BusinessDay 04 Oct 2020

Nigeria still lags peers at 60

‘If there were reincarnation, I would not return to Nigeria of today’

Despite petro-dollars coming in trillion

Obinna Emelike

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he year 1960 was unprecedented in the history of Af r i c a , a n d t h e world at large.

It was the year

that witnessed the independence of 17 African countries (the highest in a single year) from their European colonial masters.

Fr o m Ca m e r o o n o n January 1, Senegal on April 4, Somalia on July 1, Cote d’Ivoire on August 7, Nigeria

on October 1, and to other freed countries, 1960 was truly the freedom year for Africa.

As w e l l , t h e w o r l d was caught up with the excitement of Africa in 1960.

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n the first place, I would not like to come back afterleavinghere.Idonot believe in reincarnation, but if there were anything like reincarnation, with what I am seeing in the country these days, I won’t return to Nigeria of today as a citizen; never. Why would I return

here with the killings and all the terrible things happening in the country these days? I have my radio here with me and each time I tune in to a station, it is all about negative things; no pleasant news.

There is nothing that gives people joy and happiness in Nigeria of today.”

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Klopp raises concern over coronavirus spikes

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N300

Vol 1, No. 331

Companies that survived 60 years along Nigeria’s unstable journey

See page 2

What did they do right? Why firms collapse in Nigeria Why are Wike and Amaechi up in arms again?

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Adebanjo, Okorie, Oshun, others lament state of the nation

14 Lamentations of a millennial

Ifeanyi Okowa (l), Delta State governor; his wife, Edith; Ebierin Otuaro, wife of the deputy governor (middle); Rt. Hon Sheriff Oborievwori, speaker, Delta State House of Assembly (2nd right), and Hon. Justice Marshall Umukoro, the Chief Judge, Delta State(right), during a thanksgiving service to mark Nigeria’s 60th Independence anniversary, at Government House Chapel, Asaba.

Elumelu: Reaping the fruit of philanthropy 16

20

Encounter ‘Phases of Reflection’ at Alexis Galleries

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‘Less is More’ campaign exposes health dangers of unbranded cooking oil

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Sunday 04 October 2020

Cover

Companies that survived 60 IGNATIUS CHUKWU (Port Harcourt) and TELIAT SULE (Lagos)

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ctober 1, 2020 marks Nigeria’s 60th existence as a country.

Expectedly, diverse opinions have been expressed regarding what the country’s past and present leadership have done right and wrong. Pundits have not missed the opportunities to itemise the unearned benefits and how those would have placed Nigeria among the leading countries of the world.

A notable aspect of this country’s structure is its industry the players of which have received mixed fortunes from independence to date. That is why as the nation marks its diamond jubilee, BusinessDay, West Africa’s premium source of business, financial and market intelligence beams its searchlight on the country’s industry map to highlight significant changes that have characterised the nation’s industrial space.

In some way, the nation’s industry map has not been without winners and losers.

This is because quite a number of companies which exist today began their operations in the pre-independence era, while some came into existence after independence. Why are we interested in the nation’s industry map? It could be that certain national policies implemented at a particular period supported the growth of some of these companies while others could not survive the implementation of such policies.

Nigerians, who are in their 60’s and 70’s, regale the younger generations of the serene atmospheres of most industrial complexes; the functional economy which operated at near full employment where before you graduated, jobs lined up in wait for would-be graduates.

In 60 years, Nigeria has passed through a civil war, many military coups and June 12 cancellation that caused national instability and fleeing of companies, terror attacks, regional upheavals, etc. Yet, some few corporations have weathered these storms and remained alive in these years.

Some of these olden days’ companies, many of which have since gone under include the UAC, Leventis, Kingsway, UTC, Standard Bank, Barclays Bank, Lever Brothers (Unilever), PZ, John Holts, CFAO, Dunlop, Michelin, Volkswagen, Peugeot Automobile, Cadbury, NTC, May and Baker, RT Briscoe. There were Airlines like Okada, Sosoliso, Flash, Triax, Nigeria Airways, ADC, Afrijet, Albarka, Bellview, Capital, Dasab, Slok, EAS , Harco, Harka Oriental, Hamza Air, Wings Aviation , Spaceworld, Chrome, New Nation, etc, etc.

Many are sad that no one can today show them the once famous Ajaokuta Steel Mills, the Itakpe Iron Ore, Delta Steel Company, Oshogbo, Jos and Katsina Rolling Mills; the famous Northern Nigeria Kano Groundnut Pyramids, Cotton, Hides and Skins; the Western Nigeria Cocoa; the Eastern Nigeria Palm Oil Produce; the Midwestern Nigeria Rubber and Timber produce, Okpella Cement Factory, Ughelli Glass Industries, etc.

In terms of location, Nigeria’s pre-and post-independence industry map has not changed much with states and cities like Lagos, Ibadan, Kaduna, Kano, Abia, Anambra and Rivers accounting for over 80 percent of the nation’s industrial and commercial activities.

On the flip side, quite a number of these companies have collapsed, and are only referenced when analysts and policy mak-

Buhari

ers discuss what the nation did not do right.

Survivors First Bank Plc (1894) for instance has celebrated 125 years in Nigeria while Sterling Bank is exactly 60 years. Sterling Bank was established in 1960 and was originally known as NAL Bank. In 1992, it was partly privatised and listed on the Nigeria Stock Exchange. In 2006, it merged with Trust Bank of Africa, NBM Bank, Magnum Trust Bank and Indo-Nigeria Merchant Bank and changed its name to Sterling Bank plc.

In between, we have John Holt, the oldest non-bank company that has survived to this day, having stepped on Nigerian soil in 1897.

Union Bank (1917) which nearly went under few years ago, is the third oldest surviving company in Nigeria.

The United Africa Company (UAC) of 1931 is next in longevity while Shell, first oil company to come to Nigeria and is still doing well, came in 1937 as Shell D’Archy. Wema Bank is sixth oldest surviving company in Nigeria, having been established in 1945. It is followed in the longevity ranking United Bank for Africa established in 1949.

Julius Berger comes knocking at number eight having been established in 1950, which was 10 years before Nigeria’s independence.

The Germans must have seen tomorrow, having realised that such a large country with vast potentials would need massive construction of global quality. This seems to have hit the bull’s eye.

Oando (1956) is the second oil-based company (petrochemicals and energy sub sector) to take position and remain in position to this day, according to research. The Central Bank of Nigeria (CBN) though a government concern, was established in 1958 when Nigeria achieved self-rule. This action is significant because it marked the first biggest step to Nigeria’s freedom, financial freedom. Aero Contractor came in 1959, a year before Sterling Bank that came in 1960.

Staying power First Bank First Bank of Nigeria Limited has attributed its success story to innovations and reinvention of products and services aimed at satisfying customers’ needs and aspirations.

Adesola Adeduntan, the Bank’s Managing Director, stated this on the sidelines of the second anniversary of FirstGem, a female-

focused product in Lagos.

He said: “At FirstBank, our purpose is to put our customers and stakeholders at the heart of our business. For over 124 years of our existence, we have focused on providing excellent financial services to meet the needs of our esteemed customers. We continue to improve on our products and also create new ones that suit their specific financial needs.

“The reason why we have been successful is our ability to invent and reinvent ourselves. You can only be successful like that when you put your customer at the centerpiece of all your actions. That is the secret of our success. We are very clear on the space we want to occupy.”

As of December 2019, the Bank had assets totalling N5.9 trillion. The Bank’s profit before tax for the 12 months ending 31 December 2019 was approximately N70.8billion. FirstBank’s ownership is diversified, with over 1.3 million shareholders. It converted to a public company in 1970 and was listed on The Nigerian Stock Exchange (NSE) in 1971. However, as part of the implementation of the non-operating holding company structure, it was delisted from the NSE and replaced with FBN Holdings Plc. in 2012.

FirstBank has been named “Best Bank Brand in Nigeria” for six years in a row – 2011 to 2016 – by The Banker magazine of the Financial Times Group; it was awarded “Most Innovative Bank in Africa” in the EMEA Finance African Banking Awards 2014; it has clinched the “Best Bank in Nigeria” award by Global Finance Magazine 15 times and the “Best Private Bank in Nigeria”

by World Finance Magazine seven times.

Some other recent awards received by the Bank are “Best Banking Brand Nigeria, 2019”

by Global Brands Magazine; “Best Mobile Banking App – Nigeria, 2019” by Global Business Outlook and “Best Financial Inclusion Program – Nigeria, 2019 by International Investor.

John Holt John Holt is a Liverpool-based firm which arrived Nigeria as early as 1897 when the colonialists were establishing their real intentions, trade. John Holt actually bought out his employer to set up a trading company which was then into the sale of palm oil, palm kernels, rubber and cocoa. Being a company based in Liverpool, the shipping centre of Europe from where ships sailed to West Africa, it was easy for it to capture trade in Nigeria.

The company became a major agent for producers in Europe and also shipped raw materials from Nigeria (West Africa) to Europe.

In 1961, the company became a listed company on the NSE in 1971. John Holt is worth N217.9 million as at the end of the third quarter of 2020.

John Holt deals in fast moving goods and other household goods, thus occupying a household name in Nigeria.

The company has continued to adjust and adapt to Nigerian conditions, complying with trade laws to remain above waters.

Union Bank Union Bank is a large commercial bank, serving individuals, small and medium-sized companies, as well as large corporations and organizations. In July 2009, it was rated the 556th largest bank in the world and the 14th largest bank in Africa. As of Mar 31, 2018, the bank’s asset base was estimated at N1,381 billion (US$4.1billion). The shareholders’ equity at that time was estimated at N286 billion (US$851 million).[1] The bank competed very well with First

Bank for decades until few years back when it was becoming insolvent and had to be rescued.

This seemed to give its competitor a big break.

The bank’s history can be traced to 1836 when London bankers and British merchants obtained a royal charter from William IV to conduct banking business in the Caribbean. These group of investors then formed Colonial Bank. Following an act of parliament empowering the bank to open more branches beyond the Caribbean, Colonial bank began operations in Nigeria in 1917. Operations started with banking centers in Lagos, Jos and Port-Harcourt. Further centers were opened in financially important areas, in 1918, the bank opened additional centers at Ebute-Metta, Onitsha, Ibadan, Kano and Zaria and then added another branch at Burutu in 1921.[2] During this time, Colonial’s banking activities also covered other cities in British West Africa including Accra and Freetown. In 1925, Barclays Bank acquired Colonial Bank, changing the bank’s name to Barclays Bank (Dominion, Colonial and Overseas) and later Barclays Bank (DCO). During the period between 1925 and 1950, commercial expansion was hampered by the Great Depression and World War II, though the bank continued to operate steadily opening a few branches but also closing some branches.

In the 1950s, the bank increased operations in Nigeria and by the beginning of 1960 it had a total of 41 branches.[2] In 1969, Barclays Bank DCO was incorporated in Nigeria, as Barclays Bank of Nigeria Limited, to comply with new banking laws enacted in 1968.

In 1971, the shares of the bank stock were listed on the Nigerian Stock Exchange. In the same year, 8.33% of the bank’s shares were offered to Nigerians. The following year, the Federal Government of Nigeria acquired 51.67% ownership of the bank, leaving Barclays Bank Plc. of London with 40% ownership. In 1979, that 40% was sold to Nigerian individuals and businesses to comply with then recently enacted banking and investment laws. The bank changed its name to Union Bank of Nigeria Plc, to reflect its new

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years along Nigeria’s ...

ownership structure.

In 1993, the Federal Government of Nigeria completely divested its ownership in the bank.

Subsequently, Union Bank of Nigeria Plc. acquired the former Universal Trust Bank Plc and Broad Bank Limited. It also absorbed its former subsidiary Union Merchant Bank Limited.

UAC Kingsway was its major brand name. The United African Company of Nigeria or UAC was another household name in Nigeria competing with John Holt. It is now a Nigerian publicly listed company based in Lagos. Its areas of operation include manufacturing, services, logistics and warehousing, agricultural and real estate. UACN’s food operations include UAC Franchising, UAC Restaurants and UAC Dairies. It also has equity stake in UACN Property Development Company, a quoted firm, CAP Plc, makers of Dulux paints and Portland Paints, manufacturers of Sandtex paints.

The company, whose name was changed to United Africa Company Ltd in 1943, retained the name until 1955 when it became The United Africa Company of Nigeria Ltd and started acquiring, over a period of five years, a large part of the business of UAC International. In 1960 C.W.A. Holdings Ltd, England also a subsidiary of Unilever, acquired the interest of UAC International in the company. Further re-organisation concluded in 1973 and resulted in the acquisition of a number of wholly owned fellow subsidiaries of C.W.A. Holdings. In 1968, Niger House, the new head office of UACN was completed. The 12 storey building was built by Taylor Woodrow and has adjacent structures including an 8-storey building at the rear.

Following re-organisation, the company conducted the acquired businesses as operating divisions, which are now in voluntary liquidation.

The company took the name UAC of Nigeria Ltd in 1973. In compliance with the Nigerian Enterprises Promotion Act 1972, 40 percent of the company’s share capital was acquired in 1974 by Nigerian citizens and associations and in accordance with the provisions of the Nigerian Enterprises Promotion Act 1977, an additional 20 percent of the UAC’s share capital was publicly offered in 1977,

increasing Nigerian equity participation to 60 percent. The name UACN Plc was adopted in 1991.

The company is so big that it can report a huge loss of about N9Bn and still remain afloat.

Shell Nigeria Shell may have paid over $120Bn to Nigerian government in the past 20 years alone.

This is because in 2018 alone, Shell says it paid over $6.397 billion to the Nigerian government and its agencies in 2018 by Shell exploration and production companies in Nigeria comprising The Shell Petroleum Development Company of Nigeria Limited (SPDC) and Shell Nigeria Exploration and Production Company Limited (SNEPCo).

The payment represents a 48 per cent increase over payments by the companies to Nigerian government in 2017 which was $4.322 billion.

SPDC was originally known as Shell D’Arcy and later as Shell-BP which was jointly financed by the Royal Dutch/Shell Group of Companies and the British Petroleum (BP) Group on an equal basis. The Company discovered the first commercial oil field in the country at Oloibiri Bayelsa State, in 1956 and through a sustained exploration effort had since discovered more oil fields that have firmly established Nigeria as one of the world’s major crude oil producers with significant gas potential.

The Shell Petroleum Development Company of Nigeria (SPDC) is the pioneer and leader of the petroleum industry in Nigeria.

It has the largest acreage in the country from which it produces some 39 per cent of the nation’s oil.

The company’s operations are concentrated in the Niger Delta and adjoining shallow offshore areas where it operates in an oil mining lease area of around 31,000 square kilometres.

SPDC has more than 6,000 kilometres of pipelines and flow lines, 87 flow stations,

8 gas plants and more than 1,000 producing wells. The company employs more than 4,500 people directly of whom 95 per cent are Nigerians. Some 66 per cent of the Nigerian staff members are from the Niger Delta. Another 20,000 people are employed indirectly through the network of companies that provide supplies and services.

The mission of SPDC is to be the operator of first choice in Nigeria through its commitment to strong economic performance and to every aspect of sustainable development.

SPDC is the operator of a Joint Venture Agreement involving the Nigerian National Petroleum Corporation (NNPC), which holds 55%, Shell 30%, Total Exploration and Production Nigeria Limited (TEPNG) 10% and Nigerian Agip Oil Company limited (NAOC) 5%.

Together with its Joint Venture Partners, SPDC is capable of producing some 1 million barrels of oil per day on an average. Through its community investment programme, SPDC is demonstrating its commitment to improving the quality of life for all those who live and work in the Niger Delta.

Shell has become a conglomerate, striding across the oil industry and across the Niger Delta region. It’s influence can be felt in that fact that it is blamed for every single thing that goes wrong in the oil region, even when it is also behind almost every successful thing that takes place there.

Unilever Nigeria Plc was established by Lord Leverhulme 1924 as Lever Brothers West Africa Limited. It was primarily into the trading of soap. Today, the company is among the world’s leading consumer goods with over 400 brands to its credit.

The company has witnessed many mergers and acquisitions which have turned it into a diversified company which is into manufacturing, marketing of food and personal care products.

PZ Cussons was established in 1884 by George Zochonis and George Paterson as a trading company. Today, it is one of the most diverse single market which provides personal care, home care, electricals, food and nutrition. It is listed on the Nigerian Stock Exchange worth N15.9 billion in market capitalisation.

Cadbury Nigeria is listed on the NSE and as at the end of September 2020, it was worth N13.1 billion in terms of market capitalisation. The company is owned by Mondelez International which controls 74.97 equity stake in Cadbury Nigeria. Set up at the outset to source cocoa beans from Nigeria and in return, serve the local consumer market with Cadbury branded products. Its flagship brand is Cadbury Bournvita which was introduced in 1960. It has other iconic products such as Tom Tom and Trebor Buttermint.

May and Baker popularly known as M & B was established as Nigeria’s first pharmaceutical company in 1944, with its headquarters located at 17A Tinubu Street, Lagos. It was listed on the Nigerian Stock Exchange in 1994 and presently worth N5 billion by market capitalisation. It is into pharmaceuticals and beverages. Pharmaceutical products include anti-diabetic, anti-hypertensive, multivitamins, among others.

Why companies die in Nigeria Most experts have tried to point out what kills companies in Nigeria. The worst hit seem to be companies which seemed to crash after the owner had died and Nigerian government-owned companies where corruption reigned supreme.

Entitlement mentality: The most pointed at is the entitlement mentality that came

with independence. The nationalists were known to have won the hearts of the nationals in mobilising them for the struggle by painting rosy pictures of what freedom would be like. The nationals or citizens believed that with Independence would come less work, higher pay, better life, easy money, more roads, power, education and a right to work in government.

When independence came, it thus became difficult to convince the nationals to sacrifice one more time to achieve economic prosperity and financial freedom, different from political freedom. The new heads of corporations thus were under pressure to employ their followers.

Corruption: Next is corruption which seemed to spring from the first point above.

The new African heads of the companies and government-owned corporations felt they were the new masters and insisted on enjoying like the Whiteman. They seemed to meet financial obstacles and thus started stealing to make up.

The next generation after each set would steal even more, until soldiers got angry and sacked the government and changed the heads of the corporations but the new heads seemed to loot more, until this day when looting seems to be the only objective of getting into power.

Weak structure: Most companies lacked governance structure which seems to be the black man’s major weakness. The way political parties lack governance structure and internal processes is how companies are operated without strong standard operating procedures. This has led to crash of several companies.

Lack of succession plan: This is another major setback in privately-owned companies. The company would wear the character of the owner but as soon as he dies, the new managers would crash the enterprise. Some have said the owners hardly groomed their children well enough to take over, only for unprepared sons to mismanage what their fathers laboured to establish.

Policy inconsistency: This has been pointed as the strongest challenge facing companies in Nigeria. The political leaders usually seem far away from having economic and business experience. They thus make laws and change them at will, whereas businesses need long term plans. The budget of the country may be passed in the middle of the year with new rules for businesses.

Some financial rules on remittance of profit abroad, taxes, and expatriate quota may come suddenly and affect the companies.

Insecurity: Many say insecurity has limited operational freedom of many companies and has also shot up cost of doing business in most locations in Nigeria. The premises of many companies in Nigeria look like war zone. Some CEOs have been freed with ransom so many times and all these add to costs.

Some preferred to relocate from Nigeria or were forced to shut down.

Ease of doing business; Nigeria ranked 186 at a point before task force actions improved it by about 20 steps. The meaning is that capital sees Nigeria as dangerous place to go to. An investor in Washington would thus not be in a hurry to invest in a country with such high survival risk and when they do, it would come with high insurance premium.

Conclusion It is thus worthy to appreciate the few companies that have survived in Nigeria along with the country in the past 60 years.

The Federal Government can celebrate them and probably give them a kind of incentive.

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News ITC, Sprout Digital empower ‘womenowned’ enterprises with digital skills SEYI JOHN SALAU

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s part of its efforts to ensure the sustainability of Small and Medium Scale Enterprises (SMEs), the International Trade Centre (ITC) and Sprout Digital (formerly Sprout Consulting), have collaborated to empower about 90 women-owned Nigerian businesses with digital skills.

The intensive threemonth hands-on training provided participants with innovative tools and digital skills necessary for a smooth transitioning into a more competitive global marketplace.

The p roj e ct, whic h is also part of the ITC ‘She Trades’ initiative aimed at facilitating the participation of women-owned businesses in international trade through business support, training and global visibility.

To drive the seamless adoption of digital tools for unique business expansion, beneficiaries were assigned personal coaches who actively guided participants’ during their digital transformational journey.

“The training is designed to be quite practical. We are already seeing a definite shift in the ability of womenowned businesses to trade online. Coupled with personal coaching, we are certain that these businesses will perform extremely well financially in the months ahead,” Babatunde Anwo-Ade,

chief technology officer and partner for Sprout Digital, said.

He said that the intensive 3-month training sets the tone for more women-owned businesses to leverage potential digital opportunities for growth.

According to Babatunde, the transition will consequently spur a revenue increase which is necessary for economic development.

“It’s a really exciting project. We’ve seen real participation and growth from a good percentage of women-owned businesses that we are engaged with,” he said.

Adenike Egwuenu-Bright, Sprout Digital Training facilitator, said with the partnership participants are bound to experience a longterm impact of the digital training.

“This project goes beyond now to impact the women and their businesses in various ways, like increasing their sales and generating more leads from the online space that they were previously not exposed to,” said EgwuenuBright.

AbiAbraham,abeneficiary and founder of Flax Medical, said the training was a steep but pleasant learning curve with fully supportive coaches and classmates.

“The workshop afforded me the opportunity to convert customers from all over the world using digital tools like WhatsApp Business, Instagram for Business, optimised website and email marketing,” said Abraham.

Group seeks multi-stakeholder synergy in human rights promotion, investor-protection in extractive industry Innocent Odoh, Abuja

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igeria has been urged to be a signatory to the Voluntary Principles Initiative(VPI)asmembership of the VPI would demonstrate greater commitment of government to the promotion andprotectionofhumanrights and create a more secure environment for potential investors in the extractive sector.

That was part of the recommendations by the Nigerian Working Group ( N W G ) o n Vo l u n t a r y Principles on Security and Human Rights at a one-day multi-stakeholder hybrid workshop and dialogue on ‘Promoting security and human rights in Nigeria’s extractive sector through multi-stakeholder initiatives’.

The event was organised in Abujarecentlyforgovernment ministries and agencies, diplomatic community, extractive companies, public security agencies and civil society organisations.

In his opening remarks titled ‘The journey so far on the Voluntary Principles on Security and Human Rights in Nigeria’, Joel Bisina, co-chair, Nigeria Working Group on the Voluntary Principles on Security and Human Rights, noted that although it is the responsibility of government to promote and protect the wellbeing of citizens, business organisations as responsible

H.E. Lukas Schifferle (l), Switzerland Deputy Ambassador to Nigeria/Co-chair Nigeria Working Group on the Voluntary Principles on Security and Human Rights (NWG); Joel Bisina (m), co-chair, Nigeria Working Group on Voluntary Principles on Security and Human Rights (NWG)/executive director, LITE-Africa, and Babatunde Ajala (r), Political and Economic officer, Embassy of Switzerland in Abuja to Nigeria, Chad, Niger, Libya and ECOWAS).

entities are also obliged to respect human rights and complement government’s efforts by way of service to humanity.

Bisina, who also is the executive director, LITEAfrica , said part of the reasons for the workshop was to see “how we can use the VPs as a tool to proffer mutually acceptable solutions to the security and human rights challenges in Nigeria extractive sector.”

In a communiqué issued at theendoftheworkshop,jointly organised by the Leadership Initiative for Transformation and Empowerment (LITEAfrica) and the Nigeria Working Group (NWG) on the Voluntary Principles on Security and Human Rights, it noted among other things that “Insecurity and human rights violation have serious

Experts stress need for safety measures to protect waste management workers Bunmi Bailey

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he growth in the population of Lagos State in the last couple of decades has had a telling impact on the mega-city’s ability to manage waste.

With an estimated population of about 21 million people, the state grapples daily with percapita waste generation of 0.5Kg per day or 10,000 tons of urban waste. This poses serious threats to the workers charged with the responsibility of managing this waste.

This was disclosed by Lanre Mojola , directorgeneral and chief executive officer of the Lagos State Safety Commission (LSSC), at the recently concluded Health, Safety and Environment (HSE) Summit, themed, ‘HSE in our DNA: Recycling to Wealth’.

Th e S u m m i t w a s a collaborative effort of organisations like the Century Group, the Lagos

State government, the Department of Petroleum Resources (DPR), Recyclers Association of Nigeria, Lagos State Employment Trust Fund(LSETF),TheInstitution of Occupational Safety and Health (IOSH), Lagos State Safety Commission (LSSC), to mention a few.

According to Mojola, “ Wa s t e m a n a g e m e n t workers are exposed to job hazards and risks, including but not limited to, musculoskeletal disorders from manual handling, working postures, vibrations from work dumper trucks and work equipment and health disorders due to exposure to chemical substances, biological agents and pollution. “ Th e s e r i s k s a l s o include physical risks due to mechanical hazards and psychological & mental effects. In Lagos State, we have started the journey of ensuring waste workers are fully protected to prevent them from these dangers.”

Stressing on the need to protect workers, Mojola

noted that a few activities in the waste management supply chain leave workers vulnerable to occupational hazards.

“Based on our classification, the main areas we consider as huge in posing huge risks to waste handlers are in storage, collection, transportation, processing and sorting. In terms of processing and sorting, there is a huge issue around protecting waste handlers in the state. There is a need for waste handlers to understand the risks of unsafe handling of waste.”

Globally, the issue of health and safety of waste management workers is a concern. There were 6.05 deaths from work-related incidents per 100,000 workers according to data from the Health and Safety Executive (HSE), the UK government agency responsible for the encouragement, regulation and enforcement of workplace health, safety and welfare, and for research into occupational risks in Great Britain. In the United

States, at least 30 sanitation workers died from on-thejob injuries in the first seven months of 2019, according to analysis done by the Solid Waste Association of North America.

In April 2020, the Lagos State Traffic Officer, CSP Or i yo m i Ol u w a s a n m i , confirmed that a utility vehicle crushed to death, a female waste management worker in the state.

On the activities of the Lagos State government to protect waste management workers, Mojola noted that the Commission in partnership with the Lagos State Waste Management Authority (LAWMA), has trained 600 road sweepers, training of operatives through waste handling, plant operator and first aid certifications. This initiative has also included the issuance of safety compliance certificates, inspection of waste-sorting facilities and provision of advisory services, enforcement of use of PPE and development of regulations and legislation.

implications on the extractive sector and the Nigerian economy.”

According to the participants, “The seeming weak regulation and crude methods of mining employed by artisanal miners have serious health implication and human rights abuse, particularly the right of the child.

“The rising insecurity in form of armed violence and banditry in the North Ea s t a n d N o r t h We s t regions of Nigeria has greatly hampered mining operations in those regions.”

The communiqué also noted that the inherent degrading effect of extractive business had multiple implications for human rights and security, and that there was increasing inter-cultural conflict over ownership right

of extractive sites and rent by local communities.

It was also in the views of the participants that “The National Human Rights Commission is doing a great job on human rights and playing key leadership role by training security forces and monitoring human rights violation especially during the Covid-19 pandemic, and by acknowledging the Voluntary Principles on Security and Human Rights as a veritable tool in the National Action Plan on Business and Human Rights (NAP).”

It regretted that the contribution of the mining sector to the gross domestic product (GDP) was less than 3 percent, owing largely to insecurity and widespread corruption which has discouraged investors.

Maryland Mall changes identity to Purple Maryland HOPE MOSES-ASHIKE

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he Purple Group has announced change of the name of Maryland Mall to Purple Maryland.

Purple unveiled the new identity of the mixed-use mall October 1, 2020 alongside celebrating Purple Independence, tapping into the general ‘green’ independence culture that surrounds the October 1st celebration of the “Purple Way”.

Purple Maryland is a retail subsidiary of Purple. It constantly aims at creating affordable lifestyle experiences for its consumers through principal investments in superior mixed-use facilities and services.

Maryland Mall, which celebrated its fourth anniversary recently, is among the leading neighborhood retail and entertainment centre in Lagos and plays host to a mix of local and international brands including Shoprite, Genesis

Deluxe Cinemas, Stanbic IBTC Bank, Uber, Workstation, Medplus, Miniso, PEP, amongst retail, hospitality and entertainment brands.

It is a redevelopment of the Maryland Business Plaza seating on a 7,700 sqm piece of land and located on the ever-busy Ikorodu Road, Lagos.

Formerly known as Purple Capital Partners, Purple Group, which recently won ‘BusinessDay Property Development Company of the Year 2020’ award, is an ecosystem of brands focused on creating best-inclass lifestyle experiences for its consumers through its principal investments in superior mixed-use facilities and services Purple’s lifestyle services spans real estate, retail, ecommerce, media and advertising, entertainment and family fun, financial services amongst others; all focused on driving the mission to create lifestyle experiences for its consumers with convenience, affordability and finesse.

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News Food palliatives: CACOVID petitions Edo govt, refutes claims by federal legislator Desmond Okon

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he Private Sectorled Coalition Against Covid-19 (CACOVID) has petitioned the Edo State government over alleged misappropriation of food palliatives worth over N465 million by a member of House Representatives from the state, Omoriege Ogbeide Ihama, representing Oredo Federal Constituency, Benin, Edo state.

CACOVID, a coalition of organised private sector operators had earlier in the year, pooled r es o u rc e s to g et h e r t o complement federal and state governments’ efforts to mitigate the Covid-19 pandemic, by purchasing and donating testing kits, medical supplies, constructing isolationcentresandproviding food palliatives worth N23 billion for distribution to the vulnerable in partnership with the state governments.

The coalition said in Lagos that it has dispatched food palliatives to Edo State to cater for 36,295 households just like it did for other states for

onward distribution to the people but was alarmed to see the lawmaker on state television distributing the food stuffs, claiming he bought them; without recourse to CACOVID as the provider.

The group described the development ‘as fraudulent’ and ‘unbecoming of a federal lawmaker to lay claims and take credit for what he knew nothing about how it was purchased, the amount spent and how they were taken to Edo state.’

A C AC O V I D l e a d e r and chief executive officer of ACT, told newsmen in Lagos that the coalition was embarrassed by the video of the distribution of its food palliatives by Ihama to his constituency, claiming he provided them.

“We need to let people know that it was a false claim, Ihama never bought those products, they were purchased by CACOVID to complement the state government’s efforts at alleviating the untold hardship brought upon the people by the Covid-19.”

Osayi explained that CACOVID had to write the state to express its displeasure

at the development because the lawmaker was bold to say he provided the food palliatives to the people on the state Independent television station and even went ahead to showcase the beneficiaries who were also thanking him for the provisions.

“News coverage by the IndependentTelevision,Benin, Edo State, showed Omoregie Ogbeide Ihama, the member representing Oredo Federal Consistency as he claimed credits to the palliatives which were distributed by the Private Sector Coalition Against COVID-19.

