SUNDAY 2ND OCTOBER 2022

In First Major Deal, NNPCL Acquires Downstream Assets of OVH Energy, Emerges Company with Highest Retail Petrol Stations in Africa We are bringing 45 years of experience, says Kyari Emmanuel Addeh, James Emejo in Abuja and Peter Uzoho in Lagos In a landmark deal, the Nigerian

National Petroleum Company Limited (NNPCL) has acquired OVH Energy Marketing (OVH) Limited, a major downstream

player in the Nigerian oil and gas industry.

The Group Chief Executive Officer (GCEO) of NNPCL,

Mallam Mele Kyari, announced the acquisition yesterday at an event held in Abuja.

OVH is the owner and operator

of the Oando- branded retail service stations across the country.

With this acquisition, tagged by the NNPCL as ‘Acquisition

for Growth’, OVH Energy’s Oando- branded retail service Continued on page 5

2023 Election: APC Chieftains Unfazed Despite Nullification of Oyetola’s Nomination By Court… Page 10 Sunday 2 October, 2022 Vol 27. No 10036

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2023 OffersYou Golden Opportunity to Sack APC, Peter Obi Tells Nigerians Supporters defy rain, police to hold massive rallies for Obi in Lagos, other cities Chiemelie Ezeobi, Rebecca Ejifoma, Sunday Ehigiator in Lagos, Emameh Gabriel in Abuja and Sylvester Idowu in Warri The presidential candidate of

the Labour Party (LP), Mr. Peter Obi, has said that the 2023 general election has again presented to Nigerians another rare opportunity to take back the country from the ruling All

Progressives Congress (APC), which he said has failed the people.

To commemorate Nigeria’s Independence Day, millions of Obi’s supporters yesterday

poured out into the streets of Lagos, London, Kaduna, Bauchi, Abia, Edo, Akwa Ibom, and Warri en masse, in solidarity with his presidential ambition.

Obi, in his independence

message, which was signed by the National Publicity Secretary of LP, Arabambi Abayomi, noted that there was nothing meaningful to celebrate as he rated President Muhammadu

Buhari-led administration zero on performance.

In the statement, Obi said due to the misrule of the current Continued on page 5

Housing Allowance: Records of Meeting Showed PDP NWC Members Voted Before Disbursement of Funds Atiku never discussed 2027 presidency with Wike, says Melaye Former VP, Okowa, Wabara hint of speedy resolution of party’s crisis Delta gov meets with PDP BoT members Kunle Aderinokun in Lagos and Chuks Okocha in Abuja Fresh facts have emerged indicating that the members of the National Working Committee (NWC) of the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) actually voted and agreed to pay themselves housing allowance before the funds were disbursed, THISDAY has learnt.

The investigation further revealed that a meeting held in July where the decision was first reached, was presided over by the Deputy National Chairman (North) of the party, Ambassador Iliya Umar Damagun, as the party’s National Chairman, Dr. Iyorchia Ayu was said to be outside the country.

This is coming as the spokesman of the PDP Presidential Campaign Management Committee, Senator Dino Melaye has debunked a report that the presidential candidate of the party, Atiku Abubakar promised to support the Rivers State Governor, Nyesom Wike should he decide to contest the presidential election Continued on page 5

CELEBRATING NIGERIA @ 62…

L-R: Wife of the Speaker of the House of Representatives, Mrs. Salamatu Gbajabiamila; former President, Dr. Goodluck Jonathan; First Lady, Aisha Buhari; President Muhammadu Buhari; Vice President Yemi Osinbajo; his wife, Dolapo; and Speaker, House of Representatives, Hon. Femi Gbajabiamila, during the GODWIN OMOIGUI 62nd Independence celebration at the Eagles Square, Abuja…yesterday

At Independence, Jonathan, Govs Urge Nigerians to Prioritise Peace, Unity… Page 8

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OCTOBER 2, 2022 • T H I S DAY, T H E S U N DAY N E W S PA P E R

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SIGNED AND SEALED...

L-R: Director General, Nigeria Governors’ Forum, Mr. Asishana Okauru; Secretary General, United Cities and Local Governments of Africa, Mr. Jean Pierre Elong Mbassi; President, Afrexim Bank, Prof. Benedict Oramah; Ekiti State Governor, Dr. Kayode Fayemi; President of Eastern Region of Morocco, Mr. Abdennabi Biioui; and Executive Director, Association of the Regions of Morocco, Mohammed El Bachiri, during the signing of a Memorandum of Understanding at the second African sub-sovereign governments network conference in Abuja…weekend

HOUSING ALLOWANCE: RECORDS OF MEETING SHOWED PDP NWC MEMBERS VOTED BEFORE DISBURSEMENT OF FUNDS in 2027.

Also rising from a closed-door meeting held yesterday, the vice presidential candidate of the party and Governor of Delta State, Dr. Ifeanyi Okowa and the party's Board of Trustees Reconciliation Committee, Senator Adolphus Wabara have promised that the crisis within the party would soon be resolved.

Atiku has also disclosed that the crisis would be resolved soon, stressing that he was still in talks with aggrieved members to resolve the lingering crisis.

According to a member of the NWC, the minutes of the NWC meeting showed that in the first meeting presided over by Damagun, the members had agreed to collect their housing allowances once funds were available.

It was however learnt that when Ayu returned from his medical checkup, and the issue was again brought up for discussion, he objected to the payment of the housing allowance, citing a lack of funds.

According to the minutes of the meeting, Ayu had insisted that the issue of the payment of housing allowance be 'kept in view'.

THISDAY also learnt that on the second and third meetings where the issue came up again, Ayu insisted that the matter be put to vote.

According to the records of the NWC meeting, all the 18 members at the meeting unanimously voted without anyone objecting to the payment of the housing allowances.

It was gathered that since it was agreed that the allowances be paid, Damagun directed the payment.

The National Publicity Secretary of the party, Mr. Debo Ologunagba confirmed the processes, insisting that due process was followed and that no funds were paid into the account of any member of the NWC as a bribe for any purpose whatsoever.

Also corroborating this position, the immediate past National

Publicity Secretary of PDP, Kola Ologbondiyan said, "there is no way this issue that we are discussing now would not have been debated, going by experience, in the National Working Committee, with minutes taken, and it will be agreeable to all members of the NWC what each member is going to get.

“So it is totally strange that people are talking about money legitimately earned as if it is a bribe. I will be surprised if any member of the NWC comes up to say that the issue was not discussed at the committee; that there was no agreement in the committee."

“That has been the practice, that is what we met, and that is what we left,” he said.

Six NWC members, including the Deputy National Chairman (South), Taofeek Arapaja; National Woman Leader, Prof. Stella EffahAttoe; National Vice Chairman (South-South), Chief Dan Orbih, and three others returned their housing allowances into the party’s coffers.

Meanwhile, a chieftain of the PDP in Akwa Ibom State, Effiong Etim has called on the National Executive Council (NEC) of the party to urgently call a meeting to ratify the suspension of the four NWC members involved in the publicity charade to bring the party to disrepute.

Meanwhile, Melaye has debunked a report that the presidential candidate of the party, Atiku promised to support the Rivers State Governor, Wike should he decide to contest the presidential election in 2027.

"At no time did Atiku Abubakar discuss such with Governor Wike.

Atiku never promised or discuss 2027 with Governor Wike or anyone for that matter,” Melaye explained.

Former VP, Okowa, Wabara Hint of Possible Resolution of PDP Crisis In a related development, Atiku;

2023 OFFERS YOU GOLDEN OPPORTUNITY TO SACK APC, PETER OBI TELLS NIGERIANS administration and the setbacks suffered by the country, "Nigerians are now having before them a clear chance to take the country away from the failed politicians in APC and reinvest their votes in Obi/ Datti candidacy, a trustworthy, capable and sincerely committed and focused presidency from 2023 onwards for guaranteed governance based on fine principles of democracy.

"The one presidential candidacy on offer with the best antecedence is the only available option for Nigeria to be quickly and efficiently repositioned and transformed into a producing country away from the current status of a consuming nation.

"On this occasion of marking

the freedom and Independence of Nigeria, Nigerians have nothing to celebrate, so the nation must support the Obi/Datti candidacy in LP in the presidential election and win for it in the election with your votes, thus hopefully in the following years with Obi/Datti presidency, the country will have lots to celebrate.

"In all considerations, the country has absolutely nothing to celebrate on, rather a larger part of the overstressed population is gnashing their teeth as they struggle to exist among various loads of avoidable sufferings,” the statement explained.

Continued on page 8

his running mate and Delta State governor, Okowa; and the party's Board of Trustees Reconciliation Committee, Senator Wabara have hinted that the crisis within the party would soon be resolved.

Speaking yesterday in Gombe, shortly after opening a campaign office donated to him by a chieftain of the party in the state, Jamilu Isiyaku Gwamna, the former vice president expressed confidence that the crisis rocking the party would be resolved and that the PDP would go into the 2023 elections stronger.

Atiku said the PDP is still very popular, and as the oldest party in Nigeria, it stands the chance to win the 2023 presidential election.

“We have realised that we made mistakes and we are working to correct those mistakes and we believe that Nigerians have trust in us.

“Nigerians can compare our performances and the performance of our opponents and the difference is clear and our records can speak for us,” Atiku said.

On their part, the Delta State governor and the acting BoT Chairman, Wabara, spoke yesterday with journalists after the BoT

met with Okowa at Delta State Governor’s Lodge in Abuja.

They expressed the confidence that all the stakeholders would for work for PDP success in 2023 general election.

Okowa also expressed the confidence that no leader of the party would work against PDP in next year’s general elections.

“Governors and other members who are aggrieved are members of the party; I believe that my brothers would all work for the party. PDP is home and they belong to that home. They are not going to destroy their home.

“So, we will all work together.

I do believe that we’ll continue to talk with ourselves and resolve the little issues that are left,” Okowa said.

Okowa, who described the closed-door meeting as largely fruitful, said that the party leaders, including governors, were interacting to resolve differences within the party.

“We understand that yet, there is some level of disagreement, but we will continue to stay in touch with ourselves to resolve the issues,” Okowa said.

The Delta State governor recalled

that on Tuesday they were in the South-east where the governor of Enugu State, Ifeanyi Ugwuanyi hosted them very well, describing it as a very positive step forward.

“We had very useful interactions with all our leaders in the Southeast and I think that is a great plus for us as a party.

“I believe too that you’re aware, too that we were in the South-west where we were very well received

by Gov. Seyi Makinde and the stakeholders of the party. A few issues are still left on the table.

“I am sure we’ll come to discuss it and in the next few days, we are convinced that will be largely reconciled.”

Okowa advised Nigerians to be guided in making their choices in the 2023 general elections by electing Atiku.

He said that Nigeria needed Atiku, a detribalised man with the right experience, humility, and calmness to address present challenges and ready to keep Nigeria together.

On his part, Wabara said that the BoT special reconciliation committee visited Okowa on the ongoing crisis in the party and also to proffer solutions to those issues.

Wabara who said that the committee was properly briefed

by Okowa, said that the committee members would soon meet Atiku and Governor Nyesom Wike of Rivers State.

“The committee is enlightened now on the issues and we’re moving forward. Like I said the last time, we have been going around and we met most of the governors.

“In the coming days, we will also meet with the principal, the presidential candidate, former Vice President, Atiku, and from there we will proceed to meet with Governor Wike.

“We have met with some other governors, we have met Governor Samuel Ortom, Governor Seyi Makinde, Governor Seyi Makinde, Governor Ahmadu Fintri, Governor Ikpeazu and Ugwuanyi of Enugu State.

“We have what it takes to resolve this, and very soon we will resolve all these issues,” Wabara explained.

Others at the meeting include Former Minister of Special Duties and Intergovernmental Affairs, Kabiru Tanimu Turaki; and former PDP Deputy National Chairman, Alhaji Shuaibu Oyedokun.

IN FIRST MAJOR DEAL, NNPCL ACQUIRES DOWNSTREAM ASSETS OF OVH ENERGY, EMERGES COMPANY WITH HIGHEST RETAIL PETROL STATIONS IN AFRICA stations will be rebranded into the NNPC brand and merged with NNPC Retail Limited with full integration scheduled to take place by the end of 2023.

Kyari said the strategic move is aimed to create the leading downstream energy company in Nigeria and West Africa, driven by operational efficiency, best-inclass management, and physical infrastructure while offering premium petroleum products and related services to customers, in line with global standards.

Through this acquisition, he said the NNPC Retail Limited will build on the existing success of OVH Energy and operate model service outlets leveraging OVH’s extensive asset base and commercial capabilities.

Kyari stated that the NNPCL was bringing to the table, its 45 years of experience and strong capability to bear on the management of the facilities.

He maintained that securing the country against energy poverty would mean access to petroleum products in addition to managing the energy transition, which he said has become a reality.

“There's no way you can do this except you have a robust system and processes, except you have a network that will work and you have an institution that can deliver value to its shareholders.

“We have struggled with this for many years, and we saw the opportunity to latch on to the competencies of the OVH Group. We have worked with

them. They were our partners and our customers. So, we know their ability,” Kyari explained.

He added that the transaction also positions NNPC Retail Limited as the fastest growing commercial energy company in its pursuit to guarantee energy security for Nigeria’s growing population and significantly more growth opportunities for the business.

“Our acquisition of OVH, brings more NNPC- branded fuel stations under the NNPC Retail Limited umbrella, providing wider access for our customers, an enriched supply chain and product availability across our different locations.

“Our goal as NNPC Limited is to become a catalyst for massive improvement within the downstream oil and gas industry therefore, access to the extensive asset base of OVH is our audacious step towards attaining this goal.

"We are positive that this is the much-needed transformation required by the sector as it provides us with an integrated platform to attract the right investments which enable the growth of our operations,” Kyari stated.

The Chief Executive Officer, OVH Energy, Mr. Huub Stokman, said the acquisition by NNPCL came at a critical time in Nigeria’s energy sector given the overhaul of the petroleum laws with the recent enactment of the Petroleum Industry Act (PIA).

Stokman added that the deal took place at a time there was increased demand for petroleum products and particularly, the deliberate efforts to increase and improve the supply and consumption of natural gas in support of the company and Nigeria's energy transition goals.

“We have always focused on a value-driven approach, prioritising the quality of products and services offered to our customers, at both retail and commercial levels.

This acquisition enables the combined strengths of both entities, to innovate our offerings and infrastructure, necessary to transform the downstream energy sector in Nigeria and West Africa.

"It is an exciting time for us all, as we continue to focus on technological enhancement, our customers, staff, and other stakeholders,” he added.

In her remarks, the Chairman of the Board of Directors of the NNPCL, Mrs. Margery Okadigbo, noted that it was the right time to adopt the OVH as a ‘baby' of the NNPCL, promising to ensure that the investment becomes the envy of the industry.

“In the end, everyone will be happier for it. We will continue to work with you,” she assured.

On his part, the Chief Executive of the Nigerian Midstream and Downstream Petroleum Regulatory Authority (NMDPRA), Mr. Farouk Ahmed, described the deal as a major achievement.

While congratulating the NNPCL, he pledged that the NMDPRA would support the growth of the business and advised that sound corporate governance, as well as discipline, should remain the watchword in managing the assets.

OVH’s expertise spans the provision of jetty services and the marketing and distribution of refined petroleum products for retail, commercial and industrial purposes.

Its subsidiaries include OVH Energy Marketing (OVHEM) Limited, licensee of the Oando retail brand and ASPM Limited, custodians of the Lagos Midstream Jetty, also known as West Africa’s first privately owned midstream jetty.

It boasts of distributing over one billion litres of refined petroleum products annually while ASPM Limited is focused on strengthening Nigeria’s downstream value chain through the Lagos jetty.

In the short term, the acquisition would see the NNPCL receive a jetty (ASPM) with 240,000 metric tonnes monthly capacity, eight LPG plants, three lubes blending plants, three aviation depots and 12 warehouses.

The acquisition will also bring over 380 additional filling stations under NNPCL retail brand in Nigeria and Togo, on its journey to attaining 1,500 stations, making it the largest petroleum product retail network in Africa.

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DIICHE BERTHS… L-R: Executive Producer and Director, Diiche, James Omokwe; Cast member, Diiche, Gloria Anozie-Young; Head, Content and West Africa Channels, MultiChoice Nigeria, Dr Busola Tejumola; Lead cast member, Diiche, Uzoamaka Onuoha; General Manager, Showmax Nigeria, Opeoluwa Filani, and Cast member, Diiche, Chinyere Wilfred, at the screening of Diiche in Lagos…recently

Osinbajo’s Wife Missing as Aisha Buhari Leads APC Women Campaign Team Tinubu appoints Buni adviser on party integration, reconciliation of PCC Adedayo Akinwale in Abuja The ruling All Progressives Congress (APC) has constituted the women’s campaign team for its presidential campaign with Aisha Buhari, wife of President Muhammadu Buhari, as the grand patron.

This came as the presidential candidate of the ruling party, Senator Bola Tinubu, appointed the Governor of Yobe State, Mai Mala Buni as an adviser on party

integration and reconciliation of the members of the Tinubu/ Shettima Presidential Campaign Council (PCC).

The APC Women Campaign Team comprises 1,200 strong members, which also comprises Senator Oluremi Tinubu, wife of the party’s presidential candidate and Hajiya Nana Shettima as chairperson and co-chairperson of the women’s campaign team respectively.

A former member of the House

NPA Concludes Renewal of Terminal Concession, Awaits FG’s Approval Festus Akanbi The Nigerian Ports Authority (NPA) has said it has concluded the renewal of concession agreement with five terminal operators after the expiration of their leases.

The Managing Director of NPA, Mr. Mohammed Bello-Koko, noted that the agreement would be submitted to the Federal Ministry of Transportation for final approval before the close of work on Tuesday, October 4.

Bello-Koko said this during the visit of the Minister of Transportation, Mr. Mu’azu Sambo, who conducted a familiarisation tour of the agency on Friday in Lagos.

He, however, said discussions among some terminal operators were inconclusive, while others were yet to give necessary feedback to the authority.

The NPA helmsman lamented the 100 per cent physical examination of cargoes at the nation’s seaports, saying it affected efficient cargo inspection, stressing that the manual cargo examination was cumbersome and inefficient.

Bello-Koko noted that the terminal operators had expressed the desire to purchase and maintain scanners at the Nigerian seaports, while Customs would operate them.

“If scanners are provided, it will make Nigerian seaports more competitive and the preferred destinations for cargoes in West and Central Africa.

“Manual examination of cargoes in our ports due to the absence of scanners is inefficient, not

sustainable, cumbersome and can’t make our ports competitive.

“Terminal operators have, however, expressed readiness to purchase and maintain the scanners but the equipment will be maintained by the service and this will make our ports efficient in the sub-region,” he said.

The NPA MD, in his presentation to the minister, said the nation’s seaports needed to explore alternative sources of power generation to the seaport because of the rising cost of power.

He also called for the reconstruction of the collapsed quay apron at the Tin-Can Island port and collapsed jetty at Continental Shipyard.

“Some matters requiring urgent attention include the reconstruction of the quay apron at Tin Can Island Port complex and collapsed jetty at Continental Shipyard Ltd. “Others are the reconstruction of collapsed berth at Federal Lighter Terminal (FLT) and fencing of common user port facility in line with the specification of International Ships and Ports Facility (ISPS) code.

“Also, reconstruction of the collapsed breakwater at delta port and the rising cost of power generation (electricity) in the port and the need to commence procurement of alternative source of power,” he said.

Responding, Sambo said there were so many issues that the NPA needed to handle, urging the management to prioritise and come out with short, medium and long time term goals.

of Representatives from Borno State, Asabe Villita was appointed the National Coordinator of the team with Lauretta Onochie, an aide to President Buhari, as her deputy.

However, Dolapo Osinbajo, the wife of Vice President, Yemi Osinbajo, is noticeably absent from the campaign list released yesterday in Abuja by Rinsola Abiola, daughter of late Chief MKO Abiola, who is also named in the media and administrative committees of the campaign team.

THISDAY had reported the exclusion of Prof. Osinbajo from the list of the APC Presidential Campaign Council released by the APC a week ago.

Osinbajo lost the APC presidential primaries to his former boss, Tinubu at the convention in June. While other aspirants have been drafted into the campaign, the vice president was excluded from the campaign council.

Tinubu is believed to have nominated Osinbajo for the office of vice president in 2015.

To debunk speculations of a rift between Tinubu and Osinbajo, the ruling party had in a statement claimed that President Muhammadu Buhari requested the exclusion of his deputy and the Secretary to the Government of

the Federation, Boss Mustapha, to allow them to focus on governance.

President Buhari is the head of the council.

The APC is still struggling with backlash over its Muslim-Muslim ticket and these officials are two of the highest-ranking Christians in the administration.

The women’s campaign in the North-west Zone will be coordinated by Dr. Zainab Baugudu, wife of the Kebbi Governor while Falmata Zulum, the First Lady of Borno State, will be in charge of the North-east.

Olufolake Abdulrazaq, wife of the Kwara Governor will coordinate efforts in the North-central and Mrs. Ibijoke Sanwo-Olu, wife of the Lagos Governor, will superintend over the South-west.

Imo First Lady Chioma IkeakaUzodimma will also coordinate the South-east while Linda Ayade, wife of the Cross River Governor, will spearhead the women’s campaign in the South-south.

The statement also indicated that wives of governors in APCcontrolled states will serve as state coordinators in APC states, while notable APC women in non-APC-controlled States will take charge.

Florence Ajimobi, widow of the

former governor of Oyo State and Zainab Ibrahim, the APC Deputy National Women Leader, among others, was chosen to coordinate activities in States not controlled by the APC, according to the Nation.

According to the statement, all ministers’ wives, all female senators, all female ministers and all APC deputy governors’ wives are members of the campaign team.

The administrative secretariat is headed by Wahab Alawiye-King, who is also the chairman of the committee on strategic planning.

Fatima Raji-Rasaki, a former Senator, chairs the committee on logistics, while the media team is chaired by Modele Sarafatu-Yusuf.

The committee on finance and special duty is headed by Adejoke Orelope-Adefulire, a former deputy governor in Lagos State and Abike Dabiri has been saddled with the responsibility of the Diaspora Committee.

Veteran actor, Joke Sylva, is leading the performing arts committee of the campaign.

The team directed that all appointees are to collect their letters of appointment at the Tinubu/ Shettima Women Presidential Campaign Office at No 2 Kainji Crescent, off Lake Chad Crescent, Maitama, Abuja.

Meanwhile, APC presidential candidate, Tinubu, has appointed the Governor of Yobe State, Buni as an adviser on party integration and reconciliation Tinubu/Shettima Presidential Campaign Council.

Tinubu in the letter of appointment dated August 8, 2022, said Buni's appointment was fitting and appropriate given his impressive political achievement and the exemplary leadership he has demonstrated as governor of and as a party member.

He said: "By way of this letter, we are pleased to formally convey your appointment as the Adviser on Party Integration & Reconciliation of the Tinubu/Shettima Presidential Campaign Council "We are grateful that you have joined our campaign team. We know you will do your utmost in this new responsibility to conduct an effective, message-driven campaign leading us to victory in the 2023 presidential election.

"Together, not only can we ensure victory for our party in the February 2023 election, but we shall also move Nigeria along the path of national greatness by building on the achievements of our party and the President Buhari administration in providing progressive good governance to Nigerians."

Over 2,295 Teachers Killed in North-east Schools’ Attacks, Says TRCN Kuni Tyessi in Abuja The Registrar/Chief Executive of Teachers’ Registration Council of Nigeria (TRCN), Professor Josiah Ajiboye, has disclosed that attacks on schools by insurgents claimed the lives of more than 2,295 teachers in the North-east between 2009 and 2022.

Ajiboye, who said this at the weekend in Abuja, also revealed that over 19,000 others were displaced, with over 910 schools destroyed due to the conflict.

He, therefore, called for the full implementation of the Safe Schools Declarations guidelines endorsed by Nigeria in 2015 and ratified by President Muhammadu Buhari in 2019.

The TRCN boss made the call while delivering a paper at the 2022 National Delegates

Conference of the Nigeria Union of Teachers (NUT) in Ibadan.

He further stated that over 1,500 schools were forced to close due to insurgency with more than 600,000 children losing access to education.

Ajiboye equally called on the federal government to review its security architecture to address terrorism and violent attacks on schools.

He noted that as a way forward, federal, state and local education authorities should facilitate the immediate implementation of the National Policy on Safety, Security and Violence-free Schools (NPSSVFS), by making budgetary provisions.

The TRCN boss urged the federal government to increase domestic education expenditure by 50 per cent over the next

two years as committed at the Global Partnership for Education (GPE) education summit.

Speaking on the impact of attacks on schools, he noted that “attacks on education create a ripple effect and set in motion a range of negative impacts such as loss of education, early marriage, early pregnancy, and stigma associated with sexual violence and children born from rape, all of which can dramatically affect female students’ futures.”

Ajiboye said schools used for various military purposes, including to hold and execute captives, and as barracks for insurgents, further contributed to parents’ and students’ fears about the safety of sending their children, and especially their daughters, back to school after

the insurgents had departed.

On the role of teachers in safeguarding learners, the TRCN boss noted that teachers should keep a close watch on learners to ensure that abuse and violence against learners are prevented or promptly responded to if they occur, adding that they should observe learners closely for any signs and symptoms of safeguarding concerns.

He urged teachers to promptly report suspected or actual cases of abuse or violence against a learner; protect learners from being abused or maltreated by peers or staff; popularise child safeguarding notions and practices in the school, and demonstrate the need to safeguard learners by promoting and practising positive discipline.

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WE ARE THE STRUCTURES… Mammoth crowd of supporters of the presidential candidate of the Labour Party, Mr. Peter Obi, during a rally in Uyo… yesterday

At Independence, Jonathan, Govs Urge Nigerians to Prioritise Peace, Unity EU, UK reiterate support for Nigeria’s democracy Segun James in Lagos, Udora Orizu in Abuja, Igbawase Ukumba in Lafia, Blessing Ibunge in Port Harcourt and Fidelis David in Akure As Nigeria turned 62 years yesterday, former President Goodluck Jonathan and some governors have urged Nigerians to prioritise patriotism, unity and peace above other pecuniary considerations as they make their choices at the polls in 2023.

Also, Governors Babajide Sanwo-Olu of Lagos State, Rotimi Akeredolu of Ondo State, Ben Ayade of Cross River State, Abdullahi Sule of Nasarawa State; and Rivers State Governor, Mr. Nyesom Wike, also preached peace and unity yesterday.

Likewise, the Minority Caucus in the House of Representatives has also challenged Nigerians to forge a common front to salvage the country from the political and economic stranglehold of the All Progressives Congress (APC).

In the same mood, the European Union and the British High Commission in Nigeria have reiterated their commitments to support Nigeria’s democracy.

The leaders, in their separate goodwill messages to mark Nigeria’s 62nd Independence anniversary, observed that the anniversary came at a time the nation was preparing for its 2023 elections.

In a message he signed, Jonathan urged Nigerians “to prioritise the unity and peace of our country in our campaigns, and through the choices, we would make at the polls in 2023.”

He added that the anniversary “is a critical moment for us all.

The elections provide another opportunity for our citizens to demonstrate our faith in the greatness of our nation. Let us be patriotic in the choices we make.

“Ours is a great nation with boundless possibilities. Let us work in unity, live in peace, promote justice, and accommodate each other. That way, we shall build an inclusive and cohesive society where everyone is happy, safe, and proud of his country,” the former president said.

The former president, therefore, noted that the anniversary offered

Nigerians a chance to reflect on the experience of nationhood and the prospect of progress and greatness, adding that the people had been steadfast in patriotism in challenging times.

At a parade commemorating the country’s 62nd Independence anniversary at the Mobolaji Johnson Arena, Onikan, Lagos, Sanwo-Olu challenged the electorate to focus on issue-based campaigns and refrain from the politics of division and bitterness.

He urged Nigerians to respect divergent opinions as the beauty of democracy lies in the fact that everyone would not share the same ideological and political views.

The Lagos State governor also urged the citizens “to focus on issues and refrain from the politics of division and bitterness.”

On his part, Akeredolu, in a statement by his Chief Press Secretary, Richard Olatunde, congratulated Nigerians on the occasion of Nigeria’s 62nd Independence anniversary, He observed that the country “urgently needs power devolution that will support the regions, lessen unrest, and address the nation’s problems holistically.”

Akeredolu called for coordinated efforts to solve the multitude of issues the country is currently facing while urging the people to maintain their faith in the nation and embrace peace.

Also, in his commemoration address, Wike lamented the alleged inability of the APC-led federal government, over the last seven years, to keep the economic and social conditions within Nigeria from deteriorating.

He added that the inability of the ruling APC “to tackle the dwindling economy of the country is evidence that if given the further opportunity, the predicaments facing Nigerians will get worse.

“Life is sacrosanct, but the present federal government has failed in the most basic duty to the nation to protect the lives and property of its citizens. Under their watch, infrastructure across all sectors, including roads, education and healthcare has collapsed.”

While speaking at the Lafia Public Square, Sule appealed to the residents of the Nasarawa

State “to adhere strictly to the provision of the electoral act of the ongoing electioneering activities of the country.

“Let me use the opportunity of this occasion to state that the ban on the 2023 Presidential electioneering campaign has been lifted a few days ago by the Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC) and in no distant time, the governorship and other elective offices will follow suit.”

He, therefore, urged the political parties “to adhere strictly to democratic ethos, rule of law and adherence to the provision of the

Electoral Act. I enjoin you to play politics without bitterness because, at the end of it all, we will have one Nasarawa State which we call our own.”

Ayade, in his speech at the U.J. Esuene Stadium, Calabar, said despite the challenges associated with the lean resources of the state, his administration has made giant strides in the area of industrialisation.

Ayade, represented by his deputy, Prof. Ivara Esu, said the anniversary offers Nigerians “an opportunity to reflect on our history and deeply appreciate the progress

we have made so far despite the many hiccups we have had and the very troubling scope of our present political, social and economic realities as a country.”

Meanwhile, the European Union and the British High Commission in Nigeria have reiterated their commitments to support Nigeria’s democracy.

The envoys committed to Nigeria’s 62 Independence anniversary celebration in Abuja.

The Ambassador of the European Union to Nigeria and the ECOWAS, Ms. Samuela Isopi, said Nigeria is a work in progress just like any

country in the world.

“No country is where they want to be; it is always a work in progress for every country and I think Nigeria has made huge progress, especially if you think about democracy.

“Think about all the progress that has been made since the return to civilian rule, so I think that Nigeria is a country with huge potential.

“We hope that you will continue to develop that potential in the future and the European Union as a partner will continue to support Nigeria especially Nigerian youths in helping them to realise their potential.’’

2023 OFFERS YOU GOLDEN OPPORTUNITY TO SACK APC, PETER OBI TELLS NIGERIANS moved in droves, they held several Olawale Okunniyi, was granted, it, together as one. #Bauchiforpeterobi Nigerians Defy placards with inscriptions such as however, did not prove effective in #4MillionMarch4PeterObi." Rain, Police to Hold "Nigeria must be OBIdients", "We easing the gridlock during the rally.

In Trafalgar Square, London, Massive Rallies for do this for our future", "Come 2023, In Ikeja, hundreds of members some of the participants held the Obi in Lagos, Other Obi must be our president," and of the OBIdients Movement defied Nigerian flag as they were guarded "ObiDatti, our joy is coming". the early downpour to converge on by the metro police to ensure a Cities Meanwhile, thronging the streets of Lagos, Akwa Ibom, Edo, Bauchi, Kaduna, Warri and Asaba, Obi's supporters yesterday said they wanted to prove a point that they were more than a group of four people tweeting in a room, a tag given to them by Obi’s opponents.

The rallies were also held simultaneously in Abia, Kebbi, Ile-Ife in Osun, Nassarawa, Port Harcourt and Abuja.

Obi’s supporters also gathered in Manchester and London, as well as Cardiff and Shanghai in China.

Stressing that they are the structures needed to secure a home run in the forthcoming 2023 elections for their candidate, OBIdients, as the supporters are known, defied rain and police siege to identify with Obi and his running mate, Datti Baba-Ahmed.

The supporters marched through major roads in Lagos during the rally tagged ‘Four-million-man Walk for Peter Obi,’ which was simultaneously held in various areas, including, Ikeja, Lekki, Surulere, and FESTAC. At FESTAC, Obi’s supporters converged on the Federal Housing Authority (FHA) at 2nd Avenue on 23 Road, while a crushing crowd of supporters kicked off at the Archbishop Vining Memorial Church in Ikeja for the procession.

Chanting excitedly as they

While some of the placards appealed to Nigerians not to sell their votes, others pronounced doom on those who will vote for the opposition.

Other placards charged the police, other security forces and the Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC) to put Nigeria first in the discharge of their electoral duties.

To enforce the court order that prohibited any form of the rally at the Lekki tollgate, the Lagos State Police Command had deployed CSP Yinka Egbeyemi, Commander, Rapid Response Squad (RRS) and his team to the tollgate but despite their presence, some OBIdients marched and drove past, waving their flags.

From the National Stadium, Surulere to Lekki, and from Ikeja to the FESTAC area of Lagos, the rally caused both human and vehicular traffic, especially around the stadium axis, from Alaka and Teslim Balogun Stadium and down to Ojuelegba.

The gridlock at the Ojuelegba axis persisted despite the approval given by the Federal Ministry of Youth and Sports Development for the participants to use the National Stadium in Lagos as the car park.

