SUNDAY 1ST SEPTEMBER 2024

Shettima: Tinubu’s Ambitious Health Sector Reforms Have Attracted Over $4.8bn in Potential Investments

Deji Elumoye

a strong commitment to revitalising our healthcare system. "These reforms are anchored on a

comprehensive roadmap designed to address longstanding challenges, and central to this are four key pillars: Transforming healthcare governance, improving population health outcomes, unlocking the healthcare value chain, and strengthening health security." Shettima outlined a comprehensive strategy to address longstanding challenges and propel Nigeria's healthcare system into the future.

Chidimma Adetshina Wins Miss Universe Nigeria

Matawalle, CDS, Service Chiefs to Storm

Sokoto to Flush Out Bandits in North-west

Ejiofor Alike

Outraged at the activities of terrorists and bandits ravaging Sokoto, Zamfara, Katsina, and Kebbi states,

the Minister of State for Defence, Dr Bello Muhammed Matawalle has directed the Chief of Defence Staff (CDS), General Christopher Musa, and other military chiefs to

move to Sokoto with him as part of an intensified effort by the federal government to rid the North-west of the menace of banditry, kidnapping and other forms of terrorism.

Before Matawalle’s directive, some residents of the affected states had taken their destiny into their own hands by mobilising against bandits and resorting to self-help.

Wike Threatens PDP Govs

Vows to Instigate Crises

While the residents of Matusgi in Talata Mafara, Zamfara State had overpowered and killed about 37 bandits, thousands of residents of Gobir in Sokoto State had also

stormed the forest in large numbers to rescue about 150 kidnapped compatriots and also recover the

on page 5

Apparently miffed by the decision of the governors elected on the platform of the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) to approach the party’s national leadership to hand over the party’s structure in Rivers State to Governor Siminalayi Fubara, the Minister of the Federal Capital Territory (FCT), Nyesom Wike, has threatened to instigate crisis in any state whose governor interferes with the politics of the state.

The PDP governors had in a

communique issued after a recent meeting held in Jalingo, Taraba State capital, restated their support for Fubara in the political crisis in the state, promising to “engage the National Working Committee (NWC) of our great party to revisit the congress to correct the anomaly and allow His Excellency Governor Siminalayi Fubara to take his rightful leadership position of the party in the state.”

Chairman of the PDP Governors’ Forum and Governor of Bauchi

Continued on page 5

CULTURE OF SUPPORT…

Kwara State Governor, AbdulRahman AbdulRazaq (left), in a handshake with Mallam Yahaya Zakariyah Nafiu, a native of Ilorin, whose wife gave birth to undecaplets (11 children) in Benin Republic, during a brief visit to the Government House in Ilorin…recently

Chuks Okocha in Abuja and Blessing Ibunge in Port Harcourt

Chidimma Adetshina Wins Miss Universe Nigeria 2024

Vanessa

Obioha

Chidimma Adetshina, who represented Taraba State, has been crowned Miss Universe Nigeria 2024.

Her journey to the title has been nothing short of remarkable, mirroring the resilience and grace that marked the Miss Universe South Africa incident where she was controversially disqualified.

Africa Fact Zone revealed this in a video post on X last night.

“Chidimma Vanessa Adetshina has emerged as Miss Universe Nigeria 2024,” it posted.

According to Pop Pulse, she will be representing the country in Mexico at the global stage.

It posted: “She’ll be representing Nigeria at the Miss Universe grand finale in Mexico this November. Congratulations, Chidimma.”

The South African-based media entertainment channel confirmed the victory in a post on its X account, #Pop_PulseZa

“This crown is not just for beauty; it’s a call for unity,” She stated after she was crowned.

The 23-year-old born and raised in South Africa with a Nigerian father and a Mozambican mother has been the subject of numerous controversies.

She entered the Miss Universe Nigeria pageant as Miss Taraba after withdrawing from Miss

WIKE THREATENS PDP GOVS

SUPPORTING FUBARA, VOWS TO INSTIGATE CRISES IN THEIR STATES

State, Bala Mohammed, signed the communique.

Reacting to the development yesterday, while addressing the delegates of his faction of the PDP, who gathered to elect new executives at the party's secretariat in Port Harcourt, the state capital, Wike boasted that nobody would take away the structure he constituted, insisting that he is the leader of the party in the state.

The FCT minister told the PDP governors who said they would “take their structure and give to somebody" to expect political crises in their own states.

Addressing the delegates who are loyal to him, Wike insisted that he is the leader of the party in the state, adding that nobody can destroy his structure.

He said: “And let me tell people - I heard some governors who said they will take away my structure and give it to somebody. I pity those governors because I will put fire in their states. When God has given you peace, you say you don't want peace, then whatever you see, you take.

"I don't understand simply because l hear they got some money from a signature bonus; and so, their heads are getting big, that you put a hand in my own state. Prepare, prepare, because I have the capacity to also do the same thing in your own state.

“Whether you are from Bauchi, I don't give a damn. Whichever state you come from, as far as I know, that you are trying to put yourself in Rivers State, your hand will get burnt. And you will never sleep in your own state.

"You will not be governor again. You will see a political crisis as far as PDP is concerned.

"So, I have told them now that you have started, when I will start, don't say I'm the one that destroyed PDP. You are the one that is trying to destroy the PDP," Wike added.

The FCT minister encouraged PDP supporters to be courageous and not to allow anyone to intimidate them, assuring they would repeat the feat of the 2023 general elections in the 2027 elections.

He said: "I assured you; we have done our own part by electing a government in the state. If the governor says he does not want us, will you kill yourself? Will you run away from the party you built?

"We are the party members and we have taken over our party. The way we did it, how we did it in 2023, the same God will allow us, will support us, and will be with us in 2027.

"Let nobody be intimidated. I know how it is when you have worked hard and at the end of the day you are pushed away. I know how bad you feel. But, again, it is not every business you enter into that you get profit.

South Africa due to negative online comments about her nationality and accusations of fraud by the South African Home Office.

Following her withdrawal, the Miss Universe organisers extended an invitation to her, which she accepted.

The Miss Universe Nigeria competition was a dazzling display of glitz, glamour, and intelligence. A total of 25 participants keenly contested competition

After the contestants showcased their elegance in evening gowns, the top five finalists were announced: Miss Taraba Chidimma Adetshina,

Miss Anambra Paula Ezendu, Miss Edo Edeifo Brittany, Miss Ondo Ayegbidun Peace Olamide, and Miss Rivers Nyekachi Douglas.

The top three winners were then revealed, with Miss Ondo named Miss Lush, Miss Anambra as the first runner-up and Miss Supranational, and Chidimma Adetshina as the overall winner.

"This crown is not just for beauty; it's a call for unity," Chidimma stated after being crowned.

Adetshina will receive N10 million in cash along with other prizes as well as representing Nigeria at the Miss Universe pageant in Mexico this November.

Otti, Obi Push Ahead with Labour Party's

"So, see this one as one of those businesses you invested in and you lost. But that will not make you not work hard. You have to invest in your future and make a profit. So, be strong.

"They said that we are finished; they are finished. Anywhere they are they say we are finished. Let me assure all of you, not while we live will anybody take away the structure from us. Not while we live!"

Wike vowed.

Wike warned against any external interference in the political affairs of Rivers State, disclosing that "these unstable characters" want to decamp to APP.

He tackled those working against him, saying that no amount of abuse would move him, adding that if he decided to move to another political party, it would be a tsunami.

He said: "Allow Rivers State to conduct the affairs of the party. We are aware of these unstable characters. We know that they are joining the APP. Let them wait until the time they should face us in the election.

"Don't bother about their abuses. We have thick skin. We don't even know what abuse is. So, don't say anybody is abusing me. If I am nothing, they will not abuse me.

"They thought that we would come begging. Are we begging? We are not begging. Let them go and see what is happening in Abuja. So, they know that if they are talking about politics in Nigeria, we are more than them. If today I said I would move to a party, it would be a tsunami. But we have said we will remain where we are," he added.

Governor Fubara and his supporters shunned the congresses, supervised by some national officers.

A High Court sitting in Port Harcourt had barred the PDP from conducting its congress in the state.

The court gave the order in a suit number: PHC/2282/ CS/2024, which was filed by Hon David Chinedu Omereji, Prince Solomon Eke, Isodoye Tobin, and others.

Wike’s outbursts were strong indications that the peace efforts initiated by the Chairman of the Board of Trustees BoT of PDP, Senator Adolphus Wabara, and other leaders of the party, have failed.

Wabara had barely a week ago, led the leaders of the party to Rivers State, where he told Fubara that contending issues would be constitutionally addressed to reposition the party ahead of the 2027 elections.

“We, the Board of this party came here in search of peace and unity of the Peoples Democratic Party,” Wagbara reportedly said.

The Governor of Abia State, Alex Otti, and the presidential candidate of the Labour Party (LP) in the 2023 election, Mr. Peter Obi, are going ahead with the planned expanded stakeholders’ meeting of the party in Umuahia on September 4, despite the opposition by the National Chairman of the party, Julius Abure, the media team of the former Anambra State

governor has said. Speaking through his media team, Obi said the planned expanded stakeholders’ meeting would be an opportunity for the party members to resolve the crisis in the party. The spokesman of the media team, Dr. Tanko Yunusa told THISDAY that said: "The party cannot be burning and we pretend that all is well. We will tell ourselves the home truth and prepare on how to resolve the crisis."

Obi had expressed his support for the stakeholders’ meeting summoned by Abia State Governor, Otti. Otti’s initial call for a meeting of the National Executive Committee (NEC) was rebuffed by the National Chairman of the party, Abure, who warned him to stick to governance and stop attempting to interfere in the affairs of the party. In a recent meeting Abure had with Otti, the Abia State Governor

stated his intention to convene a NEC meeting on August 31 to dissolve the executives at the ward, local government, state, and national levels on the ground that their tenures had expired. But Abure objected, saying it was not the position of its governor to consider taking such a decision. However, Otti ignored the objection and rechristened the NEC meeting as a ‘stakeholders’ meeting’.

MATAWALLE, CDS, SERVICE CHIEFS TO STORM SOKOTO TO FLUSH OUT BANDITS IN NORTH-WEST

remains of the district head of Gobir, Isa Mohammad Bawa, who was abducted and killed by bandits.

Sokoto is the headquarters of the 8 Division of the Nigerian Army which has Sokoto, Zamfara, Katsina and Kebbi states as its Area of Responsibility (AOR).

In a statement issued last night by the Director of Information and Public Relations in his ministry, Henshaw Ogubike, the minister stated that this strategic move underscores the unwavering commitment of the government to restoring peace and security in the region.

The statement noted that while in the North-west, Matawalle and the military chiefs would supervise operations and ensure that Bello Turji

and his gang are flushed out.

According to the statement, these criminal bandits have been circulating videos of a Nigerian military armoured vehicle that was stuck in a water-logged area, adding that the soldiers were asked to withdraw late in the night to avoid being ambushed by bandits, the bandits went to the water-logged area and recorded the video of the armoured vehicle that was stuck and celebrated it.

This incident, the statement noted, happened in Kwashabawa, Zurmi Local Government Area of Zamfara State.

“This is not acceptable as President Bola Ahmed Tinubu has been giving great support to the Armed Forces of

Nigeria. The federal government is deeply concerned about the persistent threat posed by banditry and terrorism in the North-west, particularly. We are ready to deploy all necessary assets to ensure that these criminal elements are flushed out and peace is restored to our communities,”

Matawalle explained.

“We must move against these terrorists to enable our people to move freely. The time is up for these bandits and terrorists as increased and consistent operations will weaken all their bases,” the minister added. He called on the Armed Forces of Nigeria to flush out the bandits and terrorists, adding that his presence in the North-west would motivate the armed forces.

The minister further assured the people of the affected states and the entire North-west region that the security forces will not leave any stone unturned until they flush out the bandits.

“I will be on the ground in the North-west with the CDS and other military chiefs, leading our brave men and women in uniform,” he added. Matawalle also called on the residents of the affected states to remain vigilant and cooperate with the security forces. He reiterated the federal government's resolve to protect the lives and property of all Nigerians, emphasising that the security and well-being of the people would remain the government's top priority.

SHETTIMA: TINUBU’S AMBITIOUS HEALTH SECTOR REFORMS HAVE ATTRACTED OVER $4.8BN IN POTENTIAL INVESTMENTS

He declared that: "Our health sector calls upon us all to unite. The promise of this day is one we cannot overlook.

“It is through such collaboration and shared dedication that we can guarantee every Nigerian receives the care and support they deserve."

Detailing government's strategy, Shettima highlighted initiatives launched by the Minister of Health and Social Welfare, Prof. Muhammad Ali Pate, saying, "we have set out to achieve this by boosting domestic production of essential medical supplies and drugs, and by strengthening primary healthcare through the doubling of fully functional centres across the nation."

The vice president acknowledged the remaining challenges, saying that "Nigerians continue to grapple with pressing healthcare challenges, such as surging costs of medicines, long hospital waiting times, and a shortage of health workers".

He emphasised that the full impact of the reforms, particularly in improving access to quality healthcare, hinges on private sector involvement.

According to him: "Our private sector is a critical part of the solution, especially in the face of the longstanding brain drain among our medical workforce.

"Investing in the health sector engages the talents and skills of our citizens, generating numerous job opportunities for graduates and

technicians. This is a notable aspect of our national development narrative".

Shettima revealed that the National Economic Council (NEC), which he chairs, had prioritised investments in developing Nigeria's human capital, with health and nutrition being key thematic areas.

"Each of our state governors is fully on board. We have all acknowledged that no nation can optimise its opportunities without investing in its healthcare, and for us, this is only the beginning," he added.

Reiterating the administration's commitment to the goal, the vice president said: "We welcome this intervention, not just because it aligns with the agenda of President Bola Tinubu, who has demonstrated his commitment to unlocking Nigeria's healthcare value chain, but also because of its far-reaching implications for our national development.

"We stand prepared to move forward together into the future, and I assure you that the government will continue to be your steadfast partner in this effort to serve the nation and humanity, with full support to achieve our shared goals," Shettima added.

The vice president described the Chairman/Founder of Sahad Group of Companies, Alhaji Ibrahim Mijinyawa, as a good and trustworthy businessman, even as he recounted how he intervened when Sahad Stores Limited was locked up by the Federal Competition and Consumer

Protection Commission (FCCPC).

He said: "When the FCCPC locked up his store; I had to call the head of the agency to say, 'Please, reopen the store before you come and tell me what happened'. I did so because I know how helpful Sahad Stores is to many Nigerians.

"He (Alhaji Mijinyawa) is a very good man. He has used his business to touch many lives. If he was a selfish man, he would have kept his money to himself and his children and grandchildren alone, because he has enough to take care of himself till he leaves this world.

"But he has decided to continue helping humanity. I had so many engagements scheduled for this weekend but had to appeal to them that I can't attend their events because I feel we should support such a person that is working for the course of humanity. We all need to support him," he added.

Also speaking, the Deputy Senate President and Chairman of the occasion, Senator Barau Jibrin, hailed the Chairman of the hospital, Alhaji Mijinyawa, for his philanthropy, and good quality services to the less-privileged people, assuring that Sahad Hospitals will not be an exception.

Jibrin, who was represented at the event by Senator Garba Maidoki, said he was looking forward to seeing the hospital serve both high and low-income Nigerians, even as he urged the hospital authorities to liaise

with other NGOs that finance medical services for the less-privileged so that the people of the community who have been displaced can have access to the facility.

On his part, the Minister of State for Health and Social Welfare, Dr. Tunji Alausa, thanked the Chairman of the hospital, saying the hospital does not only mark a new chapter of healthcare in Nigeria but a celebration of a vision that exemplifies what could be achieved when publicspirited individuals invest in the health of their fellow citizens.

Noting that the inauguration of the 200-bed capacity Sahad Hospital is a testament to the unwavering commitment of a private citizen, he said Mijinyawa had taken a bold step to complement the efforts of the federal government in improving quality healthcare for citizens.

Earlier in his remarks, Vice Chairman of Sahad Hospital, Dr. Shamsuddeen Aliyu, described the hospital as a state-of-the-art facility built to showcase their unwavering commitment to quality healthcare and well-being of those it serves.

Explaining that Sahad Hospital has a 200-bed capacity with seven operating theatres, 13 dialysis machines, as well as 10-bed capacity ICU units, Shamsuddeen explained that, “our team has worked tirelessly to ensure that every aspect of the hospital - from the design to equipment - is centered around patients' needs.”

Adetshina

Chuks Okocha in Abuja

SOLIDARITY VISIT…

More Layoffs as CBN Sacks NIRSAL MD, Other Executive Directors

In continuation of a series of layoffs at the Central Bank of Nigeria (CBN) since the governor of the apex bank, Olayemi Cardoso, assumed office last year, the CBN has terminated the appointments of the Managing Director and all the executive directors at the Nigeria Incentive-Based Risk Sharing System for Agriculture Lending (NIRSAL).

The layoffs, it was gathered, were part of an ongoing reorganisation at the bank, where over 700 staff had been relieved of their appointments within the past year.

THISDAY gathered that those affected by this action, which was approved by Cardoso on Friday, include the Managing Director and Chief Executive Officer, Abbas Umar Masanawa; Executive Director, Operations, Kennedy Nwaruh and Executive Director, Technical, Olatunde Akande.

Multiple sources within the bank told THISDAY that the decision of the apex bank governor was communicated to affected persons on Friday evening, sending panic over a wider action in the coming days.

A NIRSAL official also confirmed the development last night,

explaining that the remaining staff were awaiting clarity on the circumstances surrounding the executive directors’ dismissal.

NIRSAL is a $500 million public-private initiative, wholly owned by the CBN as a licensed financial institution designed to appropriately define, price, and share agribusiness-related credit risk.

It was gathered that in the sack letters, the CBN cited an ongoing major organisational and human capital restructuring process as the reason for the termination of the appointments of the officials.

The apex bank had in May terminated the appointments of seven directors and over 90 senior management staff, raising concerns about the impact of the exercise on the bank’s operations and the overall financial system.

NIRSAL’s activities had been enmeshed in allegations of corruption under its pioneer Managing Director, Mr. Abulhammed Aliyu, who is currently facing corruption allegations by the Economic and Financial Crimes Commission (EFCC).

Only recently a private consultant, Dr. Steve Olusegun Ogidan, returned N1.5 billion to the EFCC in a plea bargain in a case involving

Lagos Orders Probe of Akwa Ibom CP’s Death at LASUTH

The Lagos State Government has constituted a medical panel to review the clinical circumstances surrounding the death of the Akwa Ibom State Commissioner of Police, Waheed Ayilara.

The state Commissioner for Health, Prof. Akin Abayomi, disclosed this in a statement issued in Lagos.

Ayilara died at the Lagos State University Teaching Hospital (LASUTH) on August 29 after undergoing prostate cancer surgery.

Abayomi disclosed that the panel would submit a comprehensive report on the matter in seven days.

“In the light of the circumstances surrounding his passing, happening some hours after an apparently uneventful surgery, the Ministry of Health, following a directive from Mr Governor, has constituted a medical panel to review the clinical circumstances leading to the death.

“This panel is headed by the Chief Medical Director of LASUTH, Prof. Adetokunbo Fabanwo.

“It will submit a comprehensive report on the matter in seven days.

“We share the grief and

understand the anxiety that this news may have caused.

“We assure the public that the Lagos State Government is committed to ensuring a thorough investigation,” Abayomi said.

The commissioner noted that Ayilara’s death was a shock, which brought profound sadness to all.

“Governor Babajide Sanwo-Olu, on behalf of the Government and the good people of Lagos State, extends his heartfelt condolences to Ayilara’s family, loved ones, the Police and the government and people of Akwa Ibom State during this difficult time,” he said.

Abayomi noted that the late Ayilara was a distinguished officer whose dedication to duty and exemplary leadership had earned him the respect and admiration of his colleagues and the communities he served with passion.

The commissioner added that his commitment to maintaining law and order, as well as his unwavering integrity, made him a distinguished officer.

“His death is a significant loss not only to his family and the Police but also to the entire nation,” he said.

Abdulhameed, insisting however that the funds were legitimate earnings from consultancy services.

NIRSAL’s board meeting earlier scheduled for Friday failed to be held as a result of the sack of the officials.

Former President Muhammadu Buhari had in September 2018, approved the appointment of Masanawa as Managing Director

of the Nigeria Security Printing and Minting Company (NSPMC).

A former deputy general manager at Zenith Bank, Masanawa had served as special adviser to the former governor of CBN, Mr. Godwin Emefiele and steadily moved up the rung to become the executive director at the NSPMC.

However, in May 2022, Mansanawa resigned to vie for

the governorship ticket of the All Progressives Congress (APC) in Katsina State.

After he failed to clinch the ticket, he was appointed as the new head of NIRSAL, following the removal of Abdulhammed in December 2022, over corruption allegations.

Masanawa, a graduate of Ahmadu Bello University, Zaria, obtained his postgraduate degree in Business Administration from University of Maiduguri in 2000. He worked briefly with FSB Bank before joining Zenith Bank where he worked for about 17 years. He rose to the position of Deputy General Manager before his appointment in 2014 as the Special Assistant and Chief Liaison to the Governor of CBN in September 2014.

Report Any Official Who Requests Bribe from You, Keyamo Tells Boeing, Other Investors

Chinedu Eze

The Minister of Aviation and Aerospace Development, Mr. Festus Keyamo, has told Boeing, an aircraft manufacturer, and other investors to report any official requesting bribes before they can conduct business in Nigeria.

Keyamo spoke during a meeting with Boeing executives in Seattle, Washington, where he led a delegation of executives from major airlines under the Airline Operators of Nigeria (AON) and other key stakeholders in the civil aviation ecosystem.

“So, for new investors who are coming to Nigeria, they are welcome. Nobody is going to

frustrate you within Nigeria. If anybody tries to frustrate you by asking for gratification or anything, report him to me, and I will take action,” he said.

“We want to open the doors for everybody to come into Nigeria.”

The minister led the delegation to facilitate the acquisition of dry lease aircraft for domestic airlines and sign an aircraft maintenance agreement.

During the meeting, he also assured that the aircraft leased to domestic airlines would be safe in Nigeria.

“I want you all to see me, here, as the minister. I’m giving a personal guarantee, beyond the compliance with the law - personal

guarantee, that I will not tolerate the frustration of any agreement with any lessor based in Nigeria, the aircraft coming to Nigeria,” he said.

“I will give a personal guarantee of safety of these aircraft, and repossession of those aircraft, whether through the judicial process, or through the NCAA, which I supervise, through a judicial process, through an administrative process, and you know, the Cape Town Convention says five days, we can be multi-registered, within five days.

“I will make sure we can do it within four days; we can register our aircraft. It’s a personal guarantee. Read my lips, I’m going to do it.”

DSS Releases Ex-BBC Editor,

Also, Keyamo said he understood the issues stakeholders in the industry faced and promised that efforts had been made to ensure air operating licences are issued quickly.

“So, please, I understand the issues, and I want to ensure that these local operators are empowered to do what they have to do. And what we have to do as governments, in terms of regulation, in terms of even the access to licences now, the air operating licences now, it’s faster, it’s quicker, they will attest to that. So, it’s not going to be a long process again to get your licences out to operate,” the minister said.

Passport, Blames Arrest on ‘Mistaken’ Identity

Sunday Ehigiator

The Department of State Services (DSS) has released the seized passport of a former BBC editor, Adejuwon Soyinka, and allegedly blamed his arrest on “possible mistaken identity,” according to a human rights lawyer, Inibehe Effiong, who accompanied the journalist to retrieve his passport.

Soyinka, a two-time Emmynominated investigative journalist and West Africa Regional Editor at The Conversation Africa, was arrested at the Murtala Muhammed International Airport, shortly after arriving on a Virgin Atlantic flight from London, United Kingdom on Sunday, August 25.

The pioneer editor of the BBC Pidgin Service was subsequently held and interrogated for about eight hours at both the DSS airport command and the agency’s Ikoyi office.

He was later released on selfrecognisance while his passport

was withheld.

The first explanation by the secret police for the arrest was that Soyinka’s name was placed on its watchlist at the request of an unnamed government agency.

The Premium Times reported that the agency later blamed the entire saga on a possible mistaken identity.

Human rights lawyer, Effiong, accompanied Soyinka to retrieve his passport.

Effiong stated that the DSS attributed the arrest to mistaken identity, raising concerns about the agency’s transparency and accountability.

“The DSS attributed the arrest of Adejuwon Soyinka to mistaken identity, which raised more questions than answers,” Effiong reportedly said.

The agency’s actions had drawn international scrutiny, with global organisations condemning Soyinka’s detention and calling for increased

protection for Nigerian journalists.

The International Press Institute (IPI) Nigeria had earlier condemned Soyinka’s arrest.

The organisation said the development fits into the pattern of a systematic clampdown on journalists nationwide since President Bola Tinubu assumed office on May 29, 2023.

Reacting to the latest development yesterday morning, the President of IPI Nigeria, Musikilu Mojeed, said his organisation was shocked that the DSS could violate the rights of a law-abiding citizen the way it has done.

“IPI Nigeria will consult with Soyinka to decide how to respond to this unbelievable demonstration of incompetence by operatives of a key intelligence agency,” Mojeed said.

“There must be accountability in this matter. All those involved in the unfortunate saga must answer for their roles. A good starting point is

for the SSS to issue a formal apology to Soyinka for the inconvenience and psychological anguish caused him.

“Also, we will like a commitment from the agency that it will henceforth desist from exhibiting this kind of reckless, undemocratic, and unprofessional behaviour towards law-abiding citizens.”

Soyinka’s detention was the latest incident in a growing trend of attacks on journalists under President Bola Tinubu’s administration.

Recent cases include Segun Olatunji, former FirstNews editor, arrested in March; Daniel Ojukwu, Foundation for Investigative Journalism (FIJ) journalist, detained for 10 days in May; and Jamil Mabai, freelance journalist, detained by Katsina Hisbah religious police. The Nigeria Police Force National Cybercrime Centre (NPF-NCCC) has also detained several journalists and whistleblowers over petitions filed against them.

Segun James

L-R: Governor of Nasarawa State, Abdullahi Sule; National Chairman, All Progressives Congress, Dr. Abdullahi Ganduje; National Secretary of APC, Senator Ajibola Basiru; and Deputy National Women Leader of the party, Zainab Ibrahim, during the solidarity visit to the APC national chairman by the governor, at the party's secretariat in Abuja...yesterday

James Emejo in Abuja

UNVEILING BRAND AMBASSADOR…

‘Envy’ is Among Nigeria’s Political Class, El-Rufai

Laments Amidst Alleged N432bn Corruption Allegations

Former Kaduna State governor, Nasir El-Rufai, took to his official X handle at the weekend to share his personal thoughts on what he termed ‘envy’ among Nigeria’s political class. His lamentation follows allegations of corruption and misappropriation of government funds during his eight years as governor of Kaduna State.

The state House of Assembly had claimed that his eight-year administration allegedly siphoned N432 billion, leaving the state with huge debt liabilities.

Responding, El-Rufai’s spokesman, Muyiwa Adekeye, affirmed the integrity of the El-Rufai government and dismissed as “scandalous”, the claims by the state lawmakers.

The former governor has since filed a fundamental rights suit at the Federal High Court in Kaduna against the state House of Assembly.

However, in a long post on his on X handle yesterday, El-Rufai who described envy as an ‘incurable disease’ said he doubted if it could be cured among the political class. He said, “WEEKEND REFLECTION: “NONE of us has to fail for ALL of us to succeed. And in unity there is strength.” – @VP Kamala Harris, US Vice President (2021-2024) and Democratic presidential candidate at the Democratic National Convention.

