Businessday 29 apr 2018

BDSUNDAY BUSINESS DAY

18 manufacturers post mixed results as first quarter profits rise to N94bn

p . 37

BankoleArt of Crucifix: Creating in the order of a positive family tradition

??

p. 42-43p.

p. 39

Sunday 29 April 2018 Market & Commodities Monitor Brent Oil

5yr Bond

$74.85

0.28 13.07%

Gold

10yr Bond

US 1,322.90

0.01 12.98%

Cocoa

US 2,828.00

20yr Bond

-0.03 12.92%

Vol 1, No. 215 N300

Majoring in the minor Buhari more concerned with re-election than governance Govt akimbo as killers overrun Nigeria CHUKS OLUIGBO & INNOCENT ODOH, Abuja

inside Ekiti guber race: The contenders and pretenders for APC ticket

D

espite all claims to the contrary, all available evidence points to the fact that President Muhammadu Buhari has abandoned governance and is now desperately fixated on his ambition of returning as Nigeria’s president come 2019.

Consumed by this ambition, Buhari, who had promised in 2015 that he would do only one term of four years as Nigeria’s president, has continued to act like that man who chased rats while his house

Politicians are already preoccupied with the polls, but I am bothered more about security and the economy

was on fire.

Amid the harvest of deaths across the north-central part of the country, particularly in Benue State where citizens are slaughtered in cold blood by suspected herdsmen virtually on daily basis, Buhari has, by his body language and actions, shown that he is not sufficiently perturbed, while at the same time working assiduously to realise his second-term bid.

Since January this year, it has been tales of one coordinated attack after another with high casualty rate, massive devastation of farmlands and displacement

p. 4

p. 24-25

‘Official corruption, impunity, widespread killing reign supreme under Buhari’ p. 29-32

2019 general elections: God will manifest himself over Nigeria – Prophet Adeoye

L-R: Uzoma Dozie, GMD/CEO, Diamond Bank Plc; Urum Kalu Eke, GMD/CEO, FBN Holdings; Frank Aigbogun, publisher/CEO, BusinessDay Media; Oscar Onyema, CEO, Nigerian Stock Exchange (NSE); Bamanga Tukur, chairman of advisory board, Africa Investor Limited; Peter Ashade, MD/CEO, Africa Prudential Plc; Demola Sogunle, chief executive, Stanbic IBTC Bank, and Mauricio Alarcon, MD/CEO, Nestle Nigeria Plc, during the BusinessDay Top 25 CEOs award in Lagos.

Pic by Olawale Amoo

Sex-for-mark scandal: A reflection of moral laxity in society …Homes culpable

Chinwe Agbeze

R p. 16

hoda Samuel, a 100-level student in one of the Nigerian universities, was delighted when she learnt that Monica Osagie, a postgraduate student of Obafemi Awolowo University (OAU), Ile-Ife, made a phone recording, ex-

posing Professor Richard Akindele of the Department of Management who allegedly pressured her for five rounds of sex to upgrade her score from an F to a D. Samuel, who said the same happened to her in her earlier years at the University, claimed she heeded to the advice of those who told her to start afresh in another in-

stitution because the lecturer was bent on frustrating her until she succumbed.

“When the lecturer failed me, I knew there was provision for remarking of scripts but I was advised against it. Apart from being a long process, I was told it could present me for victimisation in the end,” Samuel said.

Several weeks after the video went viral

P. 10

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Sunday 29 April 2018

IssueOfTheWeek Odigie-Oyegun as a fall guy CHUKS OLUIGBO

P

olitics is a game of interests, intrigues, trade-offs, and sometimes very costly sacrifices.

In the ongoing reconciliation moves in the ruling All Progressives Congress (APC) ahead of the 2019 elections, John Odigie-Oyegun, the party’s national chairman, appears to be one of those costly sacrifices that must be made.

He is the sacrificial lamb that must be slain, the scapegoat that must bear the sins of others.

The story of how Odigie-Oyegun, a former governor of Edo State, emerged as the APC national chairman on June 13, 2014 has been told and retold.

Even though Odigie-Oyegun, who succeeded Bisi Akande as national chairman of APC, had said in an interview that “everybody assisted me to this position and I’m grateful to all of them… I don’t believe one particular person solely assisted me to this position”, the popular story out there is that it was Bola Ahmed Tinubu, a former governor of Lagos, and Adams Oshiomhole, then governor of Edo State, who unilaterally installed Odigie-Oyegun as APC national chairman – of course, by getting the delegates at the party’s first National Convention at the Eagles Square, Abuja, to ratify his nomination.

We glean much of this from an August 2014 statement by Tom Ikimi, a former Minister of Foreign Affairs and then top contender for the national chairmanship position with Odigie-Oyegun.

Ikimi, a member of the defunct Action Congress of Nigeria (ACN), which merged with the Congress for Progressive Change (CPC), the All Nigeria Peoples Party (ANPP), and a section of the All Progressives Grand Alliance (APGA) to form the APC, had played host to the meetings of the Joint Inter-Party Merger Committee that supervised the merger in his Abuja home and aspired to become the party’s first national chairman. But that was never to be.

Ikimi, who boycotted the convention that produced Odigie-Oyegun, later announced his withdrawal from the APC, describing the convention as a charade and accusing Tinubu of hijacking the party.

He also accused the party’s governors of colluding with Tinubu to truncate democratic process in the national convention by agreeing on “a zoning process that was limited only to party offices as well as the choice of individuals to fill them” and which was followed by “most undemocratic and bizarre procedures”.

Also in a letter to Odigie-Oyegun in which he shunned the national chairman’s invitation to attend the APC National Caucus and the APC Board of Trustees meetings, Ikimi reiterated these points.

While their interests tallied, Tinubu and Odigie-Oyegun remained best of friends.

They worked together during the APC presidential primaries where Candidate Muhammadu Buhari emerged as the party’s flagbearer. Buhari went ahead to win the 2015 presidential election, upstaging an incumbent government for the first time in Nigeria’s political history.

But all has not been rosy between the two APC leaders since the party’s victory in the 2015 election. Odigie-Oyegun has been severally accused by the Tinubu camp of sidelining their leader in the party affairs.

Oyegun

The first sore point between the two men was the election of principal officers of both houses of the National Assembly on June 9, 2015, where Bukola Saraki and Yakubu Dogara emerged as Senate president and House of Representatives speaker, respectively, as against the party’s preferred candidates Ahmad Lawan and Femi Gbajabiamila.

Amid the ensuing crisis, Odigie-Oyegun had expressed his support for the leadership of the National Assembly, a decision which pitched him against some leaders of the party who accused him of condoning indiscipline in the party.

The Kogi State governorship election crisis which propped up Yahaya Bello, who apparently had Odigie-Oyegun’s imprimatur, as against James Faleke, who was said to have had Tinubu’s support, was another point of disagreement. Even though Bello was said to have been picked on the advice of Abubakar Malami, attorney-general of the federation, many in the APC believed that Faleke, who was running-mate to Abubakar Audu who died before the election results were fully announced, was better positioned to fly the party flag.

But it was the Ondo State governorship election of November 2016 that clearly defined the deep-seated battle of supremacy between the two gladiators.

While Tinubu rooted for Segun Abraham as his preferred candidate for governorship, Odigie-Oyegun had other plans. Eventually Rotimi Akeredolu, who did not have Tinubu’s support, emerged as the APC governorship candidate in Ondo.

Following this, Tinubu kicked against the primary election process that saw the emergence of Akeredolu and launched a scathing attack on Odigie-Oyegun. He would eventually shun all APC campaign rallies in Ondo organised to muster support for Akeredolu.

“Oyegun’s comportment regarding the Ondo State primary will become the textbook definition of political treachery and

malfeasance of the basest order. Oyegun and his fellows seem to be on a different wave length. They are the cohort of Unchange,” Tinubu wrote.

Tinubu, who was later accused of antiparty activities for allegedly showing covert support for Olusola Oke, the Alliance for Democracy (AD) candidate who had left APC after he lost the party’s ticket to Akeredolu, demanded Odigie-Oyegun’s resignation.

Even though both Tinubu and OdigieOyegun had after the election appealed to all aggrieved party members to sheathe their swords “for the good of our party and its progressive ideals”, it was clear that the battle was far from over.

Amid deepening crisis in the APC, President Buhari in February appointed Tinubu to head a committee to reconcile all warring factions in the party.

Shortly after, Tinubu wrote a letter to Odigie-Oyegun and copied President Buhari, Vice President Yemi Osinbajo, Senate President Saraki and House of Reps Speaker Dogara.

In the letter, Tinubu accused OdigieOyegun of undermining his (Tinubu’s) efforts to reconcile aggrieved party members as assigned to him by the president.

He said that “instead of being a bulwark of support as promised”, Odigie-Oyegun positioned himself “in active opposition to the goal of resuscitating the progressive and democratic nature of APC”.

He alleged that the national chairman was making efforts “to undermine my mandate by engaging in dilatory tactics for the most part” and breached the spirit of their discussion by taking it as a personal ambition “to thwart my presidential assignment” in the key states of Kaduna, Kano, Adamawa, and Kogi – where OdigieOyegun had inaugurated officials “parallel to the officials already heading the state chapter of the party”.

In his reply, Odigie-Oyegun tactically avoided responding to any of the issues

raised in Tinubu’s letter but merely expressed gratitude to Tinubu for wishing him well and wished Tinubu the same.

All this time, Odigie-Oyegun basked in the euphoria of President Buhari’s support, even as his party’s NEC passed a vote of confidence on him.

As it stands, however, the APC national chairman is fighting the battle of his life to retain his position as the ruling party gets set for its national convention on May 14. Odigie-Oyegun, who has always supported Buhari’s 2019 re-election bid, saying once that he would pray and fast for Buhari to be re-elected as president, recently sought to extend his tenure by 12 months as the four-year tenure of the party’s National Working Committee (NWC) expires in June.

The party’s NEC had on February 27 taken a decision to grant one year extension to party executives at all levels. But purportedly acting on the legal advice he received from the Ministry of Justice and citing a breach of relevant sections of the party’s constitution as well as the Constitution of the Federal Republic of Nigeria 1999 (as amended), Buhari, during the 5th National Executive Council meeting of the APC in Abuja, opposed tenure elongation for the NWC members and advised NWC members wishing to retain their positions or aspire for another position to resign and re-contest in line with the party’s constitution.

“I think if we deviate from the constitution and provisions, we might be endangering the fortunes of our party. If the tenure of our party executive can be legally faulted, then, it means any nomination and primary election that they will conduct can also be faulted,” Buhari reasoned.

He said he was of the firm belief that “it is better to follow strictly the dictates of our party and the constitutions rather than put the APC and its activities at risk”.

Speaking also, Tinubu commended Buhari, saying that the president’s action “saves the party from a serious legal turmoil”.

“The president has spoken. Today is a good day for those who cherish democracy and legality. His action will also strengthen the party by allowing party members, including present incumbents, to seek to contribute to the party by vying for executive offices as they see fit,” Tinubu said.

For now, it is unsure whether OdigieOyegun would go ahead to re-contest for the party’s national chairmanship position, but it is clear that Buhari, Tinubu, APC state governors and other key party figures are united in support of Adams Oshiomhole’s candidature. Political analysts say OdigieOyegun, who has survived many banana peels on his path since he emerged as APC chairman in 2014, will certainly not survive the current onslaught. He is, unfortunately, the sacrificial lamb.

Analysts’ reading of the scenario is that Buhari may have considered his chances in 2019 and seen that he needs Tinubu more than he needs Odigie-Oyegun. He is, therefore, trading off Odigie-Oyegun in order to court Tinubu.

This would appear to be the apogee of Buhari’s fence-mending moves towards Tinubu ahead of 2019. The duo seem to perfectly agree on one thing for the first time since APC’s electoral victory in 2015 – that Odigie-Oyegun must go. Unfortunately for Odigie-Oyegun, he has become the pedestal on which Pontius Pilate and Herod will stand to reconcile their differences.

Sunday 29 April 2018

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Majoring in the minor Continued from Page 1 of the people in their thousands in the affected states amidst the helplessness of the security operatives sometimes accused of complicity.

Nearly 2,000 people have been killed since January and the epicentre of bloodbath has been Benue State, where the rampaging herdsmen have intensified their unrestrained killing spree.

In the early hours of Tuesday, April 25, the herdsmen attacked St. Ignatius Quasi Parish, Ukpor, Mbalom in Gwer West Local Government Area of the state, killing two priests, Rev. Frs Joseph Gor and Felix Tyolaha, and about 18 other worshippers.

Rev. Fr. Moses Iorapuu, director of communications, Diocese of Makurdi, said in a statement that the attacks were perpetrated by herdsmen who stormed the Mbalom community and killed the two priests during the morning Mass at the church.

Spilling of blood in Benue State is now assuming genocidal proportions. While Buhari and his spokesmen allegedly offer flimsy excuses and half-hearted responses, the killers have traversed the length and breadth of Benue like mad horses let loose on the hapless communities, leaving a trail of tears, blood and sorrow.

On April 16, 2018, while meeting British Prime Minister Theresa May in London on the sidelines of the Commonwealth Heads of Government Meeting (CHOGM), Buhari said he was more concerned about Nigeria’s security and economy issues than about the 2019 elections.

According to a statement by Femi Adesina, presidential spokesman, Buhari’s meeting with May focused on the three main agenda of his administration – security, economy and fight against corruption.

“We have elections next year, politicians are already preoccupied with the polls, but I am bothered more about security and the economy,” Adesina quoted Buhari to have said.

But every action that has followed since then has proved that the only thing occupying Mr. President’s mind currently is his re-election bid.

On April 17, barely 24 hours after Buhari told Prime Minister May that his mind was not on re-election, Festus Keyamo, a senior advocate of Nigeria (SAN) and APC stalwart, announced on Twitter his appointment as spokesman for the Buhari re-election campaign, making nonsense of Buhari’s claim in faraway London.

Nigerians were left wondering whether Buhari’s London meetings, as well his proposed meeting with US President Donald Trump on April 30, were not mere publicity stunts aimed to secure endorsements and confer legitimacy on the administration ahead of 2019.

Last Tuesday, while the people of Benue mourned the killing of two Catholic priests and about 18 parishioners at St. Ignatius Quasi Parish in Ukpor-Mbalom, Buhari was busy at the Presidential Villa, Abuja meeting with state governors elected on the platform of his party, the ruling All Progressives Congress (APC), specifically to get the governors to support and work towards the emergence of Adams Oshiomhole, a former governor of Edo State, as the party’s next national chairman. Oshiomhole, it is believed, has the clout to mobilize massive support for Buhari in the 2019 presidential election.

Buhari was also in Bauchi State on Thursday ostensibly to commission some projects,

but the true reason behind his visit was not lost on Nigerians as he turned the event into a campaign ground.

Buhari, who spoke in Hausa language, announced to Bauchi citizens that his decision to seek re-election in 2019 was predicated on his zeal to fight corruption, assuring his supporters that he was confident of winning because he is a clean man and not corrupt like other past Nigerian leaders.

“Most Nigerian treasury looters have more than 20 to 30 houses, yet some people in the country cannot afford even a single room to sleep in because poverty has eaten them up,” Buhari said. “I don’t have this type of mind to loot the treasury of Nigeria while people are suffering.”

He also vowed to “fish out looters and cheaters of the country, while all the funds recovered from them will be remitted into the national coffers”.

Earlier in January this year, even before Buhari made public his intention to seek reelection in 2019, Adebayo Shittu, minister of Communications, who had just then been appointed national chairman of the Board of Trustees of Muhammadu Buhari/Osinbajo Dynamic Support Group, told State House correspondents in Abuja that campaign for Buhari’s re-election had begun in earnest.