Although the request by The Third Force Movement led by Mr.

the Archbishop Vining Memorial Church for the procession.

In the Lekki area of the state, the supporters converged on the opposite side of the Lekki Phase 1 gate and marched through the tollgate to Falomo under the bridge.

In Surulere, the supporters gathered at the National Stadium and marched through Maryland to connect with other supporters at Ikeja under the bridge.

Speaking with THISDAY, some of the supporters expressed confidence in the emergence of the Labour Party candidate as the next president of the country.

Meanwhile, some hours into the rally, the LP's gubernatorial candidate for Lagos, Bode RhodesVivour and a few others secured the release of one of the leaders of the rally in FESTAC, Joseph Onuorah, who was allegedly arrested by the operatives of the Department of State Services (DSS), upon arrival to Lagos to join the team.

Although the number of OBIdients in Bauchi was less than that of Lagos, they still made their presence known with the long walk held on busy roads across the city.

According to @Biggest Vine, "we the people of Bauchi are here to support Peter Obi. "We put behind our religion and tribe for the betterment of our dear nation as we match

peaceful rally.

Similar rallies were held in Uyo in Akwa Ibom State and Warri in Delta State.

In Uyo, the OBIidient supporters assembled by 10 a.m. around a water fountain by Nwaniba Road, one of the major roads in the heart of Uyo, and marched peacefully through the roads, singing, dancing, and waving the LP flags, alongside the Nigerian national flags.

Several youths carried placards indicating that they have decided to support Obi in next year’s presidential election.

In Warri, the supporters converged on the popular Effurun roundabout in Uvwie Local Government Area as early as 8 a.m. and marched through Warri-Sapele road to Airport Junction down to Airport Road and rounded up at Warri city stadium.

There was gridlock in the affected routes as the supporters were chanting solidarity till they got to the Warri City Stadium, where they were addressed by party leaders on the importance of their active involvement in the forthcoming general election by voting rightly.

The supporters, under the aegis of Delta State Alliance for Peter Obi Movement, insisted that “A new Nigeria is possible,” with good leadership.

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WELCOME ON BOARD… L-R: Chairman/CEO, Dozzy Oil, Chief Daniel Chukwudozie; Vice President, Manufacturers Association of Nigeria (MAN), Mrs. Helen David Mark; and New Chairman of MAN, South-east Zone, Mrs. Ada Chukwudozie, at the inauguration of Chukwudozie in Enugu…recently

2023 Election: APC Chieftains Unfazed Despite Nullification of Oyetola’s Nomination By Court Court judgment won't affect Tinubu's nomination, says Ogala It's judicial rascality, Benue APC chair fumes Adedayo Akinwale and Alex Enumah in Abuja Chieftains of the All Progressives Congress (APC) have dismissed the fears that the nomination of Senator Bola Tinubu as the presidential candidate of the party may be in jeopardy following a judgment of the Federal High Court that nullified the nomination of Osun State Governor, Adegboyega Oyetola and his deputy, Benedict Alabi, as candidates of the party in the July governorship election.

Justice Emeka Nwite had on Friday in Abuja held that the nomination of Oyetola and his deputy were unlawful and unconstitutional because Governor Mai Mala Buni, who submitted their names to the Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC), violated the provisions of Section 183 of the Constitution and Section 82(3) of the Electoral Act 2022.

The suit marked: FHC/ABJ/ CS/468/2022, has Buni, former Acting Chairman of the APC and four others as defendants.

Buni organised the party’s convention where Senator Abdullahi Adamu emerged as the party’s National Chairman.

Adamu subsequently conducted the APC presidential primary which produced Tinubu as the party’s candidate for the 2023 election.

This has generated anxiety in some quarters that since something cannot be built on nothing, the emergence of Tinubu from an exercise initiated by Buni could also be declared a nullity by the court.

But THISDAY checks revealed that a Federal High Court sitting in Port Harcourt, Rivers State, had earlier affirmed the Buniled Caretaker Extraordinary Convention Planning Committee of the APC when it struck out a suit challenging the competence of the committee.

Justice Pheobe Msuen Ayua held that the action was non-justiciable and incurably incompetent, noting that the substratum of the matter bordered on the internal affairs of the ruling APC. The Port Harcourt ruling corroborated a Supreme Court judgment, which held “that the National Executive Committee

(NEC) of the party is empowered to create, elect and appoint committees (including the instant CECPC) or any other committee it may deem necessary to act in any capacity.”

The latest judgment has, however, raised concerns about courts of coordinate jurisdiction giving conflicting judgments on almost the same dispute, especially since the earlier court that cleared the coast for Buni to operate was the same High Court.

Reacting to the latest judgment, a former National Legal Adviser of the party, Babatunde Ogala (SAN) said the Supreme Court had previously ruled on the matter, saying maybe the High Court did not averse itself to the apex court judgment.

He explained that he did not know how anyone could imagine that the APC convention would be affected by the judgment.

Ogala stated: "I have not seen the judgment that you talked about. I may not be able to make an informed commentary on it. If indeed a court in Port Harcourt had validated Mai Mala Buni's committee, then it would appear that there are conflicting orders of the court.

"However, I am conscious of the fact that the same issue came up in the election petition between Eyitayo Jegede and Rotimi Akeredolu on the governorship of Ondo State and the Supreme Court has ruled on it. The Supreme Court is the highest in the land whose decisions, and pronouncements are laws and must abide by every other court of the land.

"I might choose my word carefully here, if the facts are the same, it would appear the Federal High Court that gave that judgment either did not averse its mind to the judgment of the Supreme court, that's if the facts are the same. As I said, I have not read the judgment; I do not have details of the judgment, I have only seen snippets in the newspapers.

"As to the convention, I do not know how this would affect the convention, where the National Executive Committee (NEC) of the party sat down and fixed a date for its convention. I do not know how anyone imagined in the widest imagination that the convention

would be affected because Mai Mala Buni attended as head of the Caretaker Committee. I stand to be corrected or educated on that, but I don't know how.

"What is the correlation between Mai Mala Buni being the head of the Interim Committee and participating in a convention that was called by the National Executive of the party or indeed even by any member of the party or by members of the party where the convention was properly convened.

"Let me also quickly say here that APC has two conventions, one in March that gave birth to the Abdullahi Adamu-led executive and the other in April that led to the emergence of the presidential candidate, which was the convention midwife by the National Working Committee of the party by the party's constitution."

For Mr. Ahmed Raji (SAN), there is no conflict between the earlier judgment and the recent one.

He said: "I don’t have any of the two judgments but it appears that the Abuja judgment looked into the merit of the case while the Port Harcourt court did not go into the merit. Accordingly, there appears to be no contradiction", he said.

Raji, further noted that the judgment is that of the high court may end up in the Supreme Court, "when the highest court may revisit the case of Jegede vs Akeredolu which once scratched the issue," he said.

"I would rather we await the authoritative pronouncement of the highest court on the point", he added.

Equally reacting, another senior lawyer, Mr. Dayo Akinlaja (SAN) argued that adjudication is not science.

"Because of that, it does not enjoy the immutability or luxury of exactitude. That is the monopoly of science. From the standpoint of this position, it is not out of place to have conflicting decisions from two or more courts of coordinate jurisdiction.

"That is why the appellate courts are put in place to review such decisions and harmonise the position of the law on such conflicting decisions", he said.

Akinlaja expressed confidence

that the two decisions will be subjected to the appellate courts for review,” he said.

But the former Deputy National Publicity Secretary of the party, Yekini Nabena, said since there were two conflicting judgments from courts of coordinate jurisdiction, the party is going to appeal.

He said it was worrisome considering the timing of the judgment.

Nabena added: "If for instance, anything goes wrong, that means the foundation is dead and once the foundation is dead, everything the party has done is gone.

"As it is now, the judiciary is now the problem because what they are supposed to do at that point, they are supposed to appeal.

At this point, there is nothing we can say until the judiciary takes its full course,” he added.

On his part, Benue APC

chairman, Hon. Austin Agada lamented that courts of coordinate jurisdiction giving conflicting others were part of the judicial rascality they have been crying about.

He stressed that Buni did not emerge through a convention, but was brought on board in an acting capacity, adding that his role as acting Chairman was not in conflict with his executive position as the governor of Yobe State.

Army: Gunmen Hide under Biafra Agitation to Kill in South-east David-Chyddy Eleke in Awka The Nigerian Army has disclosed that the gunmen terrorising the residents of the South-east geopolitical zone hide under the cloak of Biafran agitation to commit crimes in the region.

The new General Officer Commanding (GOC) 82 Division of the Nigerian Army, Enugu, Major General Umar Musa, stated this at the weekend when he visited Governor Charles Soludo of Anambra State at the Government House, Awka.

This was contained in a statement by the governor’s spokesperson, Christian Aburime.

Musa took over from Major General Taoreed Lagbaja, who is now the GOC, 1 Mechanised Division, Kaduna.

The new 82 Division GOC whose division superintends over Soludo’s Anambra, visited to inform the governor of his assumption of duty.

Musa had also recently visited Governors Okezie Ikpeazu and Hope Uzodimma of Abia and the Imo states, respectively.

The GOC will work with the state governors in the South-east which is under the division on security. This explains his recent visits to the governors in the region.

He commended Soludo for his assistance to the security agencies in their battle against gunmen operating in the state.

The GOC said the army was aware of the security situation in

the South-east and promised to partner with the governor and other governors in the region to fight the situation.

“We discovered that Anambra and Imo (States) are volatile and that gives us serious concern.

The issue of (Biafra) agitation is there, but people capitalise on it to commit a crime,” General Musa said.

Musa said he has devoted two months of his stay in the division to studying the insecurity in the South-east to fashion out ways of tackling it.

“Cases of attacks pose new challenges. I assure you of the total commitment of the Nigerian army,” he added.

The GOC said drug abuse was a major contributor to the incidence of crime in the country.

Soludo, while welcoming the new GOC, expressed happiness over his visit to the state.

He also congratulated him on his new assignment in the region.

The governor told the new GOC to pay special attention to the Anambra-Imo Boundary, pointing out that the gunmen mostly attack from communities where the state shares boundaries with the other South-east states.

“If you cordon off the boundaries between Anambra and Imo in a joint operation, you squeeze and take them (gunmen) out,” Soludo said.

The governor reiterated that those behind the insecurity in the South-east are criminals, insisting that the attackers have nothing to

do with Biafran agitation.

“Anybody in any camp in Anambra State is a criminal. We consider the person a kidnapper and we treat the person as such.

There is no way light and darkness can co-exist. Without law and order, nothing else will work,” he said.

Soludo used the opportunity to commiserate with the new GOC over the killings of soldiers on Wednesday by gunmen in the state and expressed his readiness to partner with the army in tackling insecurity in the state and region.

The Chief of Staff to the governor, Ernest Ezeajughi and Special Adviser to Soludo on security, Ben Chiobi, were among those present at the event.

Like other states in the Southeast, security has deteriorated in Anambra State with frequent attacks by armed persons across the state.

The attack on the soldiers occurred less than three weeks after gunmen ambushed a senator’s convoy, killing about five persons including two police officers.

The senator’s convoy was attacked in Enugwu-Ukwu, a community in the Njikoka Local Government Area of the state.

A serving lawmaker was also murdered by gunmen in the state.

The attacks, mostly targeted at security officials and government facilities, have been attributed to the outlawed Indigenous People of Biafra which is agitating for a sovereign state for the Igbospeaking people in the South-east.

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REUNITING WITH OLD FRIENDS… L-R: Mr. Emmanuel Aeah; Mr. Adebayo Olowo-Ake; Mr. Yemi Famakin; President, Federal School of Arts and Science, Old Students’ Association, Mr. Gbayode Somuyiwa; Vice President, Mrs. Mary MUBO PETERS Agbabiaka; and Vice President, Diaspora Affairs, Mr. Bisi Bajella, during 42nd anniversary reunion of the Class 1978/80 of the school in Lagos… yesterday

Insecurity Threatens Conduct of 2023 Elections in 686 Communities North accounts for over 90% of the affected communities DSS explains roles in ensuring election security

Gboyega Akinsanmi The Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC) may be under constraint to conduct 2023 elections in over 686 communities under the atrocious activities of armed non-state actors across the federation, THISDAY’s findings have revealed.

The findings also revealed that the affected communities and wards cut across 90 local government areas (LGAs) and 18 states of the federation.

President Muhammadu Buhari had directed security agencies to ensure stability before December 31.

Concerned civil society actors conversant with the undertaking of the Inter-agency Consultative Committee on Electoral Security (ICCES) anonymously shared intelligence about the country’s election security with THISDAY at the weekend.

INEC had expressed grave concerns over the 2023 elections.

However, security agencies had played down the apprehension of the electoral umpire about the country’s unsafe territories for the conduct of the 2023 elections.

The commission had consequently been meeting the country’s security community under the auspices of the Interagency Consultative Committee on Election Security (ICCES) to ensure security and stability during the polls slated for February 25 and March 11, 2023.

Despite its initiative to ensure a stable security environment before the 2023 general election, investigations by THISDAY showed that the electoral commission might not be able to conduct elections in “over 686 communities across the federation.”

Concerned about the country’s worsening security conditions, the civil society actors found out that

Troops Rescue Chibok Girl with Four Children Kingsley Nwezeh in Abuja Troops of the Nigerian Army have reportedly rescued one of the Chibok schoolgirls abducted by insurgents in 2014.

The girl, identified as Yana Pogu, was rescued on Thursday in Borno by the troops of the Nigerian Army under Operation Hadin Kai. Pogu, who was rescued with her four children, gave birth to a set of twins four months ago.

Speaking on the recent development, Zagazola, a publication focused on counterinsurgency operations in the Lake Chad region, said her twins were in an unhealthy condition when she was rescued.

Her rescue, according to TheCable, was achieved by troops of the Nigerian Army, backed by a column of the Civilian Joint Task Force (CJTF) when they stormed the enclave of Jama’at Ahl as-Sunnah lid-Da’wah wa’l-Jihad, a terrorist group in Bama Local Government Area, Borno State.

According to intelligence sources, the troops engaged and overwhelmed the insurgents, neutralising scores of terrorists in the process, while several others escaped with fatal gunshot wounds.

“In the course of the encounter, troops successfully rescued Yana Pogu, a Chibok girl who was

number 19 on the missing girl’s list along with her four children,” the source said.

“She was found with a fourmonth-old set of twins in a very unhealthy condition.

“Some of the fleeing insurgents also attempted to ambush their troops but while acting on the intelligence, the troops responded swiftly with aggressive fire powers, forcing them to flee.

“More women were rescued after the encounter. They are transferred to the 21 Armoured Brigade, Bama, for medical attention.

Over 200 students were kidnapped by insurgents from the Government Girls’ Secondary School (GGSS) in the Chibok area of Borno State, on April 14, 2014.

Meanwhile, several of the girls have been rescued, but dozens are still reported to be in captivity.

On July 26, 2022 troops of the Nigerian Army reportedly rescued two of the Chibok schoolgirls abducted by insurgents in 2014 It had been reported that troops of the 202 Battalion and 82 Division Task Force Battalion rescued two of the students with two children on June 16.

Also, on June 29, the Nigerian Army rescued Ruth Bitrus, another Chibok schoolgirl, with a child, from an insurgents’ hideout in Bama Local Government Area of Borno State.

the north “is more affected when compared with the south. Of the 686 affected communities, 618 were identified in the north alone.”

By implication, the findings indicated that the north alone “accounts for 90.1 per cent of the unsafe communities.

The findings further showed that challenge “is minimal in the south,” putting the total number of the affected communities at 68.

In the entire south, the findings revealed that there “are 68 communities where candidates will not be able to campaign or where the INEC cannot conduct any election. The communities represent about 9.09 per cent.”

Of these 680 communities nationwide, according to the

findings, 336 were identified in the North-west alone. Of the 336 in the North-west, 200 are in Zamfara State alone. Obviously, Zamfara is now the country’s unsafest state.

The findings said: “In the North-east, 168 communities were identified. Of this number, Gombe is the only state where no community or ward is listed as part of the unsafe territory in the North-east. In Borno State, there are about 79 wards where elections may not be held.

“In North-central, 114 wards are affected. These are mainly located in Kwara, Nasarawa, Niger and Plateau. Benue and Kogi are not included in the list of these communities. If we have 10 communities in Ondo State,

there is no way Kogi will not be affected because ISWAP insurgents are from Kogi State.

“In the South-east, 55 communities have been identified as red zones. These are mainly in Abia, Anambra and Imo States.

Ebonyi and Enugu states are excluded from the list of troubled communities,” the findings revealed.

In the South-west, the findings claimed that at least 10 communities are identified in Ondo State, especially in Owo LGA, Ose LGA and their environs.

The findings attributed the case of Ondo State “to its proximity to Kogi State, where ISWAP insurgents have penetrated.”

The findings put the number

of communities affected in the South-south at three, which are all located in Rivers State.

Explaining its roles in ensuring the country’s election security yesterday, the Department of State Services (DSS) acknowledged its synergy with the INEC. The DSS, through its Public Relations Officer, Dr. Peter Afunanya, said: “It works through its ICCES domiciled in INEC to ensure adequate security and order for the elections.

“ICCES comprises security agencies and the electoral body and meets regularly, share information and proactively makes necessary interventions,” Afunanya said in a response to THISDAY’s inquiries.

Opadokun: Nigeria Must Return to True Federalism, Allow for Self-determination Says Britain should compensate Nigeria, others for pains of colonialism Emmanuel Addeh in Abuja Elder statesman and former Secretary of the National Democratic Coalition (NADECO), Chief Ayo Opadokun, yesterday called for a return to true federalism as envisaged by the founding fathers of Nigeria.

Speaking at a lecture delivered under the auspices of the coalition of Yoruba Self-determination Groups at the press centre of the Nigeria Union of Journalists (NUJ) in Ibadan, Oyo State, Opadokun argued that no part of Nigeria should be forced to remain against their will.

Opadokun, who is also the convener, of the Coalition of Democrats for Electoral Reforms (CODER), spoke on the topic: ‘Federalism vs Unitarism: Nigeria Must Choose One Before 2023 Elections.’

He described the presidential system of government as irresponsible, irresponsive and extremely expensive, insisting that the Nigerian economy cannot sustain the financing of the present system.

According to him, Nigeria now spends about 80 per cent of its total income on recurrent expenditure with little left for developmental programmes, alleging that drafters

of past constitutions in Nigeria were loyalists, sympathisers, acolytes and silent supporters of the military.

The rights activist reminded politicians who believe in their winning formulas that once they contest under the ‘forged document' called the 1999 Constitution, they have compellingly accepted the provisions contained therein, to which they must swear an oath of allegiance.

Opadokun listed the recent reintroduction of the controversial Water Bill as one of the conspiracies by a section of the country to dominate others, noting that it was unacceptable.

“Just recently, a supposedly discarded bill on all waters in the country has resurfaced as an executive bill in the National Assembly. What is that to illustrate?

“The fact that there is extreme poverty, unemployment, decayed infrastructure, terribly poor services thereby making most governors spend more time in Abuja raking out favours from the central government rather than providing effective, transparent governance in their states is a compelling case for a return to federal constitutional governance,” he argued.

In addition, the former Assistant Director of Organisation of the defunct Unity Party of Nigeria

(UPN) stressed that the Nigerian state has failed in its primary responsibility of providing security for its people.

He noted that this has worsened to the extent that many native farmers have been kidnapped, killed, raped and dislodged by bandits and herdsmen who occupy Nigeria’s forests with no central government’s effective interventions.

“As a result, today, many farming settlements can no longer go to the farms to ply their trades.

“While the Yoruba people prompted their governors to establish a state outfit to give them some security respite, the central government has failed to give the states approvals to buy ammunition that will empower the Amotekun outfit to protect citizens.

“Conversely, the Nigerian state is ready to deploy Nigeria police officers or civilian outfits (like Tompolo) with guns and ammunition to protect inanimate objects,” he said.

He pointed out that while the agitations for state police have been very loud and reasonable from the governors, ethnic nationalities and opinion-moulders, the Nigerian state has not approved it for sectional reasons.

“If our politicians imagine that they can push their bills through the compromised National Assembly, they should be reminded that it has been rigged against the Yoruba race already,” he said.

He maintained that if there is no ulterior and sectional agenda behind all the inequity in the country, then the powers-that-be must accept that beyond any doubt, the ‘unitary system' being run has failed and is unsustainable.

“Let the Nigerian state accept the fact that under international law and convention, particularly in the protocols contained in the 1948 Fundamental Rights Charter of the UNO, and the African Charter of Peoples Rights, self-determination is a fundamental human right. No one has the right to govern anyone by force. That is the case today in Nigeria,” he explained.

He called for a recourse to the summary of the Pro-Democracy Conference Draft Constitution at the People's Conference, presided over by Chief Anthony Enahoro at the time.

According to him, the document along with the Independence Constitution should be harmonised to produce a workable ground norm, subject to the approval or disapproval in a referendum or plebiscite.

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THISDAY, THE SUNDAY NEWSPAPER OCTOBER 2 , 2022

BUSINESS

Editor: Festus Akanbi 08038588469 Email:festus.akanbi@thisdaylive.com

Nigeria @ 62... Nigeria @ 62... Nigeria @ 62...

Crude oil theft…the bane of the Nigeria’s oil industry

Paying for Years of Missed Opportunities After a period of 62 years as an independent nation, when enormous resources garnered from oil sales were frittered away, and several opportunities to develop other sectors were wasted, the question is how far can Nigeria continue to bank on the oil industry for its economic revival?, asks Festus Akanbi

F

rom whichever angle one chooses to look at it, this year’s independence anniversary is unique in many respects. This is because this year’s edition came on the eve of a general election which HͿHFWLYHO\ PDUNV WKH HQG RI WKH current administration that promised to chart a new course for the nation’s economic and political lives when it came on board seven years ago.

Again, the independent anniversary came at a period when virtually all the economic indices are down as the nation’s economy appears to KDYH GHÀHG WKH JDLQV RI WKH SHULRG ZKLFK GHOLYered a boom to other oil-producing nations but manifested in form of economic doom in Nigeria.

The economic history of Nigeria falls into three periods. They are: pre-colonial, colonial and postcolonial or independence periods. The pre-colonial period covers the longest part of Nigerian history. The colonial period covers a period of 60 years,1900-1960 while the independence period dates from October 1, 1960.

It is not out of place therefore for the international community to have high expectations from Nigeria. This is because, at 62, Nigeria is H[SHFWHG WR KDYH DFKLHYHG D VLJQLÀFDQW OHYHO RI development, especially with its rich natural and human endowments.

Unfortunately, however, the level of underdevelopment in the country has made nonsense of Nigeria’s abundant human and natural resources.

The list of Nigeria’s problems is quite extensive, as is the case with numerous other developing countries. Issues touching on education, health, infrastructure, inconsistent economic policies, poor human capital development, corruption, LQÁDWLRQ DQG LQVHFXULW\ KDYH FRQVLVWHQWO\ KDPpered development in Nigeria. While some of these problems are gradually reducing, others are getting worse.

There is no doubt that Nigeria is endowed with abundant natural resources ranging from solid minerals (crude oil, gold, tin, iron ore, niobium, lead, zinc, limestone, salt etc) to arable land with varieties of agricultural products such as palm oil, cocoa, groundnut, beans, melon, corns, rice, among others. The advent of the oil economy

howeverchangedthefocusawayfromagricultural development and that set the tone for the current economic challenges facing the country.

Missed Opportunities As argued by Aderibigbe Stephen Olomola of the International Food Policy Research Institute (IFPRI), although the country is politically independent, it has not been free to galvanise the resources in the interest of the citizens to achieve the desired level of development.

“In general, the correlation between available resources and development outcomes in Nigeria has been perverse. The market fundamentalists pressurised the country to abandon its planning strategy while at the same time discouraging the necessary capital investment to ensure sustainable growth and development.

“The situation is exacerbated by a military intervention which aggravated political instability and stymied democratic governance. Since 1999 when the aberration was put in abeyance together with its stressful and corruption-ridden neo-liberal economic management system, opportunities have been created for economic emancipation and sustained growth. The outcome was an emerging economy with a relatively stable exchange rate, a fairly predictable macroeconomic environment and good prospects for growth,” he stated.

Meanwhile, most respondents to THISDAY enquiries on the bane of Nigeria’s economic independence, last week spoke almost unanimously that successive administrations should be blamed for bungling the golden opportunities inherent in the enormous human and material resources which the post-colonial government inherited.

In the words of the Managing Director/Chief Executive of CowryAsset Management Limited, Mr Johnson Chukwu, Nigeria failed woefully to VZLP ZLWK WKH WLGH RI HFRQRPLF GLYHUVLÀFDWLRQ taking place all over the world.

Rather than build on the gains of vast and arable land to strengthen its agricultural sector, both the military and civilian administrations post-independent period had focused on revenue from crude oil sales.

Unfortunately, reliance on crude oil sales is breeding corruption and laziness, two major issues

rubbing the country of the gains of oil resources.

In his opinion, a lecturer in the Department of Economics, Western Delta University, Oghara, FelixAshakah wrote that millions of Nigerians are being pushed into poverty due to the prevailing poor economic policies of the government.

Analysts contended that nothing better illustrates the pathetic state of the economy like the FXUUHQW LQÁDWLRQ UDWH ZKLFK DFFHOHUDWHG WR per cent in August of 2022 from 19.64 per cent in the previous month, above market expectations RI SHU FHQW DQG UHPDLQLQJ DW WKH KLJKHVW VLQFH 6HSWHPEHU One immediate fallout of this is the regime RI FRUUXSW ODGHQ SROLFLHV DV H[HPSOLÀHG LQ WKH controversial fuel subsidy programme, which has continued to deny Nigerians of the much-needed fund for development projects.

7RGD\ 1LJHULD LV EDWWOLQJ XQWDPHG LQÁDWLRQ ODUJHO\ FDXVHG E\ IRRG LQVX΀FLHQF\ HQHUJ\ FULVHV large-scale unemployment, insecurity and foreign exchange market crisis.

Amid the unfavourable development comes IRUHLJQ LQYHVWRUV· ÁLJKW DV ZHOO DV WKH VXVWDLQHG exit of multinationals to save havens.

ment that conferred the state with about 60% of all multinational oil projects onshore, while the oil company paid most of the exploration and development costs. Oil revenues have yielded billions of dollars to the Nigerian economy but about 70 per cent of such has been lost to corruption.

Statistics show that despite the oil windfall, more than 70 in every 1,000 babies die before WKHLU ÀUVW ELUWKGD\ WKH DYHUDJH OLIH H[SHFWDQF\ is less than 46 and only 33% of the population has access to adequate sanitation.

Another economic paradox in Nigeria is the fact that although the country exports more than a million barrels of oil a day, only about 40% of Nigeria’s total population - 10% in rural areas - has access to electricity. $V GLVDͿHFWLRQ RYHU WKH RSDTXH QDWXUH RI the appropriation of oil revenue rose, people in the oil-producing areas became combative in protest over a combination of environmental degradation and the failure of multinational ÀUPV WR GHYHORS WKHLU DUHD :LWK WKH ULVH LQ PLOLWDQF\ PDQ\ RI WKH RLO ÀUPV EHJDQ WR H[LW Nigeria. Also, due to a combination of outright oil theft and militancy, production was seriously Breaking the Oil Curse DͿHFWHG WKXV VHWWLQJ WKH VWDJH IRU WKH H[LW RI RLO Today, oil earnings account for almost 90% of ÀUPV ZLWK LWV DWWHQGDQW UHYHQXH VKRUWDJHV LQ the nation’s gross export revenue, leaving a paltry Nigeria. So, while other oil-producing countries 10% for other commodities such as agricultural are counting the gains of the oil resources, Nigeria produce and solid minerals. From the 1970 oil is still battling with how to break the oil curse. boom era in the country to date, heavy reliance Today, despite the prevailing high cost of ZDV RQ RLO UHYHQXH DQG ZLWK WKH ÁXFWXDWLRQ RI crude oil, the scourge of oil theft and vandaloil prices and a subsequent sharp decline in the ism is depriving Nigeria of the boom being world oil price in recent periods, it is obvious that experienced by other oil producers.

Oil-exporting nations such as Nigeria, Venezuover-dependence on oil is the major source of UHYHQXH FRXOG IDLO WKH FRXQWU\ DV LW FDQ·W ÀQDQFH ela, Angola and DRC have seen livelihoods and economies devastated, but there have been many the budget as usual.

In 1960, when Nigeria gained independence countries throughout history, such as Norway, from Britain, production was 17,000 bpd, rising Canada and Botswana who have bucked the rapidly to one million bpd by 1970. Like bees, curse through strong state management and major and independent companies rush to Nigeria institutions that can stand against corruption.

But the Cowry Asset Management Limited’s when it joined OPEC in 1971 and nationalised the oil industry through the creation of the forerun- chief executive believed that it is possible to break ner of the present Nigerian National Petroleum the oil curse. According to him, “The curse was Corporation Limited. Other interested companies imposed by bad leadership but several countries with a strong appetite for oil exploration entered have broken that kind of curse. One example is into a joint venture with the NNPC, in an arrange- Netherland, which has broken the curse.

14

THISDAY, THE SUNDAY NEWSPAPER OCTOBER 2 , 2022

POWER Nigeria @ 62... Nigeria @ 62... Nigeria @ 62...

62 Years of Unbroken Jinx in Nigeria’s Power Sector The failure of successive administrations to solve the power sector problems even with the recent privatisation is a big embarrassment as Nigeria marks its 62nd independence, writes Festus Akanbi

A

s programmes lined up for this year’s independence anniversary wind down this week, one major regret of the government and the organised private sector is the colossal failure of successive administrations to satisfactorily revive the Nigerian power sector.

And like a stubborn ailment that has continued to defy treatment, the Nigerian power sector, which has undergone different levels of diagnosis and treatments appears to be resistant to the harvests of interventions from the public and the private sector since Nigeria attained its independence in 1960.

Whatever the situation, the reality today is that many Nigerians do not currently have access to as much power supply as they would want and when they do, it’s not reliable.

Recently, the World Bank estimated that the country would need to connect between 500,000 to 800,000 new households to electricity sources every year between then and 2030 to be able to achieve its targets of universal access to electricity for its citizens.

OPS Count Losses It is a well-known fact that the abysmal performance of the power sector has continued to shake the nation’s economy to its foundation with many organised private sector operators having to expend a substantial portion of their revenues on generating sets. The fate of these organisations is also sealed by the prohibitive cost of diesel over the years, thereby forcing many companies to shut down or relocate to neighbouring countries.

The small-scale industry is not spared as the fear of incurring heavy losses as a result of poor access to power has forced many ambitious business owners to perish their thoughts.

The attendant loss of jobs and threat to government plummeting revenue in form of taxes is another dimension of the fallout of the power sector crisis.

Power plant

generating sets were installed to serve the then Colony of Lagos. By an Act of Parliament in 1951, the Electricity Corporation of Nigeria (ECN) was established, and in 1962, the Niger Dams Authority (NDA) was also established for the development of hydroelectric power. A merger of the two organisations in 1972 resulted in the formation of the National Electric Power Authority (NEPA) which was saddled with the responsibility of generating, transmitting and distributing electricity for the whole country. In 2005, as a result of the power sector reform process, NEPA was unbundled and renamed Power Holding Company of Nigeria (PHCN).

The Electric Power Sector Reform (EPSR) Power Generation Act was signed into law in March 2005, Nigeria is endowed with large oil, gas, enabling private companies to participate hydro and solar resources, and it has the in electricity generation, transmission, and potential to generate 12,522 MW of electric distribution. The government unbundled power from existing plants. On most days, PHCN into eleven electricity distribution however, it is only able to dispatch around companies (DisCos), six generating compa 0: ZKLFK LV LQVX΀FLHQW IRU D FRXQWU\ nies (GenCos), and a transmission company of over 195 million people.

(TCN). The Act also created the Nigerian The Nigerian power sector experiences Electricity Regulatory Commission (NERC) many broad challenges related to electricity as an independent regulator for the sector. policy enforcement, regulatory uncertainty, At present, the federal government has gas supply, transmission system constraints, fully divested its interest in the six GenCos and major power sector planning shortfalls while 60% of its shares in the11 DisCos that have kept the sector from reaching have been sold to the private operators. commercial viability.

The Transmission Company still remains According to reports, Nigeria’s national under government ownership. grid has been plagued with challenges in the transmission and distribution subAt the Mercy of Creditors VHFWRUV ZKLFK KDV PDGH LW GL΀FXOW WR If there is any major headache for the evacuate the available generation capacity electricity supply industry in the country, it through the grid. The Nigeria Electricity is the threat posed by their weak corporate Regulatory Commission (NERC), based governance framework. To this end, the on data obtained in 2021, reported that ministry of power said it is putting in place power distribution in the year, averaged new plans to support the strengthening 4,094.09 megawatts (MW), despite an avail- of that critical part of the sector. able generation capacity of about 8,000 7KH FRQÁLFWV EHWZHHQ WKH 'LVFRV DQG MW2. Relatedly, average unutilised power their creditors have recently led to the generation increased year-on-year, YoY, takeover of some power distribution in a to 3,008.18 Megawatts, MW in 2021, from bid to prevent their total collapse, but the 1,030.80 MW in 2013, indicating an increase ministry says this is a temporary measure. of 291 per cent in the past eight years.