Robert Clarke: Kekere-Ekun will Sweep Away Bad Eggs in Supreme Court, Sanitise Judiciary

Alex Enumah in Abuja

An elder statesman and Senior Advocate of Nigeria (SAN), Mr. Robert Clarke, has assured Nigerians that the acting Chief Justice of Nigeria (CJN), Justice Kudirat Kekere-Ekun will bring about the much-needed sanitisation of the judiciary, especially at the Supreme Court.

Tinubu, on August 23, swore in Kekere-Ekun as the 23rd acting CJN at the Council Chamber of the State House, pending her confirmation by the Senate.

She succeeded Justice Olukayode Ariwoola, who assumed office on June 27, 2022 and bowed out last Thursday upon attaining the mandatory retirement age of 70 years.

In an interview with ARISE NEWS Channel yesterday, Clarke stated that while he cannot guarantee that Kekere-Ekun would be able to

"make any drastic change" in the judiciary, "one thing I'm sure of is that she is very keen in sweeping off all bad eggs in the Supreme Court".

According to Clarke, "There are so many of them there and I passed through many of them and I can point to many of them".

He cited his last case at the apex court where his appeal to a fivemember panel to vary the court's consequential order was misjudged as an appeal emanating from a tribunal judgment, as a sad decision by the apex court.

"So, I am assuring you that the situation will not arise under Kekere-Ekun. She is a stickler to honesty and I have seen her grow in the judiciary. I can speak of an experience of over 50 years; I can tell you that I have not seen any other character like Kekere-Ekun. I pray God in his infinite mercies will give

her more courage and I assure you that she will do her best," he said.

Speaking on the need for reforms in the judiciary, Clarke who observed that the over-burdening of the apex court is a self-inflicted injury, however, said that the issue can be corrected in two ways - either by restoration of the provisions of the Constitution that terminates gubernatorial election at the Court of Appeal or creating a Constitutional Court that would decide appeals emanating from the governorship tribunals to free the apex court to handle other matters.

The senior lawyer explained that the apex court brought the burden upon itself during the tenure of late Justice Katsina-Alu when the Constitution was amended to allow the apex court's intervention in governorship election petitions.

"Now the former CJN is crying

over spilled milk when he said that the Nigerian judiciary is the most overworked in the world. That is wrong, it is a self-inflicted injury; they inflicted the injury themselves, they wanted power", he said.

"I have said it and will continue to say it; until that part of the Constitution is restored - and the only way to restore it is to have a Constitutional Court that will have the duty for all gubernatorial matters so that the Supreme Court will not be bothered," he added.

He questioned what the apex court would be deciding in a concurrentfindings of the tribunal and Court of Appeal since election matters are matters relating to facts.

Clarke also argued that Tinubu was right to swear in Kekere-Ekun as the acting CJN without being screened by the Senate, adding that the action was not infringing the constitution.

Edo Election: Five Political Parties’ Candidates

Emenyonu in Benin-City

The race for the September 21 governorship in Edo State assumed a new dimension yesterday as the leadership and candidates of five political parties adopted the All Progressives Congress (APC) candidate for the election, Senator Monday Okpebholo, and called on their supporters to vote for the APC on the day of the election. The political parties included the National Rescue Movement (NRM), the Alliance Peoples Movement (APM), the Zenith Labour Party (ZLP), the Social Democratic Party (SDP) and the Action Democratic Party (ADP).

They were received at the state Secretariat of the APC by Okpebholo; his running mate, Hon Dennis Idahosa; the Acting State Chairman of the party, Emperor Jarret Tenebe; the Secretary of the party, Lawrence Okah; the Director General of the Edo APC Governorship Campaign Council, Senator Matthew Uroghide and others.

Speaking on behalf of the other candidates who took turns to endorse the speech, Hon Sam Arase of the NRM said “Today is another beautiful day as Edo State marks 33 years of our existence, we have decided on serious decisions as we are approaching the 21st September being the date slated for our gubernatorial

election in Edo State; we, the assemblies of registered political parties in Edo State, having seen and watched carefully the campaign activities of the All Progressives Congress (APC), having listened to their manifesto, we carefully watched what the candidate has in stock for the people of Edo State; we especially took one thing into cognisance and that is when he talked about how he will take care of the bastardised educational system in the state.

“ Education is very paramount in whatever you are doing; today, we are talking because are educated; we can read and write because we are educated; he told the people of

the state that all the underdeveloped schools will be developed if by His grace he becomes the governor of the state; we came back home and decided to come here today as members of the National Rescue Movement (NRM), including our candidate, Dr Dennis Osahon; the Alliance Peoples Movement (APM) candidate, Zenith Labour Party (ZLP) candidate, the Social Democratic Party (SDP) candidate and the Action Democratic Party (ADP) candidate to work together with the APC. All our candidates, having discussed with them and the leadership of our parties, we have decided to vote en masse for the APC,” he explained.

“The quote above led me to reflect on the meaning and implications for our situation in Nigeria. Feelings of envy require that EVERYONE fails for ONE to succeed.

“Envy is quite prevalent amongst the key actors in our political system. Competence, capacity, and commitment are some personal leadership qualities that attract the envy of those lacking or deficient in these indices.

“Instead of striving to attain, the envious seek to hate and destroy those that are better. Envy leads to hatred.

“Hatred leads to destructive thoughts and actions, including unspeakable crimes like perjury, malicious prosecution, persecution, unlawful imprisonment, torture,

and even murder for the target(s) of the envy.

“Can the incurable disease of envy amongst Nigerians, particularly among the members of the political class be cured? Personally, I doubt it.

“The emerging problem of Nigeria is the outcome of the continuously deteriorating competence, capacity, and commitment of the political leadership.

“Societies succeed or fail depending on these personal and institutional qualities.

“No matter what, the incurable virus of ENVY has to be confronted and degraded, if not cured if Nigeria is to achieve its manifest destiny of greatness and leadership of the Black Race. I pray this can be realised. Amen.”

Tinubu Arrives Beijing Today on Five-day Visit

Deji Elumoye in Beijing, China

President Bola Tinubu is expected to arrive in Beijing this morning on a five-day official visit to the People's Republic of China, where he will sign several Memoranda of Understanding (MoU) with his Chinese counterpart, President Xi Jinping.

The president would come in from Dubai, the United Arab Emirates (UAE) where he had a layover after departing Abuja on Thursday.

Presidential spokesperson, Ajuri Ngelale, had in a statement on Thursday stated that President Tinubu would have a brief layover in the UAE before proceeding to Beijing for the official visit to China.

THISDAY gathered yesterday that all was set for the president to be hosted by the Chinese government as soon as he arrived at the Beijing Capital International Airport this morning.

The president's high-profile visit to China is aimed at fostering economic ties and securing investments for Nigeria.

President Tinubu's itinerary includes meeting with his Chinese counterpart, President Xi Jinping, and signing several Memoranda of Understanding (MoU) aimed at deepening cooperation between the two nations.

The agreements between the

two leaders will focus on key areas, including green economy, agriculture, satellite technology development, media enterprise development and promotion, blue economic development, and national planning.

The meeting will also provide a platform for the two heads of state to discuss matters of mutual interest, spanning economic cooperation, national, regional, and international security, and other pressing global issues.

According to Ngelale: "Mr. President will also meet with his Chinese counterpart in the person of President Xi Jinping, where several MoUs will be signed. The MoUs will involve agreements in deepening cooperation, in the green economy, agriculture, satellite technology development, media enterprise development and promotion, as well as blue economic development and national planning.

"This is going to be part of a broader engagement where the two heads of state will discuss matters of mutual interest across, not just the economy, but also on issues of national, regional and international security."

The president would also pay site visits to prominent Chinese corporations, including Huawei Technologies and the China Rail and Construction Corporation (CRCC), to fast-track the completion of the Ibadan to Abuja segment of the Lagos to Kano high-speed rail line.

Chuks Okocha in Abuja

Adibe

L-R: Chief Executive Officer, Most Noble G Limited, Chief Emeka Norbert Onugu; Fair & White Glutathione Brand Ambassador, Cynthia Nwadiora (Cee C); Current Brand Ambassador for Fair & White, So White with Vitamin C, Nengi Rebecca Hampson; Director, Fair & White Nigeria Limited, Mr. Kene Chibueze; and Trendy Female Hip-Hop artiste, May Shua, at the unveiling of Nengi as the Brand Ambassador of Fair & White, So White with Vitamin C and the launch of the brand in Lagos…weekend

HONOUR WELL DESERVED…

the presentation of Class of 1985 Nigerian Law School award to Justice Augie at the annual reunion of the class in

CIBN: Bank Recapitalisation will Expand Nigeria’s GDP

Nume Ekeghe

The Chartered Institute of Bankers of Nigeria (CIBN) yesterday restated that the planned bank recapitalisation would boost the nation’s Gross Domestic Product (GDP).

Olarenwaju said the banking industry was rapidly evolving with new technologies reshaping the foundations of financial services, hence the need for continuous learning for professional growth, networking, and career advancement.

The president, who is also CIBN’s Chairman of the Council, said that the

The President of CIBN, Prof. Pius Olarenwaju, who stated this during the 2024 second induction for 741 new members and award ceremony in Lagos, also called for excellence in banking operations towards efficiency and customers’ satisfaction.

Edo 2024: PDP Takes Campaign to Owan, Canvasses Votes for Ighodalo, Ogie

Adibe Emenyonu in Benin-City

The Edo State Governor, Mr. Godwin Obaseki, and his deputy, Mr. Marvellous Godwins Omobayo, as well as leaders and members of the Edo Peoples Democratic Party (PDP), at the weekend, took the party’s campaign for the September 21 governorship election to Owan East and Owan West Local Government Areas (LGAs), canvassing support for its candidate, Dr. Asue Ighodalo and his deputy, Osarodion Ogie.

The campaign train was received by an unprecedented jubilant crowd in both LGAs, with the party’s candidate pledging to sustain the growth and developmental trajectory in the State if elected.

Speaking at the Owan West Local Government Area Secretariat, Obaseki said the party is presenting a competent and credible candidate and will emerge victorious in the forthcoming election.

He said the party’s candidate, Asue Ighodalo, and himself were the pillars of the previous government of Adams Oshiomole, working for eight years without pay.

The governor noted that Ighodalo has the experience to sustain the ongoing projects and programmes initiated by his government to improve the lives of the people and place the state on the path of prosperity and progress.

Obaseki noted: “Asue Ighodalo has been working with me since 2008 and I have known him for 40 years. He is not looking for money, fame, or fortune but wants to work for the Edo people. He is rich and is the chairman of many boards, but he resigned because he wanted to serve the

Edo people.

“When Oshiomhole came to beg me to work for him, I told him I couldn't do it alone but he told me to look for capable people to work with me. So, I called Asue Ighodalo to join me. We are the people who held Oshiomhole’s administration.

“We told Oshiomhole that we would put our money down to work for the Edo people. Oshiomhole never paid us for eight years. We paid to serve the government and the people of Edo State.”

He added, “Ighodalo’s collaboration with Osarodion Ogie will ensure the development of the State. Owan West is for PDP and we will always win our elections here but this time around needs 90 per cent winning.”

The governor, while speaking to party faithful at the Afuze Mini Township Stadium in Owan East Local Government Area, said, “Asue Ighodalo is a hardworking man and not a thief, and will not steal your money but rather work tirelessly to improve the lives of the people of the state.”

Reassuring the sustainability of all ongoing developmental projects and programmes if Ighodalo is elected, Obaseki said: “We came together in 2018 to rescue Edo State and since 2016, he has worked as the chairman of Alaghodaro to move the state forward and put it on the path of development and growth.

On his part, Ighodalo promised to improve all sectors of the state’s economy, including security, agriculture, education, power, and internet connectivity, among others, making life more meaningful for the Owan people and Edo people at large.

theme, “Unlocking Your Potentials: Positioning for Next Levels” captured the spirit of the occasion.

He listed factors needed for unlocking potential, including adoption of a growth mindset, understanding the evolving landscape, embracing technology and building a strong personal brand.

Olarenwaju also explained provisions of his six-point agenda as the 23rd President/Chairman of the Council of the Institute, code-named the “LEGACY Agenda”.

He said entrenching ethics, professionalism, and integrity within the banking sector was needed for building trust and confidence among clients, stakeholders, and the society

at large.

He said the banks recapitalisation initiative was unveiled during CIBN’s 2023 Annual Bankers Dinner, to ensure the stability and sustainability of the financial system.

He said the recapitalisation of banks, which had begun, would strengthen Nigeria’s banking sector, increase banks’ lending capacity, boost foreign direct investment, and improve the overall resilience of the financial system.

“We believe that the initiative is going to contribute to GDP growth and enhance governance in the banking sector.

“A stronger capital base will enable banks to underwrite larger

transactions and support various sectors of the economy more effectively,” he said.

He congratulated the inductees from across Nigeria and candidates from Sierra Leone, Mozambique, Kenya, Ghana, and The Gambia, who joined both physically and virtually.

Founder/Former CEO Neimeth International Pharmaceuticals Plc, Mazi Sam Ohuabunwa, who joined virtually, said that the contribution of bankers to the nation’s GDP was immeasurable.

He urged chartered bankers to embrace professionalism, integrity, honesty and the fear of God in discharge of their important

services for safety of investments while congratulating inductees.

Managing Director/Chief Executive Officer, Aso Savings and Loans Plc, Hajia Risikatu Ahmed, shared insights on how female bankers could aspire through adoption of growth mindset. Ahmed, who was a special guest, explained how female experts could take risks for career progression while balancing ambition with family life and physical well-being.

The guest speaker, Mr. Wole Adeniyi, explained how inductees could unlock their potentials through mindset shift leveraging on Artificial Intelligence (AI).

Army’s Intervention Projects Not Competing with Any Government, Says Lagbaja

Emmanuel Ugwu-Nwogo in Umuahia

The Chief of Army Staff, Lt. Gen. Taoreed Lagbaja, has stated that the intervention projects embarked upon by the Nigerian Army across Nigeria’s six geopolitical zones are not meant to compete with any level of government in the country.

Speaking during the occasion held at Ekeoba in Oriendu Autonomous Community in Umuahia North LGA of Abia State, Lagbaja said the idea of the Chief of Army Staff Special Intervention Civil-Military Cooperation Projects came about in a bid to provide support to communities of Nigerian Army senior officers “who, through dedication to duty and service to the nation, have risen to the enviable rank of Major General.”

According to him, the Chief of Army Staff Special Intervention Civil-Military Cooperation Projects

concept seeks to give back to the people of Nigeria as critical partners in progress.

“I am glad that today, Abia State is privileged to have one of such eminently qualified senior officers of the Nigerian Army in the person of Major General Obinna Ajunwa, who currently serves as the Director General of the Nigerian Army Heritage and Future Centre,” he said.

The COAS added: “Our projects are always carefully conceptualised and executed in consultation with benefiting communities, and they are designed to complement the states by providing top-notch basic amenities and infrastructure for the people. The Nigerian Army is not out to compete with any level of government, political or socio-cultural entity.”

He mentioned further that “the idea of such projects is not to give any undue political advantage to our senior officers but rather to complement the government and

communities’ efforts at enhancing the quality of life of our people.”

He said such army projects are “a way of appreciating communities of benefiting senior officers for giving the nation their very best to serve in the Nigerian Army and encouraging them to continue supporting our operations and other endeavours.

“The Nigerian Army’s approach of partnering with benefiting communities to conceptualise and design our projects ensures these projects elicit substantial interest from the people who are expected to take ownership of such projects for good management.

“So far, the Nigerian Army has undertaken over 200 intervention projects across Nigeria’s six geopolitical zones,” he disclosed, mentioning “the projects have significantly contributed to Nigeria Army’s non-kinetic efforts at managing the country’s security challenges.”

The projects commissioned were

two newly constructed 40,000-litre water works and a new community cottage hospital with an attached 3-bedroom flat doctors’ and nurses’ quarters, a community hall, and a 500 KVA transformer.

The COAS envisaged the projects would go a long way in enhancing the health and sociocultural well-being of the indigenes and other residents of the community.

Lagbaja thanked the government and the people of Abia State for always supporting the Nigerian Army, assuring that the Army will continue to work with the government at all levels to resolve the current security challenges across the country.

He called for timely and useful information to assist security agencies in the state to provide the required safe and secure environment for socio-economic activities to thrive.

Francis Sardauna in Katsina

The Katsina State Police Command has apprehended three suspected gunrunners with 740 rounds of 7.62mm live ammunition concealed in a guinea corn bag in Dutsin-ma Local Government Area of the state. The suspected gunrunners

- Ahmed Mohammed Kabir, Mannir Musa, and Aliyu Iliyawere nabbed by the command's operatives while attempting to deliver the ammunition to terrorists in the Yauni forest, located in Safana Local Government Area of the state.

Parading the suspects before

journalists in Katsina, the State Police Public Relations Officer, ASP Abubakar Aliyu, said the hoodlums received the large cache of the live ammunition in Nasarawa State to be handed over to a notorious terrorists’ kingpin, Harisu, who is at large.

He explained that the trio had

“confessed to their involvement and implicated Harisu as the mastermind”, adding that the command’s operatives were working assiduously to arrest more suspects in connection with the incident. Aliyu noted that the suspects would face the wrath of the law.

L-R: Chairman, Council of Legal Education, Chief Emeka Ngige, SAN; Secretary to the Lagos State Government, Mrs. Abimbola Salu-Hundeyin; Justice of the Supreme Court, Justice Adewale Abiru; Director General, Nigerian Law School, Prof. Isa Hayatu Chiroma, SAN; and retired Justice of the Supreme Court, Justice Amina Adamu Augie, during

Lagos…recently

Community Leaders’ Support Emboldening Maritime Criminals, Says Naval Chief, Ogalla

in Ibadan

The Chief of the Naval Staff, Vice Admiral Emmanuel Ogalla, has disclosed that support from community leaders is emboldening maritime criminals in the country.

This is just as the Naval chief stated that a total of 4,606 suspects were arrested for various maritime crimes between 2015 and 2024, adding that the arrests were carried out in the communities within the riverine areas.

Ogalla made this known weekend while presenting the 3rd Distinguished Personality Lecture at the Institute for Peace

33: IYC Lists Expectations, Warns againt Further Politicisation of Ijaw Development

inYenagoa

The Ijaw Youth Council (IYC) has again informed the Delta State Governor, Sheriff Oborevwori of the expectations of the Ijaw people as the state marks 33 years of its existence, saying they would not accept further political deprivation of the Ijaws in the state.

A statement signed by its spokesman, Binebia Princewell, said the Ijaws as a dominant ethnic group in the state have contributed towards the growth and development of the state politically, culturally, and economically, but ironically, they are still bleeding badly after 33 years of the creation of the state.

It added that the Ijaws in Delta need massive infrastructure development, roads that would link various Ijaw communities across the state.

The statement read: “For us as a council, the 33 years of the creation of the state did not transform the Ijaw landscape. We lack almost all the basic social amenities in Ijaw Riverine communities. Life has been cruel and painful to most people living in the Riverine communities. Going forward, the Ijaws will not accept any further politicisation of Ijaw development in Delta State.

“The Ogulagha/Odimodi road project must not be delayed as these communities are major economic and political backbones in Delta State.

“Your Excellency, Bomadi community is accessible by road, it is a huge commercial hub and it hosts a huge population of Deltans. The community needs a degree awarding higher institu-

tion. The Ijaws must not be seen as only important during elections and deprived of benefitting after elections.”

While the council commended the governor for appointing two commissioners in Burutu Local Government Council for the first time and the creation of the Directorate of Riverine Infrastructural Development, it called for the new Directorate should be made a statutory directorate.

The umbrella body of Ijaw youths worldwide, equally called on the governor to send a bill to the Delta State House of Assembly to make the directorate have legislative backing like other agencies.

“It is imperative to remind His Excellency that the Delta State Maritime Polytechnic, Burutu, is yet to have any completed structure on the permanent site. It will be a thing of joy to see Governor Sheriff Oborevwori distinguishing himself from others by paying more serious attention to the growth and development of the institution. The Delta State Maritime Polytechnic, Burutu is the only state-owned tertiary institution in the Ijaw area of the state. Hence, it needs to be properly funded for the Ijaws to have a sense of belonging in the scheme of things.

“It is our strong supplication that the current administration headed by His Excellency, Rt. Hon. Sheriff Oborevwori, Governor of Delta State, must ensure that political appointments and economic distribution of resources are done to equally benefit Ijaws in the various Local Government Councils areas in the state.

and Strategic Studies (IPSS) at the University of Ibadan on the lecture, “Role of the Nigerian Navy in Combating Maritime Crimes for Enhanced Blue Economy in Nigeria”.

Highlighting the strong commitment of the Navy to ensuring a secure environment necessary for the development of the blue economy, Ogalla disclosed that the service was already pushing for the power to prosecute offenders in the core areas of its mandates.

According to him, “Some com-

munity leaders justify the criminal behaviour of these criminals.

This complicates maritime law enforcement efforts and poses a significant challenge to maritime security.

“It also underscores the urgent need for comprehensive, societywide solutions to address root causes of maritime criminality, which threatens the successful exploitation of Blue economy potentials in Nigeria.”

He called for the establishment of special courts dedicated to mari-

time crimes to ensure effective and efficient justice delivery, ultimately resulting in better outcomes for law enforcement.

“The speedy prosecution of maritime crimes will improve data collection and analysis which are crucial for policy and legislative formulation in combating maritime crimes, for the development of the blue economy,” the Naval chief said.

While noting that transportation along the waterways generates approximately $1.2 billion, he,

however, noted that the evolving “dynamics of maritime crimes could negatively affect the prospects, hence the need for pragmatic solutions to address the threats”.

Listing non-diligent prosecution of maritime crimes as one of the challenges facing the navy in combating maritime crimes, Ogalla stated, “The Nigerian Navy and other law enforcement agencies have made commendable efforts in the arrest and prosecution of maritime offenders.

UK, Nigeria Collaborate on Civil Service Reforms

in Abuja

The federal government and the United Kingdom have agreed on reforms that would make the civil service very robust in Nigeria.

The collaboration was agreed on by the Head of the Civil Service of Nigeria, Mrs. Didi Esther Walson-Jack, and the UK Cabinet Secretary and Head of the Civil Service, Rt. Hon. Simon Case at a meeting in London.

The management of the University of Ibadan (UI) has given students of the institution a three-week break following recent protests against fee increments.

In a statement issued yesterday, the Head of Information and Public Relations, Office of the Head of Civil Service of the Federation, Eno Olotu, said the collaboration hinged on knowledge-sharing and best practices to support Nigeria’s ongoing reform initiatives under the Federal Civil Service Strategy and Implementation Plan (FCSSIP) 2021-2025.

She said the discussions focused on capability building,

The institution’s registrar, Mr. Ganiyu Saliu, announced the break in an internal memo obtained by the News Agency of Nigeria (NAN) in Ibadan yesterday.

According to him, the break will be from Saturday to September 20.

Saliu said the break, approved by the Vice-Chancellor, Prof. Kayode Adebowale, on behalf of the Senate, was decided upon at the management meeting with the Students’ Union on Friday.

The Emir of Kano, Alhaji Muhammadu Sanusi II, has called for a collective effort to adopt the use of renewable energy in addressing the effects of climate change on the environment and human lives.

The emir made the call when he attended the graduation and induction ceremony of women trainees of the “Energise-Her Gida-Gida” initiative of the state government facilitated by the Centre for Renewable Energy and Sustainable Transition (CREST), Bayero University Kano.

He said, “Renewable energy is very important, especially at

a time when we are witnessing climate change. The emissions we are getting from cooking in our houses alone are two per cent of greenhouse gasses and 20 per cent of black carbon emissions. If we can adopt this everywhere, it will go a long way in addressing our issues.

“People have been looking down on the issues of climate change but now everyone is seeing it. Where there is no rain now are witnessing floods, deserts growing grasses, prolonged rainy season, and the rest. If we are not proactive in addressing that we will be affected and will be in trouble, especially in Africa

knowledge management, and enhancing Nigeria’s Civil Service Week’s activities by drawing inspiration from the UK’s annual “Civil Service Live” conference model.

Walson-Jack and Case agreed to explore exchange programmes and study tours to facilitate mutual learning, with an emphasis on knowledge sharing.

Case also expressed the desire to share insights on civil service development while recognis-

However, the registrar says the break will give the students ample time to complete their online registrations.

“The 2023/2024 first semester examinations will start on Sept. 23 and the portal for registration will be closed on Sept. 20.

ing the value of learning from Nigeria’s experiences.

The statement added that the collaborative effort would strengthen the partnership between the civil services, enhance capabilities, and foster a mutually beneficial relationship. The meeting also underscored the commitment of Nigeria and the UK to building efficient and responsive civil services, with continued partnership and support in the years ahead.

“There will be no re-opening of the portal for fee payment or course registration after Sept. 20.

where we don’t have the resources to face the problem head-on.”

The Emir, however, emphasised the need to accord more support to women as agents of change.

“It’s important to give maximum attention to women folk. People tend to forget that even way back, the women were not idle. They do business at home and the men take it out to sell in the market. We all know that our grandmothers did not stay like that. My grandmother is a renowned groundnut oil seller.

Those in the Yakasai area know this.

“At this critical economic time, we must look for ways to get more

“Students who do not register appropriately will not be allowed to write examinations,” he said. According to him, all students have been directed to vacate the campus by 2.00 p.m. on Saturday in strict compliance with the management’s directives.

income, sometimes it is even more profitable than salary.”

Also speaking, Governor Abba Kabir Yusuf reaffirmed the government’s commitment to advancing the Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs), particularly Goals 7 and 13, which advocate for affordable and clean energy and urgent action to combat climate change and its impacts. Represented by his Deputy, Aminu Abdussalam Gwarzo, the Governor acknowledged the crucial role women are playing in reducing the state’s carbon footprint through the production of biogas, clean cooking stoves, and solar designs.

L-R: Chief Operating Officer, 11 Plc (formerly Mobil Oil Nigeria Plc), Mr. Ramesh Virwani; Managing Director of 11Plc, Mr. Tunji Oyebanji; Chairman of NIPCO Plc, Chief Bestman Anekwe; Managing Director of NIPCO Plc, Mr. Suresh Kumar; and Company Secretary, NIPCO Plc/Principal Partner, PC Obi & Co, at the burial ceremony of Anekwe’s wife, Dame Beatrice Ifeoma, in Adazi-Enu, Anaocha Local Government Area of Anambra State...recently

Afenifere Commends Laoshe for Repaying 35-year-old Student Loan

Adedayo Akinwale in Abuja

The pan-Yoruba sociocultural and socio-political organisation, Afenifere, has commended a former member of the House of Representatives, Hon. Lanre Laoshe, for repaying the loan he obtained during his undergraduate years between 1976 and 1979.

Afenifere in a statement issued yesterday by its factional

National Publicity Secretary, Jare Ajayi, recalled that Loshe, an active member of Afenifere, on Tuesday paid the sum of N3,189,217.00 into the account of the Nigerian Education Loan Fund (NELFUND).

According to the Director of Corporate Communications at NELFUND, Mr. Nasir Ayitogo, who made this known to members of the public, Laoshe paid the said sum which he

voluntarily calculated to be the current value of the N1,200 loan he obtained under the then Federal Government Loan Scheme during the period.

Laoshe, who represented Abeokuta South Federal Constituency in the House of Representatives between 1999 and 2003 stated that to determine the current value of the N1,200 loan he received then, he obtained a table of

Ogbomoso Crisis: Soun Moves to Tame

Embattled Cleric, Installs New Chief Imam

The Soun of Ogbomoso, Oba Ghandi Olaoye, has installed Sheikh Habeeb Ayilara, as Chief Imam of the palace.

The appointment made by the League of Imams and Alfas of Ogbomoso and other Muslim leaders was approved by the Soun of Ogbomoso, at the weekend.

