna Tsammani, were Tinubu’s academic records from the Chicago State University in the United States, certified true copies of correspondences between the Nigeria Police Force and the US Embassy in Nigeria concerning alleged criminal records of the president in the US over drug trafficking.

The US consulate had written to the then Inspector-General of Police, Tafa Balogun, now deceased, clearing Tinubu of any criminal conviction or arrest in the US. The letter was dated February 4, 2003.

Most of the documents tendered in the Obi’s case were earlier admitted in evidence at the opening of Tinubu’s defence in Atiku Abubakar’s petition also contesting the outcome of the presidential poll.

Atiku, of the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP), who came second in the race, also challenged Tinubu’s victory on similar grounds as Obi’s.

Other vital documents also tendered included: Data page of Tinubu’s Nigerian passports issued on February 2, 2011 and November 20, 2019; visa to the US issued on February 4, 2011 and acknowledgement copy of Kashim Shettima’s notice of voluntary withdrawal of candidacy from Borno Central

Senatorial District election dated February 6, 2023.

Though Obi’s lawyer, Livy Uzoukwu SAN, objected to the admissibility of the documents the court admitted them and marked them as Exhibits RA17 and RA18, after INEC and the APC consented to the court’s admissibility of the documents.

On his part, APC counsel, Lateef Fagbemi (SAN), said upon assessing the state of the case, his client is satisfied that it had sufficiently made its case and need not call any witness. He subsequently announced the closure of his client’s case.

On its part, INEC closed its defence by calling one witness, Lawrence Bayode, a Director in the Information and Communication Technology (ICT) Department of the Commission. This was after the other witnesses refused to show up in court on the first day. The commission also tendered some documents, which were admitted and marked as exhibits.

During cross-examination, Bayode said the blurred documents downloaded from the IReV did not affect the polling unit results recorded in forms EC8As. He said photographic copies of forms EC8A captured with the bimodal voter accreditation system (BVAS) and transmitted to IReV, were not relevant for the collation of results.

The witness also told the court that the glitch recorded during the presidential poll did not affect the credibility of election results. He said only physical results (forms EC8As) were used for collating final election results. Recall that aggrieved political parties in the February 25 presidential election and their candidates had challenged the outcome of the poll, insisting that it was not in compliance with the provisions of the Electoral Act and the 1999 Constitution.

Specifically, the PDP and Atiku disputed the outcome of the election on the major grounds that INEC did not conduct the election in line with the Electoral Act (2022). They argued that INEC breached its earlier commitment to transmit the result of the presidential election electronically using the Bimodal Voters Accreditation System (BVAS) and INEC Results Viewing Portal (IReV).

On their part, the LP and Obi also contended that the elections were marred by electoral malpractices. They accused INEC of rigging the election in favour of Tinubu. They further accused Tinubu of fraudulent academic records and drug trafficking, amongst other issues.

The petitioners asked the court to invalidate the declaration of Tinubu as the winner.

Recall that before closing their cases on June 21, Atiku and PDP called 27 witnesses, while Obi and LP called 13.

Both candidates’ witnesses included party agents and officials, experts, forensic analysts and subpoenaed presiding officers of INEC.

In the course of the proceedings, both

petitioners tendered a litany of documents, which were admitted by the court and marked as exhibits. The petitioners also subpoenaed witnesses, including INEC ad hoc staff and officials, to appear before the court.

While closing their case, PDP and Atiku’s 27th witness, Mr. Mike Enahoro Ebah, tendered some documents in his efforts to prove the allegation that President Tinubu forged his academic career and diplomatic records.

The witness further tendered notarised judgment of the US District Court regarding Tinubu’s alleged forfeiture of funds traced to his bank account suspected to be proceeds of narcotic deals.

Led to give evidence by PDP’s lead counsel, Chris Uche (SAN), EnahoroEbah, tendered INEC Forms EC13 and EC9 (nomination forms) filed by Tinubu at INEC. He also tendered an affidavit, receipts and a letter submitted to INEC by President Tinubu as part of his nomination documents. Other documents he included were an INEC-certified Chicago State University certificate, an NYSC discharge Certificate bearing the name “Tinubu Bola Adekunle”, and Tinubu’s certificate of service from Mobil Nigeria Plc, as well as particulars submitted to INEC when he ran as Lagos State governor. Enahoro-Ebah also tendered in evidence, the academic records from Chicago State University belonging to Tinubu, obtained through a subpoena that was served on the university by his lawyer in the US. According to the records, a copy of the actual degree certificate issued by Chicago State University to Tinubu, his undergraduate certificate from the said university in 1977, and a South West College Transcript issued to Tinubu, had female as the gender of the applicant.

Also critical to note in the documents tendered was that at the time of his supposed graduation from the university, there was no NYSC exemption on the basis of age. This means that he ought to have produced an NYSC Certificate and not an exemption letter. In addition, the documents obtained by the witness from the Chicago State University indicate that in the said transcript, the certificate bearer is a female and not male, as claimed by Tinubu.

Before him, a subpoenaed witness and digital forensic analyst, Hitler Nwala, while giving evidence as an expert witness, had told the court that results on all the 110 Bimodal

Voter Accreditation System (BVAS) machines he inspected were deleted.

He also told the court that he didn’t know at what point the results were deleted on the machines. He added that he attached a standard device used for such an exercise to the machine to arrive at the conclusion.

When asked if he had the authority of the commission to attach an external device to the BVAS machine, the witness answered in the affirmative.

Also at the proceedings, PDP lawyer Eyitayo Jegede (SAN) tendered more INEC-certified true copies of Form EC8As for Ogun, Ondo, Jigawa, Rivers, Delta, Ebonyi, Edo, Enugu, Imo and Kogi states.

On his part, Obi and his party closed their case after calling a total of 13 witnesses and presenting several electoral documents, including INEC Form EC8As.