Shittu also announced that the South West Zonal Office of the Buhari/Osinbajo Campaign Organisation would be inaugurated on January 20.

“By the grace of God, we his (Buhari’s) ardent supporters who appreciate his worth on behalf of millions of Nigerians would urge him to re-contest. I know he has not made up his mind but I can say that some of us can assist him in making up his mind so that Nigeria can continue to enjoy stability and progress in our land,” Shittu had said.

While Nigerians do not begrudge Buhari his right to seek re-election in 2019, many say with the insecurity that is rife across the country, next year’s election should be least on the president’s priority list.

Some Nigerians who spoke to BDSUNDAY said that with the carnage going on across the country, it was most insensitive of Buhari, who rode on the back of mass support to emerge as president in 2015, to be more concerned about his re-election than with securing the lives and property of the citizens.

“The primary duty of every government should be the protection of lives and property of the citizens. The Buhari administration has failed in this regard, so why does the president want another term of office?

If the current spate of killings continues unchecked, who will remain to vote for him in 2019?” Laide Lawal, a Lagos-based legal practitioner, queried.

Analysts say as salutary as Buhari’s promises in Bauchi may appear, they mean nothing to people of Benue, Nasarawa, Kogi, Plateau and Taraba States who are collectively facing existential threat to their lives following unbridled attempts by suspected Fulani herdsmen to wipe them out of existence.

Condemning Buhari’s lack of empathy for the pain and sorrows of Benue and other states where mass killings are going on, the main opposition People’s Democratic Party (PDP) mocked the president. The party said Buhari is suffering from self-deception to think he could win the 2019 presidential election in spite of his abysmal performance and widespread rejection by Nigerians.

“It is shocking that in the face of colossal failure of governance leading to hunger and starvation, ethnic division, bloodletting and

Buhari

killings in our land, Mr. President is more concerned about a selfish agenda of foisting himself on a people who have become despondent of his leadership,” Kola Ologbondiyan, PDP national publicity secretary, said in a statement on Friday.

“By his remark in Bauchi on Thursday, when he boastfully claimed that he will take power again in 2019, Mr. President has demonstrated an unimaginable disdain for Nigerians, showing that he cares less about the carnage in our nation under his watch, and he is only concerned with winning election. That, to say the least, is not a mark of statesmanship.

“This is a leader who came into office on the plank of promises of fighting insurgency and corruption as well as guaranteeing economic prosperity. Shockingly, Mr. President has not only failed on all fronts, his body language is aiding and abetting corruption, harassment and intimidation of citizens as well as instilling of siege mentality in our land.

“We therefore advise Mr. President and his dysfunctional All Progressives Congress (APC) to stop misleading themselves about the possibility of staying a day beyond May 29, 2019, as they can no longer deceive or coerce Nigerians to submission,” he said in the statement.

A top member of APC, who spoke to BDSUNDAY on condition of anonymity, said on Thursday that it was sometimes confusing and pathetic that the Buhari administration cannot come up with a plausible explanation or solution to the killings.

“Sometimes, they blame the killing on foreigners trained by Gadaffi; sometimes they tell us the killers are fellow citizens that should be accommodated, and again, when it suits them they tell us the killing is caused by anti-open grazing law. Buhari has to be more strategic in handling this matter, but I am afraid he is not doing that at the moment,” he said.

Katch Ononuju, a public affairs analyst, said in an interview with BDSUNDAY that Buhari should be held responsible for the killings as he is allegedly paving the way for his

Fulani kinsmen from foreign lands to forcefully seize land belonging to the indigenous people of Nigeria.

“Buhari is allowing Fulani from Niger, from Mali to kill Nigerians and there is no way to explain it. Foreigners are being imported from outside the country and what do they do? They kill indigenous Nigerians in their land,” Ononuju said.

He stressed that Buhari’s alleged complicity in the herdsmen crisis has hindered the security agencies from acting to curb the dangerous activities of the herdsmen.

“As I am talking to you, the Miyetti Allah has completely intimidated both the police and the army because of Buhari’s body language. The Fulani herdsmen are violating the land laws of Nigeria. What is going on is total disrespect of the existing laws on property.

You don’t go into somebody’s property without consent and when he complains you will kill him,” he said.

Majeed Dahiru, a security expert and newspaper columnist, averred that the ongoing killings appear unchecked because Buhari came to power allegedly to impose a Fulani ethnic supremacist agenda on Nigeria.

Dahiru warned that Nigeria could be set ablaze if the situation deteriorates, stressing that the indigenous people may be forced to pick up arms to defend themselves, which would lead to massive reprisals that could threaten the corporate existence of the country.

“Fulani who are indigenous to Nigeria seem to open the floodgates for foreign Fulani to come in and help them by killing fellow Nigerians who are land cultivators,” he said, adding that the problem has been compounded by the fact that some of the foreign Fulani have turned to kidnappers, cattle rustlers and other bandits ravaging fellow Nigerians.

He also admonished President Buhari to act fast, saying it would be in Buhari’s interest to protect the integrity of Nigeria by ensuring security for those under Fulani attacks.

Only in February, Catholic Archbishop Emeritus of Lagos, Anthony Cardinal Oko-

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gie, had asked Buhari to focus more on the security challenges facing the country than preparing for the 2019 elections, saying security of lives and property was more important than getting re-elected.

Okogie criticised the Buhari government’s shoddy handling of especially the killings by herdsmen, saying it was “utterly unbecoming of statesmen to prioritize political calculations over the value of life and property”.

“At this point in time, the matter of security must be rightly addressed without sweeping any item under the carpet. It is by far more important than getting elected or re-elected in 2019. Since the Federal Government controls the security agencies, we Nigerians must insist that this government furnish us with credible answers to these and related questions: who and where are the criminals?

Where are the people who kill Nigerians?

Why have they not appeared in court? What are the Federal Government and its security agencies waiting for?” Okojie said.as been tales of one coordinated attack after another with high casualty rate, massive devastation of farmlands and displacement of the people in their thousands in the affected states amidst the helplessness of the security operatives sometimes accused of complicity.

Nearly 2,000 people have been killed since January and the epicentre of bloodbath has been Benue State, where the rampaging herdsmen have intensified their unrestrained killing spree.

In the early hours of Tuesday, April 25, the herdsmen attacked St. Ignatius Quasi Parish, Ukpor, Mbalom in Gwer West Local Government Area of the state, killing two priests, Rev. Frs Joseph Gor and Felix Tyolaha, and about 18 other worshippers.

Rev. Fr. Moses Iorapuu, director of communications, Diocese of Makurdi, said in a statement that the attacks were perpetrated by herdsmen who stormed the Mbalom community and killed the two priests during the morning Mass at the church.

Spilling of blood in Benue State is now assuming genocidal proportions. While Buhari and his spokesmen allegedly offer flimsy

excuses and half-hearted responses, the killers have traversed the length and breadth of Benue like mad horses let loose on the hapless communities, leaving a trail of tears, blood and sorrow.

On April 16, 2018, while meeting British Prime Minister Theresa May in London on the sidelines of the Commonwealth Heads of Government Meeting (CHOGM), Buhari said he was more concerned about Nigeria’s security and economy issues than about the 2019 elections.

According to a statement by Femi Adesina, presidential spokesman, Buhari’s meeting with May focused on the three main agenda of his administration – security, economy and fight against corruption.

“We have elections next year, politicians are already preoccupied with the polls, but I am bothered more about security and the economy,” Adesina quoted Buhari to have said.

But every action that has followed since then has proved that the only thing occupying Mr President’s mind currently is his re-election bid.

On April 17, barely 24 hours after Buhari told Prime Minister May that his mind was not on re-election, Festus Keyamo, a senior advocate of Nigeria (SAN) and APC stalwart, announced on Twitter his appointment as spokesman for the Buhari re-election campaign, making nonsense of Buhari’s claim in faraway London.

Nigerians were left wondering whether Buhari’s London meetings, as well his proposed meeting with US President Donald Trump on April 30, were not mere publicity stunts aimed to secure endorsements and confer legitimacy on the administration ahead of 2019.

Last Tuesday, while the people of Benue mourned the killing of two Catholic priests and about 18 parishioners at St. Ignatius Quasi Parish in Ukpor-Mbalom, Buhari was busy at the Presidential Villa, Abuja meeting with state governors elected on the platform of his party, the ruling All Progressives Congress (APC), specifically to get the governors to support and work towards the emergence of Adams Oshiomhole, a former governor of Edo State, as the party’s next national chairman. Oshiomhole, it is believed, has the clout to mobilize massive support for Buhari in the 2019 presidential election.

Buhari was also in Bauchi State on Thursday ostensibly to commission some projects, but the true reason behind his visit was not lost on Nigerians as he turned the event into a campaign ground.

Buhari, who spoke in Hausa language, announced to Bauchi citizens that his decision to seek re-election in 2019 was predicated on his zeal to fight corruption, assuring his supporters that he was confident of winning because he is a clean man and not corrupt like other past Nigerian leaders.

“Most Nigerian treasury looters have more than 20 to 30 houses, yet some people in the country cannot afford even a single room to sleep in because poverty has eaten them up,” Buhari said. “I don’t have this type of mind to loot the treasury of Nigeria while people are suffering.”

He also vowed to “fish out looters and cheaters of the country, while all the funds recovered from them will be remitted into the national coffers”.

Earlier in January, even before Buhari made public his intention to seek re-election in 2019, Adebayo Shittu, Minister of Communications, who had just then been appointed national chairman of the Board of Trustees of MuhammaduBuhari/OsinbajoDynamicSupport Group, told State House correspondents

in Abuja that campaign for Buhari’s re-election had begun in earnest.

Shittu also announced that the South West Zonal Office of the Buhari/Osinbajo Campaign Organisation would be inaugurated on January 20.

“By the grace of God, we his (Buhari’s) ardent supporters who appreciate his worth on behalf of millions of Nigerians would urge him to re-contest. I know he has not made up his mind but I can say that some of us can assist him in making up his mind so that Nigeria can continue to enjoy stability and progress in our land,” Shittu had said.

While Nigerians do not begrudge Buhari his right to seek re-election in 2019, many say with the insecurity that is rife across the country, next year’s election should be least on the president’s priority list.

Some Nigerians who spoke to BDSUNDAY said that with the carnage going on across the country, it was most insensitive of Buhari, who rode on the back of mass support to emerge as president in 2015, to be more concerned about his re-election than with securing the lives and property of the citizens.

“The primary duty of every government should be the protection of lives and property of the citizens. The Buhari government has failed in this regard, so why does the president want another term of office? If the current spate of killings continues unchecked, who will remain to vote for him in 2019?” Laide Lawal, a Lagos-based legal practitioner, queried.

Analysts say as salutary as Buhari’s promises in Bauchi may appear, they mean nothing to people of Benue, Nasarawa, Kogi, Plateau and Taraba States who are collectively facing existential threat to their lives following unbridled attempts by suspected Fulani herdsmen to wipe them out of existence.

Condemning Buhari’s lack of empathy for the pain and sorrows of Benue and other states where mass killings are going on, the main opposition People’s Democratic Party (PDP) mocked the president. The party said Buhari is suffering from self-deception to think he could win the 2019 presidential election in spite of his abysmal performance and widespread rejection by Nigerians.

“It is shocking that in the face of colossal failure of governance leading to hunger and starvation, ethnic division, bloodletting and killings in our land, Mr. President is more concerned about a selfish agenda of foisting himself on a people who have become despondent of his leadership,” Kola Ologbondiyan, PDP national publicity secretary, said in a statement on Friday.

“By his remark in Bauchi on Thursday, when he boastfully claimed that he will take power again in 2019, Mr. President has demonstrated an unimaginable disdain for Nigerians, showing that he cares less about the carnage in our nation under his watch, and he is only concerned with winning election. That, to say the least, is not a mark of statesmanship.

“This is a leader who came into office on the plank of promises of fighting insurgency and corruption as well as guaranteeing economic prosperity. Shockingly, Mr. President has not only failed on all fronts, his body language is aiding and abetting corruption, harassment and intimidation of citizens as well as instilling of siege mentality in our land.

“We therefore advise Mr. President and his dysfunctional All Progressives Congress (APC) to stop misleading themselves about the possibility of staying a day beyond May 29, 2019, as they can no longer deceive or coerce Nigerians to submission,” he said in the statement.

A top member of APC, who spoke to BDSUNDAY on condition of anonymity, said on Thursday that it was sometimes confusing

and pathetic that the Buhari administration cannot come up with a plausible explanation or solution to the killings.

“Sometimes they blame the killing on foreigners trained by Gadaffi; sometimes they tell us the killers are fellow citizens that should be accommodated, and again, when it suits them they tell us the killing is caused by anti-open grazing law. Buhari has to be more strategic in handling this matter, but I am afraid he is not doing that at the moment,” he said.

Katch Ononuju, a public affairs analyst, said in an interview with BDSUNDAY that Buhari should be held responsible for the killings as he is allegedly paving the way for his Fulani kinsmen from foreign lands to forcefully seize land belonging to the indigenous people of Nigeria.

“Buhari is allowing Fulani from Niger, from Mali to kill Nigerians and there is no way to explain it. Foreigners are being imported from outside the country and what do they do?

They kill indigenous Nigerians in their land,” Ononuju said.

He stressed that Buhari’s alleged complicity in the herdsmen crisis has hindered the security agencies from acting to curb the dangerous activities of the herdsmen.

“As I am talking to you, the Miyetti Allah has completely intimidated both the police and the army because of Buhari’s body language.

The Fulani herdsmen are violating the land laws of Nigeria. What is going on is total disrespect of the existing laws on property. You don’t go into somebody’s property without consent and when he complains you will kill him,” he said.

Majeed Dahiru, a security expert and newspaper columnist, averred that the ongoing killings appear unchecked because Buhari came to power allegedly to impose a Fulani ethnic supremacist agenda on Nigeria.

Dahiru warned that Nigeria could be set ablaze if the situation deteriorates, stressing that the indigenous people may be forced to pick up arms to defend themselves, which would lead to massive reprisals that could threaten the corporate existence of the country.

“Fulani who are indigenous to Nigeria seem to open the floodgates for foreign Fulani to come in and help them by killing fellow Nigerians who are land cultivators,” he said, adding that the problem has been compounded by the fact that some of the foreign Fulani have turned to kidnappers, cattle rustlers and other bandits ravaging fellow Nigerians.

He also admonished President Buhari to act fast, saying it would be in Buhari’s interest to protect the integrity of Nigeria by ensuring security for those under Fulani attacks.

Only in February, Catholic Archbishop Emeritus of Lagos, Anthony Cardinal Okogie, had asked Buhari to focus more on the security challenges facing the country than preparing for the 2019 elections, saying security of lives and property was more important than getting re-elected.

Okogie criticised the Buhari government’s shoddy handling of especially the killings by herdsmen, saying it was “utterly unbecoming of statesmen to prioritize political calculations over the value of life and property”.

“At this point in time, the matter of security must be rightly addressed without sweeping any item under the carpet. It is by far more important than getting elected or re-elected in 2019. Since the Federal Government controls the security agencies, we Nigerians must insist that this government furnish us with credible answers to these and related questions: who and where are the criminals?

Where are the people who kill Nigerians?

Why have they not appeared in court? What are the Federal Government and its security agencies waiting for?” Okojie said.

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News

Osun 2018: Adeleke, Akinbade, Bello, Oduoye, 11 others to vie for PDP ticket

Kwara appoints special assistant on Fulani affairs

...only Ibiyemi shows interest for APC

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BOLADALE BAMIGBOLA, Osogbo

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s expression of intention to vie for People’s Democratic Party (PDP) ticket for Osun State 2018 gubernatorial election ends last Friday, about 15 aspirants have submitted letter to that effect.