Sheikh Habeeb Ayilara, who has been the choice of the Ayilara family whose turn it is to produce the Chief Imam of Ogbomosoland, was turbaned in the presence of a large population of Muslims in the community, including the Parakoyi of Ogbomosoland, Alhaji Sirajudeen Aleem; Senator Fatai Buhari (represented by Alhaji Yekinni Woleola) and other Muslim leaders in the community.

However, the Parakoyi noted the new Imam would be the

Chief Imam of Aafin Ogbomoso, implying that the embattled Chief Imam of Ogbomosoland Sheikh Teliat Yunus Olusina Ayilara’s position is intact though commentators explained there is more to it than meet the eye.

Aleem said since the issue of Alhaji Teliat is in court they would not act contrary to the court.

“He will be the Imam of the palace; the Imam of the Oba; we are not acting in contempt of the court because the matter is in court; it is the court that will tell us if Imam Teliat is Imam Ogbomoso or not. We are not removing him (Alhaji Teliat) as Chief Imam Ogbomoso; he is still because the matter is in court, but the Imam of the Soun is the one we are turbaning today. Listen to me; he is Imam of the palace - of all the Soun Royal Houses,” the Parakoyi declared. In his remark, the Soun chastised those trying to make

the throne of the Soun a religious issue, pointing out that the “throne is that of the traditionalists. Soun Ogunlola, who founded the throne was a pure traditionalist; he worshiped the Ogun deity. We, Christians and Muslims are just intruding so to say. It originally belonged to the traditional religion worshipers; so, we should encourage religious harmony. It neither belongs to either of us Christians nor Muslims; they are only lending us the throne, eni a fi rolo to ni toun baje, kinni ki oloro o wa se.

“Let me make it clear that the event of today is not the bus stop; we are yet to reach our destination - the bus only stopped to pick up someone. I have refused to remove him (the incumbent Chief Imam Teliat), despite him taking me to court. But I told him you can’t take me to court and lead me in prayer; we don’t go to court and become friends.

average annual exchange rates from 1972 to 1985 from available sources at the Central Bank of Nigeria (CBN) with the table indicating that in 1979, the exchange rate was $1.00 = N0.596; meaning that the sum of N1,200.00 was equivalent to $2,013.42 at the time.

Ajayi noted: So, using the current exchange rate of $1.00 = N1,583.98 to a

dollar, he calculated the equivalent of N1,200 today to be N3,189,217.00. And that was the amount he remitted to NELFUND.

Afenifere described Laoshe’s conduct as “’ very exemplary’, adding that it was a practical demonstration of Omoluabi (a very ethical person) concept that the Yorubas espouse and expect from every member of the society.”

The group noted that the resuscitation of the student loan scheme provided the template for Laoshe to act out this elegant and exemplary behaviour.

President Ahmed Bola Tinubu had, on April 4, 2024, signed the revised Students Loan (Access to Higher Education) Bill into law following its passage by the National Assembly on Wednesday, March 20, 2024.

Three Finalists Emerge for NLNG Prize

Three finalists have emerged for the 2024 Nigeria Prize for Literature competition sponsored by Nigeria LNG Limited (NLNG) with a cash award of $100,000.

The shortlisted books are: A Father’s Pride by Ndidi Chiazor-Enenmo; The Road Does Not End by Familoni Oluranti Olubunmi and Wish Maker by Uchechukwu Peter Umezurike.

The finalists were adjudged the top contenders for the prize, out of a total of 163 books entered for the competition. This year’s focus is on Children’s Literature.

In July 2024, 11 selected works were released in a longlist and recognised by the Advisory Board.

The three shortlisted works were selected from this list by a panel of judges; and are all contenders for this year’s prize, which is dedicated to

Children’s Literature.

This year’s panel of judges, which is led by Prof. Saleh Abdu of the Federal University of Kashere, Gombe State, includes Prof. Vicky Sylvester and Dr. Osarobu Igudia.

Announcing the finalists, the Chairperson of the Advisory Board, Prof. Akachi Adimora-Ezeigbo, emphasised that the Advisory Board and the panel of judges, in selecting the shortlisted books, prioritised excellence and recognised the significant impact the Prize has on young Nigerians.

The Board stated: “A Father’s Pride by Ndidi Chiazor-Enenmo is a touching story that delves into the complex relationship between a father and his children, highlighting their struggles with love, forgiveness, and understanding.

Written in clear and accessible language, it captures emotions that resonate deeply with readers.

“The Road Does Not End by Familoni Oluranti Olubunmi addresses the critical issue of child labour in society. The book explores themes of resilience and human connection, emphasising the importance of relationships and the need for continuous selfimprovement.

“Wish Maker by Uchechukwu Peter Umezurike is set in a riverine village and combines suspense, engagement, inspiration, and entertainment. It weaves moral lessons and elements of magic realism, captivating young readers. The Board praised its language and meticulous editing.”

The winner will be announced by the Advisory Board on October 11, 2024.

Kemi Olaitan in Ibadan

The Governor Edo Needs

issues-based, even in the murky waters of Nigerian politics. We wish him well.

We have always maintained that government is about human needs, the satisfaction of which is the sole justification for governance.

For some time now, political parties and their candidates have been combing the nooks and crannies of Edo State, trying to sell their candidates to the people. Those who have since concluded that Edo gubernatorial election is a two-horse race miss the point because nothing is done until it is finally done.

On the list of candidates released by the Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC), we see a few names that cannot be simply ignored. More so, in a country where virtually anything is possible, and where the fourth can sometimes be the first, why should anyone be in a hurry to jettison the efforts of some great ones?

Dr Isaiah Osifo is flying the flag of the All Progressives Grand Alliance (APGA). This is one man who will test positive for politics any day. In a manner of speaking, without branching home, he went from the Youth Service straight into politics. At a very tender age, he contested, and won the election as the chairman, Uhunmwode Local Government.

Osifo was a two-time chairman of the Local Government. He was also the Edo State Chairman of the Association of Local Governments of Nigeria (ALGON). He was the Chief of Staff to Governor Osarhiemen Osunbor from May 2007 to November 2008. He is currently a lecturer in the Department of Political Science at the Igbinedion University, Okada. In every position he found himself, he served meritoriously- always upgrading himself as he went along the way.

He is in the race to win. We wish him the very best.

We do not need a sooth-sayer or any cult of experts to tell us that anyone who has attained the enviable height of the President of the Nigerian Bar Association (NBA) is not a Push-over.

Olumide Osaigbovo Akpata (Olu-D) is flying the flag of the Labour Party (LP). He is in the race to win. He does not need any long introduction. For all we know, he was a very successful president of the NBA.

His grand merit in the present endeavor is that he has prosecuted a very clean campaign – a campaign devoid of mud-slinging, insinuations and innuendos; and a campaign that has been

Dr. Asue Ighodalo: This is the candidate of the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP).

We have no reason to fault those who see him as a very viable candidate. Rightly or wrongly, there is a presumption here that a man who has succeeded tremendously in private life, and in Commerce and Industry has no reason to fail in public life.

Ighodalo and the PDP today are wearing the toga of incumbency, and depending on the turn of events, incumbency could be either a Tangible Asset or a Cogent Liability. Wittingly and unwittingly, Ighodalo’s manifesto gives Edo State the appearance of a land with an absentee government for the past eight years or an area totally devastated by war, and now needs wholesale reclamation.

This is one way of exonerating Ighodalo from blame when his manifesto ends up being a direct indictment on the incumbent PDP administration of the state. In the hour of reckoning, you are faced with the stark reality where no man can run away from the truth.

Don’t ever blame Ighodalo. Can a man who truly wants to rule Edo State now run away from the fact that the education system is now totally comatose? From the Ambrose Ali University (AAU) to the state Colleges of Education at Ekiadolor and Igueben; from the College of Agriculture Iguoriakhi and the branch at Wareke; from the State School of Nursing to the State School of Health Technology, and virtually every educational institution in the state, what can anyone now point to as still standing? Nothing!

The health-care system is even worse. When things were becoming bad, we were able to say that the hospitals were fast becoming mere consulting clinics, but Obaseki needed only eight short years to reduce them to Dispensaries or even worse.

Every road in the state has become a death trap. Ighodalo is human, after all and it shows.

In a recent ARISE Television interview, you could see from the face of an otherwise handsome man, and from the palpitations of his heart, that this was a man who could be praying silently not to

win because of the heavy baggage that awaits a winner.

Ighodalo’s excellence is totally immersed in all the debris of the current administration. Anyone tied to the apron strings of a failed administration certainly has a lot of explaining to do that he will also not be a failure!

Ighodalo is not yet at grips with the fact that campaigning for the important office of a state governor is a serious business where your spokes people must be carefully selected. We have seen a few attention seeking charlatans running around, under the guise of speaking for Ighodalo. Yellow man who claims to be a leader in both the APC and the PDP speaks from both sides of the same mouth, making unguarded and unverifiable utterances; and contradicting himself at every bend.

At the APC primary election, Yellow man preferred Senator Monday Okpebholo who he claimed was at the head of a Chinese Conglomerate. As soon as he found a new pay master, he reduced Okpebholo to a stark illiterate who could not read the Balance Sheet

In a recent Arise Television interview, he told the whole world that APC had concluded plans to rig the election. When he was asked to provide evidence of what he was saying, he fell flat.

The same Yellow man informed the whole world that senator Adams Oshiomhole was supporting Hon Dennis Idahosa with a view to using him as a cash cow for his senate presidency ambition. Unknown to Odigie, his vituperation provided a welcome relief to many Nigerians. Truly, the Nigerian senate needs an Oshiomhole to bring it out of the deep pit into which it has fallen! May the time fly faster!

Evidently, nature has a way of reserving the best for last. Senator Monday Okpebholo is a man of action but very few words. He is the APC candidate for this election. He may not be fluent in the English Language, but his actions speak louder than words.

Those who argue that his not being fluent in the English Language is an inhibition in the gubernatorial race certainly miss the point. A man who is currently a senator of the Federal Republic of Nigeria is enough for the governorship of Edo State.

He cannot be worse that Senator Bakin Zuwo (1934-1989) who later became the Governor of Kano State. Remember Governor Bakin Zuwo of “Government Money in Government House, What’s the Problem?”.

We have seen this before. In biblical times, Moses was a stutterer and was not given to fluency in speech. That’s why he thought he was not fit to lead God’s people to the Promised Land, and God

proved him wrong.

We are not advocating for illiteracy as a qualification for Government office, but we are saying that too much literacy could also destroy literacy. If you are fluent in the use of English, very good, but if you are not, you are not condemned. Okpebholo is a typical Esan man, and from very early in life, he learned to behave like the Esan hunter. You ask him, “Ebhuwe gbe?” meaning what did you kill? And he would tell you, “Ghele bhoto” meaning see it on the ground. During the campaigns, while other candidates were showing colured pictures of what they would do if elected, Okpebholo was taking the campaign team on a guided tour of the various facilities he had provided for the people.

The wind of change is already blowing heavily, and the people are fully expectant. While other candidates are scampering around, blowing grammar, the practical realist, Okpebholo is going about doing good. He knows when to step down the transformer and address the people in a language they understand.

He carried his campaign to an institution, and the dry bones he met there told their stories of woe, including the fact that they had not been paid in years. The humanist was moved to tears and thrown into a state of melancholy. He had to do something.

He temporarily suspended his campaign and initiated a fundraising for the people. This raked in some millions which they split among themselves. The people are assured that there is hope in the horizon and dry bones will rise again. Which Oxford English can be so impactful?

Any wonder then that there is a mass exodus of people from other political parties, particularly the legacy PDP, into the APC? For once, Yellow man is right. He says the people are hungry after being out of power this long, and that they find in Okpebholo, “A Dundee United” who they can latch on.

The big question is, will this hungry mass vote on September 21? Of course yes. So, Yellow man has announced the result of the election, perhaps unwittingly! The only missing link here is that Yellow man has not told the people the motivation behind his own unsteady character.

Okphebholo who has endeared himself to his people by providing them the good life in roads, electricity, water, schools, and service to humanity in all the nooks and crannies of the land is certainly the governor Edo needs!

Josef Omorotionmwan

BUSINESS

Editor: Festus Akanbi

08038588469 Email:festus.akanbi@thisdaylive.com

Latest GDP Surge Leaves Manufacturers Cold

The marginal improvement in the latest GDP performance notwithstanding, manufacturers and economy watchers argue that underlying challenges such as rising costs of production, erratic power supply, and lingering foreign exchange issues are still preventing manufacturers from sharing in the optimism surrounding the GDP growth, writes Festus Akanbi

In a period of persistent economic turbulence, an indication of a marginal improvement in the nation’s Gross Domestic Product (GDP) as released by the National Bureau of a refreshing dispensation of hope and In its second quarter 2024 report, the NBS said that Nigeria’s Gross Domestic Product (GDP)

The NBS’ breakdown showed that the GDP growth in the second quarter of 2024 was driven mainly by the services sector, which recorded a

In terms of share of the GDP, the industry and services sectors contributed more to the aggregate GDP in the second quarter of 2024 In the quarter under review, aggregate GDP when compared to the second quarter of 2023 million, indicating a year-on-year nominal

Cautious Optimism

Curiously, real sector operators and some economic analysts do not share the optimism engendered by the latest GDP result, a development that economic watchers said further

Speaking on the GDP performance, an investment banker and economist, who is also the CEO of The CFG Advisory, Adetilewa Adebajo maintained that the trajectory of growth and in the desired direction and allays the fears of

Adebajo, who faulted the 2023 economic reforms of the current administration stated, “It is now evident that the cart was put before the horse, as reforms were implemented too quickly, devoid of adequate planning and resources, credibility of the reform program is now in of the reform to the stakeholders, and deliver who spoke on condition of anonymity pointed

situation, saying it is laughable to expect overall highlighted in the report is that the largest contributor to that GDP, also the fastest growing

need to devalue again to increase GDP? Is it the on the street? For certainty, the so-called GDP number is just the wealth of a tiny percentage

A manufacturing firm

agriculture and manufacturing productiv-

Manufacturers: We Cannot Relate with the GDP Growth

His sentiment was shared by the na-

and the Lagos Chambers of Commerce and Industry (LCCI) which both insisted experiences of manufacturers and the

Their position appears to represent the perception of the average Nigerian who is still battling the rising cost of living and the depreciation in the values and manufacturers, the reported growth fails to capture the true challenges confronting the manufacturing sector including infrastructure, and persistent supply

As Nigerian manufacturers continue to battle the twin problem of high operating costs and the fallen purchasing power of consumers of their products and services, analysts said it will begerians that the economic performance

branch, Frank Onyebu, who was quoted as saying that based on the reality on the ground, there was no indication that the neither did he believe in the attainment

considering the way the country was being

facturing sector, a lot of companies are shutting agriculture sector is growing at least the food

the LCCI, Daniel Dickson-Okezie could not draw a link between the current distortions in the economy including the devaluation of the

Insisting that the growth reported by the NBS general population and those operating within the situation of things gives cause to doubt if the GDP growth is real or not and that no Nigerian can say that he is feeling the impact

Between Data and Perceptions

performance said, “The new GDP report is an improvement, even though it is marginal, it is good for the economy since we are not talking about contraction, especially when compared -

about the economy and growth, it is important to see how inclusive the growth is and when you are talking about the perceptions of the

citizens and the perceptions of investors about the economy, sometimes, some of the perceptions are at variance with the growth data and from what we have seen so far, the key sectors that

cent, which is quite big; there is rail transport

He raised the possibility of the fact that Niimprovement in the economic indices because the sectors that recorded improvement are not those

numbers but the challenge now is that these sectors that have grown phenomenally are not the key sectors that have so many people on growth in some other sectors, for instance,turing also grew by less than two per cent, look at agriculture, trade, construction, and manufacturing, these are sectors that have high job elasticity, so that when they grow,

It is hoped that the nation’s economic handlers will realise the growing disparity between the performance indicators and the

Until the issues of unemployment, instability in the foreign exchange market, unreliable and high cost of energy, and poor infrastructure

INTERNATIONAL

Why Africa’s Future is Bleak: Recidivist

Insecurity, Nigeria and France as Definienda

One of Africa’s most critical problems is definitional in character. Non-African people think Africa’s problem is non-development. At a point in time, Africa was considered as underdeveloped. At another time, it is argued that Africa should not be insulted and that Africa is developing. Impression is given that, in the continuum of development, countries considered to be developed have already reached their crescendo of development. Perception of Africa as underdeveloped has been so critical that African leaders have had to acquiesce to it. According to former US President, Donald Trump, Africa is a continent of pit holes. If you ask David Cameron about Africa, he can say Africa is fantastically corrupt and not just Nigeria. Those who were ignorant of Africa in the beginning considered their challenges in reaching the peoples of Africa, and therefore, called Africa the darkest continent and a discovery. They discovered Africa in the same mania of discovery of America. Put simply, Africa is dark and therefore needs sunlight. And most disturbingly, the developed countries has divided the whole world into three main types: First, Second, and Third World.

The first world is considered the developed countries in which the United States and Canada, UK, Germany, Japan, etc. belong. The second world is comprised essentially of the Eastern European and Asian countries, including Russia and China. Not much goodness is seen about Africa by the First and Second Worlds. The Third World is generally seen as a terra cognita for diseases and squalor, insecurity, and global setbacks. Even when diseases are carried from elsewhere to Africa by non-Africans, Africa is still held responsible for the carriage of the diseases. In this regard, has Africa any brighter future? Can there be any change of perception of Africa? Whatever is the case, we strongly observe that Africa’s future is bleak, not necessarily because of colonial impact and other external factors but essential because of Africa’s recidivist insecurity, France’s policy of Africa, and Nigeria’s uncertain future.

Africa: A Problem and a Desideratum

The world without Africa creates a void and can never be complete without Africa. A Welsh journalist and explorer, Henry Morton Stanley, claimed to have read more than 130 books on Africa before going to Africa on mission. He not only said Africa was a ‘dark,’ but also referred to Africa as the ‘darkest’ continent. In spite of this, Africa is still a desideratum for humanity. Africa is rich in various dimensions. For example, the Imouraren mine in Northern Niger is one of the world’s biggest uranium mines with an estimated 200,000 tonnes. The industrial powers need the uranium for production of nuclear energy. With this production output, Niger Republic remains one of the biggest uranium producers in the world. This is apart from Namibia’s 470,100 metric tons of uranium in recoverable resources as of 2021 which was the largest amount in Africa. South Africa, with its 320,900 recoverable resources remained the second main uranium producer in Africa.

In the same vein, the Democratic Republic of the Congo is on record to have exceptional natural resources like cobalt, copper, gold, coal and iron-ore deposits, in addition to being the world’s second-largest rainforest, and having offshore petroleum, and bauxite. The DRC accounts for 70% of global production and the world’s second-largest producer of copper. The DRC is also the leading producer of coltan. All these resources are from the so-called darkest continent and the resources are indispensable for the industrial growth and development of Europe.

In terms of human resources, Africa accounts for 18.3% of total world population in 2024 and is rated as number 2 among the regions of the world, with 1.22 billion people. Explained differently, Africa is the second-largest continent by geographic area, covering about 30 million square kilometres. It is also the second-most populous continent globally. Of the total population of Africa, black Africans account for 75% while the descendants of the Dutch, English, French and Germans account for 14%.

: 0807-688-2846 e-mail: bolyttag@yahoo.com

They came to Africa as from the end of the 17th century.

What is noteworthy about the geo-political notion of Africa is best explained by international politics which has different typologies of Africa. First, the international community considers Africa as one of the regions of the world, and therefore divides it into five sub-regions: West, North, Central, East, and Southern. But for various reasons of force majeure, and particularly for continental political unity and economic integration, the 1991 Abuja Treaty Establishing the African Economic Community redefined Africa not as a region. In other words, it redefined the UN definition of sub-region as a region, and thus making Africa a continent of five regions, with the possibility of carving out sub-regions out of each region or from two or three regions (see Articles 1(d) and 1(e) of the Treaty.

In this regard, while African leaders have been complying with the redefined concept of Africa of five regions, the international community does not appear to be complying with the African redefinition. Whereas, the ultimate objective of the African leaders’ redefinition is to fast track Africa’s growth and development through integration. The belief is that if integration is promoted through regionalisation, the future would be quite brighter for Africa. And true enough, the West Africa region is on record to be the most advanced in terms of regional integration in Africa. Why should African leaders be talking about an Africa of five regions and the international community has not been compelled to adopt Africa’s redefinition? Is it the world that must give name to Africa or what Africans say what their name is?

Secondly, there is the concept of Maghrebin Africa and Africa South of the Sahara. Maghrebin Africa refers to Arab Maghreb or Northwest Africa or the western part of the Arab world. The

In essence, Jeremy Keenan, a fellow at the University of Bristol, says ‘the fact that the uranium is there is more negative than positive at the moment. It’s a curse on the region and the people of the region. It is potentially a very volatile situation.’ Put differently, if it is generally argued that ‘the people of Niger have not benefited from the 100,000 tonnes of uranium extracted over the past 36 years and Niger is the world’s third to fifthranking producer of uranium, producing over 3,000 tonnes of uranium a year,’ what future has Niger Republic as a poor country? How do we explain 36 years of uranium mining by France and without gain to the people of Niger? Could this have been an exaggeration by anti-French people? Additionally, is the future of the exploitation of Niger’s uranium not a matter of replacement of French hegemony with either that of China or Russia, meaning that Nigeria’s foreign policy will still continue to be seriously challenged? Will the exploitation of the uranium resources stop with the declaration of the French as unwanted? Can Nigeria ever have peace in the absence of Muammar Gaddafi’s prediction that Nigeria would never know peace until the country is divided into Muslim North and Christian South? If Nigeria cannot have peace, can there be peace in Africa? And if there is no peace in Africa, is Africa’s future not bleak?

Arab Maghreb is a major issue not only for Africa, but also a foreign policy dilemma for Europe and America. The Arab Maghreb comprises Algeria, Libya, Mauritania, Morocco and Tunisia. Initially, Mauritania was geo-politically part of West Africa, when the country was part of the ECOWAS. Mauritania left the ECOWAS in December 2000 to join the Arab Maghreb. Morocco is on record to have sought membership of the European Union and also the membership of the ECOWAS. In other words, Morocco wants to be European, African, and Arab State simultaneously. The European Union and the ECOWAS are yet to respond favourably to Morocco’s request.

The problem at the American level is different from organisational membership. The United States wants an Arab country to become a Permanent Member of the United Nations Security Council. The requirement for UNSC membership includes being a region of the world and the Arab world does not constitute a region of the world. The US therefore not only wants to take advantage of Egypt, being also considered as an African country, but also have one of the two seats reserved for Africa for Egypt. By implication, Nigeria and South Africa are to contest for the other seat. Besides, rather than have Nigeria and South Africa as Permanent Members, US strategic calculation is not only to have Egypt, but also Germany and Japan as permanent members. While the membership of Egypt is to serve the purposes of consolidating and strengthening US ties with the Arab world, especially because of Israel, the Germano-Japanese membership is to ensure more of their voluntary contributions to the maintenance of international peace and security.

Thus, there is the Africa of multi-coloured people in Southern Africa, the Africa of the Arabs, and the African people south of the Sahara. The essence of the foregoing classification is to suggest that the consideration of a Permanent Seat for Africa has to be clearly defined in terms of the beneficiary. Egyptian candidature is apparently for the Arab world which is not a region by UN definitional criteria. Nigeria is the most eminently qualified to have a seat on merit for Africa south of the Sahara, having been contributing to UN peace support operations since 1960. South Africa only came into the picture in 1994. Even though Egypt and South Africa contribute more than Nigeria in terms of assessed and voluntary dues to the UN, Nigeria’s Africa policy makes her stand out above all others. African leaders, particularly Nigerian leaders, should not wake up one day to discover that final decisions on the matter had been taken to their detriment. This is one major concern that explains why Africa’s future may be bleak

Thirdly, Africa of 54 countries is now the equivalent of one developed country in global politics. France started this politics with the introduction of Franco-African summits during which the Francophone African countries collectively meet with France rotationally in France and Africa. While many observers see the development from a post-colonial angle, the EuropeanAfrica, India-Africa, China-Africa, Japan-Africa, summits are not driven by colonial considerations, but by non-belief in sovereign equality. Again most unfortunately, African leaders do not see this as a major problem. They are very happy to be summoned to Washington and have a handshake with the most powerful leader in global politics, etc.

And true enough, Africa is divided against itself in many ways while the world is united against it in terms of exploitation of Africa’s mineral resources. Several African countries still behave along colonial linguistic factors. The signing of the Alliance des États du Sahel (AES) is not simply about common defence against the ECOWAS military threats and ultimatum, but also common opposition to French language and civilisation. Besides, Egypt and Ethiopia are currently at logger heads over the building of dam on the River Nile. Ethiopia, a landlocked territory, wants to have access to the sea peacefully or forcefully. Egypt is vehemently opposed. The future of this cannot but be disorderly as a result of Ethiopia’s order and Egypt’s counter-order. What about the threats of the Jihad? What about Nigeria’s own future? Can Africa be in peace if Nigeria does not have peace?. If Nigeria is destabilised, what will happy to the ECOWAS region? In fact, how do we address France as a neighbour of Nigeria by geo-political propinquity?

Insecurity and Franco-Nigerian Factor

The Franco-Nigerian factor is quite complex in explaining why Africa’s future may be bleak. On the one hand, Africa is a major definiendum of the foreign policies of both France and Nigeria. While France maintains a privileged relationship with Francophone Africa, and especially with the immediate neighbours of Nigeria, Africa is the centrepiece of Nigeria’s foreign policy. Consequently, Africa is necessarily an instrument for rivalry. France does not want Nigeria to be able to influence the Francophone African countries against her and Nigeria’s foreign policy stand is not different: prevent France from influencing the Francophone neighbours from being used to her detriment. Even though the ASS countries have strained their relationships with France, it cannot be rightly suggested that the strained relationship is helpful to Nigeria’s foreign policy interest. The point of emphasis here is that Franco-Nigeria rivalry has a centrifugal character in intra-African relations.

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Ghazouani

www.thisdaylive.com

opinion@thisdaylive.com

KEKERE-EKUN TO JUDICIARY’S RESCUE, PERHAPS

The appointment of the acting chief justice presents yet another chance to cleanse and reposition the judiciary,

writes MONDAY PHILIPS EKPE

L!!’’

ike the 22 eminent jurists before her, Honourable Justice Kudirat Motonmori Olatokunbo Kekere-Ekun was elevated to the position of Chief Justice of Nigeria (CJN) on Friday last week. Her earliest comments after the swearing-in ceremony included her pledge to instil discipline in the nation’s third arm of government, sanitise the processes of preside over a better judiciary. Her repeated appeal for the mutual understanding and participation of all the practitioners on the bench and at the bar in order to achieve those goals ended in a much-needed wish: “I believe that by the grace of God, at the end of my tenure, we should be able to have a judiciary that we will all be proud of.”

Shouting ‘Amen!’ to that prayer is certainly not a ritual. The greater motivation revolves around the very uniqueness of judicial institutions. Not being strangers to military adventurism in their country, Nigerians have witnessed several times the subjugation or outright rupturing of the executive and legislative arms of government in the event of coups. Even when the constitution was suspended, judges and magistrates were still dictated by decrees.

The roles of benchers are accentuated in a democratic dispensation when freedoms are a given, when civil and human rights are intricately woven into the socio-political fabrics of society, and when representative and participatory governance is expected unbroken democratic practice, these noble characteristics ought to describe Nigeria. But, sadly and largely, they don’t. A chunk those terms rests with its judicial system and personnel that have failed on many grounds to rise to the occasion. While it would be unjust to heap all the blame for our failures of the judiciary, not holding it to account for rubbishing its own touted image as the “last hope of the common man” would be to deny a rooftop truth long acknowledged even by many members of its senior cadre.