“In the report, he stated that besides sponsoring bills and motions for the good of Nigerians, he will continue to champion the cause of improving the lives of the people. He also added that since the outbreak of the Covid-19 virus, he has personally given out food items and networked with other agencies of government to attract the relief materials to the people of Oredo constituency.

“He made this statement while supervising the distribution of the palliatives which had CACOVID logo

plastered all over them.

Therefore, CACOVID is strongly refuting his claims, that the palliatives are a part of its efforts to feed 1.7million households in the 774 local government areas of the country. This is an initiative which has kicked off in states such as: Bauchi, Jigawa, Kogi, Anambra, Ogun, Kebbi, Ekiti, Borno, Yobe Enugu, Plateau, Benue, Nasarawa and Edo.” Alile listed products sent to Edo State by CACOVID to include: 72,590 boxes of Noodle; 36,295 rolls of Sugar; 36,295 bags (10kg) of Rice; 36,295 bags of Garri/Semo; 36,295 packs of Pasta and 36,295 rolls of salt.

CACOVID is a privatesector alliance tasked with pulling resources across industries to provide technical and operational support while providing funding and building advocacy through aggressive awareness.

So far, the coalition has built and revamped testing and isolation centres to strengthen the response capacity of states. They’ve also supported the NCDC with over 300,000 test kits and personal protective equipment (PPE).

Group moves against poverty, empowers female farmers, women Iniobong Iwok

I

n a move aimed at checking the rising poverty among women and girls in Nigeria, a group, Healthy Living and Women Empowerment Initiative (HELWEI), in collaboration with Women’s Rights and Health Project (WRAHP), is implementing a four-year project in Lagos State with focus on capacity building and skills acquisition for female farmers, women and young girls.

Organisers say that part of the intention of the programme is to bridge the inequality gap and see improved livelihood among beneficiaries.

Ebere Okey-Onyema, executive director of Healthy Living and Women Empowerment Initiative, said that the project’s goal was to achieve increased enjoyment of human rights by women and girls as well as the advancement of gender equality in Nigeria.

“We hope to promote resilience among women and raise women of economically-independent influence,” Okey-Onyema said.

The capacity building, which focused on agrot e c h n o l o g y, f i n a n c i a l management and marketing workshop was held in Idimu,

Akintayo honoured with Doctor of Science Seyi John Salau

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enowned for his creativity and consistency in developing young minds in the business world and the real estate industry in particular, Stephen Akintayo, MD/CEO, Gtext Homes, was recently awarded a Doctor of Science, D.Sc (Honoris Causal) in Real Estate Development and Corporate Leadership by the European American University.

Over the years, Akintayo successfully led Gtext Homes, one of Nigeria’s most innovative creative real estate company, into a global brand.

Having devoted years to the advancement of the real estate and the digital marketing space in Nigeria, it is expected that Akintayo will use his newly acquired position as a Doctor of Science in real estate development to further transform the Nigerian real estate sector, especially on a global stage.

“It is not easy to be honoured by your peers; our generation needs a lot of young people to rise up. I think we have complained too much; our parents were the problem, the leaders were the problem, everybody is the problem except us. I think it is time for us to rise up and face the challenges of this country and find a way out,” said Akintayo, in acceptance of the award.

Akintayo was equally honoured with the Thomas Sankara leadership award as Icon Humility by the leadership of National Association of Nigerian Students (NANS) and National Platinum Award of Excellence by the Congress of Nigerian Youth (CONYO) leadership.

According to Akintayo, one of the problems of the

continent is that Africans do not honour their heroes while alive; “I am one of them and am still young.

“I feel we are often tempted as young people to go into the virtual world and create our own experience, and somehow leave the real issues. Until we face our problem head-on and do everything we can to improve this country, we are not going to move forward. We are not the future leaders; we are the leaders of today,” said Akintayo.

According to him, the real estate company will open new offices in Babana Island, Ibadan and Abeokuta in October in furtherance of its expansion drive. “Your background is no reason for your back to be on the ground; you may have been a nobody, so you do

Stephen Akintayo

not need to be a son of a politician to become something in this country,” he concluded.

Fidelis Amaechi, director, African Programs, European American University, in presentation of the award, said Akintayo is a man of achievement hence he is being honoured for his developmental initiatives in the business world, especially real estate.

The Dominican and Panama based university had other delegates around to present the award, among whom is Freeman Ani, research fellow and author, European American University, who is also a professor.

BEDC suspends new servicebased tariff for 14 days Empowered female farmers in Egbe/Idimu LCDA

a Lagos suburb, and adjudged to be holistic with integration of teachings on customer service and medical.

The project, which is fully supported by Action Aid Nigeria, is funded by Global Affairs Canada through the Women’s Voice and Leadership Nigeria Project, has been designed to train twenty women in Egbe/ Idimu LCDA on farming especially fishery, poultry and snail with the goal of empowering women with required skills to be great farmers and to be economically independent.

Okey-Onyema added that a total number of twenty women were trained on fish farming, poultry and snail rearing, stressing that the participants were also taught

on customer relations, personal effectiveness, basic farm accounting (financial management) and packaging.

Some of the participants who spoke after the event expressed joy on the impact the training has made in their lives, adding that they were determined to apply knowledge gained in their chosen areas of specialisation.

Part of the highlight of the empowerment programme was the provision of noninterest micro-credit to deserving/outstanding participants to support their small farms.

Speaking at the event, Bose Iro-Nsi, executive d i r e c t o r o f W R A H P, challenged the women to

prioritise their health and also have investment plans.

Seu n Olo fin , Pu blic Health Consultant, Lagos State University College of Medicine, in her presentation, advised the women on the need to prioritise health.

Gbolahan Osho, Agric expert from Food and Nutrition Unit, La g o s S t a t e Mi n i s t r y o f Lo c a l Go v e r n m e n t and Community Affairs challenged the participants to maximise the opportunities of learning and credit support to enhance their businesses and livelihood.

Rabiu A. Kazeem, CDC chairman,Egbe-IdimuLCDA, was represented by Wasiu Adefowope, secretary.

T

he management of BEDC Electricity Plc (BEDC) has announced its compliance with the order from the Nigerian Electricity Regulatory Commission (NERC) based on the communiqué issued after a meeting between the Federal Government and the labour unions requesting the suspension of the new Service Reflective Tariff for 14 days pending consultations and finalisation of negotiations by both parties on the new tariff implementation.

BEDC management said in a press release weekend that it will be complying with the 14days suspension order which took effect from September 28th to October 11, 2020 using the rates applicable as at 31st August for its various customers.

The company says postpaid customers will have their charges for the sus-

pension period reflected in the bills to be delivered in October affecting this consumption period. Bills sent to customers in October 2020 are based on September 2020 consumption and band wise tariff as per NERC classification will apply.

Similarly, prepaid customers have commenced vending based on the changed rates.

“Prepaid customers who have been migrated to Bands A, B, and C will need reload a change token at the first purchase after the commencement of this suspension.

Please contact BEDC customer care portal-customercomplaints@bedcpower or visit nearest BEDC office or call 080-3901-2323/ 0813984-1391,” BEDC added.

BEDC stated further that those customers in Bands D and E not migrated to the new tariff were not affected by the rate changes.

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Akwa Ibom pledges partnership with reputable NGOs to boost healthcare delivery kwa Ibom State government has pledged partnership with reputable nongovernmental organisations ( N G Os) w o r k i n g i n communities across the state to improve healthcare delivery service.

Au g u s t i n e Um o h , a professor of medicine and commissioner for health, stated this during the close out ceremony of family planning programme undertaken by an NGO, BreakthroughActionNigeria, following the successful completion of its activities in six local government areas of the state with high unmet needs.

The local government areas included Uyo, Ini, Mbo, Esit Eket, Nsit Atai and Ika. Describing family planning services as part of reproductive health programme, the commissioner said the state government would scale up programmes to cover many

local government areas and lauded the NGO for its partnership with the state government.

He expressed the hope the partnership would be sustained after the NGO had “found it important to work in the area of reproductive health” in the state while suggesting that the services should be expanded to cover more local government areas of the state.

In his presentation, Bassey Nsah, coordinator of BA-N in Akwa Ibom State, said services commended in April last year with the training of 156 community volunteers and 12 local government area supervisors while 16 batches ad-hoc community mobilizers including local government team were trained.

According to him, with BA-N’s intervention, 156 community volunteers conducted communication for family planning uptake in 54 wards, adding that a total of 143,22 persons were reached with family planning social behavior communication messages.

He said a total of 3,961 people took up a method of family planning during the period while 9,920 were referred to health facilities and identified low resource for health, lack of consumables leading to charge for family planning services in some facilities adding that in some facilities “service charges were high.”

Nsah said various family planning intervention approaches including advocacy to religious and traditional rulers as well as the state ministry of health, community mobilisation, mass media and service delivery links were adopted during the period.

He recommended the provision of consumables for family planning unit or integration of services at the Primary Health Centre facilities and routine supervisory visits to health facilities by the state ministry of health and continuous engagement of BA-N trained community volunteers to create demand for family planning and other interventions.

times.

Again, for several years, Singapore has been one of the few countries with an AAA credit rating from the big three credit rating agencies in the world, a laudable feat that has wooed global investors and multinationals to the country.

On the other hand, Malaysia’s persistent drive to develop and upgrade its infrastructure has resulted in one of the most welldeveloped infrastructure among the newly industrializing countries of Asia. In 2014, Malaysia ranked 8th in Asia and 25th in the world in term of overall infrastructure development.

There are currently 1,833 kilometres (1,139 mi) of railways in Malaysia, of which 767 km (477 mi) are double tracked and electrified.

Due to sustained investments in infrastructure, Cyprus, an island country in Europe, has become a major tourist destination in the Mediterranean. Also, with an advanced high-income economy and a very high Human Development Index, Cyprus has something to show for her 60 years of independence.

So also is Kuwait. The oil-rich Arab country is the seventh richest country in the world per capita and the second richest Gulf Corporation Council (GCC) country per capita (after Qatar). A visit to the alluring Kuwait City, the capital, reveals the proper use of the country’s oil wealth.

The reasons for Nigeria’s

lag among peers are obvious.

First, lack of visionary leadership has retarded the country’s growth since independence.

Of course, corruption, nepotism, political instability, and lack of strong institutions have played their evil parts too.

Taking a look at Nigeria, some development experts argue that the country is the easiest in the world to manage and lead, but that it lacks good leadership to harmonize government and private sector efforts to achieve the desired development.

According to Andrew S. Nevin, partner and chief economist, PricewaterhouseCoopers (PwC) Nigeria, the country is a self-organising nation.

“When you look around things that have happened successfully in the country, groups of people are not told by anyone what to do but they get together and accomplish things and many of the organised private sector actors that are doing very well organise their own power, infrastructure and training”, Nevin said.

Considering the extraordinary abilities of some self-regulating organisations such as Institute of Chartered Accountants of Nigeria (ICAN), Nigerian Bar Association (NBA), Chartered Institute of Bankers of Nigeria (CIBN), among others, most Nigerians believe that the private sector is offering better leadership than government.

“If our governments

over the year have adopted leadership principles of some successful companies in the country in running the affairs of the nation, Nigeria would have been the true giant of Africa in infrastructural development, broad economy, politics among others”, Okopi said.

But Onochie insisted that Nigeria has been overtaken by her peers in all indices, especially development because the country allowed corruption to thrive.

“If we had dealt with corrupt leaders in the past, they would have served as example to others and nobody would loot funds meant for development again. We can start now to safeguard the next 60 years”, Onochie said.

A look at some countries that are advanced in developmentalsorevealszero tolerance to corruption and insistence on accountability at the formative stage of their nationhood.

The likes of Cyprus, Singapore, Kuwait, Malaysia and even Botswana , all have strong institutions that checkmate corruption, hold leaders accountable, monitor budgets and projects, formulate policies with human face among other measures that have seen them on steady rise since heir independence.

Nigeria can still learn, make her citizenry happy for once and avert the exodus to advance countries where things are orderly, public infrastructure is at its best and life expectancy is high.

ANIEFIOK UDONQUAK, Uyo

A

L-R: Bosede Oyekunle, national publicity secretary, Association of Professional Women Engineers (APWEN); Sylvia Kelechi, member; Elizabeth Eterigbo, vice president APWEN; Funmilola Ojelade, APWEN president, and Chinyere Igwegbe, general secretary, during a press briefing heralding 2020 APWEN national conference tagged, ‘Dynamics of Engineering Education for Sustainable Economic Development’ held in Lagos.

Group partners well-meaning Nigerians to support persons living with disabilities Ngozi Okpalakunne

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etermined to put smiles on the faces of Cerebral Palsy children and their families, Benola Palsy Initiative, recently gave out cash palliatives of over N4million to cushion the effect of Covid-19.

The exercise, which was done with the support of well -meaning Nigerians, was part

of the organisation’s activities to mark this year’s Benola National Family forum.

Speaking in an interview, the founder of Benola Palsy Initiative, Air Vice Marshal FemiGbadebo(rtd)explained that the idea of giving out cash of N20,000 each to 200 families across some states was necessary as the food palliatives from both the state and Federal Government during the lockdown did not really get to the families of

persons living with disabilities.

“In other words, we are still a long way to domesticating t h e l a w, s t a t i n g w h a t people should get and how government at all levels and the organised private sector should assist them because a major part of the problem is devices like walkers, wheelchairs, canes and so on which handicapped persons need to move around. So, a lot still needs to be done,” Gbadebo said.

Nigeria still lags peers at 60 Continued from Page 1 As a feature in Toronto’s Star Weekly, a Canadian newspaper, rightly put it then, “Africa, long known as the Dark Continent, is now bright with the glow of smoldering unrest and the flame of open revolt.”

An o t h e r Am e r i c a n weekly also noted in 1960 that, “Africa, vast, rich and for centuries a slumbering giant, is bursting its chains.”

Sadly, 60 years down the line, all of the 17 African countries that gained independence, especially Nigeria, have nothing to show for their hard-earned f r e e d o m . De s p i t e t h e freedom, Africa’s poverty gap is getting wider every year, while her folks in Asia are fast closing theirs.

The case of Nigeria is pathetic, considering the trillions of dollars earned from the exploitation of the vast natural resources across her landscape, particularly crude oil, which do not reflect in the country’s current state of development.

Martins Okopi, a public affairs analyst, observed that in the past 60 years, Nigeria has been growing without prosperity. “ De s p i t e Ni g e r i a ’s improving record of growth, there has been limited evidence of poverty reduction or improved equity in the country’s highly skewed economy”, Okopi said.

For him, Nigeria cannot even affirm her claim as the giant of Africa among other countries that gained

independence in 1960 because they are entangled with similar challenges and underdevelopment.

“We are deceived by the claim of Nigeria being the largest economy in Africa, but infrastructural development, standard of living and life expectancy are better in some of the African countries that share Independence Day with Nigeria. So, what kind of giant is Nigeria at 60”, Okopi said.

For Maxwell Onochie, a Lagos-based forensic lawyer, politicians would always point to feats they have achieved, but when they are put together for the 60 years the country has ruled itself, the feats would attract little commendation as the masses are yet to feel the impact of self-governance.

“There may be some positive things that have happened in Nigeria since independence, but there are many gaps, especially poverty. There should be a change and closing of the gap between Nigeria , a supposedly African giant, and the West. Real change will be when we can see genuine economic and social development for ordinary Nigerians,” Onochie said.

H o w e v e r, l o o k i n g at the performance of some countries that had independence 1960 or relatively closer to that year, they seem to be far ahead of Nigeria in all developmental indices.

Botswana, which gained independence from Britain

in September 1966, seems to be doing better than her peers in Africa. Despite the country’s history that has not been without turmoil, the southern African country has emerged as a model African state today.

Formerly one of the world’s poorest countries, with a GDP per capita of about US$70 per year in the late 1960s, Botswana has since transformed itself into an upper middle income country, with one of the world’s fastest-growing economies.

Going by its GDP (purchasing power parity) per capita of about $18,825 per year as of 2015, one of the highest in Africa, its high gross national income (by some estimates the fourthlargest in Africa), the country has a relatively high standard of living and the highest Human Development Index of continental Sub-Saharan Africa.

Moreover, from Cyprus, which gained independence from the United Kingdom in August 1960; Kuwait, from the United Kingdom in February, 1961; Singapore in August 1965, and Malaysia, earlier in August 1957, these countries, which are relatively peers of Nigeria, are doing far better than the African giant today.

Of course, Singapore stands out with its highly developed market economy and world class infrastructural development. It is one of the four Asian Tigers, but has surpassed its peers in terms of GDP per capita in recent

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Ivory Tower A situation where teachers are scared of students is frightening – FUNAAB VC Felix Salako is a professor of Soil Physics and vice chancellor, Federal University of Agriculture, Abeokuta (FUNAAB). In this interview with MARK MAYAH, he bares his mind on how Nigeria has fared in the last 60 years in the education sector as well as the future and what to expect in the years ahead. Excerpts:

H

ow has Education fared in the last 60 years in Nigeria?

Permit me to have some reminiscences, having started primary school seven years after independence. Public or missionary primary and secondary schools were good enough for any serious student to be well-educated, then. I think majority of pupils were serious because the home-front emphasised the importance of education and good behaviour, both at home and in public.

Family name mattered.

There was a level of communal responsibility in curbing excesses of youths. There was healthy competitiveness among schools, all in the bid to excel academically and in sports. These values have diminished since the 80s, in my opinion. I am afraid, and there is nothing on ground to show that we are ready to have these core family and communal values back even when we know they are desirable values as bedrock for sound education.

There is also more access to tertiary education than it was in the 60s, 70s and 80s, with a rapid increase when state and private tertiary institutions emerged. More are still being established. I am

not sure they are meeting our needs yet in terms of number and facilities, relative to our burgeoning population, since independence. There is already a paradigm shift in education, with advances in information technology, all over the world.

Youths of today were born in the age of technological advances. Therefore, certain comparisons on what obtained earlier may not be justifiable in terms of context in which education was delivered.

We will even find out that there are aspects of technolo g y - e nha nc e d educ a tio na l delivery that are far better than what happened in the past. This is an advantage the youths of today have. What cannot be wished away is sound ethical orientation for both young and old. Cheating, cultism, social misdemeanors etc. among youths and adults affect sound education and society at large.

Some of these vices can be traced to the misuse or abuse of information technology but this cannot diminish the need to access technology. We only need to brace up to having new regulations in schools to curb abuse. Rate of acquisition of information is high, but that of learning or application of knowledge for positive develop-

Prof felix Salako

ment is low.

What are the challenges militating the nations education system?

A population of about 205 million people with about 55percent of youths unemployed even with different levels of education is demoralising for the youths. Many of the socalled “employed’’ are under-

employed. Unlike the first 2030 years after independence, education provided meal tickets that provided adequate sustenance of families. The fallout of the current demoralising situation of unemployment is that many do not see the need to pursue education vigorously again. Coupled with this is the lack of enabling environment to create viable private businesses. So, some of the vices in our educational systems are creation of frustration, borne out of real or imagined causes.

Our educational institutions require more attention in terms of infrastructure and facilities.

Facilities that meet the paradigm shift in education, from analogue to digital learning.

A situation where model schools are established at the expense of upgrading schools that are more than 100 years is too elitist and will not help Nigeria in terms of sustainable development. Teachers and lecturers should be well- motivated and shielded from abuse to make teaching a fruitful career, which it was in the early years after independence. A situation where teachers are scared of students is frightening. Morals should be taught with passion. The question I must ask is: Who is qualified to

teach it now in Nigeria?

Future and what to expect in the years ahead?

The current is digital; the future shall be more digital.

The upcoming generations are already revolutionized with electronics right from the age of consciousness of the environment, usually 2 or 3 years.

We must key into this as a nation. The requirements for proper education of our youths on technology must first be provided by government, adequately. Things already taken for granted in some countries of the world; regular water and electricity supply, roads, effective transportation systems, social support, economic growth, infrastructure and easy access to communication facilities etc.

I have hope because it is obvious to me that in spite of our challenges, we are producing graduates in Nigeria who turn out to be high flyers at home and in advanced countries of the world. These are in good numbers. This means that if we create the enabling environment, education acquired in Nigeria up to or beyond secondary school level shall be of greater benefits to the country.

We can overcome our challenges if we commit ourselves to the solutions.

Focus Port Harcourt city chamber after 63 years …Goes digital under Nabil Saleh to meet 21st century business challenges Ignatius Chukwu

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he Port Harcourt Chamber of Commerce, Industry, Mines and Agriculture (PHCCIMA) is regarded as the oldest city chamber in the south-south. It was established in 1957 as an interest group with the objective of articulating business interests in the Niger Delta region and its environ in their transitional period to a post-colonial Nigeria, and thereafter.

A Nigerian chief with Lebanese roots, Nabil Saleh, is now at the driving seat of the city chamber and also head of the Organised Private sector (OPS) in Rivers State.

Many members say his tenure which began in November 2018, has led to visible transformational and gigantic strides among the comity of chambers of commerce in the country.

These feats that set the PHCCIMA apart are said not to have gone unnoticed. This was further demonstrated as Port Harcourt Chamber of Commerce, Industry, Mines, Agriculture and Technology

was recently elevated by NACCIMA from the status of an ‘A’ Chamber to a Premium Chamber of Commerce, with Lagos and Abuja chambers of commerce.

This was made known by the President of Port Harcourt Chamber of Commerce, Saleh, during his welcome remarks at the 2019 PHCCIMA Annual General Meeting held in the Council Hall, on Thursday 5th March 2020 before Covid-19 became a serious hindrance..

He had accordingly expressed gratitude to the Chamber Advisory Committee, Exco, Council, and entire members for their valuable contributions, collective and total commitment towards sustainable growth and development of the chamber and support to his administration since inauguration, which indeed has been part of the reasons for this momentous height.

Reeling out some of the achievements and activities of the present administration he said the present exco resuscitated all structures including trade groups, working committees, NACCIMA Women Organization, NACCIMA Youth Entrepreneurs PHCCIMA

Chapter, relocation of the Chamber Secretariat to a more conducive and serene environment, among others.

He disclosed that the present administration has registered many new members, almost getting 50 per cent of existing number, revalidating their membership, while some old members had indicated interest to return.

According to the PHCCIMA President, in the year under review, the present administration held three quarterly general forums for members enlightenment and business development, four business linkages, and workshops in current MSME entrepreneurial trends, 14 exco and expanded exco meetings and an Extra-ordinary General Meeting that witnessed the approval of the reviewed bylaws of the chamber.

He noted that PHCCIMA is now the number one e-Chamber of Commerce in the country as all operations are system-based, even as the 6th edition of the commerce Port Harcourt Magazine was unveiled recently with the dissemination of business information via the

Weekly E-Newsletter, WhatsApp, PHCCIMA App Calendar.

Hear him: “We presently have national appointments in NACCIMA, a National Vice President, two Exco, two trade Group chairmen and trade group members and more are coming.” He added that PHCCIMA is presently hosting 15 Federal and state MDA’s, has created a One-Stop-Shop in the chamber for all federal and state agencies and have also received four foreign Ambassadors and consulate officers at the secretariat.

Saleh had also revealed that PHCCIMA is holding strategic positions in federal and state government councils and a committee including in the “Rivers State Ease of Doing Business Council, Nigeria Electricity Regulatory Commission, Rivers State Road Safety Advisory Council, Rivers State Taxes Harmonisation Committee, Federal Technical Committee on Nigeria Palm Oil Policy Review among others.

According to him, the 15th edition of the 2019 Port Harcourt International Trade Fair was a huge success, as it witnessed

Nabil-Ahmed-Saleh many highs in the attendance of virtually all the LGA’s in Rivers state, Banks, Airlines and gluts of participants. He said PHCCIMA during the recent 1st Quarter National meeting was chosen as the host of the upcoming NACCIMA AGM in June 2020, and finally told members that two PHCCIMA members got the National Productivity Order of Merit Award, one in the individual and the other on the organisational category; he assured members that the Certificate of Occupancy will be released soon, in view of this, they have provided for property development in the 2020 budget, tagged “Budget of Hope”.

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Editorial Publisher/Editor-in-chief

Frank Aigbogun

editor Zebulon Agomuo DEPUTY EDITOR John Osadolor, Abuja MANAGING DIRECTOR Dr. Ogho Okiti EXECUTIVE DIRECTOR, OPERATIONS Fabian Akagha EXECUTIVE DIRECTOR, STRATEGY, INNOVATION & PARTNERSHIPS Oghenevwoke Ighure ADVERT MANAGER Ijeoma Ude MANAGER, CONFERENCES & EVENTS Obiora Onyeaso BUSINESS DEVELOPMENT MANAGER (South East, South South) Patrick Ijegbai COPY SALES MANAGER Florence Kadiri DIGITAL SALES MANAGER Linda Ochugbua GM, BUSINESS DEVELOPMENT (North)

Bashir Ibrahim Hassan

GM, BUSINESS DEVELOPMENT (South) Ignatius Chukwu HEAD, HUMAN RESOURCES Adeola Obisesan

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N2.67bn school feeding alleged fraud: Acid test for Buhari’s corruption fight

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ecently, the Independent Corrupt Practices and Other Related Offences Commission (ICPC) shocked Nigerians with the revelation that it has traced to private accounts N2.67 billion meant to be funds for the federal government’s school feeding programme.

The programme is executed by the ministry of Humanitarian Affairs, Disaster Management and Social Development supervised

by Sadiya Umar Farouk who was once quoted as saying that her ministry spent N600 billion on feeding school children during the Covid-19 lockdown.

The ICPC also said another N2.5 billion appropriated for the Federal Ministry of Agriculture was found in the personal account of a deceased staff of the ministry, who was also discovered to be in possession of landed assets including 18 buildings, 12 business premises and 25 plots of land.

Bolaji Owasanoye, the chairman of ICPC, made the revelations at the second National Summit on Diminishing Corruption with the theme, ‘Together Against Corruption and Launch of the National Ethics and Integrity Policy’ by President Muhammadu Buhari.

Another shocker from the chairman was that under Open

Treasury Portal review carried out by the anti-corruption agency between January and August 15, 2020, out of 268 Ministries, Departments and Agendas (MDAs), 72 of them had cumulative infractions of N90 million.

All these are mind-boggling, more so at a time when fighting corruption is one of the cardinal focus of the government. The other two are economy and insecurity.

We are particularly piqued by frequent reports of financial malfeasance coming out of Buhari’s Humanitarian Services ministry.

The same ministry was alleged to have spent N600 billion feeding school children at a time when all schools in the country were closed down in deference to Covid-19 pandemic.

There were strong grounds for the government to raise queries on the propriety or justification for spending such a humongous amount of money on feeding children who were at home with their parents, but that did not happen or is yet to happen several months after.

Now, the ministry’s N2.67 billion discovered in private accounts of civil servants poses an acid test for President Buhari to prove how serious it is with the much hyped fight against corruption in the country.

We had expected that the government would demonstrate

its seriousness and sincerity with the corruption fight by doing something concrete on this revelation more so as it was made at a national summit on ‘Diminishing Corruption’.

For a government that makes so much claim about its commitment to fighting corruption, the next best thing to do is to isolate all the people that have immediate or remote connection to this act of corruption until further investigation on their action is concluded.

Like other Nigerians, we don’t consider it enough defence for the minister to ask ICPC to mention names. Since the fraud has been established, we are of the opinion that relevant people should answer relevant questions and the law allowed to take its course on whoever is found culpable.

We expect that the corruption fight, for whatever it represents, should be total, unbiased and no respecter of persons and positions. Once a case of fraud or corrupt practice is discovered or established, as in the present case, we expect the government to immediately initiate processes that will get whoever is involved to answer for his/her actions.

Such actions should cut across various government ministries, departments and agencies. At the Agriculture Ministry, Owasanoye

said they found payments to contractors for no job done or over payment for jobs done, and appropriation of projects to private farms of senior civil servants of the ministry.

The agency observed that transfers to sub-TSA were to prevent disbursement from being monitored. “Nevertheless, we discovered payments to some federal colleges for school feeding in the sum of N2.67 billion during lockdown when the children are not in school, and some of the money ended up in personal accounts,” he said. All these, to say the least, are unimaginable in a Buhari era.

We are constrained to ask questions which, we are sure, are also on many lips: Who are the owners of these accounts into which tax payers’ money has been lodged? Which banks are involved in this unwholesome act? How did this money get into those accounts? What does the minister know about insiderabuses in her ministry?

We believe that providing answers to these questions is the only way government can prove to Nigerian people that fighting corruption is truly a serious matter. And the time to do so is Now, else the whole effort would continue to be regarded as a hoax or a sheer waste of time and resources.

EDITORIAL ADVISORY BOARD Imo Itsueli Mohammed Hayatudeen Afolabi Oladele Vincent Maduka Opeyemi Agbaje Amina Oyagbola Bolanle Onagoruwa Fola Laoye Chuka Mordi Mezuo Nwuneli Charles Anudu Tunji Adegbesan Eyo Ekpo Wiebe Boer Paul Arinze Boye Olusanya Ayo Gbeleyi Haruna Jalo-Waziri Clement Isong Konyin Ajayi

Enquiries NEWS ROOM 08169609331 08116759816 08033160837

} Lagos Abuja

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BDSUNDAY 9

Perspective Lagos and the prospect of water transportation TAYO OGUNBIYI Ogunbiyi is Deputy Director, Public Affairs, Ministry of Information and Strategy, Alausa, Ikeja

D

uring the recent celebration of its 100,000th passenger at the Ipakodo Terminal, Ikorodu, AbdoulBaq Ladi Balogun, managing director, Lagos Ferry Services (LAGFERRY), said, “Today we are very happy reaching another milestone of commuting our 100,000th passenger on the 124th day of our operations, since the commissioning of our new boats by Governor Babajide Sanwo-Olu in February 2020.”

While expressing his appreciation to Governor Babajide Sanwo-Olu for his unflinching support and the passengers for their continuous patronage and loyalty, Ladi-Balogun stressed that LAGFERRY will continue to provide safety and optimal services on all its passenger boats across the metropolis.

This is coming on the heels of the celebration, in similar vein,

of the 60,000th passenger, Mrs. Caroline Ateboh on the 30th of June, 2020 immediately after the resumption of services due to the coronavirus pandemic.

This is an indication that Lagosians are beginning to appreciate and embrace water transportation. For Lagos to be a functional smart city, there must be diversification of the mode of transportation which include the interconnectivity of the rail, road and water transportation systems.

Today, many mega cities of the world depend on more than one mode of transportation.

Therefore, the need to exploit alternative means of transportation mode cannot be overemphasized.

One of such other alternatives being exploited by the government is the waterways.

Putting into consideration that the State occupies 3,577 square kilometers with water bodies accounting for 25% of its geographical landmass, water transportation has great potentials in Lagos.

The milestone recorded by LAGFERRY, is, no doubt, a good indicator that the transportation narrative is about to change for good in the State.