While many of the aspirants, amidst large crowd of supporters, visited the party secretariat located along Ikirun road, Osogbo, some others only went with few friends to submit their letters.

Some of those that have submitted their letter include Adeolu Durotoye, Lere Oyewumi, Adejare Bello, Fatai Akinbade, Felix Ogunwale, Kayode Oduoye, Gbenga Owolabi, Albert Adeogun, Ademola Adeleke, Nathaniel Oke, Ayoade Adewopo and Jide Adeniji.

Although PDP has not officially disclosed where it would zone its governorship ticket, even amidst agitations from Osun West Senatorial District for the ticket, many of those that have so far shown interest in the party’s ticket are from the West Senatorial didtrict.

Leading the pack is Senator Ademola Adeleke from Ede, who is currently representing the district in the Senate. He is the younger brother of the late Senator Isiaka Adeleke, whom he

Adeleke

Akinbade

Bello

replaced in July last year, following sudden demise of the senior Adeleke in April 2017.

Also eyeing the ticket from the same Senatorial District is Lere Oyewumi, the immediate past National Commissioner, National Population Commission (NPC). He hails from Ikire and served as chairman, Irewole Local Government, Ikire, for one term.

Rt Hon. Adejare Bello was speaker of Osun State House of Assembly for 8 years and also served as interim state chairman of the PDP in 2012.

He hails from Ede. Fatai Akinbade is another notable name from the West Senatorial District in the race for the PDP ticket. He was Osun PDP chairman when the party won governorship seat and all state and national assembly seats in the state in year 2003.

He later served as secretary to the state government for seven years under Prince Olagunsoye Oyinlola administration.

Meanwhile, the youngest aspirant for the PDP ticket, Kayode Oduoye, has declared intention to vie for the governorship ticket of the PDP for the September 22 Osun gubernatorial election.

The businessman and politician said any aspirant thinking of running the state with only monthly allocation, should not bother to contest.

Oduoye, who visited PDP party secretariat along Ikirun road, Osogbo, amidst horde of his supporters, used the occasion to explain how he intends to revamp Osun economy, if elected governor.

He said Osun entered into technical recession in the year 2013, stressing that with the right approach, economy of the state can be revamped.

He explained that while present loans taken by government can be renegotiated, he however, added that many of the loans already procured were taken with-

out due process.

Samuel Ibiyemi, journalist and publisher of the Nigerian News Direct, is the only aspirant that has declared interest for the All Progressives Congress (APC) so far. An Ile-Ife-born journalist-turned politician declared intention to run for governorship on the platform of APC for which some political analysts stated that Ibiyemi hails from Ile-Ife in the Osun East Senatorial District, the political zone where incumbent governor, Rauf Aregbesola, comes, arguing that such a political arrangement defeats existing political zoning arrangement in Osun State.

But in a swift reaction to the proposition, Ibiyemi in a phone interview with BDSUNDAY, said: “Zoning is not in the APC Constitution.

Our leaders will not close their eyes to choose a successor with poor programme that will not improve development at the grassroots .

SIKIRAT SHEHU, Ilorin bdulfatah Ahmed, governor of Kwara State, has approved the appointment of Abdul-Azeez Muhammad as Special Assistant on Fulani Affairs to represent Miyetti-Allah in his administration.

Isiaka Gold, secretary to the State Government, disclosed the new appointment in a statement issued on Tuesday in Ilorin, the state capital.

He explained that the appointment was driven

by Governor Ahmed’s commitment to ensure harmonious relationship between

herdsmen, farmers and other segments of the society.

Gold said that the appointment would also serve to ease communication between members of Miyetti-Allah Cattle Breeders Association of Nigeria (MACBAN), the government and local farmers in the state.

The SSG recalled that the decision to appoint a Special Assistant on Fulani Affairs was reached at the enlarged meeting of the State Security Committee held recently.

He congratulated the new appointee and urged him to approach his new assignment with the diligence and dedication that recom-

110,000 pupils to benefit from school feeding programme in Ondo YOMI AYELESO, Akure

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h e On d o St a t e government says over 110, 000 pupils would benefit from the school feeding programme of the federal government.

Olubunmi Ademosun, special adviser to Governor Oluwarotimi Akeredolu on Multilateral and Inter Governmental Affairs, made the disclosure in an interview with the newsmen in Akure, the Ondo State capital.

She revealed that 1,500 cooks had been mobilised across the 18 local government areas of the state for the programme.

“ En v i r o n m e n t a l i s t s have also been trained and mobilised to ensure that the food are prepared in hygienic way. 110,000 primary 1-3 pupils across the three senatorial districts of the state will enjoy the free daily feeding.

“I must commend President Buhari for this initiative that will not only alleviate the burden of parents, but also increase the nutritional status of children.

We pledge one hundred percent support for the success of this programme,” the governor’s aide said.

Ademosun assured that all government machineries have been mobilised to ensure the success of the programme.

Saraki moves to retain Kwara central senatorial seat, splashes N65.3m on politicians, voters SIKIRAT SHEHU, Ilorin

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olitical calculations and permutations have started in earnest ahead of 2019 general elections as Bukola Saraki, senate president, has begun reaching out to all people that matter, seeking a re-election to the upper chamber of the National Assembly through the Kwara Central Senatorial District, which he currently represents.

The Senate President doled out, in a week, a sum of N65.3 million to the women politicians in the All Progressives Congress (APC), traditional chiefs in Kwara Central Senatorial District and Arabic students in Kwara central, who have dual roles of influencing polls direction

during elections and the balloting rights that may return the Senate President to the National Assembly.

Within a week, he disbursed N49.4 million to

Saraki

220 traditional chiefs to offset accumulated 20 months salaries’ arrears meant to have been paid by various local government councils in Kwara central

senatorial district in addition to N10.4 million grants disbursed to 52 women leaders of All Progressives Congress and N5 million as examination fees for scores Arabic students drawn from all the Wards and Local Councils that make up of Kwara Central Senatorial District.

Speaking at the distribution of cheques to traditional chiefs and APC women leaders in Ilorin, Kwara State capital recently, Musa Abdullahi, the director-general, Abubakar Bukola Saraki (ABS) Constituency Office, declared that Saraki was much concerned with the plights of the 220 affected district heads who could not be paid in the last 20 months by some local councils, including Ilorin East, Ilorin South and Asa, having fallen short

in meeting their to the monarchs due to shortfall in the allocations from the Federation Accounts.

Abdullahi also noted that a total of N10.4 million was disbursed to 52 women leaders of APC, receiving a cash of N200,000 each to help boost their micro and small-scale businesses, explaining that the Senate President holds women folks in high esteem, hence, the disbursement of the fund in order to help women contribute positively to the economy of the country and take adequate care of the home front.

The Director General of ABS Constituency’s Office, also presented the sum of N5 million to AbdulKadir Solagberu, the Chairman of the Kwara State Arabic Education Board, for the

registration of 500 Arabic students for examinations in Arabic and Islamic Studies.

He advised the beneficiaries to use the fund judiciously in to affect the people’s standard of living positively.

Responding separately on behalf of the traditional rulers in Ilorin East, the Alangua Ibagun, Jimoh Alabi, said they were elated with the gesture of the Senate President, saying the money received would reduce their sufferings.

Also speaking on behalf of traditional rulers from Ilorin South, the Magaji Mosudo, Saliu Mohammed, said after the meeting of the Forum of Magajis and Alanguas, the Emir of Ilorin demanded for their list and promised to talk to the Senate President on the payment of their salary arrears.

Sunday 29 April 2018

Recover schools from missions, individuals to save education, CLO warns Abia GODFREY OFURUM, Aba

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he Civil Liberties Organisation, (CLO), Aba Unit, has urged the Abia State Government to take over schools handed over to missions and individuals, identified as original owners in the state.

In 2012, Theodore Orji, former governor, handed over some schools to missions and individuals in the state in a bid to reduce government burden and improve the standard of education in the state.

However, some stakeholders described the decision as ill advised and not well thought out.

Th e C L O o b s e r v e d that most of the missions and individuals that benefited from the policy, lack the capacity to run the schools handed over to them. The group in a statement signed, by Charles Chinekezi, Aba Unit chairman, urged the state government to take over the schools without further delay, to ensure quality training of students.

“CLO urges the Abia State government to immediately review the policy handling over schools to churches and individuals.

The policy was ill advised and not well thought out.

Government never considered that some of these churches and individuals do not possess the capacity to manage the schools handed over to them”.

CLO further stated that its findings revealed that parents and guardians have withdrawn their children from most of the schools handed over to the missions and individuals, due to the new owners’ inability to manage such schools.

“Most of these schools handed over to missions and individuals no longer have students, while others lack quality teachers. Our findings also revealed that school lands are being sold off to private individuals, while classroom blocks are rented out to tenants. Some of the schools have also become abode for illegal drug peddlers and drug addicts.

“Any portion of school premises found to have been sold off must be recovered. We urge Governor Okezie Ikpeazu, to urgently review this policy of his predecessor and return the schools to government to save the educational future of our children”, they stated.

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News APC bows to pressure cancels national convention, shift congresses

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James Kwen, Abuja

ll Progressives Congress (APC) National Working Committee (NWC) has bowed to pressure from Governors elected on the party’s platform and cancelled the May 14 national convention indefinitely.

The NWC have also altered the earlier released time table for the conduct of ward, local government and state Congresses.

According to the then time table ward congress was slated for May 2, local government congress, May 5

Oyegun

and state congress May 7.

However, the new time table released Friday evening and signed by Bolaji Abdullahi, APC National Publicity Secretary revealed that,

ward congress now holds May 5, local government congress takes place May 12 and state congress is May 19.

Abdullahi announced that “the date for the National

Convention in June will be announced later”.

This development followed the last week meeting between APC governors and the NWC of the party after which it was said the governors insisted the dates for convention and congresses be altered.

Briefing journalists after the meeting, the APC spokesperson, Abdullahi disclosed that following concerns raised by Governors during the meeting, the NWC would review the time table for congresses and even the national convention.

Also speaking to journalists, Kano State Governor,

Abdullahi Ganduje said the meeting decided that NWC should review the timetable because in the previous timetable, the ward and local government congresses were too close.

“We discover that the congresses are designed to hold on working days and normally we use public premises like schools and secretariats for the conduct of the congresses.

“Fixing the congresses during working days means that such places cannot be available. We agreed that the congresses should hold over the weekends”, Ganduje explained.

INEC releases timetable for Osun governorship poll ...says 411,438 voter cards still uncollected BOLADALE BAMIGBOLA Osogbo

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lusegun Agbaje, the new resident electoral commissioner (REC) for Osun State, has released the timetable for the forthcoming governorship election in the state.

Agbaje, who officially resumed duties earlier in the week, disclosed in his maiden meeting with journalists in Osogbo, the state capital, that notice of election would be issued on June 23, while commencement of public campaign by political parties would be June 24.

He also revealed that 411, 438 unclaimed voter cards were available for collection,

adding that all political parties participating in September 22 governorship poll, must have conducted primaries and resolved disputes that might have arisen from the exercise between June 24 and July 23.

He said August 22 would be the last day for the submission of nomination forms by political parties, while campaigns would end on

September 20.

Assuring that INEC would ensure a free, fair and transparent election that would be acceptable to the people of the state, Agbaje urged newsmen and other stakeholders to support the commission in its effort to conduct a credible governorship election.

“We have the mandate to provide a level playing ground for all players and we

expect in return the cooperation of all stakeholders. To the press, we expect you to join hands with the commission to maintain equity and justice before, during and after the process. “On our part, we promise to operate an open door policy and ensure the entrenchment of all the core values and standards of INEC with zero tolerance for electoral fraud,” Agbaje said.

Salary arrears: Abia Poly lecturers send SOS to Ikpeazu …our members are dying of hunger GODFREY OFURUM, Aba

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bia State Polytechnic, Aba chapter of the Academic Staff Union of Polytechnics, (ASUP), has sent a save our soul message to Governor Okezie Ikpeazu, to save her members from what they termed, “starvation and untold suffering”, which they have been subjected to.

The group and other staff of the Polytechnic are owed 11 months arrears of salaries.

The group embarked on an indefinite strike, on April 9, 2018 to demand the release of their arrears of salaries and 14 months check-off, owed the union.

To show solidarity, the students, who are at the receiving end, took to the streets and appealed to the government to pay their teachers.

Godswill Uma, chairman,

Ikpeazu

ASUP, Abia State Polytechnic, Aba, alleged that the nonpayment of salaries owed workers, by the management of the institution, has led to the death of Achi Godswill (PhD), a senior lecturer in the Department of General Studies.

Uma explained that the late lecturer, who was a former Dean of the Department of General Studies of the Polytechnic, has been ill, but could not muster the required funds to get medical attention, as a result of the institution’s failure to pay the 11 months arrears of salaries owed him.

According to him, “Our members are dying slowly.

Last week, we lost a lecturer in the department of General Studies, Achi Godswill.

He has been sick, but he had no money to take care of himself, since he was owed 11 months arrears of salary.

“Many lecturers have

been thrown out of their residences, due to inability to pay their rent. Others cannot feed their families.

Our children have been sent out of school, because we can no longer afford their fees.

“ASUP members are dying of hunger. This is why we are appealing to Governor Ikpeazu to come to our aid, to save us from death and starvation.”

The ASUP chairman also appealed to Ikpeazu, to appoint a new management team for the Polytechnic, stressing that the workers unions in the institution no longer have confidence in Ezionye Eboh, the acting rector, and his team.

Meanwhile, Eboh at the last matriculation exercise of the institution held on April 12, 2018, announced plans, by management to settle all outstanding salaries, soon.

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News

Kwara APC supports Baraje over convention membership SIKIRAT SHEHU, Ilorin

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he All Progressives Congress (APC) in Kwara State has expressed its support for the inclusion of Abubakar Kawu Baraje as a member of the National Convention Committee of the party.

The party declared that it is united under the leadership of its state chairman, Ishola Balogun Fulani.

Baraje

The state APC made these known in a statement signed by Sulyman Buhari, the state publicity secretary.

“The party is aware of the opinions expressed by one Abdullahi Samari on behalf of a group that exists only on the pages of newspaper, the Caucus for Progressive Change and Alhassan Abubakar Sulaiman, who claimed to be state coordinator of Buhari Campaign Organisation, as regards the inclusion of Kawu Baraje as a member of the National Convention Committee of our great party. “ Th e o p i n i o n s e x pressed by the aforementioned individuals are bereft of substance and laced with malice and mischief”, he said. It is on record that Kawu Baraje was the chairman of the APC Convention Subcommittee on the Election in 2014. The election he conducted brought in the incumbent leadership of the party at the national level. The election was adjudged to be fair and credible. Therefore, the role Kawu Baraje played in the success of the first

National Convention of the APC is invaluable and priceless.

“Furthermore, Kawu Baraje was the chairman of the Presidential Electoral Committee that organised the APC presidential primary election in 2014.

President Muhammadu Buhari was the ultimate beneficiary of the free, fair and credible election that Kawu Baraje-led commit-

… Says opposition under siege

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he People’s Democratic Party (PDP), Lagos State chapter, has condemned the inhuman treatment meted out to Kogi Senator, Dino Melaye during his recent arrest by the police.

Melaye, who is representing Kogi west Senatorial district in the upper chamber, was arrested last Monday at the Nnamdi Azikiwe International Airport, Abuja, on his way to Morocco after being declared wanted for several weeks for allegedly possessing firearms illegally.