The Nigerian judiciary has had to grapple with stubborn ailments that are yet to show signs of healing soon. Delays in the pursuit of justice, embarrassing and rampant unpredictability of judgments, inadequate modern amenities, credible allegations of corruption, poor funding, ever dwindling public respect, and other corrosive elements have conspired to keep the temples of justice on their knees - from the lowest rung throughout the federation to the apex court. Unfortunately, the desperation of politicians to grab and cling onto power hasn’t helped. This tragedy has graduated

be the hallowed ranks of judges, thereby further undermining whatever is left of the integrity of the judiciary. The inauguration judges of the Federal Capital Territory (FCT) High Court some months back dramatises this troubling situation. Not only that accusations of nepotistic favours trailed some of the appointments, the occasion itself and the celebrations that followed smelt like political carnivals, something antithetical to

of the judiciary.

Chidi Anselm Odinkalu, Senior Advocate of Nigeria, SAN, and law professor, put those excesses thus in his article, “Rule by Judges Is not Rule of Law”. According to the frontline advocate of the sanitisation of the Nigerian judiciary, “There was good reason for the politicians to make an obligation of their noisy presence at the swearing-in of the new judges. Section 14(2) of Nigeria’s constitution loudly proclaims that ‘sovereignty belongs to the people of Nigeria’ but under the colour of ‘rule of law’ and judicial independence, the judges have toppled the people and installed themselves as the ones who alone can elect politicians to positions of power and now, therefore, is a transaction that begins and rests with political access to judges. Having thus murdered the rule of law, what we now have is a rule by judges under which become bereft of legitimacy. The victim is the public good.”

How punchy! The Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC) has one who lose to their opponents: “Go to court!”. Oftentimes, this gladdens those declared winners as they readily relish their unfettered, well-oiled access to the adjudicators. Courtesy of the laws that enable them to assume their posts and control the resources

unfair advantages to sabotage the general will. To date, very few rulings have been upturned to favour the petitioners. It’s circumstances.

Bleak picture, no doubt, but I have a personal principle of looking for light, no matter how little. Luckily, reactions by some respected learned silks to the installation of 66 years old Kekere-Ekun provided just that. Wole Olanipekun, SAN: “We need to now as a profession where we were during the times of Adetokunbo Ademola, Teslim Elias, Uwais, and take back the legal profession to its old days of glory. Where did we misstep and how do we correct it?” Meaning, inevitable, remedial journey to the past!

Olisa Agbakoba, SAN: “The potential legacy of the new CJN is transformational and radical reform with the fundamental

objective of case management driving how the courts work. It is very important that the reform needed is least infrastructure and appointment of judges. It is about a soft institution, which is about the way the court works. The court presently works on the 1844 model of the English court. The challenge for the new CJN is to turn this around.” The last major effort to transform the judiciary was initiated by the late CJN Dahiru Musdapher whose short-lived tenure resulted in the non-implementation of the report of the high-powered committee set up for the purpose. That document should be dusted up, reviewed and applied

Joseph Dauda, SAN: “The incoming CJN should push for the creation of constitutional courts at three tiers - trial, appellate and and other allied matters, thereby freeing the High Courts, Court of Appeal, and Supreme Courts to deal with regular cases that affect the livelihood of over 90 per cent of the populace that is presently neglected.” Clumsiness breeds inertia and institutional mediocrity. Eyes are on Madam CJN to bleed out the bad blood that threatens to choke the judiciary and let in oxygen.

Mike Ozekhome, SAN: “Ensure that judges know that they are being watched and they should be looked over their shoulders by their peers, not by members of the executive.… When this is being done by their peers themselves, then it will mean that it is the same judiciary that is reviewing itself…. There must be a mechanism whereby Courts of Appeal judgments must go one way if certain facts go the same way.” Internal censorship is required at this point to stem the decadence that is felt by most citizens. Doing so in a political environment dominated by the executive branch can be tasking but doable.

As the second woman to occupy the seat at the zenith of our judiciary, KekereEkun must be aware of this momentous hour. Of course, wanting her to move every mountain she has met would be most unfair. But expecting her to shake the table and bring remarkable changes to a sector suffering from underachievement and occupational iniquities won’t be asking for too much.

Asue Ighodalo will grow the economy and provide access to opportunities for all, argues JOHN MAYAKI

Te candidate of the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) Dr. Asue Ighodalo, has once again demonstrated his superior position in the Edo governorship race as the most prepared candidate. In recent media engagements, he delivered a clear, concise, and compelling outline of his vision and plan for Edo State.

OKELLO

OCULI contends that America is at a cross roads - between Trump’s ‘taking back’ and Kamala’s no going back’

KAMALA ‘’HURRY UP !!’’ PATHWAY TO PROSPERITY

Speaking to his “Pathway to Prosperity” manifesto, strategic pillars beginning with improved security, he explained his mission as seeking to grow the economic pie so that Edo people can enjoy more, unlike those who are seeking a return with a bitter vengeance to consume the pie because years outside of governance have left them starving.

needs to address the seemingly intractable problems of water and infrastructure gaps in some local governments in the state, he detailed his agenda to revamp the state’s polity and economy to attract investments.

has grown under Governor Godwin Obaseki, but so has its urgent problems of today and position the state for growth, the government must creatively mobilize resources from sources that share its vision. The federal government is attempting this at the national level, and it is here that the distinction between Ighodalo and his closest rival, the candidate of the All Progressives Congress, Senator Monday Okpebholo, couldn’t be any clearer.

If the interview was a pitch for investment, it was obvious who carried the day. While Ighodalo impressed and persuaded, Okpebholo did not even make an appearance. The APC candidate remains in hiding because he lacks the courage and competence to engage without support and directives from his programmers, the whispering elder and pastor.

the sad reality, with one of them remarking on Ighodalo’s capacity for clear communication, unlike his rival whose utterances cause so much controversy that his party

meaning.

Ighodalo made a cogent point: everything rises and falls with security. This can be guaranteed with increased deployment of well-trained security personnel and better corporate governance. Criminals and thugs spreading terror must be shown no hiding place. Investors must also trust that the state is a safe haven for expensive projects and that their

money, when it arrives, will be used to unlock opportunities for young people, not appease godfathers.

Ighodalo has spent decades of his life raising funds from the international community and building trust. Okpebholo’s only known contribution is being a willing and pliable tool in the hands of the godfathers whose obsession with power and control exceeds their concern for effective governance and development. One of them has been caught on the record disparaging education, while the other is hopping around with an evil message of ethnic division and strife.

Okpebholo’s campaign has been about sharing the money. Those who are excited by this make the mistake of thinking the “sharing” will get to them. They are the unwitting chickens celebrating the declaration of Christmas, painfully oblivious to the fact that their slaughter is what makes the occasion merry.

Ighodalo, meanwhile, has underscored that he wishes to share prosperity with all. In other words, he is not running as a placeholder for shadow men seeking a return of the days when their expenses and settled with government funds. He is seeking the opportunity to lead so he can apply his knowledge and network for the betterment of the people’s lives.

He wants better education for Edo children because unlike the PastorPolitician, he does not believe in the ‘school-na-scam’ message. His success is, after all, a direct product of sound education. That is why he can stand on his two feet and defend his records on any stage, not hide behind old men dancing for attention when they ought to be nursing their legacy.

He wants to grow the economy and provide access to opportunities for all, not divert state funds to those who consider politics a means to self-enrichment. That is his pitch to investors and Edo people, and it is a winning pitch.

Mayaki, a Journalist, Historian and Diplomat, is an Oxford and Cambridge University-trained entrepreneurship, leadership and sustainability expert.

One of the most catching activities in the mass rally of the Convention of America’s Democratic Party was two children directing oldies to alternately shout the sounds ‘KAM’’ and ‘’ALA’’ as the correct pronunciation of the name of the star of the night, and the elder sister of their mother: ’’KAMALA’’.

The political innocence of their ritual was mocking candidate Donald Trump deliberately tripping over the name to suggest to his audience that his opponent, KAMALA HARRIS’’ is a foreigner, an immigrant who is not qualified to be elected President of USA.

The kids were part of an American political ritual as a combination of funfare and serious collective labour in shaping the future of the country. Delegates from 50 States of their federation assembled to promote their local welfare; and combined roads not yet taken together.

The action of the toddlers was also a serious warning that the country was at a critical crossroad: the clash between TRUMP’S call for ‘’TAKING BACK ‘’ his version of racist, violent, economically unequal country, and that of KAMALA rousing her warriors with the chant: ‘’NO GOING BACK’’ to an America where children are gunned down inside their classrooms by deranged schoolmates and murderous adults while those that make vast profits from manufacturing and selling guns cheer them on.

There was also a childish political game by which Hillary Clinton lost a previous presidential election despite earning three million votes MORE than Donald Trump declared winner. The principle of equity (which gives legitimacy to the country’s SENATE by allocating to each state TWO senators), was violated. The so-called ‘’swing states’’ or ‘royal states’ cast the vital second votes to anoint a president. Changing that rule has been elusive.

From watching CNN to witness KAMALA’S acceptance ritual, I turned to Britain’s ‘’SKY NEWS’’ television and found TRUMP showing Robert Kennedy to enthralled supporters. Words flowed eloquently from his chest as he served out lies and spiced half-truths. He said Democrats had burnt the American flag; a criminal act.

CNN had just shown a thick forest of American paper flags being deliriously waved by State delegates. They had screamed: ’’USA,USA,USA,USA’’ – forever. Trump had timed his rally to be covered by friendly television channels, so that his followers would not be politically contaminated by opposition speeches and drama.

America’s ‘’DEMOCRACY’’ was having severe indigestion. A mass public carrying bitter forms of hunger, illiteracy and intellectual malnutrition was being manipulated to hysterical enthusiasm by a cynical billionaire to follow him to a false paradise.

He had told them that Northern educated people despised them; that Mexicans and Venezuelans and citizens of immigrant countries were taking their jobs. He had seen ONE Nigerian in Alaska and announced that Nigerians were taking jobs in that frozen State. He promised to build a wall along the Atlantic Ocean coast to block immigrants from Islamic African countries, namely: Sudan, Mali, Libya, Iran and Cyprus. The crowd screamed when he told them of a plan to investigate who killed John and Robert Kennedy, implying that they had been assassinated by a Democratic Party cabal. Earlier claims that Florida mafia had killed President John F. Kennedy because he refused to fight a nuclear war with Communist Russia that protected Fidel Castro of Cuba. This crowd did not care for intricacies of historical events. They enjoyed simple hatred.

Supporters of KAMALA Harris knew about Trump’s business interests and his substituting them for America’s national interest. They despised his friendship with manufacturers of guns at the expense of gun violence inside supermarkets, schools, cinemas and, in 2023, inside a crowded football stadium.

They are disgusted by millions of Americans dying from cancers from chemicals sold as Ice Cream; crushed wood sold as meat; poisonous medical drugs prescribed by corrupt doctors. Plato had warned of this mortal conflict between illiterate masses and educated, well informed citizens. American intelligence agencies had reported about liberation movements in China, Cuba, Vietnam, Angola, Algeria, Mozambique rousing people exploited and oppressed by rich people and dictators they controlled. When the oppressed get angry they are unstoppable. Donald Trump knows that information too, and is obviously using it inside American politics.

Foreign spies target and ‘’manage’’ people with strong ambitions and injured egos. The son of a Japanese Prime Minister sold information from his father’s desk at home in exchange for the latest fast cars delivered to him by a foreign intelligence operative.

KAMALA and her Vice-Presidential colleague are emphasizing their education at Howard University and Minnesota which are NOT ‘’Ivy League”: Yale, Stanford, Harvard, Princeton for brilliant children of rich political aristocrats. Trump has denounced graduates of those schools. He did not. He gave money to politicians who contested elections; but gatekeepers to power never saw and chose him.

Prof Oculi writes from Abuja

Editor, Editorial Page PETER ISHAKA

Email peter.ishaka@thisdaylive.com

THE 18-YEAR ADMISSION POLICY

The Ministry of Education’s obsession with age is misplaced

In the past, the educational system in Nigeria provided one of the best in the world. But the sector is now fraught with problems, all selfdotted with schools without books, equipment and competent teachers. At the tertiary level, the tell-tale signs are the products - largely unskilled, unproductive and unable to compete with their peers elsewhere. The crisis of tertiary education in Nigeria is better appreciated by the large number of our young citizens trooping to neighbouring countries within the West African sub-region to earn degrees. Amid these challenges, the priority of the current Education

tertiary institutions in Nigeria.

Last week, Minister of Education, Tahir Mamman announced the federal government decision to ban students who are under-18 years from sitting for the West African Senior Secondary School and the National Examinations Council (NECO). Both are crucial for admission into tertiary institutions. The federal government, according to Mamman, has instructed WAEC and NECO to enforce the directive that has stirred an outrage across the country. Mamman had earlier stated that the age limit

We agree with Babalola. Even in countries with minimum age requirements for admission into tertiary institutions, there are special places for children with as “Britain’s Brainiest” family, is a case in point.

mathematics and computer science from the University of Oxford at aged 20. Indeed, the youngest college graduate and holder of the Guinness World Record is Michael Kearney who graduated in 1994 at aged 10. Children are endowed differently. Other stakeholders have asked why, of the troubles in the sector, this should be the priority of the current administration, and why the policy is being made punitive.

Instead of focusing on age, Mamman should turn his attention on worries that are weighing down education in the country: fixing the infrastructure in schools, hiring quality staff and securing the learning environment

Matriculation Examination (UTME) organised by the Joint Admissions and Matriculation Board (JAMB) remained 18 years. It would have taken immediate effect but for the loud opposition by stakeholders at the JAMB admissions policy meeting. The decision was therefore grudgingly shifted to 2025.

Describing the policy as absurd, former Vice President Atiku Abubakar said it is a disincentive to scholarship and “belongs in the stone ages.” Chancellor of Afe Babalola University, Afe Babalola, SAN, argues that forge with our own hands the chain that will hamper the development of our gifted children”, Babalola said. “University autonomy includes among other things the discretion to waive the minimum age requirement for students who pass the minimum requirements and possess exceptional academic potential,” as obtainable in several countries.

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Prior to the 2023 general election, the Labour Party was moribund. It was just existing as one of the 18 political parties in Nigeria. Granted that the party is a relatively older party in comparison to the other parties except the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP).

The party had produced a governor before who was elected on its platform in the person of Dr. Olusegun Mimiko of Ondo State who governed the state for eight years. Following the defection of Mimiko to the PDP after the expiration of his governorship tenure, the Labour Party returned to its moribund status.

However, the entry of Peter Obi into the party energized and revived the party. Peter Obi was not the first presidential candidate of the party in its history. The party had presidential candidates in previous presidential elections prior to 2023. That Peter Obi contested the presidency on the platform of the Labour Party changed its fortunes. This time around it produced a governor, eight

senators, over 35 House of Representatives members and over a hundred House of Assembly members across the states. The party had never recorded such a fortune not even when Mimiko was elected as the first governor of the party.

The party didn’t achieve the results it recorded in the 2023 general election by happenstance or because Julius Abure was the national chairman of the party at the time. It couldn’t have achieved such results as a result of Abure’s magic wand or political sagacity after all his predecessor, Dan Nwanyanwu was far more politically sagacious than Abure can ever be.

The party made such a great impact primarily because Peter Obi was the presidential candidate. Remove Peter Obi from the party, Labour Party may not win a single state House of Assembly seat in the 2027 general election except the current governor of Abia State, Dr Alex Otti seeks reelection on the platform of the party.

What Peter Obi did in 2023 was unprecedented. He made a party which had no single councillorship

Although the 6-3-3-4 system the country operates assumes that children would spend six years in primary school and another six years in secondary school (divided into junior and senior) before completion at age 18, the system has not worked that way. At present, there are hundreds of thousands of students studying in many Nigerian universities, public or private, who gained admission at less than 16. And there are millions who will complete their secondary school in the next Mamman’s policy will force many students to stay at home, some for years. What will they be doing in the intervening years?

It is more shocking that there was no consultation of any kind, at least to psyche up the parents, and the aspiring undergraduates. Even more fundamental, education is on the concurrent list in the 1999 Constitution. Major decisions ought to be taken in consultation with the sub-national governments. Instead of focusing on age, Mamman should turn his attention on worries that are weighing down schools, hiring quality staff and securing the learning environment. In an age of technology, many of our schools are sorely deprived. There is not much to cheer, particularly in public schools. But if the government is bent on reviewing the present admission policy, it should consult extensively. And it should not be implemented like a military decree.

seat before the election to record over six million votes in the presidential election according to the results allowed by the Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC). The PDP had about 13 governors and hundreds of federal and states legislators before the election. The All Progressives Congress (APC) had a sitting president,vice president, Senate president, Speaker of the House of Representatives, over 22 governors and hundreds of federal and states legislators before the election. Yet, the combined force of the PDP recorded6,700,000 votes for its presidential candidate. The APC, with all its federal might, was declared the winner with about eight million votes.

The above narrative shows that Peter Obi did what Tinubu or Atiku couldn’t do if either of them was the presidential candidate of the Labour Party in the last general election. It implies that Peter Obi is the most single valuable politician in contemporary Nigeria. Even if he leaves the Labour Party today and contest for the presidential election on the platform of

another party, he will still transfer the same goodwill to whichever party he defects to. Against the following background, it’s therefore shocking and bewildering that the acting or erstwhile national chairman of the party, Julius Abure is behaving like a typical Nigerian politician by his latest acts of intransigence. Abure was not supposed to be the acting chairman of the Labour Party during the last general election, but he was allowed to superintendent over the affairs of the party until after the general election. One had expected him to be grateful to the party for granting him such a rare opportunity. Abure cannot deny that his personal fortunes and status have changed after the election prior to what he was before the election. This writer and almost all Nigerians never knew that Abure existed until Peter Obi went to the party. Why then is Abure showing signs of an ingrate? Why is he belligerent? Does he really mean well for the party?

Ifeanyi Maduako, Owerri

Despite the odds stacked against him when he launched AFRIMA in 2014, Mike Dada defied expectations and stunned the industry - perhaps by divine intervention or sheer determination, or both. Where many doubted his potential and mocked his ideas, he proved he had more than just the Midas touch; he turned his dreams into golden opportunities. Today, this lawyer, techpreneur and PR marketing communications consultant enjoys a glowing status that extends far beyond AFRIMA. In this interview, he shares with Vanessa Obioha the journey so far and his plans for the future.

AFRIMA is not just a music platform, it is a movement

When the first edition of the All Africa Music Awards (AFRIMA) was held in Lagos in 2014, afrobeats mania had not yet taken hold and artists like Rema and Asake were relatively unknown.

However, the music emerging from the continent was already garnering attention. From the street rap of Olamide to the rumba sounds of Fally Ipupa, AFRIMA aimed to unite Africa through music, supported by a partnership with the African Union (AU). Ten years later, AFRIMA has achieved more than that. Today, Africa’s distinctive sounds-from afrobeats to amapiano- are not only celebrated across the continent but are also in high demand globally.

The success of AFRIMA can be largely attributed to the vision of its Executive Producer, Mike Dada, who conceived the idea long before its debut in the 2000s. At that time, the only continental platform recognising the African entertainment industry was the KORA Awards, for which Dada managed the account during his tenure at Zmirage Marketing Communications. This experience, combined with encouragement from a friend to pursue his dream, cemented his determination to create a reputable award platform that would be Africa’s answer to the Grammy Awards.

Ordinarily, Dada doesn’t sing even though he was a member of the church choir in his younger years. His love for music stemmed from the joy it brings to people. When conceiving AFRIMA, his driving forces were the desire to create something magical for the continent and the vision of a music award that would be respected, appreciated, and serve as both a unifying force and an advocacy tool.

With the first decade behind him, the vision of AFRIMA remains the same, Dada told me on a cloudy Tuesday afternoon in his expansive office.

“The vision on the principle remains the same. It is constant. We knew what we wanted from the onset. We wanted to have an African global music award that would be respected and we were aware from day one that it’s not going to be an easy journey.”

Indeed, it has not been an easy journey, but it has been a rewarding one. Organising a music award ceremony is no small task, regardless of its scale. It involves a myriad of responsibilities, including logistics (catering, transportation, venue management), publicity, selecting eligible nominees, tallying results, budgeting, and more. Central to all of this planning is the financial aspect, which typically relies on sponsorships but may, in some cases, require taking out loans, borrowing from friends and family, or using personal savings. However, the true measure of a successful award ceremony lies in the organiser’s ability to execute their vision flawlessly. Without this, even the most brilliant ideas can become little more than wasted effort.

Despite the odds stacked against Dada when he set out to launch AFRIMA, he defied expectations and stunned the industry, perhaps by divine intervention or sheer determination, or both. Where many doubted his potential and

mocked his ideas, Dada proved he had more than just the Midas touch— he turned his dreams into golden opportunities. Today, he enjoys a glowing status that extends beyond AFRIMA. A graduate of Chemical Engineering from Obafemi Awolowo University (OAU), Dada is a lawyer and techpreneur, and through his integrated market communications firm, PRM Africa has emerged as a prominent voice in political marketing communications on the continent.

AFRIMA, however, remains one of the most notable platforms he engages with the creative industry. He highlighted some of the successes recorded so far.

“We maintained our long-term vision during the first phase which ran from

2013 to 2023. It was to concentrate and commit to the promotion, celebration, and development of African music without the interference or shadow of European or American music, and we have done that. We wanted our artists to be celebrated as kings. 15 years ago, it wasn’t like this. We had Western musicians come here to perform for us but we understood the importance of creating that identity in Africa, around us, among us and also communicating the same to the rest of the world,” he explained, modestly acknowledging that AFRIMA is not the only platform that has helped put African music in the global spotlight.

To a large extent, AFRIMA has been a game-changer for the industry. Dada recalled how he and his team insisted on artists submitting their works digitally and had to teach them how to upload their works on platforms such as SoundCloud, YouTube and Vimeo.

AFRIMA has provided a platform for the unheard voices of the continent’s music industry. For instance, at the 2018 AFRIMA held in Ghana, Chad’s DJ Afrotronix was elated to be recognised. His country’s music is not widely known on the continent, but with his trophy as the AFRIMA African DJ for that edition, Afrotronix believed his music would receive the attention it deserved.

“One thread that runs through all of us, whether you are in Cape Town or Abidjan or Kinshasa, is that Africa is unique and original. We are happy, genuine people and are eager to tell their own stories. Unfortunately, there are not many platforms for them to tell their stories, so there is a quest to find an authentic platform that they can identify with and tell their stories to the world,” said Dada.

According to Dada, there is an urgent need for Africans to showcase their cultural products to the world.

“There is an ongoing global cultural battle. Americans want to think like Americans, and so do the Arabs, Asians and Europeans. It is normal for everyone to want to tell their own stories. So for Africans, what are we communicating to the rest of the world? What identity or perception are we creating or repositioning for the continent?”

Dada sees music as a viable platform to communicate Africa’s values and strength to the world, which is precisely what AFRIMA has been doing since its inception.

“AFRIMA is more than just a music platform. It is a movement,” he said, emphasising that AFRIMA operates on seven pillars, which include the music awards, festivals, skill acquisition, and the African music business summit, which he said has been expanded to a standalone entity, the African Music Business Hub.

There is also a talent discovery and promotion pillar, where AFRIMA partners with local studios for recording sessions with new talents and helps disseminate their work to the media for visibility. Through their advocacy pillar, Dada and his team bring focus to critical issues on the continent, such as girl-child education and even forgotten war-torn countries like Somalia.

The final pillar focuses on advisory and policies, where Dada uses his expertise to advise heads of government on leveraging the creative economy to boost their country’s GDP.

While most developed nations are benefitting from their arts, culture and creative industry, Africa is yet to fully grasp the potential of the sector.

“Some see culture at the basic level, like a group of people dancing to welcome a politician rather than see it as an economic powerhouse that can reduce poverty on the continent, take young people away from the streets and create jobs.”

Dada is very passionate about changing the mindset of the average African who sees themselves as inferior to other races. Friends have suggested he add such roles to his already vast portfolio, but he has yet to make up his mind.

“It’s really about the people, whether you are white or black because all that affects us doesn’t look at our race. We are all human beings,” he said, noting that one of AFRIMA’s goals in its first phase was to make African music something that even Africans would be proud of.

“One of the happiest moments of my life is to see young people, teenagers who don’t want to leave AFRIMA awards ceremonies, begging their parents that they would love to stay a little longer.”

As he spoke, Dada, a native of Badagry, Lagos State, painted a picture of a man who is shrewd, patient, and calculating, like a chess grandmaster. He is not one to rush into decisions but carefully strategises before making a move. This explains, in part, why the second phase of AFRIMA, as he described it, will be unapologetically African. He revealed that over the years, he has resisted tempting offers to host the awards outside the continent, simply because he wants AFRIMA to be a platform that is authentically African. Being the visionary he is, one can only anticipate the groundbreaking moments that lie ahead in the next phase.

Mike Dada

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

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

Bravo, Governor Mohammed Bago

Governor Mohammed Bago continues to prove to be a leader with a heart for his people. Now, he has turned his attention to the retirees who had long been forgotten. His recent decision to clear outstanding gratuities, some of which had been owed since 2003, has brought relief to many pensioners in Niger State. On this account, the Nigeria Union of Pensioners (NUP) has lauded his actions, which have restored hope to these senior citizens.

Before Bago’s intervention, many retirees had given up on ever receiving their dues. Past administrations neglected their responsibilities and left these pensioners to fend for themselves in difficult circumstances. But Governor Bago’s decision to settle these debts has brought dignity back to those who spent their lives serving the state.

This decision is consistent with Governor Bago’s tenure, which has been marked by significant strides in other areas. His focus on infrastructural development, from roads to housing projects, is proof of his commitment to improving the quality of life in Niger State. And then there’s his diligence in the areas of healthcare and education.

In addition to his infrastructural initiatives, Bago has tackled the challenges in agriculture with vigour. When he first acquired more than 1,000 tractors, he showed how robust a groundwork he had laid for a more mechanised and productive farming sector. This move has not just helped food security; it has also created opportunities for young people and ensured a sustainable future for the state.

Governor Bago’s leadership is a breath of fresh air in a time when many have grown cynical about politics. His actions demonstrate that governance can be compassionate and effective, and make a real difference in people’s lives. The gratitude expressed by the pensioners is a reflection of the positive impact of his administration.

When Friendships Collapse: The Case of Adebutu and Akinlade

In Nigerian politics, friends are often made for convenience rather than mutual values. The partnership between Ladi Adebutu and Adekunle Akinlade was a prime example of this. Their alliance was formed in the lead-up to the 2023 Ogun State gubernatorial election. But it seems to have come to an end.

As the 2023 gubernatorial election results became clear, the cracks in the Adebutu-Akinlade alliance began to show. It might have started with Akinlade declaring that Adebutu was misfortune fortunately deflected. However, it is obvious to informed onlookers that there is some anger and hatred burning under what was considered the duo’s friendship.

Indeed, as critics have noted, Akinlade’s criticism of Adebutu supposed to be the usual political rhetoric. It really was a matter of absent trust. In fact, it showed how much Akinlade looked down on his former old friend when he allegedly compared him to a little child Adebutu

trapped in a man’s body.

Would their public unity have lasted? Most likely not. It is obvious now that it was all fake. There was no real substance; it was all noise. This should be a lesson to all: where there is no vision or mutual philosophy, friendship can be smoke, it can be smelly; rarely is it ever sincere. Are there other lessons to learn from the Akinlade vs Adebutu drama? There is the lesson of not relying on seemingly prophetic utterances to bait the public into hissing at one’s rivals. Akinlade wielded these utterances well as he painted a seemingly predictive picture in which Adebutu is the evilest devil to ever fail to ascend to the Abeokuta seat of power. And what can be said about the gist that Adebutu still relies on his father?