The Chief Spokesman of the LP Presidential Campaign Council and National Director, Media, Labour Party, Yunusa Tanko, who testified last, told the court that he also served as the national collation agent at the party’s situation room.

Led in evidence by Obi’s lead counsel, Levy Uzoukwu (SAN), Tanko tendered receipts issued by INEC to LP for several documents requested from the electoral umpire by the party. The court admitted them in evidence. He had earlier tendered 18,088 blurred polling unit results downloaded from IReV certified by INEC, and the five-man panel of the court led by Justice Tsammani admitted them as evidence.

The petitioners also tendered BVAS machine reports from 28 states of the federation and the FCT, Abuja. They lamented the refusal of the Chairman of INEC, Prof. Yakubu Mahmood, to accept summons to appear and produce documents used for the February 25 presidential election before the court.

Uzoukwu insisted that it was very clear that the INEC chairman could not be served with a copy of the subpoena and that the court bailiff said the service was refused, which he noted can be verified by the court.

However, INEC’s counsel, Dr. Kemi Pinhero (SAN), argued that it was untrue that the subpoena could not be served on the INEC chairman, adding that it has become a pattern for the petitioner (Obi) to look for a whipping boy.

With the closing of the cases, the court has asked all the petitioners and respondents to wait for when it would communicate to them for the adoption and submission of their final written addresses.

Those who have been following the proceedings at the court believe that no presidential election dispute has ever been diligently argued in the history of Nigeria as the instant case. It is hoped that the five-man panel of the court would carefully examine the evidence put before them and do justice to the case.

Justice Ariwoola Obi Atiku Tinubu Justice Dongban-Mensem

Nigeria and the Three Russo-Ukrainian Wars: The Challenge for Tinubuplomacy

uhariplomacy has come and gone with its reactive lack of foreign policy focus. It is now being replaced with BATplomacy, a coinage from ‘Bola Ahmed Tinubu’s diplomacy.’ Shortly put, it is referred to as Tinubuplomacy, but it is still evolving. Tinubuplomacy should not in any way be confused with the diplomacy of the Nigerian State or with Nigeria’s foreign policy. Generally, Presidents and Heads of Governments are considered the Chief of Diplomacy in their respective countries. The Ministers of Foreign Affairs are their principal emissaries, principal implementers, and principal advisers of foreign policy.

In this regard, the opinion of the Minister and Ministry of Foreign Affairs do conflict at times.When it does, the position of the President often prevails, unless the position of the Foreign Ministry is known to the public and enjoys public support prompting the setting aside the position of the presidency. One good illustration of this point was the proposed or attempt of Morocco to accede to the 1975 ECOWAS Treaty. The Buhari presidency was in favour of Morocco’s membership of the ECOWAS but several Foreign Service Officers advised against it. The foreign policy elite similarly kicked against it. This development compelled the National Assembly to organise a hearing on the subject matter. The strong opposition against Morocco’s membership has compelled the suspension of Morocco’s application.

Explained differently, a president can always have his or her own diplomatic mania of handling international questions. President Buhari did not appear to be bothered by any foreign policy question. His Foreign Minister, Geoffrey Onyeama, simply conducted foreign policy in his own way, supporting the US-ledWestern world with little regard for Nigeria’s interest. While Buhariplomacy is the personal attitudinal disposition of the president to diplomacy, Nigeria’s diplomacy is as officially adopted, conducted and managed.

Tinubuplomacy is the art and tact adopted by PresidentTinubu in handling foreign policy. For instance, he has already been reported to be tilting towards France, meaning that he may be very prowest. Besides, France is Nigeria’s fifth territorial neighbour by the principle of geo-political propinquity while Benin Republic, Niger Republic, Chad Republic, and Cameroon Republic are Nigeria’s neighbour by the rule of geo-political territorial contiguity. As such, Nigeria’s foreign policy must always factor France’s interest in whatever foreign policy calculations contemplated. How does Tinubuplomacy address the deepening Russo-Ukrainian imbroglio?

The Three Dimensions of the War

The Russo-Ukrainian war has a great potential to affect Nigeria’s interests in Africa, in particular, and in the world, generally. The war now exists at three different levels and has the great potential to threaten Nigeria’s Africa policy in different ways. At the first level, which is at the level of the hot war between Russia and Ukraine, Nigeria is already considered a potential enemy of Russia or a member of the Euro-American gang-up against Russia and the rationale for this is not far-fetched: Shortly after the Russian special military intervention, Nigeria’s Foreign Minister was reported to have called on Russia to immediately withdraw its troops from Ukraine. In other words, while many other African countries opted to adopt a neutral approach to the crisis by refusing to vote to condemn Russia at the United Nations General Assembly (UNGA), Nigeria voted to condemn the Russian invasion. And most unfortunately, there is yet any reason to show that the Nigerian vote at the UNGA reflected the protection of Nigeria’s national interest. There is no disputing the fact that Nigeria maintained warm relationships with both Russia and Ukraine. In fact, the mere consideration that Russia is on record to have pledged in 2019 to help Nigeria speedily complete the Ajaokuta steel project is enough reason not to be seen to be taking side with Ukraine. The strategic interests to be protected at the level of Russia are greater than at the level of Ukraine. With the current politico-military lull created by the prosecution of the war is such that it now creates challenges

for both Tinubuplomacy, especially in terms of how to redress Nigeria’s anti-Russian attitude as adopted under President Buhari. Let us first deal with the three levels of the war.

At this first level of the war, which Vladimir Putin’s Russia has called Special Military Intervention in Ukraine on 24th February, 2022, but which the Euro-Americans have described as Russian Invasion of Ukraine, the global world order is increasingly being criticised. Agitation for a new world order is on the increase. In fact, regardless of the designation, it is simply a hot war that is difficult to describe as having been provoked or non-provoked. True, Ukraine did not start the hostilities. In fact, Russia is on record to have annexed Crimea earlier in 2014. The annexation of Crimea was a resultant of conflicting political interests at the domestic level and the invasion of February 2022 is seen as an escalation of the war begun in 2014. This is the level of the war that is generally discussed and referred to internationally.