From the Abuja Electricity Distribution Company (AEDC) which was taken over The Beginning by the UBA to the recent changes relating It would be recalled that power genera- to corporate governance in Kano, Benin, tion in Nigeria began in 1886 when two Kaduna, Ibadan and Port Harcourt electric-

boasts 100% national electricity access for both rural and urban areas.

The north African country of Algeria came close, scoring 99.8% in terms of national electricity access.

With a 99.8% national electricity access rate – 99.6% in rural areas and 99.9% in urban areas Gabon is another country doing well in terms of the performance of electricity. The country boasts an electricity access rate of 91.6%. Electricity access in rural areas stands at 27.8%, the urban population has an access rate of 98.6%.

And in neighbouring Ghana, the people Lessons from Other African Countries have 85.9% access to power. Ghana’s elecRelying on Tracking SDG7: The Energy tricity mix is dominated by hydropower Progress Report, one can see that while energy, thermal energy and gas. Currently, 1LJHULD KDV IRXQG LW GL΀FXOW WR SXW LWV the country has a national electricity access house in order as far as access to power rate of 85.9% with 74% access in rural areas is concerned, some other African countries and 94% in urban zones.

Also included is South Africa with 84.4% have been able to break the power jinx in access. South Africa currently generates their respective jurisdictions.

The source, which was last updated most of its electricity from coal, with the in 2019, is a global dashboard dedicated country’s national access to electricity rate to registering progress on energy access standing at 84.4% – 75.3% for rural areas across Africa and elsewhere, as part of the and 88.8% in urban areas.

Botswana is not left out with 72% access targets for the Sustainable Development Goal 7 (SDG7). The dashboard is a col- to electricity. Botswana mainly generates its laborative initiative by the International electricity from coal, wood and petroleum, Energy Agency (IEA), the United Nations relying on coal and petroleum product Statistics Division (UNSD), the World Bank imports from South Africa and other regional neighbours. and other partners.

Kenya is not doing badly with 71.4% One of the African countries with excellent power service delivery is Egypt. According access. With a 71.4% national electricity to the report, Egypt has achieved a 100% access rate, comprising 62.7% for rural areas national electricity access rate for both the and 94% for urban areas, Kenya has the rural and urban population and its electric- highest access rate in east Africa.

Another country with good performance ity is sourced mainly from hydropower and thermal power stations, with the country is Senegal with about 70.4% access.

With an estimated national electricity advancing as a leader in the renewable access rate of 70.4%, further detailed as energy sector.

Another example is Morocco which has 47.4% for rural areas and 95.2% for urban achieved a 100% national electricity access areas, the West African country is targeting rate for both its rural and urban popula- universal access to electricity by 2025, driven tions. Morocco represents a high potential by new gas-to-power developments and renewable energy market, particularly renewable investments.

The question being raised by industry regarding solar. With plans to increase the share of renewables in the energy mix to analysts is if these fellow African countries 52% for wind and solar by 2030, major can do it well in their jurisdictions, why LV 1LJHULD ÀQGLQJ LW GL΀FXOW WR SXW LWV developments are currently underway.

Next is Tunisia which is able to cover all house in order as far as electricity access its domestic consumption needs. Tunisia is concerned? ity distribution companies, the push has been to halt the decline in the discipline in the governance of the Discos.

The government has continued to roll out bailout to the power sector, but analysts believe the problem could be traced to the opaque manner of the privatisation of the assets.

Recall that in December 2021, the Minister of Finance, Zainab Ahmed and Aliyu secured the approval of the FEC for €63 million for the procurement of equipment to boost power supply under the PPI.

THISDAY, THE SUNDAY NEWSPAPER OCTOBER 2 , 2022

15

INDUSTRY Nigeria @ 62... Nigeria @ 62... Nigeria @ 62...

Waiting for the Return of Textile Industry Kunle Aderinokun captures the expectations of Nigerians who are calling for the return of the Nigerian textile industry, as well as the implementation of programmes to encourage artisanship in Nigeria

Locally made textile materials

T

he textile industry, which used to be the glory of the Nigerian economy has been in the doldrums for a long time. Apart from the absence of incentives to textile manufacturers in terms of duty waivers for raw materials and machine importation, the perennial poor power supply subsists. Besides, even if and when the duty waivers are granted, assessing IRUH[ WR ÀQDQFH VXFK LV OLNH WKH FDPHO SDVVLQJ through the eye of the needle. /LWWOH ZRQGHU WKDW PRVW RI WKH NQRZQ QDPHV in textile manufacturing have relocated their operations to neighbouring countries, in times past.

8QIRUWXQDWHO\ WKH ÀVFDO DQG PRQHWDU\ DXthorities have not done enough to assuage the plights of the textile industry. It would not be out of place to say the action or inaction of the ÀVFDO DQG PRQHWDU\ DXWKRULWLHV NLOOHG WKH VHFWRU The problem with the textile sector didn’t start today, their woes are only compounded E\ WKH ODFN RI IRFXV DQG GLUHFWLRQ RI WKH SUHVHQW administration. The crisis predates the fourth republic- it started in the 1980s because for about 20 years after Nigeria’s independence, the sector ZDV DW LWV SHDN 3URGXFLQJ DW D FDSDFLW\ RI PRUH than 1.4 billion pieces of products, the textile LQGXVWU\ ZKLFK KDG WKH OLNHV RI $UHZD 7H[WLOH

3OF 8QLWHG 1LJHULD 7H[WLOH /LPLWHG $IULFDQ 7H[WLOH 0DQXIDFWXUHUV /LPLWHG 6XQÁDJ *URXS Nigeria Limited, Nigerian Embroidery Lace Manufacturing Company Limited. Fantext Nigeria Limited, then was generating over $2 billion, annually. Many years down the line, the textile industry’s fortunes have, however, dwindled due to bad policies of successive JRYHUQPHQWV DQG D ODFN RI SDWULRWLVP RQ WKH part of the leaders and the led. $V 1LJHULD PDUNV KHU QG DQQLYHUVDU\ DQG counts losses in economic values, it is an opSRUWXQH WLPH IRU WKH JRYHUQPHQW WR UHÁHFW DQG WUDFH LWV VWHSV EDFN WR ULJKW WKH ZURQJV WR SXW the industry on the path of recovery, growth, and sustainability.

Outsourcing Artisans’ Jobs There is no doubt that the strength of a nation’s economy is its small businesses. Any nation serious about economic development DQG SURVSHULW\ QHYHU MRNHV ZLWK WKHP 7KDW·V what is obtainable in the western world and other nations worth their salt. Behind these small businesses are the creative minds and VNLOOHG ZRUNHUV FDOOHG DUWLVDQV WKH\ DUH WKH souls of small businesses. Largely occupying the informal sector of the Nigerian economy, but inadequately captured, they contribute VLJQLÀFDQWO\ WR WKH *'3 7KH\ DUH KRZHYHU

among the least catered for or rewarded because programmes by successive governments to uplift them to global standards over the years have been sub-optimally implemented.

Unfortunately, most Nigerian youths are no ORQJHU VKRZLQJ DQ DSSHWLWH IRU VNLOOHG ZRUN ,Q DQ DJH ZKHQ JHW ULFK TXLFNO\ LV WKH RUGHU RI WKH GD\ PDQ\ VFKRRO OHDYHUV HLWKHU WDNH WR commercial motorcycles or resort to internet IUDXG RU NLGQDSSLQJ $OO WKH\ ORRN IRU LV D means of livelihood. The immediate fallout is the reliance on artisans from neighbouring countries of Togo, Benin Republic and Ghana.

Gradually, it is becoming fashionable for FRQVWUXFWLRQ ÀUPV WR LPSRUW SOXPEHUV DQG tilers, from these neighbouring countries.

Analysts said the government should share the blame for the failure to provide adequate support to various technical colleges in the country.

According to them, one major discouragement WR DUWLVDQVKLS LV WKH ODFN RI DFFHVV WR D UHJXODU power supply in Nigeria. In a country where big businesses spend huge some on independent SRZHU JHQHUDWLRQ LW ZLOO EH H[WUHPHO\ GL΀FXOW IRU DUWLVDQV WR EUHDN HYHQ With heavy reliance on automation, the activiWLHV RI WKRVH ZKR UXQ PHQLDO MREV OLNH YXOFDQLVHUV tailors, Saloonists, plumbers, carpenters, and welders, among others are dependent on access

to a power supply. In a dispensation where the cost of diesel has ballooned and poor public power supply, it is doubtful if this category of professionals can survive.

From 1960 to date, small businesses, which are the largest employers of labour have been operating without the help of governments even though nearly all the administrations in the nation have one or more initiatives or agencies established with a clear mandate to support small and medium enterprises. Such include Better Life for Rural Women, Mass Mobilisation for Economic Recovery, Social Justice and Self 5HOLDQFH 0$06(5 1DWLRQDO 3RYHUW\ (UDGLFDWLRQ 3URJUDPPH 1$3(3 %DQN RI ,QGXVWU\ %2, 'HYHORSPHQW %DQN RI 1LJHULD '%1 National Association of Small And Medium Enterprises (NASME), Small and Medium Enterprises Development Agency of Nigeria (SMEDAN), Small and Medium Industries Equity Investment Scheme (SMIEIS), The 1LJHULDQ ,QFHQWLYH EDVHG 5LVN 6KDULQJ 6\VWHP forAgricultural Lending (NIRSAL), TraderMoni DQG 0DUNHW0RQL 0DQ\ DUH RQO\ JRRG RQ SDSHU as they are more or less politically-motivated.

While these initiatives may have touched the lives of some artisans and small entrepreneurs, most of them have not been designed to permeate the fabric of the problems and provide sustainable solutions to them.

Telecoms Sector Remains Game Changer in Economic Transformation Emma Okonji

in number and they were owned only by the D΁XHQW LQ WKH VRFLHW\ Between 2001 and 2006, the Nigerian Comhe Information and Communications Technology munications Commission (NCC), the telecom (ICT) sector, no doubt, has industry regulator, deregulated the telecom the potential and capacity LQGXVWU\ DQG JUDQWHG ÀYH \HDUV H[FOXVLYLW\ to transform the Nigerian period to GSM operators, a development that HFRQRP\ DQG PDNH LW FRP- suddenly pushed the number of telephone petitive with the global lines from less than 400,000 in 2001 to over economy in today’s digital transformation 10 million in 2006, thus giving opportunity for all Nigerians to own and operate a mobile era, given its growth antecedents.

At independence in 1960, Nigeria had a pal- telephone.

6SHDNLQJ DERXW WKH WUDMHFWRU\ RI WKH HYROXWLRQ try 18,724 telephone lines, with a population of 40 million people, translating to a teledensity of of telecom in Nigeria, concerning the nation’s 0.5 per cent. In 2001, when the Global System for growth, the Executive Vice Chairman of the Mobile communication (GSM) was launched in 1&& 3URI 8PDUX *DUED 'DQEDWWD VDLG DV Nigeria, telephone lines, which were controlled of July 2022, active telecoms subscribers have XQGHU D PRQRSROLVWLF PDUNHW E\ WKH 1LJHULDQ JURZQ VLJQLÀFDQWO\ KLWWLQJ PLOOLRQ DFWLYH Telecommunications Limited (NITEL) and subscribers, which represents a teledensity a few other Code Division Multiple Access of 109.47 per cent.

“Besides, basic internet subscriptions have (CDMA) operators, were still within 400,000

T

also grown from zero in the pre-liberalisation era to over 152 million. It is also gratifying that the broadband subscriptions now stand at 85 million, representing a 44.49 per cent penetration,” Danbatta said.

Today, “the Information and Communication Technology (ICT) sector contributed 18.44 per FHQW WR WKH QDWLRQ·V *URVV 'RPHVWLF 3URGXFW *'3 LQ WKH VHFRQG TXDUWHU RI )URP WKLV ÀJXUH WKH WHOHFRPPXQLFDWLRQV VHFWRU DORQH contributed 15 per cent,” Danbatta further said to place on record the unprecedented contribution of the telecom and ICT industry WR 1LJHULD·V *'3 Chairman, Association of Licensed Telecom Operators of Nigeria (ALTON), Mr Gbenga Adebayo said the telecom sector has continued to reduce the cost of its service deliveries, even DPLG LQÁDWLRQ DQG HFRQRPLF KDUGVKLS WKXV PDNLQJ LW SRVVLEOH WR FRQQHFW PRUH 1LJHULDQV DQG RͿHU WKHP WKH RSSRUWXQLW\ WR WUDQVDFW

online, to boost e-commerce. According to him, “In 2001, the cost of voice calls was N50 per minute, but today, it has dropped to less than N20 per minute, while the cost of SMS messages has equally dropped from N15 per text message in 2001 to N4 per SMS in 2022. The telecom sector is the only sector that supports virtually all other sectors of the economy.”

The ICT sector has to a large extent, deYHORSHG WKH ÀQDQFLDO VHFWRU WKURXJK WKH Financial Technology (FinTech) operators. The Fintech operators have positively disrupted WKH EDQNLQJ VHFWRU WKURXJK WKHLU LQQRYDWLYH technology solutions that have changed the IDFH RI ÀQDQFLDO WUDQVDFWLRQV LQ WKH ÀQDQFLDO sector. With Fintech solutions, mobile apps have EHHQ GHYHORSHG WKDW DOORZ EDQN FXVWRPHUV WR FDUU\ RXW DOPRVW DOO ÀQDQFLDO WUDQVDFWLRQV from their mobile phones and in the comfort RI WKHLU KRPHV DQG R΀FHV ZLWKRXW YLVLWLQJ DQ\ SK\VLFDO EDQN

THISDAY, THE SUNDAY NEWSPAPER OCTOBER 2 , 2022

16

ECONOMY Nigeria @ 62... Nigeria @ 62... Nigeria @ 62...

In Search of the Disappearing Cash Crops $PLG WKH FXUUHQW LQVX΀FLHQF\ RI RLO UHYHQXH IRU QDWLRQDO GHYHORSPHQW D JURXQGVZHOO RI DJLWDWLRQV IRU WKH UHYLYDO RI WKH QDWLRQ·V PDMRU DJULFXOWXUDO SURGXFH KDV FRQWLQXHG WR JDLQ WUDFWLRQ DV 1LJHULD FHOHEUDWHV LWV QG LQGHSHQGHQFH DQQLYHUVDU\ ZULWHV Festus Akanbi

1

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SUNDAY OCTOBER 2, 2022 • T H I S D AY

17

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T H I S DAY, T H E S U N DAY N E W S PA P E R • OCTOBER 2, 2022

CONVERSATION WITH MY BILLIONAIRE FRIEND ayo.arowolo@thisdaylive.com 08086447494 (SMS only) LESSONS NOTES MODEL STUDIES BINOCULARS

AYO AROWOLO

PERSONAL FINANCE

FIELD REPORT

In Search of Generational Wealth Builders Generally, when the art of creating happiness and deriving happiness from human activities is tied to building a legacy, human life becomes meaningful for living. Building a legacy practically involves creating enduring tangible and intangible things which can be passed on to future generations long after the wealth owner is gone. - Conversation with my Billionaire Friend Building a legacy is all about living and not about death. It is about how not to live for only now and about living now for the benefit of others, tomorrow. It is about thinking of one’s life and what must be done today for the benefit of others in the future. It is about leaving today’s footprints for tomorrow’s legacy- Conversation with my Billionaire Friend Building a legacy is not limited to only the wealthy, … There are indeed many non-wealth builders and owners who have created and left a legacy for the benefit of humanity. Such examples include Albert Einstein, the German physicist who developed the theory of relativity. He was not wealthy but created wealth for others in the world long after his death with his theory of relativity.- Conversation with my Billionaire Friend

• On the 46 th floor of the Rockefeller Center

I

am happy to announce that we have netted another impactful billionaire, who has gracefully agreed to be our guest on the hot seat. He will be sharing with us his wealth-building principles just as my first billionaire friend did, impactfully. I have known and related with this noiseless billionaire since 1993. He is not an entrepreneur, just like my first billionaire friend, and he is also not an aggressive investor. His strategies for building wealth are so simple that you wonder why many of us are not engaging in them. I was in his office two weeks ago for preliminary discussions, and I was blown away by the few principles of wealth building he shared with me. But hold your breath! We are not bringing him to the hot seat immediately; we must wait for another few weeks before we start featuring his series. While we await his debut, I shall be sharing some interesting notes from my diary I have been documenting for quite some while, tracking some wealth builders, most of whom are billionaires.

HOW THE CONVERSATION BEGAN In this edition, I will share with you how the seed that germinated into my adventure of tracking billionaires and other wealth builders started. I started my journalism career in 1989 with a newspaper publishing company owned by a late flamboyant billionaire. I had read about his exploits which covered aviation, publishing, communication business, oil and gas, and so on, years before I joined his company. He introduced glamour and panache into journalism as he showered his leading editors with unbelievable comfort and gave many of them international exposure through regular foreign trips.

He rarely showed up at the publishing house, but when he did, he always left great memories. He was very generous.

I tasted a bit of his generosity in an interesting way. One late night, the president of an African country was visiting Nigeria at the invitation of a the billionaire. I suspected he had called one of our top persons on duty in his publishing house to send a photographer to the airport to cover the scene of the arriving president. No photographer was around. I was in the proofreading department of the newspaper then, and the personnel department had just sold to willing staff some Nikon cameras, which we were to pay back from our salaries in instalments. Fortunately, I was one of the lucky ones who purchased the camera. I had done some personal photography training, and I had just used the camera to take shots of some monkeys which were programmed to do acrobatic displays by their handlers. I did a story around it, and the weekend edition of the paper published it along with the shots I took. So, the senior officer was yelling all over the place: “where are the photographers” (no mobile phone then)? No show. I was on night duty.

My head of department (late), who knew I had a camera, asked me if I could step in. I rushed to my apartment, which was just a five-minute walk from the office. I showed up a few minutes later, and pronto, I was driven to the international airport.

I did my best and took some shots, which were used in the newspaper the following day. When I was about to leave after taking the photographs, the billionaire said in Yoruba, “thank you o… what shall we give you”. I was dumbfounded. I wasn’t

•With the security guy on the 46th floor of the tower expecting anything from the exercise, but to my surprise, he dipped his hands into his flowing agbada and brought out some new naira notes and handed them over to me. Should I say floated back to my house? When I counted the money, it was four times more than my monthly salary, which was just N400.

Expectedly, my admiration for the billionaire hit the rooftop. As Peter in the Bible had said to Jesus after a transforming mountain-top experience, I said in my heart, it is good to build my journalism tabernacle here! I dreamt of the day I would also be like one of our celebrity editors.

AND THEN THE BAD NEWS But something happened from about 1991 that shattered my dreams, and I believe, the dreams of several others. The billionaire joined the presidential race as one of the aspirants ; he won the election but the results were annulled and what happened thereafter was a series of events that read like a movie script. He ultimately lost his life. More devastating was that a few years after his death, all the visible evidence of his wealth started to disappear one after the other such that one can no longer trace any of them. Virtually all of us found our way out of the publishing house, but for me, it was the beginning of a series of reflective questions. Why would such humongous wealth vanish just like that? Was there no system installed that could sustain it? I looked around and discovered that it was not peculiar to him. There were many billionaires I had read about but whose exhibits of affluence evaporated shortly after their death.

A seed had been sown and I was not ready to

•On the tomb side… making money even in death let go. In 1996, I was privileged to be sponsored on a trip to the United States of America by the US government, where I joined 21 others from developing countries. They took us on a tour of seven states in the country. There was something I observed.

I saw some companies that wrote something like since 1909, since 1890 on their signboards or walls of their buildings . That is, they were companies that survived their owners and were still profitable long after the owners were gone. Why can’t we have many of such in Africa?

In 2015, a year after I returned to THISDAY on my second missionary journey, I drew up an ambitious plan: I planned to travel to the US during a two-week leave to visit some of the states where those billionaires I had read about (both dead and alive) resided. On my list were: John D. Rockefeller, Michael Bloomberg, the owner of Bloomberg Financial Services, whose fascinating book BLOOMBERG by Bloomberg I had read, Sam Walton, the founder of Walmart, who I had also read his fascinating autobiography, Kenneth Copeland (who I read had given out over 10 private planes as gifts-now more than 20 planes). I contacted my travel agent, and we both drew up a plan he believed was practicable.

I started my journey from Santa Clara, where I attended an Expert Academy conference by a young guy called Brendon Burchard, who reported to be consultant to an American president. It was an exciting event as many people flew from different parts of the world to attend the seminar, which focused on how experts from different fields of endeavours could create streams of income from their expertise.

I met two Nigerians there. From there I flew to Boston and visited Harvard Business School, where I was introduced to their image maker . I was interested in learning how Harvard Business Review conduct their case studies. I had planned to travel to Fort Worth, Texas, where I had worked out a strategy for meeting Kenneth Copeland . How? Mike Murdock a popular American evangelist is close to Copeland, and I thought that if got Mike Murdock, I would get Copeland. Mike Murdock had been invited by a general overseer of a leading Pentecostal church in Nigeria as a guest speaker. I had read about him with total fascination and had imagined in my mind that one day, I could meet him physically. And it happened. Mysteriously, I was invited by the media department of the church that invited him to join a panel of pastors who would interview Mike Murdock. I was in the studio of that church directly in front of the evangelist, firing questions some of which originated from some of the tips I got from his tapes I had listened to. I believed he was impressed. He asked for my business card, and I gave it to him and instantly he gave me his private email which he said only 14 people in the world had access to at that time.

We started to relate, and once, when he was in

As far as I am concerned, only God knows who will succeed who. A lot of us are worried about what will happen when we are no more.

That is not your business. What you need is simply to make sure your business is set on the right principles and values. It is not your duty to determine who succeeds you. What if the person you have in mind is not interested, as I have experienced?

Nigeria after that encounter at another function, I went to the venue. Surprisingly, once he saw me in the hall, he called me by the name of the newspaper I was managing then and said, your business card is still in my study. I figured out that once I met Mike Murdock, he should be able to link me with Kenneth Copeland Just in case, I had also informed another of his close friend, a popular Nigerian-born but UK-based pastor who had told me to call him once I was in Fort Worth to speak to Mike Murdock. My plan was altered.

While still in Boston, Massachusetts refining my plans, I got a text from my boss, who was in New York and then asked me to join him in New York to attend an education conference organised by Sarah Brown, the wife of the former British Prime Minister. It was a well-attended event with Dr Akinwumi Adesina and Dr Ngozi Okonji-Iweala in attendance. I was able to interview Mrs Brown with her husband in attendance , who shared their experience after leaving office. Mission accomplished, I decided to stay for two days in New York and seized the opportunity to visit the JD Rockefeller centre. The Rockefeller Center is a large complex consisting of 19 commercial buildings covering 32 acres between 48th Street and 51st street in Midtown, Manhattan, New York City. I spent one day and a half there. It is a tourist centre as many tourists flood the place to behold the assets left by the man: his tomb, towers, etc. I paid to be conducted around the centre, including riding to the 46th floor of his tower. As I was on the 46th floor, the questions started to flood my mind again.

Why can’t we have similar monuments in Africa?

Mission accomplished. I flew back to my base in Boston and a few days later flew to Atlanta to stay with a friend for my easy connection to Fort Worth. But that plan was truncated dramatically.

While I was working out reconfirmation protocols for my trip to Fort Worth, I got a call through my phone. My boss issued a short instruction: “Meet me at home (Nigeria) by 4 pm tomorrow.” I was startled. I tried without success several times to reach him on the phone, but he did respond. I sent an email intimating to him that I was still in the US, but there was no reply. The instruction was explicit. I called my travel agent and asked him to book my return flight to Nigeria. That was how the dream of meeting Copeland evaporated.

I learnt a big lesson: Only the boss has the handle on the rules, and he can change them even in the middle of the game. And your job? Fall in line!

BUT THE QUESTION REFUSED TO GO AWAY. In 2018, I contacted Professor Franca Ovadje of Lagos Business School, who I had related with in the past. She was noted for some of her case studies. I explained my mission to her, and she immediately fell in love with the topic but suggested we commission a researcher to do the initial field report and literature review. We eventually settled for Dr Taiwo Ojo, a leadership expert. We all agreed to work together as partners. In less than three weeks, Dr Taiwo turned in his initial research work, a detailed 20-page report that summarised why Africans don’t succeed in building generational wealth. I quote from the study: “Reasons why African businesses don’t last across generations “It is a known fact that most African businesses die prematurely immediately after the exit of the owner or founder. In places like Europe and America, you find many businesses that have lasted many generations, but in Africa, it is not so. Why? Below are some of the adjudged reasons for this: “Unethical Practice, survival mentality, ungodly foundation, issues of corruption, greed and selfcenteredness, lack of structures and systems, no or poor succession plan, lack of love and compassion, competitive and envious motives, indiscipline and lack of focus and grit.

Others are disorderliness, high level of individualism (do it alone syndrome and mefirst mentality), lack of preparation and capacity, inconsistent government policies, wrong traditional beliefs, cultural bias and prejudice, poorly run institutions, abysmal focus on human capital strength, disloyalty, and lack of patriotism”.

“The list also includes a small thinking mindset, hostile and turbulent business environment, lack of collaboration and partnerships, blindness to business trends and disruptive changes, rigidity (refusal to adapt to change), poor value systems and family cohesion issues”.

Read the full article at https://www.thisdaylive.com

OPI NION

119

T H I S D AY MONDAYSunday MARCH 14, 20222022 2 October, Vol 27. No 10029

opinion@thisdaylive.com

www.thisdaylive.com

MAKING WAY FOR THE NEXT GENERATION LEADERSHIP

AISHA SHUAIBU argues the need to bring more youths into politics and governance

See Page 20

THE MEDIA: THE LAST ESTATE STANDING

The Nigeria media has lived up to its reputation, writes TOLA ADENIYI

See Page 20

EDITORIAL

THE PAYMENTS TO ‘GHOST’ WORKERS

See Page 45

Judicial independence has long been lost to politicians, writes CHIDI

ANSELM ODINKALU

NIGERIA: FROM SUBORDINATION TO SUBSERVIENCE OF THE JUDICIARY IN 62 YEARS F or all the talk of judicial independence, the reality of colonial and post-colonial Nigeria has been one long story of judicial subordination into subservience. Seven years into his presidency, Muhammadu Buhari is on his fourth Chief Justice of Nigeria, with the last two having departed office in rapid succession at the instance of his government. The story of how judicial independence in post-colonial Nigeria got to its present pass began goes back to the very idea of colonialism.

Students and graduates of law faculties and law schools all over the Commonwealth, including Nigeria, sooner or later learn to swear by the rule of law and doctrine of independence of the judiciary. These principles, they are told, anchor the law in rationality, shielding it from descent into arbitrariness; ensuring that it applies equally to everyone, and that judges are blind in dispensing it fairly to all manner of persons irrespective of station, without fear or favour, affection or ill-will.

Anyone who thinks closely about this would realize quickly that it is in fact founded on fable.

In a decision in 1918, the Judicial Committee of the Privy Council laid it down that African “natives” were “so low in the scale of social organization that their usages and conceptions of rights and duties are not to be reconciled with the institutions or legal ideas of civilized society...

Such a gulf cannot be bridged.”

Thus, colonial rule, which dispersed the Common Law traditions of the Commonwealth – including independence of the judiciary across the British Empire and beyond, was a system of one rule for the white colonialists and another for the black and brown “natives”. This idea of inherent inequality of the “natives” was itself central to the conception of law and its administration. Far from a system of rule of law, colonial rule was a system of “rule by law” in which judges were anything but independent.

This system of inequality relied for its enforcement in the colonies not on the independence of judges but on their subservience to the colonial will. To ensure this, colonial judges could be removed at will.

On 19 June, 1953, the Queen’s Bench Division of Her Majesty’s High Court in London decided a very interesting case. In 1930, Mr. Terrell was appointed a Judge of the Supreme Court of (Colonial) Malaya, in the Straits Settlements.

Prior to his appointment, he had exchanged correspondence with the Colonial Office, which informed him that he would be liable to retire compulsorily on attainment of the age of 62.

In 1942, Japan overran and occupied the Straits Settlements and the Secretary of State for the Colonies informed Mr. Terrell that they could find no suitable post for him elsewhere in the colonial service. When Mr. Terrell declined leave to retire, the Secretary of State terminated his appointment forthwith on 7 July 1942. That was 17 months before he was due to retire in February 1944.

Mr. Terrell took the case to an arbitrator and lost. So, he appealed to the High Court, arguing that under section 12 of the Supreme Court of

Judicature (Consolidation) Act, 1925, which superceded the Act of Settlement (1701), judges in England held office during good behaviour and could only be removed on an address by both Houses of Parliament, none of which conditions had been fulfilled in this case.

Upholding the award of the arbitrator, Lord Chief Justice Rayner Goddard decided that the enactment relied on was “wholly inapplicable to a colonial judge” and that Mr. Terrell held office at the pleasure of the Crown. Reminded that the Mr. Terrell’s contract appended the undertaking by the Colonial Office that he would not be required to retire before the age of 62, Lord Goddard decided that the undertakings did not constitute an agreement and, in any case, that even if they were, they could not take away the prerogative of the Crown to dismiss him at will or pleasure.

When they appointed Africans as judges, the colonialists did it as an act of patronage conferred on natives about whose subservience they had no doubts. Kitoyi Ajasa, one of the earliest Nigerian judges, achieved that preferment largely because of his closeness to Frederick Lugard, his support for colonial subjugation of natives, and his role as the leading Freemason in the territory as seven-time Worshipful Master of Lagos Lodge No. 1171 between 1901 and 1928.

The politicians who led Nigeria to Independence clearly did their pupillage well in the intricacies of retrenching judicial independence. They did not have to wait long after Independence in 1960 before showing their mastery of the subject.

In 1961 two unrelated things happened: Muhammadu Buhari was commissioned as an officer into the Nigerian Army and the then ruling political coalition in Nigeria tried Joseph Tarka unsuccessfully for treasonable felony. That was largely the last time a ruling government would fail to get in substance what it wanted from the courts.

1n 1962, they would show in the treasonable felony trial of Obafemi Awolowo how well they had learnt their lessons. First, they denied him legal defence of his own choice as the constitution then allowed him. Then, they

side-stepped the fiercely independent Daddy Onyeama to whom the case was to be assigned because they could not trust him to bring home a pre-determined outcome, instead ensuring that the case was assigned to Sodeinde Sowemimo, who wrote his own judicial epitaph with the words: “my hands are tied”.

With Chief Awolowo out of the way, they moved to topple his ruling Action Group (AG) Party in the then Western Region. However, the AG fought the case to the Judicial Committee of the Privy Council in London, as the then highest court in the country was called, and won. So, in response, the ruling coalition amended the constitution to legislate the British Crown and the Privy Council out of existence in Nigeria, converting Nigeria into a Republic.

In January 1966, the military overthrew the lot of the squabbling politicians. In 1969, the Supreme Court decided that what the military did in 1966 was not necessarily a coup for all seasons but rather a time-limited effort to save the country from collapse. The logic was that their hold on power was at sufferance of the civilians to whom they were liable to hand back power once the emergency necessitating the change of guards was over. So, the military legislated the judiciary into subservience with the Federal Military Government (Supremacy and Enforcement of Powers) Decree, No. 28 of 1970 of 9 May 1970.

Two years later, in 1972, they summarily pensioned off then Chief Justice, Adetokunbo Ademola, replacing him with Taslim Elias, who had served as a comely Attorney-General to both civilian and military rulers of the country for a cumulative period of over one decade.

Elias himself would last for barely three years in the seat, before being similarly fired by another military government after a coup in July 1975.

This game of judicial musical chairs orchestrated by the military and the politicians left the judiciary bereft of confidence, all but institutionally lobotomizing it and rendering claims of judicial independence in post-colonial Nigeria rather ostentatious. Military rule moreor-less institutionalized this in three ways.

First, following Decree No. 28 of 1970, they created a military culture of ousting the jurisdiction of the courts from all matters excluding essentially private disputes over land and inheritance. Ibrahim Babangida took this step one notch higher when in 1992, he enacted a decree that criminalized litigation.

Second, by the time Ibrahim Babangida became military ruler, the military began a practice of appointing judges mostly from the civil service. They needed people on the bench whose habit of obedience to instructions they could trust.

Third, they unitarized appointments to and benefits in the judiciary, creating the monstrosity that has now become known as the National Judicial Council (NJC).

A lawyer and a teacher, Odinkalu can be reached at chidi.odinkalu@tufts.edu

2 20

T H I S D AY SUNDAY OCTOBER 2, 2022

AISHA SHUAIBU argues the need to bring more youths into politics and governance

MAKING WAY FOR THE NEXT GENERATION LEADERSHIP

Anyone who went to school in Nigeria is familiar with the term “leaders of tomorrow”, often used by educators as a reminder to youth that they may one day be of service to the country and should be well prepared for it. Tomorrow is now here and the emergence of youth as prospective candidates in the upcoming 2023 elections is inspiring to see. Nigerian youth have often been deemed problematic, lazy, and misguided as they waste no time expressing their thoughts through hot takes and harshness directed at the government.

Click-bait headlines online have created the trend of arriving at conclusions without knowing the full story and you can trust Nigerians to add fuel to an already burning ÀUH ZKHQ WULJJHUHG E\ FHUWDLQ UHSRUWV The EndSars protests of October 2020 that called for the disbandment of the Special Anti-Robbery Squad sparked outrage among Nigerian youth at home and abroad, causing a deep divide between those who supported the protests and those with opposing opinions. What we can collectively agree on as a takeaway from the protests is the desperation for change and how far Nigerian youth are willing to go for it. Today, we see before us the political participation of more youth whom we will need more of to deliver the future Nigeria we want.