With words like these, who needs voices inside one’s head to motivate selfdoubt and an inferiority complex?

Akinlade really has done a number on Adebutu with his criticisms. But it all comes to show just how horrible their fallout is. It should also open the eyes of the people of Ogun State: behold your leaders in high-definition.

Working Quietly: Governor Biodun Oyebanji is Making a Big Splash

“A quiet river can also cause a flood,” and Governor Biodun Oyebanji embodies this wisdom in his leadership of Ekiti State. His ascension to the governorship in June 2022 was once dismissed as an unlikely outcome. But it has now proven to be a decisive turning point for the state.

Oyebanji’s journey to leadership began with scepticism from some quarters. However, his widespread appeal has become one of those easily overlooked facts. Much of this is because of his calm and calculated approach to governance, which has not only revealed his true potential but also positioned him as a leader who delivers beyond expectations.

The governor’s leadership style is marked by a blend of competence and compassion. His administration has launched numerous impactful initiatives across various sectors, including infrastructure, agriculture, and social services. From connecting long-neglected areas to the national grid to implementing health reforms, Oyebanji has focused on projects that directly improve the lives of Ekiti’s residents.

Who will Settle This Fight?

The Labour Party (LP) is currently embroiled in a fierce internal conflict, with key factions going after one another’s jugular. The tension reached new heights when Governor Alex Otti of Abia State decided to convene a National Executive Committee (NEC) meeting, aiming to dissolve several party structures. This move has sparked outrage among the party’s leadership, particularly National Chairman, Julius Abure.

Abure strongly opposed Otti’s attempt to interfere in party administration. From his perspective, it is not within the governor’s authority to make such decisions and going forward with them could make him face disciplinary action. But the warning has not deterred Otti. The latter insists on holding the meeting, now rebranded as a “Stakeholders’ Meeting.”

The proverb “when two elephants fight, it is the grass that suffers” aptly describes the current situation within LP. The ongoing battle between the party’s

national leadership and Otti is causing significant harm to the party’s unity and stability. Each side is digging in its heels, which leaves the party’s future in a precarious position.

Critics have pointed out that LP is supposed to be a collective effort, not dominated by any single individual. Yet, the actions of its members suggest a struggle for control. The question now is, who can settle this escalating fight? With both factions showing no signs of backing down, LP finds itself in a mess.

If this conflict continues unchecked, it risks not only weakening the party internally but also diminishing its standing among the electorate. Is this the party once seen as a rising force? Is it the one that now appears fractured and directionless?

The proverb “a house divided against itself cannot stand” is a stark reminder of what could lie ahead if the factions fail to reconcile.

In this critical moment, the party

One of Oyebanji’s standout achievements is his emphasis on inclusive governance. By engaging with Ekiti citizens, both at home and abroad, he has fostered a sense of unity and collective responsibility. His recent Zoom meeting with the diaspora community exemplifies his commitment to ensuring that every Ekiti citizen, regardless of location, has a voice in the state’s development. Under Oyebanji’s leadership, Ekiti has seen a revival of hope and progress. The governor has been true to his campaign promises. He continues to tackle challenges head-on with a mix of innovation and practical solutions. His efforts in power supply, road rehabilitation, and agricultural development have not only addressed immediate needs but also laid a foundation for long-term growth.

As Oyebanji’s administration continues to make strides, it is clear that the initial doubts about his leadership have been dispelled. His quiet but impactful approach to governance has set a new standard in Ekiti. It is proving that sometimes, the most significant changes come not with loud proclamations but with steady, determined action.

Bago

Oyebanji

Otti

needs a unifying figure who can bridge the growing divide. Will it be Peter Obi, the former presidential candidate? Will it be someone else? Until this is decided, Aluta continua, victoria incerta!

Gbenga Elegbeleye: The Game Changer

Gbenga Elegbeleye, the Chairman of the Nigeria Premier Football League (NPFL), is on a mission to transform the league into a competitive force on the global stage. Born in Ondo State, Elegbeleye is quietly working behind the scenes to elevate the standards of Nigerian football. His vision is clear: to make the NPFL as attractive as the top European leagues.

Elegbeleye’s approach to this transformation is rooted in collaboration. Many times, he has hailed various stakeholders, including the Sports Minister and the President of the Nigeria Football Federation, for creating a conducive environment. He understands that such a massive undertaking requires collective effort and commitment from all involved.

Under Elegbeleye’s leadership, the NPFL season concluded about two months ago has been hailed as one of the best in recent years. He attributes this success to the dedication and hard work of the NPFL board members and staff. While acknowledging the progress made, Elegbeleye

Diri is Back and Better

From larva to pupae and pupae to adult, the butterfly gets progressively beautiful. This is the case for Governor Douye Diri’s administration which is showing signs of positive transformation. Yes, it is almost certain now that his second-term agenda is anchored on seven pillars that aim to tackle key challenges facing Bayelsa State.

In the past, criticisms of Diri’s administration focused on the state’s poverty levels and perceived lack of direction. However, Diri’s recent initiatives suggest a leader who is more focused and determined to address these issues head-on. His administration’s A.S.S.U.R.E.D agenda is proof of this newfound resolve.

The governor has placed significant emphasis on agricultural development, showing that he recognizes its potential to boost the state’s economy. His current efforts to secure modern agricultural equipment and international training for youths indicate his strategic move to ensure food security and economic growth. With this focus on agriculture, it could be a gamechanger for Bayelsa.

Diri’s administration is also making

Jennifer Adighije has recently been appointed as the managing director and chief executive officer of the Niger Delta Power Holding Company (NDPHC). This appointment has sparked considerable discussion, largely because she is the first in this role without extensive leadership experience in the power sector.

According to reports, Adighije’s journey began with a solid educational

is not complacent. Instead, he recognizes that there is still much to be done.

One of Elegbeleye’s key strategies is enhancing the league’s visibility. The NPFL enjoyed significant media coverage and live broadcasts, which helped to increase fan engagement and bring the league closer to international standards. Elegbeleye’s efforts are beginning to pay off, as more Nigerians are taking pride in their local football.

Elegbeleye’s passion for Nigerian sports is very obvious. It is in his long-standing involvement in various capacities, from being a legislator to serving as the Director-General of the National Sports Commission. In other words, his commitment to the NPFL is just another chapter in his lifelong dedication to uplifting Nigerian sports. He sees the potential in Nigerian football and is determined to unlock it.

As the NPFL looks to the future, Elegbeleye remains optimistic. He truly believes that with continued support and strategic planning, the league will continue to grow in all aspects, from administration to the quality of play. This is why commentators believe that Elegbeleye is the game changer Nigerian football has been waiting for.

strides in urban renewal and infrastructure development. Projects aimed at modernizing cities and improving living conditions are now underway. This push for infrastructure puts under the limelight Diri’s determination to leave a lasting legacy in the state.

Healthcare has not been left behind in Diri’s agenda. By expanding health insurance coverage and investing in healthcare infrastructure, the governor is working to ensure that all citizens have access to quality healthcare. This focus on healthcare is a significant shift from the past and shows a governor committed to the well-being of his people.

Education is another area where Diri is making substantial changes. The introduction of tuition-free technical colleges and the digitalization of education signal a forward-thinking approach to developing the state’s human capital. These initiatives are designed to equip Bayelsa’s youth with the skills needed for the future.

With all these in view, Governor Diri’s recent actions paint the picture of a leader who is adapting and improving. His second term seems poised to bring about positive

change for Bayelsa State. This is a signal that the past is the past, and the present is the present. The time has come for beauty to spring up from Bayelsa, thanks to the fact that Diri is back and better.

Jennifer Adighije: Much Ado

foundation in electrical and electronics engineering from the University of Lagos. Then came a master’s degree in Wireless Networks and Telecommunications. This was followed by a stream of diverse professional experience, including roles in telecommunications and fashion.

Adighije’s time in the telecom industry ended abruptly when Helios Towers terminated her employment in 2010. Against their citing poor performance, Adighije fought back by suing the company. She ultimately won a court case that awarded her N13.5 million in damages. This tenacity demonstrated her resilience, a trait that would later serve her well in her varied career.

Adighije later ventured into the fashion industry, and founded House of Silk, a fabric retail and tailoring company, in 2009. But despite her success in fashion, she returned to the civil service by joining the Central Bank of Nigeria (CBN) as a value engineer

“When a man stumbles twice, it is not for lack of understanding but for pride.” Senator Dino Melaye’s recent outburst against the leadership of the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) is the picture of a man unwilling to accept his own role in the party’s decline. As some critics have pointed out, his accusations of commercialization and betrayal by the PDP’s National Working Committee (NWC) members, though vocal, conveniently ignored his own tumultuous history with the party. Melaye’s claims that the PDP is now defunct, a “once upon a time party,” sound more like the complaints of a bitter man than the reasoned critique of a statesman. Given that he, too, was once part of the party’s inner circle, it raises the question of whether his criticism is born out of genuine concern or personal disappointment.

The PDP’s crisis is not new. Internal divisions and leadership struggles date back to before Melaye’s most recent defeat in Kogi State’s gubernatorial election. But the loss to Usman Ododo, a political newcomer, seems to have particularly stung Melaye, who had toned down his usual flamboyant antics in a bid to be taken more seriously. But he failed to take the gubernatorial belt.

and cost controller.

Adighije’s civil service career then led to a role as senior special assistant (SSA) to President Bola Tinubu. Here, she advised the president on entrepreneurship development in the digital economy. Even though this role does not align directly with the power sector, her appointment as MD of NDPHC marks a significant leap, one that many have noted as lacking the usual sector-specific background.

But Adighije’s diverse background and resilience might help her bring a fresh perspective to NDPHC. After all, she has demonstrated adaptability throughout her career, moving from engineering to telecommunications, fashion, and back to the civil service. This experience, set against her strong will, is important.

While how her unconventional path will translate into success at NDPHC remains to be seen, it is clear that Adighije is no ordinary MD. Things will certainly be electrifying in the coming days.

Melaye has always been known for using humour and spectacle to draw attention. Therefore, his sober demeanour this time leaves people wondering. But commentators are quick to reassure that the man’s decision to publicly denounce the PDP’s leadership is more self-serving than altruistic. By blaming the NWC for the party’s woes, he diverts attention from his own shortcomings as a candidate.

Melaye may find solace in attacking the current PDP leadership, it does little to advance the party’s cause or his own political future. The strength of the All Progressives Congress (APC), especially in Kogi, suggests that Melaye’s troubles may just be starting—unless he decides to switch loyalties based on the direction the wind is blowing.

Maybe all of this is an elaborate scheme in that regard. Maybe not. But, in the end, a man who throws mud should be careful where it lands; it might just refuse to go anywhere and stick to him.

Elegbeleye

Senator Dino Melaye, Cease Your Lamentation

Melaye

Diri

Adighije

LOUD WHISPERS

CANADA

This one must be on some kind of mind numbing drugs or how else do you explain her tirade? She was alleged to have called for the mass poisoning of Yoruba and Bini people. This concerns me because I have wives from the two tribes. Why she singled out my in-laws to annihilate is riling me up.

People who gladly gave me wives and whose blood my children carry, na him this big faced muppet is saying they should poison.

Thankfully, my great Aunty Abike Dabiri has revealed her identity and I hear that the House of Representatives has demanded her prosecution. In return, she has been reported to have said that nothing will happen to her as a Canadian. You see how delusional she can be? So, Canadians who push for mass killings are immune to prosecution?

The problem is not even on her alone but the people who keep pushing this ethnic hate on social media. When you join some WhatsApp groups, you will see very respectfully educated and enlightened people forwarding ethnic diatribes and when you engage them, they will say “Oh, I did not write it, I just forwarded it.”

The result is that when thin-brained hermaphrodites like this Aunty swallow all those jargons, they get “zombie” and the next thing is bile from their mouths. Nigeria’s unity cannot be compromised. In our diversity we find our strength and on one Nigeria we must all stand. The fact that we have been bedevilled by a political class who cannot remove

Our Mummy granted a very touching interview to hoarse-voiced Seun – the Channels TV anchor, but this time on his private podcast. The matter this time was on Baba Tinubu’s new toys. My people, the hurried acquisitions of these things – yacht, The Beast, the presidential jet and let’s also add the renovation of the vice president’s official apartment continues to rile Nigerians.

Last week, I wrote very bitterly against it and then during the week, I stumbled on this beautiful interview on the matter.

Mummy did not mince words; she was unequivocal about the insensitivity of the matter and said her mind truly and assuredly.

The insensitivity of it all cannot be described in English. Let me try and describe it in Ibibio – mkporo atebe tutu. Please ask the nearest Ibibio man to leave his afang and interpret it for you.

This apart, mummy spoke very eloquently about her stay in government and in response to the queries she always gets regarding her being part of government at some point.

pronounce one word well.

This woman must be made to face the full wrath of the law whether Canadian or not for this is a serious crime against humanity, if it is proven that she actually said those things.

She should please leave my Yoruba and Bini people alone oo. They form part of the very beautiful colours of our diverse ethnic colouration abeg.

SEYI TINUBU: ON WAHALA HE STANDS Bro just likes controversies sha. Last week, the picture of him sitting behind “Gbaja” circulated and raised a few eyebrows.

It was at the swearing-in of Justice Kekere-Ekun as the new Chief Justice of Nigeria that we saw bro sitting at the back and stroking his beards as the proceedings went on. The hue and cry that came out of that image was unimaginable. A few voices were in his support but the majority were like, “Do we have an acting president?”

For me, I really don’t care if he decides to even give us a national broadcast on October 1, or he goes and sits beside his father at the United Nations. My own is the body language.

I don’t like the way he sat, abeg. He sat like say na “him get us.” Like say he was monitoring the whole thing to make sure it went on as he wanted it. The posture was condescending to Nigerians and looked as if any minute now, he would jump up and stop the ceremony because madam did not

I think bro should just calm down. This thing no hard as it looks. We have had first sons, first daughters and first children but this one is looking like Absalom kind of first son.

Bro, let’s be a little bit more demure. Let’s not add more stress to daddy’s government. If daddy loves you so much that he cannot tell you some of these things, give me an appointment and let me come and tell you.

The idea is to be seen less, push more humanitarian gestures and silently work from the back. The visibility is too much bro. It’s just too much. No vex, if nobody will tell you, I am telling you. Thanks.

CHARTERHOUSE LAGOS: MUCH ADO ABOUT SOMETHING

The headlines screamed N42million per annum and Nigerians went mad. School fees? Oh my God! These people want to perpetuate this state capture by building educational enclaves that would produce next level oppressors. The attack on social media and in the country was mad and wild. What kind of school is that and what would they be teaching? people asked. How many Nigerians can afford to send their children to that kind of school?

The school had to react very quickly. They issued a statement signed by John Todd, the founding Head of School who said, “Oh, we are not charging that much o, we are charging N26million per annum.”

This calmed the storm a little bit as Nigerians moved on to other more pressing things like the police labelling

She stated that, “...as minister, I did not touch… one money they kept for ministers.” She even went ahead to call her perm sec’s name and asked us to go and ask him if she touched that money for one day.

My sister, as you rightly said, it’s the dawn of the bandits. You have rightly labelled the crop we now are saddled with and only God will save us from these ones.

This na wetin dem dey call – pestilence. Yes, that is what we are facing in Nigeria today as a swarm of locusts have evaded leadership. Sad.

the NLC president a terrorist.

But this thing did not leave me. I am passionate about quality education. So, I reached out to them, to ask them a very simple question- mbok what exactly you would be teaching and which kind of facility do you have in place that would make you boldly even charge the lesser N26million that you are talking about?

They in turn invited me to the school like they did other such media people and concerned Nigerians and I must say that what I saw on the 70-hectare campus was mind-boggling.

Don’t let me talk much just yet, I am still trying to assimilate the things I saw and when I am through, you guys know me na, I will open up and talk.

But for now, my question is – since they are starting with just primary and with no boarding at that level, how will people who can afford them and who live in the places that we know that they live be able to commute daily from those places to the far-out area the school is located?

Well, people like us who are struggling with transport fare to the free education within metropolitan Lagos are worrying for people who will soon purchase helicopters to ferry their children to and from this wonderful school. Na wa.

DINO MELAYE: A MIDSUMMER NIGHT’S DREAM

Taking a short break from showing us his garage filled with “Tokunbo” luxury cars, eccentric politician, Dino Melaye, took time out to talk very spiritedly.

This his serious engagements are rare, far and in-between, so once he sits to talk, I listen. He has been quoted to have

AMAKA PATIENCE: A LOOSE CANNON IN

their noses from the collective pot of porridge does not mean that we must divide ourselves on the basis of tribe and ethnicity.

Osuntokun

Amaka Tinubu

Melaye

said that his party, the PDP, which is the main opposition party today in our country has been commercialised, privatised and rendered ineffective. He ended it by saying that the party is a “has been”.

The only thing remaining now is for us to now hire undertakers to give it a befitting burial.

I agree totally. The party has been in the doldrums since it lost power after Jonathan, and this cannot be very difficult to ascertain why.

It goes straight into the scandal that is party funding. You see that the party in government leans very heavily on public funds to survive and maintain hegemony and where it loses that hold on power, its funding dries up or at best becomes epileptic.

That is the main problem with PDP. Every other thing is just a close cousin to it and this is why you see the croaky voiced one doing all that he could do then as an oil rich state governor. He played Emperor and “scattered” the whole place, and why he is still fighting tooth and nail to “puppeteer” the sitting governor so that access to public funds will remain assured.

This shame is not only that of PDP but also that of all parties in this country including the ruling one. Once no access to public funds, no party. Simple.

So, my brother Dino, your assertion is not rocket science but a mere statement of the obvious. PDP is dead. Simple.

AKIN OSUNTOKUN: JUJU MAN SPEAKS

Some of you will now think that I am calling this bros Juju Man. Noooo, I am drawing the title of this piece from the very powerful article he wrote last Friday as carried on the back page of THISDAY.

The man catalogued all the Juju that is happening inside Aso Rock. He made some revelations that remain eternally scary. He talked about officials losing their children, predicted fire incidents and the scariest, the failed attempt to exchange his own life with the life of another person’s child.

My people, I have been naïve o. I have always believed that most of our politicians used to just go to church and mosque o, not knowing that there is a fetish epidemic inside the circle. I would have just carried my head and enter politics naked. Kai, they would have just killed my manhood, turned me into a “dodoyo” and finally zombified me, buried me in a shallow grave and they would now all come to my funeral and be singing “till we meet again.”

Thank you so much my brother Akin, this your write up has made me rethink very seriously my political ambitions because I doubt if I would be able to drink blood, sleep with a goat, masturbate to a corpse or eat the testicles of a camel to win elections at Shomolu local government.

Our politicians, I really doff my hat to you guys, and you guys can lie. Kai, every politician I have met from ex-heads of state to the councillor in my ward, I used to ask them- do you do juju, and they will look me square in the eye and say “hold one thing o.” Me, I hold Jesus or I hold the Almighty Allah. All of you are just liars but what else would you expect? Do you expect someone who has just been sucking the dried-up breast of a 100 year-old witch in a grove to come out and say so, because Duke has asked him a question? Kai, I was really really stupid. Brother Akin, God bless you. When you are ready, please come and let me buy you afang. I won’t however eat with you o, you will eat your own separate and far from me, because you don live for that Aso Rock and we no too sure again. Kai.

TIGRESS: SAD TALE OF OLYMPIC HEROES

While looking for what to write, I just stumbled on a post by Abi Olajuwon - our basketball heroines have not been paid their salaries and allowances despite the historic feat of reaching the Olympic quarter finals something no other team in Africa, male or female has achieved.

You see, this post if true just confirms my position that government should stay clear of sports.

I had taken this my position to Aunty Ruth Osime’s TV show penultimate Saturday to shout it.

You see, as long as government keeps funding sports, its devils of red tape, corruption and the rest must come with it and this is why we are borrowing bicycles and our athletes are running the Olympics with no underwears and begging for food to eat at the place.

We should by now be tired of all these

shenanigans of unpaid allowances, officials being much more than athletes and all of that.

Let the sporting associations be independently run. Let them source their funding so that accountability and transparency will reign and this will impact on our athletes and sports men.

Meanwhile, while waiting for reforms, can the Minister of Sports, Mr. Eno please send a letter of request to my brother Mr. Theo John Phillips, he has agreed to cover all outstanding.

Shame

OLURANTI SALAMI: AN ORPHAN JOINS THE RACE

This young boy wants to be the Chairman of Ikenne local government in Ogun State. He has no real resources, no godfather and no real structure. In fact, with this local government

TUNDE THOMPSON: A WORTHY HONOUR

As a secondary school student, I followed this story very closely because I wanted to be a journalist. They had not killed Dele Giwa just yet, so this was my first stark reality check on the risks involved with journalism.

Tunde Thompson and Nduka Irabor were two young journalists tried under the Decree 4 and they were jailed.

Oh my God! I screamed, as I saw them herded into a waiting blackmaria o. That night I did not sleep, that was me entering that blackmaria. Their courage resonated with me, and I said to myself, because of these two, I will be the most courageous journalist of all time.

Then they killed Dele Giwa. I just gave up. I call my Papa and say “I no do again. They just parcelled-bomb one of the finest. I will be a medical doctor as you want Daddy,” and I went and promptly failed all science courses.

So, when I met Tope Omojokun

as an investment banker and found out that Tunde Thompson was her dad, I screamed.

I wanted to meet him, he sent me his book and I read it and learnt a lot about the matter and the draconian nature of it all. I was amazed at the fact that he still came back to work for the same man who did that to him. It made me feel like honouring him.

So, at Gowon which just finished last weekend, I got one of the finest Nigerian gentlemen Chief Emeka Anyaoku to help me honour Mr. Tunde Thompson who is still looking very sprite and handsome.

I climbed the stage and recounted the story to a full hall of over 500 Nigerians, majority of which were not born when the incident happened and they all stood up in one accord to say thank you to this Nigerian hero

Without Tunde Thompson, just maybe, we will not be enjoying the relative press freedom we are enjoying today. Truth.

LOUD WHISPERS

autonomy which would allow local governments fiscal independence, the interest in that tier of government has increased.

So, this young lad jumping into the fray is like throwing a lamb into a hungry lion’s den. Mad abi? As I speak with him, I see raw energy in his eyes, I see the passion of youth and the confidence that comes with the virility of the unexposed I am supporting him even though I know that this would be an almost impossible task but then again, we cannot just fall down and die.

These are the kinds of things that make for a remarkable story. A story of grit, raw determination and an assiduous push towards victory.

Let’s work really hard and push very hard, this story might just be one of those rare stories of courage and victory. Amen.

GENERAL RICHARD DURU: STILL ON THE MATTER

I sha like reminding Nigerians of this matter, especially when it looks like we have all forgotten about it. We have still not heard anything from or about this Nigerian hero since he was kidnapped.

All sorts of conflicting stories from the authorities and now it’s been radio silence. Has he been released, killed, or deported? Nothing o. Radio silence. The last we heard was that he had been killed but the authorities had come out to refute it, and after that it was siesta.

Please one last time, where is General Richard Duru? Na beg. Thank you.

SEGUN OGUNSANYA: BACK TO THE BEAT

A lot of people have not heard of the Nigerian Sovereign Investments Authority (NSIA). Those who have heard really do not care about it or what it was set up to do.

For those who know and are interested, appointments to this very powerful structure are watched with very keen interest

The NSIA under my brother, Uche Orji, has achieved quite remarkably its vision of supporting the government in infrastructural development and also in building liquid and near liquid investment assets for the country.

One of its most remarkable achievements is the world renowned Cancer Centre at LUTH.

Since Orji left, I had lost interest in it for fear that the usual Nigerian ‘thing’ will enter the matter.

What has bedevilled most of such institutions in this our country is the ‘na me, na me’ syndrome where appointments have been made through very dark and smelly processes.

In fact, this present administration has been a poster boy for such smelly appointments.

So you can imagine my shock when I heard that my egbon Segun Ogunsanya has been appointed Chairman of the institution. Which Segun o? I asked. Is it the same one I saw in my brother Jallo Waziri’s house and who sat down there and was advising me on how to go and beg Chief Afe Babalola who had threatened me with “arrest.”

Is it the same Segun who came for my Play - Gowon with Segun Awolowo and Otunba Bimbo Ashiru and who I took to the green room to go and sit with Chief Anyaoku and Mr. Louis Mbanefo, SAN while waiting to wade through the crowd to their seats?

If it is the same Segun, then I can confidently say that this is one appointment that has hit target as Segun is reputed to be one of the most adroit of professionals we have ever produced.

His work at Airtel is there to attest and I am sure he will be bringing that huge experience of managing such a massive global structure to the NSIA

My only regret is that I allowed him enter on a complimentary ticket. Kai, very painful but I will catch him, not a problem. Congrats sir.

Thompson

When Olu of Warri Celebrated Third Anniversary of His Ascendancy to Throne

If you cherish royalty and the grace of being a King, you will surely appreciate why His Imperial Majesty, Olu of Warri, Ogiame Atuwatse III, celebrated the ascension of his forefathers’ throne and the grace of God in his life.

Ogiame Atuwatse III is, without doubt, an embodiment of numerous virtues. which include diligence, excellence, integrity and many more.

The young, highly cerebral and cosmopolitan monarch of Warri Kingdom in Delta State recently celebrated the third anniversary of his ascension to the throne of his fathers.

The monarch stands as a testament to purposeful leadership, grace, and an unwavering commitment to the advancement of his people. Three years have passed since his ascension to the throne, and these years have been marked by transformation, resilience, and a deep connection to both history and modernity. His is a reign of vision, deft leadership, and a reflection of his dedication to the betterment of the kingdom and Nigeria as a whole.

The third anniversary, as expected, was as grandiose as possible. Indeed, the third anniversary, as gathered, surpassed other anniversaries in the past. The memories of the week-long programme anniversary still linger for those who were present at the event.

Among the programmes was the award, known as Royal Order of Iwere, given out to top-end eminent sons and daughters of the kingdom who have contributed in no small measure to the development of the kingdom. The recipients include the Publisher of Vanguard Newspapers, Sam Amuka-Pemu, and Nigeria’s representative on the FIFA Council, Amaju Pinnick. Other recipients include Mr. Felix Omatsola, Ade Mabo, Julius Rone, Mr. Alfred Temile, Dr Ajorutsedere Awosika, Mr. Eworitsewarami Wilbert, Mrs. Oritsemeyiwa Eyesan, and Misan Harriman.

Tony Elumelu’s Lasting Legacy

When Tony Elumelu, a banking wizard and world-class businessman, founded Heirs Holdings 14 years ago, the dream was to establish an institution with a transformative impact, an establishment that would leave a lasting legacy and also be committed to improving lives and transforming Africa.

That the businessman has achieved his target is an understatement. Today, he has succeeded in creating a business group that has become the pride of Africa, impacting the lives of many Africans.

Since its inception, over 40,000 youths

Ade Mabo’s approach has always been one of humility, often shunning the limelight in favour of letting the results speak for themselves. He is an ardent believer in the saying, “If you want to feed the poor, leave the camera at home.’’

But like the saying of the English-born Professor, Paul Cowell, “No good deed goes unrewarded,” Mabo’s good deeds have been spoken so loudly today that they can no longer be ignored.

Mabo, the visionary founder of the Roli Mabo Foundation, was recently honoured with the highest honour and award by the Olu of Warri, Ogiame Atuwatse III, during the third coronation anniversary of His Majesty.

This award, as gathered, came as a testament to the quiet yet impactful work that the founder of the foundation has carried out over the years that has significantly uplifted communities and transformed lives in the Niger Delta region and beyond.