It is worthy of note that LAGFERRY has deployed more boats and increased daily trips

in order to provide a safe, fast and reliable alternative mode of transportation to lessen the traffic congestion that are arising from the massive road rehabilitation and construction going on across the State.

According to Ladi-Balogun, the Agency is fully committed to exploring the capacity of the waterways to strengthen mass transportation in line with the transportation blueprint of the current administration.

Some of the routes the agency operates includes Ikorodu to Falomo, Ikorodu to Ebute Ero, Sandfill, Falomo and Marina, Ikoyi to Badore, Ebute Ojo to Ijegun Egba, Apapa and Marina, Bayeku to Oke Ira Nla and Falomo, Mile 2 to Marina and Apapa, Badore to Ijede, Sandfill and Falomo, Ilaje Bariga to Falomo, Sandfill, Badore, Marina and Ebute-Ero. LAGFERRY has equally introduced additional routes for more residents to enjoy its services.

LAGFERRY boats are built with absolute comfort with inbuilt Wi-Fi and modern technological devices that aid smooth operations and safety with the capacity to carry up to 60 passengers. Also, the boats are available for charter to host parties, Annual General Meetings

(A.G.M) and for tourists.

Much emphasis is particularly being placed on safety of the water ways. This is why lots channelization and dredging are being done in order to make the waterways safe and secure for all stakeholders.

There are also plans to connect water terminals and the roads, especially in places such as Badore, Ajah, Mile 2, Badagry, Ikorodu and other places where there are terminals.

With current level of investment in water transportation, Lagos, no doubt, stands to experience appreciable upsurge in socio-economic activities. For instance, the expansion of trade to the Lekki Free Trade Zone will be easy to access by water from international waterways to local inland waterways.

Also, inter-costal trade will experience ease such that traders will be able to move their commodities via ships and other water transport modes. Therefore, the menace of tankers and heavy duty trucks on the roads will be drastically reduced.

Presently, LAGFERRY is facilitating cargoes movement and providing innovative solutions to logistic challenges of industries, importers and manufacturers. It currently conveys trucks from its Mile 2 Jetty to Apapa Seaport

to load containers. The hassles of doing same by road are being greatly reduced by the option of moving them on water via LAGFERRY’s badges.

In-spite of this latest development, it is cheering to state that the state government is not resting on its oars as it is poised to embark on the construction of more jetties and provision of more modern ferry boats to create opportunities for more private sector participation in water transportation.

There are equally plans to build modern jetties in Badagry, Lekki, and Ajegunle, just as the one being built in Ijegun would soon be completed. Also, before the fourth quarter of the year, LAGFERRY would extend its services to all 40 water routes licensed for Lagos.

On the whole, given the complex and vital nature of public transportation in the State, the Sanwo-Olu Administration has done well by investing in and developing intermodal transportation.

By the time the Lagos light rail project becomes effective and expanded, coupled with renewed efforts to improve water transportation in addition to numerous on-going road projects across the State, a more effective and reliable public transportation system will emerge.

Newsxtra Abia overhauls MDAs for efficient service delivery - COS UDOKA AGWU, Umuahia

A

nthony Agbazuere, chief of staff to Governor Okezie Ikpeazu, has said that the state government was determined to ensure the repositioning and rejigging of various state’s agencies by overhauling them through the appointment of new/ efficient management to interpret the governor’s visions and deliver multisectoral growth for Abians.

Agbazuere, who made this known during the 2021 state budg et de fence at Government House Umuahia totaling N17,813,350,200 (seventeen billion, eight hundred and thirteen million, three hundred and fifty, two hundred Naira) disclosed that the proposed budget when approved would strategically strengthen certain

achievements by creating conducive environment for local and foreign investors to thrive as well as provide opportunities for human capital development.

The Chief of Staff pointed out some of the policy trust for year 2021 for Government House Umuahia to include, ensuring effective and efficient resource allocation, utilisation in relation to proper prioritisation of people’s need to ensure that governments programmes and projects meet citizens demands as well as guarantee dividends of democracy and value for money in it’s implementation, ensuring careful identification and harmonisation of all revenue generating windows towards attaining the set goals for 2021 which is economic repositioning.

He therefore, urged the 2021 state budget Commit-

tee to be fair to other agencies under the Government House.

He further described the State Government House as the seat of power for all the state government activities whereas the office of the Governor coordinates all the functions and activities of the entire MDA’s towards good governance and public engagement in the state.

Earlier in her speech, the Chairman 2021 State Budget Committee and Permanent Secretary Planning Commission, Nnenna Chikezie disclosed that the theme of this year’s budget “Budget of Local Content and Sustainable Development” commended the Governor Okezie Ikpeazu for his unrelentless efforts at repositioning the state on the part of greatness and promised that the committee would be fair and transparent to all MDA’s.

SSP, Waje Brymo, Chigurl others in AdronHome’s Unity song for Nigeria@60

F

oremost real estate c o m p a ny , Ad ro n Homes has released an all-star music production titled ‘We are Nigeria’ today, October 1 2020 to celebrate Nigeria’s 60th independence anniversary.

The song features popular and award winning Nigerian musicians including Sir Shina Peters, Ruby Gyang, Waje, Illbliss, Brymo, Chigurl & B.J Lawrence The song ‘We are Nigeria’ was produced by Moshood with Adron Homes as the executive producer for the track.

Sp e a k i n g w i t h t h e newsmen at the company headquarters in Lagos on the music production, Group Managing Director Adron Homes, Aare Adetola Olaniyi Emmanuelking said, “With this song, we aim to inspire hope in the heart of every Nigerian and to remind ourselves of

the importance of our unity as a nation. We believe that this song will spur renewed faith and ignite the power of words over our beloved country; reminding us of our greatest assets – the strength we posses in our togetherness.

Adron Homes firmly believes that this 60th celebration should symbolise our national values and reawaken the spirit of patriotism in the minds of Nigerians.

The song also aims to give every Nigerian at home and abroad a chance to speak positive words over our great Nation in this light, the company further made the announcement that in the spirit of making the incredible affordable, it has declared a 60 hours 50percent discount on ALL its estates which ends at 12 noon on Friday, October 2nd 2020.

A viral campaign tagged

#AdronUnityBeatChallenge has been launched following the release of the song. Emmanuel King said, “We encourage every Nigerian at home and in the Diaspora to join us in speaking positive words over our country by joining the challenge and challenging friends and family to make a video of their own version of the song to stand a chance to win exciting prizes.

He squealed further on how to participate, according to him; we encoring all group of ages, to join the challenge by downloading the music on our social media pages and create his or her version of the video with hashtag #AdronUnityBeatChallenge.

The song ‘We are Nigeria’ is available for streaming on YouTube and all music platform across globe.

10 BDSUNDAY

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Sunday 04 October 2020

Perspective CHIGACHI EKE Eke, a public affairs commentator, writes from Port Harcourt. Email: chigachieke@yahoo.co.uk

NDDC palliative: The clarion call

I

Of looters and legislators n October 2019, governors of the nine states making up the Niger Delta Development Commission (NDDC), approached President Muhammadu Buhari to carry out a forensic audit of the commission. Not minding the trillions of naira allocated it since inception in 2000, very little result could be seen. A consortium of nine auditors was recruited, according to Godswill Akpabio, minister of Niger Delta Affairs, MNDA, with Messrs Olumuyiwa Bashiru and Co later recruited February 2020 as lead consultant.

Of the N2.5 billion earmarked by the presidency for the audit, since the NDDC had no 2019 budget, N318 million was paid the lead auditor February 2020 and N722.3 million paid August 2020 to the other eight auditors. The Ahmed Lawan-led Nigerian Senate neither objected to these monies nor the competency of the auditors.

But somewhere along the line, the preliminary field auditing, spanning 2001-2019 and covering 12, 000 abandoned projects, was ambushed when some past and sitting members of the National Assembly (NASS), were implicated. To effectively kill and bury the audit, the Senate contrived to open its own probe, citing the incompetence of the auditors as pretext.

On 5th May 2020, the Senate constituted its own ad-hoc committee chaired by Olubunmi Adetumbi. The committee was to look into allegations of financial recklessness against the Kemebradikumo Pondei-led Interim Management Committee (IMC) that heads the NDDC. On 23rd July, the committee submitted its report recommending, inter alia, the (a) dissolution of the IMC and setting up of a substantive board to run the commission (b) commission reports directly to the Presidency, and (c) commission refunds the N1.5 billion advanced NDDC staff as Covid-19 palliative.

Predictably, the report wanted the audit transferred to the Office of Auditor-General of the Federation.

Since the reading of that report tension has heightened in the region as stakeholders felt justice was not served. The anger is not that the commission has been discredited adequately to make its dissolution a logical thing. That is not the anger as you cannot disband the NDDC while leaving untouched the rotten North East Development Commission (NEDC), and Presidential Initiative on North East (PINE). People are angry that the Senate used the pallia-

Kemebradikumo Pondei

tive to divert attention from the hundreds of billions looted from the NDDC by some legislators who stimulated the Senate probe in a scenario reminiscent of Otedola Vs House of Reps.

It might interest the esteemed Senate President Lawan to know that the number one problem of the NDDC is Abuja politicians. The number two, three and four problems of NDDC are still the same crop of Abuja politicians who descend on it looting anything not fastened to the floor. We are precisely talking about a situation where NASS members withhold the approved NDDC budget till the Managing Director makes concessions. A single legislator corners seventy contracts!

Their modus operandi is to arrive Port Harcourt with wailing sirens for “project sites inspection tour.” Stern-faced troops scar away staff from the 7th floor of the Harold Dappa-Biriye House where the foot soldiers of the legislators are feted with contract award letters. In expensive hotels directly behind the commission, meanwhile, the legislators run up hotel bills. They return to Abuja only for another set of legislators to notify the traumatised NDDC of their own visit. That the Senate probed the NDDC without probing those legislators hosted by the commission is our anger.

Who are you fooling?

Bell tolls not for NDDC staff But we agree completely that Niger Deltans working in NDDC as cleaners, drivers, security, directors and IMC members should be made to refund the billions paid them as Covid-19 palliative. That will teach them the bitter lesson of their lives because it was their blind loyalty to the status quo that greatly helped in suppressing popular revolts.

Your gainfully employed NDDC staff no longer believe in the Niger Delta struggle. The Kaiama Declaration is anathema to them. It beggars belief that some threaten peaceful visitors with arrest. Even Pon-

Godswill Obot Akpabio

dei, whom we thought was an activist, arrested some protesting youths. Pondei and his staffers are on their own today having served northerners with a trembling of the heart while wielding the big stick against their own people.

So we would like a situation where our brothers and sisters working in NDDC are made to cough out the billions given them as palliative. We sympathise with their families but they must refund the monies; never mind that staff of NEDC and PINE are keeping their own multi-billion palliatives.

At the end of the day, every NDDC staff will see the need to listen when we talk. They must know that there is strength in unity as we have a common enemy. Our people working in NDDC must know that their destiny is inseparably from ours and so must join ranks with us in checkmating those who from Abuja loot and pillage the commission. Every NDDC staff must now cooperate when protesters converge on the commission gates. Unless we unite, we are finished.

The Senate has challenged every lawyer, journalist, judge, youth, etc, from the region to furnish it with the names of NASS members sourcing for NDDC contracts. We must do the needful or be damned. Have no fear for hate speech. It is the hate politics of live-and-let-die that will kill Nigeria.

Setting the record straight We now take a closer look at the contents and inferences latent in the report of the Adetumbiled committee, balancing same with local and international best practices. The report is biased against the disenfranchised and disenchanted NDDC staff on three grounds, namely, its (1) hasty condemnation of the proposed unionists’ trip to Turin, Italy, for training with the International Labour Organisation (ILO), (2) selective treatment of the Covid-19 palliative extended staff, and (3) deliberate misrepresentation of allowances earned by staff.

Ahmad Lawan, Senate President

To start with, NDDC staff are financial members of the Amalgamated Union of Public Corporations, Civil Service, Technical and Recreation Services Employees (AUPCTRE). In this capacity, they are affiliates of the Nigerian Labour Congress (NLC), Council of Global Unions (CGU), representing some 200 million workers worldwide, International Trade Union Confederacy (ITUC) and ILO. Following the outbreak of the Covid-19 pandemic, these national and supranational bodies took timely measures to ensure workers’ welfare. Their position is contained in a working document titled “Urgent Economic Stimulus and Workplace Measures Required in Face of Covid-19,” issued 13th March in London by the CGU. As Europe led in the implementation of this programme, the Federal Government also rolled out palliatives for Nigerian workers. It was under the purview of federal palliatives that NDDC staff received theirs, which was not limited to the interventionist agency.

Ministries, departments and agencies shared out billions as palliatives to their staff. Who is asking questions about that?

Section 6 of the “NDDC Board Approved Negotiated Employee Handbook on Terms and Conditions of Service” has provision for further training.

Personnel must be assisted to acquire professional training if the commission thinks such could enhance their productivity. The IMC saw an opportunity to train NDDC unionists in Italy and paid. The payment was done during the lockdown with the hope that beneficiaries could depart once international flights resume. There was no motive to loot as the unionists have been sponsored to attend international trainings in the past. Also, allowances paid NDDC workers were legal in line with their specific terms and conditions of service.

Conclusion From the 8th floor of the NDDC headquarters one could see

Ogoniland with a telescope. In that marshland, tens of millions of dollars, translating into trillions of naira, have changed hands inthescamcalledOgoniCleanUp. Ogonis have decried the robbery going on in their communities but no Senate will probe.

Likewise, we call for probe into the multibillion-dollar railway project that side-lined the South East and South-South in favour of the South West, northern Nigeria and Niger Republic. Where is our own share of the $21.4 million Covid-19 palliative donated by the US? What happened to the N25.8 billion donated by the Nigerian Private Sector Coalition Against Covid-19?

We now remind the sectarian leadership of the 9th NASS that it was Niger Delta monies that were illegally used in funding the All Progressives Congress (APC) to power in 2015. Have the beneficiaries of that monumental corruption refunded us our monies?

Even as we speak, individuals are working to pull Niger Delta funds to support their political aspirations. It is sheer political rascality using the commission as ground for turf war.

Our bane is unnecessary mutual suspicion and anger. We post endless petitions against Akpabio, Pondei and even the lowly NDDC driver happy to see N600,000 for the first time.

If you can write petition why not raise hell about northerners buying private jets with your oil money? Exploiting our endogenous contradictions, exogenous forces hostile to our common interests struck and completely pulverised us. If you cast the first stone at your own brother, what do you expect outsiders to do to him in a hostile Senate? They simply kill him with a sledgehammer.

We are for NDDC staff refunding monies paid them as Covid-19 palliative by the pronorth Pondei. If this selective war on corruption can make 2023 sweeter, so be it. The decision is theirs. In this world, an unconscious people get what they sow- garbage in, garbage out.

Sunday 04 October 2020

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Politics

BDSUNDAY 11

Why are Wike and Amaechi up in arms again? …Amaechi: I am the best governor Rivers ever produced …Wike: You left a legacy of abandoned projects Ignatius Chukwu

T

he airwaves are once again disturbed by yet another round of storm from the usual twosome, Governor Nyesom Wike of Rivers State and his kinsman and predecessor, Chibuike Rotimi Amaechi, minister of Transportation in his second term.

For eight years (2012), both former allies have been at each other’s throat in a clawing fight that promises to end only in tragedy; a political fight that has led to crash of careers, loss of lives, derailing of the state’s economy, shattered dreams especially for foreign scholars, and a landscape of wasted and abandoned projects. Yet, the two brothers do not seem to be close to half time.

The fresh burst of bile and volcano has forced political analysts to return to their crystal balls to seek explanations in the skies, wondering what is disturbing the firmament. While Amaechi supporters think it is the usual flare from the government house in Port Harcourt against the former occupant (Amaechi), few others think it could be signals that Amaechi may be heading toward the poles position in the presidential contest in 2023 where Wike may also eye same limelight.

Yet, another school of thought suspects there is a grand design to divert attention from the bigger issue of whether governorship should be returned to the upland-riverine zoning justice. A source said sustaining a political war between the two Ikwerre sons would force all attention to the PDP versus APC frontline as if other political parties did not exist. They suspect that the more Amaechi and Wike remain the political issue, the more the people of the state would be forced to file behind one or the other, thereby forgetting all other issues.

The source said this warfare would make every Wike supporter to think that the moment a Wike man wins the coming governorship election, the entire camp has won, whether upland or riverine. This much has been said severally by Wike who argues that the days of upland/ riverine thinking were gone.

Amaechi, on the other hand sees himself as fighting for the return of power to the riverine people. His victory would be regarded by all his followers as victory to rotation principle. His followers may well feel at home with whoever from him that

Nyesom Wike

wins the government house, no matter where such a winner hailed from. This may reduce the politics of the oil state to a Wike vs Amaechi matter.

This warfare seems to have exterminated issue-based political contest and has killed opinion-based political talk. Everyone in the state is either a Wike friend or an Amaechi enemy.

The other openly discussed angle is whether the rise of Amaechi in the APC holds prospects of him becoming the standard bearer of the party for the presidency. Many thus think that Wike is also rising fast as the face of the opposition and may want to lead a charge to unseat the APC in Aso Rock. Could it end up as a battle between two Rivers sons?

Some point to the fact that the last time Amaechi was perceived to want to play a presidential role (presidential running mate) in the run-in to the 2015 elections, Wike roared to oppose it with his allies in Aso Rock and that kicked off the worst political warfare in the south-south. The fight lingers to this day.

It may perhaps be for this reason that no one in each camp would want the leader of the other camp to acquire power, believing it would lead to selfatrophy for a camp member to alloy such prospect. Threats seem very high.

The latest fire started when Amaechi paid visit at the burial of the late jurist, Adolphus KaribiWhyte. Amaechi was quoted to say he remained the best governor of Rivers State. He ran some illustrations with figures.

This was said to have angered Wike who bought airtime in two national television channels to

Rotimi Amaechi

hack Amaechi’s image to pieces.

The governor said Amaechi only left a legacy of white elephant projects.

Their aides and supporters took the fight from there.

Wike men shoot The state’s commissioner for information and culture, Paulius Msirim, who was a director in the Ministry of Information in the Amaechi years before being made permanent secretary and later commissioner in same ministry, “Rivers’ watchers are aware of the fact that for the past five years, since he assumed office as the number one citizen of Rivers State, Governor Wike has exhibited great restraint and admirable political maturity in refraining from joining issues with his predecessor. He has opted to concentrate on delivering on the promises he made to Rivers people, which fundamentally is to deliver good governance and legacy infrastructural projects to the people.”

According to him, “Governor Wike, addressing a global audience which had fervently anticipated his well advertised interview on the continental television network, declared that a project like the Justice KaribiWhyte Hospital was a scam because it gulped $39.9million on paper as there is nothing to show on ground at the proposed site.

“It was one of the biggest frauds in the history of governance both in Nigeria and internationally as the so called Canadian foreign partners, eventually claimed that they did not have the funds to meet up their own partnership counterpart funding, after Rivers State had fully and hurriedly paid up the

non-refundable whopping $39.9 million.”

Msirim also landed more blows, pointing to the monorail project. “Not done with the expose and reeling out figures with definitive authority, Governor Wike stated that the sum of N65 billion was spent on the 1.2 kilometers Monorail Project which was conceived as another white elephant project and conduit pipe to milk Rivers resources, adding that he was stunned when an evaluation to complete the project, provided a figure that would have conveniently built more infrastructure across the state,” the commissioner further quoted his principal as saying.

Amaechi men counter Reacting, a media consultant and APC stalwart, Eze Chukwuemeka Eze quoted where Wike once said: “Rivers State under Governor Rotimi Amaechi has experienced a revolutionary transformation in the areas of education, healthcare, road infrastructure, power generation, etc. In the history of Rivers State, no administration has demonstrated total commitment and capability, transparency, and public participation in governance. Despite the magnitude of developmental challenges facing the state, Amaechi has demonstrably shown that no developmental goal is impossible to achieve, neither is any hurdle difficult to surmount...”

On who is the best governor Rivers State has had, the party stalwart said the place of Amaechi as the best has never been in contention. He called on analysts to desist from playing up Wike by trying to compare him with Amaechi, stressing that there

was no basis for any evaluation between the two.

Another supporter, Ugo Egbujo, stated, “When Amaechi was governor, Minister Wike and company stopped the renovation of the Port Harcourt Airport.

Other airports - Lagos, Owerri, Kano, etc were all renovated.

“Wike and his master (Jonathan) punished Rivers State and the Niger Delta. But that was the minor bit. When Amaechi was nominated minister, Wike compiled a dossier against Amaechi.

Wike cried that Amaechi was not fit to be minister.

“Part of his accusation was that Amaechi hosted Soyinka to a dinner party. He said Amaechi did national politics with Rivers money. This is the same Wike who is now bankrolling politics in Africa.

“Wike sent cartons of petitions to the National Assembly, wasted Rivers money and told naked lies in an attempt to stop Amechi who made him a minister from becoming a minister. Yes, Amaechi nominated Wike as minister.”

He said the transport ministry has proposed the PH Maiduguri line, and is pushing the Lagos Calabar route. “Those two would be more than Wike and the PDP federal government did for the entire Niger Delta in16 years. I would have thought Wike would ask what Amaechi did as a governor. No, he won’t . Even by his unique standards, disputing those achievements would be too fat a lie.”

Both sides are firing salvos, and nobody knows when this round would subsidise like the tides that visit the state capital every morning and recede every evening.

12 BDSUNDAY

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Sunday 04 October 2020

Politics

At 60: Nigeria seeking a way out of the wood

I

Innocent Odoh, Abuja n 1984, Sunny Okosun, the late Nigerian musician, released an album he aptly tagged, ‘Which Way Nigeria’.

In the album, the late music activist and social crusader, was worried over the slow pace of development in the country since gaining independence in 1960.

He also criticised the past and present Nigerian governments for the unforgivable neglect of the country to rot, the masses to suffer and reign of corruption and injustice in the land.

As well, Fela Anikulapo Kuti, the late afrobeat legend, Ras Kimono, The Mandators, and many other revolutionary musicians have severally used their craft to highlight the plight of the masses, injustice and slow pace of development in the country since independence.

But nothing has changed for good since then; instead, the situation is getting out of hand.

As Ademola Olajide, a quantity surveyor with UACN Property, rightly puts it, “Time is gone when our parents keep reminding us of the ‘good old days’. As far as my generation is concerned, they are fairy tales of the 1960s and can never be in Nigeria again”.

Olajide, who turned 40 in July, thinks that the independence did not make Nigeria any better, as the masses are now enslaved by their own people who siphon funds meant for infrastructural development, politicians who collect millions for constituency development projects and buy tricycles instead, and civil servants who guide politicians and public office holders on safe ways to loot government treasury.

What manner of Independence At 60 years, Ebenezer Elom, 65-years old retired accountant, who is now a traditional ruler in Iza, Ebonyi State, regrets that Nigeria should have been the leading light in Africa across all indices; developmental, political, economy, peaceful co-existence, merit among others.

“I was barely five years old when we gained independence.

Since then, I have not felt that sense of independence because there is little or nothing to show for our freedom if one considers the good stories our parents told us on the orderliness, accountability and working structures under the colonial administration”, Elom lamented.

For the traditional ruler, Nigeria failed to review and improve on the structures handed over to it by the colonial government, as well as, to consolidate on the few developmental strides left behind

by Britain.

“They accused Britain of building railways mainly across routes that served their exploitative business interests. How many new railway lines has Nigeria built since gaining independence, and will you also blame Britain for the sub-standard road construction, the shallow seaports and the outdated airports”, he queried.

However, while many are questioning what the past and present

President Muhammadu Buhari

governments have done with Nigeria’s wealth since 1960, the country seems to be borrowing more than before, and leaving a huge debt profile behind for the unborn Nigerians.

On June 3, 2020, at the peak of the Covid-19 pandemic, most Nigerians who were staying safe at their homes were stunned to hear that the country’s debt profile had risen to $79.5 billion, about N28.63 trillion.

According to the Debt Management Office (DMO), the Federal Government accounts for 50.77 percent of the total domestic debt, which is $40.26 billion (N14.53 trillion), whereas the state governments and Federal Capital Territory account for 14.34 percent of the total domestic borrowing, which is $11.37 billion (N4.11 trillion).

The worry for most Nigerians is that there is virtually little or nothing to show for the huge debt, while the government is hoping to borrow more.

According to Monday Akhime, convener, African Development Series, an economy and development platform, despite the huge borrowing, our unemployment rate is high, inflation is soaring daily, hardship is eminent, which means that the loans were not put into the right use.

“As at the second quarter of 2020, our unemployment rate was 27.1 percent indicating that about 21.7 million Nigerians are unemployed; our inflation rate stood at 12.82 percent in July this year and the GDP is slowing even before the pandemic. It means the loans the government obtained were not used to fix the economy, provide social infrastructure and other things needed to boost job creation and the GDP”, he said.

Akhime also decried that governments over the years have never given the needed attention to developmental projects, hence the huge deficit in Nigeria’s infrastructural development.

“Recently, the Minister of Finance stated that Nigeria needs an estimated N36 trillion annually for the next 30 years to solve our

Former President Olusegun Obasanjo

infrastructure problem. Where will you get that money now that crude oil is no longer selling, and what happened to all the funds allocated and budgeted for developmental projects in the past. If we cannot prosecute those who loot Nigeria’s treasury, recover the loot and put them into good use, the looting spree will continue and Nigeria will not record meaningful development in the next 60 years”, he warned.

For Pascal Yari, a Kaduna-based lawyer, Nigeria is more divided now than it was in 1960 as the government seems to favour some people more than others, and encourages nepotism and hatred.

“If the level of nepotism, tribal and religious sentiments had existed during the colonial era, the British would have withheld the freedom or divided the country along ethnic lines before giving independence to definitely more than two countries then”.

However, many Nigerians think that there is nothing to celebrate about Nigeria even at 60 years because injustice still reigns, killings, nepotism is at its peak, and the citizenry are now enslaved by their own people, who loot funds meant for developmental projects and their wellbeing.

On Thursday, October 1, Nigeria marked 60 years of independence from British colonial rule, which ended in 1960. The Federal Government under the leadership of President Muhammadu Buhari rolled out the drums to celebrate the Diamond Jubilee tagged “60 years together”.

However, while Nigeria has managed to remain together after coming close to disintegration several times, including surviving a brutal 30 month-civil war, the unity of the diverse elements that make up the country has continued to be strained and its quest for greatness appears to be a mirage.

The most populous black nation on earth is tottering and seemed befuddled in search of a pathway to genuine nationhood that will lead to peace and progress.

At independence, there was plentiful hope that Nigeria, judging

Former President Goodluck Jonathan

by its vast and rich land, and very energetic and diverse people, will set the stage not just for its emancipation but in totality be the bastion of freedom and development for Africa and all peoples yearning for leadership direction around the world.

However, today Nigeria is in a quagmire. The nation is strangulated by poor leadership with no visionary economic agenda. Most Nigerians today did not have the enthusiasm to celebrate Nigeria at 60 because of their hapless and harsh economic conditions.

According to the World Poverty Clock, Nigeria is the headquarters of extreme poverty with nearly 100 million of its acclaimed 200 million people living below the poverty line.

Nigeria’s currency, the naira, has lost over 70percent of its value in the last five years; unemployment has risen to 27.1percent according to the National Bureau of Statistics for a country which annual population growth is 3.2percent. Inflation is at 12.58percent and still threatening to go higher.

The nation’s economy has contracted by 6percent as manufacturing, services and other sectors have suffered contraction of over 6percent occasioned by the Covid-19. The World Bank December last year warned that if drastic measures are not put in place, a quarter of the world’s poor will be in Nigeria by 2030. Nigeria is highly indebted to China, IMF and other organisations following massive loans obtained to ostensibly build infrastructure stretching even to other countries.

These scary figures appear not to have moved the leaders from their slumber as most of them are neck deep in corruption and ostentatious life in the midst of growing misery of the larger population.

Nigeria is today considered the third most terrorized country in the world according to the Global Terrorist Index (GTI). The north eastern part of the country is ravaged by the growing threat of terrorism perpetuated by the Boko Haram sect and their allies, the Islamic State in West Africa

Province (ISWAP) and al-Qaida.

Nigeria has lost nearly 50, 000 lives to the insurgency and over 2.5 million have been displaced since 2009.

The North West is ravaged by bandits, who kill and maim without mercy including killing countless number of security personnel.

On the Global Corruption Perception Index, the Transparency International has also rated Nigeria as one of the most corrupt countries in the world.

Speaking to BDSUNDAY on these myriad of crises and the fading hope of the citizenry, the Publicity Secretary of the Pan Yoruba cultural organisation, Afenifere, Yinka Odumakin said Nigeria has not been a settled nation because the country has not been properly constituted.

Odumakin noted that Nigeria is having political and economic crisis because it abandoned the path of true federal structure, which was disrupted by the military incursion into politics in 1966. He insisted that the best moments of Nigeria was when the nation practiced true federalism in the 1960s, stressing that the problem of Nigeria is a structural problem from which other variables revolve.

“It is the structure of Nigeria that will not allow good leaders to emerge,” he said.

He also blamed the crisis on the over centralisation of the power at the hands of the Federal government in the present time rather than what was obtainable in the First Republic where every region was productive because of a greater measure of autonomy.

Odumakin further said: “We need a constitution that will make every section of the country to become productive; we will see that we have more than enough rather than killing ourselves over the little in oil and gas. By making every section of Nigeria productive we will be a mighty country with extra -productivity. Then at that stage we will be looking at what unites us and not what divides us and that is how we can Continues on page 13

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Politics

Arewa leaders ask FG to grant Lagos special status •Lament infrastructure deficit facing the state

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Iniobong Iwok

he leaders of Arewa communities in Lagos State have urged the federal government to grant Lagos State special status, lamenting the state’s diverse infrastructure challenges since Federal Capital Territory (FCT) has been moved to Abuja.

Likewise, the leaders of Ndigbo inAllProgressivesCongress(APC) in Lagos State have endorsed the APC candidate for the October 31 bye-election in Lagos East, Mr. Tokunbo Abiru, attesting to how hesuccessfullytransformedPolaris Bank from liability and profitability under four years.

The leaders of the ethnic nationalities in Lagos State made these remarks at separate meetings with the Lagos East Senatorial Bye-Election Campaign Council under the leadership of Chief Kaoli Olusanya in Ikorodu.

At the Arewa meeting are the Apex Leader, Arewa United Group, Alhaji Mamuda Ibrahim; State Secretary, Arewa United Group, Alhaji Musa Sali; State Women Leader, Arewa United Group, Hajia Halima Zakara and Director-General, Arewa United Group, Alhaji Adamu Mats, among others.

The Coordinator of Ndigbo in Lagos, Chief Uche Okpotemba; Apex Leader of Ndigbo in APC, Mr.

Joe Igbokwe; Deputy Coordinator of Ndigbo in Lagos, Chief Chris Akwilo, Lagos East Leader of Ndigbo, Mr. Kelvin Nwoha and Eze Ndigbo of Ikosi-Isheri, Eze Remi Anyamele also attended the meeting of Ndigbo in Lagos East yesterday.