The senator was subsequently accused by police of attempting to escape by jumping out of the vehicle conveying him to Kogi through, after it was blocked by hoodlums.

But in an interview with journalists, Lagos State Chairman of the PDP, Moshood Salvador, noted that it was an embarrassment and a blow to the country that a serving senator of the country could be inhumanly

treated by the police, while wondering what feat befalls ordinary Nigerians.

Salvador, wondered why deliberation in the upper chamber should be a concern to the Nigerian police, adding that Melaye was being victimised because of his criticism of the current administration.

The Chairman disagreed with report by the police that the senator attempted to jump out of the van, noting that it was obvious that the police would treat such act with much force.

“If you can treat a senator

Melaye

litical party like our dear party has so much to benefit from great political leaders like Kawu Baraje.

“Meanwhile, Kwara APC wishes to declare that the party is united under the leadership of Ishola Balogun Fulani. There is no issue of factions in our party.

The party takes strong exception to false and misleading assertions made by the group led by Abdullahi

Samari.

“Thus, the sponsors and everyone involved directly or remotely with the group are warned that Kwara APC will not take issues of indiscipline and insubordination lightly. If the group fails to desist from continuous demonstration of gross indiscipline, it shall face the full consequences of its actions,” it stated.

The future of airport charges and taxes: group photo of speakers at the just concluded Airports Council International Africa conference hosted by FAAN at the Oriental Hotel Lagos

Lagos PDP condemns police alleged ill-treatment of Melaye Iniobong Iwok

tee conducted.

“Therefore, the Kwara APC is satisfied with the inclusion of Kawu Baraje as a member of the National Convention Committee of the party. Considering his experiences as an administrator and his rich democratic credentials, Kawu Baraje is eminently qualified to earn the membership of the committee.

“Evidently, a young po-

We are repositioning our strategy - Kwara CP SIKIRAT SHEHU, Ilorin

like that what would happen to ordinary Nigerian; I mean the common man?

The police say he attempted to jump out of the van, but I know that if he had attempted to jump out of the van, the police would have followed with gun.

“Is it a sin that you say your mind? What concerns the police in what was said in the Senate, it is a shame and sad in a democracy. It means the people cannot oppose or have their say in the country; it is sad,” Salvador said.

Speaking further on the preparations towards the forth-coming Southwest zonal Assembly of the party in Osogbo, Salvador noted that the PDP was strategising and mobilising Nigerians towards recapturing the zone, stressing that the party was confident of winning the Osun and Ekiti gubernatorial elections.

He dismissed the chances of the All Progressives Congress (APC) in both states, stressing that with the alleged woeful performance of the APC in Osun, the PDP was sure of recapturing the state.

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he Kwara State Police Command has said it is re-positioning its strategies in a bid to strengthen capacity and discharge the responsibilities effectively.

Addressing journalists on Thursday in Ilorin the state capital, Aminu Pai Saleh, the new commissioner of police, admitted that there was intelligence breakdown which accounted for the huge loss of lives.

He identified lapses that led to the high casualty figure recorded during the recent armed robbery attack on commercial banks in Offa, Kwara State.

Nine police men and scores of civilians were killed on April 5, 2017 when armed robbers attacked the police station in Offa and carted away some weapons before going to attack five commercial banks in the town.

“It is true that there was intelligence breakdown .There was large deployment of criminals against a police station with small number of police men, our connectivity

with members of the community is at its lowest ebb but we are working on that and very soon you will see a new face of policing in Kwara State,” he said.

On the insinuations that the police area command in Kwara south is not enough, the new CP said the area command in the area was enough to handle such security challenges.

He said the area command in the area has nine to ten units under it but regretted that the “response” system needs to be improved upon.

The new CP disclosed that the command had begun movement of personnel from one point to another as part of strategies to enhance security.

“As part of our effort to walk the above talk, I have put some strategies in place, apart from physically reorganising the security architecture of the state, we have also begun a complete reorientation of the officers and men on the need for them to be prepared and give their best, to protect the people.

“To do so, we are re-positioning our strategies including personnel reorganisation and widening our reach, offi-

cers have been moved from one point to the other, more police presence in every nooks and crannies of the state, and patrol by officers within the city is intensified on 24hours basis.

“Consultation has begun with relevant stakeholders in the state, bankers, hotels, students’ bodies, selected youth organisations, traditional institutions and government at all level,” he said.

Meanwhile, Abdulfatah Ahmed, governor of Kwara State, has charged the new commissioner of police to tackle insecurity and criminality in the state as well as maintain law and order.

Ahmed spoke when the new commissioner of police paid him a courtesy visit at Government House, Ilorin.

The governor said he would not relent on his efforts at making sure security challenges in the state are properly addressed.

According to Ahmed, the current security trend in the country requires proactive measures to combat problems such as armed robbery, herdsmen/farmers clashes, cultism and communal clashes arising from boundary disputes.

Sunday 29 April 2018

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News Feature We will swim or sink with the anti-open grazing law – Benue residents

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CHRISTOPHER AKOR he deliberate targeting and slaughtering of two Catholic priests and 17 others at St. Ignatius Quasi Parish in Ukpor-Mbalom, Benue State last week may have brought to the fore another hitherto subdued dimension to the ongoing killings in the state.

Although BDSUNDAY had in an earlier report asked whether these killers were herdsmen, terrorists or jihadists, the recent murder in the cathedral has energised those who had previously secretly questioned the neutrality of the Federal Government and its security apparatuses, all headed by Muslims, in the handling of the crisis between mainly Christian farmers and Muslim herdsmen, to come out in the open.

“To go for the priests means total destruction of everything we stand for and believe in as a people,” Rev. Fr. Moses Iorapuu, director of communications, Catholic Diocese of Makurdi, said.

“Many people are asking why the international community has remained silent over the massacre of Benue citizens. The answer is simple: It has been the goal of the Jihadists to conquer Benue and Tiv people who resisted their advance into the Middle Belt and the Eastern part of Nigeria since 1804; they are people who rejected Islam and fought for the unification of Nigeria in the civil war of 1967-1970,” Fr. Iorapuu said.

Expectedly, tensions have risen since then and many are now calling for mobilisation along religious lines to fight back the alleged Jihadist attacks.

The killings in Benue have gone unchecked for so long.

Since 2013, Movement Against Fulani Occupation (MAFO) and the Benue State government have carefully documented over 60 attacks against farmers and residents of the state by Fulani pastoralists with over 1,800 people killed, thousands more injured and over 108,500 displaced from their homes. More than 175,000 persons are currently registered in eight Internally Displaced Peoples’ (IDPs) camps in the state.

In a bid to put a stop to the constant clashes with farmers and locals, the state government passed into law the anti-open grazing bill, requiring pastoralists to compulsorily ranch their cattle. Instead of the law stemming the tide of conflict, it has resulted in a renewed spate of killings, beginning with the New Year’s Eve attack on Guma and Logo local government areas by the marauding pastoralists, which left over 73 persons dead.

The Miyetti Allah Cattle Herders Association, which had tacitly accepted responsibility for the killings, has said the only way the killings would end is for the Benue

State government to rescind the anti-open grazing law in the state and provide land for them to keep their cattle.

While the pastoralists rely on President Muhammadu Buhari and other senior government officials to put political pressure on the governor to rescind the law, the Benue people appear determined to see the law stay.

Perhaps, that was what the Tor Tiv, James Ayatse, was referring to when he said that the anti-open grazing law is Benue law. “It is the people that have made that law. If perchance the governor says he is tired, we (Benue people) shall not be tired of the law,” he said.

When BDSUNDAY visited Makurdi, the Benue State capital, recently, the citizens said they were resolute about seeing the law implemented to the letter.

Philip Terhembe (not real name), a civil servant, said the anti-open grazing law passed by the state government would be the best legacy of the Samuel Ortom administration regardless of his seeming failure in other areas of governance, notably, his inability to pay workers’ salaries and the absence of any tangible development or improvement in the lot of the people since he came to power in 2015.

“Virtually all Benue people are farmers and one of the greatest problems they had to deal with over the years is the destructive activities of Fulani pastoralists who destroy their crops in search of pasture for their cattle,” Terhembe said.

“This has led to deadly clashes between the local people and the Fulani. But of late, and especially with the coming to power of their grand-patron, Muhammadu Buhari, and the staffing of all security agencies with his fellow Fulani or Hausa, the killings have assumed a genocidal dimension and the state government had to act to stop open grazing in the state,” he said.

“The law is a direct response

to the wishes and yearnings of the people and with it, the constant clashes will end and both farmers and pastoralists will live in peace.”

Leo Sonsha, a teacher in Mount St. Gabriel Secondary School, Makurdi, was of the view that Governor Ortom has acquitted himself admirably in the handling of the crisis in the state.

“He’s done enough in this crisis and the anti-open grazing law is the best thing to have happened to Benue State in recent times,” Sonsha said.

Origins of the crisis The issue of pastoralists destroying crops is an existential one in Benue, being a predominantly agrarian state with virtually all the population, inclusive of civil servants, teachers and others, into farming.

The entire state is a huge farmland and it is difficult to move 2 kilometres in any forest without coming across farms. It is therefore difficult to move freely without encroaching on farmlands. Clashes with pastoralists, who move their cattle around in search of pasture are, therefore, inevitable.

What accentuated these clashes on the Benue Valley particularly, according to a report by SBM Intelligence, are a host of factors including climate change, population rise and insecurity, among others.

“Prior to the recent escalations, herdsmen would graze in public areas and trade with farmers for leftovers to feed their flock.

However, security problems, porous borders leading to easy flow of arms, desertification, and an increase in the number of cattle, coupled with a rise in the population of farmers and improper planning by the authorities, the resources along the routes could not sustain both communities and herdsmen resorted to violence to take what they would have traded before,” SBM Intelligence said in the report.

A new dimension What was just a conflict between farmers and herdsmen over grazing, however, soon turned to a quest for occupation of some part of Benue land, according to Rev. Fr. Solomon Mfa, a Catholic priest and one of the founders of MAFO, a pan-ethnic pressure group to pressure the Federal Government into providing protection and recognition of the rights to life and property of Benue communities against Fulani invasion, killings, and occupation of their lands.

Fr Mfa said he discovered while working as a Catholic priest in Guma local government, that starting from 2013, the conflict started going beyond mere clashes between farmers and pastoralists for grazing land to one that is targeted at annihilation and occupation.

He said from around that time, the Fulani started arming themselves – usually with weapons like AK 47. From then, they would deliberately direct their herds into farmlands to eat up crops and kill and sack the community when they complain. Surprisingly, they would prevent the displaced community from returning to their homes and would permanently settle in the communities.

Mfa said the Fulani stopped the traditional dialogues and settlements that had always taken place between dissatisfied farmers and herdsmen and are now determined to permanently settle on the Benue Valley that is ever green and provides pasture for their herds all-year-round. This, he said, was accentuated by the coming of Buhari to power.

“They became more brazen and acted more like an occupation force than herdsmen in search of pasture for their herds.

The way they went about things was the complete opposite of the Fulani we used to know.

“In years past, we had Fulani that come to graze. They came

with their wives; they came with their children and they came with sticks. This was in the time when our forests had wild animals. We saw them with no AK47s. But these ones who come around these days that there are no wild animals, no forests, do not come with their wives, children and sticks. They come alone with AK47. What is the threat they face that they go about with AK 47? With their superior weapons, they take people’s houses and farmlands and refuse to allow those people come back to their lands,” he said.

He said it was the realisation of the threat of annihilation and occupation of Benue land that led him and some other well-meaning Benue sons and daughters to form MAFO. When their advocacy bore little or no fruit and the government continued to ignore the problem, the group, in 2016, took the Federal Government to court over its alleged failure to protect them from the said attacks and seeking for the fundamental human rights enforcement from the Federal Government, in addition to a N500billion compensation to the victims of the herdsmen attack.

The group maintained that the locations of the Fulani herdsmen who carry out the attacks are well known to the security agencies but that the security agencies have failed to accost them or put a stop to the attacks.

Anti-open grazing law and resistance Fr Mfa gave a compelling narrative of the origin of the anti-open grazing bill. He said as the killings became widespread and systematic, they in MAFO and other well-meaning citizens of the state began to call on the government to enact a law ordering the Fulani to ranch their cattle to stem the tide of the conflict.

“We live in a civilised society where we have best practices of animal husbandry. What is done everywhere in the modern age is ranching. Let the law prohibit open grazing and establishment of ranches. When that is done, the crop farmer will do his own thing and the animal farmer or herder will do his own thing and there will be peace,” Fr Mfa stated.

They organised protests, marches and sensitisation workshops to press the government to act. What forced the hand of the government was the Agatu massacre, where over 500 people were killed and whole communities destroyed by the pastoralists.

It was after the law was passed that trouble started.

After the attacks on New Years’ Eve that killed 74 people, the national vice president of Miyetti Allah Cattle Herders Association, Husaini Yusuf Bosso, speaking to the British Broadcasting Corporation (BBC), said the only way the killings would end was for the Benue State government to rescind the anti-open grazing law in the state and provide land for them to keep their cattle.

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NewsFeature

Sex-for-mark scandal: A reflection of moral laxity in society Continued from page 1

on the social media of an illicit discussion between a Osagie and her lecturer Richard Akindele, divergent reactions have continued to trail the development.

Concerned Nigerians who spoke on the issue told BDSUNDAY that it was a reflection of the moral laxity in the society as a whole and failure in good parental upbringing of many students.

Williams (surname withheld) who had her mandatory youth service at the Nnamdi Azikwe University, Awka , where he served as a graduate assistant, said sex-for-marks was commonplace in the school’s faculty of social science during his service as many happened under his nose.

“I had visited the Dean’s office to beg on a certain lady’s behalf because the Dean was her project supervisor, saying she was my girlfriend but he (the Dean) told me point blank in front of the lady that he (the Dean) was humbly and doesn’t mind eating from the same ‘pot’ with me,’’ Williams told BDSUNDAY. “The then Dean of social sciences, Head of psychology department and many lecturers in that faulty were guilty of this.

They kept hotel keys and they just hand it over to the girl to go and wait for them there,” he said.

This is not the first time a similar case has been made public. In 2015, Prof. Cyril Osim Ndifon of the University of Calabar was accused of rape by Nkag Sinemobong Ekong, a 400-level female Law student who claimed that he raped her in his office while she was rewriting a test on Law of Trust.

Students express mixed reactions “Whatever Osagie’s motive was, I commend her for making this public. It’s a terrible thing to do. If it’s by consent, it’s okay but the professor was bullying that lady and that’s not acceptable,” said Emmanuel John, a student of Mass Communication at University of Lagos.

“In developed countries, he (the lecturer) will be prosecuted and not just suspended for such action,’’ John further said.

Gloria Ibezim, a final year student in one of the tertiary institutions in the country said she believed the student’s story that the lecturer failed her because she refused to succumb to his advances.

“Although, I have never been boxed in this corner, I have seen it happen to a few around me and it’s not a nice experience at

all. So, I can relate to what the student is saying and I’m certain she is not making this up. When you find yourself in this situation, getting help is usually difficult,’’ Ibezim said.

However, Ihotu Audu, a 200-level student of mass communication at the University of Lagos, thinks otherwise.

“From the recorded phone conversation, it shows that two of them have a high level of familiarity with the lady talking about her menstrual period and how many times the man has sex with his wife,’’ said Audu.

“Probably now, this did not work in favour of the lady because she wants more than a ‘D’ and the man could not go beyond a ‘D’. Some students are very vindictive.’’

“I can understand why she did it. I’m sure she did it as a bargaining chip. One could see she planned it all along to entrap the lecturer, that’s why I’m not on her side but the professor is deserving of all he’s been subjected to,” said a final year student of Lagos State University, who does not want to be mentioned.