The second level of the war is the dimension of the European versus Russia. The war is not hot and strictly military like the first level but economic. It has an indirect military hostility, on the one hand, and soft war, on the other. The aspect of indirect hostility deals with the military logistics and support provided by Euro-American countries to Ukraine while the soft power aspect is about punitive economic sanctions. It takes the format of sanctions not only against Russia but also against countries perceived to

We strongly foresee a situation in which Russia can lose the battle in Ukraine but not likely losing the war. The war has an entrenched severe grudges. The animosity vis-à-vis the US-led Western world has seriously deepened, meaning that the real war cannot but be for tomorrow. Battles are always fought and won, but the winning does not always end the animosity, even with military surrender. The defeat of Nazi Germany in the First World War did not prevent the making of World War II. There is nothing to suggest yet that the Ukrainian war will not be further internationalised and even globalised. What the French and the Germans have done to prevent fresh war between them was to institute in 1963 a quarterly bilateral summit during which any issue of disagreement is always ironed out before it degenerates into a crisis and conflict. A similar Franco-British summit also exists. Consequently, in the context of Tinubuplomacy, even though the world is the outermost concentric circle of Nigeria’s foreign policy, meaning that the world is the least important in terms of foreign policy operational areas, it is useful to also note that the situational reality of global developments and international politics now requires placing greater emphasis on the world in order to be able to ensure national security in the innermost foreign policy circle which is Nigeria and all its immediate neighbours. A new world order is already in the making and Nigeria should ssssnot be cut unawares

have been engaged in any action that undermines or threatens the territorial integrity and sovereign independence of Ukraine. For instance, Belarus is sanctioned reportedly because of its response to the Russian invasion while Iran is similarly sanctioned for its manufacture and supply of drones.

Militarily, Ukraine was supported with various arms and weapons to help sustain Ukrainian resistance. The United States is currently considering the deployment of cluster bombs to Ukraine. Economically, individuals and institutions have been identified and sanctioned. Several banks and financial institutions, military institutions, aviation companies, shipbuilding and machine building companies, theWagner Group, media organisations considered to be responsible for disinformation and propaganda, political parties, as well as the All-Russia People’s Front and paramilitary groups are sanctioned for various reasons: alleged looting of Ukraine’s cultural heritage, engagement of Syrian mercenaries to fight in Ukraine, missile strikes against internationally-protected civilians, forceful deportation and adoption of Ukrainian children, as well as manufacture and supply of drones.

What is noteworthy about the sanctions is that the Russian leadership as a whole is being held responsible for the alleged atrocities being committed in Ukraine. Members of the Federation Council of the Russian Federation, Members of the National Security Council, Members of the Russian State Duma (the lower House of the Parliament), as well as the Wagner Group leader, Yevgeny Prigozhin and all commanders of the Wagner Group are listed for sanctions. The sanctions vary from restrictions on trade with Russia and travel bans to bans on crude oil, steel products, seafood and liquor, etc.

The EU stopped the provision of some goods and services to Russia and its businesses: IT Consultancy, legal advice, architecture and engineering services etc. The EU banned the importation and exportation of certain goods, and also suspended work on the accession of Belarus to the WTO. In fact, EU advertising, market research and public opinion polling services, product testing and technical inspection were similarly prohibited. Additionally, Russian and Belarusian road transport operators are prevented from entering any of the EU countries. Russian aircraft are banned from overflying the EU airspace. And perhaps more disturbingly, the EU closed its ports to Russia’s entire merchant fleet of more than 2800, but excepting those carrying energy, medical, pharmaceutics, agricultural and food products, and humanitarian aid.

In the period from February 2022 to date, the EU has banned more than €43.9 billion in exported goods to Russia and €91.2bn in imported goods. An estimated 1,800 individuals have been sanctioned. Russian membership of the Council of Europe has been denounced. Western plenipotentiaries have been recalled. Russia has also been banned from the Swift Messaging System through which more than 11,000 financial institutions do exchange information. By implication, about ten Russian banks have been prevented from taking part in global financial transactions using the Swift System.

And true enough, at this level of soft economic war, it should be noted that no one has the monopoly of sanction-taking. Russia too has been reciprocating. Russia simply took the EU sanctions as a source of blessings. First, Russia introduced a bill on information fakers. The bill provided a 15-year imprisonment for peddling of wrong information. Opposition to the Russian invasion of Ukraine at the domestic level is severely punished. Secondly, the Russian currency, Rubble, is made more attractive: increase in interest rate to the tune of 20%, the Rubble was made difficult to sell. The interest on exchange for foreign currencies was increased in order to discourage demand. In fact, the rubble is said to have now witnessed a 7-year high rating.

And perhaps more interestingly, President Putin introduced the policy of‘Technologically Regressive Import Substitution,’which, as developed by Dr Branco Milanovic, involves the‘replacing imported goods with local, inferior old fashioned goods,’to borrow the words of Ayomiotan Iyinoluwa Alabi of the International Relations Department of the Achievers University, Owo, Ondo State. Russia banned the import of over 200 goods from the West and also blocked the payment of interest to foreign holders of government bonds. In other words, Russia prohibited the payment by Russian companies of overseas shareholders. Additionally, foreign investors, many of whom hold billions of US dollars, worth of Russian investments, were all banned from selling them.

The third level of the Russo-Ukrainian war is the proxy war generated by the first two levels and which must attract very cautious Tinubuplomacy in response.