As revealed by a source, his journey is one of relentless dedication that is rooted in a deep commitment to improving the lives of those often forgotten by society. Through the Roli Mabo Foundation, he has spearheaded numerous initiatives focused on education, healthcare, community development, and economic empowerment, with a particular emphasis on underprivileged women, elderly, widows and children.

Under Mabo’s leadership, the Roli

“There is no higher religion than human service. To work for the common good is the greatest creed,’’ says the 28th President of the United States, Woodrow Wilson.

For (Dr.) Azeez Yusuf, a multifaceted individual with a heart full of passion and charity, humanity has indeed become the best religion.

have been employed across the continent. The holdings have also built so many subsidiaries operating in many sectors of the economy, such as banking, power, energy, financial services, hospitality, real estate, healthcare and technology sectors, while also operating in 24 countries worldwide.

The success of Heirs Holdings speaks volumes of Elumelu’s legacy as he leaves indelible footprints in every aspect of his businesses, dedicating his life to the cause of humanity and making a lasting difference in many lives across the continent.

Mabo Foundation has launched several groundbreaking programmes that have had a lasting impact on the communities they serve. From renovating schools in remote villages to providing scholarships for hundreds of children, the foundation has been a beacon of hope for many. With absolutely no international funding or foreign grants, Mabo (with support from a few friends and family) has personally funded the much-needed free healthcare services, free pharmacy, clean water projects and much more

to areas where amenities were previously a luxury.

One of his most lauded initiatives is the H.E.F.E (Healthcare, Education, Food Drive and Economic Empowerment) programme, which has reached over 100,000 beneficiaries since its inception. Through this programme, the foundation has not only provided essential services but also created opportunities for sustainable growth by equipping individuals with the help they need to thrive.

That Mabo was selected as one of the award recipients is a clear indication of the far-reaching impact of his work. While this recognition is a moment of celebration, Mabo remains focused on the future. He has already set his sights on expanding the foundation’s reach, with plans to introduce new programmes that address the evolving needs of the communities he serves. His vision is one of a society where no one is left behind and where every individual has the opportunity to realise their potential.

For City Businessman, Azeez Yusuf, Humanity is the Greatest Creed

The successful businessman gives to the Jew as much as he does to the Gentile. For him, service to humanity is a noble act that can significantly improve our society.

His remarkable philanthropic contributions and thriving business ventures in the country have garnered immense support and admiration from his numerous followers.

He has made his mark in the realms of business, philanthropy, and grassroots politics. His dedication to uplifting the underprivileged and his numerous achievements have endeared him to many, making him a shining example of compassion.

The philanthropist has taken it upon himself to champion the well-being of the underprivileged and support the youth in grassroots communities often overlooked by the government. He started the noble tradition of giving back to society many years ago when he was not as rich as he is today. He believes that regardless of where you are in life, there

When Billionaire Businessmen, Obiejesi, Okonkwo Hosted the Affluent

For every marriage between a billionaire’s heir and another wealthy family, the myth goes that their unborn children are smiling from heaven, assured of a life filled with riches and robust connections.

This could have been the same thought that flashed in the minds of Kene and Ugochukwu, the silver spoon children of Anambra multi-billionaires, Dr. Ernest Obiejesi and Dr. Emmanuel Okonkwo, as they began their journey into the high-stake life of holy matrimony.

Last weekend, the young couple’s parents, oil magnate Dr. Obiejesi, who is the father of the bride, Kene, and esteemed business mogul, Dr. Okonkwo, father of Ugochukwu the dashing groom, captivated the hearts of hundreds of guests at the traditional engagement of their children, held in Okija,

Anambra State.

The fairytale ceremony attended by the high and mighty was nothing short of a spectacle. Obiejesi, who owns Nestoil Group, spared nothing to ensure that his equally wealthy in-law from Ichi in Ekwusigo LGA of Anambra and other guests had a wonderful time.

Prior to the traditional ceremony in Okija, the couple had a romantic proposal boat cruise where Ugochukwu, the son of Ekulo Group Chairman, made a heartfelt offer to his sweetheart, Kene. The enchanting moment was followed by a surprise luxury engagement dinner attended by a select few friends. As these progeny of two of Nigeria’s most affluent families prepare for the last stage of the new chapter in their lives, their white wedding and its reception in a few weeks to come, it was learnt that their parents are gearing up to deliver what would be rated as the wedding of the year.

is something that you can offer, and that you mustn’t wait to be rich to be able to save the world.

For him, the act of generosity must first start from our willingness to develop a kind spirit. This, we gathered, has earned him numerous accolades and recognitions from the country’s government through his Big Apple Foundation.

In recent times, this Gambianbased Nigerian lawyer has provided palliative support to small-scale business owners and petty traders within the 13 wards of his constituency in Agege, Lagos. This initiative aims to alleviate the impact of subsidy removal on the families benefiting from the programme that is organised under the Ninalowo Empowerment Foundation.

Society Watch gathered that in his usual philanthropic gesture, the billionaire businessman has again earmarked several millions of naira for school children in the coming school year. The programme, tagged ‘Back to School Program,’ is aimed at providing palliatives for children of all public primary schools in Agege and its environs. As hinted, books, school shoes and bags will be provided for thousands of children. Apart from his philanthropic endeavours, he is also a respected member of the Nigerian Bar Association (NBA) and holds a membership card in the prestigious Eko Club. He also serves as the Grand Patron of the Yoruba Community in the Gambia. With business interests spanning countries like Turkey, Dubai, the United Kingdom, The Gambia, and Nigeria, Yusuf has proven himself to be a successful serial entrepreneur.

Elumelu

Mabo

Olu of Warri, Atuwatse III

Yusuf

ARTS & REVIEW ARTS & REVIEW

A PUBLICATION

Five Artists and the Metaphor of Blurred Lines

Exploring the blurred lines between reality and perception, a group exhibition featuring

emerging artists opens at a Port Harcourt gallery on Saturday. Okechukwu Uwaezuoke reports

Even a seemingly straightforward title for an exhibition like A Thin Line can still so easily lend itself to a penumbra of conjec- tures. And that is especially because it nudges viewers’ musings—albeit subtly—beyond the of everyday realities. “It reminds us of the almost subtle distinctions between things, situations, and/or experiences,” its curator Primrose Ochuba-Adekemi hopes to nudge viewers’ sensibilities towards deeper insights that lurk just below the surface of the apparent reality. This is by curating an eclectic mix of creative whims expressed in the for an exhibition that opens on Saturday, September 7, at Delaroke Art Gallery on Williams Jumbo Close, Old GRA, Port Harcourt.

a series of exhibitions that Delaroke Art Gallery plans to organise between September and December with a view to spotlighting sev- eral emerging artists. The project’s ultimate goal is to preserve the art scene of the oil-rich state, which preens itself on being the country’s treasure base.

In the meantime, she draws attention to a shared medium and style among the artists despite their disparate backgrounds, which invites viewers to delve further into the works’ nuanced meanings and symbolism. To bring attention to the surprisingly similar aspects of their studio work across their diverse locations requires a subtle curatorial touch.

Using metaphors like cloth, colour psychology, line dexterity, and texture presence, the remarkable quintet—which includes guest artist Obiora Anamaleze as well as Sophia Chioma Azoige, Moses Ndubuzo, Paschal Ugwu, and Davies Ben— of ‘thin lines’ in their experiences. Their paintings, as Ochuba-Adekemi thin lines can function as powerful messengers for connection and storytelling.

Beyond the initial impression of its kitschy contemporaneity, the exhibition unarguably attests to the artists’ profound creative visions. As for the ideas beneath these visions, they transcend their apparent hasty expression in forms that hardly do justice to what could have been stirring in the depths of their in- nermost being. However, while this by artistic license, it may also have resulted in a retroactive assignment emergence of meaning during the creative process. Notwithstanding the potential pitfalls of their approach, the artists

may have successfully earned their audience’s creative trust through their artistic vision. A compelling example is Obiora Anamaleze’s “Ife Nkili,” a painting that depicts -

in her boudoir. Framed at the top- right corner in the background are two other female figures—one poised to capture the moment for posterity with a camera while the other is sultry, flaunting her bare shoulders and back.This intimate scene celebrates the modern Nigerian woman.The feminine figure, endowed with the richness and elegance of melanin skin, reflects cultural representation, grace, and confidence that stem from her background. Through this and other paintings, Anamaleze explores themes of identity and cultural pride, paying tribute to AfricanAzoige’sheritage.“Trials and Triumphs,” on the other hand, is an intriguing acrylic on fabric portrait with the subtitle “A Portrait of Resilience.”

An enigmatic maiden, sporting a blue headscarf and lost in her musings, elicits the viewer’s curiosity to explore the stormy world simmering beneath her Sphynx-like serenity. Thus, with this semi-realistic com-

position, the artist deftly dangles enticingly before the audience the beauty of self-possession and the hard-earned tranquilly after reso- lutely battling one’s way through life’s existential turbulence.

Somehow, an odyssey of resilience gleams through virtually all the paintings at the exhibition, eliciting a slew of speculations about the artists’ personal journeys and blur- ring the lines between their visual individualities. Moses Ndubuzo’s creative journey, for instance, has not exactly been a cakewalk. It has seemed like a seesaw between hope

inspired by basket weaving, he had faced several moments of self-doubt and mood swings that threatened his artistic path. His paintings, especially those in his Blind Spot series—“Beyond the Headlines,” “Teach a Man to Fish,” “Dreamers,” and “Believe”—are only the latest expressions of his story of tenacity and artistic evolution.

This thin line between struggle and triumph is further underscored by Ndubuzo’s close friendship with Paschal Ugwu, whose own stylised acrylic paintings—“Crossroads,” “Wait a Minute,” and “Na Serious”Matter”—feature male

protruding noses, hinting at inner turmoil. This artistic kinship reveals a shared journey of self-discovery and creative perseverance as both artists navigate the complexities of their inner worlds through their work.

Then there is Davies Ben, who has a similar penchant for stylisation and expresses his creativity through the vibrant realm of abstract expressionism. By seamlessly merging traditional African iconography with modern contemporary tech- niques, he creates a distinct visual language that delivers fascinating stories about cultural legacy and innovation. Ben’s art exemplifies a dynamic blend of the past and present, where bold colours and expressive forms converge to create a fresh narrative of African identity.

This exhibition at Delaroke Art Gallery, which has been in existence

conversations around the concept of ‘a thin line’ through its diverse range therefore expect a nuanced conversa- tion that delves into the multiple meanings and perceptions of life and living, revealing the complexities of the human experience.

Ife Nkili by Obiora Anamaleze.

Trials and Triumph by Sophia Chioma Azoige

Na Serious Matter by Paschal Ugwu

A Cultural Heritage Engraved in Stones

Yinka Olatunbosun

White sculptures arranged in a large circle come into view upon entrance into the National Museum, Onikan, Lagos where Nigeria’s leading sculptor, Oladapo Afolayan is currently staging a retrospective solo exhibition.

With the theme, The Stone Speaks, this exhibition is a display of invaluable craftsmanship from the artist who polished his skills in stone sculpture at the Lynn Stretter’s Marble and Art Workshop at Pietrasanta (Lucca) Italy in 2007 and later at Carrara, an Italian city renowned for being the home of the best marble in the world.

This graduate of Ahmadu Bello University demonstrated unusual techniques from his carving to polishing to celebrate the beauty of nature while inspiring a renewed commitment to the preservation of these histo-cultural assets.

Curator, National Museum Lagos, Mrs Nkechi Adedeji said: “The exhibition is more than just a display; it is a platform for dialogue and education, discussion and interrogation about the future of stone craftsmanship and it's evolving role in contemporary art and design.”

EXHIBITION

Born in Osi-Ekiti, a place with historical footprints have buoyed his curiosity in this art form that would be the cornerstone of his career.

Afolayan revealed that his personal journey into stone exploration dates back to 1986. For this stones from the broken pieces of large stones in some Nigerian quarries, unlike the machine-driven large deposits that are available outside the country size of every sculpture.

For this show, he has created 12 garden stone sculptural pieces mostly in calcite marble.

“The concepts went through a wide range of time and years of contemplating,” Afolayan explained. “Some took months for the concept to emerge while others resulted from spontaneous exploration of forms.”

The works include titles such as “Royalty,” Damsel” and “Mother Care.”

One of the works titled “Tributes to Chibok Girl” is a visual homage to the memory of Leah Sharibu, a secondary school student who was kidnapped in Chibok at age 14. Sharibu who turns 21 this year is still in captivity by terrorists for refusing to renounce her Christian faith.

Incubating Teenage Boys for Brighter Creative Future

Last summer, the MAD House, a cutting-edge creative incubator nestled on the picturesque lagoon front of the University of Lagos, transformed into a vibrant hub for young talent. The art space, conceived by renowned photographer to President Buhari and alumnus of the university, welcomed a group of eager young boys for a twoweek intensive training programme.

This initiative, dubbed the Creative Summer School, was born out of Debra’s Palace Initiative’s mission to empower the next generation of creatives.

photography, content creation, and graphic design, the programme aimed to equip these young minds with the tools they need to succeed as entrepreneurs. It also provided mentorship and guidance, thus paving the way for a brighter, more creative future. With the African Union’s startling statistics, which highlight the urgent need to address the plight of the boy child, serving as a wake-up call, Damilola Chinedu, founder of Debra’s Palace Initiative, sparked a crucial conversation around a rescue project tailored to support boys. Alarming facts revealed that boys are more likely to fall victim to violent crimes, with a suicide rate four times higher more likely to end up in juvenile detention, with a staggering 85% of detained boys growing up

Hence, this initiative evolved into a collaborative creative ecosystem, designed to champion the cause of empowering boys and providing them with the tools they need to thrive. By acknowledging the challenges faced by the boy child, Debra’s Palace Initiative is working to create a safer, more supportive environment for them to grow and succeed.

MAD House, which actually means “Make A spot for learning and practice. The building, made of glass, steel, and repurposed containers, houses an art gallery, a mini theatre, and a screening room young mentees had a rare opportunity of engaging in teamwork to produce creative projects. For

Nigeria; Affiong Okpo, Head, Brand and Communication, Abbey Mortgage Bank Plc; Damilola Chinedu, Founder, Debra's Palace Initiative

on a platform that enables collaboration which is good for the industry.

EXHIBITION

An Author's Life-changing Book on Grief

Yinka Olatunbosun

Grief. It’s a feeling that puts a stop to one’s routine and may change his or her life forever. No one understands this feeling like someone who has experienced loved one. Ayodele Alabi, the author of Happiest Girl in the Room, pours out the feeling and loads of advice for the bereaved as well as their friends and associates in her candid book.

from one person to another. Despite the wide range of emotions that characterise grief, it is not angry, confused, lost, or even suicidal. Meanwhile, high-functioning grief. With this type of grief, the bereaved performs daily tasks with heightened albeit prematurely. She explains the danger of self-restraint against grieving and the impact of therapy on fast-tracking the long, winding road to recovery.

The 206-page book has great readability with its great spacing, bold font, and the author’s use the author recounts in the book her personal journey into recovery from the grief of losing her nursing mother of two. Despite facing challenges on her grief journey, she showed uncommon understanding of a variety of people and how their behaviours towards a bereaved person. Copying copiously from some biblical verses, on grief. In details, she explains what she learnt in the presence of faith, a grieved person can still seek the right medical attention while negotiating a life of grief, especially from a sudden loss of a loved one.

She analyses the feeling of grief even from the post-funeral perspective. Leaning on her past

school,” she explained. “What also prompted us to do it was the fact that this year, we had a lot of students who failed UME and the higher population was the boys.

“We had SeunAjayi, Uncle Sele,Ali Baba, Damilola Onafuwa, Chukwuemeka Chinedu of FilmWox and other mentors who came to share experiences with them. The mentors were once 14 years old so the mistakes that they’ve made and their journey would help the boys grow in knowledge.”

A short video documentary and photography series produced by the participants were screened to an audience comprising parents, sponsors, mentors and the media.

Akaoma Onyeonoru, the Programme Manager, Multichoice Talent Factory, West Africa, remarked that the project is commendable as it promotes the value of collaboration and strengthens mentormentee relationships.

“We have an academy where we train industry professionals and help them to brush up on their skills. We have a Multichoice Talent Factory in Nigeria, Zambia and Southern Africa and we have it in Kenya and East Africa. We have all of them

“Everything you learn as a child is usually a seed that grows into a tree or vineyard later on. The reason why it is important for multichoice to collaborate with Debra’s Initiative is that we really believe that if we catch a child while he or she is young, it is easier for them to frame their mind around what they want to do. They are attaching the children to mentors so that whatever it is that they have learnt can be fast tracked.”

At MAD House,YolandaAkinola, the Community Engagement Manager revealed how the project helps to build the gap between the ‘town and gown.’

“Students were the real motivation for the site of MAD House,” she enthused. “The focus for MAD House is the creative industry. We are creatives. The entire Yaba scene including Bariga has been the hub of creativity for a long time. Young people have been doing a lot of amazing things. We are a bridge. Many study in schools for several years but when they enter into the job market, they are unprepared. We have so many people like that. For education to be impactful, it must include industry.

any reader who is willing to work his or her way from the process of grief to a state of acceptance. a self-help book, raising awareness about the complexity of grief and possible ways of overcoming it. Of course, reading with an open mind may evaluate it. To be sure, the writing style oscillates from prose to poetry with the infusion of songs and poetic verses. In a non-judgemental tone, the author dissects the human mind in assessing the reaction of others to grief. This is perhaps the greatest expression of a generously forgiving spirit. Possibly, writing about her grief experience may well be a self-employed therapy to distil the pain of the loss of her husband. She encourages others to write about their loss to achieve some measure of healing, which is the ultimate goal of this self-help book. A digestible read, Happiest Girl in the Room is a piece that will appeal to a wide range of readers.

One of the stone sculptures at the exhibition

“That conversation gave birth to creative summer

Yinka Olatunbosun

Yolanda Akinola, the Community Engagement Manager, Madhouse; Kemi Ifeturoti- Head Human Resources and Business Services; Akaoma Onyeonoru, Programs Manager, MultiChoice Talent Factory,

at the wrap of Creative Summer School.

IN THE ARENA

Ending Orgy of Journalists’Arrests

Nigerians are eager to see how President Bola Tinubu’s recent promise to promote the rule of law and tolerate dissenting views will end the harassment and indiscriminate arrest of journalists by security agents, which escalated since the beginning of his administration, Davidson Iriekpen writes

When President Bola Tinubu pledged last Sunday to promote the rule of law, adhere to the principles of separation of powers, and tolerate dissenting views within the ambit of the laws of Nigeria, many Nigerians were anxious to know whether the security agencies will end their excesses.

President Tinubu who spoke through Vice-President Kashim Shettima when he declared open the Annual General Conference of the Nigerian Bar Association (NBA) in Lagos, faces increasing criticisms for his administration’s attacks on free press and dissenting voices

Incidentally, a few hours before the president spoke at the event, the Department of State Services (DSS) had arrested and detained a journalist, Adejuwon Soyinka, for six hours Soyinka, the West African Regional Editor of Conversation Africa and pioneer editor of the BBC Pidgin Service, was arrested at about 5:40 a.m last Sunday, shortly after he arrived at Murtala Muhammed International Airport from the United Kingdom.

DSS said the journalist was held at the request of an unnamed government agency.

Though he was released following the intervention of the International Press Institute (IPI), his International Passport was seized.

Just as the media industry was contending with that, news came that the police arrested and detained an investigative journalist, Isaac Bristol, identified as @PIDOMNIGERIA on X. He was said to have been subjected inhuman treatment after he was abducted on August 5.

Since the inception of the current administration, the military, police, and DSS have been notorious for their Gestapo-like tactics in arresting and unlawfully detaining perceived government’s critics, especially journalists

What started with the arrest of the then Editor of FirstNews newspaper, Segun Olatunji, in March by operatives of the Defence Intelligence Agency (DIA) has become a habit of security agencies to silence journalists and instil fear in them.

Soon after Olatunji’s travails, another journalist, Daniel Ojukwu, was on May 1 abducted by the Intelligence Response Team of the Inspector General of Police

Ojukwu, a journalist with the Foundation for Investigative Journalism (FIJ), was said to have gone missing on May 1 with his phone numbers switched off and his whereabouts unknown to

colleagues, family and friends.

However, a few days later, it was discovered that he was being held at the State Criminal Investigation Department (SCID), Panti area of Lagos. Investigation revealed that Okukwu was held for an alleged violation of the 2015 Cybercrime Act based on a story he wrote.

The Cybercrime Act, a regulatory framework for prosecuting cyber crimes, has become a law used by the federal government to prosecute journalists and media houses.

In March, the Nigeria Police Force National Cybercrime Centre (NPF-NCCC) invited and grilled the Chairperson of FIJ’s Board of Trustees, Bukky Shonibare, in Abuja during which they mentioned a story authored by Ojukwu.The story alleged that the Senior Special Assistant to former President Muhammad Buhari on Sustainable Development Goals (SSAP-SDGs), Adejoke Orelope-Adefulire, paid N147 million to a restaurant for the construction of classrooms in Lagos

The police never invited Ojukwu or any other FIJ staff member.

When Shonibare honoured the police invitation, he was never detained.

But the story changed when the police decided to abduct Ojukwu instead of formally inviting him. It was not till after 10 days in custody, that he was released

The travails of journalists in the hands of security agencies have suggested that the administration of President Tinubu does not only condone

repression of freedom of the press but also encourages it, contrary to the promises he made during his inaugural speech that his administration would uphold fundamental human rights.

The abduction and detention of Ojukwu exactly when the world was celebrating the freedom of the press, raised questions on the federal government’s commitment to the freedom of the press.

The offence for which he is alleged is bailable but he was not offered bail or arraigned in court as enshrined in the laws.

Since journalism plays a critical role in democracy, serving as a catalyst for change and as a watchdog for accountability, the police and other law enforcement agencies must avoid using the Cybercrimes Act to suppress investigative journalism aimed at entrenching a transparent and accountable system.

Nigeria remains one of West Africa’s most dangerous and difficult countries for journalists, according to the Reporters Without Borders (RSF) which ranked Nigeria 123 of 180 countries in its Global Press Freedom Report for 2023.

The report noted that Nigerian journalists are regularly monitored, attacked and arbitrarily arrested, adding that the “crimes committed against journalists continue to go unpunished, even when the perpetrators are known or apprehended.”

Apart from Soyinka, Ojukwu and Olatunji’s travails, a journalist with The Whistler Newspaper, Kasarahchi Aniagolu; a reporter with Daybreak

POLITICAL NOTES Democracy Has Come to Stay

Abductions and killings have not only led to significant loss of lives in Nigeria, they are also partly responsible for the hunger and poverty in the country as farmers have abandoned the farms over fear of attacks by bandits.

In one incident in May, bandits attacked two farming communities in Maradun and Tsafe local government areas of Zamfara State where they killed at least 30 farmers.

In March alone, no fewer than 165 farmers lost their lives nationwide to attacks by bandits with 130 of the deaths recorded in Benue State, according to the Association of Nigerian Farmers (ANF) in the state.

For instance, the Zaki-Biam yam market in Benue State, which is the largest yam

market in West Africa, has become a ghost of itself due to the invasion of the market by gunmen and attacks on farmers in the state. But instead of wiping out the poorly-trained and ill-equipped non-state actors and bandits responsible for the nationwide insecurity, the Armed Forces have continuously pledged to defend democracy as if democracy is under threat.

Last Tuesday, the Chief of Army Staff, Lt. Gen. Taoreed Lagbaja, had during the opening ceremony of the Chief of Army Staff Combined Second and Third Quarters Conference 2024, in Uyo, Akwa Ibom State, reiterated this pledge that the Nigerian Army would not to allow itself to be used to undermine democratic governance in the country.

Newspaper, Achadu Gabriel; a journalist with the Sun Newspaper, Godwin Tsa; an online publisher and journalist, Precious Eze; the Editor-in-Chief and Managing Editor of Informant247, Salihu Ayatullahi and Adisa-Jaji Azeez, respectively; Publisher of Just Events Online, Abdulrazaq Babatunde, and Publisher of Satcom Media, Lukman Bolakale, among others, were also abducted or detained under President Tinubu’s administration.

In June, the police summoned a Premium Times reporter, Emmanuel Agbo, over a report he was working on.

Last month, on different occasions, operatives of the Nigerian police and the DSS reportedly fired live ammunition and tear gas at journalists and peaceful protesters in a brutal effort to disperse the recent anti-government #EndBadGovernance protests in Abuja.

The Committee to Protect Journalists (CPJ) reported that at least 56 journalists were assaulted or harassed by security forces or unidentified citizens while covering the recent anti-government #EndBadGovernance demonstrations.

Many analysts have wondered why security agencies would make journalists their soft targets when bandits and terrorists are running amok in Niger, Zamfara, Plateau, Benue and other parts of the country. They stated that if the same zeal is deployed to arrest criminal kingpins whose gangs had stopped farmers from going to farms, there won’t be hunger in the country.

This is why a former presidential candidate and erstwhile national chairman of the Inter-Party Advisory Council (IPAC), Chief Peter Ameh recently raised the alarm that while journalists and dissenters face crackdowns, bandits and kidnappers continue to operate with impunity. Ameh warned that the government’s actions undermine freedom of speech, limit accountability, and threaten transparency

He criticised President Tinubu’s administration for fostering an environment of self-censorship, damaging public trust in institutions, and deepening societal divisions. According to him, the actions hinder informed decision-making and set a dangerous precedent that could normalise authoritarianism, ultimately threatening the very foundations of democracy.

On his part, the presidential candidate of the Labour Party in 2023, Mr. Peter Obi, raised concerns on the egregious attacks on press freedom. He highlighted that the fundamental right to free speech is inextricably linked to the right to access information about government activities and decision-making.

The Army chief had given this assurance repeatedly on previous occasions, including at a seminar for Nigerian Army officers in Abuja in March this year, and at the cadet passing-out parade and oath-taking ceremony at the Nigerian Army School of Infantry in Jaji, Kaduna in August last year.

While the commitment of the military to protect democracy should be acknowledged and commended, these repeated assurances are needless; it is heating up the politics.

The repeated assurances create needless fear. Democracy has come to stay.

What Nigerians prefer to hear from the military is a timeline to end insecurity, which is their greatest worry. They want to be free to go about their businesses without being harassed, maimed or killed.

Lagbaja’

Idris

BRIEFING NOTES

Time to Call Mamman to Order

Barely a month after the Minister of Education, Tahir Mamman dusted off what has been described as a retrogressive education policy to deny young brilliant Nigerians who are below the age of 18 years the opportunity for university education, Ejiofor Alike reports that the minister has extended this long-abandoned policy to prospective candidates for NECO and WAEC to force students below 18 out of secondary schools and create more out-of-school children in the country

Why has President Bola Tinubu not stopped the Minister of Education, Tahir Mamman from implementing a longabandoned and outdated education policy, which many believe will destroy the education of a generation of young Nigerians and create many out-of-school children?

This is the question agitating the minds of students, parents and other Nigerians who have watched with trepidation as the 70-year-old minister insisted on the implementation of the outdated 6-3-3-4 policy on education introduced when he was barely 30 years old.

This is a policy the then President Goodluck Jonathan had at a Presidential Stakeholder’s Summit, at the Transcorp Hilton, Abuja, in October 2010 passed a vote-of-no confidence on, saying that it had failed to provide the solutions to the Nigerian education system.

Jonathan also urged all those behind the introduction of the policy to apologise to Nigerians.

But since his assumption of office, Mamman has shown curious interest to dust off the policy to deny students below the age of 18 years the opportunity of writing WAEC, NECO and JAMB.