At the meeting with Arewa people in Lagos, Sali acknowledged diverse infrastructure challenges Lagos State had been battling since Federal Capital Territory (FCT) had been moved to Abuja almost three decades ago.

Sali said: “We have come to understanding that Lagos has been facing grave infrastructure deficit since federal capital has been moved to Abuja.

“As a result, Lagos has a huge burden to the state government due to the task of managing the state’s infrastructure deficit. We are demanding special status for Lagos to enable it address infrastructure deficit facing it.

“Without special grants, the state will not be able to address these challenges. We therefore ask the federal government to grant Lagos State special status like other former federal capitals across the world,” he said.

Also at the Arewa meeting, Ibrahim observed that the bye-election “is a task for Arewa people in the state. We have started mobilising our people in support of the APC. We will ensure all our members to

vote for the APC on October 31.

“We have been enjoying support from the Government of Lagos State. We have also enjoyed robust relationship with the people of Lagos State. However, we look forward to improved relationship in the future,” he said.

At the Ndigbo meeting, Okpotemba assured Abiru that all Ndigbo indigenes in Lagos East Senatorial District would be mobilised to vote the APC on October 31.

While Ndigbo in Lagos adopted Abiru as its candidate for the forthcoming senatorial bye-election, Okpotemba rechristened the

L-R: Kaoli Olusanya, chairman, Lagos East by-election campaign council; Tokunbo Abiru, APC candidate for the October 31 by-election in Lagos East; Col. Nwako Reuben, Omobowale of Ikorodu Division; Uche Okpotemba, coordinator of Ndigbo in Lagos State; Joe Igbokwe, Apex Leader of Ndigbo in APC; Chris Akwilo, deputy coordinator of Ndigbo in Lagos State; Kelvin Nwoha, Lagos East leader of Ndigbo, and Remi Anyamele, Eze Ndigbo of Ikosi-Isheri, at the meeting of Ndigbo in Lagos East with Abiru in Ikorodu…recently.

At 60: Nigeria seeking a way out of the...

Continued from page 12 forge a proper nation out of these diverse peoples. Presently we are a country and not a nation and until we make a nation out of Nigeria, we are going nowhere.”

Also reacting to the current trajectory of the nation, former Nigeria Ambassador to Switzerland, Humphrey Orjiako in his book “Nigeria: The Forsaken Road to Nationhood and Development”, gave a compelling narrative of when and how Nigeria got it wrong and the concomitant crises the nation is confronted with. He also suggested redemptive steps Nigeria must take to find its way out of the quagmire.

He wrote: “Over-centralisation of power is a cardinal culprit in stymieing Nigeria’s prospects for economic growth and development, as well as an important factor in decelerating her pace of advancement to nationhood.

“At the same time, there is no case made in this regard, that unitary rule of a vast, multi-national country from a distant, all powerful centre is the sole villain in our present state of under –performance and general underdevelopment”.

Executive Director of Civil Society Legislative Advocacy Centre (CISLAC), Auwal Ibrahim Musa Rafsanjani, blamed the backwardness of the country on the destruction of the nation’s value system especially its education and the

destruction of the civil service.

He decried the dearth of patriotic leadership, adding that most of the people who called themselves leaders are just looters of national treasury.

“In Nigeria, looting, corruption and misappropriation have become the order of the day, that’s why our abundant human and material resources do not translate into any meaningful development.

60 years after independence we have become the poverty capital of the world,’’ the CISLAC boss said.

He suggested a reorientation of Nigeria’s value system, “ which needs to be inculcated into the minds of Nigerians,” warning that “if we continue the way we are going, there is no way we can produce quality persons to lead us.”

He also called for electoral reforms to ensure transparency and accountabilityin“selectingpatriotic leaders, with ideas and vision that will bring the people out of these economic and political crises.”

The journey to the present sorry state Just few years after independence, the cracks in the wall of Nigeria began to show serious cleavages of ethnic, regional and religious dimensions worsened by the politics of attrition as the First Republic (1960-1966) politicians also formed their political parties along those fault lines.

The then northern region, ruled by the Northern People’s Congress (NPC) led by the late

APC candidate Ifeanyichukwu Tokunbo Abiru, commending him sterling achievements in banking sector.

After the meeting with Ndigbo, Abiru said if elected a senator representing Lagos East, he would focus on initiating bills and sponsoring motions that will guarantee protection of lives and properties nationwide.

He, also, assured them that he “will promote legislation that will deepen our peaceful co-existence irrespective of where we live or where we transact businesses as well as ensure the unity of our

Ahmadu Bello, the Sadaurna of Sokoto, made no pretenses that their party is for the north dominated by the Hausa/Fulani Oligarchy. The Action Group led by the late Sage, Obafemi Awolowo, an offshoot of the Egbe Omo Oduduwa, defines politics principally as it concerns the protection of the then Western region predominantly of the Yoruba ethnic stock while the National Council of Nigerian Citizens (NCNC) led by the late Nnamdi Azikiwe, had the Igbo people of the former Eastern region as the landlords.

The leaders despite the divisions found a formula of that ushered in self-rule in 1960, with each region enjoying large measure of autonomy in terms of control of their resources in a true federal sense. This was perhaps when Nigeria made more economic progress as posited by some analysts.

But no sooner had the leaders settled down for the business of governance, than the crises started in quick succession. First, it was the controversial census crisis of 1962/63, where each group tried to have advantage over the others by manipulating the results. Then there were the 1964 federal elections that were marred by rigging and irregularities as parties tried to profit from electoral mayhem. It led to enormous crises such that at some points the nation was without government but wise counsel prevailed to avert total anarchy.

But the 1965 Western region

election was the last straw that broke the camel’s back. It turned out a very bloody episode as rival groups desperate to capture power, unleashed arson, looting and killings on opponents with the situation threatening to spread to other regions as the government of then Prime Minister, Abubakar Tafawa Balewa, became either allegedly complicit in the crisis, or could not muster enough courage to deal with the matter.

And so, on January 15, 1966, a group of young radical elements in the Nigeria army, led by Chukwuma Nzeogwu, a major, staged a bloody coup that ended the First Republic. The Coup culminated in the killing of Prime Minister, Balewa and the very influential and powerful Ahmadu Below, Premier of the northern region. Also killed was the Premier of the Western region, Samuel Akintiola and Festus Okotieboh, the Finance Minister.

Some senior military officers were also not spared by the coupists, but as the dust raised by the coup settled, patterns began to emerge and a very dangerous interpretation was given that most of the coup plotters were of Igbo extraction, while most of their victims were non-Igbo especially northerners. In no time, anger against the Igbo boiled as military officers from the north staged a bloodier counter coup against their Igbo colleagues in a maddening mentality of retaliation that almost wiped out the officer corps of the Igbo in the army between late July and Early August 1966.

The Igbo civilians living in the

fatherland; improve competitive business environments.

“I will equally focus on legislation that will drive foreign and indigenous investments; open up economy for the prosperity of all and promote easy access to working capital no matter who you are or where you come from.”

At the Arewa meeting, Abiru observed that the Arewa residents in the state treasured the prosperity of Lagos and value the unity of our fatherland.

He observed how majority of Arewa people “have been living here with Lagos people for decades as brothers or sisters. Even when there are issues among us, the Seriikis always work with our community leaders or our royal fathers to resolves our disputes.

“Aside, many of you were even born, transacting your business here without fear or trepidation.

Without hesitation, Arewa people have been part of the growth and development of Lagos State for several decades.

“As people that dominate food and perishable goods businesses across the state and indeed Nigeria, you have been paying taxes here; performing other civic duties and engaging in community development in one way or the other. This x-rays your love and passion for the state you chose as your home,” Abiru explained. north were not spared the wave of violence. Many of them were killed by northern mobs engineered by leaders of the region and this caused hysteria among the Igbo who clamoured for safety in a separate country with the declaration of the Republic of Biafra led by late Chukwuemeka Ojukwu on May 30, 1967. This led to a bloody civil war that caused the death of over 2 million lives and much devastation. The crisis that culminated into the war led to a prolonged military rule, which changed the political and economic dynamics of the country.

Former Head of State, Yakubu Gowon, who led the nation at the end of the civil war in January 1970, made the famous “No Victor, No Vanquished” declaration to set the tone of a new nation after the fratricidal war, with unity of the people as a sing song.

However, the equation has changed with the unitary arrangement introduced by the military with over centralisation of resources of the country in the hands of the Federal Government after it fragmented the once flourishing four regions into today’s 36 states and a Federal capital, Abuja, and 774 local government areas that are hardly viable. The current constituent parts go cap in hand to solicit funds from the central government especially after crude oil was made the mainstay of Nigeria’s economy.

Nigeria has continued to struggle to diversify its economy in the face of dwindling oil prices and it has continued to face grim consequences.

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Sunday 04 October 2020

Politics

Adebanjo, Okorie, Oshun, others lament state of Nigeria …Say, ‘there’s need for dialogue’ INIOBONG IWOK

I

n voices laden with regrets, some Nigerian politicians have come to a sorry assessment that leaderships have failed the citizens, and that there was the urgent need for meaningful dialogue for the country to move forward.

In separate interviews with BDSUNDAY on their assessment of the country’s 60 years of independence, Ayo Adebanjo, elder statesman; Chekwas Okorie, politician and former national chairman of the defunct United Progressive Change (UPP); Wale Oshun, National leader of the Afenifere Renewal Group (ARG); Sanni Yabagi, national chairman of the Action Democratic Party (ADP), among others said it has been years of locusts and caterpillars.

Ayo Adebanjo said that those of us who fought for independence know that it is not a day for celebration; it is a day of mourning.

“Our founding fathers would be sad about where we are now if they are around. Those who started with us and came here to take palm oil fruits look at where they are now. We should have moved beyond this stage, it is sad.

“What are the things that were prevalent now? We have bad leadership. We have to change the constitution; it is favouring a section of the country, it is disadvantageous to others. There is corruption and lack of good leadership; the people in power lack the experience and competence to lead the people. “Let’s change the constitution, create a platform for us to discuss. Let us talk and then we can know where we are going.

Let’s restructure the country, then we would have federating units and the regions can function on their own.”

“With the present constitution, the North is dictating the pace; it favours them, look at the killings, because they are in power,” he said.

In his response, Chekwas Okorie, said Nigeria has had a checkered history since 1960.

“At independence, the country started with a quasi-federation where the regional governments as federating units enjoyed reasonable latitude to develop and grow at their own pace. Revenue allocation formula was based on 50percent by derivation,” he said.

According to him, “The regions contributed to the federation account and explored and exploited their comparative advantages.

Competition by the regions was healthy. It was at that period that Eastern Nigeria was recorded as the fastestgrowing3rdworldeconomy.

“Before the outbreak of the Nigerian civil war, civil servants from the regions were reluctant to accept postings to the federal civil service because they considered the condition of service better at the Regions.

“The military intervention in governance from 1966 reversed everything and put Nigeria in

Ayo Adebanjo

Wale Oshun

Gloria Okolugbo

Chekwas Okorie

the reverse gear following the concentration of power and governance at the centre, thus practically destroying the fabric of our federalism as we knew it. The imposition of the highly vexatious and obnoxious 1999 Constitution by the Abdulsalam Abubakar military government worsened the Nigerian situation.”

Okorie further said: “All subsequent Federal Governments have been bedevilled by the problems of disunity, suspicion and lack of patriotism arising from lopsidedness of the political structure of the imposed constitution which the framers of the document mischievously inserted near impossible conditions for its amendment.

“Ironically, even some of the leaders that conspired to give Nigeria the 1999 Constitution have joined to raise the alarm that Nigeria is faced with the danger of disintegration without the moral and political will to support the restructuring of the country.

“It is only a national dialogue convoked, funded and supported by the Federal Government that can restore Nigeria on the part of stability, unity, peace, growth and expansion of our economy.

Nigeria still holds a great promise but this will depend on the sincerity and patriotism of its leadership at all levels.”

It is the view of Wale Oshun that the country has not made the desired progress.

“We have been talking; nothing to say again, but independence was a good time. I was ten year old, there was a process and the country was making progress. We received good education, in public schools, and I got a good job after school.

“But people now cannot be sure of that, we had good educa-

tion and many things, intending graduates were sure of jobs. But since then there has been a persistent decline, especially at the time of the military regimes. The civilian administrations have not been able to fix it, the civilians have been militarised. The country is in a bad state, but we cannot just be complaining all the time, that is the situation,” he said.

According to him, “We need to go back to regions; we should have six regions from the present set up. I believe restructuring should be the way forward, the reason is obvious; all the regions would be contributing to the centre rather than the centre lodging it on everybody.

“We should change to regionalism urgently and those who wish to come together because of language similarities, proximity or religion would do that.

“If any country wants to have theocratic state they can have it.

Is it not obvious that the present system failed us?

“With this regional system in place, everyone would have a right, it would allow each region to grow according to their pace.”

Sanni Yabagi, national chairman of the Action Democratic Party (ADP), told BDSUNDAY that Nigeria has changed since independence but the problem is how much?

“You have to check our human development indices then, when you check you can now give your verdict to say, this is where we were then and now,” Yabagi said.

“When you look at the indices of development; when you compare us with the countries that got independence at the same time, we have not fared well. However, for that fact that we are still one nation is still an achievement for us.

“We thank God we are still one and we would still be one, but in terms of development we have not been able to meet up compared with our resources we should be able to take charge of Africa,” he further said.

He believed that “We should have grown beyond this with our population, human resources and capacity. A lot of people say for us to still stay as one nation despite these challenges is an achievement. There are countries like Singapore, Indonesia and some others who got independence at the same time as us. They are now described as developed countries, but we are still an undeveloped country.

“That is why we think Nigeria should look for alternatives in terms of power. We need leaders who believe in the corporate entity of the country and would fight to improve the lives of Nigerians.

“The ADP is well positioned to deliver the greatness which the country represents. We have not been lucky with leadership.”

According to him, “The present leadership cannot guarantee good welfare for its citizens; it is like it is not there. That is why we are saying Nigerians should look for alternatives in terms of leadership, the old parties, PDP and APC have failed.”

Gloria Okolugbo, former commissioner and governorship aspirant Delta State, regretted that at 60 years, things were obviously not the way many citizens expected them to be in Nigeria.

“Personally, heading forward, I long to see our Nigeria back again, the glimmer of hope, spring forth in eyes sunken with drugs of a generation that struggles to see hope with no support,” she said.

Okolugbo further said: “I want a Nigeria where everyone takes

responsibility for the sludge and the cleaning is fiercely sincere.

I want to see a country where the answerable questions are replaced with the hope of new beginnings. I love to see a country where the only chance of being rich is not stealing.

“I am told that today women take their boys to the grooves to throwthecowriestoscamwithsuccess. Mothers encourage their girls to marry the yahoo boys to escape the hunger they are sentenced to.

“I am told that life today is different and we have no idea the world of the millennials, the zee generation nor the x-generation.”

According to her, “The way we are now, I am lost at how archaic our values have become and how I am rethinking my opinion in the realities of the day.

“I am lost as to how I can too scale to see the challenge, the hopelessness in a generation let down by mine that made such mindless sacrifice for the wrong things?”

In his assessment, Wunmi Bewaji, a former minority leader House of Representatives, said Nigeria was presently at the crossroads.

“Go to the street and speak to Nigerians and hear what they would say,” he said.

On the way forward, Bewaji said: “It is for us to discuss; you cannot rule the people like a conquered territory. Nigeria is a republic may be, Muhammadu Buhari has forgotten two things are outstanding in our name; the word federal and the word republic. The word federal means there are component units, they came together to form Nigeria in 1914.

“Of course, we know, for example; we have Yoruba and Igbo land and they have their territories.

Anybody can settle down in Lagos, that does not mean Yoruba land is not Yoruba land, or Igbo land is not there if you can and settle there.”

The former lawmaker further said: “We need to come back to the table, if the British can bring us to the table to talk, how much we ourselves? It appears we can’t do that, or maybe we are afraid.

“And some people would say because they are at an advantage so at the moment they are not interested in talking. You can see that the country gradually is disintegrating under their noise.

“Can you imagine a country bombing its own territory? There is a United Nation treaty on warfare against collective punishment; so don’t be happy when you hear Nigerian Air force has bombed another location.

“Are you saying in that village all the people there are Boko Haram? Are we not saying there are innocent people living in those communities? That the Buhari government is bombing its own territory; I think it has failed, so the signs are there.”

“When you look at the whole union, you cannot legislate unity, but can only preach it. Unity can come through mutual respect,” he further said.

Sunday 04 October 2020

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BDSUNDAY 15

Tribute

The other sides of Oyetola: Tribute to my principal @ 66 Ismail Omipidan

T

uesday, September 29, 2020, was the 66th birthday of my Principal, Adegboyega Oyetola. To celebrate him, I have elected to speak about a few of his attributes as a leader.

Interestingly, those attributes, one of which is the fact that running a state in a depressed economy is possible, have not only changed my perception about taking up the job of a media aide to a complete stranger, but have further rekindled my hope about the future of our state and the country at large.

I have said it before, but let me say for the umpteenth time that prior to my appointment in August last year, there was no prior relationship between my boss and me. I saw him for the first time in my life two weeks before I was appointed his Chief Press Secretary (CPS). On the first day of our meeting, which was with the outgoing CPS, a pleasant senior in the journalism profession and current editor of The Nation newspapers, Adeniyi Adesina, the governor simply said: “I have seen you from the CCTV while you were waiting to see me. My spirit works with you. But I don’t know if you will be willing to work with me.”

At that time, I was still skeptical. But two weeks later when I made up my mind, and I was to resume, my predecessor led me to Mr. Governor’s office to inform him I was resuming that day. Mr. Governor shook my hands, congratulated me and said: “Don’t worry, we will make you comfortable and help you to settle down.”

I moved into my official quarters same night and the rest as they say is now history. However, before settling down for the job, I gave myself three months within which to decide whether I wanted to stay or not, reason being that until I encountered Mr. Governor, I was one of those who believed one cannot do the job of a publicist for a person one barely knows. Besides, as a young man, I was also conscious of the brand I had built of myself over the years. I wouldn’t want anything to diminish that brand.

However, in less than one month, four incidents happened consecutively, all of which made me change my mind and I decided I had indeed come to Osun to stay.

The first happened when we were to respond to the LAUTECH Ogbomoso issue. I was barely two weeks old on the

Adegboyega Oyetola

job and needed to issue a statement on the contentious Ladoke Akintola University of Technology (LAUTECH) matter. I had gone to see Mr. Governor on the need to respond to certain misinformation in the public space concerning the issue at the time.

Mr. Governor reluctantly accepted that I do the statement.

His initial hesitation was borne out of the fact that he detests controversy, no matter how little.

As I reached for the door, Governor Oyetola called me back, saying “CPS, be sure of your facts, don’t give account of what we haven’t done. Don’t say things that will embarrass us. Say only those things we have done.”

That day, Mr. Governor made a strong impression on me. As I made to leave his office, I knew my job was simple as I wouldn’t struggle to communicate the policies and programmes of the administration to members of the public. Here is a fine gentleman, who doesn’t expect you to cook up fallacies to serve the public.

The second incident had to do with his speech. A draft was made. But as we were reviewing it together, we got to a stage, he said: “CPS, these are all lies.

Remove those paragraphs. We haven’t done anything of the sort.” By the time we were done reviewing the speech, more than half of the body was gone. Many a principal would certainly have gladly read those lies and half truths to the public and still feels good.

The third incident happened at the Government House. It was in the evening. I was asked to contribute to a discussion. I had a contrary view to that of my

Principal, the Governor. I stated this. He conceded to me, but said: “Look, come out of your shelf. Be free with me. Feel free with me. If I had not asked you, I would have taken a decision without hearing from you.”

The fourth and final one for the purpose of this piece occurred in Abuja. It was my first official trip with him. After the day’s job, he called me around 8pm, saying “CPS, have you been offered an accommodation”. I said no, but I quickly added: “I don’t need one. I have a home here. My family lives here, sir.”

He said: “In that case, do not be in a hurry to set out tomorrow.

Take your time. Spend time with your family.”

I was happy that here is a man that values family. I got home that night, told my wife and we both concluded that a Principal who bothers about one’s family, not about his job alone, is worth one’s sacrifice. That was the day I made up my mind to stay. So far, I can say with all sense of modesty that I can stick out my neck for my Principal. He has so far not disappointed. But a full dose of that will come in two months time when we will be giving our mid-term report.

Suffice to say that in Osun, we may not have all the billions, but we are surely getting our priorities right under Governor Adegboyega Oyetola. Despite the paucity of funds, my Principal has so far kept faith with the vision of the founding fathers of the state to sustainably build Ipinle Omoluabi – State of the Virtuous.

Since coming on board about two years ago, the governor has demonstrated that he not only understands and appreciates

the peculiar needs of an average Osun person, but is also passionately interested in growing the state from where his predecessor left off.

Rather than reel out excuses, he has been fulfilling most of the promises he made to the citizens of the state during the electioneering. From the Igbajo road which was last touched 33 years ago, to Atakumosa Market which got burnt in 2015, my Principal has validated the popular axiom: “The way to get started is to quit talking and begin doing.”

Asiwaju of Igbajo, a legal luminary, Chief Solomon Adegboyega Awomolo (SAN), who led a delegation of Igbajo Development Association (IDA) on a “Thank You” visit to Mr. Governor said last Sunday: “For many years, this (Ada-Igbajo) road has been crying for rehabilitation.

Even before I became the Commissioner for Justice in the state (1991-92), this road had been in a terrible state.

“But today, we thank God for using your government to come to our aid. This will go a long way to redefine many things in the benefiting communities.

“You have given us a great relief. Osun is very lucky to have you as governor at this time.

You have come to power with deep experience in both the private and the public sectors as reflected in the way and manner you have been prudently and sensibly running the resources and affairs of the state.”

I n t e r e s t i n g l y, f r o m h i s achievements so far, I make bold to say that what Osun citizens will get from Oyetola’s administration will be an enduring legacy that would not only stand the test of time, but also one that would be remarkably different and which would remain a reference point, long after he would have completed his tenure.

My dear Principal, as you mark yet another birthday, I pray to Allah to grant you the tolerance to deal with all the trials and travails that would be coming your way.

May Allah open His various ways of blessings and favour for you, as you add another year. He will protect you from all the evil tricks that emanate from Shaitan and his forces among men and jinn, overlook your shortcomings and show you grace and mercy.

Amin.

I know that soon Allah shall give you that with which you will be well pleased.

Happy 66th birthday to you, Sir! Omipidan is the Chief Press Secretary to the governor of the State of Osun.

Abiodun nominates former NUJ chair, TASUED VC as commissioner …Names four other appointees

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apo Abiodun, Ogun State governor has forwarded the names of two nominees to the State House of Assembly for confirmation as Commissioners.

In a letter to Olakunle Oluomo, the Speaker of the State House of Assembly, weekend, Governor Abiodun urged the House to screen Abayomi Arigbabu for Education, Science and Technology portfolio, while he named Waheed Odusile as the Commissioner-designate-for Information and Strategy.

A statement by Kunle Somorin, his Chief Press Secretary, also announced the appointment of two new General Managers: Fola Onifade for the State Signage and Advertising Agency and Sesan Asenuga for Parks and Garages Development Board.

Tolu Bankole was named Senior Special Assistant to the Governor and Ifekayode Akinbode will serve as a Consultant (Media).

Odusile, the Information and Strategy Commissioner designate, is a former President of the Nigerian Union of Journalists (NUJ). Until recently, he served as President of the Federation of African Journalists (FAJ).

Odusile has considerable experience across the broadcast and print genres of journalism, spanning three and a half decades. He has held various newsroom management positions, including being the pioneer Editor of National Life Newspaper and Managing Editor of The Nation.

He was also at different times on the staff of National Concord and ThisDay Newspapers.

A researcher and resource person in media, he has many publications amongst which are ‘Media Ethics and Promotion of Democratic Culture in Nigeria’, ‘The Media, Socio-cultural and Political Integration, Thoughts on Policy’, among many others.

He holds a Master degree in Legal Studies and belongs to a number of professional associations, including Nigerian Guild of Editors, International Federation of Journalists (IFJ), Federation of African Journalist (FAJ) West Africa Journalists Association (WAJA) and the Nigeria Union of Journalists (NUJ).

The Commissioner-nominee for the Ministry of Education, Science and Technology, Abayomi Adelaja Arigbabu is the current Vice Chancellor of Nigeria’s premier University of Education: Tai Solarin University of Education, Ijagun, Ogun State.

Arigbabu, a Professor of Mathematics Education, holds a PhD from the prestigious University of South Africa, Pretoria in Mathematics, Science and Technology with specialisation in Mathematics Education.

16 BDSUNDAY

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2020 Sunday2704September October 2020 @Businessdayng Sunday

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BDSUNDAY 17

The designs from FlowFabrics by the CEO, ABISOYE OLORUNNIMBE are to live for. Simple, elegant and classy. You cannot go wrong in one of these

My MYpoints...

POINTS...

Exactly EXACTLY!

How long can you wait? (Part 1) KEMI AJUMOBI

T

r u e s t o r y . Fo r t h e purpose of this story, their names shall be Emeka and Lola.

Lola was posted to Nassarawa State for her National Youth Service Corps (NYSC).

She planned to redeploy to Ogun state. While on the queue to receive her NYSC uniform, a guy came in front of her and told her someone was where she stood “I beg your pardon, does this look like a boarding house where you keep space for people?” she asked the guy (Nosa by name).

As he was about to continue, a voice called from behind “Nosa, let her be”. Lola turned to look at the person who called Nosa…He would not be less than a 6:4. His slim long hand stretched out asking Nosa to come back. “He better come back to you” she muttered underneath her breath and remained in her position.

After receiving her uniform, she left the queue and was on her way back to her room when she heard the

voice from behind say “Excuse me please” ofcourse she knew it was her and she had a feeling she knew who was calling for her attention but she pretended like she did not hear, she was not going to start a conversation with someone Nosa was ‘keeping’ space for.

He walked up to her then a bit ahead

of her and stood right in front of her “Aside keeping space for you, do you also obstruct a stranger’s movement” Lola asked “Well, not if she stuns and her actions are laughable” he responded. “Did I miss a joke?” Lola queried. “calm down Madam, I mean no harm…

My name is Emeka, may I meet you?” he said stretching out his hand to which she responded as she also stretched out her hand to give him a handshake too “My name is Lola” she said. “What? Why are you looking at me like that?” she queried and he responded “I am just shocked you stretched out your hand to shake me. I honestly didn’t see that coming” he said to which Lola responded “well…” “So where are you off to?” Emeka asked and she walked away answering him “my room…and thanks for not following me” she looked back as if to warn him not to dare to. He stood there smiling and shaking his head, looking at her as she was out of sight.

Nosa came to him, wondering what was wrong with his friend “I like her” he told Nosa. “You like who?

That churlish girl?” Nosa queried ‘I said I like her, I did not ask for your opinion” Emeka said walking to his own room.

The next day, as Lola stepped out of her room, guess who was right there, leaning on the wall? Did you say Emeka? Well you guessed right.

Shocked to see him she walked up

to him and asked “wha….at…how... who..t..old..” she suddenly began to stutter. She couldn’t comprehend how he found out where she stayed.

“Lola, it is the NYSC camp ground not a boarding house with unending restrictions” he said “I saw what you did there with the ‘boarding house’ inclusion, that was my line not yours” she said with a cute frown on her face. “Sue me” he teased.

“Are you heading towards mami market?” Emeka asked “Is that how you ask a girl to lunch?” said Lola.

“You are really weird you know… and smart too…okay, Do you mind going for lunch with me Your Highness?” Emeka asked taking a bow and opening his arms with a silly grin on his face. “Sorry I can’t, you did not ask, I said it on your behalf” Lola said and walked away.

“Na wa o, this shakara is much o” he teased and again, he watched her walk away. “Did you say something?” said Lola to which Emeka responded with hands up as if to say ‘It wasn’t me’, “No I said nothing Ma”.

He now made it a duty to always come to her room every day to wait outside to see her. She knew he was stubborn and certainly wasn’t going to give up so she agreed to be his friend…just friends. Emeka was fine with that, he knew to get to her heart would take time and he wasn’t in a hurry too.

After a few weeks, Emeka’s mother came to check up on him at the

Pay attention to that child (Lamentations of a millennial)

LONGJOHN DEBORAH

A

s children, we were born limitless. Every child believed they could do anything and ever ything. A child would tell you “I would be the president of the United States of America” even though they’re Nigerians. A child would tell you “my daddy can beat Michael Jordan” even though daddy is not as big.

The faith of a child is such that is unwavering, they hold you by your words and believe that if I can

Kemi Ajumobi Associate Editor, BusinessDay kemi@businessdayonline.com TEAM: Desmond Okon Osaromena Ogbeide Designed by Aderemi Ayeni

dream it, I can be it. A child is pure.

We love without restrictions. We believe without a single doubt. We laugh at the smallest and silliest of things. We’re oblivious of the cares of the world. We’re mostly happy, truly happy!

Then we began to “grow”. They began to tell us that dreaming is childish. That believing blindly would only break our hearts. We were told we can’t make it, because our parents didn’t. We were told we weren’t beautiful enough and that we weren’t smart enough, that we wouldn’t make it even if we tried because we came from a family of nobodies. “Adults” began to look down on us, when we say things that were termed “childish” like a girl saying she wants to be an astronaut or a guy wanting to be a chef. We were then told to weigh what we say and only say what’s feasible. To focus on “our reality”, accept it and stop dreaming. They told us that “I can do anything” was just a saying to make us happy and lead us blindly. That fantasies and “happy ever afters” were fairy tales.

Being a girl and being outspoken, bold, daring and confident was termed wild and unruly. Slowly, we forgot how to dream. Slowly, we lost out doggedness. Slowly, we stop believing. Slowly we began to die.

The seed of wild dreaming was being crushed. It choked due to toxic air

of “you can’t”. It wasn’t watered any longer. The only water it got was that of discouraging and hurtful words. We lost sight of who we were. We accepted who they said we were. We started the sad journey of changing into “adulthood”. We learnt to keep quiet and watch (even when our hearts were springing with the lights and thoughts of possibilities). We learnt not to try if it appeared “impossible”. We lost sight of our capabilities. We lost sight of who and whose we were. We dwindled. Our childlikeness peeled off layer by layer, leaving us to the skeletal remains of “adulthood”.

The once joyful, hopeful, daring, limitless child; began to fade into a timid, shy, clueless adult. Low selfesteem set in. Doubt became our new companion. Hope was now a foreigner. Dreams were aliens. Life was now boring, truly boring. We stopped living. We woke up every day, looking alive but actually very close to death. We just existed, counting days, meaningless days and waiting for the day that we’ll be released from this trauma by death.

We couldn’t wait to embrace death, because that seemed like the only freedom from this cage.

BUT! Just before the seed died; it happened. A blinding illumination.

A fiery wind. A thunderous wave.