“The man was in the wrong for engaging in such practice. No doubt, he’s done this before to other girls and was unfortunate to get caught this time. I foresee a situation, where going forward, the girl will be ganged up against and will have more troubles graduating from the school except by God’s help.”

Lecturers put the blame on parents Reacting to the sex-for-marks scandal, lecturers who spoke with BDSUNDAY blamed parents for the weak educational

foundation they have built for their children, which they believe led to the decadence witnessed in the academic system.

“Some parents help these students to pass common entrance, WAEC and JAMB. So, these children are used to ‘settling’. They saw their parents give bribes on their behalf. When they gain admission into the University, they know all the ways to ‘settle’ their way through,’’ said a senior lecturer at the University of Lagos, who spoke on the condition of anonymity.

“They either settle through works, money or sex. These are the patterns of settlement.

Parents, government and the University should help lecturers,’’ he solicited.

While faulting the audio recorder, the lecturer said the professor was careless to have allowed such a thing to happen.

“That recording might have been edited. It’s not all that transpired that was released online, if she’s bold enough, she should have just approached the authority and call for her paper. This is not a case of victimisation, this is a case of her going to the lecturer to demand. That’s why she went to blackmail the lecturer and put on social media,’’ the lecturer said.

“Some students are in school to destroy lecturers and this professor really played into the lady’s hands.

He wondered how possible it was to upgrade a mark from 33 to 44 when the result had already been published and there was no departmental or faulty meeting to upgrade the marks due to mass failure.

“The question many should be asking is what the student had gone to do in that lecturer’s office. It means that she was desperate to pass the examination and lecturers are human beings with blood flowing in their veins,’’ he said.

According to him, “The truth is that those who are vulnerable are those who are not academically sound and who want to have their way. These things hardly happen to good students.

So, when they put pressures on the lecturer and he does not want to, they try blackmail.’’

The senior lecturer further said that the professor should take the blame for what transpired between him and the female student for two reasons.

“Even if the student is making advances, the moral burden lies on the lecturer, because he is a pastor and professor. The temptations should not have come in because he should have known better. Our prayer is that we will not fall victim like this lecturer,’’ he said.

Adetokunboh Yusuf, a legal practitioner and a part-time lecturer at the University of Lagos, said the whole incident is sordid and rather unfortunate.

“As a lecturer, the professor is expected to be intelligent and be able to know the nuances of the students. He was naïve and allowed himself to be privy to that odium. If he was sensible, he would have hands-off immediately he saw that the lady scored 33, which is an irredeemable mark,’’ said Yusuf.

“The whole thing is nauseating. Just imagine the shame he has brought to his wife, children,

church, faulty and the society,’’ he further said.

Yusuf said if he was the prosecutor, both the lecturer and student would be punished.

“In law, he who alleges must prove. The onus of proving the case of sexual harassment is on the lady but for misconduct and irregular conduct, the man could go in for that. The lady was the one who made the move to the man by calling and referring to a discussion they had earlier. Both of them are guilty under the law,’’ he said.

Another lecturer in the same University who does not want his name mentioned, said the lecturer should have been smart.

The lecturer also disclosed that they are now careful with ladies because they know what they are capable of.

“One of my students called me few days ago but I didn’t pick her call. When she saw me the following day, she was asking why I have been avoiding her calls and said I should pick when she calls again. I asked her to tell me what she wanted face-toface or forget it,’’ he said.

“Some people don’t have conscience. I suggest they check this student’s score in other courses.

It’s obvious no one is looking at that,’’ he said.

Omolola Sodunke, another lecturer who spoke with our correspondent, said the sex audio recording would not have made it to the public if the offer was juicier.

“If the lecturer agreed to upgrade her score to a ‘B’ or ‘C’, she may not have produced that audio because she had asked if the five rounds of sex was for a ‘B’ or ‘C’, but the lecturer said it was for a ‘D’”, Sodunke said.

“There had been a negotiation between both of them and when the lady saw that the terms of reference were not in her favour.

She decided to set the lecturer up,’’ she added.

Parents react Ifeanyi Oguegbulam, a businessman in Lagos, said making the sex audio recording public is good as it would help sanitise the educational system.

“They (lecturers) will now be afraid of female students and closeness with students will be limited but to a large extent, marks would be awarded based on merit,’’ said Oguegbulam.

“It will assist to reduce the laissez-faire in the academic system. There are some ladies that want to give sex in exchange for marks but teachers are going to be more cautious,’’ he said.

Sylvester Abutu, a banker in Lagos, said the lecturer had committed no crime and the

Sunday 29 April 2018

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NewsFeature approach adopted by both the student and the University was a wrong one.

“If the student felt the lecturer failed her, she should have written a petition to the school council. The senate should remark her paper and find out if she actually passed and the man failed her.

That should be the only justification for suspending the lecturer,’’ said Abutu.

“What did the lady go to see the lecturer for? These are students that after writing exams, they start going to lecturer’s office. The student is yet to find her feet and she wants to destroy the career someone laboured through his life to build. Must she seduce the man and put it on the social media?’’ he asked.

Abutu however, believes that this incident will not reduce the demand for sex-for-marks by lecturers but it would cause lecturers to be more careful.

“If requesting for marks before you could pass a student is part of you as a lecturer, you will ensure the students don’t have a recorder on them when discussing such sensitive matters,’’ he said.

For Biodun Olabode, an engineer and a father of two, what the lecturer did was not only despicable but also ungodly and oppressive.

“How would you intimidate a student you were paid to teach and to guide morally? This is part of corruption that is permissible in our society,’’ Olabode said.

According to a Civil servant who does not want to be quoted, this well reported incident would not make sex-for-marks trade go away, rather, it will only help those who do it to re-strategise and ensure they avoid getting recorded like this lecturer.

“We can only out an end to it by addressing it at the federal level which unfortunately our country’s leadership will not welcome because all are involved in similar sexual harassment of anyone they have some power of any kind over. It’s a shame but it’s true,’’ he said.

A school proprietress, who craved anonymity, said: “Some parents nowadays go to the criminal extent of writing exams for their children. While some hire mercenaries to write exams for their children, some others compromise invigilators to smuggle answers into exam hall for their children. To gain admission into the university, some parents pay heavily in cash and in kind. Some also go to any extent, sometimes they boast about their willingness to do whatever it takes to make their son or daughter pass a particular exam or gain admission.

Today, many parents engage in all manner of unethical practices to ensure their sons or daughters get job into certain places. A child, particularly, a girl-child, brought up in this way will only amount to what is happening in OAU today,” the proprietress said.

Clerics frown at colleague’s action Some clerics who spoke with BDSUNDAY did not only condemn the act of the lecturer who doubles as a pastor but also called for thorough investigation into the matter.

Reverend Solu Ogundipe of Baptist seminary suggests that the student be made to retake that paper while the lecturer should be reformed.

“What the lecturer did was immoral and ethically wrong.

The appropriate step to be taken should be to arrange for that student to come and repeat that paper,’’ he said. ‘‘The lecturer should be in the custody of religious persons who will bring him up in the world of God for a period of time,’’ he suggested.

Ogundipe applauded the student for taking that kind of step to confirm what had long been said about lecturers trading marks for sex.

“When an issue has been on and people now see that it has become a usual practice of the person, people can arrange a way of teaching that person a lesson.

She helped to apprehend this lecturer,’’ he said.

In addition to his indefinite suspension, Rev. Felix Omobude, national president of Pentecostal Fellowship of Nigeria (PFN), said the church the lecturer attends should sanction him as well.

“These are the things we stand against. I’d feel bad if I send my child to school and someone did that to her. The university has carried out their disciplinary measures but there must be some sanctions from the church he goes to,’’ said Omobude.

Ngozi Oluwagbemiga of Famous Gospel Proclaimers’ Ministry, said nemesis may have caught up with the lecturer.

“If the allegation is true, then his cup is full just like the cups of many people in the country who are hiding under certain umbrellas to perpetrate wickedness will be filled soon,’’ she said.

Oluwagbemiga however, insisted that the student should be investigated to ascertain if she was hired to tarnish the image of the lecturer.

“Let the school look into her academic records and lifestyle because we are in the last days.

A lot of agents of darkness are out there blackmailing people.

What’s her academic history,’’ she queried.

“Is she good academically or is she also having issues because a lot of people are in school but they don’t know why they are there. They package themselves for commercial purposes and lure people into sin. Let people testify about her and be sure she is not hired from the kingdom of darkness.

“Why don’t they search out for other ones (lecturers) involved in other terrible things and suspend them? So, we can see the enemy is after the church and pastors. Its sign of the end time,’’ she said.

BDSUNDAY 11

WHO scores Kogi high on fight against yellow fever Victoria Nnakaike, Lokoja

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he Executive Director of Kogi State Primary Health Care Development Agency, Abubakar Yakubu has disclosed that all things being equal, the agency would not expect any yellow fever outbreak in Kogi in the next 40 years.

He also stated that in the course of the continuous investigation, vaccination and feedback on the yellow fever outbreak, the agency, the World Health Organisation (WHO) and other development partners decided to scale up the vaccination to cover other local government areas of the state, adding that WHO was so impressed with their work and scored them very high on the success of the exercise.

The KSSH CDT Executive Director also stated that in spite of the challenges he met on ground

in October last year when he assumed duty, and that they were confronted with an outbreak of yellow fever in Yagba East and Yagba West Local Government Areas of the state.

He equally disclosed that the agency in conjunction with the state Ministry of Health, WHO, NPHCDA and other development partners conducted a yellow fever reactive vaccination in Yagba East and west, adding that the second phase of that vaccination campaign covered Lokoja and Kabba, stressing that the purpose of covering Lokoja and Kabba was to prevent the spread of outbreak of yellow fever that occurred in Irepodun Local Government Area of Kwara State.

He emphasised that the agency was facing some teething problems occasioned by the lack of proper structure as demanded by the National Primary Health Care Development Agency.

He listed some of the major

problems the agency is facing to include absence of enabling law that will bring all primary health care departments of local government under the control of the Agency in order to achieve primary health care under one roof (PHCUOR) as enshrined in the National Health Policy.

He said the problem was responsible for the lack of proper coordination of primary health care delivery in the state because the state government and local government are working at cross purposes.

He also said under the leadership of Governor Yahaya Bello and Commissioner for Health, Haruna Saka, the problem was beginning to get desirable attention, adding that an executive bill has been drafted and now before the State Assembly. “I am optimistic that any moment from now the bill shall be passed and the governor will sign it into law,” he said.

Osun 2018: Separating the wheat from the chaff Goke Taiwo

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ome September 22, 2018, the electorates in Osun State will go to the polls to elect Governor Rauf Aregbesola’s successor. While I’m not sympathetic to the aspiration of the opposition due to obvious reasons, there is no doubt that the time table released by the Independent National Electoral Commission for the forthcoming guber election has ignited the political machinery in virtually all the political parties in the state.

Let me limit my comments to the ruling APC where tension is already mounting and the jostle to produce a candidate from its plethora of aspirants to occupy

Aregbesola

government house has heightened.

As at the last count, eminent sons of the state are reported to have signified interest in flying the flag of the ruling party.

Among them are Adegboyega Oyetola, the incumbent Chief of Staff (CoS) who, by virtue of his training, exposure, position and political affiliation, is by no means, a political heavyweight.

Also in the race is Moshood Olalekan Adeoti, currently Secretary to the State Government (SSG). He is reported to have signified interest in the race to succeed Aregbesola. A grassroots politician, he was once the chairman of the defunct Action Congress (AC) which later metamorphosed into the now-rested Action Congress of Nigeria (ACN).

We also have in the race Rt. Hon. Lasun Yusuff, currently, deputy speaker of the House of Representatives. Some schools of thought hold the notion that he is of the ‘APC-Abuja’ bent.

Well, that’s an issue for another day.

Other contenders whose names have been mentioned include Peter Babalola, formerly, a PDP chieftain and Chief of Staff in the Olagunsoye Oyinlola-led administration. He is currently chairman, State of Osun Local Govt. Service Commission; Kunle Adegoke, popularly known as K-RAD who is a well-known activist and legal mind of repute.

Names like Oriolowo, Bola Oyebamiji and Elder Tunde Adedeji have also been touted as aspirants.

Another notable aspirant whose name has come up for mention as a worthy successor to Aregbesola in several circles is Rt. Hon. Yinka Ajayi (a.k.a YACO). A two-term sitting member of the House of Representatives, Hon. Ajayi is Chairman, House Committee on Aids, Loans and Debt Management.

While these aspirants are no doubt with provable track records, one major factor that may militate against the choice of a worthy successor to Aregbesola is the ethno-religious sentiment being attached to the issue. In my view, this consideration is a serious premise which, if not wellmanaged, may lead to challenges of unimaginable proportions.

At a time like this, competence, not where an aspirant comes from or the religion he or she practises, should be the yardstick for electing such a person.

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Sunday 29 April 2018

NewsFeature Deeper Life Bible Church: From shanties to world’s 4th largest church ODINAKA ANUDU

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t is often a usual sight to see vehicles lined in an Indian file in Lagos. From Oshodi to Mile 2, down to Iyana-Ipaja and Alakija, traffic jams are to Lagos what hood is to the monk. Tuesday, April 24, 2018, was not different.

Vehicles clogged from Oshodi to Gbagada. This time, it was tighter.

Those who could not endure long hours in traffic had to get down and walked. All roads were leading to one of the biggest scenes of that day.

This time, the news was not about Yoido Full Gospel Church, often seen as the church with the largest congregation. It was not about any of the Basilica churches in Vatican City and Brazil.

It was about Deeper Life Bible Church and its imposing edifice at Gbagada. It was the commissioning of world’s fourth largest church, which has the capacity to contain 30,000 worshippers.

The church auditorium was brimming with worshippers, visitors, children, men and woman of God, government officials and sinners in search of salvation.

Looking back at June 2005 when the project was conceived, no one would have imagined that Deeper Life, often seen as a holiness and austere church, would be able to galvanise resources to build an imposing edifice.

Worshippers had been used to the Old Church building at Gbagada, which had all the appurtenances of an old church - wooden seats, manual network and the like.

“We are witnessing a prophecy being fulfilled. A missionary once prophesied in the 1970s when we were using corrugated roofing sheets that churches in Nigeria would build edifices. Today, this

rian society could be attributed to man’s reluctance to abandon his old ways and come to Jesus Christ, quoting Proverbs 14: 43, which says, “Righteousness exalts a nation, but sin is a reproach to any people.”

The man of God also gave his ‘thoughts’, which was like a minisermon. He dwelt on the need to separate from the world and surrender to Jesus Christ.

Ratherthangivinghis‘thoughts’, Kumuyi gave ‘Christ’s Thoughts Concerning His Church’, including divine proclamation, divine promise, divine purchase, divine possession, peculiar people and preservation.

It was now the turn of Yemi Osinbajo. He mounted the podium and expressed powerful words.

“This is one of my proudest moments for me as a Christian, seeing this edifice being dedicated for the propagation of the gospel of Jesus.”

“We know Deeper Life and we know its commitment to the L-R: Lola Akande, Commissioner for Women Affairs and Poverty, Lagos State, representing Governor Ambode; Vice President Yemi Osinbajo, and Pastor William Kumuyi, General Superintendent of Deeper Life Bible Church, at the inau- gospel and we know that its commitment is to honour Jesus. We guration of the Deeper Life Bible Church new auditorium in Lagos. saw what was here before and prophecy is being fulfilled,” said Deeper Life’s Anchor University, was part of the church’s social re- that is indeed the glory of the latter Mike Okonkwo, presiding bishop Ayobo. Even at that, some of the sponsibility, having envisaged the times,” he said.