The political culture of the United States encourages young people to gain H[SHULHQFH LQ VWDWH DQG ORFDO RIÀFHV EHIRUH running for Congress. The average age of U.S senators from 1789 to date is between 30 and 40 years old, while that of the representatives within the same period is 25 and 30 years old. Madison Cawthorn is currently the youngest member of the 117th Congress at 27 years old, while Jon Ossoff is the youngest seating senator at 35 \HDUV ROG *HQHUDO &ROLQ 3RZHOO LGHQWLÀHG the introduction of structure as a backbone to youth development and by introducing them to a working system early, they are better prepared to lead. He said on enforcing structure in the army, “these teenagers were put in uniform, given ranks, their heads were shaved so everyone looked the same, and introduced to the rigor of their drill sergeant, which over time developed their skills, discipline, and ability to be accountable. We are fuelled by young people coming up from every land in the world and it is our obligation as contributing citizens to make sure that no child gets left behind.” Over in the United Kingdom, there have been conversations about more youth inclusion in parliamentary politics, where members averaged the ages of 50 – 59 years old since 1979. Youth under-representation in the House of Commons seems intentional due to the fear of welcoming inexperience and changing a culture that has been preserved for decades. The UK population is mostly made up of this demographic making the hesitation of parliament to welcome more youth understandable.

Globally, youth participation in politics

is seen as timely and necessary. There is a growing need for youth to be more active and intentional in political practices in order to cater to the needs of young people and guarantee that their rights are represented and addressed. Youth are seen to be more active in political movements instead of engaging with political parties as only one percent of parliamentarians around the world are in their 20s, while 11.8% are in their 30s. Only a third of countries have made national parliament members eligible from the age of 25. The civic and political engagementofyoungpeopleincollaboration with development sectors demonstrates progressive outcomes in peace-building and innovation to bring about transformative change. Supportive regions have created an enabling environment in form of policies and legal frameworks that support inclusive youth participation, the inclusion of women in political practices and governance, and the promotion of youth skills and capacity to actively participate at the local, national, and global level. Prime Minister Sanna Marin (36) of Finland, Congresswoman Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez (32) of the U.S Congress, Minister of Foreign Affairs Luigi DiMaio (36) of Italy, and Member of Parliament Mhairi Black (28) of the United Kingdom are a few of many young people to emulate on their journey to being changemakers in government.

Although youth and women in Africa still face many barriers to political participation, Nigeria is on the road to a more inclusive form of governance. Small but steady strides are being made by our youth who have decided to contest for positions in the National Assembly and local governments in the upcoming 2023 elections. These candidates are made up of men and women with years of experience in public service dedicated to taking their service to the next level by being decision-makers, change-makers, and lawmakers of their own. One of the many advantages of more youth participation in Nigerian governance is the opportunity to educate the Nigerian youth on exactly how the system works and practical ways to bring about change. As an energized and resilient generation of young people, we must expose ourselves to the realities of leadership, and this can only happen when we have some of us on the inside. By offering our support to fellow youth who have embarked on the journey of leading our dear country forward, we encourage them to perform their duties at their best and strongest capacity. It is indeed just as important to hold our peers accountable for their underperformances, should they come up short on their responsibilities. When we follow the campaigns of these prospective candidates, we must call them to action and challenge them to adopt brave and unconventional styles of leadership, should they emerge victorious.

Shuaibu is a member of THISDAY Editorial Board

The Nigeria media has lived up to its reputation, writes TOLA ADENIYI

THE MEDIA: THE LAST ESTATE STANDING Say what you like, but for the Nigeria Media, those who were hell-bent on destroying the country would have succeeded a long time ago. It was the design of the destroyers’, right from the inception of the so-called Amalgamation, not to allow the peaceful and all-trusting indigenous inhabitants of the space now called Nigeria to have a future.

We are again in the season of the thoughtless rituals when we celebrate the ÁDJ DQG SDSHU ,QGHSHQGHQFH JLYHQ WR XV by brutish British colonial masters who had planted inescapable land-mines with ULJJHG 3RSXODWLRQ &HQVXV ÀJXUHV ULJJHG parliamentary elections and irredeemably screwed regional boundaries before the takeoff.

Thank goodness, we are still breathing; which is about the only commodity left, due largely to the heroic activities of the press before, during, and ever since the so-called deceptive independence. Every civilized community normally thrives on four inter-dependent pillars of governance: the Executive, the Legislature, the Judiciary and the Watchdog which ensures checks-andEDODQFHV VR WKDW QRQH RI WKH ÀUVW WKUHH ZRXOG lose its head and run amok.

The term ‘Fourth Estate of the Realm’, a descriptive term for the Press, is almost unanimously agreed to have been coined

by Edmund Burke, a 19th Century British statesman and orator, who championed many human rights causes and brought attention to them through his eloquent speeches.

The role of the mass media as the “fourth estate” of the realm implies that the media is also a lawmaker in itself. In addition to its core functions as informer, educator, entertainer, DGYHUWLVHU FULWLF DQG LQÁXHQFHU WKH PHGLD LV supposed to be an agenda setter through its editorialising of opinions. A paper’s editorial is sometimes called ‘Leader’ because of its powerful role of setting alternative agenda for the State.

During the medieval era, the fourth estate was also referred to as the press because the press was the only prevalent form of media prior to the coming of television and radio.

‘Though media and press have a persuasive authority yet its’ real ability is not a secret to the world. The existence of a free, independent and powerful media is the cornerstone of a democracy, especially of a highly mixed society like India. The pivotal role of the media is its ability to mobilize the thinking process of millions,’ says Prabhat Ranjan.

The Nigeria Media as the fourth estate has lived up to its reputation and, as mentioned inter-alia, it has been performing its role creditably long before Independence and throughout the unforgettable interregnum of the jackboot.

Nigerians will never forget the role of the Media in confronting and stopping the obnoxious Anglo-Nigerian Defence Pact stoutly opposed by the valiant Nigerian students of the 1960s; the quartet of Rasaki Solaja, Julius Adelusi-Adeluyi, Hayford Alile, Dapo Falase and Co. Nigerians will never forget ‘If you Tarka Me I’ll Daboh you’, and ‘Laup Ongonu Minister of Steel shall steel no more’ captions and articles that forced ministers out of the Cabinet. Or the provocative columns “Let Me Fall”, “May We Never See It Again” [Daily Times, 1974] which saw Gowon tumbling down less than six months after!

When the Press was chased off the streets by Military Juntas especially in the infamous years of 1993-98, the media led by the Osifo-Whiskeys and Onanugas moved its operational bases to the jungle and perfected Guerrilla journalism while Radio Kudirat sited its operational base on the Moon!

With all the courageous activities of the legendary NADECO forces, it was the media which announced and popularised their yeoman activities to the world and made Nigeria ungovernable for the Goggle.

I cannot and should not attempt to list the media heroes of that era, or indeed the media heroes of all time in Nigeria, simply because they were/are numerous and secondly, one is bound to inadvertently leave some big players unmentioned.

6XIÀFH LW WR VD\ WKDW WKH\ NQRZ WKHPVHOYHV Nigeria remembers them and of course the God they serve recognises them. And posterity applauds them.

Let me say with all modesty that my SHGLJUHH TXDOLÀHV PH WR DSSUHFLDWH ZKLFK media is good and which one is not up to its billings. Having worked at the very top level of media establishments as Executive Chairman, as a Proprietor, as Editor-in-Chief, as Features Editor, Columnist, Investigations/Reviews Editor and Chief Correspondent not only in Nigeria but also in Britain, the US and &DQDGD , IHHO FRQÀGHQW WKDW WKH 1LJHULD Media stands tall in the comity of Media Industry throughout the world. The informed Editorials and columns dished out by Nigerian Journalists over the years can hardly be beaten by any journalist anywhere in the world especially in their thoughtfulness and the robustness of their argument and scholarship.

Forget the so-called free press in the socalled free world: it is all hype! Exhibition of XQLQKLELWHG UDFLVP SURÀOLQJ SURSDJDQGD irreverent and hedonistic social values, severe self- and governmental censorship, hero-worshipping and always toeing government line.

Now, back to Nigeria, a country in the throes of death. For about 23 years since it was fed with pretensions of democracy, Nigeria has been kept under lock and key by ‘misrulers’ who like to deceive themselves that they were/are practicing democracy where the mandatory doctrine of separation of powers exists. Pshaw!

Adeniyi is a Columnist, Publisher, and Consultant on Strategic Public Policy

51

T H I S D AY SUNDAY OCTOBER 2, 2022

EDITORIAL

Editor, Editorial Page PETER ISHAKA Email peter.ishaka@thisdaylive.com

THE PAYMENTS TO ‘GHOST’ WORKERS Who are the ghost workers? It is time to confront the criminals and bring them to justice

T

he issue of ‘ghost workers’ in the civil service has remained a recurring decimal under successive administrations, military and civilian. The spectre, which ought to be an aberration in any proper selfaccounting and self-auditing bureaucratic system, is now a national scourge that appears insurmountable. In the past two decades, almost every ZRUNHU·V YHULÀFDWLRQ H[HUFLVH FDUULHG RXW E\ DJHQFLHV of government has thrown up thousands of fake workers who are on the payroll. Despite that these ghost workers had been receiving regular salaries and allowances running into billions of Naira, questions persist as to why they are still in business.

More than seven years in the life of the current administration of President Muhammadu Buhari, the nation is still being regaled with tales of ghost workers being uncovered and various sums ‘saved’, despite the full deployment of technological tools to forestall the problem. In June this year, the Director-General, Bureau of Public Service Reforms (BPSR), Dasuki Arabi disclosed that 70,000 ghost workers had been ‘eliminated’ from the federal government payroll through the Integrated Personnel and Payroll Information System (IPPIS).

According to him, with their removal from the payroll, and hitherto alleged wrong management of the IPPIS, the federal government had been able to save N220 billion. A few days ago, the National Security Adviser (NSA), Babagana Monguno also claimed that the federal government had uncovered about 54,000 fraudulent payroll entries in IPPIS. 7KH ÀJXUHV GLVKHG RXW E\ $UDEL DQG 0RQJXQR SURYLGH D VLPSOH H[SODQDWLRQ WKDW EHWZHHQ -XQH and September 10 this year, 70,000 ghost workers were ‘eliminated’ from the payroll and another 54,000 were added in less than three months. Yet, the introduction of the IPPIS in the nation’s Public Finance Management (PFM) system was largely designed to insulate the government payroll from the ghost workers syndrome. Therefore, unless the federal government adopts a structured and serious institutional response to the ever-recurring problem of ghost workers in most government establishments, the syndicate that

WKULYHV RQ LQÁDWLQJ WKH DFWXDO QXPEHU RI ZRUNHUV DQG ÁHHFLQJ WKH QDWLRQ ZLOO NHHS VPLOLQJ WR WKH EDQNV The issue here is not discovering ghost workers as the regular announcements have become rather boring.

What Nigerians would like to know are the steps EHLQJ WDNHQ WR GHDO ZLWK FRQÀUPHG FDVHV DQG SUHYHQW new ones. We ought to know, for instance, how and when some of these “ghost” names got on the payroll and for how long they have been there. For now, there is no sign that anything is being done to stop the fraud.

The security agencies should also tell Nigerians into what accounts the monies so fraudulently drawn have been paid over the years; and the total sum the nation has lost so far to this organised crime.

In 2011, Olusegun $JDQJD WKH WKHQ ÀQDQFH minister revealed that the federal government had removed 43,000 ghost workers from its payroll.

Two years later, the then Coordinating Minister for the Economy and Minister of Finance, Ngozi Okonjo-Iweala revealed that the introduction of the Integrated Payroll and Personnel Information System (IPPIS) had that year culminated in the uncovering of 46,821 ghost workers and saved the nation N118.9 billion. We must seriously interrogate why it is so easy for the perpetrators of the crime to do what they do effortlessly and yet are not caught. Transparency and accountability remain essential to tackling the problem.

It is unacceptable that Nigerians should be periodically regaled with tales of discovery of ghost workers, while no visible attempts are made to get to the bottom of such fraud and bring the wrath of the law to bear on its perpetrators. This mindless plunder of scarce state resources has lasted long enough.

It must be stopped forthwith. Since this blatant fraud emanates from the manipulation of payroll technology, the solution in plugging such pilfering will require blocking prospective technological loopholes. Nigerians are tired of reports of how many ghost workers that have been uncovered and how much has been saved therefrom. We want a closure to these channels through which humongous public funds are stolen. Above all, it is time the perpetrators were unmasked and punished.

Nigerians are tired of reports of how many ghost workers that have been uncovered and how much has been saved therefrom. We want a closure to these channels through which humongous public funds are stolen

Letters to the Editor

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

LETTERS

TASK BEFORE THE NEW CHIEF JUSTICE OF NIGERIA

7R VD\ WKDW FRQÀGHQFH LQ WKH 6XSUHPH Court is at an all-time low will certainly not be an over statement. The other time the justices had their reputation battered was when African Concord magazine published in a December 1992 edition an article titled, ‘‘Justice Mohammed Bello: Kick him out now! Lawyers demand”.

In January 1993, the then Chief Justice of Nigeria, Justice Mohammed Bello, and eight other justices of the Supreme court ÀOHG D 1 PLOOLRQ OLEHO VXLW DJDLQVW WKH Concord Press of Nigeria (CPN), seeking damages for an alleged defamatory publication in the African Concord.

The justices claimed that the reference to them severally and individually in the publication that Gen. Ibrahim Babangida administration had bribed them with 0HUFHGHV %HQ] H[RWLF FDUV· JLIWV DPRXQWHG to libel and had brought them to ridicule.

It was quite messy. But reason prevailed when the Justices withdrew the case from

the court after Concord apologised to them. Fast forward to 2022. This is the year justices of the court came together to write a letter to the Chief Justice of Nigeria threatening to take steps if issues pertaining to their welfare and ability to do their work were not addressed. That was a ÀUVW LQ WKH KLVWRU\ RI 1LJHULD Consequently, the former CJN, Justice Ibrahim Tanko Muhammad resigned “on health grounds.”

Many described the tenure of Justice Mohammad as controversial. Impunity was at its height. Staff welfare was completely neglected. Many are hoping that the appointment of Justice Olukayode Ariwoola will bring some sanity into the DSH[ FRXUW %XW WKH TXHVWLRQ LV ZLOO LW" There is a reason why nothing seems to be working in the court. It is lack of accountability. For every act of impunity that is perpetrated in the court, no one has ever been held accountable. The new CJN

can reverse this trend by righting some of the wrongs in the court.

In the letter to the former CJN, justices of the Supreme Court wrote: “Your Lordship may also remember that the National Assembly has increased the budgetary DOORFDWLRQ RI WKH -XGLFLDU\ :H ÀQG LW VWUDQJH that in spite of the upward review of our budgetary allocation, the Court cannot cater for our legitimate entitlements. This is unacceptable!” The Chief Justice of Nigeria is now in a position to answer the question above.

The impunity in the court isn’t limited to administration alone. There are judgments delivered under the leadership of the former CJN that had turned our dear nation into a laughing stock among nations. The mysterious judgment that declared Hope Uzodinma, the governor of Imo State.

Justice Chima Nweze had warned that the Imo judgement “will continue to haunt our electoral jurisprudence.”

Many are hoping that the new leadership of the court under Justice Ariwoola will redeem itself by attending to plethora of applications drawing the attention of the learned justices of the court to the manifest HUURU LQ VRPH RWKHU YH[DWLRXV MXGJPHQWV RI WKH DSH[ FRXUW +LV /RUGVKLS KDG LQ WKH past demonstrated this rare courage.

Now that he is at the helm, Justice Ariwoola is being called upon to help the court, the judiciary and the nation by embarking on some soul searching and house cleaning. There is no better way to EHJLQ WKDQ WR ÀUVW UHVWRUH WKH FUHGLELOLW\ RI the court than giving justice to all persons irrespective of social status and political DIÀOLDWLRQV ,Q KLV RZQ ZRUGV GXULQJ KLV screening at the Senate “you will never know how painful it is until justice is denied you “. To whom much is given, PXFK LV H[SHFWHG t #BCBUPMB .JDIBFM -BHPT

A

WEEKLY PULL-OUT

2.10.2022

THE LONG WALK TO A UNITED NIGERIA

‘Nigeria go survive’, so sang Nigerian artist Veno in the 80s. Now celebrating her 62nd Independence, Nigerians have survived and are still surviving. But that admirable resilience is slowly waning with the ongoing economic and political hardships that have led to many Nigerians emigrating to greener pastures. But is all hope lost? Vanessa Obioha spoke to a few Nigerians from different walks of life about their belief in a united Nigeria, the current rise of emigrating Nigerians, their Nigerian dream and the future of Nigeria ASSISTANT EDITOR OLUFUNKE OLAODE/victoria.olaode@thisdaylive.com.

T H I S D AY, T H E S U N D AY N E W S PA P E R ˾OCTOBER 2, 2022

47

COVER It is Actually a Long Way to Freedom but We Can Start the Change by First Changing our Mindsets Chief Longers Anyanwu, Chieftain of the APC in Imo State

D

espite all the scary threats emanating from the youths, ethnic campaign champions, violence and kidnapping etc. I have an unshaken belief that a successful transition through a very free and fair electoral process will drastically bring down the tension in the land. Nigerians are eager to embrace a new government with a new set of people with progressive oven fresh ideas. The preponderance of idle youths in every part of the country is one major factor fueling the tension. Many are unemployed. Many more frustrated by ASUU strike, idle hands and brain obviously the devil’s workshop. It’s evident that the youthful demography will determine the direction of the pendulum.

With their involvement in today’s politics, any attempt to derail the transition will spell doom for the country. And with the assurance of President Muhammadu Buhari to bequeath an enduring democracy, Nigerians have developed incidence in the incoming team.

My candid advice today is that INEC must live above board by delivering a very free and fair election. For politicians to shun religious and tribal sentiments in choosing the next crop of leaders.

Kunle Edun, former National Publicity Secretary, Nigeria Bar Association

Nigeria is the only country that we have now. Being a second-class citizen of another country is not something that should be encouraged. I know that the state of the country presently where corruption, impunity and incompetence of the rulers and public officials are now the new normal, is enough to make one give up on this country; and actually many Nigerians are relocating to other countries in their thousands. The youths have lost faith in this country.

Nevertheless, Nigeria is blessed with great human and natural resources. We cannot allow the rogues and misfits in government to continue to determine the fate of our country.

ASUU has been on strike for seven months now and still counting. Former governors who have been convicted by courts of law are being granted state pardons and the loots retained by them.

Universities release thousands of graduates every year but no jobs. The economy is in a very bad shape. The youths are the worst hit while the old politicians want to die in office. Don’t blame any youth that wants to run to Europe through the deserts. They are frustrated because of the bad policies of the government. The ones that stay behind are now into yahoo yahoo business and being celebrated by their parents. It is that terrible.

We seem not to have learnt anything from the last #EndSARS protest. In all these, the politicians still don’t care. The looting of the commonwealth continues. They behave as if everything is ok.

The future of Nigeria is uncertain. Both the APC and PDP are equally guilty of the mess that the country is in now. The way out is for Nigerians to get involved in changing the negative narratives. We must vote for the right persons, not persons of questionable character whose only evidence of achievement is the billions they have stolen and properties illegally acquired. We must also condemn tribalism and religion in every facet of our lives. They have never united us. We must stop celebrating corrupt politicians and selling our votes. It is actually a long way to freedom but we can start the change by first changing our mindsets and the sad narratives about this country.

Elsie Godwin, Media Personality/Marketing Manager, Cassava

I do have faith in a united Nigeria, especially ally because it’s important sometimes to look back to where you’re coming from and then begin to analyse what the future looks like. In looking

backwards, I remember growing up and the community where I grew up how everybody, whether you are from Akwa Ibom, from the north, from the South-east where I come from, or you are Yoruba, we all came together to do things to ensure that everyone is safe, everyone is secure, and everyone gets the benefit of whatever project is being carried out. I grew up in Lagos State at a time when it was important to have Sanitation Day. And everybody just came out to ensure that we are working to achieve that same goal, which is to ensure that everywhere was neat regardless of where you came from, or what your tribe is, and I believe that as Nigerians we have it in us to be able to love one another regardless of your tribe or your religion. There are definitely a couple of things that are making us divided or even dividing us further.

And I hope that we can address that soon before it becomes very cancerous that there wouldn’t be a solution. But yes, I believe that Nigeria can be united because we are resilient people. We love one another. And at the heart of every Nigerian is love for one another regardless of what we’re facing, or regardless of what it looks like right now. We do love one another.

It is difficult to talk about the future of Nigeria at this time without thinking of the 2023 general elections and the conversations that have started and are still ongoing around the candidacy and the possibility of who can be the president. But for me, I know that regardless of who becomes the president of Nigeria, whether Atiku Abubakar, Jagaban himself or Peter Obi, I have this very strong conviction that Nigeria will survive. Nigeria will rise above where we are right now. I have lived long enough to know that we are not in the best position at the moment. We’ve made our mistakes as a people, we’ve allowed religion and sentiments and even tribes to bring a divide within us. We all need to take responsibility and learn. Responsibility for where we are now, be it in the good or bad part, corruption. We are all responsible one way or the other and I know we need to learn when Nigeria is so strong, Nigeria is so blessed. Nigeria is very resilient. When I say Nigeria, I also mean her people.

And because of this, I know that we will survive which is why it is very important for me to always speak to people regarding how they also do things in their own little space because everything we do as a people come together to become what Nigeria is today. So it’s not just about the leaders. It’s not just about throwing people into power, it is also about how we look at ourselves, how we perceive ourselves, and how we see our future. So, if we sit down to say we do not see a future for Nigeria, we are inadvertently saying that we also do not see a future for ourselves.

So I see a future for Nigeria, and I know that we will get it right. It might take a while. It might take some very strong and painful rides but we have to get it right and we’ll have all it takes to do this.

All we need to do is to pay more attention, ask the right question and pay attention to governance. It’s not all about politics, governance is really important. At the end of this election cycle, we get into governance, right? So it’s important for every one of us to begin to know where our rights are or what our rights are, how to ensure that we ask the right question, drive accountability, and perform our own rights as Nigerians to ensure that the country moves forward.

Jerry Olayinka, Public Relations Practitioner

My Nigerian dream is that we should have a functional government system where their duties are done appropriately to make living less gruesome for citizens. A Nigeria that is conducive for businesses, policies not designed to clamp down thriving businesses, a secure country, safe to travel, educational systems functioning maximally, cost of living not soul-squeezing, etc.

Is the dream still realistic with what is going on and what is about to happen in 2023?

Do I have Japa plans? Heavily! I have a close circle of 10, I am the 10th and only one left in Nigeria. The others want to help, but I need huge funds to stretch forth my hands of readiness. See the stress? I am so done with Nigeria. Back in 2010, I created an NGO Dawn Nigeria Crew (DNC), with students

across Universities in Nigeria which is essentially trying to recruit more believers in a Nigeria that works. I was so positive and fired up for Nigeria then. I even sold a brooch bearing the Nigeria logo to lecturers at that time. I was so fired up then.

Fast forward to 2022, I am still here because I don’t have money. All my friends have travelled out.

Charles Dike, Medical Doctor

I think we can be united because right now the common denominator is that Nigerians are fed up, Nigerians are suffering, policies are not in our favour, and we are going through a lot. Even the rich are also feeling it. No matter how positive people want to be, the reality is that things are really bad. With the coming elections, however, I’m actually seeing the youths speaking with one voice and that voice Is a voice of change, a voice of no longer settling for less anymore because it seems like if we don’t speak out or act now, we might face another decade of suffering. We are united in regards to moving forward as a nation. So I think we can become united in that regard. It’s not as if all hope is lost. Someway somehow, irrespective of our differences, and tribal clashes, Nigeria can still be united.

Definitely I have plans to leave the country but I’m hoping deep down in my heart that change comes. I’m silently praying that things become better and I will not have to leave. I’m really hanging on the hope that the coming elections work in our favour and things change and the nation becomes more economic-friendly to thrive.

Cynthia Okpala, Trader

As a young girl, I had a dream of becoming a distributor, not a retailer. But due to the bad government, that dream has gone down the drain. Prices of goods keep increasing every day. Even though I make sales every day, it is affecting many people and I’m concerned. Last year was better but as the prices of goods keep soaring, I will be recording low sales.

However, I believe that we can still be united and be the real Giant of Africa. This can only be achieved if we have a good government. Our prayer is that God should give us a good leader that will make this country the land of our dreams.

Ezekiel John, Commercial Driver

Nigeria will unite when there is a good leader that will turn everything around but if there is no good leader, Nigeria will separate.

The upcoming 2023 elections will be a big determiner of the unity of the country. If we miss choosing the right leader, our unity will be uncertain. My Nigerian dream is that we should be united and not divided. The youths of today want a united Nigeria and that’s why they are not allowing politicians to have their way. We all want a united Nigeria.

Iboro Otu, Governorship Candidate for African Action Congress, (AAC) in Akwa Ibom State

I have great faith in a united Nigeria for a number of things; we have the most vibrant young population in the world.

Young Nigerians in all sectors are achieving great global feats in places where systems work, even in Nigeria too. Nigeria has a system problem, not a people problem and I believe we will surmount it come 2023 going forward. What has always been missing in the mix is good governance and the fact that our young people - who make up 80 per cent of the voter demographic - aren’t particularly impressed with our electoral system, hence they don’t engage the way they ought to. But here we are, angry enough, frustrated enough but motivated enough because we now have some credible options to stand behind come 2023. Our electoral system now has got some level of sanctity in the form of electronic accreditation and transmission of results for example. Things are not perfect but indicators are indicating that the right mix is coming together. Every day, regardless of the bad news, there is also some great news coming forward from many quarters.

I believe our young people lost faith in Nigeria primarily because of our leaders and their style of leadership. I’m sorry to

say this but the Nigerian system doesn’t support young people, rather, young people have succeeded regardless of the present debilitating system. The bad governance, corruption and the kind of deliverables we have put up with. There are no jobs, no support system, insecurity everywhere, no power, and our healthcare systems are all broken. The internet now ‘worsened’ the matter by making it possible for all to have access to comparable information on what’s obtainable globally. And when quests for good governance or avenues for positive engagement with leaders aren’t available, faith wanes and one option is leaving. Those that could afford to leave have left, a lot are held back because they can’t afford the cost of leaving this country but still, we have a lot more who believe they must stay behind and make this nation great again. Us. The future of Nigeria is good if we can take advantage of 2023 to elect credible leaders to run this country. When you look at the global economy and the predictions by very respected organisations on what’s coming, it’s all doom and gloom. The American economy is expecting a recession anytime soon, and so is Europe, the UK and other big economies. This means we should expect a big bang too. We are already in tatters socio-economically so leaving this country in the hands of a similar government like the one we presently have means we will face disintegration to be modest. In my humble opinion, I believe 2023 is the decider if Nigeria is going to stay together as one nation or not. Nigerians need to vote right.

James Amuta, Film Producer/ Screenwriter

I still have faith in a united Nigeria despite the fact that tribe and religion have been used by the political elites as tools of division. For mainly selfish reasons, these tools are deployed so that certain personal ambitions may be fostered. A united Nigeria is possible - it can happen. We see this demonstrated every time Nigeria make it to the World Cup - we saw this during the protests when young Nigerians came together and shunned tribal or religious discrimination in order to make their demands as one unit - Nigerians. If the political elite can truly set aside their personal ambitions and work towards the reintegration of disenfranchised and disgruntled Nigerians, then this unity cannot be easily threatened.

With the high level of emigration in the country, who can blame anyone who wants to leave? Though I don’t believe leaving is the option. It’s our collective duty and responsibility to fix Nigeria for our children and grandchildren. It is the only country we have. If we run away and leave it to the bad eggs to rape and pillage, what will be left for the generations to come. It’s not going to be easy, but we can still make this a country we can all be proud of. The re-engineering starts with us as citizens, changing the way we think and act.

I’m just a mere mortal. I don’t have the power to see the future, but I believe so much in the talented, brilliant Nigerians working very hard to excel in their various fields. And I believe that Nigerians are the future of Nigeria.

Chioma Onyenwe, Film Producer/ Director

To be united as a nation doesn’t mean that we don’t have differences; it’s that we can respect each other despite our differences. Within families, and in small communities, we can see that those differences exist and cohabit, this shows me that we can replicate it on a national level once they are not weaponised for political gain.

You can’t sow apples and reap oranges.

For decades, this nation has been rentseeking, living off ‘free oil’, celebrating wealth without hard work, and still the institutions decay - education, health, productivity, moral. A lot of people will prefer to stay at home with their community but Nigeria has not made this possible.

The future of Nigeria lies with her people. We will have to imbibe a culture of excellence, to shun the mediocrity that seeps into every element of our lives. I’m not sure how we can do this collectively but this is the only way to truly forge ahead.

T H I S D AY, T H E S U N D AY N E W S PA P E R OCTOBER 2, 2022

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HighLife Nsima Ekere in His Anonymous Cocoon

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

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

Wedding across the Ocean for Jim Ovia’s Daughter Over the weekend, Jim Ovia, the brain and financial muscles behind Zenith Bank, nearly uprooted the ancient city of Morocco while ensuring that his daughter, Bienose Tito née Ovia, got the best wedding ceremony any girl is ever going to get from her father.

In his usual quiet style, Ovia rocked the event and sparked off envy and admiration in the hearts of all and sundry.

Moroccans will not be quick to forget the recent high-octane wedding of Bienose and her darling, Ugochukwu Chukwu. Many prominent individuals bore witness to their holy matrimony. Not to mention those who came around to

It is amazing how easily times change and people change with the seasons. It is even more amazing the people who refuse to change and remain untouched by the shadowy fingers of time.

Titi Atiku-Abubakar, the wife of Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) Ekere presidential candidate Atiku Abubakar, is back in the limelight.

After her long season of rest from Things are heating up in the social and political space, Titi Nigeria ahead of the 2023 is back in business and ready presidential elections. Analysts to take on errant reporters and used to think that this preparatory every mischief-maker intent on period would be used to target denigrating her husband.Atiku and divest influential politicians can be faulted for many things, but having a wife like Titi is not one of power. Who knew that even of them. Whenever the woman the former Managing Director rises to the occasion to defend of the Niger Delta Development her husband against the rattles of Commission (NDDC), Nsima Ekere, would slip and fall into the ignorant and arrogant reporters, hands of the watchers? However, she does so with such style and the man has grown weary of the ups and downs of public life and now leads a peaceable and quiet life.

It has been a while since the old MD of NDDC showed up at a public function. He has taken refuge in the safety of his house, convinced that the EFCC might find new reasons to come after him. If the anti-graft agency has taken a fancy to any individual from Akwa Ibom in the last nine months, that person might just be Ekere. But no amount of hiding away is enough to remove the records of his dealings from the history books.

Although he is still very healthy, Ekere’s disappearance was once assumed to have something to do with his wellAdegboyega being. However, not a few are aware that he was simply reacting to the threat that a rejuvenated EFCC poses to someone like him, someone with reported records of corruption allegations against him.

Going fast is not the same as going Last May, Ekere was detained far. And yet, some individuals appear by the EFCC on account of these to have the capacity to strike a balance corruption charges. Insiders between the impressiveness of their accomplishments and the speed at reported that the former NDDC MD had surrendered himself to be which they can carry them out. Hearts questioned, suggesting that he was are already beating in anticipation of the work doings of Ahmed Halilu, aware that the anti-graft agency the man that President Muhammadu was hot on his trail. Perhaps, as a Buhari recently appointed as Executive result of his compliance, Ekere was Director of the Nigerian Security Printing eventually released. Since then, he and Minting Company (NSPMC).

Although many people disapproved of has lived on the low. the president’s move, others have come One must admit that going forward to show that it was the right low profile is doing wonders for thing to do.

Ekere. Any other day, he would In a few years, the administration of have been up and about, risking President Buhari will be remembered his reputation for one presidential for a lot of things, including the fact that he allowed Halilu to take part in the candidate or another.

honour Ovia’s invitation. Ugochukwu also had his group of well-known moneybags and influencers, no small thanks to the fact that he is the son of All Progressives Congress (APC) chieftain, Chief Tony Chukwu. And so, the brilliant ceremony had several dignitaries from both sides, including bigwigs like Aliko Dangote and the handful of Nigerians on the same money scale.

It has to be said that the Zenith man outdid himself this time. Compared to what he did in 2013 with the wedding of his other daughter, Isioma, this Morocco ceremony shook the entire nation. It was truly the culmination of his plans, especially the lavish traditional wedding ceremony that was at the Eko Hotel and Suites, Victoria Island, Lagos, not too long ago.

The Return of Titi Atiku

Atiku

........

elegance that the mind of any impressionable onlooker would melt. Hers is a charm beaten to grace and poise by the mallets of slow time.

In truth, it has been a while since anybody had seen Titi at a public function. The prestigious founder of the Women Trafficking and Child Labour Eradication Foundation (WOTCLEF), and the reported initiator of the private bill that led to the establishment of the National Agency for the Prohibition of Trafficking in Persons (NAPTIP), has been keeping quiet for too long.

In her absence, as is always the case with cats and mice, rodents have grown wings and now occupied the podium of debate.

But Titi came out at the right time. After all, the 2023 presidential election is just around the corner.