3rd Russo-Ukrainian War and Tinubuplomacy

The third Russo-Ukrainian war is a proxy war that is believed to be in the making. The proxy war is expected to be a prelude to a general war in Europe with the possibility of its manifestations in other parts of the world. In a news story analysis, “New War Could Start in Europe as 8,000 Troops Cross Border, with Threat of Nukes,” by Yelena Mandenberg and Neil Shaw, the crossing of 8,000 Russian soldiers into Belarus cannot but be a pointer to a larger problem of insecurity in Europe, simply because they are linked to the military contractor Wagner who relocated to Belarus after the failed insurrection by the Wagner leader,Yevgeny Prigozhin in Moscow.

Read full article online - www.thisdaylive.com

Tinubu

To be sure, I have no issues with tax audits. I am an advocate of ethical business practices. I hate cutting corners. But Nigeria will humble you. Nigeria will make you question your values as well as your sanity. We were so frustrated one day that we asked the tax collectors why they were doing this to us. One confessed that they had targets to meet and would not go back to their bosses and say they didn’t find anything wrong with our accounts. More so, they get bonuses for meeting their targets, so the system has created a perverse incentive which works for the tax collectors but against businesses. What he did not confess was that they were also using audits to extort businesses.

I was so incensed after one of those endless audits that I asked our tax consultant to sternly dispute the assessment and let the matter end up at the tribunal. I was so sure we did not commit any infractions. It was driving me nuts. But our tax consultant said while he was not opposed to us going to the tax appeal tribunal, it would be a waste of time and money. We would have to engage subject-matter lawyers, pay legal fees and, at the end of it all, there is no guarantee that the tribunal, a government body, will not take sides with a fellow public agency. Only the big corporates have the war chest for a robust legal battle. They also have the clout to survive the warped system.

JAMB BITE

Mmesoma Ejimeke, a 19-year-old Anambra student, claimed to have scored 362 in UTME, attracting accolades and cash rewards for being the “best” candidate in 2023. As it turned out after all the brouhaha, she did not come first as claimed despite the massive support for her on Twitter. She actually scored 249, as she herself finally confessed. The QR code on the result slip she paraded to the media was superimposed. Yet, the saga became a source of ethnic strife and a vicious #NotMyJAMB campaign. Ironically, the highest scorer as named by JAMB is Kamsiyochukwu Umeh, also a student from Anambra. All those involved in the crime must now face the music. Justice.

Common sense tells you to allow a seed grow first before you start harvesting. It appears government is committed to killing the seed instead, as my cousin can testify. If small businesses are allowed to grow and flourish, there will be millions of jobs created and an endless value chain unleashed. There will be plenty revenue to follow: VAT, PAYE, withholding tax and other taxes. But the starting point is to let them breathe. Is this too complicated to understand? In truth, government agents have become terrorists to small businesses. They gleefully give business owners anxiety and high blood pressure. They derive pleasure from using state power to inflict pains on Nigerians.

The most notorious government agencies operate in the FCT. I once wrote about a friend who owns a bakery in Abuja. All manner of government officials come to the bakery almost every day from all manner of agencies. Three units from the Abuja Municipal Council Area (AMAC) do “health inspection”. The National Agency for Food and Drug Administration and Control (NAFDAC), the Nigeria Social Insurance Trust Fund (NSTIF) and the Standards Organisation of Nigeria (SON) also do “health inspection”. Believe me, one agency can do all the health checks — but this is Nigeria. There is an annual licence fee for “operating in FCT”. There is a fee for “using a car to distribute bread”.

That is not all. The Federal Housing Authority (FHA) and AMAC charge the bakery separately for “fumigation”. You cannot engage your own fumigator — you have to use their consultants. There is also the AMAC “sanitary inspection” fee. AMAC’s department of environment collects fees yearly to inspect — you guessed it — the environment. There is also the AMAC fee for “food and water-related handling”. The list is endless.

I am not suggesting that small businesses should not be regulated, inspected or asked to pay taxes. These are the functions of the state. But, for Pete’s sake, how many taxes and levies should an MSME pay? How many regulators should an MSME face?

You can now imagine my delight that President Bola Ahmed Tinubu has set up a committee on fiscal policy and tax reforms. Since he has shown clearly that he is probusiness, I would be equally delighted if he would champion the cause of MSMEs. He should take it as a personal mission and rally the 36 governors to do everything to enhance the success and growth of these businesses. I understand that states and the FCT are driven by the singular motive of improving internally generated revenue (IGR). But this drive has become a toxic tonic for their agents to go totally out of control, forgetting that you need these businesses to survive and thrive first before you tax them.

And Four Other Things…

OIL-POOR COUNTRY

In my previous article, I said our share of oil export is less than 400,000 bpd. Obviously, not many Nigerians know this fact. When it is reported that we export 1.4mbpd, most of it is not ours. Under joint ventures (JVs) with the oil majors, which are onshore, Nigeria used to get the lion’s share because it owned 55-60%. Under the production sharing contract (PSC), which governs offshore, the oil companies invest all the capital and recover their costs from oil production before Nigeria gets its own share. The sad part: the JVs, which favour Nigeria, are dying because of underinvestment, theft and high costs of operation while offshore, which favours the companies, is thriving. Damned.

WAITING FOR TINUBU’S MINISTERIAL LIST

open and eager to set the tone. But much more concretely gets done with having ministers and heads of key agencies in place on time. The president needs to fully form his government. He needs this to get his administration firmly on track, to spread the debilitating weight of governance more evenly, to get the full complement of the help he needs to function effectively, and to signal to the country and the rest of the world that his administration is ready for the drudgery of heavy lifting and the long haul. He also needs space to focus on the big picture.

Most of the president’s decisions and appointments so far have been well received. But man Nigerians and critical non-Nigerians such as diplomats, development partners and investors are still in the wait-and-see territory. They are eager to see the kind of people that will make it to his cabinet. The calibre, antecedents and character of the people the president appoints will help this set of Nigerians and other critical stakeholders to decide whether to take the Tinubu administration seriously or not on its reform agenda and the kind of support they should consider offering. Some of these people have a big say in decisions around investments and other strategic supports, and they have little attention span. Nigeria is not the only country on their radar.