Osinbajo’s last statement was of The Redeemed Evangelical Mis- worshippers would sometimes pressure of human and vehicular sion (TREM), who led the prayer stay outside due to lack of space traffic on infrastructure in the area. the fulcrum of the bible reading got An elated Kumuyi could not from the Book of Haggai 2:9, which inside. session.

Tears rolled down the eyes of hide his joy on the day the church says, “The glory of this latter house It is not out of place to say that shall be greater than of the former, Deeper Life Bible Church started some of the old-school church auditorium was commissioned.

Seated alongside his wife Esther, saith the Lord of hosts: and in this in shanties. After all, the church members who knew how the and Vice President Yemi Osinbajo, place will I give peace, saith the started in 1973 when William F. Ku- church started.

Mobilising about $16 million for who himself is a pastor at the Re- Lord of hosts.” muyi was a mathematics lecturer Osinbajo expressed the need to the edifice was not easy. Members deemed Christian Church, Kumuyi at the University of Lagos.

Kumuyi started a bible study of the church and friends of the beamed with smiles and fulfilment. take the gospel to the ends of the group with 15 university students Deeper Life at various districts and Kumuyi, a preacher of holiness, is earth and urged Christians to be who had come to him requesting groups contributed their widows’ a man not moved by events, but mindful of those who want to stoke mite to the treasury to make the he betrayed joy intermittently as religious tension in the country. training in the Scriptures. speakerafterspeakercommended Many pastors from Europe, the Ever since then, the church has dream a reality.

United States, Francophone West Before the commissioning of his resilience and vision. had no building that would take all “When the project began in Africa, and Anglophone West Afthe worshippers. In fact, before the the church auditorium, Deeper completion of the new auditorium, Life had funded a link bridge on 2005, we knew we were taking a rica, among others, spoke.

Kumuyi’s wife, Esther, who combined services and bible stud- Olawaiye Street, Gbagada, a multi- leap of faith. We trusted the Lord ies were held at a location at the level car park and traffic lights. It that He would not just provide spoke on behalf of the women what we needed but also see members worldwide, stole the to its successful completion,” show as she paid glowing tribute Kumuyi said. to the late ‘Biodun. She challenged “He has not only given us what one and all to make adequate we expected but also exceeded our preparation for heaven, which she expectations,” he stated. noted is more beautiful and withWhile commending the Lagos out comparison with any edifice State Government, he, once again, on earth. She held everyone spellreminded listeners that the task of bound with her speech and really developing and modernising the acquitted herself well. society should not be left in the One of the key takeways was hands of the government alone the need for Christians to underbut churches must be involved in stand, according to John 14: 1-3, the spiritual and social needs of that Jesus has gone to prepare a the society. place for them.

It is almost impossible for the “What a great assurance we man William Kumuyi to make a have that Jesus has gone to build public statement without drawing a place for us,” Jerry Asemota, men and women to Jesus Christ.

Deeper Life Church’s secretary, “We must make our churches said. gates of heaven. Our task does not Asemota invited those outside end until we see multitudes come the church to join, adding that all to Christ,” he stated. the engineers and architects who He pointed out that the numer- designed and built the church are ous social ills plaguing the Nige- members of the church.

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PhotoSplash

L-R: Ladi Lawanson, honourable commissioner of transportation, Lagos State; Adewale Adetayo, general manager SIFAX Haulage; Kayode Alatishe, operations manager, SIFAX Haulage and Oluchi Udojindu, assistant manager, human resources and administration, SIFAX Haulage during the presentation of Haulage Company of the Year Award to SIFAX Haulage and Logistics Company at the 6th edition of the Nigerian Transport Awards held at Sheraton Hotel, Ikeja, Lagos.

R-L: George Eke, a lawyer and celebrant; Daisy, wife and Nnanna, their son, during George’s 60th Birthday Celebration held at Civic Centre, Ozumba Mbadiwe Street, Victoria Island, Lagos.

L-R: Clint Brown, vice president sales and market development for African, SES; Iris Bat-Adam, regional senior sales director for Africa MX1; Ricardo Topham, senior market &business analyst, SES, and Paul Freeman, vice president marketing, SES, at the launch of SES Satellite Monitor findings for the Nigerian Market in Lagos.

L-R: Garth Dooley, chairman and founder, CloudCover Distribution; Ehiozuwa Johnson Agbonayinma, chairman, House Committee, Nigeria.US Relations Inter parliamentary and Nick Dixon, Founder/CEO, CloudCover Distribution, at the launch of CloudCover Mifi Device in Abuja.

L-R: Victor Orie-Ononogbu, health portfolio manager, MTN Foundation; Mohammed Danlami, director, MTN Foundation; Idris Ibrahim, director, public health, Niger State, and Ndeji Yusuf of Niger State Ministry of Health, at the launch of the MTN Foundation Yellow Heart initiative in Minna, Niger State.

L-R: Lolu Akinwunmi, group CEO, Prima Garnet; Bunmi Oke, CEO, Ladybird limited; Wole Olanipekun, chairman of the occasion; Raheem Akingbolu, author of the book and Reuben Abati, guest speaker, at the launching of a Book Tittle “Brands In The News” in Lagos.

L-R: Raphael Duntoye, Chef Patron, La Petite; host, The Kitchen Show, The Food Network Channel, Sunny Anderson; Head Chef, Heels in the Kitchen, Oyinade Adegite, Head, Communications and External Affairs, Guaranty Trust Bank, Imoteda Aladekomo and Head Chef, The Benedict Experience, Benedict Okuzu at the GTB Food and Drink Fair 2018 press conference in Lagos.

L-R: Datti Danjuma, general manager admin/HR Dangote Flour mills Plc, presenting the 20years Long service award plaque to the Head of sales North, Dangote sugar refinery plc, Abdulsalam Waya, Supported by his family,. at the Firm 2017 Long service award held in Apapa Lagos.

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Sunday 29 April 2018

Feature Waste manager moves on with sustainable transformation amid unfounded allegations KEN OBI

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agosStategeneratesover 13,000 tons of waste every day; 1.2kg per person is generated per capita and expected to increase to 1.42kg in the next 15 years.

Waste management infrastructure remains the fundamental lifeline in the economic development of the State, and the lack of an effective collection and disposal process has contributed significantly to environmental epidemics such as lassa fever and perpetual flash flooding which has worsened in the last decade. Rainy season is upon us and the State’s waste generation rate continues to increase faster than the infrastructure available to handle it.

Megacities around the world generate a total of 1.3 billion tons of solid waste per year, and by 2025, this is expected to increase to 2.2 billion. Delhi, India, generates 11,500 tons per day at 0.5kg per person per capital; and Seoul, London and Tokyo generate waste at 1.08, 1.45, 1.03kg, respectively.

While many citiesaroundtheworld struggle with waste management problems due to increasing population and changing lifestyle, Tokyo remains one of the cleanest cities, using an advanced waste incineration technology, that is efficient and environmentally friendly. Approximately nine million people in Tokyo generate about 8,000 tons of household waste per day and with a garbage collection rate of 100 percent, waste is collected within a day and transported to its 19 waste incineration plants.

In comparison with other developed countries, the effective collection and disposal of all types of waste (residential, commercial, medical, etc.) has been a struggle in Lagos State. Of the 13,000 tons of waste generated per day, less than half was being collected and disposed. Between 2007 and 2013, a total of approximately 78 million tons of waste was generated, with collection rate at 27.7 percent – resulting in extreme cases of fly tipping, blocked drainages and waterways, leading to environmental epidemics such as the flood disaster in 2011. The casualty of this incident was significant, claiming over 25 lives and displaced approximately 5,393 households, destroying almost N100 billion worth of property.

There is a growing recognition of the need to address and rethink the approach to waste management. Transforming the waste management sector, through partnerships, such as the Visionscape Sanitation Solutions public-private partnership with Lagos State, provides innovative solutions that puts disposal at per with collection.

Visionscape’s partnership with the Lagos State government is a long-term investment, to develop

supporting infrastructure for the effective management of waste.

Since 2017, the company has refurbished three TLSs; vehicle maintenance depots, for the servicing of a waste collection fleet; and is redeveloping the Epe landfill site into an engineered landfill Eco Park, a first of its kind in the region.

The Epe Eco Park will be home to world-class facilities such as a weighbridge and control center, materials recovery facility (MRF), recycling facilities, wastewater and leachate treatment plants, a green area as well as the engineered cells.

Visionscape’s circular economy business model will help the State capitalize on resource recovery and develop a much-needed waste management structure.

However, in the last few weeks, Visionscape Sanitation Solutions, an environmental utility group contracted by the Lagos State Government to implement the new integrated waste management policy encapsulated in the

Cleaner Lagos Initiative (CLI), has come under intense attacks from different corners.

Aside the sustained war of attrition mounted by some members of the Private Sector Participation in waste management, otherwise known as PSP operators who erroneously felt the coming on board of Visionscape would take away their means of livelihood, the company has also faced numerous allegations ranging from its ownership and its real purpose in Lagos, thus distracting it from the main task of ensuring a cleaner Lagos in line with global best practices.

Recently, news broke about a petition to the anti-graft agencies by a group, whereby series of allegations were raised against Visionscape and its competence to handle waste management in a mega city like Lagos.

Part of the allegations include that Visionscape was a special purpose vehicle set in 2017 and owned by the ‘feudal lords’ in La-

gos, and that the company is only existing in Lagos and does not have any record of waste management anywhere.

Responding to the allegation, a top management staff of the firm who is well informed about the history and capacity of Visionscape, said the allegations qualified to win the tissue of lies award of the year, as they were very far from the truth.

Addressing the allegations point by point, the source said Visionscape, contrary to the claim, was established in November 2015, and that its shareholders are well known individuals, an information that is of public record.

On the allegation of the company not having any record of waste management anywhere, the source said Visionscape Sanitation Solutions Limited formed a consortium to bid for the Integrated WasteManagementTenderadvertised by the State Government, and that the track records of the management of the company speaks volume about their expertise in various countries around the world on the subject matter – waste management.

The source said: “To prove that Visionscape’s management team comprises of individuals whose experience and track record speak for them, here are some insights; Mr. John Irvine, the Chief Executive Officer is responsible for driving the Company’s vision of becoming the premiere environmental solutions partner in emerging markets.

“BeforejoiningVisionscape,John was the Group Managing Director for Averda (Waste & Recycling).

Priortothat,heheldvariousmanagement positions in multiple operations across the United Arab Emirates (UAE) where he was known for executing projects under the targeted timeframe and is a change management solutions expert.

“The Chief Operating Officer of VisionscapeisMr.ThomasForgcas.

He uses his vast strategic and operational experience to oversee Operations at Visionscape. He

gained significant global experience with his postings in different leadership positions in Europe, Indian Ocean, Africa and Middle East specifically in the areas of wastes management, environmental services, transport and logistics.

Also prior to joining Visionscape, the Head of Planning, Kiran Reddy worked extensively in all sectors of the waste management industry in the UAE. He previously held a position with Averda. He has a Masters in Thermal Energy and Environmental Engineering from The Indian Institute of Technology.

There are others including MS. Maimuna Maibe, whose details can be accessed through the company’s website,” she said.

Also in the petition, it was claimed that the United Kingdom addressofVisionscapewasdubious asMiddlesborough,Colchesterand Essex are different places in that country. In dismissing such claim, the source said it only confirmed that the writer was clearly not familiar with the United Kingdom, it’s a real location and the regional registered office of the Group.

According to the petitioners, the contract given to Visionscape

by Lagos State Government was worth 20 times the amount the government was spending on waste management and three times the grants given to the Lagos State Waste Management Authority(LAWMA),andthatthegovernment ceded assets worth trillions of naira to Visionscape.

On this, it was gathered that contrary to the claim, the government never ceded any assets to Visionscape, while the Ministry of the Environmentonlyconcessionedthe defunct depot and Transfer Loading Stations (TLSS) under the integratedWasteManagementtender,with a mandate to upgrade the facilities for a more efficient management of waste in the city, an agreement that Visionscape had gone to execute in accordancewithrelevantlaws,while the claim as to the quantum of the amount was untrue.

Another interesting claim in the petition is to the effect that Visionscape was just a shell company formable with less than $20,000( N7 milliion) but has become a multi-trillionaire behemoth in this dispensation, and that the company gets N1.5billion monthly from Lagos State Government.

Again, the source she could not respond to such hyperbole, adding that Visionscape operates a performance based contract, and that the fee payments are of public record.

Despite these allegations, Visionscape is focusing on its core business which is addressing plastics pollution and to provide infrastructure across emerging markets that have been identified as the largest ocean polluters in the world majorly because there is no proper infrastructuretomanagethewaste and support recycling of plastics.

Sunday 29 April 2018

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BDSUNDAY 15

Perspective ‘We must begin to visualise Nigeria without oil’

I

thank the Royal Institute of International Affairs for giving me this platform to speak to such a distinguished audience. I specifically want to thank Dr. Alex Vines for inviting me to give this address.

I particularly want to thank Nigerian nationals who are present here today. Your love for Nigeria is evident in that you have left your regular pursuits to be here to interact with lovers of Nigeria on issues that, if implemented, will lead to the progress of Nigeria. Your presence inspires me.

To friends of Nigeria here present, I appreciate your friendship and it is my strong desire that our collective wish to see Nigeria fulfill her potentials are realised in the not so distant future.

I am a widely traveled man, and everywhere I visit around the world, there is agreement that Nigeria has the potential to make that leap from third world to first that Singapore, under Lee Kuan Yew, made.

We have the human and material resources required to make the leap and in fact, many of our nationals have helped other nations make that transition.

And it is not that we have not made progress, after all, within a decade we were able to move from being the third largest economy in Africa to being the largest bar none.

Yet, there is still that consensus that we are not meeting up with our potential and all things considered, that verdict is true.

The question becomes why is Nigeria not living up to the promise of her potentials?

More specifically, why are we saddled with a heavy and almost unsustainable debt burden twelve years after President Olusegun Obasanjo and I provided the leadership that paid off Nigeria’s entire foreign debt of $32billion in one fell swoop?

After paying off a monumental debt accumulated by previous governments, then President Olusegun Obasanjo on April 22, 2006 said “Nigeria will not owe anybody one kobo”. Today, almost exactly 12 years to the day, you can almost say ‘Nigeria is now owing everybody more than one kobo’.

What happened in the intervening years to turn the dream that our administration had into this present reality where Nigeria now owes double what we paid off in 2006?

In talking about the ‘Importance of Strengthening State Economic Management Systems’, we must identify the structural defects in Nigeria’s federal structure that prevents all levels of the Nigerian government, federal, states and local governments, from operating at optimal levels.

After nineteen years of uninterrupted democracy in the Fourth Republic, it is now an indisputable fact that today’s Nigerian states essentially have been reduced to parastatals of the Federal Government and are addicted to the monthly allocation they receive from Abuja.

There is nothing as addictive as states that are dependent on their monthly share of revenue from crude oil sales and the only way to get them to manage their economies in an economically viable way is to cure them off that addiction. Nigeria needs to be restructured. We must commit to a new development agenda with focus on wealth creation by the federating units, rather than wealth distribution from Abuja to state and local government capitals. We must undertake far reaching economic reforms to attract private resources, including financial resources and build bigger, stronger and more dynamic sub-national economies. We must expand the frontier of private sector activity beyond the realm of the oil sector and build a new Nigeria without oil.

If oil could save a nation then surely it

would have saved Venezuela, the nation with the largest proven reserves of oil in the world. But you and I know what is up with Venezuela and if oil has not saved her, it will not save Nigeria.

If we want to help states strengthen their economies, we must come up with creative ways to encourage them to look inwards rather than outwards.