Pastor Tobi Adegboyega: Pastoring with Panache and Class The world is an interesting place. Since the beginning of modern civilization as we know it, religious sentiment has characterised the bearing and behaviour of individuals and has been used as an instrument. Pastor Tobi Adegboyega, the man behind Salvation Proclaimers Anointed Church (SPAC Nation for short) is an oddity with regards to this characterisation. In a few words, Adegboyega straddles the fence on what is a Christian attitude and what is not.

At the mention of the London-based Pastor, the first picture to pop into one’s mind is that of a flamboyant man, strongwilled and eloquent. True to this scale, Adegboyega belongs to the group that promotes well-doing and teaches that you can have what you say and that the good things of life are to be enjoyed.

Given the more traditional ascetic view of the Christian religion, Adegboyega’s distinction

Ahmed Halilu: A Right Peg in a Right Hole

decision-making process of Nigeria’s

Halilu

has not gone unnoticed. This is especially the case since he started associating with passionately weird individuals like on-air personality, Daddy Freeze, and controversial music artist, Portable. Even without them, Adegboyega’s lifestyle of exotic cars and extravagant suits would leave the Apostle Paul of scripture gawking in horror.

Adegboyega is known to be a cheerful giver, which is one way he adheres to the traditions of the Christian faith. This is one of the many reasons he is a very popular pastor in the United Kingdom, and one of the most prominent black preachers in Europe.

With Adegboyega on the pulpit, the only sacrifice you are going to learn about is sacrificing a life of suffering for one of style and glory. His chains and suits and cars and friends bear testimony to his gospel. economy. Unlike critics who claim that Halilu should never have been considered because he is the president’s brother-in-law, other observers are less impulsive with their opinions on the matter.

Halilu has as much experience in banking and finance as he does in management and administration.

After graduating from Ahmadu Bello University in 2001 with a Master’s degree in Business Administration, he consolidated his working experience at the Central Bank of Nigeria, Kaduna Branch, where he served as the manager in charge of Corporate Banking Loans and Advances Recovery, as well as from African International Bank, Kano, where he was the Deputy Manager in charge of Foreign Exchange.

For two decades, Halilu’s prestige and diligence spread out. It is only now reaching its peak, which is why it did not take much appeasement to get CBN governor, Godwin Emefiele, to approve Halilu’s appointment.

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T H I S D AY, T H E S U N D AY N E W S PA P E R OCTOBER 2, 2022

HIGHLIFE

Proud Father: Encomiums as Femi Otedola’s Daughter, DJ Cuppy Graduates American poet and playwright, Countee Cullen, said: “Some are teethed on a silver spoon with the stars strung up for a rattle; I cut my teeth as the black raccoon—for implements of battle.”

Cullen’s words are true to the extent that they are applied to DJ Cuppy (real name Florence Otedola), the daughter of billionaire and philanthropist, Femi Otedola. After concluding her education at the University of Oxford, Cuppy has begun lighting up her father’s face with smiles.

Otedola is known for several things.

These include his business choices and decisions, the investments that have almost always yielded significant returns, attending to the needs of other people, and the happiness of his family. Even so, to the informed, the happiness of his family

is what makes Otedola tick. Therefore, one can only imagine how happy he is currently that his daughter, Cuppy, endured the travails of study and completed her Master’s programme at the University of Oxford.

Following her recent post on Twitter, she has received the results of her Master’s thesis and is now confident that her education is complete and over. Stating that she was very proud of herself and grateful to God for helping her walk the walk, Cuppy also noted that she did not get merit or distinction for her thesis. Even so, it is clear to all and sundry that she is happy she endured whatever she went through and succeeded.

No doubt, Cuppy is only half as happy as her father. Somehow, Cuppy has always presented herself as the one that almost got away, the almost black sheep of the Otedola

Ayodeji Joseph Silent Moves with Loud Impact at LSDPC DJ Cuppy

family. In the matter of talents, she is as brilliant as any other. However, she does not have the inhibition that her siblings inherited from her father. As a result, she may have enjoyed more of Otedola’s attention than some of her siblings.

Even so, the Geregu Plant man is undoubtedly happy that Cuppy completed her course. The future is now set, thanks to her having a doting man for a father.

Bayelsa Governor is Not Fighting His Deputy and Ex-Governor Bayelsa State, the glory of all lands, has been a place of rumour-mongering for a while now. Specifically, since Douye Diri took up the mantle of governorship, a wave of gossip became the order of the day within the quarters of administration.

Recently, this wave has been directed at the deputy governor of the state, Lawrence Ewhrudjakpo, apparently intending to leave a gap in the latter’s relationship with Diri.

But Diri has renounced all such gossip, chalking it up to slander, and emphasising that he is in a happy, healthy relationship with his deputy.

For those in the dark regarding the content of the report, a group came up to query Ewhrudjakpo’s loyalty to Diri, warning the latter to be more cautious around his deputy as Ewhrudjakpo was likely to betray

Diri

him (Diri) one of these days. However, Diri was quick to intervene and douse the flames of the report.

According to the governor, Ewhrudjakpo is loyal to him now more than ever, as theirs is a progressive partnership. Moreover, regarding the inclusion of Diri’s predecessor, Seriake Dickson, in the list of ‘et tu Brutus scenarios waiting to happen, Diri was just as steadfast in affirming the loyalty and genuineness of the aforementioned people.

So, it is refreshing to see Diri at his best, defending his deputy and predecessor where he never defended his reputation.

The man is indeed a study of contrasts and can throw knots into the calculations of his detractors. As he just did.

Dangote and Otedola’s New Assignment Wealthy businessmen, Aliko Dangote and Femi Otedola have been drafted into the government’s National Peace Committee in preparation for the elections that will be held in 2023. With this new assignment, both Dangote and Otedola have much to do with the forthcoming presidential elections, especially, without calling to mind their usual peacekeeping exercises during such periods. Now that the task has fallen to them directly, one can rest assured that they will be as diligent in upholding integrity and transparency during the elections as they have done with their massive business empires.

The National Peace Committee is not a new club of the affluent and influential. It was first introduced in 2014 to help stave off any attempt to manipulate the process or outcomes of the 2015 elections. Ever since then, the Committee has become an integral part of general elections, and members are expected to serve as beacons of light against the invasion of

influential men and women who would want to use their resources to cause trouble.

Meanwhile, Dangote and Otedola are not the only additions to the Committee. Others include the former Secretary to Government of the Federation, Yayale Ahmed; the former Chief of Defence Staff, Lt. General Martin Agwai; founder of Channels TV, John Momoh; and one of the Directors at the Center for Democracy and Development (CDD), Miss Idayat Hassan.

In truth, Dangote is himself an old member of the Committee. Others already sitting on the Committee bench include the Chairman, the former Head of State, General Abdulsalam Abubakar; Bishop Matthew Kukah; Okoh Ebitu Ukiwe; Priscilla Kuye; Sultan of Sokoto, Sa’ad Abubakar; Archbishop Nicholas Okoh; Brown Ade; founder of Vanguard Newspaper, Sam Amuka-Pemu; Chief of Staff to the President, Prof. Ibrahim Gambari; and prelate of the Roman Catholic Church, John Cardinal Onaiyeka.

Dangote

The narrative of diligence has always been the most fascinating one. As the Good Book says, to every labour, there is always a reward. Notwithstanding, the big reward has now come to Ayodeji Joseph for the amazing job he is doing over at the Lagos State Development and Property Corporation (LSDPC). Even as his name is ringing all over the place, the man maintains an attitude of genuine humility, happy to let others take all the credit.

When Lagos State Governor, Babajide Sanwo-Olu, appointed Honourable Joseph to the position of LSDPC Managing Director and CEO, there were some murmurs. It was not that the good Honourable was not popular, but that he did not make as much noise as his peers did. As such, his detractors fell into the trap of believing that big barrels on a gun meant that it shot the best bullets. But Joseph has proved that this is not often the case.

Sometimes, big barrels only make the loudest noise and nothing else.

And Joseph is doing the opposite of loud noise and nothing else—which is a lot of things.

Very recently, he invited Governor Sanwo-Olu to commission Channel Point Apartments, a joint venture project between Joseph’s LSDPC and Brook Assets and Resources Ltd. Joseph had created magic with that project, converting two plots of land that housed only two families into 38-unit housing, effectively granting shelter opportunities to 38 families.

A lot of individuals are now expecting this former Senior Banking Officer at GTBank to work wonders. Perhaps he would be able to draw from his experience in the corporate sector and House of Representatives, as well as his breadth of formal education, to work more wonders in Lagos. And based on what he has shown so far, Joseph is certainly going to deliver.

Otedola

Julius Rone: Encomiums as Buhari Set to Honour the Gas King

Rone

To the diligent, things always work out.

It may take a while longer than expected, but when the goodies of good work arrive at the door of the industrious person, they come as a deluge. Julius Rone is currently enjoying the fruits of his labour in the oil and gas sector.

According to the most recent news, Rone is set to receive an award on the presidential scale, showing himself as distinct and peerless among his associates in Nigeria’s oil and gas sector.

President Muhammadu Buhari has endorsed the upgrade of Rone from being an ordinary citizen of Nigeria to one with a highly-valued, highly-contested rank.

The rank in question, MFR (Member of the Order of the Federal Republic) will set Rone apart from his peers and show him to be a celebrated visionary among the industry bigwigs of Nigerian origin.

According to the news waves, the

National Honours to be conferred on Rone will be delivered to him by the president (or a close representative) on October 11, 2022, in Abuja. Going forward, the man behind UTM Offshore will no longer be hailed without due regard for his work in oil and gas.

The new waves will surpass the old in time, and this is what Rone has proved with his work at UTM. In the last few years, Rone has been the engine behind the fulfilment of the Nigerian government’s dream of expanding the oil and gas sector beyond the unfair exchange of values for the nation’s better-developed business partners. With Rone’s efforts at setting up the country’s first indigenous floating liquefied natural gas (FLNG) facility, this dream is finally coming true. As a result, Rone’s MFR honour is not without reason.

Joseph

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T H I S D AY, T H E S U N D AY N E W S PA P E R OCTOBER 2, 2022

LOUD WHISPERS

with JOSEPH EDGAR (09095325791)

Does Peter Obi Now Have the Edge?

I have just seen an opinion poll purportedly carried out by Bloomberg. The report said if there is an election today, Peter Obi would most likely emerge as the next president. It further went on to show that he was not only leading but with a very wide margin.

The irony of it all is that I saw the report as I was stepping out of the Pulse TV studios where they had invited me to come and talk about the emerging political trend for their Independence Day showing.

My people, I spent the better part of that recording explaining why I think Peter and his Obi-dients were wasting their time. Mbok, I talk o. I

postulated, I shook, I prophesied to the point, I even entered the spirit.

So, you can imagine my state of mind as I came out of the studio and upon opening my phone, the first thing I saw was the report.

I immediately came out of my shock and started digging afresh.

Apparently, I was running on expired fuel. The geo-political landscape seems to have shifted seriously and Obi was actually gathering strength. This whole Obidient movement seems to be defying all structured political calculations. All over the country, the campaign is gathering strength, Nigerians are trooping out to

register their displeasure with the old order and are standing firm with Obi and Datti.

The movement seems to be floating above traditional limiting lines. Tribe, geographical positioning, religion, sex and the rest doesn’t seem to be slowing it down.

Well, I still remain a skeptic, I still will abstain from voting but I am watching very closely.

I sure hope that eventually, my grandchildren will not call me a useless grandpa who didn’t stand up to be counted when Nigeria finally took a stand.

God help me.

PDP CRISIS – WATCHING TINUBU CLOSELY Look, Atiku is having his weakest campaign ever. He is looking very amateurish and despondent to the point of pity. The Pitbull that is hurricane Wike is exposing his old backside to very cold breeze and his push towards the presidency is looking like a eunuch-shriveled member staring at a prized virgin in humility.

Wike and his assistants – Makinde, Ortom and the rest have refused to be part of anything to do with his campaign. He has now even gone to get the weakest of them all — Udom — to play a role in the campaign. The Afang eating, used–to–be brilliant governor is there making barely audible statements and appealing for calm.

Almost like standing in front of a massive category five storm with an umbrella and shouting – peace be still.

My people, in all these, I am watching Tinubu. You people know that Tinubu is a master strategist.

There are strong rumours that in Lagos, he is throwing up Jandor and Funke to further weaken PDP in his stronghold so I cannot put it past him if he doesn’t have a hand in this shameful contraption called Atiku campaign.

See, during the APC primaries, his colleagues were busy chasing poverty-stricken delegates, when the maestro was working

on candidates. You saw the way candidates were capitulating on the rostrum. These presidential candidates will stand up and say, “I am stepping down and supporting Tinubu.”

It was not juju; it was a master strategist at work.

So, as I am looking at this PDP meltdown, you will understand if I am also looking at Tinubu. The way Atiku and Ayu are morbidly remaining stubborn and the viciousness of Wike and his people, I can only say, ‘it is not ordinary eye’ This Tinubu is not a small strategist o. I can swear that, ‘na him dey scatter PDP’. I ready to place oneyear Afang money on this position.

Make God keep us alive.

Osinbajo had any real thing doing in this government was ’jumping out of the helicopter’ during the last campaigns.

You know, the truth is that APC does not even owe us any explanation. They can run their boat any way they deem fit and spare us the lame excuses. By the way, one wonders what exactly is the role of the campaign council.

The people inside there are plenty o. Kai! Are they expected to be agents or what? I really don’t get it.

As for Osinbajo, I think he should just ignore them. He is doing well under the circumstances. Abi didn’t you see the way he carried and comported himself during the Queen’s burial? Regal. Also, didn’t you see his last outing in America?

You know in Nigeria, we no dey see better things. We will always go for the defective ones and when the consequences of those decisions hit us, we will now be wailing and crying.

We all open our eyes and see Osinbajo on the ballot, leave am and come go choose ………. We will only have ourselves to blame.

Who do us this kind thing? Na wa.

Tinubu

YEMI OSINBAJO OUT IN THE COLD Keyamo can always be thinking that it is fufu instead of brains in our head. They drew up a long meaningless list of people into a campaign team and omitted the only one ‘wey’ get sense in the whole matter.

Then Keyamo now climbed the Golan Heights to announce that it was ‘oga’ that said they should allow him ‘run the government’.

Which government o? I can’t see any government anywhere.

This same Osinbajo that they will not hand over power to when they are going for medical checkup. This same Osinbajo that cannot even sign any better contract. The last time

SOMETHING ABOUT THE DOZIE BROTHERS One of them is a photographer. It is not that one I want to talk about.

I once saw him at my friends’ house – Tobe and Chioma. It is his brothers I want to talk about today.

Osinbajo

Abiola

Obi

Uzoma, Chigozie and Ngozi.

These boys are cleaning out, creating a new ecosystem and giving traditional banks a run for their money.

They are the ones heading the Fintech charge on the economy.

They have delivered a seamless structure that is pulling in very much of the millennial market with its depth and reach.

When Dozie as Managing Director of the then Diamond bank was doing adverts and wearing black, like James Bond, I used to look at him one kind.

He didn’t look or sound like a traditional bank MD. He was debonair, sleek and impatient. I didn’t see him as one that would have the patience for all that long and boring red tape that is Nigerian traditional banks.

So, when he ‘lost’ that bank, I wasn’t surprised. People laughed at him o. How can you ‘throway’ your papa legacy just like that.

I can imagine that night in his father’s bedroom. He would have been on his knees with the old man, Pascal, holding ‘koboko’ and saying, “Uzoma, did I do wrong impregnating your mother?”

Today, Uzoma seems to be having the last laugh. His Sparkle platform is taking out the banks in payments. It is growing in leaps and it is turning heads.

He is no longer bothered about

Marwa

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LOUD WHISPERS the huge overheads, the shrinking markets and the pressure to compete in a space that has gone cold. Today, he is playing in a fresh new space with no borders and driven by technology. I heard he just raised $3m to expand his coast.

His brother Ngozi is also doing sweet things with Carbon. These Dozie boys are doing not only the old man proud but also the whole nation proud. They are the ones that first pioneered loans in five minutes.

These boys are simply geniuses and they must be studied. I remain very proud of not only them, but the whole ecosystem of fintechs. See the huge resources they are careening, getting international respect and slowly but surely changing the financial landscape unlike those yeye ones at Customs street, Lagos near Tinubu Square and opposite CBN who are there declaring loss and still wearing suits and speaking big English all over the place.

Guys, whenever you are up for it, let’s do Afang mbok. So I can hear a lot more about this your revolution.

Well-done guys. Na one mama born them o.

LET’S GET SERIOUS, KOLA ABIOLA I have sat down severally with Egbon on this his presidential matter and if it is by ideas and vision and clarity, Kola Abiola should be our next President. But it seems like the momentum has been lost. We hardly hear anything from his team and even he himself. He has not seized the imagination of the people or even dared to struggle with Obi in that demographic that he clearly understands.

Kola comes to the table with two major weapons – his pedigree and his clarity of the issues of the day.

He is MKO Abiola’s son and was involved in all that June 12 matter.

This gives him an inroad, a huge network and the understanding of the inner workings of power in this country and lastly international connections.

Secondly, he is young and engaging.

Understands the new economy, the role of technology and the politics of youth engagement come 2023.

But he doesn’t seem to be firing on all cylinders. He seems to have dropped in the polls to a distant fifth after Kwankwaso who hitherto was behind him in estimation.

He recently announced his running mate and when I ran to check him out, even me I get weight pass that running mate. So the question now on everybody’s lips is – is Kola Abiola serious? Only him can answer this question and there is really not enough time to get an answer. Thank you.

THE CHICKEN HEART JOHN LYON I used to wonder why these people would be begging when they are caught. They all always do that. You say you are a hardened criminal; you start kidnapping or robbing people. In the process, people lose their lives and property. You traumatise the whole country and send fear down the spine of the nation and when you are caught, you start crying and begging.

This John Lyon is even the worst of them all. I felt like slapping him from anger. Can’t you own your ‘shit’? Why crying and begging to be forgiven. I really don’t understand o. He even was saying that his wife just gave birth and that they should please forgive him. This is pure cowardice and illiteracy.

Well, they had said he was a cleaner in a bank so what do you expect?

Please, my brother Lyon, stop begging and be a man. You have confessed on camera that you kidnapped ‘only two people’, oya na, stop begging and face the music.

Simple. This begging no be am at all. Thank you.

BUBA MARWA, YOU ARE DOING WELL Did you watch the video of the largest ever cocaine seizure in the

IN PURSUIT OF SULTAN OF SOKOTO

Sa’ad Abubakar

By now it is very clear that I am producing my next play ‘Sardauna’ in Abuja. The play is about the late iconic Premier of Northern Nigeria, Sir Ahmadu Bello. In designing this play, someone said to me, “Edgar, you must get the Sultan of Sokoto involved. He must be your Special Guest of Honour for the play so that it gets more credibility.”

I said trueeeeeee!!! When we did Ogiame Erejuwa II in Warri, the very handsome and regal Ogiame Atuwatse III was in full attendance and he even brought with him the Dein of Agbor and the Asagba of Asaba.

So, it only just made sense if we pull in the very influential Sultan of Sokoto.

That was how the wahala began o. We sent in a request to his palace through the Liaison Office in Abuja. Then we got a call, the Sultan will be at the Transcorp, please come. I forgot to ask if it was a definite appointment. I jump enter plane and landed in Abuja, rushed to Transcorp and the only person I saw that looks a little like the highly revered ruler is my brother Ade Adefeko who was decked in a very high turban.

In disappointment, I flew back to Lagos.

Then another call came. Please call Capt. Isa and he will take you to the Sultan. They are both in Lagos. I called Capt. and he said, “meet me at the Intercontinental Hotel in Victoria Island by 8am sharp.”

The next morning, I rushed there and met with a very interesting person.

Capt. Isa is tall and he is Fulani. He spoke very funny and was quite engaging. I liked him instantly and we talked about everything but the Sultan. I got carried away and almost forgot why I came to see him.

Finally, he said, “Edgar, Sultan is in Lagos but you can’t see him.” I said OK, but I have been chasing him all over the country, what can we do?

“I have sent him your messages and will get feedback by evening.”

He stood up and shook my hands and walked away. I stood there looking lost and sad. So, this Sultan will escape me, what kind of thing is this? I then decided to go back to Shomolu and drown

my sorrow in a big warm plate of Afang.

But as I was exiting, I suddenly saw a large motorcade, policemen were jumping up and down the place. I was lucky. I looked at Capt. Isa as he walked away and laughed at him. Shebi you say, I cannot meet Sultan, no be him just walk in so?

I approached. The Dogaris’ and the policemen moved towards me, effectively blocking me from my target. But nobody does that to me, when I am in flight. I looked at the weakest of them all and made for him, “Bro, I am the Duke of Shomolu, the defender of Nigerian widows and virgins, let me through.” He laughed and said, “you can pass.”

I walked up to his majesty. He was looking very regal and distinguished. His robes are rich and his skin supple. He watched me intently as I approached, my confidence growing by the minute and my swag in full swing.

By the time I am finished, I will be his son in-law. I could tell because through his turban, his eyes were liking me.

So, I got to him and made the usual salutations reserved for big first-class traditional rulers of his stature. As I knelt down, he looked at me with kind eyes and said, “Good morning my son, how may I help you?”

You never give the Duke that kind of opportunity, I will finish you with talk.

People have said that my mouth is too sweet.

I started, “Your Highness, I made Emir Sanusi cry in my last play. Ogiame Atuwatse III is madly in love with me as a result of my play on his grandfather.

Obasanjo cried when he saw my play Aremu and now I am doing a play on Sardauna at the Transcorp Hilton on the October 2, 2022 and as the preeminent traditional ruler in the country and the great grandson of Uthman Dan Fodio and a descendant of Sir Ahmadu Bello, your attendance as my Royal Guest of Honour will go a long way in making me win the Noble Prize for ‘hustling’” After my sweet talk, he smiled and said, “Mr. Duke, I am not the Sultan of Sokoto, You got the wrong man.”

country? One thing I sha noticed in that video was the federal character principle. All the ethnic tribes were represented in that criminal cartel. You see that even criminals understand the need for us to be united. Politicians should learn from this. The leaders made sure that there was no quota system or discrimination as every tribe was represented in their human capital.

Well, we all watched the seizure with pride and it is no wonder that the federal government has just approved over N500 million for the procurement of armoured vehicles for the agency. I clap for them o. They are the shining star of our seriously challenged security architecture. The new lease of life that Marwa has brought to bear in the agency is really yielding fruit and I must say well done Marwa.

A TIMELY REBRANDING FOR ANCHOR INSURANCE The invite was signed by one of the most brilliant insurance people today in this country – Austin Ebose. I like this brother for two things. His dress sense and his brilliance on the job.

His emergence at Anchor has ramped the place up several notches. Anchor now has a seat on the table of serious players in the insurance industry.

Recording billions in premium and supporting the economy with cover, Anchor has come of age.

So, it is no wonder that the need to rebrand to keep moving came up. It was a beautiful event like I heard. I missed o. Come and see the food that was served.

I asked someone to send me pictures of the food and the mumu started sending me pictures of Patoranking and Gordons on stage.

However, a new TV promo was released. It is beautiful. When I watched it, a spittle dropped from my mouth. It was classy and had Patoranking and my brother Austin in appearance. The promo is running on CNN and other local and international media showing the direction Austin wants to take the company to. Well-done, my brother.

A BEFITTING FAREWELL FOR UCHE ORJI My brother Uche is the head honcho at the Nigerian Sovereign Investment Authority (NSIA). For 10 years, he has superintended Nigeria’s credible attempt at securing our future. It was my great Uncle, the cerebral Gabriel Ukpe who once said, “Edgar, come and have breakfast with me and Uche at the Ibom Icon in Uyo.” I was in Lagos and asked for a private jet. That did not happen.

But my other brother Ken Etete now made the relationship happen through his WhatsApp group linked to his gym.

I have never met Uche but have followed his work closely at the NSIA and from what observers are saying, he has performed. I wish him so well as he prepares for the next assignment and hereby offer him a role here at Duke of Shomolu Productions. He would however have to sign an indemnity that he will respect and take instructions from me. If not, make he leave am, I cannot shout.

Well-done bro.

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Adebayo Adeoye bayoolunla@gmail.com; 08054680651

SOCIETY WATCH

Oil Mogul, Mohammed Indimi, in Debt Scandal

Udom

Governor Udom’s Giant Strides When Akwa Ibom State Governor, Emmanuel Udom, announced three years ago that his state would be investing in aviation, many indigenes of the state as well as industry watchers sneered at him, saying it was merely a waste of resources. But today, the very cerebral man has proved that he is blessed with brilliant ideas, particularly when you consider the success story of Ibom Air in such a short time.

The airline, against all odds, has surpassed all expectations by becoming the most successful and most viable airline in Nigeria at the moment. The airline, through its unparalleled services, has lifted the economy and tourism potential of Akwa Ibom. While several airlines are folding up or finding it difficult to operate, Ibom Air has become a symbol of what an airline should be.

Ibom Air, the only state-owned airline in Nigeria, according to reports, has, within its period of operations, ferried over two million passengers. The governor has repeatedly said that his long-term plan is to make Ibom Air the best and most efficiently run airline in the West Africa sub-region. Three years after Ibom Air was launched, it has crested its name in gold and won the hearts of many air travellers as the top choice airline.

Governor Udom, a chartered accountant, came to the nation’s political scene from the private sector. When he was making a foray into the murky waters of Nigerian politics, many had erroneously predicted that he would fail! But his feats in the past seven years in office have cleared the doubts about his brilliance and leadership qualities. Indeed, the level of success he has recorded is almost unprecedented.

Travels and Tours Big Shot, Abiodun Ojediran’s Dream While some Nigerians abroad are tarnishing the image of the country by getting involved in some criminal acts, Jamiu Ojediran, the Managing Director and Chief Executive Officer, Climax Travel and Tours, is projecting it in a positive light.

His companies, including Climax Entertainment, have been adding immense value to the growth of the Nigerian travels, tours and hospitality industry as well as the entertainment industry.

Since he started the business 15 years ago, he has grown his clientele owing largely to his honesty and integrity. In the past years, he has created employment for many.

Besides, he has been satisfactorily meeting his numerous clients’ visa application needs, offering consultations, providing air ticketing and hotel reservations and offering opportunities for oversea studies. His services also cover other visa application categories such as visits, family visits, settlements, temporary work permits and others.

His enviable array of clients is made up of notable celebrities in the music, film and entertainment industries. Having worked with various top artists and celebrities, and with the combined efforts and synergy among the two organisations that he sits atop, he has successfully initiated and partnered with others to host music and entertainment events in the United Kingdom, South Africa, United Arab Emirates and Turkey.

Billionaire businessman and Chairman Oriental Energy is well known as an oil magnate. He is known also for living a kingly life: driving expensive cars, globetrotting in private jets, sailing across the seas in eye-popping luxury yachts.

Indimi, who also has choice properties in some highbrow areas of Abuja, Maiduguri and other cities across the world, commands a lot of respect among his friends and associates. He is also well connected given his status as an in-law to President Muhammadu Buhari. His son, Ahmed is married to Buhari’s daughter, Zahra.

However, it seems his relationship with the president is not yielding any fruit, at least not for now, as the Borno State oil

mogul is currently swimming in debt which Society Watch gathered is giving him sleepless nights.

As revealed, the matter dragged endlessly at the Federal High Court in Lagos before it finally commenced hearing last week Wednesday.

It was gathered that Borr International Operations had dragged Oriental Energy Resources Limited before the court demanding the sum of US$4,143,856.70, being an alleged outstanding approved and unpaid invoices for the drilling services rendered in accordance with the contract for the provision of Jack-Up Drilling Unit and Drilling Rig Services rendered in the defendant’s Ebok Field in OML 67.

Indimi

Screen Amazon, Jiire Kuforiji, Joins Sexagenarian Club

Kuforiji

Time is fleeting, fragile and not anyone’s friend. But there are things that stand the test of time, things that last like love. That’s how many felt about a screen sweetheart and amazon, Jiire Kuforiji who just joined the sexagenarian club. The ace television presenter clocked 60 on Monday, September 19, and for the management

and staff of the Daar Communications Plc, it was auspicious for them to celebrate this great lady on her Diamond Jubilee.

Jiire, as she’s most fondly called by her admirers, at a most tender age, amplified the philosophical and profound words of Samuel Johnson, which says: ‘Experience shows that success is due less to ability than to zeal, the winner is he who gives himself to work, body and soul’.

Extremely beautiful with an engaging mien and strong charisma, Jiire’s laughter, on and off the screen, was expansive and there was this joyous mood around her.

A 1984 graduate of the University of Ibadan, Jiire, like the Golden fish, during her mandatry National Youth Service Corps was immediately discovered not only for the screen but also for

the leadership roles in other people’s lives. The corporate world could not resist Jiire’s beauty and talent. In 1992, as gathered by Society Watch, she veered into the financial services sector as the Public Relations Officer of the defunct Corporate Trust Mortgage Bank. But the relationship wasn’t enduring as the screen was indeed too attractive and irresistible for her.

With the coming of private broadcasting in the country, she returned to her first love - television in 1996 with a stint at Channels Television before joining Daar Communications in 1997 and to date, she has distinguished herself in several roles and responsibilities, positions and jobs both internationally and locally in the broadcasting empire.

Yet Another Mountain in Ladi Adebutu’s Ambition Ladi Adebutu, the Ogun State governorship candidate of the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) has not given up on his dream to be the next number one citizen of the state. He has been pursuing this dream with great determination and steadfastness. He has stayed true to his vow, just as he has so far stood with his people and refused to jettison his political ambition, even in the face of some upsetting challenges.

In Ogun politics today, his profile has been on the rise, even if some still don’t like some of his ways. Though his most sought-after office has eluded him since 2015, he remains an incurable optimist.

The more hurdles he surmounted, the more problems rear their ugly heads.

At different times, he had taken his campaigns to the nooks and crannies of the state and also expended so much money on his ambition.

But while the son of billionaire businessman, Kessington Adebutu is doing his possible best to be the next governor of the state, his archrival and factional governorship candidate of the party, Segun Sowunmi has, once again, thrown yet another spanner in his works.

A court has ruled in favour of Sowunmi, declaring that a fresh primary should be conducted.

Earlier in May, Sowunmi and Adebutu were declared winners in parallel governorship primary elections held in the state. That set tongues wagging in the state, with many accusing Sowunmi, who was the former spokesperson for Atiku Abubakar, as a political rookie whose only ambition is just to rumble the peaceful water of PDP in the state.

Many political observers in the state opined that the Abeokuta-born politician is just a paper tiger that has no political experience and financial war chest to snatch power from the incumbent governor, Dapo Abiodun.

A similar scenario played out in the 2019 election when the power play between the former lawmaker and the late Senator Buruji Kashamu was one of the major factors that cost him the victory. The disagreement would later metamorphose into a full-scale bitter political war, while the party structure was greatly upset.

Many in the state claimed that, though the Adebutu faction was more recognised by the national body of the party and also more popular with larger members, there was such acrimony over the control of the structure of the party in the state.

Adebutu

The rancour and hostility in PDP had cost him his ambition, thereby making it a smooth ride for Abiodun of the All Progressives Congress (APC).

Today, many, especially those in Adebutu’s camp, are afraid that history is about to repeat itself.

Muktar Shagaya’s Passion for Change

Shagaya

It was the third President of the United States of America, Thomas Jefferson, who said: “If you want something you’ve never had, you must be willing to do something you’ve never done.”

Indeed, if there is someone who has invested this quote with seriousness, it is no one but Muktar Shagaya, the candidate of the All Progressives Congress (APC) for Ilorin West/Asa Federal Constituency.

Shagaya comes across as a strategist, particularly when you consider the array of brilliant minds in his team. He is also being lauded for his transparency aimed at gaining the trust and respect of the people, especially at this period when many have lost hope in the nation’s democratic process. In his view, the beauty of the democratic process can always be restored when the people enjoy the much-

needed dividends of democracy.

As the 2023 general elections approach, Shagaya remains committed to fostering a close-knit community by building bridges and keeping the constituents at the heart of his actions. He is said to possess the character, integrity, compassion and goodwill to bring about progressive governance to his constituency and the state at large.

The young politician recently embarked on a series of visits to stakeholders in a bid to identify key areas of focus in his community ahead of the election. He has also visited religious and traditional leaders, prodemocracy groups, community development associations as well as artisans, and youth and women groups in order to facilitate developmental projects across Ilorin West and Asa Local Government Areas.

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GLITZ ENTERTAINMENT

BBNaija S7: Will a Female Housemate Take the Level Up Crown?

Ckrowd Hosts Digital Music World Tour for Yinka Ayefele

Stories by Vanessa Obioha

To mark the 25th anniversary of Nigerian musician and cultural Icon Yinka Ayefele, on stage, Ckrowd, a premium content streaming platform, hosted a digital music world tour.

It is a first for the musician who dazzled audiences and fans with a stellar performance.

The event which took place recently saw thousands of fans from different parts of the world, UK, Canada, Australia, UAE, France, Germany, Spain, USA, Singapore, China, Nordic countries, and also across the African continent, where the iconic superstar has a vast number of supporters.

Following a serious accident that left him paralysed, Ayefele has succeeded against all odds and carved a stellar and long-lasting career that has been recently celebrated by a plethora of young and veteran artists, including Davido.

Ayefele initially planned to stage a live concert to celebrate his 25th anniversary after the accident but decided to partner with a technological platform, Ckrowd.com, to enable all his fans to experience his concerts and be part of this celebration.