More importantly, Nigeria is at a critical pass. There is a lot to be done in many areas beyond just announcements and symbolic actions. There is no time to waste. The earlier those who will do the heavy lifting of policy formulation, coordination and implementation are in place, the better for the administration and for the country. This is why it wasn’t an extravagant hope or meddling to expect that the president would have used the opportunity offered by the recess of the Senate and the Eid holidays to finalise his list of ministerial nominees. He, unfortunately, missed that window, prolonging the suspense and leaving the room open for endless lobbying and jostling. This is a needless distraction, given

Tinubu

the enormity of the work at hand. Tinubu should save himself and the country some time.

In finalising his ministerial list, the president should consider the following recommendations. One, it would be helpful and novel if he can attach portfolios to the names of the ministerial nominees. This will send the message about the desire to do things differently, cut out the unhelpful jostling for juicy positions post-confirmation, and better prepare the nominees and the senators for the Senate confirmation hearings. Since questions will be more targeted, this approach will help the legislators and the country at large to assess the fit of the nominees for the positions.

Two, the president will need to maintain a healthy balance in many areas. To start

STONE HEARTS

Mr Olukayode Egbetokun, the acting inspector-general of police (IGP), has disbanded the police team that ran over a cuffed man with a car in Edo state. The officers are reportedly undergoing disciplinary hearing. This is heartwarming. I testify that the Nigeria Police Force is always quick to discipline erring officers and this is usually in the public domain. What I still don’t understand is why these guys still behave the way they do. Is it that the punishment is not severe enough to serve as a deterrent or they are so hardened they cannot be bothered by the consequences of their actions? I sincerely would like to know. It may help the authorities take a step ahead of them. Frustrating.

My agenda for Tinubu in this regard is fairly simple: he should use his presidential power and moral authority to set the tone for all tiers of government on the need to make Nigeria business-friendly. We need to spread, not suffocate, businesses. First, I propose that there should be a one-stop centre to offer support to MSMEs in matters of registration, documentation, levies and taxes to end this hostile and suffocating system. Many agencies perform similar functions and make similar demands of businesses. Some businesses are targeted for frequent audit while many are outside the tax net. Through a robust support system, some of these complications can be streamlined and simplified.

Second, there should be a dispute resolution mechanism that is fair to all. The government is usually the accuser and the judge. If an agency inspects your factory, unfairly decides there is an infraction and shuts it down, you cannot ask for independent assessment. That is why extortion is normalised. The word of the agencies is law. And they are using this to the maximum. Some agencies engage thugs for enforcement. I would never forget when FIRS was using armed policemen to enforce tax collection in 2016. It was the height of official rascality at a time the economy was under enormous strain as a result of a recession. I pray that commonsense will reign in government someday. Amen.

AND FINALLY…

Do you remember Senator Adamu Bulkachuwa who said on video that his wife, Justice Zainab Bulkachuwa, used her position to influence judgments in the favour of his senate colleagues? Although his wife, who is former president of the Court of Appeal, later denied the claim, we may not have heard the last yet. The Independent Corrupt Practices and Other Related Offences Commission (ICPC) invited the former senator for questioning but he did not show up. Instead, he headed for the court for an injunction to stop the anti-graft agency from questioning him and declaring the invitation as “ultra vires, illegal, arbitrary, oppressive and unconstitutional”. Nigeria!

not just for the sake of inclusion but also because they have much to offer.

It is also important to pay attention to regional balance. This should not be just in terms of meeting the barest minimum of one minister from each of the 36 states but about the quality of ministries allocated to the different geo-political zones. Nigerians know how to count, in both quantitative and qualitative manners. Appointments, including to the cabinet, should be used to bridge (not expand) the divides. The president thus needs to be intentional and mindful, especially in reining in the triumphalist desire of his zone to corner all the juicy positions.

Three, there are certain clusters of sectors that the president needs to give special consideration to and should strive to appoint only accomplished, competent and credible individuals to lead. The first is the economy sector: finance, budget and national planning, industry, trade and investment, petroleum, digital economy and communications, and agriculture and rural development.

with, balance will be needed between the politicians who helped the president to office, his long-term associates and the technocrats who will help him to deliver on his vision. There are instances where the politician or the loyalist is also a technocrat but not in all cases. A cabinet full of recycled politicians or their nominees or those merely rewarded for staying faithful and loyal will not inspire needed confidence.

There is also the need for balance along gender and generational lines. The women and the youths have lower than 5% each of elected positions from the 2023 elections, despite that women and youths constitute about 50% and more than 70% of the electorate respectively. There are highly capable and competent women and youths that should be appointed to the cabinet

Given where we are now, we need a rockstar, not a rookie, as Minister of Finance. We need an experienced and towering economist, preferably one with specialisation in macro-economics and public finance, and armed with an impressive Rolodex. The economy is not a space for appointees to build their resumes. The other clusters are security sector (defence, police, internal affairs), social sector (education, health, environment), physical infrastructure (works and housing, power, transport and aviation, water resources, FCT) and outreach (foreign affairs and information and culture).

Based on the various factors to be balanced, all the 36 ministers don’t have to be superstars or established high-achievers. But having at least a third of his cabinet as stellar and credible performers and assigning them to key portfolios will serve the president and the country well. Let’s hope that Tinubu will meet or even surpass this expectation. And that the eventual list will not be underwhelming, unlike a certain long-awaited list of a few years ago.

Putin, Mercenaries and African Democracy

In the dying months of the Buhari administration, an upsurge in terrorist activities in the Nigerian North-east led to a resurgence of the debate as to whether Nigeria needed to engage foreign mercenaries in its war against jihadist terrorists in the country. The debate was not new.