Before we outline the steps we will take to support the states, we remind ourselves how we got to where we are.

1. We have promoted, tolerated and indeed celebrated a defective political structure. The federalism we practice is not smart. We politicised the creation of states and local governments over the years.

States and local governments became too weak to meet their constitutional responsibilities and consequently the Federal Government emasculated them and took away those responsibilities which belong to them. Many of the states are small, subsistence economies with very limited capacity to sustain growth and lift their citizens out of poverty. It is therefore very attractive for these states and local governments to become addicted to revenues from federation accounts and to care less about their internal revenue opportunities.

As a result, combined Internally Generated Revenue from all the 36 states came up to less than 1percent of Nigeria’s nominal GDP and less than 12percent of their 2016 budgets! Internally generated revenue is far less than what the states require to run their administrations - and many state and local governments survive by consuming more resources than they can generate internally - thanks to the generous ‘handouts’ from the federation accounts.

2. We allowed crude oil to ‘crowd out’ the non-oil sectors which were Nigeria’s lifeline in the 1960s and 1970s and celebrated the windfall from oil exports - which resulted in a steep rise in the volume of funds allocated to all tiers of government in the federation. We preferred to survive on rent than on hard, productive efforts. We were too drunk to remember to build a revenue buffer - for the proverbial ‘rainy day’. There has been no effective revenue stabilisation programme and effective strategic planning to cushion the effect of falls in the price of crude oil.

3. We lived on another structural fault line for too long and pretended all was well. The Nigerian economy remains fragile and vulnerable to the vagaries of the global oil market, making the fiscal position of the national and sub-national economies become precarious. However, this faulty economic structure has always been shielded by increased revenues from crude oil sales. Its deficiency is only exposed when global oil prices collapse with impact on investments, consumption and growth.

Now the big question: what can we do to help the federating units strengthen their economies?

1. There is no alternative to a policy which promotes the growth and diversification of the sub national economies.

How much revenue they generate locally from taxes and fees depends on the size and structure of their economies. The bigger and more diversified the better. The Federal Government will create a businessfriendly macro-economic environment, through the pursuit of appropriate monetary and exchange rate policies, to leverage private sector investments especially in agriculture to promote economic diversification. Indeed, achieving diversification is central to our economic development strategy. Let us begin to visualise Nigeria without oil or one not predominantly dependent on hydro-carbon.

2. Our economic policies will be coherent, consistent and therefore more predictable by the business community. Nothing could be more threatening to investment flows than an environment that is full of policy flip-flops.

3. We will ensure spatially balanced investments, through a carefully designed incentive regime, in order to provide more opportunities in the poorer and less endowed federating units.

4. The sub-national economies will be assisted in reforming their economic management institutions, including the revenue generating agencies which are seen by many as failed and ineffectually managed institutions within the state service. They need to be reformed and strengthened to make them more innovative and efficient in service delivery. The reformed agencies will be expected to improve tax-payer compliance, develop potentials of non-tax revenue sources and block all leakages associated with tax administration.

5. Beyond institutional and administrative reforms to improve operational efficiency of the revenue agencies the federating units will be challenged to double their efforts in rebuilding the fiscal-social contract, by enhancing service delivery in key areas such as health, education, water supply and infrastructural development.

Only this would change the predominant perception that government revenues are diverted to the private bank accounts of politicians and their cronies.

6. And it is for the purpose of making states lose their addiction to federal allocation, to make them look inwards, and return to the healthy competition of 1957-1966, when Nigeria practiced her unique brand of true federalism known as regionalism, that I suggest the introduction of matching grants to states, that have succeeded in increasing their internally generated revenue.

My idea is for the introduction of Matching Grants to be taken from the revenue accruable to the Federal Government for the purpose of matching the Internally Generated Revenue of each state in order to encourage states to become self-reliant.

If I have my way, the Federal Government will match state’s IGR up to $250 million per state.

Even with this policy, the Federal Government will continue to offer support (in the form of intervention programmes) for states that rank below the average development index, until such a time as they are able to become self-sufficient and sustaining.

7. In furtherance of strengthening their economic management systems, another policy I would recommend to Nigerian state is to follow the example President Obasanjo and I laid between 1999 and 2007 when we privatized and liberalised many aspects of the Nigeria economy. It had the almost immediate effects of reducing our wage bill and increasing services, capacity and jobs in the private sector.

By privatising those state government owned public enterprises that gulp huge sums by way of recurrent expenditure yet give little returns by way of return on investment, state governments can free more of their revenue from recurrent and devote it to capital expenditure.

8. We will promote and insist on fiscal efficiency at the federal level to lead other tiers of government by example. The states will be challenged to adopt sound fiscal management strategy so as to reduce wasteful spending. Many view government spending as wasteful, imprudent and lacking in priorities. Typically, recurrent costs constitute between 60percent and 72percent of state and local governments.

As I said in a recent interview, if I had the opportunity, I would disrupt Nigeria’s bud-

ATIKU ABUBAKAR Abubakar is a former vice president of Nigeria and PDP chieftain.

geting process. We would have a budget heavy on capital expenditure. Roads will be built in every state. Mass housing schemes would pop up in every local government area. Railways will be extended to every state capital. Rivers would be dredged to open up the hinterlands of the North.

Licenses would be given to state governments to begin immediate exploitation of resources in their jurisdictions.

While this is happening on a macro level in the Federal Government, I would create the enabling environment for this to be done on a micro level in the states.

When citizens are working, especially in construction and the service sector, the economy benefits because they pay more taxes, they utilise their increased purchasing power in buying goods and services, which improves Value Added Tax revenue and helps the private sector. The multiplier effects are almost limitless.

I am not talking about what can happen.

I am talking about what is currently happening in Rwanda. According to the International Monetary Fund, Rwanda’s economy is expected to grow by 7.2 percent in 2018.

This is an economy that already grew by 6.1percent in 2017. Their growth is being driven by the services sector, construction and tourism.

In my private capacity, I am already doing this. There has not been a year in the last twenty years that I have not set up a new enterprise to employ Nigerians. The latest being that we brought the Chicken Cottage franchise to Nigeria which will be creating direct and indirect jobs all across the country.

If states are to strengthen their economic management system the Debt Management Office, which our administration set up in the year 2000 to centrally coordinate the management of Nigeria’s debt must be given more independence than it already has. The head of the DMO must be a person with proven ability to say no to powerful persons otherwise the states will keep on borrowing at an unsustainable rate as we see in today’s Nigeria.

In her just released book, ‘Fighting Corruption is Dangerous –The Story Behind the Headlines’, Ngozi Okonjo-Iweala, former managing director of the World Bank and two time Nigerian minister of finance and coordinator of the economy who served during my time in office, revealed that she almost got beaten up by a particular Governor at a meeting of the National Economic Council, because she would not approve his request to take out more foreign loans for his already over indebted states.

There are already statutory parameters in place before the Debt Management Office could approve foreign loans to states, but I would want such parameters strengthened such that Nigerian Governors who are close to the President would not use that relationship to get the ministry of finance and DMO to approve wasteful, unnecessary loans that in many cases are squandered on white elephant projects.

Read full story on www.businessdayonline.com Being an address delivered by Atiku Abubakar, a former vice president, at the Royal Institute of International Affairs (Chatham House) on Wednesday April 25, 2018.

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Comment Frank Aigbogun EDITOR-IN-CHIEF Prof. Onwuchekwa Jemie EDITOR Zebulon Agomuo

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Monsieur Arsene Wenger: Time to bow out

PUBLISHER/CEO

DEPUTY EDITOR John Osadolor, Abuja

Sunday 29 April 2018

TAYO OGUNBIYI Ogunbiyi is of the Lagos State Ministry of Information & Strategy, Alausa, Ikeja

I

t is now official, Arsenal of England FC longest serving manager, Arsene Wenger, will be leaving the team at the end of the current season.

The French born tactician, who joined the club in 1996, is no doubt, the most successful manager in the club’s history. He introduced a fascinating pattern of playing that quickly relegated the hitherto boring and highly physical English ‘kick and follow’ style into oblivion.

Under his watch, Arsenal won the Premier League title in 1998, 2002, and 2004 as well as seven FA Cups, including three in the past four years. In the 1998 and 2002 seasons respectively, Arsenal won the league and FA Cup Double.

One of the major highlights of Wenger’s coaching career in Arsenal was recorded in the 2003-2004 season when the team was nicknamed “The Invincibles” after it went through the Premier League season undefeated with 26 wins and 12 draws. For 22 consecutive seasons, Arsenal under Wenger finished in the top four bracket of the Premier League log. In the 2005/2006 season, Wenger’s Arsenal played out the UEFA

Champions League final but was edged out 2-1 by Barcelona.

For his innovative approach to the game, Wenger was nicknamed the “Professor”. With a degree in economics, the “Professor” was not only interested in bringing laurels to the team. He was equally keenly concerned about its financial stability. One of his most enduring legacies at Arsenal was his role in the construction of the team’s new playing ground, the £390m Emirates Stadium which they moved into in 2006.

But then, in the past few seasons, there has been a gradual decline in the club’s performance.

Currently sixth in the 20-team Premier League, for the first time in 22 seasons, the team failed to qualify for the lucrative European Champions League competition.

Since its loss to Barcelona in 2006 Champions League final, Arsenal has struggled endlessly in the Europe elite football championship. They were eliminated at the last-16 stage for the seventh successive season on their last appearance in the competition in 2017, losing 10-2 on aggregate to Bayern Munich.

Thus, fans have become plausibly disillusioned and Wenger had been under increasing pressure to step down from some fans, having failed to win the league for 14 years and with the club set to miss out on Champions League qualification for the second con-

secutive season. Of late, fans have been boycotting the team’s home matches.

What actually went wrong with Wenger? Why did the man in whom the fans used to say: “In Arsene we Trust” suddenly lose his goodwill with the fans?

According to soccer pundits, Wenger lost it when he started recruiting skillful but tiny and feeble players. In the years when Arsenal was dominant, its players were chiefly physically strong. In-spite of recent revolution, the English league is still chiefly physical.

Hence, Wenger’ frail boys, though skillfully endowed, always lose out when it comes to the gritty end of the game.

Aside this, Wenger’s penchant for spending less on players’ recruitment is equally one of his Achill heels. His notoriety for helping the Club management make and save so much money earns him the appellation of “Baba- Ijebu (the miserly one) among Nigerian fans. Today, money is a major determinant success factor in football. Wenger ignored this fact and he paid dearly for it.

Wenger has also been chided by many for his predictable tactical approach to games. As an attack minded manager, Wenger cares less about other aspects of the game and his team is often punished by more tactically suave managers. The outgoing Arsenal manager has also been accused of being too loyal and soft on his

players. He simply lacks the nononsense trait of managers such as Jose Mourinho and Sir Alex Ferguson who ensure that only players who are overtly committed to their respective teams are fielded. Rather than chide his players for poor performance, Wenger usually jump into their defence.

In-spite of all his shortcomings as a manager, Wenger will, no doubt, remain a legend at Arsenal.

Many fans and former Arsenal players are already clamouring for the immortalization of the Frenchman. For instance, former Arsenal midfielder Paul Merson has urged the club’s board to rename the Emirates Stadium Arsene Wenger Emirates Stadium.

As a long standing and longsuffering Arsenal fan, my feeling on Wenger’s impending exit is a mixed one. Like every Arsenal fan that has clamoured for a change in the team’s managerial hierarchy, I am elated about the latest development. Ironically, however, I am already missing Wenger, almost to the point of wanting him to remain as manager. But then, that is human emotion which can sometimes be unreliable. The truth about life is that there is time for everything and for Monsieur Wenger this, indeed, is the right time to bow out.

Ogunbiyi is of the Lagos State Ministry of Information and Strategy, Alausa, Ikeja, Lagos

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Sunday 29 April 2018

Comment

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OLATOKUNBO OTITOJU

M

AXA Mansard Health Limited.

alaria remains the most important p u b l i c health parasitic disease and a major global health problem with the greatest burden in sub-Saharan Africa. Malaria is so widespread that it is virtually impossible to come across any Nigerian who has never had malaria or had a family who developed it.

According to WHO, an estimated 445,000 people out of 216 million cases died from malaria in 2016; 90percent of this is accounted for

by Africa. Malaria kills over half a million children less than 5 years of age each year. Nigeria accounts for 25 percent of the world’s malaria burden. The global burden of malaria is huge; accounting for more deaths than HIV/AIDS. Malaria is caused by the p a r a s i t e Pl a s m o d i u m . I t i s t r a n s m i t t e d by a t y p e of mosquito known as the Anopheles mosquito. These mosquitoes are a host to the parasite and transmit it to humans during a blood meal - when they bite humans.

GODWIN ADINDU

A

s I drive today along Faulks Road, passing Ariaria to t h e En u g u / Po r t Harcourt end of Faulks Road, on a well-paved road, with good culvert and median, I remember an encounter with a strange native on this road some years ago.

A true story: Dateline: Ariaria International Market; August 2013.

It promised to be a very good day that morning as I set out to Ariaria Market to buy some materials. But, gradually, the weather began to change. And no sooner had I made to leave than the heavens opened in what is often described as “raining cat and dog”. We scampered for shelter in a makeshift stall, from where we watched an angry flow of storm water overtaking Ariaria and running over to Ukwu Mango.

Here I was with a strange

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Lest we forget: The malaria scourge Human malaria is caused by different species of plasmodium: Plasmodium falciparum; Plasmodium malariae; Plasmodium ovale; Plasmodium vivax. Plasmodium falciparum is however the most prevalent in subSaharan Africa, accounting for 99percent of estimated malaria cases in 2016.

The common symptoms of malaria – headache, chills, and fever are mild and are not just specific to malaria, this sometimes makes it difficult to recognise as malaria.

Th e s e s y m p t o m s c a n however become dreadful leading to the severe or complicated form of malaria, Prompt diagnosis and treatment of malaria are necessary to prevent a mild case of malaria from progressing to the severe form.

Although anyone can be affected, children under five and pregnant women are the most vulnerable; and because of this, preventive treatment in pregnancy with the antimalarial drug sulfadoxine pyrimethamine is recommended by WHO to protect pregnant women.

This drug is administered

during routine ante natal visits.

As huge as the malaria burden is, there is poor awareness of its magnitude. The high cost of health care also impacts this, as having to go to the clinic often may become a financial burden. The current most effective antimalaria drug used to treat the uncomplicated form, is the artemisinin combination therapy (ACT). It contains artemisinin and a partner drug, the cost of which can be expensive for low income families since malaria is a disease that reoccurs often.

Even though malaria is wide spread, it is preventable, one of the key strategies to prevent malaria is vector (mosquito) control. Mosquitoes breed on stagnant water, and so by removing stagnant water from the immediate environment, vectors are effectively controlled. Discarded tyres, untended pools, and any container that could hold stagnant water are possible breeding grounds for mosquito. Bushes and weeds near the home are resting sites for mosquitoes. General sanitary practices such as main-

taining a hygienic drainage system, clean environments, proper waste disposal, removal of stagnant water, are effective ways of controlling the vector, mosquito. The use of insecticide treated nets and indoor spraying with insecticides are popular measures for vector control.

The major problems in the control of malaria are: resistance of malaria parasites to drugs and insecticides, proliferation of counterfeit drugs; self-management, inadequate health facilities, inadequate local research efforts and poor health practices by individuals and communities.

Healthcare can be expensive, besides that, falling sick exerts both financial and social burden, it also affects productivity. About N132 billion is lost annually due to malaria – cost of treatment, cost of malaria various malaria program, manpower and productive time loss. Having a health insurance cover is a sure way to reduce out of pocket expenses and reduce financial burden of treatment. A health insurance coverage

for the family could also offer preventive treatments during vaccinations and ante natal visits. Easy and affordable access to healthcare promote prompt diagnosis and treatment, these are important measures to reduce mortality from this disease.