The digital music world tour featured renowned comedian Woli Agba, whose jokes and sketches have made him a staple name among many.

Yinka Ayefele stated that this tour has expanded his fan base further and added different generations to his usually older-based audience. This immersive event has also helped Yinka Ayefele to connect with a new generation of fans, who is conversant with new technologies and opened to a portal where millions in the Diaspora and the continent are bound together by the love of great music and are happy to share and cherish their cultural heritage.

Ckrowd and Yinka Ayefele have also confirmed that the proceeds from the World Digital Tour will be handed to one of the superstar’s superfans; a visually impaired DJ, Mr Ayefele SodiqEttu, who has confirmed that this event has inspired him to never give up and to produce great and quality work to remind people that creativity is an incredible tool and that technology can further amplify it.

Ckrowd continues to drive the cultural conversation and support artists, and digital creators by providing them with communal, interactive moments, allowing the latter to have creative control, and monetise their music and/or content through innovative technology that can reach millions.

BBNaija S7 finalists

Since the launch of Big Brother Naija, only one female winner, Mercy Eke has taken the crown.

Will history repeat itself on tonight’s finale? Of the six housemates left in the Big Brother Naija Level Up season, only two males, Adekunle and Bryann are in the finale. This raises the chance of a female taking the crown. Will it be Daniella, Phyna, Chichi or Bella?

Going by social media posts, the strong contenders among the females are Phyna and Bella. However, Daniella may spring a surprise since her stay in the house was unexpected as well as her love interests. Of the females, she had more than one male housemate fight for her affection.

The first was Khalid whom she had a loving

relationship with until his eviction. Then came Dotun, until he was evicted too. Now Adekunle has his eyes on her too.

Phyna and Bella’s love interests, Groovy and Sheggz respectively, were evicted last weekend. Time will tell if their relationships will blossom into something beautiful after the show.

While there is more clamour for a female winner, the males cannot be overlooked. Bryann’s fans are resilient in their campaigns, and so are Adekunle fans.

Notwithstanding, only one winner will emerge tonight when the host Ebuka Obi-Uchendu opens the envelope. The winner will not only have the bragging rights of Big Brother Naija Level Up season winner but a grand prize of N100 million.

Terra Kulture Receives Netflix Support for Creative Industry Programmes For its contribution to the creative industry through programmes that groom and support talents, Terra Kulture has received a financial donation from the global streaming platform, Netflix.

A statement by the Lagos-based firm said the donation follows the recent announcement by Netflix to extend the Creative Equity Scholarship Fund (CESF) for film and television students to select West and Central African countries to study at partner universities in Nigeria, Ghana, Benin and Gabon.

The donation received will further the organisation’s effort to promote the richness and diversity of the Nigerian arts and culture sector.

“The support fund will be directed to industry and community-focused areas of engagement which include academic training, theatre, gallery, and bookstore. It is also intended to ensure cultural programming in Nigeria while promoting the various artistic and cultural projects led by Terra Kulture,” the statement said.

“We’re delighted to receive this donation from Netflix.

It would be helpful to take our ongoing projects to the next step,” added the Chief Executive Officer of Terra Kulture, Bolanle Austen-Peters.

According to her, since 2003, Terra Kulture has been at the forefront of promoting Nigeria’s art and culture through exhibitions; indigenous restaurant; and storytelling through its award-winning plays and movies. “Over these years, we have developed an in-depth understanding of arts, culture, and languages to impact the next generation most effectively.

With the financial support received, Terra Kulture Academy for the Arts aims to fulfil its mission to support, upskill and inspire Nigeria’s creative youths through educational and recreational programs that will yield multiplicative benefits to

QFEST Returns with an Array of Activities

Austen-Peters

themselves, their families, communities, and the overall Nigerian creative economy.”

Terra Kulture has trained more than 2,000 youth in theatre lighting design, sound design, costume design, batik, tie and dye, makeup, hairstyling, production, acting, directing, production management, props management, and set design, animation, choreography, and motion graphics for stage plays.

In a bid to formalize the skilling efforts, the organization launched Terra Academy for the Arts (TAFTA), which is a freeto-attend training programme created to formally empower young creatives with relevant skills across key sub-sectors in theatre. The programme is designed to provide training on key technical production skills for the creative industry as well as an entrepreneurial module for students to learn about the industry’s business side.

The CESF will be distributed to various initiatives over the next five years to build a strong, diverse pipeline of creatives around the world.

The annual Quramo Festival of Words (QFEST) returns this year with a lineup of activities. Themed ‘Africa Positive’, the three-day celebration of art and literary works starting October 7, will feature masterclasses/workshops, panel discussions, book/author class, a poetry contest, film screenings, and stage play which will culminate in the Quramo Writers Prize (QWP) Introduced in 2017, QWP seeks to provide an avenue for unpublished writers to showcase their manuscripts to the global literary community. Entries are submitted from all over Africa and the winner is rewarded with a cash prize of One Million Naira. This year’s entries were vetted by a panel of judges which had prominent writer Jude Idada as the head judge.

According to him, originality was one of the key criteria for judging the entries. The winner will be revealed on October 9 while the winner of last year’s contest, Akintomiwa Akinnimi will be presented with her winning book ‘Looking Glass Bullet’ by Quramo publishing.

Speaking on the theme of this year, the co-founder of Quramo Group, Gbemi Shasore said that the theme was inspired by the positive stories coming out of Africa.

“We found over the last two years that the voice of the millennials and those after them have been the strongest and I discovered that a lot of them are creatives, they are the ones starting business, they are the ones that are out there. Our music, fashion, and film are out there. We found that there are a lot of positives coming from Africa. Why don’t we talk about them?”

One of the highlights of QFEST 2022 will be the Q Conversation which will see Shasore in conversation with the Chief Executive Officer of Terra Kulture, Bolanle AustenPeters. Q Conversation seeks to engage an accomplished creative personality in an enriching and insightful conversation that captures their journey. Last year’s guest was the prolific filmmaker Femi Odugbemi.

THISDAY, THE SUNDAY NEWSPAPER ˾ JUNE 24 2012

ARTS & REVIEW A

PUBLICATION

Onyeka Onwenu

2. 10.2022

Fela Kuti

Burna Boy

Asa

Nigeria’s 62 Years of Unifying Sounds of Patriotism Much of the hope of One Nigeria rests in the power of its music, which keeps the people hopeful even in the face of political uncertainties, Yinka Olatunbosun argues

O

ctober 1, also known as Nigeria's Independence Day, has always been a day of mixed emotions: hope, faith, withdrawal, anger, frustration, and moments of reminiscencereminiscence. Radio and television stations showcase a playlist of Nigeria's classics to celebrate Nigeria. Despite the myriad of challenges, it is arguable that Nigerian music has remained a collective source of pride.

More than ever before, Nigerian musicians are enjoying international recognition from music fans all over the world. Hasn’t music DOZD\V RͿHUHG WKH KHDOLQJ EDOP WR DOOHYLDWH pain from poverty, corruption, oppression and dictatorship?

In 1969, Fela Anikulapo Kuti, who later became more famous for his music activism, recorded "Viva Nigeria," which is a post-civil war healing song. For the critic, Tejumola Olaniyan, in his Indiana University Press biography, Arrest the Music! Fela and His Rebel Art and Politics, the song "turned out to be the composer's most politically scandalous and compromising composition." Some of his contemporaries, such as Orlando Owoh, Haruna Ishola, and Ayinla Omowura.

Consider juju music maestro Ebenezer Obey Fabiyi's 1984 record, "Only Condition to Save Nigeria." The artist must have envisioned Nigeria in a free fall at the time of writing the song. Citing socio-economic problems, 2EH\ FDOOV IRU FRQFHUWHG HͿRUW DQG XQLW\ WR salvage the nation that is recovering from civil war and political assassinations while entrenching itself in corruption.

The following year, in 1985, Veno Marioghae released one of the most optimistic songs about Nigeria, titled "Nigeria Go Survive" in response to the mass migration of the period.

"Andrew no check out o..." is an unforgettable line that has faded with time as many more "Andrews" have left Nigerian shores for a better quality of life abroad.

In 1987, another singer famed for Yoruba classics like "Bata mi adun koko ka" and "Eko dara pupo", Princess Bunmi Olajubu,

released a similar themed song titled "Save Nigeria Today", which bore a renewed sense of urgency on nation building.

Funmi Adams, one of the most profound voices of the 80s in Nigeria's pop scene, delivered a patriotic track that almost took the place of the national anthem: "Nigeria, My Beloved Country."

Mostly sung by young children, the song is a statement of commitment and loyalty expressed from a place of innocence and hope. Released in 1989 at the peak of the military dictatorship, the song gained popularity, especially with government-owned broadcast media.

In 1990, the Afrojuju musician, Sir Shina Peters, released a song that was ahead of its time in the Shinamania album. The song "Give Our Women A Chance" has become an anthem for feminists and others who are passionate about gender equality in the workplace and governance. The song "Give Our Women A Chance" has become an anthem for feminists and others who are passionate about gender equality in the workplace and governance. Attaining democracy was the target of Nigerian citizens at that time, but many ignored that true GHPRFUDF\ H[LVWV ZKHUH DOO TXDOLÀHG people—both men and women—are given the enabling environment to vote and be voted for.

Next, the "elegant stallion", Onyeka Onwenu, released 'One Love' in 1991. ,W V VLJQLÀFDQW IRU KHU WR VLQJ WKLV VRQJ as an Ibo woman, of the tribe that was decimated during the civil war. Hence, this song in itself symbolises truce and an appeal for humanity to prevail.

The 80s and 90s saw a wave of consciousness music with many Nigerian musicians, especially in the reggae genre, singing liberation-themed songs.

Learning from the legacy of Sunny Okosuns and his socio-politically charged lyrics, a crop of artists emerged,

fearlessly outspoken about the prevailing dictatorship. From Mandators' "Rat Race" to Ras Kimono's "Under Pressure," the music scene in Nigeria became more temperamental and then the nation came under intense pressure to embrace democracy. The widespread arrest, detention, and torture of pro-democracy agents forced many Nigerian artists of this period to either self-exile or some sort of reclusion.

History has a special place in memory for Professor Wole Soyinka and Tunji Oyelana's joint patriotic song "I Love My Country." From the Album: Unlimited Liability Company,

by Wole Soyinka ft. ft. Tunji Oyelana & His Benders (1983), the song is one of the authentic palm wine sounds of patriotism.

While Fela remains the most celebrated of music activism's heroes, his son, Femi Kuti, Kuti, has quietly carved a niche for himself as a non-aggressive and non-militant voice in nation building and African unity. In the songs "What Will Tomorrow Bring," "Sorry Sorry," and "Dem Bobo," he expresses his distress over the atrocities in his home country.

In the post-democracy era, a resurgence in conscious music was birthed as many came to realise that the version of democracy in Nigeria is at best authoritarian. Divisive issues that threaten national unity still linger. For instance, the Niger-Delta is still a hotbed of environmental pollution. Oil spillage, gas ÁDULQJ DQG LQVHFXULW\ UHPDLQ WKH VLJQSRVWV RI this region.Aworsening state of infrastructure has been reported nationwide. Musicians KDG WR UHÁHFW WKHVH VRFLHWDO IRLEOHV LQ WKHLU songs. Nneka,Ade Bantu, IdrisAbdulkareem, Timaya, AfricanChina, Blackface, Asa, Sound Sultan, Tubaba and the likes made iconic songs, mirroring the general living conditions of Nigerians in Nigeria and Africa in general.

African China's "Mr. President" is an all-time favourite. The lyrics, which were released in 2000, bear the truth about the daily survival of Nigerians while also challenging the OHDGHUVKLS VSHFLÀFDOO\ WKH 3UHVLGHQW WR EH accountable for the welfare of the citizens.

Blackface Naija, mostly underrated and controversial for his grouse of not being credited for his artistry in songwriting, is

an unsung hero in the spirit of patriotism.

"Hardlife," which features Alabai, was a dancehall track that didn't only hit the clubs but the conscience of the nation. It deviates from the regular sounds of protest with the dual quality of being painful and pleasurable simultaneously.

How can history ever forget JJC's 'Gbao' with the addictive hook "Nigeria is the best land"? Nigerians in diaspora felt a deep sense of identity with this song that ignited the prestigious Notthinghill Carnival in 2003. The cheeky song boasts of the beauty of Nigeria as a country, her beautiful women, and well, its growing reputation and sophistication in fraud.

Another turning point in the sound of patriotism in Nigeria is the 1994 collaborative music project by various Nigerian artists titled "Lift Nigeria Up" and "The Way Forward." Featuring King Sunny Ade, Orits Wiliki Because of its unifying message, the album became one of KSA's most memorable records.

Ayinde Barrister, a Fuji legend, released Omo Nigeria, written in English, to generate a crossover appeal for the song, much like KSA and his collaborators did with their songs. More UHFHQWO\ ZH KDYH VHHQ D YHU\ DXGDFLRXV HͿRUW to hold the Nigerian government accountable by the Grammy-winning Afro-fusion singer, Burna Boy, with the collaborative track done with Coldplay's frontman, Chris Martin, "Monsters You Made." The conscious music, which was released on the "Twice as Tall" album in 2020 to critical acclaim, hints at the artist's commitment to his society. He didn't stop there; he also released "Whiskey," which isn't a club banger despite the title's subtle mischief. The Whiskey is a protest against the devastation caused by soot pollution in Port Harcourt, the city where Burna Boy was born. Lung diseases are common in places where such practices are rife.

For most performing artists, even when the goal is sold-out concerts, there is peace in the knowledge that all is well at home. The resilience of One Nigeria rests in the power of its music that keeps the people hopeful even in the face of political uncertainties.

EDITOR OKECHUKWU UWAEZUOKE/ okechukwu.uwaezuoke@thisdaylive.com

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THISDAY, THE SUNDAY NEWSPAPER OCTOBER 2 , 2022

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Editor: Ejiofor Alike SMS: 08066066268 email:ejiofor.alike@thisdaylive.com

IN THE ARENA

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Can Buhari Give Nigeria Credible Elections?

As Nigeria celebrated her 62nd Independence yesterday amid diverse and divisive tendencies, there are apprehension and scepticism about President Muhammadu Buhari’s willingness to make good his promise to bequeath the legacy of credible elections upon the country, Gboyega Akinsanmi writes

N

igeria marked the 62nd anniversary of her political independence yesterday. Apparently, as most opinion leaders have observed, it was no mean feat despite diverse centrifugal forces that have threatened its frail cord of unity, since October 1,1960.

The jubilee was commemorated amid socio-economic and political uncertainties, which according to former President, Nigerian Bar Association (NBA), Chief Joseph Daudu (SAN), had been the albatross of Africa’s most populous nation despite its natural endowment and resources.

From oil war in the Niger Delta to Boko Haram insurgencies in the North-east, banditry in North-west, sessionist agigations in the South-west and South-east, Daudu’s observation conforms to prevalent realities that Nigeria has indeed been the shithole of economic contradiction, political crises and social upheaval since 1999 when it again transited to a civil rule after decades of despotic regimes.

With these socio-political dynamics, Convener, Alliance on Surviving COVID-19 and Beyond, Mr. Femi Falana (SAN), like most civil society actors, believed the world’s biggest black nation faced a grim political future with the general election already scheduled to hold between February 25 and March 11, 2023.

But President Muhammadu Buhari has consistently held an optimistic view about the future of Nigeria. His view sharply contrasts with the views most civil society officials and opposition parties have at different times expressed due to observable divisive tendencies that characterise the country’s socio-political relations under Buhari’s administration.

Despite these grievous defeatist tendencies, Buhari has promised to bequeath “a legacy of credible, free, fair and transparent elections on Nigeria” before completing his constitutional two-term administration by May 28, 2023. This promise formed the kernel of his address at the 78th United Nations General Assembly (UNGA) held between September 12 and 25, 2023.

At the assembly, the president told the world leaders that a new president “will represent the federation at the next United Nations General Assembly.” He also reiterated his unshaken belief in the sanctity of constitutional term limits, to which he promised to adhere irrespective of what might be the outcome of the 2023 presidential election.

He thus said: “We have seen the corrosive impact on values when leaders elsewhere seek to change the rules to stay on in power. Indeed, we are now preparing for the general elections next February. We have invested heavily” to strengthen the country’s framework for free and fair elections.

“As President, I have set the goal that one of the enduring

Buhari legacies I would like to leave at the end of my administration is to entrench a process of free, fair and transparent and credible elections through which Nigerians elect leaders of their choice,” Buhari reportedly told the world leaders.

Before the global summit, Buhari had made a similar pledge while addressing Nigerians in Lisbon, Portugal in June 2022.

At this meeting, he promised “a smooth transition to the next government.” Also, in December 2019, the president promised “to leave a legacy of credible elections behind” during a session with federal permanent secretaries to mark his 77th birthday in Abuja.

But is the president really committed to conducting credible elections? Can he fulfill his promise? Will he watch the All Progressives Congress (APC) lose the 2023 presidential poll? Can he stop his political allies from meddling in the electoral process that will produce his successor next year?

Due to his political persuasion or the sustained public demands, the president has, to some degree, demonstrated a political will to ensure credible elections in 2023.

This was evident in his resolve to see to the enactment of the Electoral (Amendment) Act, 2022 on February 25. It was however believed that the new electoral regime should have been enacted in 2018. But Buhari then withheld his assent due to what the opposition ascribed to “a ploy to manipulate the process to ensure his re-election in 2019.”

Since February 25, the Electoral Act has been in force, which as shown in the 2022 Ekiti and Osun Governorship Elections, substantially reduced the prospects of vote theft, ballot box snatching, multiple thumb printing and electoral manipulation that characterised the country’s previous elections.

As evident in the recent governorship elections conducted by the Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC) in the two states, however, the new electoral regime has forced the political parties and their candidates to resort to vote - buying as a strategy to win elections.

In the same way that it compelled the political actors to buy votes during the recent elections, the new electoral regime spurred the electorate to sell their ballots to the highest bidders, a new trend, which according to the Centre for Democracy and Development (CDD) in a recent report, gravely threatened the future elections.

This is a dangerous political phenomenon, which the Chairman Transition Monitoring Group (TMG), Mr. Auwal Rafsanjani claimed Buhari’s administration “lacks the political will to address decisively because the ruling party is a beneficiary of vote trading just as other political parties are culpable of the illicit practice.”

Buhari’s decision to endorse the 2022 Electoral Act obviously espoused his promise to leave “a legacy of credible elections behind.” But the pervasive trend of vote trading cast a pall on the promise triggered by the disturbing cases of extreme poverty, youth unemployment and weakening purchasing powers that compelled most willing vote sellers to accept the offers of desperate vote buyers.

Apart from signing the new electoral regime, the tense political environment in nearly all geo-political zones further eclipses Buhari’s resolve to work for a transparent electoral process. This is evident in the worsening insecurity, which recent intelligence communities have revealed, now threatens the conduct of future elections in at least 680 communities nationwide.

However, the president has set a time limit for the security agencies, the Nigeria Armed Forces, Nigeria Police Force and Department of State Services, to take back ungoverned spaces, which armed non-state actors occupied across the federation.

In 2015, the country experienced such a horrible situation, which then compelled the administration of former President Goodluck Jonathan to postpone the general election by two weeks.

For APC, then an aggressive opposition that picked holes in all government policies, Jonathan was plotting to manipulate the 2015 electoral process in his favour for postponing the general election due to pervasive insecurity essentially in four local government areas in the North-east.

P O L I T I CA L N OT E S

Obaseki Laughs Last

Wike Obaseki

The Supreme Court on Friday ended the leadership tussle in the Edo State chapter of the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) between Governor Godwin ObasekiandtheNationalViceChairman(South-south) of the party, Dan Orbhi.

The suit is seeking the court order to authenticate theadhocdelegateelectionsconductedbytheOrbhi’s faction and to invalidate another one conducted by the Obaseki’s faction.

The court in a unanimous judgment read by Justice Emmanuel Akomaye Agim said the appeal marked SC/CV/979/2022, filed by one Hon Monday Iyere Osagie of the Orbhi faction, said the appeal lacked merit because it is not justiciable.

The judge held that the issue of leadership by

political parties is an internal affair and as such, the courts have no jurisdiction. He asked political parties to always adhere strictly to their guidelines, rules and regulations in order to promote genuine democracy.

ObasekiandOrbhihavebeenateachother’sthroats over who controls the party in the state.The governor formerly of the All Progressives Congress (APC) decamped to the PDP, stood for the last governorship electionontheparty’splatformandwon.Helateropted to control the machinery of the party but met stiff resistance from Orbhi, an ally of Governor Nyesom Wike of Rivers State.

By the verdict, the long-drawn battle between ObasekiandOrbhioverwholeadsthePDPinthestate hasendedastheIndependentNationalElectoralCom-

mission will now recognise the candidate produced by the former faction in the primary conducted in May. Both factions had held different primaries that producedcandidatesfordifferentelectivepositions.

In every state of the federation, governors are usually the leader of the ruling party. But Orbhi with the backing ofWike thought he could rattle Obaseki andhijackthePDPstructurefromhim,somethinghe cannot dare in Rivers State where Wike is in charge of everything.

Instead of working with the governor, he has by his action, messed up the ambition of many politicians who bought forms to contest for elective offices at the state and national levels. It is hoped that he would learn a lesson from the unnecessary fight.

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THISDAY, THE SUNDAY NEWSPAPER OCTOBER 2 , 2022

BRIEFINGNOTES The Peter Obi Phenomenon With the massive pre-campaign rallies organised by the youths across the major cities in the country, which were not largely influenced by monetary inducements, the supporters of the presidential candidate of the Labour Party, Mr. Peter Obi, have elevated a political party without formidable structures to a mass movement, Ejiofor Alike writes

P

olitical pundits were anxious to know the direction of a former Anambra State Governor, Mr. Peter Obi, when he announced in late May that he had dumped the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) and had also withdrawn from the race for the party’s presidential ticket.

Director General of the Peter Obi Presidential Campaign Organisation, Dr. Doyin Okupe, had reportedly made the announcement after submitting a copy of Obi’s resignation letter to the PDP National Secretariat, Abuja. His resignation from the party and withdrawal from the race came as a surprise as many believed that he was using the race to negotiate for the vice presidential ticket of the party.

Obi was the running mate of Atiku Abubakar in 2019 when the former vice president contested the presidential election on the platform of the PDP. It was not surprising that when Obi indicated interest to vie for the presidential ticket of the party ahead of the 2023 general election, many analysts believed that he wanted to emerge as a running mate to Atiku. This belief was fuelled by the fact that he had no formidable structure to stand on his own.

The former Anambra State governor, however, shocked analysts when he announced his resignation from the party. It then became obvious that he meant business and only withdrew from the race after having realised that he stood no chances to win the party’s ticket.

However, many argued that he should have remained in the party, no matter the odds against him.

Okupe had noted that he took the decision following recent happenings within the party.

He, however, failed to disclose the happenings in the party that warranted his resignation.

The former Anambra State governor was one of the 15 presidential aspirants of the PDP. Since Obi gave no reason for leaving the PDP, there were strong speculations that he left because the party’s national body connived with some leaders of the party in Anambra State to pull the carpet under his feet on the issue of delegate election in the state. After he had announced his resignation from the PDP, political analysts and his supporters were anxious to know his next move.

He did not keep his supporters waiting for too long as he announced his decision to join the Labour Party (LP) just barely three days after he quit the PDP. He announced his decision on his official Twitter account on May 27. “…I have chosen a route that I consider

Obi to be in line with our aspirations and my mantra of taking the country from consumption to production; and that is the Labour Party which is synonymous with the people, workers, development, production, securing and uniting Nigerians as one family. I invite all Nigerians to join me in taking back our country. Be assured that I’ll never let you down,” he wrote.

“I thank all Nigerians, especially our youths who have joined me in the mission of taking back and reuniting Nigeria. This project is yours and for the future of your children. I am just a facilitator,” Obi added.

Obi’s political steps continued in quick succession as he also emerged as the party’s presidential candidate barely three days after he joined the party.

He emerged as the party’s choice at its national convention and presidential primary in Asaba, the Delta State capital, after other aspirants stepped down for him. Those who stepped down were:

Professor Pat Utomi; Faduri Joseph and Olubusola Emmanuel-Tella.

Despite the adoption of the LP for the 2023 presidential election by the Utomi-led National Consultative Front (NCFront), an umbrella body of the Third Force, in collaboration with Comrade Ayuba Wabba-led Nigeria Labour Congress (NLC) and Comrade Quadri Olaleyeled Trade Union Congress (TUC), many still dismissed Obi, saying he had no formidable structure.

While speaking on ARISE NEWS Channel in July, Atiku had argued that Obi had no political structure that could guarantee him victory. He added that the former governor was expecting miracles, insisting that such miracle was difficult to come by.

A former governor of Abia State and Chief Whip of the Nigerian Senate, Orji Uzor Kalu, had also in September argued that Obi had no chance to win the 2023 election. According to Kalu, Obi did not have the kind of structure that could give him victory in the election.

Obi had earlier told critics who claimed that he had no formidable structure to clinch

power next year that those making such assertion were referring to political structures of corruption and criminality which he doesn’t have and strongly abhors.

Speaking to Nigerians in Charlotte, North Carolina, in the United States on August 31, the LP presidential standard bearer said the type of structures that his critics were talking about involves bribery and corruption; and also sharing money to acclaimed political stakeholders to enlist their support and help in rigging election.

He argued that such structures do not take into consideration, the character and capabilities of the contestants in providing quality leadership which ultimately matters to the people.

No governor or former governor has identified with the LP but Obi’s supporters, mainly the youths have formed formidable structures to promote his presidential aspiration. So, while the PDP and the ruling All Progressives Congress (APC) boast of having governors, former governors, senators, members of House of Representatives and other prominent politicians as their members, LP boasts of having the Nigerian youths as its structure.

These youths who are tired of what Obi had described structures of sharing money to stakeholders to rig elections, have organised unprecedented pre-campaign rallies across many states in the country to drum up support for Obi’s presidential aspiration. It is on record that several states stood still when these youths marched through their state capitals.

Obi’s critics, who had insisted that his support base was restricted to the internet, had mocked the LP presidential candidate, reminding him that elections were not conducted on the internet. But to demonstrate that it commands heavy physical presence in all the states, Obi’s support group, better known as Obi-dient Movement had locked down many Nigerian cities, sending cold chills down the spines of his political opponents.

Many of the prominent politicians who had dismissed him as paperweight are now singing different tunes, having realised that the youths that constitute the majority of the voting population are behind him. While some of his political opponents have called these youths all kinds of names, others are scared of speaking against them for fear of the backlash.

Today, this support base seems to be increasing, to the extent that polls are beginning to rate him far above other candidates.

The question is: Will the youths’ support for Obi as reflected on the internet and precampaign rallies also reflect on the number of votes he will garner in the February 2023 presidential poll? Time will tell.

NOTES FOR FILE

A Season of Political Sentiments

Keyamo

In this season, Nigeria is neck-deep in all manner of lies to hoodwink the electorate, and sentiments overriding common sense. This is the signal that the ruling All Progressives Congress (APC) Presidential Campaign Council gave last week when its spokesperson, Festus Keyamo, warned pastors to stop dabbling into politics.

The Deputy National Secretary of the Pentecostal Fellowship of Nigeria (PFN), David Bakare, in an interview, had said the group has no affiliation with members of the Pentecostal Bishops Forum of Northern Nigeria who recently met with BolaTinubu, the APC presidential candidate.The PFN also declared that its opposition to the Muslim-Muslim ticket peddled by the APC remains unchanged.

But speaking during an interview on national television, Keyamo said the PFN has no right to criticise the decisions of the ruling party. He questioned the right of the PFN to question the decision of APC publicly. The minister said the purpose of pastors or their duty is to lead people to heaven not to lead people to the presidential villa.

While many feel that Keyamo may have a point, others argue that he needs to properly interrogate why the church is showing interest in who becomes the President of Nigeria. The reason is purely based on poor governance. Hence, many people are turning to the church for succour.

Upon carrying the burden of filling the gap, this is inadvertently telling on it.

Keyamo cannot be oblivious of the fact that the church is not only focusing on its duty of leading people to heaven, but putting food on their tables, providing jobs, paying for school fees, and house rents for millions of Nigerians, a burden the people are supposed to carry themselves if there was good government. In short, the church has metamorphosed into the citizens’ welfare entity.

These provisions are burdensome to the church, to the extent that they want good leadership for them to concentrate on their core mandate.

So, why should the church not be interested in who governs the people? Is it not because governments have failed that people turn to church for survival?

THISDAY, THE SUNDAY NEWSPAPER OCTOBER 2 , 2022

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All Eyes on the Judiciary Ahead of 2023 Elections

As important as the judiciary is to the sustenance of the rule of law and democracy, so much will be expected from this all-important arm of the government ahead of the 2023 elections, with searchlights also beamed at it, writes Davidson Iriekpen

D

espite seeking to explore an out-of-court settlement with a retired judge of the Lagos High Court, Justice Babajide Candide-Johnson, who instituted a lawsuit before a National Industrial Court of Nigeria (NICN) against the Lagos State Government, more retired judges have also joined their colleagues to sue the state for the non-payment of their pensions, severance gratuities and other entitlements, a year after retirement.

Recall that Justice Candide-Johnson had filed a suit before NICN, demanding his pension, severance gratuity and other entitlements from the Lagos State government, a year after his retirement. He is also seeking an order directing the Lagos State Governor, Babajide Sanwo-Olu to forthwith calculate his pension based on the provisions of Section 291 (2) and (3a-c) of the 1999 Constitution as well as Section 2 of the Pensions Rights of Judges Act to pay him the sum of N21,145,551.6.

He also wants the court to award the sum of N10 million as general damages for failure to pay his pension and gratuity in accordance with the law.

Justice Candide-Johnson was appointed by the Governor of Lagos on May 22, 2001, and sworn into office on May 24 of the same year. He spent 20 years on the bench and retired on June 27, 2021, having attained the mandatory retirement age of 65.

In the documents before the court, the retired judge said during his years of service, he was enrolled in the contributory pension scheme of the Civil Service of Lagos State.

Consequent upon this enrollment, several sums were deducted from his monthly salary by the Lagos State Government as his contribution to his pension.

In accordance with the provisions of the constitution, and the Pension Rights of Judges Act, he is entitled to a minimum lifetime pension of N21,145,551.6. In addition, the retired judge said upon his retirement in June 2021, he was entitled to be paid and to receive 300 per cent of his annual basic salary while in office by virtue of the Certain Political, Public, and Judicial Office Holders (Salaries and Allowances, Amendment Act of 2008.

He said despite these abundantly clear and instructive provisions of the law, the Lagos State Government has failed to comply strictly with the provisions of the constitution and the Pensions Rights of Judges in ensuring that his pension and other entitlements as well as severance gratuity are paid in accordance with the extant laws.

Apart from the state governor; the state Attorney General, Moyosore Onigbanjo; the Lagos State Judicial Service Commission, and the National Judicial Council (NJC) are also joined as defendants in the suit.

The retired judge insisted that it is the duty of the Governor of Lagos to pay the pension, severance, and retirement entitlements of a retired judge, a duty which arises from the fact that the governor is the appointing authority and duty which has been so declared by the 4th defendant, the NJC by a letter addressed to all heads of courts in Nigeria dated November 20, 2009.

Justice Candide-Johnson also submitted that by a letter dated January 13, 2021, the 3rd defendant, the Lagos State Judicial Service Commission pledged to pay the retirement benefits while requesting several documents which he promptly made available on the

Ariwoola January 17, 2021.

By his last monthly payslip, his monthly salary and other consolidated allowances stood at N749,166.66.

He stated further that the annual salary of one of his domestic staff is N600,000 at N50,000 monthly. The retired judge also said he received the sum of N5,414,220 as furniture allowance on May 26, 2021.

Thus the annual salary of four of the claimant domestic staff is N2,400,000.

When the matter came up in court before Justice Maureen Esowe, the counsel representing the Governor and the state Attorney-General, Saheed Quadri, asked the judge to grant a short adjournment to enable parties in the matter to discuss and agree on a settlement.

The claimant’s lawyer, Yemi CandideJohnson (SAN) did not oppose the request but asked the state government to withdraw its preliminary objection to the suit to demonstrate that the request for settlement was done in good faith.

Quadri, however, opposed the move, insisting that he was optimistic about the settlement talks.

The trial judge, Justice Esowe in her response, said the rules of the National Industrial Court allow parties to seek an amicable settlement between parties. The case has been adjourned till October. 2022.

But despite the promise by the state government to explore an out-of-court settlement, more retired judges in the state have joined their brother judge,

Justice Candide-Johnson in filing suits at the court against the state over the non-payment of their retirement benefits.

Two other members of the class of 2021, Justice Grace Modupe Onyeabo and Justice Iyabo Kasali have filed their own suits through the same law firm, Strachan Partners. Others are Justices Adeniyi Onigbanjo, Marian Olajumoke Emeya, Owolabi Dabiri and Mufutau Olokooba.

Three other judges that retired before 2021, Justice Doris Tomilayo Okuwobi, Justice Olaide Olayinka, and Justice Ojikutu-Oshode equally filed suits challenging the method of computation of their entitlements. They are also seeking declarations that their pension and gratuity were not computed in accordance with extant law, to wit: Section 291 (3) (b) of the Constitution of the Federal Republic of Nigeria 1999 (as amended); They argued that the arbitrary computation of their retirement benefits by the 3rd defendant without recourse to extant law is unlawful.