A h e av y d o w n p o u r. Ma n u re everywhere. Fresh breath filled the

atmosphere. Rekindled fire was now available. Then we saw it. There had been a connection. How didn’t we notice? Grafting had taken place.

Our livelihood was no longer from within us. We had a new source of life. Our strength returned. Our dreams began to crawl back in. In a hot sprint, our free spirit returned.

Our skeletal self was being covered; instead of the feeble layers, we were covers with tough skins. We could dare to dream again. We could dare to believe again. We were truly rooted. Rooted in the very Tree of Life. Unwavering. Unshaken.

Indestructible. Limitless. We were free. Truly free. Free to dream. Free to believe. Free to hope. Free to laugh. Free to love. Free to choose the “impossible”. Free to dare. Dare to be different. A different people. A different Adult. The child in the adult was finally saved. Saved and ready to live again. This time LIVE truly, the way it was purposed...from the beginning!!!

Doing what I do, I have come across a lot of teenagers with low self-esteem, most of them because of how they were raised. Being someone that suffered same, I have come to realize that some of our parents don’t pay attention to the mental health of their kids. They tend to provide every other thing but lag in the place of providing a conducive environment for the mental/

camp. Everyone was looking out for him because his mother kept asking after him from everyone she met.

People who had seen him with Lola reached out to her. They knew she would know where he was and yes! They were right. She knew.

She reached out to him to tell him his mother was looking for him.

“Lola, stop it, you are joking right?” he asked “Why will I joke with your mother who I have never even met before? My friend get yourself together let me see you off… mummy’s boy” she teased.

Emeka was embarrassed but tried to play the ‘I’m a big boy card…” he said to himself as he and Lola walk to meet his mum. “Mum…why did you have to come here?” He spotted his mother from a distance and as he walked towards her, Lola stayed behind “Come let’s go Lola” he said as he turned back to call her “Go where? You and who? My friend, mummy’s boy, go and hug your mum, she is waiting for you, I will be around the corner when you are done, I am not going to meet her with you”.

You could tell on his face that he honestly wanted her to go with him but he also knew Lola wasn’t someone to be forced to do what she did not want to do. “Nwam…I am so happy to see you…my dear, how are you?” Mummy said. ……TO BE CONTINUED NEXT WEEK

psychological development of their children. Due to this oversight, our society today has lots of young people with low self-esteem and an alarming increase in millennial suicide. To curb this, I will implore that parents pay adequate attention to the psychological needs of their children so as to help them attain a balanced physical and mental health, and be better people in the society and not mere nuisance.

LongJohn Deborah A. is from Bonny, Rivers state.

She is a Teen mentor and an Emotional Intelligence enthusiast. She is passionate about the next generation and is always elated whenever she gets any opportunity to share life changing experiences with teenagers. She believes she is blessed to bless others and her greatest goal in life is to live an impactful life and leave a lasting legacy when she exits this world.

KIKELOMO Kikelomo LAWAL Lawal appointed vice VICE APPOINTED PRESIDENT, president, chief legal CHIEF LEGAL officer of CIBC OFFICER OF CIBC DESMOND OKON

N

igerian women keep breaking boundaries and proving their worth and ability to lead in many spheres. The latest inspiring woman is Kikelomo Lawal who was recently celebrated for being appointed as the executive vice president and chief legal officer of the Canadian Imperial Bank of Commerce (CIBC).

She was a senior associate of Blake, Cassels & Graydon LLP for five years and nine months, and was also the chief legal officer, ombudsman, and corporate secretary of Interac Corp for 12 years and eight months before her appointment.

At Interac, she was part of the brain trust at the helm for the history restructuring of Interac Association and Acxsys Corporation.

Kikelomo leads a high performing team of lawyers, law clerks, compliance professionals, and regulations writers who together ensure the effective provision of legal advice and the successful implementation of network rules, policies, and controls.

She also manages all board and shareholder interactions, as well as the enterprise-wide corporate program, in cooperation with a team of dedicated corporate governance professionals.

The Nigerian who is reported to be very passionate about inclusion concerning race/ ethnicity, gender, and life experience; had her education at both the New York University and Harvard Law School.

In her new appointment, “Lawal will be accountable for overseeing the Legal function globally as well as the Corporate Secretary, Ombudsman and Privacy Office functions, and related policies and programs.

“She will join the bank’s executive committee and will report to Victor Dodig, President, and CEO of CIBC,” a statement on her new role published by Bloomberg read.

Victor Dodig, CEO and President CIBC also said that the bank really looks forward to her leadership in the new capacity.

Kikelomo has expertise in legal, compliance, regulations, policies, corporate governance and was also named one of The 25 Most Influential Women in Payments.

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Sunday 04 October 2020

TheWorshipper Nigeria @60 in the eyes of members of the clergy As we continue with the 60th independence anniversary celebration of Nigeria, BDSUNDAY went to town sampling views of religious leaders about the anniversary and what the citizenry should expect from the nation state. SEYI JOHN SALAU Our best is yet to come - The Catholic Archbishop of Lagos, Most Rev. Alfred Adewale Martins e thank God that we are alive to mark the Diamond Jubilee of our country’s independence. We are an independent country still searching for how to become a nation where no one is oppressed, and everyone feels a sense of belonging. In spite of all odds we have survived for 60 years and so we must thank God and praise the resilience of Nigerians. However, this year of our Diamond Jubilee has turned out to be one of the most challenging for most Nigerians. We were still battling with the effects of insecurities in the land when Covid-19 struck and made life impossible for those who lost their jobs and sources of livelihood. To make life even more difficult, there was an increase in the rate of VAT only to be followed by the imposition of stamp duty on house rent and Certificates of Occupancy. The dust raised by that had hardly settled when we were slapped with an increase in electricity tariffs which was followed a couple of weeks later by an increase in the pump price of petrol.

Life is becoming harder and harder for majority of Nigerians and government needs to take radical steps to ease the burdens they are carrying. Everyone, led by Civil Society Organisations and NGOs and the Labour movement, needs to do something in their areas of competencies in order to bring the suffering of people home to government. If people must bear the burdens of the day, government must also show good faith by cutting down on the cost of governance.

The landmark celebration of 60 years should make us reflect on the reality of our existence as a country. A cursory reflection shows that we are far below where we ought to be if we take into consideration the human and natural resources with which the country is blessed. It would seem that the structure of our country that was distorted with the advent of the military into governance has remained the obstacle to our growth. Selfishness and lack of regard for common good that covers all the different nationalities that make up our country has made it impossible for us to be the Federal Republic that we were meant to be at independence.

It is necessary to continue to harp on the need to return to the original concept of Nigeria as a Federation that recognises the uniqueness of the federating units and gives each its right to govern aspects of its life while we remain one country, united in our diversities.

The current structure, as many have rightly pointed out, has given too much power to the centre that the states and local governments have been reduced to

W

Most Rev. Alfred Adewale Martins

Bishop Sola Ore

Bishop Isaac Idahosa

Archbishop Joseph Imariabe Ojo

appendages that go cap-in-hand to Abuja to seek for their survival from the Federal Government.

We must return to a true federalism in order to become the nation that we want to be.

Nigerians are indeed a special breed of people blessed by God. That is why we excel in almost all spheres of human endeavour at the international level. What we need here at home is an enabling environment that would bring out the best in us. As it is, our best is yet to come.

other inter-tribal wars.

Secondly, I believe we should seize the moment to do some reflections. Our past and present leaders need to take time to reflect on the leadership they have provided in the last six decades. They should sincerely ask themselves the question: “Have we done well?” Majority of these past leaders are still alive and they are not even willing to quit the political stage. I think they need to begin to vacate the stage for younger people to take over the stage. In addition, the populace also needs to take time to reflect on the state of the nation. We need to ask ourselves the question: “Is this the best this nation can be?” I believe our nation can be far better than what it is today.

Thirdly, our political leaders must be more committed to the task of governance more than ever before. They must be committed to fulfilling their campaign promises.

They should be selfless. The political class needs to stop emphasising on issues that divide us as people, but those that unite us so that this nation can move forward.

Fourthly, the political leaders must be committed to working on the infrastructural deficit in the country. We need to fix the roads, hospitals, schools and so on and so forth.

Fifthly, each and every one of us must realize that the situation of this country cannot be solved by a quick-fix. We must be willing to allow the process to run through for us to get out of this painful situation we currently find ourselves. Let us not be in a hurry to become rich. Let us play our own part in fixing this nation.

The leaders alone cannot fix this nation; we must all be involved in all our little corners as we live responsibly.

We need Godly leaders - Bishop Sola Ore, Chairman, PFN Lagos We must continue to pray that God will continue to give us Godly leaders; people who fear God, we are not talking about religion but leaders who fear God; those who will have the fear of God in all their dealings. It is apparent that many of our leaders do not have the fear of God at all, so we keep praying that God will give us godly leaders.

At the moment, the place of intercession cannot be undermined; we really need intercessors for this nation. Sometimes, it looks like the more we pray the worse things are getting but, we must continue to intercede because intercession is very important.

This is a critical time that people will need to rise up and intercede for this nation.

We should be thankful to God Rev. Olusola Idowu, Pastor, The Ajayi Dahunsi Memorial Baptist Church, Lagos Firstly, I believe we should be thankful to the Lord God Almighty for keeping this nation together for 60 years in spite of our differences in terms of culture, tribe, language and religion. We must be thankful to God for helping us to come out of the civil war and

The best is yet to come - Bishop Isaac Idahosa, General Overseer of God First Ministry, popularly known as Illumination Church At 60; we just have to obey God’s word that says in everything, give thanks. But, we can’t say so much has been achieved but that we are still together as one is enough reason to give thanks. Our prayers is that God will help us to see the dividends of democracy; that God will grant our leaders all the wisdom they require to handle all the affairs of this nation, and we the followers must be patient to follow and to have in mind what we must contribute to make Nigeria a great nation.

Is it celebration or remembrance? - Archbishop Joseph Imariabe Ojo, Calvary Kingdom Church (CKC), Lagos: Nigeria at 60 is an interesting story. I will liken it to the biblical little sister of Solomon. ‘We have a little sister, and her breasts are not yet grown. What shall we do for our sister on the day she is spoken for?’ (Songs of Solomon 8:8).

Now, to answer your question, as to how do we celebrate Nigeria at 60? I will begin by saying what we should do is remembrance and not celebration.

What do we celebrate in a country that cannot breastfeed her children? What do we celebrate in a sixty-year-old woman that has no breast? What do we celebrate in a country though divinely endowed with so many mineral and human resources, yet cannot harness them? It is better to talk of remembrance rather than celebration. Do people outside this country and in civilised countries celebrate mediocrity?

Do people celebrate thieves and corruption in a sane society? Do we celebrate Nigeria for not being able to fix power supply after sixty years of independence? Or we should start celebrating pot holes and bad roads? Do we begin to celebrate lawless driving and corrupt policemen and women? Do we celebrate a corrupt Judiciary of cash and carry? Do we celebrate the political class that is so corrupt and shameless? I was eleven years old (11) in 1960 when Nigeria gained independence. We ate independence rice freely given to all students and pupils in the country.

I was in Primary five (5).

May be, we should be celebrating the Naira that is above 400 to one US dollar. When I first went to the United States for studies in February 1983 my full return ticket was (N1,500) one thousand five hundred Naira, the Naira was stronger than the US dollar. And you are talking of celebration? We bought a brand new Peugeot 505 saloon car in 1985 for N18,000 and you want me to celebrate when that money cannot buy one tyre today. Where are the replacements for Odutola rubber factory where tubes and tyres were made? The GB Olivant and so many more? Where are the various Vehicle assembly plants?

I think what we should do for Nigeria is to keep praying that God will save us from bad leaders, and from selfish and shameless politicians and their bad advisers and praise singers. It is a sad thing that our little sister (Nigeria) has no breast at 60.

There’s nothing to celebrate Rev Femi Popoola, Pastor, Divine Mercy Baptist Church, Ikosi, Ketu, Lagos To have existed for 60 good years is not a joke at all; that is a diamond age! Counting the number of years the Nigerian nation has been in existence should therefore, call for great celebrations. But what are we to celebrate as an independent nation since 1960? At 60, Nigeria has been plunged into a state of insecurity where both security officials and civilians are sacrificed at will. Or what can we say about the recent experiences of the incumbent Governor of Borno State whose convoy has been ambushed repeatedly and in quick successions, by the Boko Haram insurgents not minding his heavily-armed security details? If a sitting governor could experience such, what then is the fate of a common man in Nigeria?

Coming to politics at 60, Nigeria is yet to get it right. The only achievement in this area that is worth celebrating is that we can be identified among the nations that practice civil rule, even though the rule of law is less regarded or given no chance to thrive. Politics in Nigeria has become a do or die affairs and politicians can do anything to retain power when it is obvious that they are not performing.

At 60, the educational system in Nigeria is in a sorry state from the primary to tertiary level. In fact as of today, our nation cannot boast of good public schools at primary, secondary and tertiary levels. The standard of our education has fallen abysmally. What a terrible situation for us! To get quality education today, students have to travel far to Europe and America at very exorbitant fees.

To worsen the matter, the ruling class and those who have the financial means have taken this to be a fashionable thing in that they send their children abroad for schooling while education at home remains in shambles with no serious concern.

Economy is another thing that calls for serious attention at 60. It would be incredible to note that one naira of the Nigerian currency had been equivalent to two dollars of the American currency in the past, but what has the situation turned to today? One American dollar is equivalent to four hundred and fifty naira if not more. No wonder many young Nigerians desire and employ all means possible to get out of Nigeria in search of greener pastures. The number of Nigerians that move out of Nigeria every day to such countries as U.K., USA, Canada, and other places in Europe is so alarming! The situation is so bad that even our young

Sunday 04 October 2020

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BDSUNDAY 19

TheWorshipper Inspiration With Rev. Yomi Kasali

info@yomikasali.com

I

just finished preaching, was tired and took a drink and opened the little drawer under my desk to keep a sensitive document, then noticed it was full of papers, letters, envelopes and all sorts of documents.

I started to bring them out

Use the trash bin to take a second look and possibly treat the ones that needs attention. I discovered most of the documents were obsolete and were meant for the Trash Bin yet they had been in my drawer occupying space that sensitive and relevant documents should be.

One of my Assisting Pastors that was in my office asked me why I didn’t use the Shredder but only Trashed the documents, my initial response was more like, ‘The Shredder is there but...’, then I felt like, ‘Does it really matter...they are Trash to me now and aren’t sensitive so didn’t think Shredding is necessary but just Trashing’. There are times that we have kept many things in our drawers that needn’t be there but Trashed; they have outlived their importance and relevance. I want to Inspire you Today to Use Your Life Trash Bin. The scriptures admonish us to Trash certain things that may constitute

filth, dirt, and rubbish in our lives. We should purge ourselves of things we don’t need and that may hinder our progress in life if we don’t take our time.

‘If a Man Purge Himself From These, He Shall Be A Vessel Unto Honor...’

(2 Tim 2 v 21). There are things that belong to the Trash Bin; Experiences that should be Trashed and not Treasured, issues that should be thrown out and not kept to our hurts, relationships that should be forgotten and not remembered again if we are going to have a healthy and sound mind in life.

4 Things and situations to trash and not treasure.

Bad mails and messages: I know that we all use our Trash Bin whenever we get mails that don’t interest us. The mail providers help us send some to our spam box but we do the needful ourselves electronically. This is exactly what we should do with some messages sent to our phones as SMS or WhatsApp, we should just Trash them and don’t let them affect our emotions.

Bad experiences in relationships: We sometimes get heart broken and

bruised by those we love, some of the things they did to us Hurt us so much that it affects how we treat other people. I want you to Trash those experiences like Joseph Trashed his nasty experience with his wicked brothers that sold him into slavery. Forgive them and Move on with your life.

Bad mistakes and costly errors of yours: This is a tough one that needs some honesty on our part. There are many things that we do and regret doing, that we are not proud of and have honestly made restitution or asked for forgiveness but still haunt us daily. We must Trash those things and let it go, we can’t do anything about undoing what has been done, so it is in our own best interest that we should just Trash those experiences and Move on in life.

Ba d a n d n e g a t i v e thoughts: Our thoughts have power to shape our character and attitudes in life, hence, ensure you

Trash Negative Thoughts about yourself and others from festering in your minds. Studies have proven that the happiest people on earth have sound minds devoid of negative thoughts and energies around them. It’s important that you Trash Those Thoughts today.

Things that aren’t useful in your lives, things that can damage your psyche and things that have become obsolete should be Trashed. Please make sure you Use the Trash Bin often.

Drop me a note of acknowledgment and encouragement and also follow me on my Social media handles below: Instagram: @yomi_kasali Twitter: @yomi_kasali Facebook: www.facebook. com/revyomikasali Youtube: www.youtube.com/ revyomikasali Be Inspired!

Rev Yomi Kasali is Senior Pastor, Foundation of Truth Assembly (FOTA), Surulere, Lagos.

Nigeria @60 in the eyes ... ones who could have brought great productivity to Nigerian society emigrate to such countries as Libya, Egypt, Lebanon, and other Asian countries where they are treated less than human beings.

At 60 what is the state of infrastructure in Nigeria? The Nigerian roads are nothing but death traps.

Accidents claim the lives of people and cause permanent disability to others every day. Public facilities are in a state of disrepair. Electricity has become very scarce commodity in Nigeria. The government agencies and the electricity providing companies have to depend on alternative sources of electricity to provide power supply even in running their own services. What a lamentable situation for my beloved country at 60.

Our hospitals lack modern equipment and most of these hospitals are better labelled as mortuaries rather than hospitals.

At 60, Nigeria has lost her moral and religious values. Moral virtues as honesty, integrity, love, kindness, patriotism, hard work and more have given way to such vices as ethnic bigotry, kidnapping, ritual killings, rape, fraud, corruption and many more. The focus now is about how much a person has and can flaunt around, no more about how much one can contribute to the development and building of a great nation. People use both political and religious offices to amass wealth for themselves at the expense of the generality.

Nigeria at 60 lacks direction and is clueless about her future.

There are no plans for her teeming youth population. There is need for both political and moral will to lift Nigeria out of the mud she has

found herself presently. Unless and until we change the present course of action, Nigeria may be heading towards destruction before the next 60 years, God forbid!

Nigeria needs divine paradigm shifts - Apostle Princess Oluwagbemiga A fundamental change is coming to Nigeria! Nigeria at 60, I speak as a mother in Israel; the old Nigeria must die/leave its evil practices and influences and allow a new Nigeria take over.

As a metaphor, I like to compare our paradigms to the lenses in our glasses. Nigeria is unique with its tribal platforms making us see differently, it is shaped by our attitudes and perceptions.

The question we must all answer is: what type of lenses are in your eyes glass?

Every individual and sector must begin to think things differently, and see differently, rule differently, and behave differently about this country.

At 60: We are seen as a failed nation but we must remember the bigger script is written by God, if we don’t stop evil manipulative acts of wickedness, the bigger script will over rule at the end.

At 60, let’s put our house in order, 60 years old father disintegrated and disconnected with his youth children has no future successor: let’s empower the youth more and carry them along in governance, let’s stop mistreating some tribes and work together at what could work for us. We didn’t see the pandemic coming and it has effected nations economy badly, as we celebrate this 60th anniversary, let’s synergise with

Apostle Princess Oluwagbemiga

experts for a gradual come back by making use of what is left rather than tasking the poor masses, when you over push a hungry man, he will get back at you to hurt you, sure we are tired of crimes in this nation already, no one is free, every problem has a solution and good catalyst too.

Let’s give thanks to God - Pastor Tope Ilesanmi, PFN Coordinator, Ikeja Province, Lagos: Let’s begin by giving thanks to the Lord because there is still a nation called Nigeria. If it had not been the Lord, who was on our side, this nation would have gone under. (Ps124.) Imagine the level of wickedness, oppression, infighting, maiming, killing, kidnapping, corruption, insecurity going on repeatedly, in Nigeria for the past decades. These are enough to disintegrate any nation.

Being the 60th Independence Anniversary of our dear country, we perceive a great indifference in the citizens attitude to the plight of Nigeria this time around com-

pared with the 50th anniversary when everywhere was agog with prayers, fun fares and well wishes.

It suggests that we are giving up on Nigeria? No! It shouldn’t be.

Lest we miss, for the second time, our season of divine visitation, we must keep our watch.

To this effect, God has prompted this non-denominational group, made up of inter-denominational members to mobilize Apostles and Prophets to exercise their mandates over Nigeria. We are to equally mobilize you as an individual to be part of this historic move of God! In proffering solution to the multifaceted problems of Nigeria, It’s important to go back to the origin of the problems. From there we shall be able to identify where we are coming from, what went wrong along the way, and the destination to which we are heading. I hereby list three factors for this step-retracing: The 1903 conquest of Fulani Empire versus Independence eve sell out!

The 1914 amalgamation versus the name - Nigeria.

So, what’s the essence of this lengthy story? The developmental growth of Nigeria, the entrepreneurial minds that transformed Lagos, and the genius that confronted the Colonial Masters for the independence; were the positive effects of the Labour of those old Christians.

The church missed it when we began to preach that “heavenbound Christians should not dare politics” We held a wrong doctrine against governance that Church members can’t survive political wars because of diabolical threat!

We left governance for pigs, and they have squandered it.

Nigeria will never go forward till the Church raises disciples and fields them to take her place in governance.

We need to give all glory to Almighty God- Rev Adepoju Ademola, First Love Apostolic Outreach Nigeria at 60 we need to give all glory to the Almighty God for His faithfulness and mercy over this nation surely we’ve through thick and thin. I pray God will give us leaders who will have the fear of God and love for the masses not selfish people who always want to take the wealth of the nation at the detriment of the masses.

It has been God all the way if we allow the fear of the Lord which is the beginning of wisdom, the wealth of this nation will spread out to everyone.

We need to develop the man power mostly of our youth and get them involved; many of our rulers came in as youth and still want to die there or replace themselves with their children instead of making it a neutral ground for all.

Our total focus should not be on oil when there was no oil farming was building the nation we need to go back to the drawing board. Every graduate want a white collar job but we can be successful as entrepreneurs., In 1973, Nigeria and Korea were at the same level of development, today they’ve gone ahead while we’re doing same thing over and over again with no progress.

I pray God will deliver our nation Nigeria from the hand of nation wealth-eater politicians, Amen.

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Sunday 04 October 2020

Personality

Elumelu: Reaping the fruit of philanthropy

A

ZEBULON AGOMUO s Nigeria is in a celebrative mood, one of her illustrious sons has also brought an international honour that has added colour to the 60th independence anniversary celebration.

According to Henry Wadsworth Longfellow, “the heights by great men reached and kept were not attained by sudden flight, but they while their companions slept, were toiling upward in the night.”

The above quote captures the exploit of Tony Elumelu, who today has become a global icon by dint of hard work, consistency and philanthropy.

Elumelu is the chairman of United Bank for Africa (UBA) and founder of Heirs Holdings, his family investment company committed to improving lives and transforming Africa.

All over the continent of Africa, prayers are on a daily basis mounted by individuals and families that have been directly touched by his milk of kindness.

Little wonder the media was awash with the cheery news as soon as Elumelu’s name was announced as one of the ‘TIME 100’ most influential individuals in the world in 2020.

Among those who celebrated the feat were the young men and women whose lives have been given a meaning through the Entrepreneurship initiative of Elumelu that empowers African youths.

Elumelu, an economist, entrepreneur, philanthropist, is also the founder of The Tony Elumelu Foundation (TEF), dedicated to raising young entrepreneurs across the African continent.

Many Nigerians have continued to congratulate him on the latest feat. They have also challenged other rich Nigerians to emulate Elumelu’s milk of kindness.

A Nigerian who spoke with BDSUNDAY on condition of anonymity, profusely commended Elumelu, saying that he deserved whatever award anybody or group could give him on account of his philanthropic exploits.

“I am not sure Tony Elumelu is the richest Nigerian. I am very sure that there are many other Nigerians as rich as he is, but why is it that we do not hear about their programmes targeted at lifting the poor? We hear and read stories about Nigerians who own choice properties in choice places across the globe; we see those who advertise their wealth on social media, yet none of them has that humanity and enough public spirit to help the poor.

“We have just insignificant number of the rich that have the poor at heart. Look at all the sectors of the Nigerian economy, everything is gloom. How many of them sponsor education of indigent children in their com-

Tony Elumelu

munities, Nigeria as a country, let alone African continent as Elumelu is doing? I continue to remember him in my prayers,” the citizen, who identified herself as a school principal, said.

The educationist noted that if the wealthy people in Nigeria had seen the need to give to the poor in their midst, the poverty level in the country would have drastically reduced.

“Nigeria today holds an unenviable record as the poverty headquarters of the world; is it not an irony when we have many multi-billionaire businessmen and politicians in Nigeria? What most of these rich men do not know is that there is a divine connection or angle to giving. After all, the scripture says, ‘Whoever is generous to the poor lends to the Lord, and he will repay him for his deed.’

I congratulate Tony Elumelu, and my prayer for him is that the good Lord will reward him with long life,” she said.

Elated at the news of the global recognition of the excellent entrepreneur, President Muhammadu Buhari had last week greeted Elumelu for the feat, expressing the optimism that the recognition

by TIME is just one of the many accolades that will come the way of the Delta-born businessman.

By the same token, the Minority Caucus in the House of Representatives in congratulating the foremost philanthropist described the recognition as well-deserving, given Elumelu’s selfless contribution towards human capital development, wealth creation, economic growth as well as empowerment of young entrepreneurs not only in Nigeria but also in Africa in general.

The Caucus, in a statement signed by Ndudi Elumelu (PDP Delta), the Minority Leader of the House of Representatives, noted that Elumelu’s entrepreneurial spirit, hard work and innovativeness had again brought respect

and honour to Nigeria in the international arena.

“As lawmakers, we are proud of Dr. Elumelu, whose performance in global business competitiveness has further reinforced our individual and collective resilience to add value in our national, continental and global quest for economic growth and better living standard,” it said.

The lawmakers celebrated Elumelu’s achievement in “providing corporate and consumer banking services to more than 21 million customers every year in no fewer than 20 African countries, the United Kingdom and France as well as his feat in financial services, hospitality, healthcare, power and energy to boost wealth creation, business and employment opportunities and better living standard in Nigeria and across Africa”.

The caucus also noted that the naming by TIME is another loud ovation to the Tony Elumelu Foundation (TEF) for its creation of millions of jobs particularly through the investing of $5000 in 1000 young entrepreneurs every year, across all 54 countries as well as his economic philosophy of Africapitalism, which has repositioned private sector engagement across the continent.

The lawmakers urged Elumelu to see the recognition as a voice speaking for the beneficiaries of his programmes and a call for more service to humanity.

Congratulating Elumelu, Aliko Dangote, president, Dangote Industries Limited, said: “A mere handshake says a lot about Tony Elumelu.”

According to the business magnate, “His gritty grip underlines his charming, tenacious personality: a man who hardly backs down from any challenge. The same engaging qualities have propelled him from a modest beginning in Nigeria to becoming chair of the United Bank of Africa, and one of the most innovative and ambitious business leaders of his generation.”

He further said that Elumelu “Is a leading proponent of ‘Africapitalism,’ a belief that Africa’s private sector can and must play a leading role in the continent’s development through long-term investments, as well as entrepreneurship and regional connectivity.”

He recalled that “After deepening the financial market in Africa, he has found an equally important niche: giving a voice of hope to millions of youths across Africa.

Tony has harnessed Africa’s youth bulge to catalyse development and protect the future, committing to investing $5,000 each in 1,000 young entrepreneurs per year across 54 countries in Africa.”

“Having come so far, Tony still forges on, striking a fine balance between personal satisfaction and societal impact,” he further said.

Recall that Elumelu was also recently named among business leaders helping the world fight Covid-19.

ID Africa, a marketing, media and technology company, had listed him as one of the ‘Neusroom 100 Project’- a recognition of 100 people, organisations, countries and things helping the world fight the pandemic and flatten the Covid-19 curve.

The man Elumelu Elumelu, born 22 March 1963, is an African economist, entrepreneur, and philanthropist. He holds the Nigerian national honours, the Commander of the Order of the Niger (CON) and Member of the Order of the Federal Republic (MFR) in 2003. He received Nigeria’s National Productivity Order of Merit in 2019.

Elumelu started his career with Union Bank as a Youth Corps member of the National Youth Service Corps in 1985. In his early career, Elumelu acquired Standard Trust Bank in 2005 and United Bank for Africa (UBA) afterwards.

Following his retirement from UBA in 2010, Elumelu founded Heirs Holdings, which invests in the financial services, energy, real estate and hospitality, agribusiness, and healthcare sectors. In the same year, he established the Tony Elumelu Foundation, an Africa-based and African-funded philanthropic organisation.

Elumelu serves as an advisor to the USAID’s Private Capital Group for Africa (PCGA) Partners Forum. He sits on the Nigerian President’s Agricultural Transformation Implementation Council (ATIC).

He is also vice-chairman of the National Competitiveness Council of Nigeria (NCCN) whose formation he was a key driver in, and serves as Co-Chair of the Aspen Institute Dialogue Series on Global Food Security. He additionally chairs the Ministerial Committee to establish world-class hospitals and diagnostic centres across Nigeria, at the invitation of the Federal Government and the Presidential Jobs Board, engineered to create 3 million jobs in one year. He also serves as a member of the Global Advisory Board of the United Nations Sustainable Energy for All Initiative (SE4ALL) and USAID’s Private Capital Group for Africa Partners Forum.

He was one of the co-chairs of the 26th World Economic Forum on Africa in Kigali, Rwanda, from 11 to 13 May 2016.

In 2006, he won the African Business Leader of The Year award conferred by the United Kingdombased magazine, Africa Investor.

In 2009, the late President Umaru Musa Yar’Adua asked him to serve on the Presidential Committee on the Global Financial Crisis. At the 5th edition of the annual Economic Forum of the Ivorian National Council of Employers, CGECI Academy, (CGECI) in Abidjan in April 2016, he was awarded a Lifetime Achievement Award. Also, in 2016, he was awarded the ‘Daily Times, Nigerian man of the year.’

Sunday 04 October 2020

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Interview

How Lebanon, Nigeria can boost trade volume amid Covid-19 – Envoy

HOUSSAM DIAB, Lebanese ambassador to Nigeria, says despite the setback caused by Covid-19, his country’s Diaspora investors can engage Nigerian Diaspora investors to harness the vast network of wealth between both countries to boost trade volume for their benefit. In this Interview with INNOCENT ODOH, the envoy also explains why Lebanon stopped a category of visas to Nigerians, stressing that some Nigerian travel agencies have used the opportunity to send many migrant female workers to his country, which later became a problem and needed to be stopped. He also speaks on sundry issues. Excerpts:

W

hat‘s the current level of bilateral relations between Lebanon and Lebanon?

Nigeria and Lebanon have longstanding bilateral relations and I will say the crux of this relationship is made by the Lebanese community. The Lebanese community came to Nigeria from the turn of the 20th century and became well established in Nigeria. Lebanon and Nigerian diplomatic relations started in the 70s and our embassy was in Lagos and when the new capital, Abuja was built we moved with other diplomatic missions.