It had also raged, somewhat differently, in the final months of the Goodluck Jonathan administration. It is in fact said that certain interests in the Jonathan national security apparatus clandestinely engaged some private military companies from South Africa to take on the ISWAP and Boko Haram elements. The hope then was that the input of the South African mercenaries would make a significant enough difference in the security situation in the North East to facilitate Jonathan’s victory in the then postponed presidential elections in 2015. Everything was thrown in including paying for arms in cash and airfreighting the dollar payments and the arms with aircraft sometimes belonging to known clergymen!

The debate in the final days of the Buhari presidency was somewhat different. It featured on the floor of the National Assembly briefly. This time around, the debate was being fueled by a lobby group operating from neighbouring Chad and Niger Republic. They were paid agents of the publicity wing of Russia’s Wagner Group of mercenaries seeking to expand its influence in the Sahel and West Africa. Hopefully, that debate has died a natural death. The new administration in Abuja needs to keep it in the morgue of national discourse without losing sight of its import for our national security in the months ahead.

The brief unexpected revolt in Russia two weekends ago may claim more casualties than Vladimir Putins’s grip on power in Moscow. The Wagner Mercenaries corporation, owned by Putin and his friend, Yevgeny Prigozyn, is on a roller coaster ride into untidy oblivion as well. But unknown to many, the Wagner Group was the propeller of the Kremlin’s influence on and threat to Africa’s precarious democracy. The imminent meltdown of the mercenary force is therefore also a clear danger to democracy in many African countries.

Ordinarily, developments in far away Russia should not be much of our business in these parts. Russia has not quite shown an overt interest in African affairs except in recent times with its isolation over the Ukraine war. For most African countries, relations with Russia have remained more of a nostalgic ideological remnant of the Cold War years. Except for South Africa and one or two others, Russia has remained more of diplomatic decoration than a consequential strategic ally. Somehow, however, both the Ukraine war and the sudden implosion of the Wagner Group of mercenaries have increased the relevance of Russia in Africa’s global perspective.

The Ukraine war has unsettled African economies by threatening grain supplies and unsettling energy prices and prospects. The Wagner Group which began as a rogue money-making parastatal of the Kremlin became a major power player in a number of African countries. In addition to being contracted to do a major part of the work of the Russian military in Ukraine and elsewhere, it was used to branch out to troubled parts of the world to return profit and expand the influenced of the Kremlin. African countries remain hosts of the uncanny presence of the Wagner mercenaries even as the group itself comes undone by complications of power in Russia itself.

The Wagner implosion leaves more than 6,000 of its mercenaries already stationed in Africa literally decapitated from their Russian command and control center. The attempted revolt in Russia and the untidy meltdown of the Wagner Group have raised some questions: What is the plight of those African countries for whom the Wagner mercenaries have become a security stabilization force? In places where the Wagner force has been used by autocratic regimes to obstruct democratic forces, what are the prospects now that Wagner is endangered?

Until the attempted weekend revolt, the link between the Kremlin and the Wagner mercenaries was still hazy. The collapse of the revolt has exposed the extent and international meaning of the Wagner Group. As it turns out, Wagner is both an untidy business venture and an unusual non -state tool in the service of a rogue state. It was first a private military company owned

Putin’s estranged hot dog merchant friend, Yevgeny Prigozym, himself a serial criminal and alumnus of major Russian prisons. It is not merely a mercenary fighting force. It is mostly a dangerous business manned by proven criminals using the force of sophisticated arms and a military camouflage to meddle in dangerous places around the world. Above all, it remained a curious arm of Russia’s defense infrastructure.

TheGroupisreportedlyalsoincahootswithcells oftheRussianMafia.IntheragingUkraineinvasion, for instance, a contingent of 400 mercenaries from the Wagner Group were dispatched to infiltrate into Kyiv for the sole aim of assassinating President Zelensky. Ukrainian intelligence uncovered the plot and it has been frustrated so far. Undeterred, Moscow is reportedly in the process of increasing the Ukraine Wagner Group mercenary task force to 1000, to carry out various destabilization operations in the light of the frustration of the Russian mission in Ukraine.

In return, the Wagner forces got paid by the Kremlinasadefensecontractor.Offshore,Wagner rewarded itself and its patron companies with cash and mineral concessions.

Nothing else throws Vladimir Putin’s uncanny reputation into better relief than the existence and uses of the Wagner Group. Here is Putin, the leader of a global power contender and counterpoise to the West. He presides over one of the largest and most equipped military forces in the world. Yet he co-established a state sponsored mercenary force and outsourced a major war of nationalist re-assertion to this private army.

Yet, the reality is that the Wagner Group was founded and has been run more like a parastatal of the Russian Defense and foreign affairs ministries. Unsurprisingly, it was none other than Russian foreign minister Sergey Lavarov who in the wake of the Wagner revolt immediately sprang into action to reassure all that the activities of the WagnerGroupinAfricaandelsewherewillproceed as before. Matters only took a dangerous turn when it seemed the Defense ministry and the military high command felt threatened by the growing powers of the Wagner mercenaries.

Putin may have doused the Wagner threat in Russia by chasing away his pal Prigozym into emergency holding exile in Belarus. He may have effectively neutralized the Wagner forces through an untidy mixture of demobilization, outright sack or mass export into exile. No one knows exactly what will become of the Wagner mess in Russia and Ukraine where they are holding captured territory.

But Wagner remains active and in business in a number of countries especially in Africa. The last roll call of Wagner presence in Africa includes

Central African Republic, Libya, Mozambique, Sudan, Mali, Guinea, Chad and Burkina Faso. In all these African countries, the Wagner Group operates as a private military company engaged by endangered states and their presiding autocrats. They are used to bolster weak official military forces often against the threat of jihadist militants. More importantly, the group is engaged in the more lucrative security of remote mineral sites which are often under constant threats from non -state actors.

In the Central African Republic, the Wagner force is particularly entrenched. It is involved in state security, mineral exploitation and political manipulation. In addition to being a security force bolstering the decrepit local army, it has recruited locals from one of the contending ethnicities to further terrorize the opposition and institute a reign of terror marked by killings and repression of the opposition. Wagner is in addition involved in political propaganda to bolster its client autocrat in power. In return, its affiliate Russian companies are involved in massive exploitation of minerals especially gold which it massively evacuates to Russia.