Investigation by THISDAY revealed that the state government has already conceded that they wrong and such have no defence. They said they are waiting on governor to sign off on the correct payments to retired judges as provided by law.

The plight of the judges shows what judicial officers go through not only in Lagos but across the country whether in service or in retirement.

Over time, there have been lamentations and anger over the poor remuneration packages given to Nigerian judges and justices as monthly salaries. Indeed, salaries and allowances of judicial officers, judges and justices were last reviewed in 2008 through an Act of Parliament.

At that time, the exchange rate of naira to a US dollar was N117 as against N467 it is now, clearly showing that judges and justices’ salaries have been static over the years and even depreciating in value.

Sometimes, when these judges retire from service, their benefits and other entitlements are not paid, thereby giving those in service cause to worry over their future. This, many believe, makes many of them to compromise or be vulnerable to corruption in the process of adjudication and dispensation of justice.

This made a constitutional lawyer, Chief Sebastien Hon (SAN), to recently drag the Attorney-General of the Federation (AGF), NJC and the National Assembly before the National Industrial Court in Abuja over poor wages being paid to judges. He prayed the court to compel the defendants, alongside the Revenue Mobilisation Allocation and Fiscal Commission (RMAFC), to increase the salaries and allowances of judges in the country.

In a supporting affidavit to the originating summons, marked: FHC/ABJ/CS/595/2022, the senior lawyer, who filed in his capacity as a concerned legal practitioner in Nigeria, stated that, as a legal practitioner, “who has practised in all the levels of courts in Nigeria, I know that poor pay for judicial officers is seriously affecting the quality of judgments and rulings those officers are delivering and the discharge of other functions associated with their offices.

The plaintiff argued that the current economic reality in the country requires that the salaries and allowances of judge’s be urgently reviewed upwards. He noted that the highest-paid judicial officer in the country – the Chief Justice of Nigeria (CJN) – currently earns about N3.4 million per annum, far below what is earned by such an officer in other countries.

Hon noted that it is about 14 years now since the salaries and allowances of judges were last reviewed upward in 2008 despite the loss of value of the naira vis-à-vis other global currencies like the US dollars, the British pound sterling and the European Union (EU) euro, etc.

“As of November 2008 when the amended Act was in force, the exchange rate between the naira and the US dollar was N117.74 to $1. The naira has considerably lost its value over time; but judicial officers in Nigeria have been placed on the same salary scale for up to 12 years, namely since 2008. Even foreigners who have been hired from time to time to coach Nigeria’s national football teams earn higher than Nigeria’s judicial officers,” he said.

In her judgment, Justice Osatohanmwen Obaseki-Osaghae ordered an increment in the salaries of the Chief Justice of Nigeria (CJN) and other judges. She said judges have been victims of great injustice and described their poor salaries as a “national shame”.

The judge ordered the RMAFC to immediately raise the salary of the Chief Justice of Nigeria (CJN) to N10 million monthly from the current N3.4 million per annum, said to be far below what is earned by his counterparts in other countries. She also ordered the RMAFC to review the salaries of other heads of courts and their judges ranging between N9 million to N7 million monthly.

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THISDAY, THE SUNDAY NEWSPAPER OCTOBER 2 , 2022

CICERO/REPORT

Unresolved Issues ahead of 2023 General Election As the campaigns for the 2023 general election kick off, there are still some unresolved electoral issues, Iyobosa Uwugiaren reports

Yakubu

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n line with the 2022 Electoral Act and the Independent National Electoral Commission’s (INEC) Guidelines, the campaigns for the 2023 general election started last Wednesday, as 18 presidential candidates eye President Muhammadu Buhari’s plum position. In the next five months, over 95 million registered voters will choose Buhari’s successor among the candidates. Other candidates will also fill various positions.

INEC has said that the presidential and National Assembly elections will hold on February 25, 2023, followed by the governorship and state assembly elections on March 11, 2023.

Even though only the activities of four political parties: All Progressives Congress (APC), Peoples Democratic Party (PDP), Labour Party (LP) and New Nigeria Peoples Party (NNPP) and their candidates have generated serious national conversations, there are also other parties in the race.

And amidst apprehension over the general election – occasioned by insecurity across the country, President Bihari, the security agencies and the INEC have continued to promise Nigerians and the international community that the elections would hold.

For instance, the Nigerian Guild of Editors Forum recently provided the INEC Chairman, Professor Mahmood Yakubu, a huge opportunity where he reiterated his determination to ensure that the fast-approaching 2023 general election would be the best.

Yakubu predicated his confidence on the Electoral Act and the genuine efforts being made by the commission, especially in the area of technological improvement.

Making a presentation at the forum organised by the Nigerian Guild of Editors (NGE) in Lagos, Yakubu said that apart from being free, fair, transparent and credible, the 2023 general election would have additional features that would be verifiable – obviously making reference to the electronic transmission of results as spelt out in the Electoral Act. It was also an opportunity the INEC boss used to dismiss the claim by the Coalition of United Political Parties (CUPP), through its spokesman, Ikenga Ugochinyere, who raised

Monguno the alarm over an alleged existence of fictitious names in the INEC voters’ register.

Ugochinyere had displayed an alleged fraudulent extracts from the national voters’ register, which he claimed were part of at least “10 million fake registrations’’ done by one of the political parties.

According to the claim, the names were sourced from both within and outside Nigeria, including Ghana, Cameroon, Zambia, Zimbabwe, Togo, Guinea, Gambia, Jamaica, Brazil and New Zealand.

The INEC chairman described the claim as total falsehood, wondering where they got the so-called register of voters - when INEC was still cleaning up the register and therefore does not have any valid voter register at the moment.

He is also not unmindful of the huge financial implications of the Nigerian election. According to him, the cumulative voter register of the other 14 countries in West Africa stands at about 70 million, far short of the over 95 million voters in Nigeria.

On the claim that there was a secret court action to stop the use of Bimodal Voter Accreditation System (BVAS) in the 2023 general election, the INEC Chair said the commission was yet to be served any court paper to that effect. But he was quick to add that should such case come up and the commission is served, there is enough legal leverage in the Electoral Act to nullify any such move.

The INEC boss said that no fewer than 1.4 million personnel (adhoc and regular staff) would be needed to conduct the 2023 election.

President Buhari’s recent comment on the forthcoming elections was even more reassuring. While receiving Letters of Credence from Ambassadors and High Commissioners of six countries at the State House, Abuja, recently, Buhari had expressed optimism that Nigeria’s current political transition period would produce “new crop of political leaders’’ after the general election in the first quarter of 2023.

“I am highly optimistic that we will conduct a good transition process at the end of which a new set of political leaders will freely emerge’’, he reportedly said.

He told the envoys that “you are assuming your diplomatic responsibilities in Nigeria, at very interesting political period as Nigeria’s national elections are due in February 2023.

“I want to state again, as I did just a few days ago at the UN General Assembly, that we remain committed to free and fair elections”.

The president promised that the participation of citizens in democracy would continue to be encouraged through freedom of speech and robust political discourse, urging respect for divergent cultures and opinions, and upholding the unity of the country.

Buhari’s optimism about free and fair elections came at a time the security chiefs are also said to be working assiduously to address the insecurity issues, which some people feared might encumber the elections.

The National Security Adviser (NSA), Major Gen Babagana Monguno (rtd), had declared recently that the Buhari-led federal government was unwavering in its determination to bequeath a transparent election before exiting the seat of power.

Alluding to “the successes recorded in the recent elections in Anambra, Osun and Ekiti states’’, the NSA said it was a clear demonstration of the president’s commitment to bequeath a level playing field to all contestants and his determination to bequeath the legacy of a strong institution and values to our beloved nation.

But in spite of the assurances given by the president, INEC and the security agencies, there is still noticeable uneasiness in the land - with many stakeholders arguing that conducting general election in a volatile security environment, coupled with growing ethnic and religious suspicion among different zones, would be difficult.

Some members of the international community, who appear to be interested in the elections, have continued to insist that security remains the best priority for them in their engagement and partnership with Nigeria, adding that that would likely be of “increased importance’’ ahead of the 2023 elections.

Apart from the challenges of insecurity, there is also the concern of the character and the antecedents of the Resident Electoral Commissioners (RECs) recently nominated and sent to the National Assembly for confirmation by President Buhari.

A coalition of civil society organisations (CSOs) - working to strengthen Nigeria’s electoral process, had called on Buhari to withdraw their nominations. The allencompassing argument of the coalition is that the Buhari’s nominees failed the “constitutional test of non-partisanship and integrity’’; and advised the Senate to reject the nominees because they “fall short of the threshold of non-partisanship and impeccable character.”

The CSOs included: Yiaga Africa, The Kukah Centre, International Press Centre (IPC), Centre for Media and Society, The Albino Foundation, Elect Her, Nigerian Women Trust Fund, Partners for Electoral Reform and Inclusive Friends Association.

The Senate had announced Buhari’s appointment of 19 RECs following the expiration of the tenure of the outgone RECs in 19 states.

Of the 19 nominated RECs, 14 were new appointments, while five were reappointed.

The new nominees included: Pauline Onyeka Ugochi (Imo); Muhammad Lawal Bashir (Sokoto); Prof. Ayobami Salami (Oyo); Zango Abdu (Katsina); Queen Elizabeth Agwu (Ebonyi); Agundu Tersoo (Benue), Yomere Oritsemlebi (Delta); Prof. Yahaya Ibrahim, (Kaduna); Dr. Nura Ali (Kano); Agu Uchenna Sylvia (Enugu); Ahmed Garki (FCT); Hudu Yunusa (Bauchi); Prof Uzochukwu Chijioke, (Anambra); and Mohammed Nura (Yobe).

The reappointed nominees included: Ibrahim Abdullahi (Adamawa); Obo Effanga (Cross River); Umar Ibrahim (Taraba); Agboke Olaleke (Ogun); and Prof. Samuel Egwu (Kogi).

Speaking on behalf of the group, a Board Member of Yiaga Africa, Ezenwa Nwagwu disclosed that investigation and analysis by the civil societies revealed that some of the nominees put forward by Buhari failed the constitutional test of non-partisanship and unquestionable integrity.

According to him, evidence abound that some of the nominees are partisan, politicallyaligned or previously indicted for corruption.

Citing Section 156(1)(a) of the 1999 Constitution of the Federal Republic of Nigeria, which prohibited the appointment of any person who is a member of a political party as a member of INEC, the spokesperson for the coaltion, Nwagu, argued, “We contend that the appointment of these individuals as RECs will significantly undermine the neutrality and impartiality of the Independent National Electoral Commission, and it will increase mistrust in INEC and Nigeria’s electoral process.’’

He explained further that by the combined effect of Section 156 (1)(a) and Third Schedule, Part 1, Item F, paragraph 14 (1), these individuals are constitutionally prohibited from any appointment as members of INEC. For the President of the Nigerian Guild of Editors, Mustapha Isah, vote-buying has become a threat to Nigeria democracy. “The Guild sees it as one of the manifestations of the weaponisation of poverty in the land.

“Poverty could make some Nigerians to offer their votes for sale for a paltry sum, not minding the devastating consequences on good governance. Why do politicians buy votes now? The answer is simple. Votes are beginning to count due to the reforms introduced by INEC’’, the NGE President had stated While Isah expressed concern over the desperation of some Nigerian politicians, who may go to any length to manipulate the elections, he called on the INEC to take serious steps to safeguard the electoral systems.

For now, the race is on, and all eyes are on INEC, security agencies, politicians and the electorate.

THISDAY, THE SUNDAY NEWSPAPER OCTOBER 2 , 2022

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INTERNATIONAL

Nigeria and Nation-building at 62: Debt Cancellation and Untruths as Instruments of Under-development

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igeria acceded to both national and international sovereignty in 1960 but with a fragile foundation for nation-building. A fragile foundation because of deliberate distortion of census figures before and after independence.The first census in took place in 1866 and mainly covered the Lagos colony. In 1871, when the British tradition of with decennial census began, the second census took place but the territorial coverage was still limited to Lagos colony and its environs.

This observation was true of the 1881, 1891 and 1901 censuses. It was not until after the amalgamation of the Lagos Colony and the Telephone : 0807-688-2846 Southern Protectorates in 2006 that the 1911 census enabled an e-mail: bolyttag@yahoo.com extension of census enumeration to some parts of the Southern protectorate.

In this regard, the records of the National Population Commission have it that the 1911 census‘was marred by incomplete enumeration because some parts of the south had not recognised the legitimacy of the colonial Government.’ The 1921 census was based on tax records as the aged, infants, etc. were excluded. The 1952/53 census enumerations were staggered: the census took place in the North between May and July 1952 while that of theWest and Mid-West took place in December 1952 and January 1953 respectively. The census in the East took place in August 1953. According to the National Population Commission, the enumeration strategy made the data between one region and another difficult to compare. In fact, the outbreak of World War II made people to query the intention of the census and why people did not submit themselves for enumeration.

More importantly, the outcome of the first post-independence census which took place in May 1962, was considered over-politicised and therefore was jettisoned. This was the basis for a fresh census in 1963 and the results of which were again contested at the Supreme Court which said it‘lacked jurisdiction over the administrative functions of the Federal Government.

True, the Federal Government showed more seriousness about the need for good census figures: promulgation of Decree 23 of 1989 which established the National Population Commission, under which the November 27-December 2, 1981 census took place; adoption of a more scientific GPS and Satellite Imagery to establish geo-referenced EAs; and adoption of a Machine readable forms (OMR/OCR/ICR) to record information from respondents. However, controversy has always surrounded ethnic population figures in Nigerian politics and development strategies. Two major dynamics are noteworthy in this regard. First, some reports have shown that in the 1930s, the Yoruba ethnic group had the biggest population. Thereafter in the 1950s the British colonialists also reportedly rigged census Onyeama and election figures in favour of the North. These are some of the underlying foundational factors militating against a seriously united threat to national integration in the Nigeria of today. Efforts at Nigeria and against nation-building since 1960. nation-building were not seriously taken. In fact, nation-building efforts that had been taken have also been bastardised.They have become a critical obstacle to building a sociological nation out 62YearsofNation-buildingChallenges of Nigeria as a nation-state. Put differently, as at today, Nigeria Nigeria’s independence was essentially a compromise: that political is not a sociological nation but a nation-state by international governance should be predicated on federalism and regionalism force of necessity.The foundation for this cannot be far-fetched: as mode of government. Each region not only adopted its own the profound causal factor was the1914 amalgamation by the development and strategic plans, but also developed at its own British colonialists. The post-independence accidental and space and speed. However, as a result of interethnic animosities, a coincidental factors are also multidimensional in scope and civil war broke out in 1967, following a southerner-led coup d’état deepening in consequences. in January 1966 and a counter-coup led by a northerner in July In the 1960s and 1970s, there was national happiness 1967. By so doing, a sort of North-South divide was created and for various reasons: change from a dependency status to a by implication, ethnic rivalry became more pronounced. The crisis sovereign statehood, Nigerians were quite happy about their that emerged eventually degenerated into an armed conflict in independence and they showed this happiness by quickly 1967. During the crises and conflicts, General Yakubu Gowon put seeking to join the United Nations and the Commonwealth, an unfortunate end to the regional system by creating twelve States as well as other relevant organisations of interest. Nigeria was out of the then four regions. And by so doing, the North has tried internationally well respected especially because of her rich to do whatever is possible to hold on to power to the detriment of mineral resources. Many powerful countries saw Nigeria as a regionalism as a basis for growing a true federal system. Since then, potential great power. In fact, in 1962, an international trade fair Nigeria has not known any enduring peace. Inter-ethnic suspicions was held in Lagos. Investors were much interested in Nigeria. have become the order of the day. Nigeria, which was internationally Even after the civil war ended, Nigeria reached an agreement seen to be quite rich in crude oil and also much respected, has also with France and Germany for the assemblage of Peugeot 504 become a terra cognita for institutional corruption, and therefore GL and Volkswagen Beetle respectively. In the 1970s, the then no longer respected.

UTA was flying the completely knocked down parts for the And true enough, debates on perceived Fulani hegemony, which assemblage of Peugeot cars in Nigeria. This was very costly but attracted debates at the Senate in 1961, have become a very potent

Bola A. Akinterinwa

For instance, one major dynamic of PMB’s 2022 Independence Day anniversary is selfish sectionalism.

In the words of PMB, ‘conscious that today’s address would be my last on an Independence Day as your President, I speak to the millions of Nigerians, who believed in me, propelled and stood by me in my quest to bequeath a country where all citizens have equal opportunities to achieve their lives desires in peaceful atmospheres.’ This is one of the opening sentences of the speech and it speaks volumes. PMB only spoke to ‘the millions who believed in (him), who stood by him…’ This means that PMB was never the President of Nigeria but of those who supported him. Again, he wants to bequeath a country of equal opportunities but PMB is the champion of nepotism. He wants to bequeath democratic legacy but under his watch, the ruling party is fraudulently making its own PVCs. With these contradictions, it makes little sense allowing PMB to continue to deepen Nigeria’s indebtedness only for his successors to carry the burden. Nigeria can never be a land of equal opportunities in an environment of uncontrolled institutional corruption, declared Islamisation and Fulanisation agenda, conscious promotion of untruths in political governance, borrowing to sustain corruption, and forceful acquisition of titled land for herdsmen coming from West and Central Africa. And without mincing words, Nigeria at 62 is a national disgrace and pointer to greater unhappiness, insecurity and disintegration if PMB continues to happily frolic around the world rather than addressing the peoples’s concerns

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VIE INTERNATIONALE

General Gowon made it clear by that time that Nigeria’s problem was not money or insolvency but how to spend it.

By then, there was also limited inter-ethnic animosity. On the contrary, there were manifestations of transparent solidarity in spite of some suspicions. The mere fact that Nigeria started her sovereign existence with self-governing regions and with limited functional responsibilities for the central government, there was self-esteem and healthy, competitive development policies.

The British Broadcasting Corporation (BBC) told the story of lowering of the British Union Jack and Nigeria’s accession to national sovereignty thus:‘just before the stroke of midnight, they switched of the lights and lowered the British Union Jack. Then at midnight, the lights were switched back on and the green-white green stood majestically for all to see. This was followed by a volley of fireworks, then the military band played and we rejoiced.’The story of PMB’s speech on the occasion of Nigeria at 62 does not show any seriousness of purpose. The speech was a catalogue of attempts to convince Nigerians of his achievements which are, at best, very controversial.

TheWestern region of Chief Obafemi Awolowo first came up with a Rediffusion transmitting programme at the local government levels.

It operated like a radio transmission station in which the receivers are placed at the top corner of citizens’houses. All local government news or announcements are relayed directly to the people, thus keeping the people abreast of current local government activities.

The same Awolowo government also first introduced black and white television in the Western region, Nigeria, in particular, and Africa, in general.

The education industry was also a very serious business in the immediate post-independence era. Admission to universities was either through preliminary method, in which holders of Ordinary Level Certificates apply and write entrance examination, or possession of a Higher School Certificate or possession of two or three Advanced Level papers were considered for possible direct admission. The beauty of the system by then was that each university admitted its preferred best candidates. University education was then very qualitative. Disruption of university academic calendar, which was from September or October to June or July of the following year, was rare. Secondary school educational calendar was from January to December. University students’protests were quite patriotic and in self-protection: protests against Anglo-Nigerian Defence pact in 1960, protests against the killing of Adekunle Ademuyiwa Adepeju of the University of Ibadan, on February 1, 1971, etc. Inter-secondary school competitions were regularly organised in the areas of sports, literary debates, cultural dances, Christian schools’games, etc. Such nationalism has entered into désuétude.

And true enough, academic titles were also well respected. Only holders of a medical degree (MBBS) or PhD degrees answered the title ‘Doctor’ in the past. ‘Engineer’ or ‘Barrister,’ or ‘Architect’ or any other professional names are nouns and not adjectives that can qualify. Today, they are wrongly used as adjectives, such as Barrister ‘X’, Architect ‘X’, or Engineer ‘X’. Today, everyone answers a title beyond Mr. In essence, Nigeria of today is that of titles. Even bricklayers, mechanics, etc. call themselves engineers. Politicians and academics who were accredited as ambassadors extraordinary and plenipotentiary, who are not diplomatic careerists, still refer to themselves as ambassadors after leaving office. Whereas, only career diplomats who had served as ambassadors plenipotentiary abroad can answer the title of an ambassador after their retirement from public service. When people who are not entitled to the title are not so addressed, they always take the bad end of the stick.

Governmentally, Nigeria has not been doing well, particularly under the administration of President Muhammadu Buhari (PMB) but the people of Nigeria have been fantastically doing well internationally.

Recall the scientific performances of Nigerians in Diaspora. Recall their significant annual dollarized remittances to Nigeria. Recall the political appointments of some of them in the United States and the United Kingdom. In fact, recall the struggle of Kemi Badenoch who made it to the final five for the Conservative tussle to succeed Boris Johnson as Prime Minister of Britain. More interestingly, recall the 16 November 2001 Miss World Beauty Pageant that took place in South Africa and during which the 18-year-old Nigerian, Agbani Darego, became the first black African to be crowned Miss World.

Nigeria’s international image was beautifully enhanced.

But, as good as these developments were, the truth remains that Nigeria has lost her high level of international respectability. Nigeria has become a country of gaspillage and reckless waste. The 62nd anniversary is fraught with insecurity, lack of patriotism and rhetoric.

This brings us to the PMB’s call for debt relief and cancellation in his speech at the 77th UNGA and the untruths in his October 1, 2022 independence both of which are manifestations of major development setbacks which ought not to be.

DebtCancellationandUntruths Without any jot of doubt, any manifestation of untruths in political governance is not simply an act of dishonesty but one that has the potential to seriously undermine national development. Many of PMB policy pronouncements are fraught with untruths and statements that hardly reflect the situational reality on the ground. In the same vein, asking for debt relief and debt cancellation is self-defeatist and unpatriotic. Asking for debt cancellation is majorly an instrument of self-underdevelopment.

Last week Sunday, during theThisDay Live discussion programme, Read full article online - www.thisdaylive.com

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THISDAY, THE SUNDAY NEWSPAPER OCTOBER 2 , 2022

with ChidiAmuta e-mail:chidi.amuta@gmail.com

ENGAGEMENTS

Buhari as Change Agent Chidi Amuta

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he truths of history often reveal themselvestousbyaruse.Apresident who in 2015 happened on us on a mantra of ‘Change’ is today the object and embodiment of a clamour for decisive urgent change. Call him Mr. Change and pronounce it anyway you like, something is clearly undeniable. Mr. Buhari has changed the Nigerian landscape more for ill than for good.

Even as he heads for the exit gate of power, it is very true that the man has left Nigeria vastly different from the way he found it, which is arguably what a presidential tenures are all about.

Consequently,hehasmadedecisiveurgent change an imperative for all those who seek to succeed him in office. His track record as elected president hasalsobecomethebenchmarkformarkingwhat just has to change about how Nigeria is governed and how our people live and relate with each other.

Call it a watershed, but the Buhari presidency has become the gold standard that demarcates good governance from serial mendacious atrocities in the name of power incumbency.

Ascampaignsforthe2023electionsopenandhit thestreets,Buhari’sambiguouslegacywilloccupy centrestageinnearlyallthecampaigns.Candidates who want to make Nigeria safer and more secure will be citing the total collapse of national security undertheDaurageneralasthebasisforthechanges they want to make. Those whose campaign is to fix the economy will have enough statistics of woeful economic management since 2015 to cite.

Candidates whose interest is in the astronomical increaseintherateofimpoverishmentamongour populace will have abundant statistical support in thefigureswhichinthelastsevenyearshavemade Nigeriathepovertycapitaloftheworld.Nottotalk ofcandidateswhowanttopreachtheurgentneed to reunite the country after seven and half years of divisive politicking under Buhari and his friends and cohorts. The fields of negative emphasis are toonumeroustocatalogue.Asthesourceofurgent campaign subjects, the Buhari presidency has providedmorethanageneroussupplyofconcerns.

ItisinthiscynicalsensethatMr.Buharicanrightfully be seen as the indisputable single dominant change agent in this season of campaigns. His presence will loom in every campaign even if he says nothing. The loud footsteps of his inactions deafen other contending noises just as his serial bumbling will provide models of what no serious presidential candidate should aim to be.

A leader becomes a change agent either by the positive examples he lays to be emulated by his successors or the negative footprints he leaves to be avoided by all respectable aspirants to the throne. In our context, the broad majority of what the candidates do not want to see in the Nigeria of the future are embodied in the essence of Mr. Buhari’s toxic presidency. This is the mood today and it is the one that will pervade the campaign season and lead into the elections proper.

TheambiguouslegacyofthemanfromDauradoes not end there. Too many Nigerians will swear that Buhari has divided Nigeria more than ever before.

Butagain byatrickofhistory,Nigeriansarealsonow more united than ever in one respect: everybody is determined that never again must a Buhari type presidency happen here. That has become a unifying cry, a loud determination and clear and present wish. It cuts across faith, region, class and tongue. Most importantly, it cuts across partisan divides. Of all the 18 presidential candidates of the parties now assembled and ready to traverse the country, there is no single one who has opted for a continuation of Buhari’s leadership or legacy as his campaign objective.

Not even Mr. Tinubu of the originating APC dares take this gamble.

What may in fact be unfolding is a historic convergence and a curious informal consensus in thepoliticsofNigeria.Somehow,allthesignificant presidential candidates are joined at the hips by oneaim:howtostylishlyrejectBuhari’sunenviable legacy. Ordinarily, an incumbent president cannot becasuallywishedawayinanelectiontochoosehis successor. He is significant in either of two ways.

Candidates, especially of his party, may want to massagehisegobyrhetoricallypromisingtoadvance his cause, sustain his goals or uphold his legacy. On thecontrary,alloppositioncandidateswillcampaign toreplaceorreversehisprogrammes,policiesand legacies. In the best traditions of political civility,

Buhari a moderately tolerable outgoing president can at best be politely ignored if his actions didnothurtthepolityorkeyinterestgroups.

Rarely do we find departing incumbents on whose legacies all aspiring candidates show a unanimous rejection and an intent for immediate reversal when elected. It is even rarerwherethecommonrunofpublicopinion across board coincides with the consensus among political aspirants to the throne. Mr. Buharihappenstohavemetthisrarestrange combination of requirement.

There are of course redeeming features that some candidates may want to market aboutBuhari’slegacy.Acandidatemaywant to point at some infrastructure bright spots such a few successful rail and road projects.

Thiswouldonlyflyforaslongasthecandidate believesinphysicallandscapedecorationas the essence of the dividend of democracy.

But politics is about human beings living meaningful lives in a safe space called a nation state. A space full of modern highways, bullet trains and shiny sky scrapers but full of impoverished people who are not sure to see tomorrow is a nightmare. No one wants to go there!

Of all the presidential candidates seeking totakeBuhari’sjob,however,Mr.BolaTinubu of the All Progressives Congress (APC) is in the most unenviable position. His campaign promises to be the most difficult and also most engaging from point of view of messaging. For reasons of all manner of political conveniencesandexigencies,Mr.Tinubumay notwanttoannoyMr.Buhari.Evenintheface of aggravated irritation, Tinubu is the least likely to look Buhari in the face and tell him to go you know where.

Instead,TinubuisdoomedtosingameliorativecampaignantheminwhichMr.Buharidoes no overt wrong. In critical high demographic locations, the standard expectation would be that Mr. Buhari would stand shoulder to shoulderwithTinubutoendorsehimpublicly ashispartyanointed.Already,boththeBuhari presidency and the Tinubu campaign are sharing common platforms of spokespersons and a common propaganda line. They can still plead party solidarity at this early stage.RegimetowncrierslikeLaiMohammed and the rowdy Festus Keyamo are already busysingingBuhari’spositiveanthemshoping to confer Tinubu with the benefits. At some point, however, ordinary Nigerians are likely to ask if they are being asked to vote for Mr.

Tinubu or to re-endorse Mr. Buhari for a third term.

If care is not taken, Mr. Tinubu’s campaign train and indeed his entire political project may struggle to survive this quagmire.

Between a calamitous lame duck Buhari and candidateTinubu,awarofjadednerveswillcertainly eruptsoonerorlateralongthecampaigntrail.Both men will need to determine their status fairly early in the day. Buhari will need to be reminded that he should be heading in the direction of humble dusty Daura. Mr Tinubu, on the other hand, will not need to be prodded to scream out loud that he has an election to win. People in his campaign, if they are minimallyhonest,willneedtotellhimthateulogizing Buhari will not take him to the Villa but only back to his Bourdillon abode. In effect, not even an APC presidentialcandidatecanexpecttowinin2023ifhe insists on running on even a sanitized Buhari script.

HowMr.BolaTinubunavigatesthistreacherousdivide willbethehighpointofhisjourneytoAsoRockVilla.

For Mr. Atiku of the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP), running against Buhari should by now have becomesecondnature.Atikuhaswiselyre-attached himself and his messaging to the Obasanjo legacy.

With the benefit of hindsight, most adult Nigerians now look back at the Obasanjo presidency (19991997)asarecentbrightspotinNigeria’spostmilitary democratic politics and governance. People recall thatObasanjohadeasilythemostcredibleeconomic management team in recent times. Debt managementsawaneartotalwipeoutofourexternaldebts and a significant reduction in domestic debts. The economywitnessedtheemergenceofcleargrowth sectors in telecommunications, banking, the stock market and the oil and gas industries. The Nigerian economy joined the international system of payments through the introduction of credit and debit electronic cards. Security of life and property was significantlyreasonablewhilegovernment’sresolve to deal with corruption saw the establishment of anti -graft agencies like the EFCC and ICPC as legal entities.

Mr.Atikuhasindicatedadeterminationtorunthe 2023 race on an improved version of the Obasanjo templatewiththeadditionalimpetusofcorrecting the misdeeds of the Buhari tenure. On the track of politics as usual, Mr. Atiku would seem to be defiant of Buhari’s conservative political fixations and embarrassing economic mismanagement.

Among the three foremost presidential candidates, Mr. Peter Obi of the Labour Party (LP) is the morepointeddeparturefromtheBuharialbatross.

Mr. Obi has boldly and courageously name the felonies of the Buhari government one by one. He has described the continuing fuel subsidy regime as an ‘organised crime’. He has decried the astronomical

povertynumbersandthehigh(40%)unemployment rate.Hehasopenlypointedattherampantinsecurity as the greatest enemy of economic growth.

Mr. Obi has, in a relatively short time, emerged fromtheshadowsofrelativeanonymitytobecome adisruptiveforceinthenation’s politicalhistory.His appeal is to the broad majority of Nigerians whom previouspoliticshadleftbehind.Mostofthesepeople detest the old “Big Man” politics symbolized now by both Mr. Tinubu and Mr. Atiku. Mr. Peter Obi is of course the first to admit that between him and the politicians of the ancien regime, there is indeed no ideological difference. He describes himself as an Onitsha market trader, a free- wheeling capitalist who however cherishes law, order and security in order for the market to thrive and business to survive. However,hemaintains,withincontrovertible anecdotal evidence from his stewardship as a two termgovernorofAnambraStateintheSouthEast, thatheistheoneNigerianshouldtrustforintegrity, character, commitment and a can do spirit that can fix the nation from the devastated crime scene that Mr. Buhari is leaving behind. He has emerged assomethingofapopstarwhocandonowrong.His outingshavebecometumultuouspseudocrusades attendedbyhundredsofthousandsofdevotees.In public places, to speak ill of Obi and the “Obidients” is to run a risk of being mobbed. It is even worse in the social media.

Even ahead of the formal commencement of campaignsafewdaysago,Mr.Obi’sdevoteesstylishly called“Obidients”havethrongedthestreetsofevery significant urban area in all zones of the country.

Their street parades and solidarity marches have since translated into a huge followership for the simplemaninlovewithsimplebackoutfits.Overand above his Labour Party affiliation, the “Obidients” have metamorphosed into a popular movement of the type that we have recently come to associate with major popular revolts and mass led changes in places like Egypt and Sri Lanka.

Perhaps Mr. Peter Obi may emerge as the greatest beneficiary of the overwhelming imperative of change that Mr. Buhari has unconsciously made inevitable.Theextremesofadversityandnegativity thattheincumbentadministrationhasenthronedas the new normal in the country have made the Peter Obi appeal irresistible. The new man in black has emerged as something of a messianic figure, a good man who seeks power not for his personal aggrandisement but for the good of the majority ofordinarypeople.Hisnarrativeofpersonalmodesty, disciplineandfrugalityasevidencedinhispastrecord inmanagingpublicfinanceshascaughtonlikewildfire among a populace that had hitherto come to see politicians as a tribe of wasteful brigands whose recklessnesshassackedthetreasuryandimposed miseryandpovertyonthecitizens.Mr.Obi’sappeal is in his presentation as a credible antithesis to a pasttraditionoftreacherousandwastefulpolitics.

His immediate attraction is also as a symbol of law, order and security in contrast to Buhari’s reign of terror and promotion of bloody anarchy.

As matters now stand, the 2023 elections are lookingmoreandmoreliketwosetsofreferendums rolled into one. At the level of Mr. Buhari as the principal causative change agent, the election may be a referendum between pro Buhari policies and an anti-Buhariwave.Theoutcomeofthatreferendum isnotfartoseek.Thescreamingunpopularityofthe incumbentregimeoughttoinstructitsfewremaining devotees that the train has since left the platform of fake myths and dubious claims.