We have very friendly and cooperative bilateral relations with Nigeria. Nigeria has always been a strong power in West Africa and Africa, and a vocal political voice in the international arena. Nigeria has always taken Lebanon’s side and supported Lebanon’s issues. And we have always supported each other on international fora.

Now, on the business level, I would say that trade relations between Lebanon and Nigeria have to be improved. It is not to the level that will inspire confidence. Of course, steps are to be taken for this relationship to develop and one of these steps is signing the right bilateral agreements. Since I resumed here two and half years ago, there is almost no bilateral agreement especially in trade.

So, we have proposed seven such MoUs that hover around economic and trade relationships. But of course paper work is agreement on something but it also needs to be backed by initiatives and these initiatives are driven by business and the private sector. So, we have to create an incentive for both the private sector to invest whether in Lebanon or in Nigeria.

I think both the Lebanese and the Nigerian Diaspora can play a major role in this. The Lebanese Diaspora community especially in Africa has a long history and they are known for their businesses, factories and their expertise in the business field. They can work with the Nigerian Diaspora to harness this wealth of connections that they have in Africa to establish some investment. I think we can work a lot along this idea.

Unfortunately we were working on such an idea with our both ministries but the current situation in Lebanon –the Covid -19 and the economic downturn has postponed everything. But I am sure the time will come soon where we need to organise ourselves around this idea to benefit the two countries.

Houssam Diab

Sometimes good ideas come in times of crisis.

Can we have a specific figure of trade volume and investment between both countries?

I think trade balance tilts towards Lebanon but from 2011 it hovers around $64 million but it went down in 2019 to 22 million. 2020 is still in the process but I will say it will go down further because of the economic situation in Lebanon. So, as you can see the level of trade is very small.

To what will you attribute the shortfall from $64 million to $22 million?

The economic situation in Lebanon has taken its toll on businesses. In the past years, the world economy is hurting and Nigeria, as part of the world is also facing some challenges with the fall of the naira in 2016 and a lot of Lebanese companies were hurt by this shortfall. This has affected their imports of materials because most Lebanese companies in Nigeria are in the construction business and most materials that were traded were in this field of construction. So, eventually the level of trade of these materials came down.

Nigerians have migrated in large numbers to your country in search of job opportunities but many of them have returned due to the Covid-19 pandemic. How has the pandemic affected your economy?

Lebanon’s economy was already hurting; we suffered a harsh economic downturn that affected the banking system. As you know Lebanon benefits from the remittances of its Diaspora which

constitutes almost 20% of its GDP and you can imagine that when the banking sector suffered, these remittances have stopped, and on top of that Covid- 19 came to make things even worse.

Now, Lebanon has big unemployment of over 40%, the Lebanese Lira lost almost 70% of its value compared to the dollar, poverty is over 40% and this is unprecedented in Lebanon. On top of that Lebanon is facing a refugee problem. Due to the Syrian crisis, Lebanon has received over one and half million Syrian refugees. You can imagine the impact of over 1 and half million refugees on a population of four and half million economically and socially. So, all these have culminated into a real economic crisis in Lebanon but the government is trying to fix the crisis and to also address the political differences in Lebanon.

We have a new Prime Minister that has been nominated and hopefully more consensus can be forged. So, we are hoping that we will bring immediate reforms to mitigate the crisis.

The explosion in Beirut that killed almost 200 people and left about 70,000 houses destroyed has created a humanitarian crisis. How are you coping with this disaster?

The Beirut Port explosion has added tremendous set back to Lebanon both on the humanitarian level and the economic level. The explosion devastated a large area of Beirut and so far the toll is around 200 dead and over 6,500 injured. The Port itself, which is the main artery of the economy, has been badly damaged. The devastation is so

great that almost 300,000 people have been displaced. So, the international community whether governments or NGOs have come to the help of Lebanon and this has demonstrated the level of humanitarian aid that was mobilised to provide basic needs to the people.

The international community has been very generous in attending to Lebanon’s demands, but of course this is not enough.

Over 7 billion dollars is needed to rebuild what has been destroyed and that means we need international donors, and to have a kind of Marshal plan for Beirut to bring it out of its ruins and back to life especially at this time.

We are in the process of putting a reform plan submitted to the IMF for the government to be able to bring the much needed financial assistance from IMF and the international community especially from Paris donors’ conference. This financial aid is however, conditioned with much needed reforms.

You imposed visa restrictions on Nigerians to stop the migration of mostly Nigerian girls to Lebanon to engage in domestic work. The agencies doing this might change their tactics i.e start smuggling the girls illegally to Lebanon. How do you intend to tackle this?

I want to bring you back to the relationship between the Lebanese and Nigerian community. I have served in Nigeria for two and a half years and can tell you that the Lebanese feel at home and they see Nigerians as their own people. Lebanese families treated Nigerian that worked for them as family and took them to work for them in Lebanon. This is how originally the migration of Nigerian workers to Lebanon started.

This was a social bond between families. Unfortunately, this bond has been tarnished by Nigerian agencies that took advantage of these ladies when sending them to work in Lebanon.

These are agencies that take three to four months of the salaries from the ladies, so, you can imagine how the ladies can go for the first four to five months without being paid as all their salaries go back to the agencies, which often misled these ladies. There are Nigerians sent to Lebanon by Nigerian Agencies, and the Nigerian authorities should do more to stop these Nigerian traffickers.

The agencies have been obtaining work visas for the girls directly by contacting the Lebanese agencies in Lebanon to arrange for their work visas. It is the Security General that is responsible for issuing visas. So, they bypass the embassies and consulates here in

Nigeria. Actually we did not know about these Nigerian ladies going to Lebanon because they did not go through us. What I have done is that I have asked the Security General to stop these work visas for domestic workers especially women so that we can at least stop the problem so that now any Nigerian that needs to go to Lebanon needs to come through the embassy or the consulate in Lagos or the consulate in Kano.

Usually diplomatic missions know better how to deal with the matter and know who is genuine and who is not. In Lebanon they lack this knowledge because if the papers are legal the Security General will issue you a visa. But we have changed that now. As of May 1, 2020, the Security General has issued a circular to stop all visas for Nigerian lady workers and the problem has stopped. Now to bypass it will be difficult because there is no border between Lebanon and Nigeria, the only way is to fly and to fly you need a visa.

We have stopped the problem and now we are dealing with the existing cases and from these cases we have brought back over 500 Nigerians.

As the ambassador in Nigeria, I have worked with the Lebanese community and they were very happy to help bring back the ladies. I would say 90% of the ladies stranded in Lebanon were stranded because they could not afford the air tickets. As you know because of the economic situation in Lebanon, compounded by the Covid-19, the girls were left stranded as they could not get help from their employers. That is why the Lebanese community stepped in to bring them back.

The Lebanese National Airlines MEA also sponsored them or gave them over 60% discount of the tickets. So, we have been able to bring back 500 of these girls.

Lebanon just marked its centennial celebration. In a few words, how would you describe Lebanon in the last 100 years?

I must say you came on the day Lebanon is celebrating 100 years of its establishment. In 1920 was the announcement of Great Lebanon under the French mandate.

Then in 1926 we had our first constitution, and in 1943 we got our independence. You know that Lebanon was plunged into civil war in 1975, which ended in 1989 with the Taif agreement. Today there are suggested reforms and amendments to the constitution especially concerning non-sectarian parliamentary elections that would lead to a civil system of government. So, we are confident that suggested reforms will bring lasting stability to Lebanon.

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Sunday 04 October 2020

Interview

‘Malaria will be eliminated in Nigeria despite challenges facing health care delivery system’ Audu Bala Mohammed, national coordinator, National Malaria Elimination Programme (NMEP) in this interview with IFEOMA OKEKE, speaks on steps NMEP is taking towards eradicating malaria in Nigeria. Excerpts:

T

he most talked about conversation within the health sector in Nigeria at the moment is Covid-19; how do you think the malaria conversation can be added to it?

Given that the common clinical symptoms of SARS-CoV-2 infection, such as headaches, body aches, fatigue, and fever, are also applicable to malaria infections any discussion regarding Covid-19 should include malaria. This becomes all the more important given the confusion among the populace including those that are knowledgeable about the difference between the two infections especially in their management. Within the programme, we are using Interpersonal Communication (IPC) sessions, which is a core strategy of malaria at the community level to increase awareness of both malaria management and Covid-19 preventive measures. We have suggested increased case finding and community level diagnosis of Covid-19 using the malaria community distribution of commodity platforms; incorporating Covid-19 risk and awareness into malaria survey forms and promoting testing, so that a negative malaria test can heighten the consideration for Covid-19.

Malaria has affected a number of African countries for quite a while; what activities are cur-

Mohammed rently being taken to combat the illness amidst the Covid-19?

The National Malaria Elimination Programme (NMEP) has developed and is implementing a business continuity plan for the rest of this year, prioritizing interventions, streamlining campaign activities (for both Long Lasting Insecticidal Nets and Seasonal Malaria Chemoprevention), and developing

appropriate messaging including risk communication based on the evolving pandemic. The initial risk assessments were with the potential disruption of implementation of preventive interventions such as LLINs, and SMC which are to be implemented in campaign modes and which require several preimplementation planning activities – such as training, micro-planning and social mobilization. However, with time, we have made efforts to circumvent these challenges by leveraging on the use of online platforms to conduct some of the planning steps revising guidelines to minimize risk of COVID-19 transmission. Using these methods and guidelines SMC campaigns are being conducted in the Sahelian States and LLIN campaign is currently on-going in Osun State. Case management of malaria is continuing in health facilities across the country, including prompt diagnostic testing and treatment, which are being delivered safely and appropriately, although there have been disruptions in the supply chain management system which are being addressed.

With more focus on Covid-19 by the government, do you think there is a chance for the provision of malaria supplies?

In 2019, Nigeria accounted for 25 per cent of the world’s malaria cases and continues to have one

of the highest burdens of malaria today. During the initial lockdown phases due to Covid-19 there were serious concerns about how far behind Nigeria might fall in the fight against this pernicious disease.

Current modelling suggests that if malaria services are disrupted we might be drawn back to the malaria situation 20 years ago.

Advocacy measures at national, state and LGA levels in addition to engagement with private sector organizations are being conducted highlighting these issues, and governments at all levels are being requested to fund key activities of the malaria response. NMEP and the RBM partnership will continue to work together with state health teams and communities to ensure that malaria stays high on the political agenda.

With the diverted attention from malaria to Covid-19, do you think malaria can still be eradicated in Nigeria?

Malaria will still be eliminated in Nigeria irrespective of the challenges that currently face the health care delivery system including the Covid-19 pandemic but it may take a slightly longer time. We are still far from elimination even without the pandemic coming in. The National Malaria Strategic Plan 2014 - 2020 had set a target of achieving pre-elimination by 2020 but the NDHS 2018 results indicate

national malaria prevalence at 23 percent with some States above 50 percent. Only Lagos State is closest to the pre-elimination stage.

Prior to the Covid-19 pandemic, some other nations had been trying out a form of malaria vaccine, is it something Nigeria is considering?

Yes, the vaccine has been piloted in three countries Malawi, Ghana and Kenya with WHO support and the outcomes are being analyzed and evaluated. Nigeria is willing to consider every innovation including use of vaccines once there is adequate evidence that it works and can be deployed safely and in a cost-effective manner.

Based on your knowledge and association with malaria organisations, do you think that their activities can help Nigeria in combating malaria?

As reflected earlier the RBM partnership in Nigeria made up of several organisations and civil rights groups including the private sector are working with NMEP, state health teams and communities to ensure that malaria services continue and that malaria stays high on the political as well as public agenda. Some of these organisations are implementing partners supporting delivery of malaria services to all nooks and crannies of the country.

‘Improving quality of primary education is integral to driving economic growth in Nigeria’ After one decade of running ACE Charity Organisation, Kiki James, founder of the foundation, reminisces on a few lessons she has learnt within the last 10 years of the foundation. Excerpts by SEYI JOHN SALAU

Y

our foundation recently marked 10 years of existence; how would you advise others aiming to achieve this milestone?

I would sum my response up within some points. You have to work only with people who believe in the vision of your charity so you and your team have unity of purpose; this is key.

Be extremely cautious of who you put on your board, be sure they are team players and not divisive. Develop skill-sets to match the growth of your organisation, passion alone is not enough.

Do not try to solve every problem in your chosen field, choose your focus areas and become an expert in that space. Do not be afraid to be creative in your approach when solving social problems, however, always apply critical thinking.

You are not too young to set-up and run a charity organisation, but you have to understand that your ideas may be rejected. Be prepared to fine tune them if need be but do not compromise on the crux of your ideas as this is what makes you unique.

Also, you must measure your standards of operation by international best practices as this will

drive you to grow an organisational culture of excellence with a disciplined work ethic.

Likewise, be prepared for challenges, it will get tougher. When it does, take courage in why you started, never forget the why. With sheer determination, discipline coupled with resilience and utter grit, you will go very far, but belief and faith in yourself will get you further.

Kindly speak on some of the success stories of the foundation?

One of our key projects is the establishment of Learning Resource Centres (LRCs) in public schools across Nigeria, aimed at improving literacy, numeracy, and ICT skills of children from deprived backgrounds. We actually started with the ILSA campaign in 2013, which stands for Increase Literacy Skills Africa.

At ACE Charity, we know that quality education is a key ingredient for producing excellent human capital, and primary education is an essential component of every educational system.

Therefore, improving the quality of primary education is integral to driving economic growth in Nigeria. So far, we have established 27 fully functional LRCs

across several states in Nigeria, five of which are currently being managed by ACE Charity, while 22 have been handed over to schools and educational authorities in the intervention states.

What influenced the establishment of ACE radio?

During the Covid-19 pandemic, we established the ACE Radio School in April 2020 sponsored

by Malala Fund and Grondfos Foundation to improve STEM and literacy knowledge of children in disadvantaged communities through radio.

The ACE Radio School is an emergency intervention, which is still reaching children who are at home and unable to learn during the Covid-19 lockdown because they do not have access to online learning.

ACE Radio School has recorded considerable listener engagement and participation from school children, out-of-school children, and uneducated adults. Additionally, evidence from our evaluation activities show a marked improvement in the literacy rate of children stuck at home due to the lockdown, as well as out-of-school children.

We currently air in Abuja, Borno, Adamawa, Sokoto, Kano,

Kiki Nassarawa, Kogi, Niger and Plateau states with about 11 million listeners in these states combined.

You used to base outside Nigeria, how convenient was it to return to Nigeria for this purpose?

My move back to Nigeria in 2010 was an entire mind shift. It was thought-provoking, infuriating and almost maddening - an experience that heavily influenced issues that are of great impor-

tance to me which we focus on as a charity. They ranged from education and training, to economic empowerment and affordable healthcare. But in due time, I have gotten accustomed so well, doing what I love to do.

So, what informed your decision to start a charity organisation?

Growing up, I had always known I wanted to do meaningful work to make the world a better place but did not quite know how. I later realised my early childhood experiences at my boarding school in Lagos state, where I mostly gave away all my school provisions within the first few weeks of the school term because someone said they were hungry were mere indications of me wanting to help people.

When I became a teenager, I understood that I enjoyed solving problems and wanted to change lives by always being the fixer.

Once I became an adult, I realised that I was driven by a desire so powerful that could not be ignored, this led me to set up ACE Charity, which is also a non-profit organisation. I wanted to make a sustainable difference in the lives of Nigerians, believing I could contribute to her development.

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Art Encounter ‘Phases of Reflection’ at Alexis Galleries OBINNA EMELIKE

O

nce again, art lovers and collectors have the opportunity to rekindle their passion for the arts as Alexis Galleries presents an unprecedented exhibition featuring two contemporary Nigerian artists.

Tagged ‘Phases of Reflection’, the joint exhibition will open virtually for the public, as well as, at the gallery on Saturday, October 10, 2020, and run till Sunday, October 17, 2020.

As expected, the exhibition will see Dodd Brown and Orlu Prince Ozangeobuoma, the two artists, squaring up in healthy rivalry, while showcasing works that reflect their different styles.

There are many reasons to see the exhibition as the two budding artists unleash their creative ingenuity in unique styles.

From wavy pelleting, oil on canvas, acrylic painting on canvas, fabric and to mix media, there are many styles to see.

Dodd Brown, who creates his paintings from different subject matters, life experiences both past and present, awaits your visit in order to take you on an enthralling visual journey.

Moreover, the young ar tist uniquely creates and engages the mind with his works on different levels. He tells stories on canvas, using several media.

Going by his perfect mastering of weave fabrics, newsprints, and colors

View for an insider by Orlu Prince Ozangeobuoma(1)

on canvas, the mixed-media artist is worth seeing and followed by art enthusiasts.

On the other hand and in another exciting style, Orlu Prince Ozangeobuom comes with breathtaking works that delight the senses.

His unique rendition, bold application of colors, and his distinct attention to gestures and facial expressions speak volume of the quality of his art.

They also affirm his successful apprenticeship with Duke Asidere, the master artist, who left a piece of his magic fingers and creative mind with Ozangeobuom.

However, the uniqueness of the exhibition is that there is a somewhat balance across the different works.

Despite their different styles and medium, the artists find a common ground in the theme of the exhibition, which tends to reflect on human

Netflix spotlights Nigerian storytelling with Naija To The World collection OBINNA EMELIKE

O

n October 1, 2020, Netflix, leading internet entertainment service, will mark the 60th anniversary of Nigeria’s independence by introducing the Naija To The World collection on the service, a curated content collection that highlights Nigerian storytellers and talent who have elevated Nigeria’s creative industry recognition around the world.

The collection can be found on netflix.com/naijatotheworld (or search Naija To The World on the service) and will be available globally, featuring over 90 Nigerian films and series starring some of Nigeria’s most prolific talent both behind and in front of the camera.The titles have been curated into various rows to make it easy for members to discover stories that suit whatever mood they are in.These are critically-acclaimed Nigerian films including; Nollywood thrillers, romantic films , comedies , crime films, dramas and Nigerian screen queens with film featuring Nigeria’s lead actresses such as Genevieve Nnaji, Rita Dominic, Kate Henshaw, Omoni Oboli,

Lionheart.

Zainab Balogun, Funke Akindele, Kehinde Bankole to name a few.

As the world’s leading entertainment service, Netflix is in a unique position to showcase local talent and stories made by Nigerians to members around the world in 190 countries.

“Nigerian storytellers have long been successful in telling great stories - these stories are now travelling far beyond Africa and are loved by audiences in different parts of the world,” says Ben Amadasun, Netflix’s director of licensing and co-productions in Africa.

“We are excited to bring this curated collection that will allow our members around the world to celebrate Nigerian storytellers and talent and enjoy their great stories that showcase the rich Nigeria culture, traditions, food, music, fashion, lifestyle

Storm, acrylic painting on canvas by Dodd Brown

and history.”

Along with a wide variety of best-in-class library content across genres, members will also have access to new titles that will join the Naija to the World collection this October.

Journey of an African Colony; The Making of Nigeria, a new docu-series from Nigeriabased Quramo Productions will make its timely debut on the service globally on October 1. The seven-part docuseries will take Netflix members on a journey of Nigeria’s history from colonization, its part in world history and its march to independence. The documentary is produced by Quramo Productions in association with Nemsia Films and is led by Gbemi Shasore, executive producer, directed

by BB Sasore and produced

by Funmbi Ogunbanwo.

life experiences, self-awareness, and evaluation.

Again, their body of work is fascinating in its glorious abstracted forms.

Speaking during a media parley heralding the exhibition, Patty Chidiac Mastrogiannis, founder and director of Alexis Galleries, noted that Phases of Reflection is holding virtually in order to adhere to all necessary guidelines by the government on social distancing, while the live view would be

strictly by registration.

She noted further that the links to the online registration and virtual hosting would be published on the gallery’s social media handles a week before the show; alexisgalleries for Instagram and The Homestores Alexis Galleries for Facebook.

The live view, according to the art promoter and entrepreneur, would still hold at Alexis Galleries, No. 282, Akin Olugbade Street, Off Idowu Martins Street, Victoria Island, Lagos, while promising that the exhibition would be intriguing for both virtual and live view.

Meanwhile, in the tradition of the gallery to offer some percentage of the proceeds of the exhibition to charity, Patty disclosed that, “We are pleased to announce that the gallery will be partnering with Child Lifeline, a non for profit organization”. The non for profit organization, according to her, helps children living on the street of Lagos, seeking to reconnect them with their families and get them back into school or vocational training; hence Alexis Galleries is donating part of the exhibition proceeds to its course.

She also disclosed that from the next exhibition, the gallery would be holding silent auctions on one work at every exhibition and donate the proceeds to charity.

The exhibition is sponsored by Pepsi, Tiger, Indomie, Mikano, The Guardian, Wazobia FM Radio, Lost in Lagos, CoolFM, UPS, Cool World, Cobranet, Delta Airlines, Aina Blankson,

MultiChoice Talent Factory launches the In Focus Masterclass Series

T

he MultiChoice Talent Factory (MTF) is set to launch the In Focus Masterclass Series hosted by South Africa-based film and TV veteran Ken Kaplan! The Series comprises pre-recorded conversations now available on the MTF Portal.

The masterclass series will see Kaplan in virtual conversation with some of the most formidable creative technical professionals in Africa’s film and TV industry. Kaplan has had over 25 years’ experience in film and TV and has worked on various local and international features as a producer, director,

creative executive, and distribution, among others.

Masterclasses have been a crucial feature of the MTF shared-value initiative since its establishment in 2018, and have been held in various African countries in line with one of MultiChoice Africa’s strategy of technical and creative knowledge sharing as a means of empowering emerging and professional creatives.

“Investing in the next generation of storytellers on a technical and creative level is something that has been at the heart of the MTF initiative.

We’re excited to launch MTF

Appie Matere, producer, In Focus Masterclass Series

In Focus, a series of in-depth virtual conversations with leading filmmakers from across the continent,” says John Ugbe, Chief Executive Officer, MultiChoice Nigeria.

The first set of conversations includes Kenyan producer Appie Matere, South African editor and directorVuyani Sondlo, Nigerian director, writer and producer Akin Omotoso, South African documentary filmmaker Michael Cross and cinematographer Kabelo “KB” Thathe.

Each week, a new conversation with one of the creatives mentioned, will be available for viewing.

The MTF Masterclasses is an important training platform alongside the MTF Academies, a 12-month regional fully funded training programme aimed at upskilling the next generation of passionate young film creatives.

The academy is also the first touchpoint of the MTF shared-value initiative, with a one-of-a-kind curriculum that MultiChoice has tailored alongside its partner Mnet channels, as well as, its curriculum support partners including the Henley Business School Africa, Pan-Atlantic University in Lagos, Kenyatta University in Nairobi, and the University of Zambia in Lusaka, among others.

24

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Sunday 04 October 2020

Travel ‘Our uniqueness is the convenience we provide in a bustling city like Lagos’ On October 5, 2018, Legend Hotel Lagos Airport, Curio Collection by Hilton opened its doors to exclusive patrons. Two years down the line, the first Curio hotel in Africa is taking its offerings a notch higher. In this interview, Peter Idoko, the general manager of the hotel, speaks to Obinna Emelike on the operation so far, offerings, safety reason to visit among other related issues.

C

What are the unique offerings?

Yes, our location is unique.

We are right in the international airport in Lagos, conveniently nested between the international and local terminals, – just a walking distance to the international terminal and only 5km to the domestic terminal. We are the only hotel I am aware of that has in-house immigration and customs desks and is a few steps to boarding of private jets.

Our Legend Flight Lounge and De Bull Restaurant & Bar are uniquely situated and provide impressive views of the airfield. Indeed, both private jet and commercial airline passengers are delighted to have a place where they can conveniently stay overnight, have lunch or generally wait for their flights.

We are also uniquely located for business meetings in any of our meeting venues or restaurant depending on the size and nature of the meetings. I must say that our uniqueness is the convenience that we provide in a bustling city like Lagos.

ongratulations for the successful running of the hotel so far. But what has been the secret of the laudable operations since the opening of the hotel two years ago?

It is down to two main things: the culture, dedication of our team members and the support of our guests and owning company. These have led us into focusing on only the things that add to the quality of our space and operation and thus add value to our guests. We are able to focus on guests by constantly putting them at the centre of our operation, actively seeking their feedback and taking action.

As you know, we are part of Curio Collection by Hilton, one of Hilton’s 18 brands, and that says a lot – We bring to life in Lagos the legendary Hilton hospitality. As we say, “We are Hilton, We are Hospitality”.

Do you think the first set of guests at the opening of the hotel will still experience the same exclusive offerings that attracted them two years ago when they visit now?

Because we strive for continuous improvement, the worst we can get to is the same high quality we started out with. The current core of our guests started with us and have been referring others to us and thus building for us an ever increasing base of satisfied guests.

Have you been able to satisfy the guests and meet t he ex p ec ta ti o n s of t he owners in these crucial two years in operation?

In the short time of our operation, we have been able to establish ourselves as the reference point of hospitality in Ikeja, and indeed, Lagos.

In just two years we have received many awards, including the two very prestigious awards for guest satisfaction, namely Trip Advisor 2020 Tra v e l l e r s ’ C h o i c e A w a rd and Booking.com Traveller Review Awards 2020 where we scored 9 out of 10 in guest

Peter Idoko, GM, Legend Hotel Lagos Airport, Curio Collection

by Hilton satisfaction. Both awards put us in the top 10 percent of guest satisfaction worldwide.

Our owners are pleased with that progress, which has put us as the reference point for hospitality in Ikeja, if not, Lagos.

Are there plans to celebrate the two years anniversary, and what excitement should guests expect?

In the spirit of the times, we are not rolling out the loud drums yet. We would rather continue our quest for improving the experience for our guests. Like I said, we will continue to do those things that add value to our team

and guests and other stakeholders. For example, we have new and extraordinary culinary adventures awaiting guests. Watch the space.

Has there been facility upgrade since then?

There has not been a need to do any major upgrades in the two years because the facility was built to a very high quality. However, in line with of our philosophy of continuous improvement, we embarked on expansion a n d i m p rov e m e n t o f o u r meeting spaces to provide more options, comfort and convenience for our guests.

Reviewing the occupancy in the last two years, what is it like, has there been improvement that reflects revenue as well?

We were on an upward trajectory in occupancy and revenues until the onset of the pandemic that led to closures of hotels in late March 2020. We have restarted that growth since we re-opened in mid July 2020.

The hotel has maintained its magnificence, how did you achieve that?

We have done that through a culture of excellence anchored on a team wide intolerance for mediocrity, a quest for continuous improvement and a deliberate seeking and acting on feedback. That culture is all over our organization from ownership to hotel leadership and team.

What have been the challenges in the two years of operation?

Like other business in Ni-

geria, we are challenged with infrastructure deficits, most notably, electricity which adds up to operational costs.

Then, there is the pandemic with it is all familiar impacts.

How are you recovering from the impact of the pandemic, has the opening of the airspace impacted occupancy?

Post pandemic recovery is gradual and will remain so for a while. We re-opened in the middle of July having put in place a very high standard of health and safety measures driven by the Hilton global safety program of Hilton CleanStay. Our guests have told us that they feel safe and confident in us.

As for the re-opening of the airports: I think that while it has not yet translated to a big spike in occupancies, hotels would have been worse off if the airspace was still closed. We remain hopeful that as the rest of the world opens up, people will travel more and occupancies will increase. We are looking forward to some kind of corporate travel to start again even if it is not going to be at pre-pandemic levels.

Before the pandemic, what impact does the jet business have on the hotel in terms of occupancy and are the immigration service still functional?

Travellers on executive jets found our hotel very convenient. From their jets to the hotel is only a few steps. They also have the benefits of our flexible meeting spaces, including a VIP room in the Legend Flight Lounge and a crew lounge for their crews.

The immigration services and other port services are fully functional.

There seems to be an ongoing expansion project in the hotel, how is it now and is it a reflection of an impressive performance?

The ongoing projects are part of the original plans. We opened the first phase, which is what we are operating currently. The rest of the project will come on stream as they are completed.

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25

Reminiscence

‘If there were reincarnation, I would not return to Nigeria of today’ As Nigeria marks her 60th independence anniversary, a nonagenarian, Ojuetimi Matilda Akinwande (93) from Ondo State, who spoke with ZEBULON AGOMUO, Editor, through an interpreter, in this interview said she would not like to be a Nigerian in the next world if there was anything like reincarnation as a result of the unfortunate happenings in the country nowadays. She also urged the people of Ondo State to play by the rules as they elect a new governor on October 3, as power only comes from God. Excerpts:

Y

ou have seen many days in Nigeria . You must have also seen ups and downs.

Could you please tell us the happiest moment of your life, as well as your saddest moment in the last 93 years?

As you have said there have been good and bad times. My happiest moment was when I gave birth to my first child which was a female. I was also very excited when I gave birth to my second child, a male.

You have lost your husband for many years now; how did you manage to take care of your children singlehandedly?

I was a trader and I traded on many, many things. I ensured that my children received the best parental care.

I made sure they lacked nothing, and all of had good education. I was not weakened by the death of my husband, but I faced the future with courage, and God helped me.

Comparing Nigeria of today with what the country used to be when you were a youth, are there some regret or fulfillment; simply put, can we say that Nigeria has made great progress?

Ahhhh. Things have terribly gone bad. There’s a lot of difference. For instance, in the area of respect for elders and the value system, when you tell a child come, that child will come; it does not matter whether or not he or she is your biological child. There was respect for elders. It was unheard of for a child to disrespect an elder.

But the youth of today do not have regard for anybody.

The difference is so sharp that there is no basis for comparison. Come to think of it, the earth does not change; Go d d o e s n o t c h a n g e ; t h e sky does not change, but p e o p l e ’s b e h a v i o u r s h a v e sharply changed and we are just watching.

In terms of governance, how would you describe the government of today vis-àvis governments in the past?

There is a sharp difference.

Governments of those days tried to serve the people; they tried to make life very easy for people, and people lived life

Matilda Akinwande

with ease, but things are no longer the same. We are just assisting government with prayers that God will help them to have the interest of the people they are leading at heart.

From all you have seen in Nigeria in your 93 years on earth so far, would you be happy to return to Nigeria, if there were reincarnation, as a citizen after you must have left the earth?

In the first place, I would not like to come back after leaving here. I do not believe in reincarnation, but if there were anything like reincarnation, with what I am seeing in the country these days, I won’t return to Nigeria of today as a citizen; never. Why would I return here with the killings and all the terrible things happening in the country these days? I have my radio here with me and each time I tune in to a station, it is all about

negative things; no pleasant news. There is nothing that gives people joy and happiness in Nigeria of today. I am not happy about what is happening in Nigeria these days. It is disheartening what we hear about, and the kind of things that people do here today.

At y o u r a g e , y o u l o o k strong and healthy; what is the secret?

The privilege I have is that my children are taking very, very good care of me. All my children, both the males and females are taking good care of me. If not my eyes that are no longer as sharp as they should be, I would still be doing my trading business. I still knead with thread. I knead caps for babies and adults, and I also break ‘egusi’ (melon).