In what seems like a well-orchestrated plot, the Chairman of the Senate Committee on Tertiary Institutions andTETFund, Senator Muntari Dandutse, also aligned with the minister, promising that his committee would come up with a legislation to support 18 years as entry limit for admission into tertiary institutions.

Even the clarification by the Chairman of the Senate Committee on Media and Publicity, Senator Adeyemi Adaramodu, that minimum age requirement would only be implemented through the passage of a legislation, could not stop the minister.

Mamman did not wait for any bill before he hurriedly rammed his obnoxious policy down the throats of all the stakeholders in the education sector at the Joint Admissions and Matriculation Board (JAMB) 2024 policy meeting in July this year.

In what was viewed as his sinister move to frustrate the education of young admission seekers, who had already sat for the 2024 UTME and were awaiting their results, the minister had initially told the stakeholders that the policy would take effect from 2024.

It took the shouts of “no, no” from the crowd of education stakeholders for him to give one year of grace for the policy to take effect from 2025.

Curiously, the President of ASUU, Prof. Emmanuel Osodeke, who had never raised the issue of age limit of admission seekers as part of the challenges of the education sector or as one of the grievances of the union, had quickly thrown his weight behind

the policy due to his open disdain for the rise in the number of private universities.

Despite the widespread condemnations that trailed the age limit policy for university admission, the minister last Sunday pushed his agenda further by declaring that WAEC, which administers the West African Senior School Certificate Examination (WASSCE) and NECO, which organises the Senior School Certificate Examination (SSCE) would no longer allow students below 18 years to be eligible for the two examinations.

In many advanced countries, admission into universities is based on the academic achievements of the students and their capacities to cope as undergraduates, and not on backward age limits.

Millions of young Nigerians below the age of 18 have developed the physical, emotional and mental capacity to withstand the rigours of academic studies.

In 21st Century when children below 18, like the 17-year-old Spanish footballer, Lamine Yamal and others, have brought fame to their countries through sports and academics, Nigeria’s minister is dragging their education backwards with an outdated policy long-abandoned by successive

administrations.

Early this year, a 17-year-old Nigerian and member of the Class of 2023 of The Ambassadors College, Ota, Ogun State, Master Oluwafemi Ositade, secured 14 scholarships worth $3.5 million to multiple Ivy League universities in the United States, including Harvard, as well as other top-notch universities in Canada and Qatar.

Reacting to the minister’s policy, a senior lecturer at the University of Lagos (UNILAG), who did not want his name in print, told THISDAY that: “The minister has a hidden agenda. Why did he not adopt the 18 years age limit for admission at the Baze University, Abuja, where he was the Vice Chancellor? He is obviously one of the few conservatives discreetly working to bring the educationally-advantaged parts of the country down to the same level of educational disadvantage with the educationally-less advantaged parts. When students waste two or three years at home to attain the age of 18 before writing WAEC, NECO and JAMB examinations, many of them won’t continue their education and that is his agenda,” the lecturer alleged.

He argued that the likes of the minister have

NOTES FOR FILE

no business supervising the education ministry in a modern age, adding that he is a distraction to the Renewed Hope Agenda of President Tinubu.

In his reaction, the Chancellor of Afe Babalola University, Ado-Ekiti (ABUA), Chief Afe Babalola (SAN), also condemned the age limit policy for WAEC, NECO and JAMB, saying: “You don’t just go out as a Minister of Education to direct universities against the university’s autonomy as to who to admit or who not to admit. The university must decide to exercise its discretion and you can’t take that discretion from them.”

On his part, former Vice President Atiku Abubakar, in a statement, described the age-limit policy as archaic, adding that it “belongs in the Stone Ages.”

“To be clear, the Nigerian Constitution puts education in the concurrent list of schedules, in which the sub-national government enjoys more roles above the federal government,” he said.

Atiku, who further stated that “it is extraconstitutional for the federal government to legislate on education like a decree,” added that the best global standard is to allow the sub-national governments to make respective laws or rules on education.

Also reacting, the National President of the Congress of University Academics (CONUA), ASUU’s rival body, Dr. Niyi Sunmonu, also rejected the 18 years age limit for university admission and recommended 17 years.

In an interview with a national newspaper, the Secretary General of the Nigeria Union of Teachers (NUT), Dr. Mike Ene, said it would negatively affect the education sector.

When he was reminded that the minister was talking about the maturity of the students, Ene noted that the situation has changed in today’s world.

He said: “We were asked to touch our ears and be up to six in those days. Now, both parents have to work to fend for their families and that is why people take their wards to school early.”

Similarly, the Deputy National President of National Parents/ Teachers Association of Nigeria (NAPTAN), Chief Adeolu Ogunbanjo, also vowed that the body would challenge the policy in court.

“We have spoken to some lawyers on the matter; they said we should just be patient for the year 2025 to roll in. Around March next year, before WAEC and others start to conduct the SSCE, we will sue the government if they refuse to drop the policy. We will go to court because the minister wants to draw education back in the country,” he was quoted as saying.

Will President Tinubu and the National Assembly wait for the education of young Nigerians to be truncated before halting the implementation of this sinister agenda?

Kudos to NSA for Rescuing 20 Medical Students

With the information emanating from security circle over the successful rescue of the 20 medical students and seven other hostages, who were abducted by a criminal gang in Benue State is true, kudos must be given to the Office of the National Security Adviser (ONSA) led by Mallam Nuhu Ribadu for coordinating the operation. Report had it that the ONSA led the operatives of the Nigerian Army, Nigeria Police Force, and the Department of State Services (DSS) to carry out the rescue operation on August 22, 2024, without paying the N50 million ransom demanded by the terrorists. The hostages, who were abducted on August 15 while travelling to Enugu, included 20 medical students

from the University of Jos and the University of Maiduguri. In addition to the students, five other passengers and two victims previously taken by the gang were also freed.

During a press briefing last Sunday, the Inspector-General of Police (IG), Kayode Egbetokun, praised the coordinated efforts that led to the successful rescue.

The IG credited the operation’s success to a robust security network, intelligence gathering, collaboration with other security agencies, community engagement, and the deployment of highly skilled officers.

Nigerians are looking forward to seeing the deployment of the same strategy to stamp out terrorism in the country going forward.

Terrorism has lingered for too long in Nigeria, and it is believed that lack of synergy among security agencies has been hindering the fight against the menace.

The DSS under the immediate past leadership, which was always supposed to be in the forefront of providing intelligence failed in this regard.

Ribadu was said to have been frustrated that the DSS was allegedly undermining his efforts to carry out the marching orders given by President Bola Tinubu to rid the country of terrorists and kidnappers.

It is hoped that the new Director General of DSS, Adeola Ajayi, would collaborate with other security agencies to rid the country of terrorists instead of running after some innocent Nigerians to hang terrorism-financing charges on their necks.

Ribadu

Mamman

Can Osigwe Restore NBA’s Lost Glory?

As Afam Osigwe assumes the leadership of the Nigerian Bar Association, many wonder if he can restore the association’s traditional role as a powerful advocate for the rule of law and good governance in Nigeria, Wale Igbintade writes

One of the reverberating highlights of the 2024 Annual Conference of the Nigerian Bar Association (NBA) held in Lagos last week was the swearing-in of Afam Osigwe, (SAN) as the 32nd President of the association.

Osigwe, positioned to pilot the affairs of the association for the next two years, was elected recently in an election conducted in Abuja but held virtually.

A former General Secretary of the association between 2014 and 2016, Osigwe polled 20,435 votes, more than half of the total ballots cast for the presidential position, to defeat his two rivals - Tobenna Erojikwe, who came a distant second with 10,998 votes, and another Senior Advocate of Nigeria (SAN), Chukwuka Ikuazom, who came third with 9,018 votes.

The position of the 1st Vice-President went to Mr. Sabastine Anyia who polled 12,114 votes to defeat his closest rival, Mr. Bartholomew Aguegbodo, who scored 6,864 votes, while four other contestants trailed behind.

For the position of the 2nd Vice-President, Mrs. Bolatumi Olasunbo Animashaun polled 26,534 votes to defeat Mr. Pius Idemudia Oiwoh’s 11,121 votes.

Similarly, Mrs. Zainab Aminu Garba defeated Mr. Michael Olanrewaju Olorunmola to emerge as the 3rd Vice-President, having polled 23,550 votes against Olorunmola’s 13,897 votes.

The post of General Secretary went to Dr. Mobolaji Idris Ojibara, who scored 25,713 votes to defeat Mr. Abdulwasiu Alpha, who scored 11,730 votes

Winners also emerged from the elections of nine other national officers. Zonal representatives of the General Council of the association from the Eastern, Northern and Western zones were also elected.

The position of the president was restricted to eligible candidates from the Eastern zone of the NBA, whose turn it was, under the association’s strict zoning arrangement, to fill the position for the next two years.

The two other regional groups are the Western and the Northern Zones, which produced the president in 2022.

A splinter zone, called the Mid-Western zone emerged from the Western region in 2014 to produce Augustine Alegeh, a SAN, as the president. But the group has since retracted to its low-key status within the Western zone.

Osigwe, whose legal career spanned 25 years, having been called to bar in 1999, took over from Yakubu Maikyau, who represented the Northern zone.

The new president, who perhaps knows that he is assuming the leadership of the association at a time when its rating is very low, has however, promised that under his watch, the association would promote the rule of law, and protect human rights in the country.

Osigwe, who campaigned for office to tackle corruption in the bar and on the bench, is expected to revive the dwindling NBA’s traditional role of holding public officers accountable and take leadership on other issues of public interest.

His NBA leadership comes when public confidence in the judiciary and the legal profession is abysmally low, fuelled by a series of perverse court decisions, crashing professional and ethical standards, and frustrating delay of cases in courts.

Osigwe, who became a SAN in 2020, is also inheriting the discontent of various interest groups threatening to break the NBA into splinters.

Like every other election the association has held in recent times, the one for the president’s office did not come without controversies.

One of the candidates, Ikwuazom, a former chairperson of NBA, Lagos branch, announced his withdrawal from the race at the middle of the voting, alleging that the process was compromised

to ensure a predetermined outcome.

He argued that the vote counts did not reflect the support he received.

“It has become increasingly evident that the integrity of the electoral process has been compromised. Despite the overwhelming support from my dedicated supporters, the reported figures do not align with the true expression of our votes.

As a candidate committed to upholding transparency and the rule of law, I cannot in good conscience continue to participate in a compromised electoral process,”

Ikwuazom said in a statement.

However, his opponents pointed out that the support he claimed to have received was a mere endorsement of candidates in every election, which had never translated to votes in any election.

A screenshot of a WhatsApp conversation between some senior lawyers suggesting that President Bola Tinubu made frantic efforts to sway votes for Osigwe also circulated online on the day of the election.

But the Attorney-General of the Federation and Minister of Justice, Mr. Lateef Fagbemi (SAN), denied the purported president’s backing of Osigwe.

In a statement, Fagbemi maintained that President Tinubu did not instruct anyone to campaign for any candidate.

“He (Tinubu) will abide by the outcome of a free and fair election and is ready to work with any candidate that emerges,” Fagbemi said in a statement.

As the new executive took over the leadership of the NBA last week, it is expected that it will restore the lost glory of the revered association.

The new NBA leadership needs to confront erring members, no matter

how influential they are, who are in the habit of filing frivolous suits that ridicule the judiciary.

Osigwe and his team would also have to contend with the union’s internal disagreement. Over the past few years, dissatisfied members of the association had indicated their readiness to pull out and form splinter groups.

Only last year, the former president, Maikyau, had a tough time with some members of his executive, who had accused him of running a one-man show, as well as spending a whopping N700 million on conference bags used at the NBA 2023 Annual General Conference.

Maikyau, while fighting back, had accused his predecessor, Mr. Olumide Akpata of misdeeds over the launch of the NBA portal. Indeed, the 2023 conference could best be described as a “No holds barred” movie of Learned Colleagues, joyfully washing their dirty clothes in the full glare of the public.

The association under Maikyau is still in court with the chairman of the NBA Section on Public Interest and Development Law (NBA-SPIDEL), Mr. John Aikpokpo-Martins, who was sacked for engaging in activities that allegedly undermined the authority of the NBA president. The sacked executives are however challenging the powers of the NBA council to remove them from office.

Many Nigerians still remember with nostalgia the era when the likes of Alao Aka-Bashorun and other activists were the President of the NBA and the vibrancy they brought to the association. That vibrancy has however been elusive since the past nine years.

This is why many look forward to seeing an association that would not only speak truth to power and promote the rule of law and protect human rights in the country but would make the government of the day and people be held responsible for their actions.

In the past nine years, so many unimaginable things and events have happened both in the

judiciary and society that have made Nigerians wonder if there is still an NBA. The government has not only trampled on human rights continuously but has also ridiculed court judgments, and the constitution.h

The government has also harassed and intimidated judges to the consternation of the people without any strong resistance from the NBA other than the mere issuance of press statements.

This is why many observers feel that the last time they saw the Aka-Bashorun kind of vibrancy in the NBA was when the likes of Wole Olanipekun (SAN), Olisa Agbakoba (SAN) and Rotimi Akeredolu (SAN) were presidents of the association.

“It’s so sad for Nigeria, all the pressure groups and eminent persons we grew up knowing how they stood up to the government, defending the rights of the people, be they NBA, CSOs, NUPENG, PENGASSAN, etc, have all been hijacked by inactive leaderships, thereby relegating these bodies to the background. They have all lost their voices because they are all pursuing personal agenda instead of a better society for all,” said a lawyer who spoke to THISDAY on account of anonymity.

Another senior lawyer also revealed to THISDAY thus: “The NBA officials we have in recent times were very disappointing. Most of them contested for these positions for personal aggrandisement. Even lawyers who used to be very vocal and vociferous on human rights issues, have lost their voices.

“They have turned the NBA, an association that used to be a serious organ and a major weapon in the fight for the protection of the common man, to a lame duck. Its main reason for existence should be the protection of the sanctity of the judiciary. Even in that area, it has failed Nigerians woefully,” he further stated.

Despite the enthusiasm that greeted Osigwe’s election, many wonder if he would give the NBA the strong voice it was known for.

The months ahead would certainly be the judge.

Osigwe

Uneasy Calm in Labour Party over Stakeholders’ Meeting

Will the stakeholders’ meeting of the Labour Party convened by Governor Alex Otti of Abia State and the presidential candidate of the party in the 2023 election, Peter Obi resolve the crises in the party or complicate them? Chuks Okocha asks

The stakeholders’ meeting of the Labour Party (LP) convened by the presidential candidate of the Labour Party (LP) in the 2023 election, Peter Obi and the only elected governor on the party’s platform, Alex Otti of Abia State, seems to be unsettling the Julius Abure-led National Working Committee (NWC) of the party.

Though the agenda of the meeting, slated for Wednesday, September 4, in Umuahia, the Abia State capital, according to a statement signed by Obi and Otti, was not stated, many believe that it is not unconnected with the leadership crisis rocking the party since its March 29 national convention that was boycotted by major stakeholders.

Since after the 2023 presidential election, the party under Abure has been enmeshed in crisis. While many of the crises border on corruption, others are associated with the various suits filed to remove him from office.

In the eyes of the public and others, the crises in the party, once seen as a rising force, have weakened it internally and diminished its standing among the electorate. It now appears directionless.

Recently, the Nigeria Labour Congress (NLC) and the Trade Union Congress (TUC) worsened the crises when they contested the leadership of the party with the Abure-led NWC.

Perhaps the climax was the dispute between the party and the Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC). The commission had claimed that it did not monitor the Nnewi convention of the party.

Following the non-invitation of the party to its official assignments by INEC, Otti had asked the Abure-led party to summon a meeting of the National Executive Committee (NEC) for August 31 to discuss the problems affecting the party. But the Abure leadership kicked against the idea, claiming that there was no need for such as the present executive committee headed by him was properly constituted.

Rather, he set up a disciplinary committee and threatened to discipline erring members. He also claimed that INEC, the regulatory body of political parties, had not written to reject the national convention of the party that took place on March 29.

Following a request by Steve Adehi (SAN), to INEC to obtain the true status of the Julius Abure-led party’s national convention, INEC had last month said it did not monitor the Nnewi convention of the party.

In response to Adehi’s letter, the acting National Secretary of INEC, Harilu Aminu, in a letter dated July 18, 2024 said, “The commission has received your request for Certified True Copy (CTC) of the monitored report of Labour Party Convention at Nnewi, Anambra State held on the 27 day of March 2024, and the Labour Party Constitution. The Certified True Copy of the Labour Party “Constitution has been forwarded to your firm earlier. Regrettably the commission did not monitor the Labour Party Convention of 27 March 2024 and cannot therefore report on the convention.”

It was in view of INEC’s claim that the duo of Obi and Otti summoned an expanded stakeholders’ meeting to resolve the lingering crisis in the party.

The circular convening the meeting partly reads, “Three representatives of the Nigeria Labour Congress, who are members of the National Executive Council of the party, three representatives of the Trade Union Congress,

who are members of the National Executive Council of the Labour Party, vice presidential candidate of the 2023 election will be attending.

“Also invited are Abia State Deputy Governor, all serving and former senators, who are members of the party, all serving and former members of the House of Representatives, serving members of Houses of Assembly of states, five members of the Abure-led National Working Committee viz: National Chairman, Deputy National Chairman, Secretary, woman leader and youth leader, gubernatorial candidates of Edo and Ondo states.

“The following former governorship candidates, representing the six geopolitical zones, will attend: Ken Pela (Delta State – South-south), Gbadebo Rhodes-Vivour (Lagos State – Southwest), Chijioke Edeoga (Enugu State – South-east), Jonathan Asake (Kaduna State – North-west), Patrick Dakum (Plateau State – North-central), Keftin Amuga (Gombe State – North-east).”

Apparently responding to the scheduled meeting, Abure had last Tuesday urged Otti to stick to governance and stop meddling in the party affairs by summoning the NEC meeting. He said it was not the position of the governor to consider taking such a decision.

At a press conference held at the LP national secretariat in Abuja, the LP national chairman said his grievance was predicated on the outcome of a recent meeting he had with Otti where the Abia governor stated his intention to convene a NEC meeting on August 31 to dissolve the executives at the ward, local government, state and national levels on the purported grounds that their tenures had expired.

Abure stated: “The National Working

Committee (NWC) consequently notes as follows: The national leadership hereby states unequivocally that there is no vacuum in the leadership of our party and conscious of the fact that the tenure of the executives was to last till June 2024.

“The national convention of the party was held in March 27, 2024 at Nnewi, Anambra State, at which the governor of Abia State was ably represented by his deputy, who also doubled as the chairman of the convention committee.

“It must be noted that most of the government functionaries from Abia State, including the deputy governor, commissioners, Chief of Staff, and indeed all the Labour Party state assembly members, led by the Speaker of the House, Senior Special Assistants and other aides of the governor, were present at that convention.

“It must be stressed that the laws of the land, which include the following: the 1999 Constitution, the Electoral Act 2022, the Labour Party Constitution, and indeed, all other laws of the land were adhered to in convening that convention.”

“Article 14 of the Labour Party Constitution provides that it is only the national chairman and the national secretary of the party who can convene the meetings of the National Working Committee, National Executive Committee and National Convention or any other national meeting of the party.

“In the exercise of that power, therefore, on the 20th of December, 2023, the national chairman and the national secretary of the party issued notices to the Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC) for the convening of the national convention of the party that was scheduled to hold in March 2024.

“It must be noted that Section 82(1) of 2022 Electoral Act provides as follows: Every registered political party shall give the commission at least 21 days’ notice of any convention, congress, conference or meeting convened for the purpose of ‘merger’ and

electing members of its executive committees, other governing bodies or nominating candidates for any of the elective offices specified under this Act.

“It was in fulfillment of this provision that the national chairman and the national secretary of the party issued notice to INEC on the 4th of December 2023. When it became apparent for logistics reasons that the convention would be held at the earlier venue, another notice for change of venue was issued to INEC on the 14th of March, 2024.

“Again, another notice for a change of venue was issued on the 20th and 21st of March 2024. It is, therefore, clear that the party has fulfilled its obligation under the Electoral Act and the constitution of the party.”

Abure added, “It is safe to conclude that Labour Party under this leadership has complied with the provisions of the Electoral Act, Constitution of Nigeria and the Labour Party constitution in convening the national convention of the party that was held at Nnewi, Anambra State, on the 27th of March, 2024.

“Therefore, for any person(s), group or agency to speculate that the tenures of the current executives have expired, it is not only mischievous but a deliberate attempt to put the party in comatose.”

Despite Abure’s explanation, Obi and Otti are determined to proceed with the stakeholders’ meeting.

When contacted for a reaction to Obi and Otti’s insistence, the National Publicity Secretary of the Labour Party, Obiora Ifoh, said they were unaware of such a circular.

Ifoh said: “We are officially unaware of any meeting. I am just hearing that it has been changed from NEC to stakeholders’ meeting along with the new date from you.”

He, however, declined to comment on whether Abure and the NWC members would attend the scheduled meeting.

For now, members of the party are anxiously waiting for the outcome of the stakeholders’ meeting to see if it would resolve the crisis or worsen it.

Obi

Otti

Abure

RETURN OF SPECULATIONS

someone not knowing the value of their first spouse until they have a second one. Jonathan’s government now looks like learners in the art and science of corruption as the EFCC and ICPC continue to unearth the monumental graft in the APC era. It appears to be multiplying every day — with looting now being discussed in trillions of naira, compared to billions in times past. Although this is no consolation, we used to steal oil revenue but with the scarcity of petrodollars, we resorted to looting the money we do not have. Insecurity has multiplied and added banditry and kidnapping to its dubious portfolio. Let us not even discuss the economy.

To be clear, I have never believed one Nigerian party is better than the other. I have said it, again and again, that APC and PDP are the same. I have never bought the argument that one party has more competence than the other, especially in a polity where people defect for fun. For instance, the current APC chairman was a member of the PDP. The notion that you suddenly become patriotic and competent because you swapped your logo has never appealed to me. I know it can be strongly argued that most of the security and economic challenges were inherited

MAMMAN’S MISSION

I don’t know what to make of the doggedness of Prof Tahir Mamman, the education minister, to bar students under the age of 18 from going to the university. Yes, in advanced societies, entry age for university is 18 — as many Nigerians on the japa train have discovered to their disappointment. However, it is an age-old culture for our children to enter universities at 16 in Nigeria. Therefore, a change cannot happen overnight. If the government goes ahead, it will surely disrupt the education of millions of students who are set to go to the university. Will they now sit at home? By the way, why has Mamman made this his priority — of all the problems in the education sector? Curious.

from the PDP, but it can also be counter-argued that in trying to fix the situation, the APC has further worsened matters.

Increasingly, there seems to be a wave of nostalgia about the Jonathan era: his supporters still point to his “competent” economic team, “inclusive” appointments (not just regional or religious balance but gender equity as well) and “respect” for the rule of law as things they have missed since he left office. Indeed, there is real bitterness among many of his supporters that he was hounded out of power because he was an ethnic minority. This is quite interesting because his opponents believed he was the “most clueless president ever” and ran the “most incompetent administration” in Nigeria’s history when they were campaigning against him in the 2015 elections. How times change!

If Jonathan indeed wants to return, he has many rivers to cross. One, there is a constitutional question. An amendment to the 1999 constitution, done in 2017, states in section 137(3) that a “person who was sworn in as President to complete the term for which another person was elected as President shall not be elected to such office for more than a single term”.

SCAM YARD

Jonathan was sworn in to complete Yar’Adua’s term in 2010, then elected the following year. An ordinary interpretation means he is disqualified. However, since he was elected before the amendment, can a new provision take retroactive effect? Expect a legal challenge, although judicial precedents appear to favour him.

Two, Jonathan should not expect an easy ride in the PDP. The party is not in the best of places. The elephant in the room is Alhaji Atiku Abubakar, who clearly wants to have a go at the presidential race again in 2027. He flew the PDP flag in 2019 and 2023 and seems to have mastered how to get the party’s ticket. That is a big obstacle to Jonathan, who defeated Atiku to the party’s ticket in 2011. Atiku left for the APC in 2015 but came third in the presidential primary behind Buhari and Dr Rabiu Musa Kwankwaso.

Meanwhile, Chief Nyesom Wike, who apparently worked for Tinubu in the 2023 election, is still very much influential on the PDP hierarchy. The PDP is, simply put, all over the place.

Three, Jonathan could be up against Tinubu, the incumbent president, if both decide to run. I think Tinubu will bid for a second term. I don’t know of any president that willingly gives up the right to go for a

And Five Other Things…

The Economic and Financial Crimes Commission (EFCC) has arrested four suspects who allegedly demanded a $1 million bribe from Mr. Mohammed Bello-Koko, former managing director of the Nigeria Port Authority (NPA), claiming he was being investigated. They allegedly claimed they were acting on behalf of Mr Ola Olukoyede, the EFCC chairman. Although it might sound ridiculous, this crime is very common. There is a whole industry around blackmail, extortion and impersonation around the country, many of the scammers claiming to be acting on behalf of an anti-graft agency or presidency. We always talk about Yahoo-yahoo but the impersonation trade is quite huge. Audacious.

CLEAN SWEEP

With the appointments of new heads for the Department of State Services (DSS) and the National Intelligence Agency (NIA), President Tinubu has now done a total sweep of the security chiefs he inherited from President Buhari. That they lasted for more than one year into the Tinubu administration is unusual but not unprecedented. President Yar’Adua retained MajorGen Sarki Mukhtar as NSA from when he assumed office in May 2007 till he died in May 2010. He also retained some of President Olusegun Obasanjo’s senior military chiefs, although he moved them around. After Yar’Adua, however, every president has always quickly appointed new security chiefs. Tradition.

CLARIFICATIONS

second term, apart from President Nelson Mandela of South Africa who declined the opportunity in 1999 because he never intended to do more than one term. Most recently, President Joe Biden was practically forced to give up his second term bid. Tinubu is not a politician you underrate in a fight. He will do anything and everything to retain power. But, as we saw in 2015 — ironically with Jonathan — it is harder to stay put if the biggest forces are aligned against you.

Overall, what do I think about the Jonathan Project? Good question. My position is that it is well within his rights to run, but the day is still young. It is too early to discuss 2027. Politicians may disagree with me but my experience of Nigerian politics is that the presidential race does not start this early. What we can have, at best, is permutation or speculation. Luckily, Nigerians were created for elections. Every new season excites us, like the English Premier League. We just love the intrigues and the tintinnabulation. We are already printing campaign posters. If this excitement is doing some good to our mental health, then let it continue. But, trust me, discussing 2027 now is a waste of spit.

In my article, ‘In Pursuit of a PanNigerian Identity’ (THISDAY, August 18, 2024), I said “Jam’iyaar Mutanen Arewa” means “Society of Northern Youths” in Hausa. I have been corrected that it actually means “Northern Peoples Congress”. As a monolingual Nigerian, I definitely can use some help with translations. Also, the derision of Dr Nnamdi Azikiwe as descending from “Zik of Africa to Owelle of Onitsha” was originally made by Chief Chukwuemeka Ojukwu, the Biafran leader, and was only echoed by President Obasanjo much later. Appreciation for the clarifications goes to Alhaji Ibraheem Musa, my big brother in Kaduna who is always buying me books, particularly memoirs. Gracias.