Byfarthemorefar-reachingreferendumisthaton theoldpolitics.Thechoiceisbetweenthepopulistnew movementof“Obidients”andthegamutoftraditional parties with the APC and PDP as leading cartels of power. In this more consequential confrontation, Mr.PeterObiseemspoisedasthesymbolofsomething new against MessrsAtiku Abubakarand Bola Tinubuasmascotsofanoldorder.Threesignificant international opinion polls , including Bloomberg, haverecentlyinquicksuccessionprojectedthedirection in which Nigerian politics is moving in this new volcanicdisruption.Ineitherofthesereferendumsor confrontations,however,Mr.Buharimustbecredited with the role of catalyst and change agent as the one who authored what must now be changed at all costs. Without Buhari’s disastrous presidency, the need for urgent change would not have been so pressing. Similarly, the areas of radical change would not have been so clearly marked if he did not dabble and muddle up most areas of national life.

Even more consequential, the crushing urgency to save Nigeriabeforeitsinkswouldnothaveacquired the fierce urgency that we all now feel.

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B AC K PAG E C O N T I N UAT I O N IT’S ALL POLITICS, CAN’T YOU SEE? You can argue for federal character or zoning today and argue against it tomorrow. It is all politics.

The easiest way to whip up sentiments is to ride on religion and ethnicity. The poor people are recruited and manipulated to kill and maim others under the pretext of fighting for their rights or defending their interests. Strikingly, when it comes to sharing the booty, Nigerian politicians are of the same ethnic stock and religion. They speak the same language. They worship the same Mammon. They are the best of friends. But when it comes to delivering the dividends of democracy, when it comes to working for the greater good of the society, they resort to playing up politics and the ordinary people will team up with them to fight perceived common enemies. Nigerian politicians have perfected a way of masquerading personal interest as group interest. They utter the right words, construct the right phrases and unfurl the right sentences to make us believe they are doing us some good. It is all about them.

This theme of “politicking” is present in most of the selected articles in this book.

The pieces are grouped in eight parts.

My unpublished works are under Part I. I had written and intended one or two

for publication but they were overtaken by events and I had to rest them. I had also written and kept some in the cooler because they were not time-bound. Part II is a selection of 10 of my most popular articles.

It does not mean they are the best. Rather, they are the ones that provoked the most passion, either negatively or positively, in readers. Some of them are being circulated on social media till this day.

Part III can be called the “core” of the compilation. It contains a series of articles on politics and politicking in Nigeria — how politicians masquerade personal interest as national interest. I easily see through their gymnastics and rhetoric whenever they launch into the new seasons of political intrigues. I do not usually fall for the public show. Part IV houses articles on Nigeria’s leadership challenges which I complain about all the time, while Part V dwells mostly on the ups and downs of nation-building which so often threaten our corporate existence and progress.

Part VI, on “Democracy and Democratisation”, contains articles that seek to make sense of our slow march to democracy and the various landmines on our path. Part VII isolates my articles on economic policies into a segment while

Part VIII contains miscellaneous articles on entertainment, healthcare, tributes and other diverse topics.

My worldview, as evident in my opinions for decades and as the reader will discover in this compilation, is shaped by some fundamental beliefs. One, I do not see diversity as a disease. That makes me believe that the Nigerian union can work despite our obvious differences — assuming we manage things properly. Two, balkanising Nigeria may solve one big problem but create a bigger one. There will always be internal differences to manage even if we divide Nigeria village by village. Three, Nigerians across all ethnic, religious and regional lines suffer from similar problems and challenges — and finding solutions should be the focus of public discourse rather than spending so much energy amplifying what divides and damages us.

Four, and perhaps most important of all, is my belief that Nigeria’s progress is stunted by inept and corrupt leadership.

With the right leadership at all levels, the country will boom and blossom. Sadly, Nigeria has not really enjoyed world-class leadership at either national or subnational level. What most of the leaders do very well

is politicking rather than leading. The politics of purpose is often missing, giving way to prebendal politics and politics of pulling the wool over the people’s eyes through the highly marketable sectional sentiments.

Playing politics the right way — that is, for the greater good of the society — is critical to addressing the political, social and economic issues.

Good enough, I do not believe Nigeria is irredeemable. I, for one, do not deny the mammoth problems. They cannot even be denied. My articles highlight the problems.

But I equally proffer the fundamental remedy: leadership, leadership, leadership. Competent leadership. Patriotic leadership. Purposeful leadership. Let our politicians divert all the passion, zeal, excitement, devotion, fervour and commitment with which they politick into proper leadership. Nigeria would be reformed and transformed in a matter of years. That is my belief. For that to happen, though, politics of purpose must replace this politics of narcissism.

•This is the introductory chapter of my debut book, ‘Fellow Nigerians, It’s All Politics’, which goes on general sale tomorrow, October 3, 2022. Available at leading bookstores and on Amazon.

And Four Other Things…

NIGERIA AT 62 Since I learnt how to read ABC and write 123, Nigeria’s independence anniversary has always generated mixed comments. Some will say the country is a failure and a disaster and there is nothing to celebrate whatsoever.

Some will say it’s been quite a journey, full of forward movements and landmarks — and that we should roll out the drums. Some will say Nigeria has made progress but it can be better than this and we should keep forging ahead with determination no matter the problems and challenges. The optimists, pessimists and realists are never going to come to a consensus, but that will not stop me from saying Happy Independence Anniversary. Cheers!

SUCKER PUNCH A federal high court in Abuja on Friday nullified the nomination of Alhaji Gboyega Oyetola as the APC governorship candidate in the July election in Osun state. The court ruled that the nomination was “unlawful and unconstitutional” because Mallam Mala Buni, who submitted his name to the INEC, violated the provisions of section 183 of the constitution and section 82(3) of the Electoral Act 2022, by holding two positions at the same time: governor and party chairman. A similar observation was made on the Ondo election by the Supreme Court but there no final pronouncement. If Buni had continued as chairman, APC would probably be in soup ahead of the general election. Near-miss.

PEACE TREATY The 18 presidential candidates have signed a peace treaty ahead of 2023 electioneering.

The National Peace Committee, which started the idea of candidates entering into a voluntary agreement to run a decent campaign, gained prominence in the 2015 elections. The 2011 polls were one of the bloodiest in our history, with hundreds of people, including youth corps members, killed and property razed in the north after President Goodluck Jonathan of the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) was declared winner by the Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC). Although there have been pockets of violence, elections have been largely peaceful since 2015. Progress.

LONG THING Campaigns for the 2023 elections officially kicked off on September 28, with Alhaji Atiku Abubakar (PDP) launching a book and Mr Peter Obi (Labour Party) holding a rally in Jos. Asiwaju Bola Ahmed Tinubu, the APC candidate, was not even in the country as his party continues to battle internal dissent over the composition of the campaign council and is yet to get started. With the elections still about five months away, parties can still afford to drag their feet, but there may be a price to it. There is still a lot to play for: some can still gain supporters and others can still lose. I project that things will be boring for now and the real drama will begin in December, even January. Climax.

PROJECTED PATTERNS OF THE 2023 CAMPAIGNS need for continuity to ensure that ongoing projects are completed and to build on the achievements of the administration.

The party will also project the records of its candidate as the governor of Lagos State and his running mate as the governor of Borno State. Though APC seems prepared for this battle, it will have a hard time distancing itself and its presidential candidate from the incumbent president whose yet to be exhausted mythical following may not be transferrable. In response to areas where the government has clearly performed below expectations, the APC will find it difficult to say its candidate will do better than the incumbent because that would be an admission of failure and might amount to demarketing the current government.

The second pattern will be the more direct face-off between APC and the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP). These are the two leading parties in terms of age, spread and resources. They are also the only parties that have been in power at the centre since 1999. Both have reasons to believe that the real contest is still between the two of them. Both have some history of unfinished between them. PDP had boasted that it would be in power for at least 60 years. But that dream was truncated in 2015 by APC which campaigned stridently against PDP’s 16 years at the helm. PDP has been in the opposition wilderness since, as it came short in 2019. So, 2023 will be a return match, another opportunity for the two to settle outstanding scores.

Both parties have invested a lot in rubbishing the stewardship of the other.

This started with APC which demonised PDP’s reign as 16 years of waste and corruption. Knowing the main opposition party still poses the greatest threat to it, APC will continue to remind Nigerians of its version of the PDP era and will keep saying it has done very well in the last eight years given the challenges it inherited and the limited resources available to it.

PDP on its part, will declare that APC has

Tinubu, Obi and Atiku destroyed and mismanaged Nigeria. To make this point stick, it will continue to cite and compare key economic indicators like inflation and exchange rates, national debt and foreign reserves between 2015 and 2022. So, we are going to hear a lot of ‘16 years of PDP’ and ‘eight years of APC’ in this campaign, used for both positive and negative framings. In this framing duel, the recency effect favours PDP. This though may not be the only factor that will decide the messaging that voters will find more compelling.

The third pattern will be a spirited contest between what can be loosely called the new and the old. Despite their differences and the grudges they harbour against each other, both APC and PDP have been narrativized in popular imagination as two rotten peas in a pod. Both of them have been cast as the undesirable old guard by a vanguard led largely by vocal, urban youths. The 16 other parties will like to benefit from the dark characterisation of APC and

PDP and the increasing quest for a new order. But it seems it is the candidate of the Labour Party, Mr. Peter Obi, that is positioned to benefit the most from the expanding movement that also includes some activists and celebrities, politicians keen on breaking the stranglehold of the two dominant parties, and some disgruntled and alienated members of APC and PDP. While the campaigns of the new guard will lean heavily on the angst in the land, the assumption that indeed a majority of voters across the country are sold on their preferred candidate, and the numerical significance of the youth population, the old older will not just roll over. They will rely on their spread, structure and deep pockets and on their institutional memories of running political campaigns. APC and PDP will also go beyond just attacking each and spare some quality time for Obi. They will attempt to fracture his growing support base and explore the hypothesis that the youth and other constituencies are

not as homogenous as assumed. They will put intense searchlight on Obi’s record in office and his utterances to reduce his appeal.

Those in Obi’s camp will project him as the most suitable person for the time and market him on competence, youthfulness, prudence and integrity. Obi and his supporters will devote special effort to savage the APC and its candidate. It is unlikely that Obi will attack PDP or its presidential candidate, Alhaji Atiku Abubakar, given that he was in the same party just a few months ago and he was Atiku’s running mate in 2019. But the same should not be expected from his supporters, especially the online band.

The battle between those stylised as old and new will likely generate the most heat this campaign season. This does not mean the other contests—between APC and the rest and between APC and PDP—will be tame either. The contests will be heightened not just because of the enormity of the challenges facing the country but also because of the eagerness of the political actors across the stylised divides and their supporters to settle the question about agency and power. Many variables will be pressed into service both directly and indirectly, including religion and region, lies and fake news, ridicule and demonisation.

The advertised commitments of the candidates and the parties about running clean and issue-based campaigns will be tested. So will be the willingness of the electorate and the larger populace in ensuring that the combatants and their supporters engage themselves according to the established rules of the game and in a manner that does not compound Nigeria’s current challenges. What is at stake is much beyond who wins the argument. That is the more reason why critical stakeholders must exercise their agency, and actively too, especially by insisting on a campaign based on concrete policy ideas and by judiciously interrogating the proposals by all parties.

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NEWS

News Editor: Gboyega Akinsanmi E-mail: gboyega.akinsanmi@thisdaylive.com,08152359253

Buhari to Honour Ariwoola, Okonjo-Iweala, Abba Kyari, Others Deji Elumoye and Olawale Ajimotokan in Abuja President Muhammadu Buhari is set to confer the 2022 National Honours Award on

the Director-General, World Trade Organisation, Dr. Ngozi Okonjo-Iweala; Chief Justice of Nigeria, Kayode Ariwoola and 436 others.

The Special Adviser to the

ECOWAS Condemns Coup in Burkina Faso The Economic Community of West African States (ECOWAS) has condemned the coup in Burkina Faso.

There were reports on Friday that a coup in the West African country had sacked the military junta.

The regional bloc said in a statement, said: “The Economic Community of West African States (ECOWAS) condemns in the strongest terms the seizure of power by force that took place in Burkina Faso on Friday 30 September 2022.”

It added that it found the new coup inappropriate at a time when progress had been made in ensuring an orderly return to constitutional order by 1 July 2024.

“ECOWAS reaffirms its unreserved opposition to any seizure or retention of power by unconstitutional means and demands the scrupulous respect of the timetable already agreed with the Transitional Authorities for a rapid return to constitutional order…,” it added.

Residents of Burkina Faso on Friday woke up to the sounds of heavy gunfire near the main military camp and residential areas

of the capital, Ouagadougou. A large blast also rang out near the presidential palace.

Several roads in the capital have been cordoned off by officials in uniform and the national television cut off.

Several hours later, the coup was confirmed by army captain Ibrahim Traore who announced that former military ruler PaulHenri Damiba had been deposed and his government dissolved.

He also announced the suspension of the constitution and transitional charter.Description: EXEM Advert Traore announced this in a statement read on national television.

He said a group of officers had decided to remove Damiba due to his inability to deal with a worsening armed uprising in the country.

This was the same reason the now deposed military ruler gave for overthrowing former President Roch Kabore in a coup earlier this year.

The latest coup in Burkina Faso is the most recent in West Africa where countries like Chad, Mali and Guinea recently experienced coups.

Bagudu Clarifies Call for Community Policing Ismail Adebayo in Birnin Kebbi Kebbi State Governor, Senator Abubakar Atiku Bagudu yesterday acknowledged that he called for community policing in principle in the face of the country’s worsening security conditions.

Bagudu, however, observed that he was not an advocate of people carrying guns to defend themselves, noting that there should be debates on what kind of weapons should the community police carry.

He made the clarification at a session with journalists at the Government House in Birnin Kebbi on the occasion of Nigeria’s 62nd independence anniversary.

At the session, the governor

said: “I support community policing. But I think what the debate should be is what kind of weapons they should be carrying and what they should be doing.

“I am not an advocate of people carrying guns to defend themselves. But if a local vigilante group decides to support our security agents, we cannot stop them to protect the community.”

The governor said the nation’s security agencies have been overstretched as such the country needs more policing to protect people in the various communities.

“I’m happy President Muhammad Buhari has approved the principle of community policing.

I support whatever will secure the security of the community by whatever means.”

Lagos Set for ‘Green Worship 5.0’ All is now set for this year’s ‘Green Worship 5.0’, a benefit concert organised to raise awareness and support for indigent children, orphans, and children with special needs.

According to a statement, the concert, organised annually

by Worship4Change, a leading not-for-profit organisation in Nigeria, will be held on October 3, 2022, at the prestigious Pistis Conference Centre (Elevation Church) in Lekki, Lagos, from 5pm.

The convener and Chief Responsibility Officer of Worship4Change, Pastor Wale Adenuga, said the concert and other related activities is expected to raise N75 million which will be distributed among

the following: A.I.M. Special Children Centre, Kaduna; Puresouls Learning Foundation; · RECDOT Foundation; The Leprosy Mission Nigeria and The Let Cerebral Palsy Kids Learn Foundation.

Adenuga at a press conference in Lagos last week, called on kind-spirited individuals and corporate organisations to support the cause by attending the free concert and donating generously. “in addition to taking donations at this year’s benefit concert, we are making October a month of giving and our hope is that this campaign will enable us to raise more robust support for the children we seek to help”, he said.

President on Media and Publicity, Femi Adesina, late Chief of Staff to the President, Mallam Abba Kyari; the President of the Senate, Dr. Ahmad Lawan also made the list.

It was gathered that conferment is slated to hold on October 11 at the State House in Abuja.

On the list, sighted by PREMIUM TIMES, five persons were listed for the award of the Grand Commander of the Order of Niger, 58 listed for Commander of the Order of

the Federal Republic while 67 for the Commander of the Order of the Niger.

Others include 64 for Officer of the Order of the Federal Republic, 101 for Officer of the Order of the Niger, 75 for Member of the Order of the Federal Republic, 56 for Member of the Order of the Niger, and eight for Federal Republic Medal.

Adesina and Okonjo-Iweala, would be honored with the OON and the GCON respectively, with Kyari getting posthumous

honour.

Serving and former governors, serving and former presiding officers of the National Assembly, serving and former Chief Justices of Nigeria and serving and former members of the National Assembly are also included in the list, with serving and former service chiefs, traditional rulers, retired public servants, lawyers, philanthropists, businessmen, ministers and members of the academia not excluded.

Other recipients include the

immediate past Chief Justice of Nigeria (CJN), Justice Tanko Muhammad and the United Nations Deputy Secretary General; Amina Mohammed.

PREMIUM TIMES gathered that prominent on the list of recipients for CFR included the Speaker of the House of Representatives, Femi Gbajabiamila; Chief of Defence Staff, Lucky Irabor; former Speaker, Yakubu Dogara, and Appeal Court president, Monica Mensem, and former Army Chief, Tukur

CELEBRATING 53-YEAR MATRIMONY… L-R: Deputy governorship candidate, Peoples Democratic Party, Enugu State, Mr. Ifeanyi Ossai; Governor Ifeanyi Ugwuanyi; veteran Nollywood actor, Chief Pete Edochie; his wife, Josephine; and former Deputy Chief of Staff to the Governor, Mr. Chima Nwanna, during the couple’s 53rd wedding anniversary in Enugu…yesterday.

SDP Moves to Reconcile Aggrieved Factions,Vows to Win Presidential Poll Gboyega Akinsanmi Ahead of the 2023 presidential election, the Social Democratic Party (SDP) has initiated the process of reconciling aggrieved factions in order to position it for electoral victory, revealing that the warring factions have started withdrawing cases pending before courts.

SDP, the country’s centre-left political party, observed that its platform “is the most trusted political party in Nigeria with the capacity to address the country’s

worsening security conditions and intractable economic crises.”

The move was revealed at the end of its inaugural reconciliation meeting held in Ikeja GRA recently to unite all the warring factions in the party’s hierarchy.

The reconciliation was attended by the presidential candidate of SDP, Prince Adewole Adebayo; National Chairman, Alhaju Shehu Gabam; National Secretary, Dr Olu Agunloye, Senator Ebenezer Ikejina and Senator Ugochukwu Ubah.

Also, former Minister of Youth and Sports Development, Mr. Solomon Dalong, Chief Kunle Lukman, Malam Mustapha Muhammed Alfa and party leaders and campaign coordinators across the federation attended the meeting.

Despite the decision of the party’s leaders to resolve internal rifts, the reconciliation meeting was not attended by the party’s factional National Chairman, Chief Olasupo Shonibare, who is challenging the current national

leadership before an Abuja court.

At the reconciliation meeting, however, the leaders of SDP agreed to resolve their internal crises and differences in order to position the party for victory in the 2023 general election.

The leaders observed that nearly all differences in the party had been resolved in the interest of harmony and peace revealing that all the cases in court “will be withdrawn when progress is made.”

21-Gun Salute, Air Show, Cultural Display Highlight Nigeria’s 62nd Anniversary Olawale Ajimotokan in Abuja The Nigerian military and the cultural troupe yesterday put up an enchanting performance that was applauded by the crowd as the country celebrated its 62nd Independence Day anniversary at Eagle Square, Abuja yesterday amid very tight security.

The occasion was symbolic as it marked the last time President Muhammadu Buhari would be inspecting the Guards of Honour as the Special Guest of Honour on

the day dedicated to celebrating the attainment of nationhood.

Former President Goodluck Jonathan was the only former president that joined other VIPs, including Vice President Yemi Osinbajo, Senate President, Dr Ahmed Lawan, Speaker of the House of Representatives, Chief Justice of Nigeria, Kayode Ariwoola, Secretary to the Government of the Federation, Boss Mustapha and members of the diplomatic corps at the occasion.

President Buhari rode into

the arena at exactly 10.10 am in a Limousine led by four outriders, clutching miniature flags, who displayed stunts as they glided round the Eagle Square.

The Inspection of Guards formally began a few minutes later and afterwards, the Parade Commander, Lt Col Yusuf Hassan of the Guards Brigade, filed out the guards from the Nigeria Army, Nigeria Navy, Nigeria Air Force and Nigeria Police in slow march and in quick time.

The colour parade in the

ceremonial outfit was later joined by the para-military officers, members of the National Youth Service Corps, Nigerian Legion and Nigerian Labour Union and TUC. The band parade led by Major Toriola churned out many familiar melodious tunes as they paid homage to the president.

There was also an entertaining silent drill by a platoon from the Nigeria Military School, (NMS) Zaria and a cultural display by Tiv, Yoruba, Edo, Fulani and Efik dancers.

Eruani Becomes Youngest Nigerian to Receive CFR For his immense contributions to the nation’s economic growth, employment and national development, President Muhammadu Buhari has awarded the national honour of the Commander of the Order of the Federal Republic (CFR) on the Owner/Chief Executive Officer of Azikel Refinery, Dr Eruani Azibapu.

With this development, the 48-year old medical doctor, industrialist and celebrated entrepreneur

becomes the youngest Nigerian to be conferred with the rank of CFR. According to the letter conveying the national award to Dr Eruani, the president approved the honour to be conferred on him in line with the National Honours Act No 5 of 1964.

The conferment notice was signed by the Minister of Special Duties and Inter-Governmental Affairs, Sen. George Akume.

The CFR award, according to the

letter, will be formally conferred on him at a ceremony scheduled for Tuesday, October 11, 2022, at the International Conference Centre, Abuja.

Dr. Eruani, a successful businessman and Group President of Azikel Group conglomerate, pioneered the establishment of in-country petroleum refining by setting up the first private Hydroskimming Refinery in Nigeria.

Eruani

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NEWS

Nigeria’s Judiciary Falls Short of Expectation, Say Stakeholders Wale Egbintade Stakeholders in the judiciary in Ibadan, Oyo State capital, on Saturday took a critical look at the nation’s judiciary in the last 62 years, saying it falls short of Nigerians’ expectations.

They spoke in separate interviews with the News Agency of Nigeria (NAN) on Saturday in Ibadan, on the nation’s 62nd independence anniversary.

Commenting on the matter, Mr Adebayo Ojo, a former AttorneyGeneral and Commissioner for

Borno Holds First Independence Parade after 12 Years The Borno State government marked the 62nd Independence Anniversary of Nigeria yesterday with a parade, the first in 12 years since the Boko Haram insurgency began.

Governor Babagana Zulum presided over the ceremony held at Ramat Square in Maiduguri.

He said the event was made possible by the return of relative peace in the state.

Zulum, who was represented by his Deputy, Alhaji Usman Kadafur, lauded the military and other security agencies for the uncommon successes recorded in various operations against the insurgents.

The governor said that the successes in the terror campaign enabled the state government to close all displaced persons’ camps in Maiduguri and Jere Local Government Areas.

He explained that most of the displaced persons voluntarily returned to their towns and villages.

The governor said the task before the government was to rebuild critical infrastructure destroyed during the 12 years of insurgency.

“We renew our commitment to confronting the challenges of critical infrastructure destroyed by the decade-long Boko Haram insurgency.

“And explore avenues to create job opportunities for our teeming unemployed youths, thereby, minimizing the upsurge of social vices in the society.

“We remain confident that with the massive investments we have made in the last three years in the expansion and strengthening of our resettlement and recovery effort, we shall succeed in our commitment to provide the dividends of democracy,” he added.

He pledged to provide vital services to the people, to enhance livelihoods and economic growth in communities.

Justice in Oyo State, said that in spite of a very harsh working environment, the Nigeria judicial system still remained one of the best in the Commonwealth of nations.

Ojo said that members of staff in the judiciary were faced with poor remuneration and lack of tools to execute their assignments over the period of 62 years of Nigeria’s independence.

Also, a Lagos State-based legal practitioner, Mr Michael Orere, said that the nation’s judiciary fell short of expectations over the period of time.

Orere said that judges and magistrates’ decisions were still guided to some extent.

He said: “As long as there is no full autonomy for the judiciary, their decisions will still be subjected to some form of authority.

“Recently, I was in a Magistrates’ Court, where I pointed out to the Presiding Magistrate about what should be the right thing, but he told me that if he did what I said, he would be queried by his employers.

“Our judges should be able to stand firm and tell politicians that cross carpeting or dumping of political parties through which they got electoral victory, is bad.

“However, what we have today is that judges at the Appeal and Supreme Courts are seeing the action as freedom of association and supporting the impunity

through their pronouncements or judgments.”

In his views, another lawyer in Ibadan, Mr Alaba Kolade, said that the judiciary had recorded some appreciable experiences within the last 62 years of Nigeria’s nationhood in spite of many years of military rule.

Kolade said that notable among the progress experienced by the judiciary was in the area of increase in the number of courts across the length and breadth of the country.

“Before 1960, very few courts that could adjudicate over many matters were available. With limited available courts and logistics, court processes became

very slow and cases lingered for years.

“However, more and more courts have been established across the nooks and crannies of the society, which has led to quicker dispensation of justice.

“It is noteworthy to mention that there is no geopolitical zone in Nigeria today where the Federal High Court and the Court of Appeal has not been established, whereas, this was not so many years ago,” Kolade said.

The legal practitioner expressed delight that the country had joined the rest of the world that has embraced the use of technology in enhancing judicial activities within the last 62 years of independence.

Nigeria, Germany Partner to Boost Food Security, Gender Equality Oluchi Chibuzor Nigeria and Germany have entered a new partnership aimed at boosting food security and achieving gender equality before 2030, two cardinal objectives that form the World Bank Group’s Programme on Gender in Agriculture.

Under the partnership, Nigeria through the Nigerian Institute for Oceanography and Marine Research (NIOMR) has trained over 153 women in aquaculture production with the support of the German Agency for International Cooperation (GIZ).

This was revealed at the weekend at the completion of a two-week capacity-building programme the production of catfish held at the Women Development Centre, Agege.

The programme, which involved Lagos State Ministry of Women Affairs and Poverty Alleviation, organised for 306 women from the state in two batches as part of NIOMR’s effort at meeting the ‘gender equity in agriculture’ goal of the World Bank Group.

Through the support of GIZ, each participant received 200

catfish juveniles, seven bags of fish feed, two plastic tanks, two plastic baskets, PH meters, weighing scale, scoop net and log book.

Under the partnership with the GIZ, both NIOMR and WAPA are mandated to monitor the project till February 2023 to ensure women grow the fish to table size and ensure sustainability.

Commenting on the programme, the Director General of NIOMR, Prof. Sule Abiodun noted that the institute as a World bank training centre would continue to advocate for

gender mainstreaming across the agriculture value chain.

Sule, represented by NIOMR’s Director of Research, Dr. Patricia Anyanwu, explained that achieving sustainable development goals like gender equality, zero hunger could be achieved through empowering women.

The director-general said: “This is because in Nigeria, we are already campaigning for mainstreaming women into agricultural production. Many of them are processors, so if the fish are not there they will not earn a livelihood.”

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“They kept saying Peter Obi would steal PDP votes until they saw the Obidient Lagos rally, then they realised Obi is on a mission to plunder Emilokan’s South-west votes. Obi’s voters are all over the Southwest, cities, towns and villages” – A spokesperson for PDP presidential campaign, Daniel Bwala, saying that the Obidient rally in Lagos has shown that Peter Obi will split the votes of Senator Bola Tinubu for Atiku to win.

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It’s All Politics, Can’t You See?

M

ay I herein solemnly bear witness that Nigerian politicians are geniuses at playing politics.

They can scheme and strategise, manipulate and manoeuvre, plot and politick for 40 days and 40 nights non-stop just to score a political goal.

They, however, do not know — or care about — the core purpose of politics and power. They almost always end up leaving the people high and dry — after plotting for and getting power. Yet, the purpose of politics, if I may allow myself to suggest, is the greater good of the society, not personal comfort. Socrates, according to Plato in Gorgias, argued that the goal of politics is to make the citizens as good as possible to live the best lives.

I am well aware that politics does not foreclose self-interest or personal profit. But, centrally, the progress of the society should be the primary objective, not a bonus or an after-thought. To the archetypal Nigerian politician, power is an end in itself. Or, put more fittingly, power is a licence to become a deity, to amass and flaunt obscene wealth in the midst of wretched poverty, and to deploy raw state power to oppress or suppress others. Other paramount objectives

Buhari of power, from what we can see, are: to enjoy the perks of office (such as the fortress of personal security, use of convoys and blaring of sirens), to subvert due process, and to exert impunity. To be fair, politicians still remember to build the odd road, whitewash public schools and sink boreholes here and

there. Some, surprisingly, build bridges, drainages and hospitals.

I admit that I am exaggerating the failures of Nigerian politicians. I seem so angry and disappointed that I have chosen to tar them with the same brush. I apologise for that.

However, if really the “greater good of the society” were the priority of politicking in Nigeria, we would not be where we are and I would not be needing to exaggerate things. If the zeal with which politicians politick were diverted to delivering good governance, Nigeria would be among the world’s most developed countries, or at least be an upper middle-income country. Sadly, all the all-night meetings and cross-country junketing are not about power supply or out-of-school children.

I generally define “politics” not the way political scientists would love it. I prefer the entry in the Devil’s Dictionary: “A strife of interests masquerading as a contest of principles” or “the conduct of public affairs for private advantage”. I define politicking thus: to engage in political intrigue, take advantage of a political situation or issue, resort to partisan politics, etc.; exploit a political system or political relationships; to deal with people in an opportunistic, manipulative, or devious way. I actually took that from dictionary.com.

Nowhere else is this more evident than in geo-politics. Some of the debates disguised as being in the interest of “the people” are actually meant to promote narrow interests above the core issues of failure of leadership.

Somebody wants to score a political point by firing cheap shots; somebody wants to confuse issues and divert attention from fundamental matters; somebody wants to ride on popular sentiments to earn some stripes; somebody wants to arm-twist others; somebody wants a vantage position in the polity for some personal gain. It is all politics.

More so, we are very fluid with the way we identify ourselves — depending on the issue at hand and the political points we intend to score. You could be a northerner in one instance, thereby identifying yourself by region; or as someone from the north-central, by geo-political zone; or as a Yoruba, by ethnic origin; or as a Christian, by religion; or as a Kogite, by state. It all depends on what you want to achieve. You can counter an argument today using one identity and support it tomorrow using another identity.

I am confident enough to think that this plays out very well in national discourse.

You take a position that suits you per time.

Continued on page 61

WAZIRIADIO Projected Patterns of the 2023 Campaigns POSTSCRIPT

T

oday is Day 5 of the 150day campaign period for the landmark 2023 polls.

It is very early days in an unusually long campaign season, which itself was preceded by a remarkably long hiatus of more than 100 days between the conclusion of primaries and the official kick-off of political campaigns.

Even when scaled down and sometimes cleverly disguised, campaigns went on by other means during the pre-campaign period. Taken together, the pre-campaign activities and the political flashes of the last four days offer generous intimations of how the 2023 campaigns may go. I will discuss three of the emerging patterns.

Before delving into the likely patterns, I will like to say upfront that while the 2023 contest looks increasingly exciting on paper it may not offer a radical departure in terms of deliberation on and interrogation of the candidates’ vision of society and policy ideas, except a critical mass of citizens and civic groups insist on holding the parties and the candidates to a higher standard this time around.

Yes, the campaigns promise to be intense. But the intensity we need at a time like this is not just politicians attacking and abusing one another or flaunting the size of the crowds they could assemble. We need the politicians to be intense about the concrete ideas for tackling Nigeria’s urgent challenges. Yes, records must be examined, candidates’ fitness for office must be interrogated, supporters need to be entertained and fired up, and campaign stops are hardly ideal platforms for detailed discussion of policies and plans. Beyond and with all these, we need to use the electioneering period to deliberate on our challenges, review the options available, and harvest good ideas for turning our lot around.

Outside of antagonistic and sometimes superficial debates and interviews, we need to have structured and meaningful discussions with, at least, the presidential and governorship candidates. We need to hear them articulate the specific things they plan to do if elected, their targets and timelines, and how much the different items in their plans will cost and where the money will come from. Politicians

are more comfortable with speaking in general terms, and with mouthing slogans, issuing bogus targets, making wild claims, and avoiding thorny issues. One of the best ways to use this unusually long campaign period is to get them out of their comfort zone. Let’s get them to talk in great detail about their plans and let’s invest energy in dissecting their ideas.

We have the time.

Now, to the emerging patterns of the 2023 campaigns.

The first, and maybe the most obvious, pattern is that the campaigns will largely be about the ruling party on one side and the remaining 17 parties on the other.

Elections are always referenda on the incumbent. All the other parties will unite in putting the All Progressives Congress (APC) on the spot. They can only be elected if APC is not elected. And given the resources and other advantages that go with incumbency, APC is still the party to beat, the obstacle to the common aspiration of all the opposition parties.

Even without a formal alliance, they will find a common cause in saying that the ruling party has not delivered on its

promises, has misruled the country and has made life more difficult for Nigerians.

They will put their differences aside and all of them will campaign that APC does not deserve to be re-elected.

Though incumbent President Muhammadu Buhari will not be on the ballot, the opposition parties will make him the issue of their campaigns and will savage his handling of the economy and security, two issues that are on top of the minds of Nigerians at the moment.

They will twin him with his party and tell voters: the APC government has not made your life better, don’t return it to power. They will not spare those on the ticket. They will talk about the lack of religious balance in the APC ticket and question the ability of the APC presidential candidate, Asiwaju Bola Tinubu, to withstand the rigour of office.

APC will push back against the united opposition. It will not only defend President Buhari’s records especially on infrastructure, it will argue for the Continued on page 61

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