I still have that energy, just because my children take good care of me. In terms of medication, they are always there; they get all the neces-

sary supplements I need; in terms of food, I am glad to tell you that, it is whatever that I request that they give me, not whatever they have. They always ask me what I want, and they give me whatever I want at every moment. So, the secret of my sound health and agility is what I have just told you, and of course, the Godfactor, which is key.

I can see you are a Christ i a n . We r e y o u b o r n i n t o a Ch r i s t i a n f a m i l y o f yo u changed religion at a point?

My husband used to be the Archbishop of Cherubim and Seraphim Church. I was church mother (Iya ajo). When I came to Lagos 40 years ago to stay with my son, he took me to a Pentecostal church where he used to worship (he still worships there today). When my husband came to Lagos, they told him that I have not been attending Cherubim and Seraphim; initially he was not

happy with me. But I told him that there was no love where I was going but that I have found that there is love in the new place. My husband then made a statement and said, all churches were of God. I was excited with that reply and he left me to be attending the church with my son. Today, I am very happy that I took that decision at that time. And I am ready for rapture even at this moment.

You have spoken about your regret over the count r y ; w h a t i s yo u r w i s h o r prayer for the country as we celebrate 60 years of independence?

We mus t not b e ca rri ed away with all the entertainment and celebration over the 60th independence anniversary; we must be full of prayers for Nigeria. We must pray for the progress of Nigeria and for the fear of God to dwell in the heart of our leaders so that they have the interest of the people at heart. So many people are hungry; some people do not have anything to eat, in a country that has abundance of everything. We must pray against the bloodshed going on across the country, and that God should have mercy upon the land. Nigeria is our country; we must have that burden to do everything that will promote the good of the country.

Although you live in Lagos, if you hear today that Ondo is on fire you will feel very bad about it because you come from there. The state is going into gubernatorial election on October 10; what advice would you give them- both the contestants as well as voters?

My prayer and desire is that God will put a person that would rule the state well and that will also have the fear of God at heart. For those contesting, I want to tell them that power comes from God. Nobody should kill or do anything that is against the will of God because of power. Again, the people should allow their conscience guide their choice.

The choice they will make on the Election Day will bring blessing or otherwise to them.

My prayer is that the election will go well.

26 BDSUNDAY

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Sunday 04 October 2020

SundayBusiness Time to review lending conditions as unemployment rises, income drops

T

ime is now for operators in the Nigerian mortgage sector to do a comprehensive review of both lending and borrowing conditions as economic situation in the country has worsened, leading to increased unemployment and reduced disposable income.

The world economy is still smarting from the impact of the global health emergency known as coronavirus. Many people have been laid off from their work-place while some others have had their pay cut. These have,expectedly,affectedhousehold income.

In other countries of the world where the mortgage system works, mortgage is readily available to people who need same and mortgage institutions give out loans for them to build, buy or renovate existing houses.

In Nigeria, the story is different.

Many Nigerians, particularly those who need it, do not believe that there is anything called mortgage in the financial system, not necessarily because of its relative newness in this environment,butmorebecauseofits un-affordability and inaccessibility.

With rising unemployment and reduced income, ability to take mortgage has dropped significantly and

this calls for a review of the borrowing conditions by putting aside some of the many demands which lenders make from borrowers. It also calls for fiscal policy changes, especially in interest rate.

As it is today, many people are so poor that those that are classed as the rich are just a small fraction of the society. Again, just a few people are on employment and within this group are so many that are underemployed.

For this reason and more, mortgage borrowing and lending has become a big issue for both the lender and the borrower. Interest rate on mortgage loan is not in any way different from the rate on commercial loans given by deposit banks.

Mortgage lenders still anchor their loans on good jobs with fat pay, meaning that a mortgage loan seeker is expected to be somebody in a good job or private business with an assured and regular stream of income.

This has to change or reconsidered.

As against 6 percent interest rate and repayment tenor of 25-30 years, depending on the borrower’s age, mortgage lenders charge 18- 22 percent interest rate with a repayment tenor as short as 12-24 months.

The ever-widening housing demand-supply gap easily finds expla-

nation in commercial interest rate charged on mortgage loans which makes such loans unaffordable to home-seekers. “Though the ability of banks to provide money for mortgage has changed on account of credit challenges in the financial system, mortgage affordability or the fundamentals for lending has not changed”, said Adeniyi Akinlusi, former CEO of Trusbond Mortgage Bank.

“The mortgage industry does not operate in isolation of the economy.

Certainly, as an integral part of the economy, it has to be affected by the economic crisis. Nevertheless, the fundamentals for lending have not changed, meaning that if somebody has a good job with a financial institution or a multinational company, and the pay package is fat enough for him to afford a mortgage, the present crisis has not changed that affordability”, he explained.

The past few years have seen a number of mortgage products aimed at enabling subscribers own their own homes, but these products are yet to help reduce existing housing gap by increasing housing stock.

Butexpertssaymortgageproducts offered by some mortgage banks are notthetypethatwillmakeanyimpact on housing. Such products are com-

Talking Mortgage with CHUKA UROKO (08037156969, chukuroko@yahoo.com) mercial mortgages from which the investor wants to recover his money.

It is just like someone else who has invested in any other venture. He has to recover his money because he borrows from the same place like any other person.

Mortgage products can make impact on housing only when there is government intervention and, in other jurisdictions, there is government intervention to make mortgage affordable to everybody, no matter the income level.

In developed economies, mortgage has been used to move the economy from being import-dependent to a producing and exporting one.

Akinlusi said mortgage institutions need long term funds for housing finance, insisting that when there are enough funds to lend to property developers and to home seekers, the entire economy would be stimulated.

It is expected that by the time there are enough funds in the hands of

mortgage institutions for long term loans to property developers, there will be a lot of property development activities and when this happens, a lot of other activities will be generated and the economy would be better for it.

“You can imagine when there are many developments going on at various parts of the country. The long term effect would be the development of industries and factories that produce building materials such as cement, rods, roofing materials, wooden materials, etc”, Akinlusi stated.

This will ultimately impact on the wider economy and your guess is as good as mine as to what follows when people have enough capital at their disposal. Definitely, investment is the next line of thought and, depending on the prevailing business environment and government policies, people will invest in anything including taking up mortgage loans.

Vision 2030: The role of private sector in achieving the SDGs Bunmi Bailey

I

n the Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs) Report of 2019, the United Nations noted that while considerable progress is being made with respect to fulfilling the goals, the pace is slow when compared to the increasing effect of the pressing issues – poverty, education, health, climate change and others – being addressed. For example, the report stated that more than one-third of workers in sub-Saharan Africa still live on less than $1.90 a day. It also highlighted that despite steady progress being made in the fight against HIV in sub-Saharan Africa, the decrease in its incidence continues to fall short of the set target.

The SDGs, a set of targets designed to effectively address various social, cultural, and economic issues, as a “blueprint to achieve a better and more sustainable future for all”, was launched in 2015, with an achievement timeline set at 2030. Now in its fifth year, the drive towards reviewing the implementation processes involved in achieving these goals is of top priority more than ever. To put things into context, the United Nations’ I n t e r n a t i o n a l La b o u r Organisation predicts 1.6 billion informal economy workers could suffer “massive damage” to their

livelihoods. In the second quarter of 2020, COVID-19 may cost the equivalent of 305 million full-time jobs.

Furthermore, financial inclusion has been a great challenge across the world, especially in Africa. Nigeria contributes significantly to figures on financial exclusion in Africa despite priding itself as the most populous country on the continent and by extension, an economic giant. With a population of over 190 million people, research shows that over 70 million adults representing 41.6percent of the adult population in Nigeria are financially excluded.

Owing to the immense r e s o u r c e s , m a n p o w e r, expertise, and involvement required to sufficiently achieve these goals, the private sector is being singled out yet again as a key enabler of the kind of progress any State, particularlyNigeria,mightseek to make with the Sustainable Development Goals.

As Access Bank’s Head, Sustainability, Omobolanle Victor-Laniyan opines on the role of the private sector in the global attainment of the SDG’s in an interview on CNBC Africa’s ‘Closing Bell’, “Achieving success in implementation requires a lot of financial investment.

Research has indicated that the estimated cost of eradicating poverty globally is pegged at about $66billion per year, while the annual investment required to

improve infrastructure; t h a t ’ s [ c l e a n ] w a t e r, power, transportation, and agriculture could total to about $7 trillion. That is a substantial amount, and the government alone cannot tackle the SDGs at the national level. Businesses and private institutions also have a key role to play.”

With Nigeria having begun the process of tackling the major goal of poverty, the task of permanently ending poverty requires breaking down all Goals to fit our local context, which will enable the development of practical and implementable strategies to achieve them.

Thus, the commitment of key players in the private sector to the achievement of the SDGs should inspire a chain of collaboration, increased investment, and dedication to rapid growth.

As a leading financial institution in Africa, Access Bank is one of the private entities already aligned with theSustainableDevelopment Goals, having enshrined Sustainability into the fabric of all its business operations.

In 2018, Access Bank, and twenty-seven other leading global banks spanning 5 continents committed to re-defining the purpose and business model of banks to align the sector with the UN Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs) and the Paris Climate Agreement.

The Global Principles for Responsible Banking which

were developed by these banks was launched during the United Nations General Assembly in New York on September 22, 2019. It was essentially designed to: direct banks’ efforts to align with society’s goals as expressed in the SDGs, the Paris Agreement, as well as national and regional frameworks; set the global benchmark for sustainable banking; drive ambition by requiring signatory banks to set goals for and report on their contribution to national and international social, environmental and economic targets; ensure accountability and transparency on banks’ impacts, and challenge the banking industry to play a leading role in creating a more sustainable future.

Access Bank continues to maintain and prove its commitment to these guidelines through various programs and initiatives. The Bank adopts the triple bottom line approach in evaluating its performances as regards the creation of greater business value. Inherent in the Bank’s five-year strategy (2018 2022) is the sustainability transformation agenda , which rests on key levers to achieve an enlarged, efficient and digitally led tier-one financial institution. This is evident, among other areas, in: the automation of all Bank’s processes; a deliberate strategy for increased agency banking to reach unbanked/ underserved segments; zero

downsizing of employees; and an enhanced and restructured sustainability champions network.

Proving itself yet again as a leader in sustainable finance, Access Bank issued a 5-year Fixed Rate Senior Unsecured N15 billion Green Bond in 2019, which is the first-ever Climate Bonds Initiative (CBI) fully-certified corporate green bond in Africa. The Green Bond proceeds are used to finance eligible green projects, based on assessment of whether the funds are applied to eligible sectors, in line with CBI standards. Opening its offerings to international stakeholders, the Bank has since gone on to list its green bond on the Luxembourg Stock Exchange.

Putting in focus that Nigeria is still navigating an economically crippling pandemic, the path to achieving the SDGs is currently filled with several formsofsystemicbottlenecks and other national threats su ch a s t er ror is m an d increased poverty levels. This development continues to cause a decline in the growth targeted by the United Nations but as experts have expressed, the situation can be steered towards change with increased participation and partnership from various actors from across the private and public sectors.

Victor-Laniyan also offers her thoughts on how this challenge is a prime

opportunity for private entities to demonstrate radical innovation and strategic thinking in trying to play their part in achieving the SDGs. “Issues around development offer opportunities for private sector organizations that are innovative. Challenges require solutions, and as the private sector, we could provide those solutions,” she said.

“In line with our commitment to sustainable business practices, Access Bank has been at the helm of interventions to help address the pandemic in Nigeria and Africa as a whole.

The intervention drive was distilled from the Bank’s corporate strategy which is hinged on Sustainability.

As such, the Bank has taken the lead in addressing social issues such as; as malaria, maternal mortality, COVID-19 and poor education,” Victor-Laniyan concluded.

In Nigeria, Access Bank Plc is leading the biggest collaborative effort in recent times, involving more than 50 private sector corporates across the country, working with the federal government, the Nigerian Centre for Disease Control (NCDC) a n d t h e Wo r l d He a l t h Organization towards the singular objective of not only fighting the pandemic, but also eliminating it from the country.

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BDSUNDAY 27

SundayBusiness Nigeria’s Mobihealth International wins big at World Bank’s SDG award

M

obihealth International, an innovative telemedicine and digital healthcare platform, has emerged winner of the 2020 edition of the Global SDGs and Her competition, which is targeted at women in small and micro enterprises across the world. Mobihealth International was among the seven outfits led by women entrepreneurs that won the various categories of the award at the event.

Funmi Adewara , chief executive officer, Mobihealth International, received the award on behalf of the telemedicine and digital healthcare platform. Speaking on the award, the organisers noted that the recognition was an acknowledgment of the outstanding work of Adewara at the telemedicine start-up.

The competition, which is endowed by the World Bank Group and its partners – t h e Un i t e d Na t i o n s Development Program (UNDP), UN Women and the Wharton School Zicklin Centre, held at the 75th United Nations General Assembly (UNGA), in New York City, United States of America on September 30, 2020.

Speaking at the award ceremony, Jill Wilkins, director, partnerships and practice groups (External and Corporate Relations) of the World Bank, noted that the competition showcases women entrepreneurs who support the global sustainable development goals (SDGs) through their business operations. “ Th e c o m p e t i t i o n provides an opportunity to showcase women-led businesses that are not only supporting goals in health, food security, education, climate change, gender equality and industry, but also demonstrating resilience as they respond to the challenges of COVID-19,” Wilkins explained.

While receiving the award, Adewara expressed her joy at the recognition and thanked the organizers for finding her worthy of the coveted prize.

“I am immensely excited and thankful to the World Bank Group and its partners – the United Nations Development Program (UNDP), UN Women and the Wharton School Zicklin Centre – who endowed the Global SDGs and Her Competition for women small and micro entrepreneurs and found me worthy of the honour

of winning this year’s competition. Ordinarily, making it to the finals of this prestigious award alone is a great honour, particularly given the extraordinary strength of the entries this year. So, going further to win in such a strong competition is simply amazing,” Adewara said in her acceptance speech.

Trailing her journey to the award, the Mobihealth International CEO narrated her story to the audience on how her childhood experiences, and her desire to address some of the issues that placed the odds against her, had charted her course into medicine, and to establish a telemedicine company.

“The memory of those midnight cries from the bereaved mothers and families who lost their children prematurely to pr e ve n t ab le illn e s s e s ; pregnant women who died before, during and after childbirth; lives, too numerous to count, that were lost as a result of poor access to basic healthcare and my own personal close encounter with death as a result of the failings of our healthcare systems challenged and fuelled my passion to find an innovative and scalable solution that

Hennessy XO marks 150th anniversary with virtual fireworks event KELECHI EWUZIE

could change the poor narrative of healthcare across Africa,” Adewara said.

She stated that technology presented her with a unique opportunity to mitigate the impact of brain drain by leveraging the Mobihealth’s integrated telehealth platform to reduce the negative impact of the short supply of doctors across Africa, reduce barriers that result from long distances and address the lack of health insurance for 95 percent of Africa’s population.

Ad e w a r a d e d i c a t e d the award to many other amazing women who are doing great things globally to support the sustainable development goals (SDGs) despite the odds that are stacked up against female entrepreneurs, and to the girl child everywhere in Africa, who she urged to dare to dream as it was her big dreams that fired her zeal for success.

The 2020 World Bank’s Gl o b a l S D Gs a n d He r competition saw seven women entrepreneurs win the various categories of the award. The inspirational women were selected from a pool of 2,400 applicants from around the world who competed in the 2020 SDGs and Her competition.

MultiChoice Nigeria presents Laycon with N85m grand prize

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fter 71 days of intense drama and competition, the BBNaija Season 5 came to an end on Sunday 27th of September 2020. Olamilekan Agbelesebioba popularly known as Laycon emerged winner after scoring the highest votes in the final w e e k o f t h e B B Na i j a Lockdown Edition.

The 26-year-old was awarded his gifts at a prize presentation ceremony held earlier today at the Mu l t i Ch o i c e s t u d i o s in Lagos where he was presented with the cash prize of N30m, an SUV and a two-bedroom house. Also mentioned was a N5m prize from Betway awarded to Laycon and Ozo on their MAD Sports initiative, and all-expense paid trip to the Guinness House Dublin for Dorathy and Laycon.

La y c o n , w h o m a d e history with over 60 percent of the Big Brother Naija final votes, thanked the organizers, fellow housemates, family, fans and sponsors of the event.

“I don’t know what to say, I love you guys very much,” he said. When asked about his plans and projects after the house, Laycon disclosed

that he intends to work on projects that will impact the society positively.

Speaking at the Prize presentation, the Chief Executive Officer, MultiChoice Nigeria, John Ugbe said, “Planning a show of this magnitude during these times was not without its challenges. For one, we resorted to holding virtual auditions where we received over 30,000 video entries, from which the “Lockdown 20” were selected.” Ugbe added that Big Brother Naija has changed the way we define employment and relevance.

In addition to participants being instant

celebrities and influencers, other industries have been significantly impacted by the show and its participants. He also disclosed that over 900 million votes were recorded across SMS, Mobile, Website and the DStv & GOtv Apps.

Ugbe thanked the viewers for watching and appreciated the Headline s p o n s o r, Be t w a y ; t h e gold sponsor Guinness, Category sponsors; Pepsi, O P P O , Fl u t t e r w a v e , Indomie, WAW Detergent, Da r l i n g Ha i r, I n n o s o n Motors, Revolution Plus, TravelBeta and all others who supported the show in

L-R: Lere Awokoya, head of Marketing, Betway; Wangi MbaUzoukwu, Channel Director, Africa Magic; Winner of BBNaija Season 5, Olamilekan Agbelesebioba (Laycon); John Ugbe, chief executive officer, MultiChoice Nigeria and Chris Ubosi, Local Director, Betway at the BBNaija Season 5 Winner’s Prize Presentation today, Wednesday, 30th September 2020.

different ways.

The Big Brother Naija reality show continues to touch not just the creative industry, but other industries as well. Over 1,000 people directly and indirectly supported the production of Big Brother Naija Lockdown edition.

Cumulatively over the years, Big Brother Naija has provided over 10,000 jobs for fashion designers, content creators, interior decorators, logistic companies, prop makers, make-up artists, photographers, housekeepers, carpenters, caterers, and many more.

C h a n n e l D i r e c t o r, Africa Magic, Wangi MbaUzoukwu also stated that the level of engagement for this season was off the chain while appreciating the housemates for bringing the drama and keeping the viewers tuned to the channel.

Earlier in the competition, MultiChoice promised fans who locked in their favourite housemate a chance to win 1 million naira each. At the prize presentation, Laycon with the help of host Ebuka, did a raffle draw where 30 lucky fans won 1 million naira each.

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etermined to push the frontier of excellence over the past century-and-a-half of creating and mastering the perfect blend, Hennessy XO presented a bespoke daytime fireworks event created by acclaimed artist Cai Guo-Qiang.

The event was the centrepiece of Hennessy XO’s 150th Anniversary World Odyssey programme and was experienced globally via live stream for both Cai Guo-Qiang and the Maison.

Sebastian Chouen, general manager of Moët Hennessy, while commenting on the success of the event, said: “Celebrating Hennessy XO’s 150th anniversary embodied all that Maurice Hennessy, the creator of this iconic carafe, put into creating this blend and it has been an honour for us to collaborate with Cai Guo- Quiang.

Cai Guo-Qiang’s career

has been marked by his creative take on contemporary social issues, and in this collaboration, he took inspiration from the three elements of the cycle of life: creation, destruction, and the human spirit that imbibes resilience. The three-act fireworks unfold as an act of drama, a piece of poetic writing, and a scroll of calligraphy.

Millions around the world viewed the 45-minute artistic display via live stream.

Observing the display of multi-coloured fireworks launched from 150 oak barrels floating on the Charente River. Guests in Lagos were hosted in an exclusive location to bask in the celebration as the fireworks presentation exhibited each act with spectacular flair leaving the guests in awe.

“Recent global events have reminded us of the most positive attributes of human nature - our capacity to hope, persist and remain optimistic in trying times,” Chouen said.

X3M Ideas emerges sole African agency at Lisbon advertising festival

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i g e r i a n advertising a g e n c y, X 3 M Ideas limited, recently won bronze at Lisbon Advertising Festival for its International Wo m e n ’ s D a y p r e s s campaign ‘Make History Equal For Women’.

X3M Ideas was the only African Agency to win an award at the festival this year and is one of the 17 bronze winners in the international competition held in Lisbon, Portugal.

The agency also scored three finalist entries which included Mum Hotline, its breathtaking integrated campaign for Mentally Aware Nigeria Initiative (MANI) and Forgiven, X3M’s widely acclaimed social media campaign for Easter, all selected by an executive jury consisting of global creative leaders such as David Kolbusz, the Chief Creative Officer of Droga5.

The bronze-winning work Make History Equal For Women was previously selected as one of the 62 ads from across the globe for the 2020 Great Ads For Good Exhibition.

Steve Babaeko, founder/CEO, X3M Ideas, said winning the award was one step in the right direction. “As the President o f t h e As s o c i a t i o n o f Advertising Agencies of Nigeria , it’s part of our agenda to keep putting Nigeria’s advertising on the global stage”.

According to him, the entry was created with a deep sense of respect for women, hence the global recognition which it deserves. “We’re also grateful to the jury and our colleagues in the a d v e r t i s i n g i n d u s t r y, across the globe, for always supporting our work. And I’m proud of the X3M Ideas team as I know we will only continue to do great work that we can all be proud of,” Babaeko said.

Founded in 2012, by Steve Babaeko, X3M Ideas has become the yardstick for a new generation of Nigerian creative agencies.

Operating out of a model office space in the heart of Lagos, with footprints in east and south Africa, X 3 M Id e a s ’ c l i e n t e l e consists of some of Africa’s biggest brands including telecommunications giant Globacom Limited, Dangote, Multichoice, and FrieslandCampina WAMCO among many others.

Lisbon International Advertising Festival was created in 2016 and is one of the most exclusive worldwide festivals in advertising. Recognized internationally by the quality of its jury members and speakers, it has gained such importance that it is already considered one of the most prestigious advertising awards in the world by many advertising industry personalities.

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Sunday 04 October 2020

SundayBusiness Modern agriculture as the way forward Food & Beverages With Ayo Oyoze Baje

Quote: ‘’By 2030, the size of food and agric business in Africa will reach $1 trillion. So, if you are thinking of how to make money, that is the sector to be in’’. -Dr. Akinwunmi Adesina of the African Development Bank (AfDB) ome of the bitter lessons of the Coronavirus pandemic include the facts that the social, health and economic paradigms of the world would not be the same again. The productive capacities of several countries, via the manufacturing sector have drastically dipped. International trades are in serious peril. Investors are fast losing confidence. Job losses loom! So, where do we turn to for solace and sustainable solutions, if not agriculture, that is renewable and generally less costly to venture into?

But then, such agricultural practices have to be driven by availability of fertile land, modern technological practices, sustained human capital development

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features, genuine interest from the public and the private sectors. They could do this through guaranteed security, adequate funding, supply of steady electric power, potable water, technical support with tillers, harvesters and pesticides. But that is not all.

Other factors that could facilitate success in the agric sector include proper planning that would be predicated on creditable data base.

Such data could be on the number of registered farmers as per the type of farming practices they are engaged in on zonal basis, funds required to catalyse their production and access to available markets. All these would assist the policy makers and those who implement them to focus on areas of comparative advantage, as Adesina once did. That was while he was the Minister of Agriculture and Rural Development under the Dr. Goodluck Jonathan-led administration.

Moving forward, we have to learn valuable lessons from the mistakes of the past. For instance, as at political independence in 1960, agriculture accounted for 68percent of the nation’s Gross Domestic Product (GDP). It employed 70percent of the labour force especially at the rural areas. It provided not only food but generated employment and contributed 38percent of the non-oil foreign exchange earnings.

Indeed, the First National Development Plan, after independence (1962-1968) was anchored on agriculture. Within that period, over 80percent total export earnings came from the sector as gotten from cocoa, cotton, castor, cow hide, oil palm nuts and rubber.

But how much of these products do we produce locally and how much do we export as at today? The answer is obvious.

With true fiscal federalism firmly in place back then, the Chief Obafemi Awolowo-led Western Region (now defunct) funded the laudable Free Education Policy. The Cocoa House remains a great testament and symbol of the power of home-grown agriculture. But what do we have these days? The despotic, military government-imposed centralised structure, backed by the 1999 Constitution (as Amended) controls resources that should ordinarily belong to the states or federating units. So often, I have asked the compelling question- what is the Federal Government’s business with agriculture,educationandhealthcare delivery?

Yet, the state governors, who should be at the fore front asking for ResourceControlonlypleadformore percentage of federal allocation!

They gleefully go cap-in-hand to collect peanuts from Abuja at the end of each month. By so doing they deny themselves and the citizens what would have encouraged positive economic competition at the state level. Unfortunately, the oil-boom era of the ‘70s and ‘80s killed that dream.

Just imagine what would have happened if the South-Western states still control their God-given resources, including the cocoa beans as it was done during the First Republic? They would have gained between 25percent to 40percent more revenue from cocoa beans and coffee, using modern processing technology because countries in Europe, Asia and America are eagerly waiting for the processed varieties.

But what do we do here?

We joyfully allow for exports of our raw agricultural products (cashew nuts, cocoa, coffee, yam, cocoyam, cassava, ginger, garlic, oranges, and mangoes) only to buy the processed forms at exorbitant

rates. That is just like we do with our crude oil. Sadly, we erroneously focus our attention at borrowing billions of Naira from the same countries that should be begging us for loans!

Perhaps, the German national who recently alluded to the notion that Africa, and particularly Nigeria holds the key to the global economic feats of the near future certainly knows his onions. With a vast land mass of 923,720 sq.km, a water area of 13,000 sq.km, an annual rainfall of between 250mm (North) and 300m (South), a clement climate blessed with abundant sunshine and the vast Atlantic Ocean to the South, why not? Why not, what with the Rivers Niger and Benue as well as their tributaries traversing the landscape from the fringe of the desert, through the Sahel Savannah down to the tropic rain forest?

The answer of course, lies with the missing leadership factor. The ones we have had gave us policy flip-flops on agriculture, ranging from the National Accelerated Food Production Programme (NAFPP, 1972), through the Operation Feed the Nation (OFN), the Green Revolution (GR) before the springing up of the River Basin Authorities. After that came the Agric Banks and eventually the Directorate of Foods, Roads and Rural Infrastructure (DFRRI) during the IBB era. But all refused to put food on the common man’s table. And so did the high-sounding NAPEP and NEEDS that could hardly identify, not to talk about meeting our daily needs.

It was therefore, not surprising that the food importation issue metamorphosed from the Rice Armada during the Shehu Shagari tenureinthe‘80stoNigeriabecoming the highest importer of fish in 2005!

Back then, the country was spending some staggering N50billion on fish

annually. Still on importation, it jumped from N3.47billion in 1990 to N113.63bn in 2002. Between 1981 and 2019 it recorded N217.76bn according to Trading Economics Report. As at 2005 Nigeria, with the capacity to save N100 billion on 18 mmt of rice was producing a paltry 3.2mmt!

The piece of good news is that Nigeria has become Africa’s largest producer of rice under the current Buhari administration. But rice is not the only food we eat, or should concentrate on. According to Cleaver and Shoebar (1994) Nigeria that boasts of fertile land of 91.07 million hectares lacks the requisite knowledge in food processing, preservation and packaging. This has led to post-harvest losses ranging from 25percent to 40percent and something urgent needs to be done to reverse the drift.

With the Covid-19 rampage we need modern agricultural practices to succeed. But let it be made a way of life. Let the study of the subject be made more attractive; right from the primary school level up to the university stage. Governments and the private sector should collaborate to wage a concerted war against Climate Change, terrorism and all forms of insecurity. Farmers should be registered and trained through well-paid farm extension instructors.

Anyone interested in farming but has not got the time should engage XtraLarge Farms company to do it on their behalf and enjoy mouth-watering returns in cash and kind, including all expenses-paid trips to Dubai! The time to act is now!

Baje is Nigerian first Food Technologist in the media ayobaje@yahoo.co.uk; 07068638066

How consistency drives Delta young fish farmer to profitability Mercy Enoch, Asaba

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ome people get into business with high expectations only to back out when threatened by challenges but an uprising entrepreneur, Chinweike Nwankwo has a word for them, “Consistency is the key to rise to the top”.

Nwankwo, chief executive officer of Chinwinx Farms located in Ibuza, near Asaba the Delta State Capital, said his fish enterprise has risen from three ponds to 13 ponds because of consistency. The fish in the ponds have also increased from 2,000 to 12,000 within a period of four years, he said.

The young CEO, who disclosed that he employed six staff to work in his farm within the period, said he also engages in consultancy services in fish production and processing.

“I’ve also trained about 100 Deltans as a feedback to the state, for the training I received as a beneficiary of its Youth Agricultural Entrepreneurs Programme (YAGEP) under the Job and Wealth Creation Programme 2015/2016 Cycle.

Out of the 100 persons, 60 were trained free of charge while the rest paid to receive the training,” he said.

Speaking in an exclusive interview with BDSUNDAY in Asaba,

Chinweike said: “At the end of the YAGEP training in 2016, I was empowered with three fish ponds at the Delta State Agricultural Development Programme located at Ibuza. Each YAGEP beneficiary was also given 2,000 fishes and 145 bags of feeds (super), to start fishery enterprises. From then, the growth process started and as part of the growth process, I acquired additional 10 fish ponds.

“Every now and then, the fishes are harvested when they mature.

Early August this year, over 7,000 fishes were harvested out the 12,000 fishes, leaving only little fingerlings which I placed there.”

According to him, “The 12,000 is the benchmark for the 13 ponds because going beyond that would mean to stress the fishes.”

He explained that “If fishes have enough space, they can grow, shoot faster and get bigger. That’s why we give them enough space.”

“The growth has been continuous because amidst challenges, many individuals now see us as Grand Masters thereby consulting us for trainings. Sometimes, I could only request a fish pond from their (trainees’) fish farms and that’s how I’ve acquired the additional 10 ponds I earlier mentioned. Those fish ponds are not in the same location but scattered within the state, especially in Asaba where I can have an eye on them, he explained.

On the number of persons trained within the four years, Chinweike, said “Every year we train 15 persons free of charge. I train free of charge and I also charge money. We just place an advert announcing that we are going to be

having free training and that those interested should show up. People would start to indicate interest and once we got the 15th person, we stop. Any other person pays for the training. Both those trained free of charge and those who paid

Nwankwo showing off one of the fishes from his pond

are about 100.”

“The yearly free training is my sacrifice to Delta State for the training given to me. It’s a kind of feedback. It’s random and based on first come first serve. We did that of year 2020 early in the year.

He however disclosed that he doesn’t give Starter Packs to those he trained the way the state government gives. It’s just training and in support of Governor Ifeanyi Okowa’s dream of raising a generation of entrepreneurs that would help drive the economic diversification of the state, said the CEO who also added, “We were trained to train others”.