It has been established that gold exports from Central African Republic and Mali in particular are supplying Russia with the gold reserves to frustrate and douse Western sanctions against Russia in the Ukraine war.

Mali presents another face of the entanglement of Wagner in Africa’s unfolding political quagmire. The military junta in the country recently chased away the French ambassador to the country. In quick response to an increasing reciprocal diplomatic nastiness, President Emmanuel Macron ordered the withdrawal of a French stabilization force of over 3500 from Mali. The French troops had in 2013 gone to save the government in Bamako from being toppled by Islamic jihadists advancing from its northern regions and poised to overrun the country. The French troops quickly neutralized the jihadist advance and saved Mali from becoming an Islamic fundamentalist state.

Quite significantly, the Bamako junta has quickly signed on a contingent of 1,000 Russian mercenaries to replace the withdrawing French troops. The Russian mercenaries came from the Wagner Group which enjoys the support and patronage of the Kremlin and sections of corporate Russia.

The Russian mercenaries in Mali are merely an expeditionary force tacitly supported by the Kremlin to probe a strategic opening in the West African region. With close links to Russian intelligence and big business, the Wagner Group mercenaries are out to explore new areas of

strategic vulnerability and declining Western influence in troubled spots around the world.

In the short run, the Russian mercenaries are likely to neutralize the jihadist menace in Mali and wherever else they go in West Africa, making their services an attractive security option to more troubled countries. These would be countries from which the French may still withdraw or those with ineffective national security apparatus. Through the mercenaries, Russia may however have a wider interest than instant cash payments and mineral concessions for their services. In return for securing vital mineral locations, they are known to have negotiated lucrative mineral prospectingrightsandcontractsformajorRussian corporations.

If the Wagner venture becomes more lucrative in the years ahead, an ambitious and aggressive Moscow might see an opening to expand its strategic influence in West Africa if only to fill the gap being left by a major West European power, namely, France.

If what is happening in Mali is an indication of the direction of developments in West Africa’s French speaking states, the presence of Moscow inspired mercenaries and hordes of Chinese contractors and free lance minerals marauders in the region could herald a tectonic shift in the strategic character of the region. Russiana dn Chines players may be on their way to increased influence in parts of Africa.

French speaking countries bordering the Sahel have recently begun to witness a systematic reduction in French influence and support. Social and economic circumstances are worsening as France curtails its economic support for its erstwhile colonies. Islamic jihadist insurgents have recently ramped up pressure on these countries, squeezing their weakened security forces.

In turn, their fragile democratic governments are being systematically overthrown by ambitious military adventurists. In quick succession, Mali, Guinea, Burkina Faso and Chad have all recently witnessed military coups. In each case, the cocktail of justifications by coup makers have included the bad handling of jihadist insurgency and terrorist pressure by elected governments.

Russian presence and influence in Africa through the Wagner Group stands out for its peculiar nature. The Russian adventurers are not in Africa to fund and build infrastructure like the Chinese are doing. They are not out to replace Western powers like France and Britain on a civilizing mission. Nor are they in Africa to win converts to any recognizable ethos or culture. They are also not ambassadors of any code of governance behavior. Democracy is not nearly their business. You cannot give what you do not have at home.

On the contrary, the Russians are here primarily for business. The strategic goals of the Russian government are however tied to this fundamental primary economic exploitation objective. They are a primarily an extraction force of mineral thieves, contract seekers and power adventurers. In return for stabilizing the security of their host countries against rampaging jihadists and other power adventurers, they get paid in cash or through mineral concessions. Yet they are a deliberate force of influence seeking on a global scale. Notably, Mr. Putin is not an agent for development or enlightenment unlike his Soviet Union predecessors that at least pretended to counter Western development propaganda. Putin is essentially an extractive power influencer.

As a military contractor, Wagner’s political interest is in securing the interests of the strong men who invite them into African countries. In almost all cases, these strong men are autocratic leaders who came to power at the expense of fledgling democratic administrations. They are either coup makers and junta leaders or unpopular politicians who need a foreign military force to elbow out their opponents by neutralizing the existing weak national military force.

The continued presence and influence of such a force cannot be in the interest of either Africa’s development or the future of democracy. As the future of the Wagner Group hangs on a balance in Russia itself, there is a challenge for the African Union and individual African states. The continued presence of mercenary forces like the Wagner Group and similar other rogue forces needs to be recognized as a threat to Africa’s quest for stability, genuine development and democracy in the years ahead. A continental stand on the role of mercenaries in Africa is urgently required.

Putin

SIMON KOLAWOLE

simon.kolawole@thisdaylive.com,

For Pete’s Sake, Let Small Businesses Breathe!

My uncle recently asked me to help guide and counsel his son, who is at that discouraging state which many young Nigerians find themselves in after graduating from the university, doing the national youth service and trying their hands on a few endeavours without success. What many of them tend to do is “japa” — believing that being a toilet cleaner in “the abroad” is better than being an employer in Nigeria. I invited my cousin for lunch and had a heart-to-heart chat with him. I was almost in tears at the end. This boy plainly told me he believes in Nigeria, does not fancy “japa” as an option, and would love to stay back in the country, put his skills to use and make a decent living.

Regrettably, the country would not let him be. He told me that after his national service, he had set up a logistics business in Lagos state. He had two motorbikes he was using for the business. “I was doing quite well,” he said. “But Lagos state government officials killed the business. There were so many levies and fees and regulatory demands I just couldn’t cope with. Thugs were seizing the bikes every day. It was always one problem or the other. It was so frustrating. As you are renewing one paper, another is expiring. It was impossible

to keep up. I decided to pack everything up. I had had enough. I wanted to work with my hands and create value with my ideas but they wouldn’t let me.”