SOME QUESTIONS ARISING FROM NNPCL’S 2023 ACCOUNTS

N17.7 trillion in 2022 to N162.96 trillion in 2023, an increase of 820%. Again: what explains this significant jump in two consecutive years? Also, Trade and Other Receivables rose from 30% to 66% of total assets from one year to the other. This suggests that in 2023, NNPCL looked more like a trading company than an oil production company if two-thirds of its total assets are in what it was owed as opposed to what it owned. Notes 24 on page 80 has a breakdown of the Trade and Other Receivables. This shows that Other Receivables alone amounted to N108.44 trillion. Note 24.3, also on page 80, has a disaggregation of the Other Receivables, and this indicates that Sundry Receivables accounted for N108.15 trillion or 99.7% of Other Receivables. Then, Note 24.3.1 on page 81 defines Sundry Receivables as: “mainly recovered but yet to be settled debt, receivables from defunct bank and deposits for letters of credit, joint venture receivables and strategic alliance receivables.” That was all the explanation offered for assets worth about $120 billion (based on the N907.11/$ conversion rate used by the company for its assets). By all standards, $120 billion is a significant sum that deserves fuller explanation. This scanty level of disclosure is duly replicated on the liability side, in a more perfunctory manner. According to NNPCL, its Trade and Other Payables (basically what it owed others) increased from N25.03 trillion in 2022 to N163.73 trillion in 2023. This means that Trade and Other Payables increased by 554% from one year to the other. Trade and Other Payables also constituted 66% of the Total Equity and Liabilities of the company for the year as against 43% of the previous year. The natural question to ask again is: what is going on here or why is this so?

But this is not the catch. Note 38 on page 96 has a disaggregation of the Trade and Other Payables. This reveals that Other Payables alone accounted for N112.58 trillion. This is further broken down in Note 38.3, on the same page, which shows that Accrued Expenses alone amounted to N104.13 trillion. In 2022, Accrued Expenses amounted to N442.58 billion in 2022. This means that there was a whopping increase of 23,427% in Accrued Expenses from one year to another. Is that not amazing? Again, it is logical to ask: what’s going on here?

Note 38.3.2 on page 97 simply explains Accrued

Mele Kyari, Group CEO, NNPCL

Expenses as consisting of “retention fees, legal fees accruals and audit fees accruals.” That’s all the explanation for N104.13 trillion or $115 billion (based on the N907.11/$ conversion rate that the company used for its assets). That is it?

NNPCL and its auditors (PWC, SIAO, and Muhtari Dangana & Co. and their partners that signed the statement) can surely do better than just state, in a rather flippant manner, that the company had accrued expenses of $115 billion in just 2023. The scanty way that $120 billion and $115 billion were treated as Sundry Receivables and Accrued Expenses seems to suggest a deliberate design and betrays a grave lack of respect for Nigerians. The treatment clearly doesn’t meet the significance threshold. The quality of disclosure here should clearly be of interest to the Financial Reporting Council of Nigeria.

According to the audited financial statement, NNPCL’s total assets was N246.82 trillion in 2023. This news should gladden the hearts of all Nigerians. Assuming this represented a true reflection of the total assets of the company, this should make the current administration deliriously joyous. Using NNPCL’s conversion rate for assets

for the year, this means that the company had total assets of $272 billion as at 31st December 2023 (a magical increase from $129 billion of 2022 when the company used N448.55/$ as the conversion rate for its assets).

Total assets of $272 billion in 2023 put NNPCL in the league of the biggest oil companies in the world by assets. In 2023, NNPCL had assets bigger than those of national oil companies and global international oil companies such as PEMEX ($136 billion), Equinor ($143 billion), Petronas ($179 billion), Petrobras ($217 billion) and Chevron ($261 billion). NNPCL’s assets in 2023 amounted to 72% of ExxonMobil’s ($376 billion), 67% of Shell’s ($406 billion) and 41% of Saudi Aramco’s ($660 billion). Is that not amazing?

This is more fantastic news than NNPCL’s ‘gravity defying’ profit and other pretty spins it has put on its 2023 financials. With such supposed assets, NNPCL can be more useful in addressing the forex liquidity challenge that has led to the serious undervaluation of the Naira after the free float compounded by the drying up of the forex from crude oil that accounts for more than 80% of Nigeria’s exports. If NNPCL’s assets are as

NO COMMENT

The Nigeria Football Federation (NFF) has done it again — announcing the appointment of Bruno Labbadia, a German coach, as the manager of the Super Eagles, even releasing his first team list for the upcoming World Cup qualifiers. Days later, the NFF said there was no agreement and blamed the “stringent regulations of German tax authorities” for Labbadia’s failure to take up the job. Will things ever change in this country? When are we going to stop embarrassing ourselves before the world? I have always said our administrators are a stumbling block to our progress, and even when we achieve anything, it is in spite of them. Announcing an appointment that never was? Wonderful.

disclosed, the company can easily attract a valuation above $100 billion. Listing 20% of the company on a foreign stock exchange will bring greater relief to the country than the recent habit of pledging future crude oil for some paltry loans. It will thus be important to fast-track the promised Initial Public Offering (IPO) on major stock exchanges. Let’s just hope the total assets are really as stated. There many other things that should get eyebrows raised in NNPCL’s 2023 financials. Some of these include: the value that the company provided to the country for the N669 billion it got as management fee from 30% of profit oil alone and whether that portion of the PIA should not be looked at again; whether the company is adequately flogging its assets and deriving enough profit from its revenue, when compared to its peers.

Other issues include: the size of and the increase in related-parties loans between NNPCL and its subsidiaries and the sundry things such loans are used for; the logic of declaring profit of N3.3 trillion while carrying liabilities of N8.7 trillion in taxes and royalties; and the rationale for the multitude of Funding and Technical Service Agreements (FTSAs) entered into by NNPC Exploration and Production Limited (NEPL), which not only constrain the crude oil available to the company and the country, but also raise questions about the technical and financial capacity of the E&P subsidiary of the company and the need for independent assessment of the worth of such agreements to the country, and evoke the spectre of the discredited Strategic Alliance Agreements (SAAs). There are other questions and concerns depending on how you look at the report and where you look.

While some of these questions arise because of the woolly nature of some of the disclosures, others are based on the need for better and more accountable stewardship of a national patrimony. It is worth restating that these questions do not impute or establish wrongdoing yet. A company that received more than half a trillion Naira from just managing Production Sharing Contracts (PSCs) alone can sure do better with the quality and depth of its disclosures. It should also be held to, and should expect, a higher level of scrutiny. Disclosure seemingly for the sake of it, or just to appear to fulfil all righteousness, will not suffice. It will not pass muster.

ENGAGEMENTS

The Brewing Distraction

The Nigerian politician is a most futuristic animal. He is above all else a most distractive creature, forever creating political outlets and ventilations. While our civil society remains reactive, our political class is eternally ahead in terms of setting an agenda for distracting the attention of the polity for purposes of keeping itself busy in terms of the direction of what happens next politically. Check: 2027 is literally four years away. Check: the Tinubu presidency is a little over a year old. Check: all the calamities that hell holds in stock for bad places on earth has converged on Nigeria. The possibility that Mr. Tinubu and his rabble assembly of a government is likely to solve any of our serious crises remains an illusion. Yet, politicians must remain active and relevant.

Four years to the end of the Tinubu tenure, some politicians are gearing up for what happens in the next election, in 2027. Overwhelmed by the present realties of a state that is literally at a halt, some politicians would rather overlook the present so that public attention can skip present difficulties and focus on 2027.

Creative and futuristic as always, our politicians have found a way to keep busy and get the people politically engaged. The specter of 2027 has been fast -forwarded. It is as though the next election is next year. No need to worry about bandits and the endless flow of blood all over the land. No need to worry about the elongating unemployment queues. No need to worry about how many baskets of useless Naira notes you need to buy a miserable US dollar. Forget what the market women are telling you about high prices of food items. They are all killjoys who are hell bent on spoiling the party of the Tinubu renewed hope mandate party. Just listen to the new song from the politicians or better chant the new old national anthem.

Mr. Bode George, a constant gadly and overgrown child of South-west political rabble rousing, has been busing engaging Atiku Abubakar in recent times. He has advised Mr. Abubakar who aspired to be the next president to prepare instead for the 2031 presidential elections instead of even the 2027. Worse still, several groups of serious politicians from the northern hemisphere of the nation have lately been meeting. There is no secret about their agenda. They are prepping for the 2027 presidential election. Their agenda is simple and straightforward. They are united by two things. They got left behind by the Tinubu gravy train and now all crave for the centre stage next time around. They cannot wait. More importantly, they have nothing tangible to keep them busy between now and 2027. For now, they are united by a curious consensus to recruit ex- President Goodluck Jonathan to contest the 2027 presidential election to ensure that Mr. Tinubu does not have the chance of a second term in the Villa. By this rough script, the political North wants to snatch the presidency from Mr. Tinubu who has not shown good faith or sufficient gratitude to the region in spite of his Muslim-Muslim ticket and inheritance of the former Buhari throng of voters.

The strong argument is that the Northern hemisphere of our political space in the APC supported his emergence of Mr. Tinubu in the Presidential Villa in compensation for the clueless Buhari whose most important object was political recompense to Mr. Tinubu. The aftermath of the Tinubu victory is looking more skewed to the northern political mind. It is not just the sharing of pork that is at issue. The region is in a poor shape, perhaps worse than since the creation of Nigeria. Security in the north is nasty, brutish and almost non existent. The distribution of the gravy content of ‘renewed hope’ in the region is not quite as generous as was expected. The handouts to interest groups in the region do not seem as generous as it was even under the xenophobic Mr. Buhari. Bandits are helping themselves to the spoils of war instead of waiting to be served by willing political actors. So, what to do? Support the apparently harmless Mr. Jonathan to complete his entitled one term so that presidential power can return effortlessly to the north.

The quest for the return of Jonathan is strictly not about better governance for Nigeria or indeed the beleaguered northern hemisphere. The power arithmetic is not about the quality of governance or what could make Nigeria a more manageable federation away from its present dilapidated state. The gathering political distraction is not about how to understand the dynamics of power and the current social and economic forces that have made the north such a dangerous place or even made the whole of Nigeria a bad place. It is a rehash of the same old North-South nonsense that has left Nigeria damaged and destroyed. The impending distraction is just another chapter in the bad chapter of Nigeria’s unending tragic tale of disastrous governance. We are still waiting for the political class that sees beyond region, religion and axis on the national compass.

In the renewed distraction, there is hardly any thought about imparting skills that will work for Nigeria as a whole. There is no discussion about functional education, economic empowerment, population control, urgent modernization and investment in education, agriculture and a different work ethics that prioritizes entrepreneurship, grueling hard work and productivity for better self actualization and overall national development. It is all about North-South, Muslim-Christian balancing. It is all about feeding the same old insatiable and

unproductive political elite that has left the majority of the people stranded and abandoned. It is the feathering of the nest of the same runaway elite that has abandoned the people and relocated to villas in Dubai, Abu Dhabi, Abuja, Lagos and Cairo.

Meanwhile, the hapless Mr. Jonathan is busy attending every available social event around the country in an unstated gathering campaign for what he does not quite fully understand. Himself a prime beneficiary of Nigeria’s politics of entitlement and allocation, Mr. Jonathan may have garnered quite some experience and exposure after office in his countless international democratic engagements. It is also quite possible that he has had time to reflect on his work experience as president to be better equipped for a retrial run. But the Jonathan proposition is a politically convenient distraction from the crushing urgency of the tasks that call us all fiercely.

On his part, Mr. Tinubu who understands mostly the language of political survival has responded to the hints of his eventual ouster. In response to the imminent distraction, the Tinubu incumbency has found both a convenient political distraction and veritable challenge. It is urgent. Mr. Tinubu has just settled into a cozy world of luxury jets, lush villas, endless motorcades, sweetheart contracts and endless junkets to all ends of the universe.

Tinubu is first and foremost a power monger and political entrepreneur. His is an ultimate political entrepreneur, a merchant of power in the mot Machiavellian sense. Every power has a price tag and nearly every political outcome is a transactional. Political survival is his foremost prerogative. He clutches to no ideal, rules by no principles or set of ideas. His prime objective is to be president of Nigeria by all means, which he has achieved. The other two entitlements are to hold the oil and gas cheque books and the key to the Central Bank. He has all these imperial booties in his clutch plus endless air miles on a fleet of luxury presidential jets.

All these would mean little if indeed Nigerians could see a clear purposive governance in place or in

progress. Not quite sure. A gravy train is on the rail, coasting down a sloppery slope almost unstoppable gradient. Now comes a bunch of killjoys who have declared their intent to stop Tinubu midstream. And he is not likely to turn a blind eye to this distraction.

Yet for whatever it is worth, the protection of his incumbency and its possible tenure elongation into a second term is an urgent political challenge which no incumbent president can leave unattended. In response to the PDP- based maneuvres on the Jonathan proposition, the Tinubu political machinery has reportedly swung into action to counter what may be its most consequential political threat. Counter groups have been mobilized. Internal APC work groups have set up with a mandate to thwart the moves of the derailers. What lies ahead is therefore a battle royale. The political back and forth between the two sets of political forces is likely to be the grand distraction of the season.

The grand historic question is whether the Tinubu presidency will consign the urgent task of national salvation to the counter force of the battle for supremacy in 2027. The possibilities are ominous and frightening. The forces poised against national survival as themselves gruesome and determined. The forces of anarchy fuelling banditry, serial kidnapping, senseless murders in high places and sheer lawlessness are mindless and unhinged. No one is certain that the Nigerian state in its present state of disrepair will prevail over its traducers.

Yet we are at the moment of decision and prioritization. National survival must precede and supersede the survival of any individual power regime or calculus. The guarantee of a second presidential term sounds like a political expediency. In the nature of nations. Existence precedes essence. No matter how fanciful its format may be, a nation must exist before it manifests its goodness. The very survival of the Nigerian nation is the more pressing urgency. Without a nation to call home, there will be neither a presidency nor a tenure to elongate or argue about. It is only by reinforcing the pillars of national existence and ensuring good governance and a fair society that tenure elongation can be placed on the table. The basic ingredients of national prevalence are the same basic existential issues that today haunt the entire Nigeria: food, shelter, poverty, costs of living in the open market and some hope that basic safety of lives and property can be guaranteed by the state.

Tinubu

email:Duro.Ikhazuagbe@thisdaylive.com

Haaland’s Back-to-back Hat-trick, Raphinha’s Goals Give City, Barca Perfect Starts

Erling continuedHaaland his superb start to the season by hitting back-to-back hat-tricks as defending champions Manchester City beat West Ham United at London Stadium.

In Spain, Brazillian forward, Raphinha also continued his brilliant form with FC Barcelona, following a hat-trick that gave his side 7-0 win at home against Real Valladolid.

The results of the teams have given the sides not just perfect start but also ensure they are at the top of the table in their respective leagues.

In London yesterday, from Arsenal’s dropping of points at home against Brighton as the Norway striker struck twice in the late on to take his tally to seven goals in three games and maintain City’s 100% start to the campaign.

Haaland slid in a 10thminute opener after receiving a pass from Bernardo Silva, but West Ham drew level when Ruben Dias turned Jarrod Bowen’s cross into his own net.

Haaland restored City’s lead midway through the strike into the roof of the net.

The Hammers had struggled to get a foothold in the game but hit the woodwork early in the second half through Mohammed Kudus following a quick break. That chance sparked them period they had their opponents on the back foot. But they did not threaten

NPFL: Champions Enugu Rangers Held in Season Opener

The new NPFL season kicked with champions Enugu Rangers held to a scoreless draw by visiting El Kanemi Warriors in Enugu. Both teams created chances to score, but failed to with El Kanemi the more dominant club.

Rangers goalkeeper Japhet Opubo saved the blushes of his team at least when he denied the visitors when through on goal.

The remaining nine other matches will be played next weekend as the organisers made good their promise to start the new season this weekend.

Moses Simon Sustains Nantes

Push at the Top of French Ligue 1

Jerome Akor opened his goals’ account in the French Ligue 1, but fellow Nigeria forward, Moses Simon, was also on target for FC Nantes to win 3-1 at Montpellier. Akor drew Montpellier level on the half hour after FC Nantes stunned the home fans six minutes earlier.

Moses Simon restored Nantes lead from the penalty spot for his second goal of the new season.

FC Nantes ran away 3-1 winners at Montpellier.

Both Nigeria stars exchanged jerseys after the game.

Ederson enough and Haaland - quiet for much of the second half - beat the his and City’s third.

The win means Pep Guardiola’s side are already top of the table in the early stages of this season while West Ham are 14th with three points from three games.

In Spain, Raphinha scored a hat-trick as Barcelona blew Valladolid away with a thumping 7-0 victory to maintain a perfect start to

the new La Liga season. Hansi Flick’s side are the only team to win all four matches at the start of the campaign and moved seven points ahead of champions Real Madrid. It was the former Leeds winger who opened the scoring in the 20th minute at the Olympic Stadium.

Striker Robert Lewandowski added a second goal just four minutes after the opener for his fourth of the season.

Valladolid kept the Cata-

lans at bay until stoppage defender Jules Kounde secured a healthy lead after prodding home from a corner.

Brazil’s Raphinha scored two in eight minutes to secure the match ball before new signing Dani Olmo added a sixth with his second goal for the club. Substitute Ferran Torres display from Flick’s men ahead of the international break.

NBBF Ready for Zenith Bank Women’s Basketball League

The Nigeria

Basketball Federation has said they are ready for

of the 2024 Zenith Bank Women Basketball League across two centres in the country.

According to the president of the Federation, Musa Kida,

everything has been put in place for a successful tournament.

Nasarawa State and Akure, Ondo State for the Savannah and Atlantic Conference of the season.

“Everything has been put in place for a successful phase one starting from Sunday, September 1,” he said.

“I want to appeal to all the clubs to be professional as always and

are ready to conduct themselves very well for another great outing.

“This year’s event will be better than what we had last year and we are looking forward to the team that will emerge winner.

“I want to appreciate our sponsors, Zenith Bank, for their yearly investment in women’s basketball in Nigeria and we need other organisations to invest more in sport in Nigeria.”

Indians Dominate as Curtain Falls on Lagos Badminton Classic

ndian duo of

IThey

Deborah in the

The game which was played on court two of the Sir Molade Okoya Thomas Indoor Sports Hall on Saturday, saw the Indians record two straight

wins against Nigeria to win 2-0 (21-12,21-14).

Speaking after the win, both players who were overjoyed about their wins expressed themselves.

in Nigeria” Reddy began with excitement. “And am glad this game ended very well, we are happy to win and we never expected it would come this easy.”

They however admitted that they were afraid that the home crowd were going to be hostile to them.

and were going to play Nigeria we thought it was going to be very tough because of the home crowd, but it was not” he said.

Adding her voice a delighted, Vaishnavi also appreciated the warm reception given them by the host country in organizing the tournament.

“I am happy with the environment and reception here, the atmosphere is peaceful and the people are very nice, we feel very happy winning,” she concluded.

The Indians who have domi-

in previous editions edged Nigeria’s side to win the mixed doubles.

It will also be recalled that Nigeria’s duo of Shehu Alhaji Aliyu and Ukeh, Uchechukwu this edition without lifting their racket, as they walked over their French opponents who were ruled out due to arm injury. Earlier, another Indian player, Samarveer, was responsible for Nigeria’s Anuoluwapo Opeyori’s ouster at the quarter-

Femi Solaja with agency report

Back-to-back Hatrick hero, Erling Haaland (right), celebrating his opening goal in the 3-1 defeat of West Ham United... yesterday

Kanapuram Sathwik Reddy and Khadkekarr Vaishnavi have emerged winners of the Mixed Doubles of the 2024 Lagos International Badminton Classic.

defeated Nigeria’s duo of Shehu Alhaji Aliyu and Ukeh Uchechukwu

Simon

Wike to PDP Governors

“I heard some governors who said they will take away my structure and give it to somebody. I pity those governors, because I will put fire in their states” – Minister of FCT, Nyesom Wike, reacting to PDP governors’ plan to assist Governor Fubara to take control of the party’s structure in Rivers State.

SIMON KOLAWOLE

SIMONKOLAWOLELIVE!

simon.kolawole@thisdaylive.com,

Jonathan and the Return of Speculations

Governor Bala Mohammed of Bauchi state set the ball rolling weeks ago. Addressing a group of supporters asking him to join the 2027 presidential race, the PDP governor said he would prefer ex-President Goodluck Jonathan to go for it. “I know there are good leaders within the PDP, especially my boss Goodluck Jonathan,” he told them. “I have always said that as long as Jonathan is around, I will not present myself for leadership of this country, unless he decides not to run. If we can persuade him to [run], I will support him with my blood. Out of modesty, he is still not ready. I hope you will meet him and encourage him. He will do a better job because he has the experience.” He went on to eulogise the former president, who lost his bid for a second term in 2015 to an amalgam of opposition parties and PDP rebels — the first and only incumbent occupier of the Presidential Villa to lose a re-election quest in our history. “During Jonathan’s regime, he was inclusive, addressing issues like the Almajiri system and creating initiatives for unemployed youths. His leadership recruitment was exemplary. We need leaders like him – young people with energy, foresight, and drive,” Mohammed, who was FCT minister under Jonathan, said — before going ahead to take a swipe at President Bola Tinubu over the rising cost of living which recently let to protests. It turned out Mohammed was not flying a kite. As I understand, there are ongoing moves to promote Jonathan’s candidature in 2027 and it is being marketed

to key political figures across the country. Jonathan was president of Nigeria from 2010 and 2015 — first serving out the unspent term of President Umaru Musa Yar’Adua, who had died in office after a prolonged illness, and then getting his own term in 2011. Jonathan presided for five years during the

WAZIRI ADIO

POSTSCRIPT

“decade of prosperity” — a period covering 2004-2014 when there was a massive inflow of petrodollars as a result of high prices and huge exports. The GDP also grew at an impressive rate and the national currency was fairly stable.

Electorally, the major marketing point for Jonathan is that, by law, he can do only one more term of four years. For northerners who desire power back in the region by 2031, that is a good bait. For southerners, it will maintain the north/south rotation balance. However, this is not the first time this one-term argument is being pushed. Ahead of the 2023 presidential election, there were speculations that Jonathan was favoured to return by some of President Muhammadu Buhari’s men because of the one-term sweetener. A group even paid N100 million to buy the APC nomination form for Jonathan, but he distanced himself from it. He was not even known to be a member of the APC.

Down south, Jonathan is not expected to have strong opposition from his south-south geo-political zone. He was quite popular in the south-south and south-east when he was in office. Although he won in the south-west in 2011, the APC forces in the zone were stronger in 2015 and helped to oust him. If he runs in 2027, therefore, he will be expected to command the votes in the south-south and — assuming Peter Obi does not run again — the south-east. Northern Christians have always been comfortable with Jonathan and should not have any problem backing him. In 2023, Obi was their choice in Jonathan’s absence. Jonathan will now need the core north to balance

the equation.

The central calculation, from what I am told, is that Jonathan will be home and dry if he (1) gets the backing of core northern figures — some of whom cannot imagine another four years of Tinubu after what they had experienced in the last one year (2) re-enacts his affinity with northern Christians (3) maintains his standing in the south-south and, possibly, the southeast. The combination of these “ifs” is based on the assumption that Tinubu’s support is now limited to a narrow section of the country. Tinubu won the 2023 presidential election largely on northern votes. He was second best to Obi in the south and even lost in Lagos state, his home, and Osun state — both in the south-west.

This permutation begs the question: is Jonathan what Nigeria needs in 2027? There were three major issues that the opposition used to oust him and his party in 2015: corruption, insecurity and the economy. The sleazy details coming out of the NNPC, the abduction of Chibok schoolgirls, the audacity of Boko Haram, the falling value of the naira and the rising cost of living were hammered upon by the APC to make re-electing Jonathan look like a suicide attempt. Defeating a sitting Nigerian president was thought to be impossible but he was so damaged it finally happened. The picture painted to Nigerians by the APC was that Nigeria was about to witness transformational change. Today, it is increasingly looking like the case of

Some Questions Arising from NNPCL’s 2023 Accounts

First, credit where it is due. NNPC Limited (NNPCL) deserves commendation for releasing its 2023 audited financial statement on time and for continuing the recent tradition of opening itself to public scrutiny. The first time the company publicly disclosed its audited accounts was in 2020. That was 43 years after the organisation came into being. Within four years, NNPCL has released its audited accounts for 2018 to 2023. That’s six financial years already. Though the 2022 financial statement was released late (in January 2024), the company’s commitment to transparency in this wise is worthy of praise. Mr. Mele Kyari, NNPCL’s group CEO, and his colleagues have earned their stripes for starting and sustaining this desirable tradition. However, the regularity of the disclosure should be matched by its comprehensiveness. While NNPCL scores high marks on the former, it has started falling short on the latter. The 2023 audited account that NNPCL released on its website on 20 August 2024 is quite bulky at 120 pages. But bulkiness is not exactly the same as exhaustiveness. Four of the six audited statements released by NNPCL so far included separate accounts for the group and its subsidiaries. For the 2021 financial year, for example, the company released 21 different reports. But for the 2022 financial year, NNPCL

released only one report, a practice that it has carried into 2023. This is not good enough. Without stand-alone audited reports on the subsidiaries, it will be difficult to have a full view of how the different components of the company are faring or know the value they add to their shareholders (who, in this case, are all Nigerians). This is more so because NNPCL has stopped publishing the monthly financial and operations reports that Dr. Ibe Kachikwu started in 2016 when he became the GMD of the organisation. The last NNPC monthly financial and operations report released was for August 2021. No reason was given for discontinuing this granular and useful report. Unlike its peers, NNPCL does not accompany its audited financial statements with comprehensive operational reports that lay its operations bare to all in a comprehensible and well-visualised manner. It is difficult to make a compelling case for why the corporation that transformed into a company will opt for less disclosure instead of more.

But there are even more fundamental issues and questions arising from the 2023 audited accounts. It is important to state upfront that these questions do not necessarily suggest wrongdoing or coverup on the part of the management of the company or its auditors. Between the numbers and the notes, audited financial statements should

be self-explanatory and should provide a good window into the operations of the entity. Where there are questions without obvious or adequate answers, then someone has dropped the ball. Whether accidental or deliberate, such gaps or inadequacies invite doubt and distrust. This is not good for any organisation, especially one with a rich, dark history.

The first set of questions is about the ballooning of the total assets of the company. NNPCL claims that its total assets increased from N58.49 trillion in 2022 to N246.82 trillion in 2023. This is an exceptional growth of 322% from a year to the other. The natural question to ask is: what explains a four-fold expansion in total assets between two consecutive years? As provided for in the Petroleum Industry Act (PIA), joint venture oil and gas assets belonging to the Federation were transferred to NNPCL in return for dividends. So, it is understandable that the company’s assets grew from N16.27 trillion in 2021 to N58.49 trillion in 2022. But what was the exceptional event that occurred in 2023 that led to increase in total assets by more than 300%? Were newer assets transferred to NNPCL? This is doubtful. The massive increase cannot be explained by exchange rate gains alone, as the difference between the rates used by the company to calculate its assets in the two years—N907.11/$ in 2023 and N448.55/$ in 2022—does not fully capture such

significant disparity. Something doesn’t appear to add up here.

The relationship between the current and noncurrent assets of the company in 2022 and 2023 invites a question of its own. In 2022, NNPCL’s non-current assets amounted to N36.89 trillion while current assets were N21.39 trillion. But in 2023, non-current assets at N74.18 trillion were completely dwarfed by current assets at N172.64 trillion. The logical question to ask is what happened or what is going on here? But it gets more interesting. Under non-current assets, Property, Plant and Equipment (PPE) shrank from 54% of total assets in 2022 to 27% of total assets in 2023. As a capital-intensive company, NNPCL’s assets should tilt more towards non-current assets, especially its PPE. So, what explains the shrinking of both the PPE and the non-current assets in 2023? For context, PPE normally constitutes more than 50% of the total assets of global oil companies, private and public. So, what is going on with NNPCL?

There is a partial hint in what happens to be the major component of the current assets for the financial year under review. Trade and Other Receivables (what NNPCL was owed) grew from

Continued on page 61

Jonathan