While admitting the fact that harsh economy has negatively impacted on businesses in the country, he advised young people against thinking that entrepreneurship is not a fun. They must develop the habit to be consistent in what they are doing because God has a way of helping those who are diligent in what they are doing.

He advised those that are discouraged not to be in a hurry but be passionate about what they are doing. “We did not get here in a hurry. We were just passionate.

We love what we are doing. There were periods when there was really nothing but we just held on, working consistently. This is what we are doing and will continue doing it”, he said.

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BDSUNDAY 29

BrandsOnSunday SPOTLIGHTING BRAND VALUE

‘Less is More’ campaign exposes health dangers of unbranded cooking oil Many Nigerian consumers are in the dark about quality cooking oil in the market as some unknowingly go for unbranded products due to what they erroneously perceive as low price. Unbranded or adulterated cooking oil has health implications.

This report looks at PZ Wilmar’s efforts to sensitise the Nigerian consumer for good. Seyi John Salau writes.

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Consumption of unbranded cooking oils he rate of consumption of unbranded or adulterated cooking oil, perhaps with high cholesterol is feared to be high in Nigeria and Africa going by the prevalence of heart diseases largely caused by cholesterol in various sources of oil.

There are many cooking oils on the shelves with a few meeting the heart-friendly standards of Nigeria Heart Foundation, NHF; National Agency for Food and Drug Administration and Control, NAFDAC; World Health Organisation, WHO and other regulatory bodies.

These institutions have standards for acceptable cooking oil because of the health implications of unbranded or adulterated ones.

The health regulatory bodies have not failed to dish out warnings to consumers on consumption of low standard cooking oils but have also made some seizures to rid the market of adulteration.

It is worrisome that unbranded oil is deep-rooted in the Nigerian culture especially more patronised by the low income earners who, due to increased consumption, place more focus on the more quantity and less cost they get when purchasing unbranded oil.

Implications on health But medical experts have warned against these unbranded products which obviously contain high cholesterol and are contaminated. Cholesterol, according to experts is a major risk factor for heart diseases among people of all ages. Researchers discovered that heart failure accounts for over 50% of cardiovascular-related deaths in Nigeria.

With this knowledge, the big question is, why do many consumers, especially those in the low income category, still go for the impure or unbranded cooking oil which does not have cholesterol free stamp? This is simply because of the absence of immediate consequence of the consumption of adulterated or unbranded cooking oil.

The other reasons for the spike in the consumption and sale of unbranded cooking oil in the Nigerian market are lack of consumer awareness about its health dangers and the product low cost.

But brand like Devon King’s from the staple of PZ Wilmar Food, a joint venture between PZ Cussons and Wilmar International has

Bottles of unbranded cooking oil in comparison with branded oil -Devon King’s oil

debunked the argument that quality means high cost as held by certain consumers. The international FMCG Company has the widest range of the most affordable cooking oil; hence there is quality cooking oil for every consumer at every budget. The 70ml pillow (Wazo) pack, for just 50 Naira, is sufficient for quick cooking. There are also 500ml, 750ml and 1000ml pillow packs.

Unfortunately, some consumers still think that quality means high cost hence they imprudently go for unbranded products without considering the long-time effects.

Usually, the consequence of the consumption of unbranded and adulterated cooking oil products takes medium to long time to manifest and that is why many people overlook the anticipated dangers.

Speaking in DTNext website, Dr. Radha K, a general practitioner, stated that adulterated oil not only causes allergies and increases cholesterol, but also gives impetus to deadly diseases such as cancer, paralysis, liver damage and cardiac arrest. She added that when people fall sick, no one really considers linking the illness with the oil they may have consumed as part of their food. “The reason for a large number of health problems is the food we consume, and it is not always about the quality of meat or vegetables but the quality of the oil the food is cooked in,” she said in the report.

The National Agency for Food

and Drug Administration and Control, NAFDAC and the Nigerian Heart Foundation, NHF are also concerned on the consumption of unbranded and adulterated cooking oil as the consequences are fatal.

Nigerian Heart Foundation, for instance has regularly cautioned Nigerians against cooking with adulterated vegetable oil and warned that regular consumption of contaminated cooking oil can cause heart diseases and cancer of the stomach. “We advise Nigerians to only cook with oil that have undergone rigorous test by scientists.

They can check for a sign of the heart when buying them”, the NHF once told Nigerians.

The National Agency for Food and Drug Administration and Control has also drawn the consumers’ attention to the dangers of consuming unbranded vegetable cooking oil in Nigeria as it also pointed towards continuous consumption of this commodity as one of the leading causes of many heart-related diseases.

Unfortunately, many of these unbranded cooking oils have no linkable source as some are packaged under unhygienic environments and therefore become susceptible to gross adulteration/ contamination. These adulterated products can be found in cities and villages with unsuspecting buyers erroneously seeing them as more affordable and good for consumption.

Surprisingly, some of the products are packaged with containers

previously used to store or sell chemicals and petrol. Some of these containers and pet bottles are usually picked from the dirt and not properly cleaned. “Unbranded oil causes smoke, oils could splash all over the kitchen and burn the skin, and it could also affect the taste of food. It also raises risks to diseases which mean one would have to spend more for treatment at the hospital”, an expert said.

This is why experts warned that “Consumers need to be more cautious when buying products and must go beyond merely reading the labels. We normally do not bother checking the purity of the oil we purchase. Studies have proved that loose oil is contaminated and has adverse effects on the body, and can prove to be life threatening in the long run,” said a health expert.

PZ’s ‘Less is More’ campaign There is hardly anyone that would balk at the opportunity to have quality product at less price which gives peace of mind. This becomes more instructive when the product in question is one that safeguards lives.

It was also comforting as PZ Wilmar Food under its Devon King’s brand came up with a corporate social responsibility campaign: ‘Less is More’ aimed at sensitising Nigerians on the need for proper hygiene and consumption of healthy foods as a catalyst for good health and strong immune system.

The applauded campaign also seeks to expose the inherent dangers in the consumption of unbranded cooking oil and possibly

eliminate unhealthy oil consumption while directing consumers to best alternative, Devon King’s oil.

‘Less is More’ defines the qualitative value of Devon King’s over the quantitative value placed on unbranded oil. It clearly highlights the inherent benefits of a little content of Devon’s King’s in value, health and taste, as opposed to more of unhealthy unbranded oil.

Study has shown that many consumers of unbranded oil are unaware of the listed dangers of consuming unbranded oil, while many simply consider these unbranded oils as more affordable, hence the campaign.

Therefore, the Less is More campaign seeks to expose the false premise behind the consumption of unbranded oil, sensitize about its dangers.

In addition to Devon King’s approval by NAFDAC, the product is said to have Vitamin A and it is Cholesterol free. All Devon King’s product packs are tamper-proof to ensure the quality of the oil remains till it gets to the consumer.

“PZ Wilmar has become a trusted manufacturer to deliver best quality cooking oil in branded and packaged form in an extensive range of formats and pack sizes, which are in a world class, certified modern manufacturing environment,” Marketing Manager, PZ Wilmar, Chioma Mbanugo was quoted by a national newspaper.

Reassuring consumers of tamper proof and quality of products who may be confused of faking Devon King’s, the manager said that Devon King’s vegetable oil is sold and packaged in various sizes of pet bottles and also comes in various sizes of sachets/pillow packs, 1-litre and 2-litre pet bottles, 3-litre and 5-litre kegs and 10-litre and 25-litre jerry cans.

When a brand like PZ Wilmar under its Devon King’s product sensitises Nigerian consumers on the dangers of consuming unbranded cooking oil, it is not only preserving lives, saving hospital bills for homes, reducing pressures on health facilities and checking medical tourism with associated expenses in foreign exchange but it is operating responsibly within the standard of corporate governance.

Such an amazing campaign is not only timely, but likely to elicit and create more awareness among the Nigerian populace towards slowing the rate of heart diseases and lives. The campaign is laudable.

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Sunday 04 October 2020

Health&Science

Nigeria’s top five most efficient states for healthcare ANTHONIA OBOKOH

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nambra has the most efficient health care system in the country closely followed by those of Osun, Ogun, Lagos and Rivers states to make up the top five states according to WellNewMe, the health technology company that generated the report, in ranking the states.

The publication evaluated all 36 states including the Federal Capital Territory (FCT) using each metric, the top state based on the raw data was given 1 point and the bottom state was given 37 points, including categories such as education, infrastructure, economy and healthcare.

To rank the most efficient states for healthcare in Nigeria, WellNewMe, used a modified version of the model used

by New York based Common Wealth Fund, a private foundation that aims to promote a high performing health care system that achieves better access, improved quality, and greater efficiency, particularly for society’s most vulnerable, including low-income people, the uninsured, young children, and elderly adults.

The report reveals that the top half of the list was dominated by states from the southern part of the country,

with the highest ranking state from the north, Nasarawa coming in at 13th spot.

“We used 27 indicators that measure performance in four domains important to policymakers, providers, patients, and the public: Care Process, Access, Equity, and Health Care Outcomes,” said Obi Igbokwe, chief executive officer (CEO) of WellNewMe. “Our data came from a variety of sources including the National Bureau of Statistics, The Demographic and Health Surveys (DHS) Program, The World Health Organization (WHO), Oxford Poverty & Human Development Initiative (OPHI) and Kingmakers. com.ng. Except where stated, most of the data was from the year 2018.”

Igbokwe explained that in ranking the states, they created an index score for each metric for each state. In each metric, the top state based

on the raw data was given 1 point and the bottom state was given 37 points. States between these were indexed proportionally. For the overall rankings, an average of the four category rankings was created, and then the outcome ranked. This method was chosen for the overall ranking so that it would not be skewed by large differences in scores at a metric level.

“For instance, with certain metrics such as assisted birth deliveries, 98.2% of all deliveries in Imo were handled by a trained healthcare professional, which is close to what you get in some developed countries, as compared to just 3.4% in Kogi. This demonstrates a huge disparity in the delivery of health services that can occur between the states. Going the route we did in ranking the states, it helped give us a clearer idea on how well each state was performing

in relation to their peers when it comes to public health management” He continued.

“Public health management which covers the administrative and managerial capacities, organizational structures, and systems needed to finance and deliver health services more efficiently, effectively, and equitably is a really tough job, especially for the states with minimal resources.

This is why states like Osun, Enugu and Ondo deserve special mention as despite having smaller budgets than some of their peers, they performed really well to find themselves in the top 10 best performing states.”

While our rankings are by no means entirely fool proof, they do provide an interesting and valuable insight into areas that the various states are deficient in, and require in some instances urgent attention in order to provide their citizens with high quality healthcare, ” he said.

However, the chief executive officer (CEO) of WellNewMe further said the current coronavirus pandemic has brought to the fore the importance of having a strong health system, as many countries were faced with a unique challenge on how to best handle a novel disease which was killing people around the world at a rapid rate.

“This has brought about the

reassignment of almost all resources in fighting the disease, affecting other health services available to patients.”

According to Igbokwe, some countries, such as Nigeria where caught in a unique situation where we already had an underfunded and poorly resourced national health system, which saw a scrambling by the various state governments in the country to put in place temporary health facilities to deal with the lack of resources needed should the disease get a firm footing in the country.

Fortunately, it seems that has been avoided, but it did expose the geographical disparity in healthcare service availability and delivery across the country,” said Igbokwe. “Healthcare in Nigeria is largely influenced by different local and regional factors that impact the quality or quantity of care received by its citizens, and large denotes the efficiency of the health system in each state.”

“Health care efficiency is a comparison of delivery system outputs, such as health outcomes, with inputs like cost, time, or material. Efficiency can be reported then as a ratio of outputs to inputs or a comparison to optimal productivity using stochastic frontier analysis or data envelopment analysis. This is sometimes difficult to do, especially in a country where data is hard to come by,” Igbokwe stressed.

Why infertility counseling is right for you

ABAYOMI AJAYI, MD/CEO Nordica Fertility CENTREINFO@ABAYOMIAJAYI. COM.NG,

I

f you’ve been trying to get pregnant or have been going through a treatment process or any form of infertility treatment, it is quite likely that you may be feeling the strain associated withlong-term medical conditions.

If you have been diagnosed with infertility, it comes as no surprise that you are often under a lot of pressure. Finding ways to minimize the stress on your own and with your partner while pursuing treatment can help tremendously.

This doesn’t mean you should just relax. Investing in ways to cope with infertility is more for your own happiness and wellbeing as you and your partner go through treatment.

Infertility can impact your relationship, your feelings of self-worth, your emotional state

and can even cause feelings of depression.

Turning to someone who specializes in these issues, especially someone who is particularly familiar with infertility, can provide the right guidance and extra support you need to cope with the tough times infertility can bring.

This is where infertility counseling comes in. If you and your partner feel you could benefit from infertility counseling, you would do well to pursue it.

Speaking with a professional can help immeasurably. Sometimes it may be to talk about an immediate issue with your treatment.

Having a trained counselor who is there to be an objective party, assist you and your partner to communicate in a healthy way, and give you a safe place to talk through your feelings, can keep otherwise difficult conversations more calm and productive.

They can also offer you coping tools and strategies to implement, so you can begin to better manage the emotions you’ve been feeling.

One of the biggest situations for which infertility counseling may be helpful is when some form of third party reproduction such as donor eggs, donor sperm or surrogacy. It can be a big decision and you and your

partner may differ about how you want to proceed. Consulting a specialist in both infertility and counseling can guide the discussion about whether or not this is something you and your partner feel comfortable with and address the emotions that third party reproduction can bring up.

Other reasons to consider infertility counseling is if you feel that treatment or just the long term strain of trying to get pregnantitself has impacted your relationship or your own behavior.

If you’ve been down, anxious, feeling more distant from others, or your behavior is not like your usual self, seeking help to talk through these feelings can provide insight. Even if you feel like you simply need more support or advice on ways to get through the more stressful times like the two week wait or when a cycle doesn’t work out as expected, infertility counseling is an option that can only benefit you if you feel you need some additional guidance as you navigate your family building journey.

Coping with infertility isn’t just a physical issue. It can affect every aspect of your life. It can impact your relationship, your self-esteem, your mental health, your finances and even your friendships, especially if your

friends are pregnant or conceiving without issue.

The goal of stress reduction and looking for strategies is to minimize, not eliminate stress.

You can’t immediately cure infertility but you can find things that may make you feel better about your infertility journey.

This may entail seeing a therapist, counselor, a local support group, or all three. A therapist or counselor will help you talk out your feelings, sort them through and find productive ways to communicate with your partner.

This can be immensely insightful in coping with infertility. Support groups are not for everyone, but for some, being surrounded by people who truly understand and relate to exactly you’re going through can be immeasurable.

When you can’t get pregnant and you’re unsure of how long the journey will last or how it will end, finding ways to have sense of controlcanhelpincopingwithinfertility.

That’s why taking an active role in your care and educating yourself about all of your options when it comes to IVF and talking about them with your doctor can be empowering.

Another approach to coping with infertility is to explore mind and body options. It can range from seeking out acupuncture,

mind-body groups, yoga classes or massage therapy or if you prefer to rely on your own private time. Acupuncture improves blood flow in the body and helps one relax, thereby putting the body in an optimal state. There are also options such as writing, listening to music, self-help books, walking, hiking, meditation, or visualization.

The goal is to find what works for you and your partner. If you can manage just a few minutes a day dedicated to coping with your infertility, it may significantly reduce stress, decrease some of those negative feelings and give you back some sense of control.

Infertility could be a rollercoaster of emotions even as it can beunpredictable at times, but this is the whole idea why having support systems in place like infertility counseling can be so beneficial.

You never have to be alone when there are trained professionals available willing to help work through these many emotions and tough decisions.

Between your doctors, your partner, nurses, the infertility community and infertility counseling, you always have a team ready and waiting to help support you when you need them.

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BDSUNDAY 31

Sports

Europa League draw: Dundalk to face Arsenal, Celtic get AC Milan

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Klopp raises concern over coronavirus spikes Stories by ANTHONY NLEBEM

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iverpool coach Jurgen Klopp said he is concerned about the number of his players travelling across the world to represent their national teams in the coming weeks as coronavirus infections continue to soar.

The Reds’ Brazilian trio of Alisson Becker, Fabinho and Roberto Firmino have been called up for the Selecao’s first two World Cup qualifiers this month -- at home to Bolivia and away to Peru.

A host of other players will disperse across Europe for Euro 2020 qualifiers, Nations League fixtures and friendlies.

“I am slightly concerned because it is difficult to get in

contact with all Football Associations all over the world,” said Klopp.

“I understand the demands of all FAs, UEFA, FIFA, I know how difficult the situation is for everybody. But it is just not exactly perfect information we get from some FAs.” Klopp also turned on the Premier League and TV broadcasters for a schedule that could see many of his players return on Friday, October 16, before facing Everton a day later. No date or kick-off time has yet been set for the Merseyside derby.

“The Premier League and TV broadcasters give us a challenge on top because they just don’t care if our players play on (Tuesday) night in Peru. They still think it is a good idea to play on Saturday pretty early,”

added Klopp.

“In these moments as a club we are completely alone.

You have to make sure you bring the players home in the quickest and the most safe (way) because nobody helps you. It’s not like the FA says ‘we pay the private plane’.

“Then they arrive on Friday, then we have to take the test and see if we get the result before Saturday, so it is really tricky. We try everything to make it as safe as possible, but from time to time a little bit more help would not be bad.”

Liverpool are already missing one star player due to a coronavirus infection for Sunday’s trip to Aston Villa as new signing Thiago Alcantara tested positive earlier this week.

Covid-19 crisis to cost Real Madrid over $230m in revenue

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eal Madrid face serious revenue loss if fans are not allowed back into the stadium for the rest of the season.

The Coronavirus crisis has caused an economic tsunami which is already affecting football. With the latest developments in Real Madrid and elsewhere in Spain, the return of spectators at matches has been delayed until further notice and that is a huge blow to the bigger clubs, including Real Madrid.

Madrid estimate that they will lose over $230 million in income if fans are not allowed back at the Bernabéu for the rest of the season - a scenario which is looking likely if a safe vaccine or effective treatment against coronavirus isn’t available.

Real Madrid have three main sources of income - money from television broadcasting rights, their sponsors and matchday receipts.

Th e y h a v e a b u d g e t o f over $963 million, from which approximately $733 million comes from TV and sponsor-

ship deals. But not being able to play in front of the paying public would leave a shortfall of almost $235 million. But in spite of that, and thanks to a crisis plan which the club has devised to see them through the economic storm, the club has been able to post a profit of $373 million for the 2019-20 season. That is a success story in itself considering the hardships football clubs are facing in one of the most difficult seasons of recent times.

The first team squad have saved the club $60 million by accepting a 10% pay cut on top of another $30 million by waiving bonuses due for the successes of last season.

Madrid were able to make another big saving after club directors and executives also took a cut in their salaries. Added to that were the numerous transfers and loan deals which have served to raise revenue and cut costs. So far, Real Madrid have brought in about $120

undalk will face Arsenal, Rapid Vienna and Molde in the group stage of the 2020/21 Europa League draw that took place in Nyon, Switzerland.

The Louth side have also confirmed that their three home games in the group will take place at the Aviva Stadium.

The Lilywhites took their place among the 48 clubs in the hat after yesterday’s 3-1 victory over KÍ Klaksvik of the Faroe Islands and were always likely to get a difficult draw having been placed in Pot 4.

The glamour game in Group B will be against Premier League side Arsenal, while matches against Austrian club Rapid Vienna and Norway’s Molde may offer a better chance of earning some positive results.

Both sides, however, will be formidable in their own right.

Vienna, drawn from Pot 2, got through last season’s group stage, falling to eventual finalists Inter Milan in the round of 32, and currently occupy second place in their domestic league.

The two-time Cup Winners’ Cup runners-up entered UEFA Champions League qualifying but lost out to Gent in the third qualifying round.

Molde made it from the first qualifying round to the Champions League play-offs, missing out on a return to the group stage for the first time since 1999/2000 following an away-goals loss to Ferencváros.

They won their fourth Norwe-

gian title in 2019 in their first full campaign under Erling Moe, who was assistant to his predecessor Ole Gunnar Solskjær until he left for Manchester United.

In 2013, the Norweigan club got the better of Sligo Rovers in the second qualifying round of the Champions League.

Elsewhere, Tottenham have been drawn against Bulgarian side Ludogorets, LASK of Austria and Royal Antwerp from Belgium in Group J, while Leicester City will take on Braga of Portugal, Greek side AEK Athens and Zorya Luhansk from Ukraine in Group G. Both Scottish clubs will face ties against sides with great European pedigree, with Celtic facing seventimes European Cup winners AC Milan and the Rangers taking on two-time champions of Europe Benfica from Portugal.

The first group game takes place on 22 October and will see teams play on three successive Thursday nights.

There is then a three-week break until Matchday 4 on 26 November, with the final three games run off on another three consecutive weeks.

Europa League Draw:

Group A: Roma, Young Boys, Cluj, CSKA Sofia

Group B: Arsenal, Rapid Vienna, Molde, Dundalk

Group C: Bayer Leverkusen, Slavia Prague, Hapoel Be’er-Sheva, Nice

Group D: Benfica, Standard Liege, Rangers, Lech Poznan

Group E: PSV Eindhoven, PAOK, Granada, Omonia

Group F: Napoli, Real Sociedad, AZ Alkmaar, NK Rijeka

Group G: Braga, Leicester, AEK Athens, Zorya Luhansk

Group H: Celtic, Sparta Prague, AC Milan, Lille

Group I: Villareal, Qarabag, Maccabi Tel-Aviv, Sivasspor

Group J: Tottenham, Ludogorets, LASK, Royal Antwerp

Group K: CSKA Moscow, Dinamo Zagreb, Feyenoord, Wolfsberg

Group L: Gent, Red Star Belgrade, Hoffenheim, Slovan Liberec

million through operations involving players who were on their books or came through the youth system.

The situation is more or less the same, or worse, for the rest of Europe’s top clubs. The smaller clubs are more equipped to resist because they are usually able to cover salary costs with the money earned solely from broadcasting rights.

For bigger clubs, that is not enough and they rely also on revenue from season tickets,

turnstile receipts and marketing - money they will miss out on if stadiums remain closed.

In England’s Premier League, of the 20 top-flight clubs, six are close to going under and 14 are not in the healthiest financial situation. In Spain, Real Madrid are coping, Atletico Madrid are struggling just a little more than their neighbours while Barçelona’s finances are not looking green. Other clubs will also face hardship if the coronavirus situation does not improve.

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Nigeria @ 60: Our leaders have failed the founding fathers

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ith trillions of revenue in Naira, mostly from crude oil sales, agricultural exports, solid minerals, sundry taxes including Value Added Tax (VAT), from the ‘60s till date, it is a crying shame that Nigeria is currently the world capital of extreme poverty! And that it still parades some of the most disturbing and dismal figures in the Human Development Index (HDI) across the globe.

According to Oxfam Report, between 1960 and 2005, about $20 trillion was stolen from the treasury by public office holders. This amount is larger than the GDP of United States in 2012 (about $18 trillion). The Report goes further to state in categorical terms that the combined wealth of Nigeria’s five richest men, put at $29.9 billion could end extreme poverty at a national level. Yet, more than 112 million people are living in poverty in Nigeria, while the country’s richest man would have to spend $1 million (N386 million) every day for 42 years to exhaust his fortune! So, what does this mean to you and yours truly?

Poverty and socio-economic inequality in Nigeria are therefore, not due to lack of natural and human resources, as God has blessed us abundantly. But it is all due to what one has always referred to as the restless run of avaricious locusts. They climb the pedestal of political power, garbed in the gabardines of glowing graft, feeding fat on our common till. O, yes, there is overt misallocation and misappropriation of our national resources, helped by an obscenely fat pay structure skewed in their favour. And so, we are where we find ourselves today. As well stated, “At the root is a culture of corruption combined with political elite out of touch with the daily struggles of average Nigerians”.

For instance, poverty rate rose from 15percent as at independence in 1960, scaling to 67.1percent in 1999 and 72.2percent in 2014. The then World Bank President, Jim Yong Kim, stated in April 2014 at the IMF/World Bank Spring Meetings that Nigeria, with 7percent of the world’s poor ranked third in the world while India was placed at number one

To fight against untruth and falsehood, to fight for our memory; for our memory of what things were like – that is the task of the artist. A people who no longer remembers has lost its history and its soul.

– Alekzander Solzhentsyn’

with 33 per cent of the world poor. But by 2018 OXFAM Report ranked Nigeria as the worldcapital of extreme poverty ahead of India.

Indeed, the socio-economic picture is parlous. What with high food insecurity, huge youth unemployment to job losses, high maternal mortality? In fact, Nigeria currently boasts of the world’s highest number of deaths of under-5 children and the highest number of school-aged children that are out of school, put at 13.2 million. This certainly is a criminal betrayal of what God has richly endowed us with.

This debilitating situation was certainly not the beautiful dream of our founding fathers and mothers.

Lest we forget, once upon a time, precisely on August 13, 1947, a group of Nigerian patriots was at the London Office of the British Colonial Secretary, Arthur Creech-Jones to demand for the country’s political independence. They also used the opportunity to openly criticise the anti-people’s Richards Constitution. These worthy Nigerians included Dr. Nnamdi Azikiwe, Nyong Essien, P.M. Kale (from the Eastern Region). Others were Abubakar Dipcharima (Northern Region), Mrs. Funmilayo Ransome-Kuti, Dr. Olorun-Nimbe and Adeleke Adedoyin (Western Region). They were delegates of the National Council of Nigeria and the Cameroons (NCNC) political party.

But what was the colonialist’s response? “Go home and cooperate with the Nigerian Government,” he said. Yet, they were not deterred. Instead, they held

several meetings in places such as London, Oxford, Manchester, Glasgow, Edinburgh and Dublin to convince the British public that they meant serious business- that Nigeria was ripe enough for independence. Interestingly, they had tacit support from the West African Students Union, the Pan African Federation and the League of Coloured People.

So, how would these noble Nigerians feel, if they were alive today to witness a country traumatised by persisting insecurity, quite at variance with the billions of Naira surreptitiously spent to quell it? How would Mike Enahoro (of blessed memory) feel, to see that the country, whose political independence he called for in 1953 is currently bifurcated by nepotism in appointments and promotions?

How would the sage, Chief Obafemi Awolowo, Nigeria’s foremost federalist, who in his book, ‘Path to Nigerian Freedom’ (1947) presented the first systematic federalist manifesto feel about the country balkanised by ethnic chauvinism, with some Igbos clamouring for their Biafra Republic, and some Yorubas their Oduduwa Nation?

Similarly, how would Professor Eyo Ita, the philosopher and educationist, who returned to Nigeria from the United States of America in 1933 to form the Nigerian Youth Movement (NYM) in 1934, feel about today’s young ones? That is, especially those still clapping for greedy politicians in their ‘70s and ‘80s, who were decisionmakers in their ‘30s, to keep hanging on to power and denying them of their moments to excel in governance?

How would his Lagos counterparts such as Dr. J.C. Vaughan, Ernest Ikoli, Samuel Akinsanya and H.O. Davis feel, knowing that some youths of today have become cheap pawns in political chess games? That they pander to perverts and used as gun-runners, political thugs who snatch ballot boxes, kill perceived foes and manipulate the people’s choices during elections?

And just how would the great Mi-

AYO OYOZE BAJE Baje is Nigerian first food technologist in the media and author of ‘Drumbeats of Democracy’

chael Imuodu feel, to watch the obnoxious scenario of members of the Nigeria Labour Congress (NLC) being cowed to submission by force and intimidation, kowtowing to the powers that be? How would he feel about Nigeria’s current debt trap? He would feel a sense of revulsion that Nigerians are being hoodwinked to pay through their noses for petrol, while our country boasts of large deposits of crude oil. Or that the electricity tariff is hiked in a land that boasts of abundant sunshine, wind and water, as viable resources to generate power.

In all honesty, the then youths who gathered in Kano back in 1947 to form the Northern Elements Progressive Association(NEPA) on the inspiration of the Zikists Movement, chanting: “Self-government in our lifetime’’ would be hugely disappointed at their counterparts of today. They would be outraged by those who have turned the Northern states into the killing fields of Nigeria; those asking for the passage of the infuriating Water Resources Bill into law.

And of course, those still hoodwinked by the insulting and iniquitous born-to-rule mentality.

Were they alive, they would have seen the wisdom in a holistic restructuring of the country, for the geo-political zones to control their resources, meet the different needs of their people and pay an agreed tax to the federal centre.

They would have appreciated the modest achievements made in the areas of infrastructural development, education and agriculture.But they would have questioned such in the absence of the respect for the sanctity of human life.

So, having failed to meet the beautiful dreams of our founding fathers, the time to renegotiate our terms of peaceful existence; to engender harmony amongst the ethnic nationalities is now, not tomorrow.

Happy Independence Anniversary, Nigeria.

Nigeria at 60: Do these 60 words aptly paint Nigeria yesterday, today?

IKEDDY ISIGUZO .Isiguzo, a major commentator on minor national issues, writes from Abuja

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T 60, there is no shortage of words to describe Nigeria and her journeys since independence. If you were to describe Nigeria in 60 words to represent the vales and vaults of her journeys what would they be? How would you justify your choices if you are to put some descriptions

behind the words?

Nigeria’s journeys have been marked by ups and downs, mostly unexpected.

Some have been through tougher circumstances. When we make progress, there are no clarities about how we operated. We just celebrate. Things are worse when we fail.

Recriminations take over. There are usually no rooms to learn any lessons.

We fought an expensive civil war. We learnt nothing from it.

Major disagreements still centre on whether Nigeria is heading anywhere or nowhere – forward, backwards, unmoving – in her 60 years. Essays on these could form tomes that nobody would read, considering their volumes and our seeming aversion to read too much.

What follow are 60 words that capture Nigeria today. The boldened words approximate what Nigeria was

in 1960 when the British granted her independence. The word, in some cases words, that follow each boldened word captures or capture the Nigeria that ensured a little after independence. We are living with worsening versions of what Ahmadu Bello, Nnamdi Azikiwe, and Chief Obafemi Awolowo, the three regional leaders of Nigeria, received at independence.

Do you agree with these words as they apply to Nigeria? Do you disagree? Would you rather fix other words in their places? What would those words be? How would you justify them?

The complexities that we have made out of Nigeria in 60 years have produced all sorts of excuses for where Nigeria is and why she cannot go anywhere if she is not re-structured. The debates have

assumed more cacophonies with the years.

Would they suddenly grab the garb of a 60-year-old matched with the supposed wisdom that age bestows?

Would we spend another 60 years grappling for meaning out of Nigeria? What gain is there in adapting pendulous motions as the appropriate movements for Nigeria?

More important than whether we celebrate today or not is what becomes of our tomorrows. Too much has been left to chance and luck that Nigeria is exhausting her warehouse of the two items.

We need more than circumstances to build a nation where no man is oppressed as our first national anthem envisioned. The abridgement of that vision could have been responsible for a nation where everyone is oppressed – and everyone complains.

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