This is the story of many Nigerians who want to go into business. They are not

WAZIRI ADIO POSTSCRIPT

applying for CBN or NNPC jobs. They are not interested in working for Shell or MTN. They don’t want to do yahoo-yahoo. They want to work honestly and with dignity, using their hands and business acumen to create jobs and value not just for themselves but for others too. But what do they get in return? Harassment, extortion and the sledge hammer from bloodthirsty state agencies. It shows the quality of thinking among those in authority in Nigeria. In any country where the leaders truly understand how development works, they would help, not hurt, the micro, small and medium enterprises (MSMEs).

All over the world, including the most developed countries, MSMEs are recognised as the engine of the economy. When aggregated, they are the biggest employers of labour. Logically, governments desirous of tackling unemployment, poverty and crime would provide incentives to make doing business less stressful for them. MSMEs can help expand the economy and create more jobs. Sensible governments would design policies to help them thrive. But in our dearly beloved Nigeria, the opposite is the case. It is as if you have killed somebody by opening a shop. The way ministries, agencies and departments (MDAs) descend on you makes you feel you are an enemy of the state.

I told my cousin I have been a victim myself. In 2014, I started a publishing company from

my sweat. We did not get any incentive as a small business from either federal or state government. What we started getting were visits from tax officials, most of whom were not genuinely interested in looking into our books but how to fill their own pockets. In 2019, we got a demand notice over PAYE. It listed employees we only engaged in 2017 as having been on our payroll from 2011 when the company was registered (we started operations exactly in April 2014). They made up salaries for them and calculated their imagined PAYE in arrears, complete with penalties and compound interest.

We once got a letter from FIRS seeking to audit our accounts over a five-year period to determine our compliance with payments and remittances, including VAT. We were so sure we were compliant and had nothing to hide, but we were only being stupid. By the time they were done, the auditors slammed a liability of almost N15 million on us for “overstated expenses”. They said we did not show evidence that our reporters actually bought the internet data for which we gave them monthly allowances. They also said the weekly transport fare we gave our journalists for reportorial duties were not receipted. Imagine asking a danfo driver for receipt for a trip from Ikeja to Ketu!

Continued on page 61

Waiting for Tinubu’s Ministerial List

For some reasons, President Bola Tinubu was widely expected to submit his list of ministerial nominees last week. The political and the press circuits had been agog with speculations and thick with expectations. But the Senate resumed from almost three weeks of recess on July 4th, and there was no such list from the president. There was still no list by July 6th when the Senate ended the legislative week. There are indications the wait may stretch for longer. This is neither necessary nor desirable. The president needs to constitute his cabinet post-haste.

A recent constitutional amendment mandates the president to submit the names of his ministerial nominees for Senate confirmation within 60 days of his assumption of office. Similarly, the constitutional amendment bill signed on 18th March this year by former President Muhammadu Buhari binds the state governors to the same timeframe for presenting their nominees for commissioners to their Houses of Assembly. This important law forecloses the befuddling and counterproductive situation where a president would operate without a

cabinet for six months, as we saw in 2015, or where some state governors would govern without commissioners for even much longer, as it unfortunately became the fad in most of the states.

To be sure, the executive system locates all executive powers in the political chief executives, in this case the president and the governors. But it is neither envisaged nor practical nor efficient for the president and the governors to exercise executive powers all by themselves. This is why the executive powers are delegated to political appointees at the cabinet level and in the departments and agencies.

While the ministers and commissioners hold their positions at the pleasure of their principals, the cabinet is a constitutional creation and is designed to assist the president and the governors with advice, coordination and policy direction. The role of ministers and commissioners and the conditions they must fulfil are specified in sections 144 to 150 and sections 189 to 195 of the 1999 Constitution of the Federal Republic of Nigeria.

Though still within the limit prescribed by the constitution, Tinubu has now been in

office for 42 days. He can choose to exhaust the 60-day deadline. But he scores no extra points for doing so. Rather, if he chooses to run down the clock, he chips away from the remarkable sense of urgency that he has demonstrated on other fronts since his inauguration. Such early dissonance doesn’t serve him well.

Of Tinubu’s four predecessors, President Olusegun Obasanjo holds the best record, according to an infographic by The Cable, an online newspaper. It took Obasanjo just six days to submit the names of his ministerial nominees in his first term and 25 days during his second term. Talk of a man who meant business. President Buhari took the rear as he did not send his list of nominees until Day124 of his first term. In the middle of the pack are: President Goodluck Jonathan, 30 days; Buhari during his second term, 54 days; President Umaru Yar’Adua, 59 days. It is important to bear in mind that Tinubu’s predecessors didn’t have a constitutional deadline to contend with.

In fairness, presidents will need some time in assembling their ministerial nominees. They need time for consultations with critical stakeholders across the states (as

the ministers actually represent the states); time for some of the nominees to duly notify their employers, tender their resignations and tidy their affairs; time for the parliament to be inaugurated and be ready for the confirmation hearings; and time for security screening to be concluded. But all of these can be fast-tracked. Besides, Tinubu had three full months between being declared president and being sworn-in. That’s enough time to touch all the bases and to put a solid list together.

Quickly constituting the cabinet actually aligns with the president’s promise to hit the ground running. It also enhances his emerging and cultivated image of Baba Go Fast, in contrast to two of his predecessors. But it is not just about his image. It is about the practicality of getting things done quickly and properly too. The intention of the constitution and the amendment is not for the president to be sole driver of the executive branch of government or for him to run the government with some shadowy policy advisory committee.

It is good to have a president that is

Continued on page 61

“I, therefore, support the sanctions imposed by JAMB as a deterrent to all who participate in the systemic exam malpractices within our educational system ” – Former Minister of Education, Dr. Oby Ezekwesili, calling on JAMB to sanction Mmesoma Joy Ejikeme and others caught for exam malpractices

Ezekwesili to JAMB

Tinubu