AXA Mansard Health’s EasyCare is a retail health insurance plan from AXA Mansard which offers you the rare combination of affordability, convenience, flexibility and quality health care in one solution for as low as N12,000.

The fight to reduce the malaria burden is on. Nigeria has made significant progress in the battle against malaria, mortality rates among children under five years has reduced by 18 percent, while infection rates declined by 15 percent. We have a global target to reduce the global disease burden of malaria by 40 per cent by 2020, and by at least 90 per cent by 2030.

For Nigeria to be free from the scourge of this epidemic, commitment and participation from every member of the society is necessary. #worldmalariaday

Ikpeazu and the legend of Ukwu Mango native and quickly creating familiarity: “This water is not ordinary water. Spirits live here.” The man said to me with an emphasis that could have only come from a Dibia. “Do you mean that spirits truly live here? Are you a spiritualist? Have you seen spirits?”

I prodded him, like a Police investigative officer. “Yes, they bath here at night and swim from Ifeobara to Ukwu Mango.” His voice was ex-cathedral. I should believe him, especially when he claimed to be a native and to have lived in the land for over forty years. But, I decided to drag him further.

“What’s your evidence?

Have you truly witnessed the swimming spree of the spirits here?” His answer was reasonable enough and his evidence unarguable. “You see, the water tumbles in the day and at night. That’s

when spirits come to play and, if they like, let them deploy billions upon billions to construct this Ukwu Mango, the water will still come back.

How many times have they constructed this road and yet Ukwu Mango refused to yield? You said, you came from Lagos but ask anybody around. Ukwu Mango is the land of the gods and the water belongs to the spirits.”

“Are you sure?” I dared to doubt. “Yes, no government can conquer Ukwu Mango and Ifeobara . It’s a battle against powers.” His voice conveyed the note of a signoff. Who am I to continue to query the words of the emissary of the gods, when I c o u l d r e c a l l t h a t Uk w u Mango, for donkey years, had defied every known construction theory and has been a pain in the neck of every government. To traders and businessmen that visit

Ariaria , including the residents in the environ, Ukwu Mango was an angry sore spot that made a mess of the reputation of the market.

On a rainy day at Ariaria, the flow of storm water through Faulks road to Ukwu Mango and then to Ifeobara is usually like a tsunami.

But, thank God today for the Ifeobara artificial lake built by Governor Ikpeazu and thank God for the new Faulks road. Ikpeazu confronted and conquered the gods of Ukwu Mango and recovered the bathing place of the spirits for man. How I wish I could meet this strange passer-by again and drag him into our old discussion about the mystery of Ukwu Mango and the invincibility of the gods against bulldozers and caterpillars. The message: even the gods are bowing before man. Ikpeazu’s genius is rebuking the gods.

The legend of Ukwu Mango is a typical African story; a buck-passing, an alibi, a lazy resignation to fate, a substitute of reason with supernatural inclinations. In this case, it is also the story of the failure of governments and institutions. Governor Ikpeazu has shown that what was needed to tackle the agelong flood challenge at Ukwu Mango and the Ariaria axis of Aba was a superior construction technology and a sincere political will. Faulks Roads is classified today as one of the topmost signature projects of Ikpeazu and a legacy that will speak about visionary leadership. Men are masters of their fate.

Today, Ukwu Mango has been recovered for man – commuters, motorists and for all humanity. How I wish I could meet my strange wayfarer again. He surely must find another alibi for the gods.

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Sunday 29 April 2018

TheWorshippers 2019 general elections: God will manifest himself over Nigeria – Prophet Adeoye Christ the Saviour Church, C&S Church Movement, Amuwo has observed a seven-day prayer vigil annually for the past 10 years. Most Senior Apostle/Prophet Emmanuel Sunday Adeoye, pastor of the church, speaks to SEYI JOHN SALAU on the 10th anniversary of the prayer vigil as the church rounds off the celebration with a thanksgiving service today. Excerpts: The church is celebrating the 10th anniversary of its annual seven-day prayer vigil with the theme ‘King of kings’. How did you arrive at this? f we talk about the ‘King of kings’ we are referring to God who is the King of all kings. As powerful as he is as our maker – if he chooses, he can command any man to leave the earth or dry up. He can command anybody to die or live, and there is no one as powerful as he is; that is why we refer to him as the King of kings; because he enthrones every other king and he is the one who also dethrones any king. He is so powerful that there is no living being as powerful as he is.

What are your expectations for this year’s anniversary?

For this anniversary my expectations in Christ is that I believe that the Lord would do more wonders than ever before; because many of the manifestations of last year are already showing signs to the people and lots of the people have been calling for the manifestations in preparedness for this year’s anniversary. My prayer therefore is that the Lord should please finish his work in our midst more than ever before, so that the celebration of this 10th anniversary will bring forth good fruits for all participants.

Looking at the programme since inception, how has the response been?

We thank God. Since the time we started this journey, God has manifested himself and he is working in the life of the people, especially myself that he has committed the work unto in the Christ the Saviour Church, Amuwo branch. I thank the Lord greatly because there has never been a time we held the vigil without experiencing the move of God in our midst; the Lord usually manifests himself in the life of the people and many of them come to testify of that goodness.

My prayer to God this time as we mark the 10th anniversary is that God should please complete and fulfil his work according to the theme of this year’s seven-day prayer vigil, ‘King of kings’. He should please work in the life of the people to wrought his miracles and wonders as he pleases.

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Prophet Adeoye

What would you say informed the sevenday annual vigil?

It is the Lord that ordered it. Right from my base in Kwara State when I was still in the village, God commanded me to set seven days aside to pay the covenant of the Lord annually; when I was with my parents in their church it was observed and it’s still being observed till date, which is why when I came to this church – I appealed to the elders of the church that the Lord has commanded me to do this certain thing, and they obliged me. And, since my arrival here we have been observing the seven-day vigil, which is now in its 10th year.

Few weeks ago, President Buhari was quoted to have classified the youths of Ni-

geria as lazy. What is your take as a young preacher?

If we look at it logically, the president was right with the statement credited to him. However, a lot of the blame is from the government, because if an individual graduates from school, he or she should be gainfully employed. But when there are no jobs in the country and many who would have loved to trade do not have the capital to do so, is it the person who is not sure of what to eat that will go into trade? Looking back at the last administration of Governor Fashola in Lagos, many who are hawking were arrested by the government whereas many of those hawkers were pushed into the act for want of what to eat. Those in authority are satisfied and are not bothered about the masses. My advice to the nation therefore is that the Lord should have mercy on us.

But for the youth, my admonition is that we should be prepared. When my father was alive, he used to say that one cannot survive on a single source of income as a youth; that it is better for young people to learn a trade and be educated so that they can rely on multiple source of income. Whenever paid employment cannot meet your daily demands, entrepreneurial act will support.

As we approach the general elections for 2019, what is your advice for politicians and the electorates?

My advice to politicians is that we should move away from the politics of god-fatherism, politics of favouritism, and politics of ethnicity to the politics of service. Politicians should know that when they are elected, they are elected to serve and not to lord it over the L-R: Bola Odutola, the pastor in charge of the province 40 RCCG, Bunmi Odutola, wife of the people. When they are elected, it is to deliver Pastor, Adefola Adegborioye, wife of the Director of admin RCCG, and Rotimi Adegborioye, the so-called dividends of democracy to the pastor in charge of the parish and Director of admin & Personnel RCCG, at the 21st anniversary masses that are hungry, where majority canof Testimony Chapel, Lagos Province 40, RCCG, held in Lagos.

not feed even two times a day. It is not for the politician to enrich himself and his immediate family, buy big cars and property all over the world when the people who suffered to vote and some even died in the process have nothing to show for it. They should not allow that to happen anymore. To the electorates, let’s not elect people out of sentiment, let’s not elect people because they gave us bags of rice or because they gave us N5,000 or based on what they call stomach infrastructure, because if you collect stomach infrastructure to vote in somebody, you have already collected your own dividend of democracy.

However, my expectations for the 2019 general elections are that God should take control of all that will happen in the country because if we take a critical look at the country, there has never been an election without bloodletting in Nigeria. Now that there are no elections, there has been bloodletting in the country. But for the forthcoming elections, my prayer is that the Lord will intervene in the country and stop every form of confrontations in the country, and that God should appoint for us a leader after his heart. Ever since we have been electing for ourselves in this country we have not progressed. Such happened in the bible; the children of Israel didn’t have their expectations met until Christ came and appointed for them before their journey was fruitful on earth. So, my expectation in 2019 is for God to please manifest himself in this country because the bloodletting is getting too much. As we approach the general elections, lots of the politicians will engage in ritual killings but God should please come to our aid and send succour to Nigeria in the name of Jesus.

Finally, briefly tell us about yourself.

I thank God for my life from birth till now because my biological parents are prophets, but I was very strong-headed at a tender age.

I was educated a bit but then my aspiration as a growing up child then was to work and be wealthy; because I felt that was how I will be accomplished as an individual. I was trained on rod trading, then I went into cocoa farming in Ondo state – I worked successfully in the farm and there was nothing I was involved with that was not successful. However, God told me that was not where he was leading me; one of my spiritual fathers then called Aremu Elikuraja from Ogbomosho, a servant of God, once told me then because I was a chorister and drummer in the church that God said I would be a minister, but I told him to shut up, that my father is the one called to be a prophet but I am here to enjoy life. As an individual I enjoyed merry making. However, when the call of God came, it was in my cocoa farm that God told me to leave and since then I have not gone back to that cocoa farm. I have not been to that state ever since, and that is how God started his miraculous work in my life. I was ordained as a prophet in the year 2000, on Mount Horeb C&S Church Movement Worldwide in Kaduna State, and I thank God that things I did not take to heart at the start of my prophetic journey have been taken up by God. As a prophet I am married with children and the Lord has been good unto us and I am grateful to God for all he has done through me in this ministry.

Sunday 29 April 2018

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BDSUNDAY 19

Inspirations Does God really help?

What is responsible for the sense of hopelessness you feel? Every time you lose your joy and peace, what does DEBO ATIBA that mean? Was God on vacation?’ Do www.spiritonomics.org you think that would have happened if God was by your side and holding your hand? When we are demoralised with fear in the face of challenges, business failure, does it not mean that what we are up against is either bigger or stronger than the God we claim to be our savior? When you use the word Savior, what do you think it means? To a lot of people they don’t know, they just automatically assume its Salvation. Of course, it is what Salvation is? A lot of time our religious cap is on and it makes us loose out big time. So who is a savior and what is the definition of salvation?

Like you are aware that whatever cannot be defined cannot be measured.

A saviour is defined as “a person who saves someone or something from danger or difficulty”.

Salvation is defined as “preservation espite much Ado about or deliverance from harm, ruin or loss”.

God, it looks to me like Wow!!! How did we ever come to the God does not really play point of equating the salvation of our any role in our lives. The souls only to deliverance from sin and statistics is there to show its consequences, and never knowing it. We may mentally assent to it that that deliverance from harm, ruin or loss it is untrue but we don’t have to look is the least of what salvation is? If we too far to see the evidence. Many are look at the category of issues that we weary at heart and confused about face as human that makes us to tremble God’s ability to truly help. If God truly with fear, they are all associated with has any role to play in your life, then harm, ruin, or loss. Here the strongest of how has He fared as your helper? How men fall; here even the boldest are parahave you overcome the challenges you lyzed with fear. David was an example, he and his strong army wept profusely have faced in life?

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as a result of sense of harm, ruin or loss they felt when their loved ones were taken captive (1Sam. 30:4).

It is very glaring now why it looks like God cares less about us after the Salvation of our soul. We have limited God and his ability to save only to Salvation. When we mention the word savior what resonates with us is Jesus the deliverer from Sin. Not our deliverer from, harm, loss or ruin that we face every time in this fallen world, or the challenges we encounter in our businesses. So why does God not help? All the conversation we have had up till this point shows that we cannot benefit from what we don’t know we have.

Scripture says that ‘’God is a very present help in times of need”, not a future help (Psalm 46:1-2), not a past help. If you fail to experience the help of God in your life which is in abundance, you are to blame not God. God remains faithful and His Mercies endureth forever.

(Psalm 136) In the kingdom of God, knowledge is the activator of the power of God, and scripture attests to it that the reason for our destruction is ignorance (Hosea 4:6).

How did the enemy get us to this point of never recognising God’s love and willingness to help Us? 1. The enemy does not need to do so much to reign supreme over us, all he needs to do is to define things wrongly for us through the agency of his teachers which are, the circumstances and situations we face in life. And then

when we run with it, he drives the lies deeper through his deceit and craftiness.

2. Many have never appreciated the benefit of being proficient in spiritual matters and as a result, we give insufficient attention to knowing the truth (the word of God) that is meant to make us free in this fallen world. This deficiency makes it easy for us to be tricked into believing lies.

When we come to term that the power of God has always been working in our lives in even in the smallest things, we would realise that our nonacknowledgement of them makes it appear like God is far from us. That is the more reason God told us to ‘Count our blessing and name them one by one and that it will help us to recognise, appreciate what God has done and He is doing in our lives.(paraphrased). That safe journey, that accident you almost had, that money you almost lost. The health in your body, the food on your table, your lively and lovely children, your home that is at peace, job that you have, these and many others are the prove of God’s help in your life so acknowledge it.

As you take note of these areas and put them to work, you will ever be confident of God’s abiding presence that drives away every sense of fear and intimidation. You will never again feel as though God is not for you.

Remain Blessed. @spiritonomics.org

The Holy Spirit

IRUOFAGHA JAMES

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Key Text: John 14:15-17 y coming to earth in the form of man, it wasn’t God’s intention to make life difficult for us. It was actually to make it easier for us. We knew nothing of abundant life, life to the fullest before He came. We could never attain the fullness of our potential outside of his help.

Indeed, he said somewhere in the Gospels that we could not do anything without him. He is our abiding help. Praise God! But remember, he came to earth by his own free will. He offered to come and be our help seeing how helpless we have been and ever would have remained without him.

But why do many think the life of a Christian isn’t easy? Remember the old song we used to sing? “It’s not an easy road when traveling to heaven…” Who told us we have been saved to make our way to heaven in our strength and by our will? Who says attaining heaven is by might or by power? Does not the scripture say somewhere that by the strength (human effort) shall no flesh prevail? Of course, we are making our way to heaven on God’s terms and his conditions, one

of which is that we must trust him to lead us and not we ourselves.

When we accept Christ, we are meant to be dead to the world, its desires, likes and preoccupations, but many of us are not dead to the world yet. Why is this the case?

We are meant to mortify/kill the part of our lives that desire the things of the world through the help of the Holy Spirit.

If we are struggling to live our lives as Christians, it is because the One Who is meant to help us live according to God’s plan is not present in our lives in the right measure. Remember, it is written of the Lord Jesus that he had the Spirit of God without measure. Jesus had the Spirit of God in overflowing measure. How much of the Spirit of God do you and I have? The degree to which a person is led by the Holy Spirit is proportional to the measure of the Spirit in him/her.

Since Jesus ascended to heaven, the Holy Spirit has been in charge of this dispensation.

From the Day of Pentecost when officially His dispensation began.

The Holy Spirit is here with us now, but many people treat Him like He does not matter. That was the same way some people related to Jesus when He was on earth.

We are finding life difficult because we rebelled against God’s orders and we are refusing to accept His help to get better. God desires for us to be better, it breaks His heart to see us suffer.

God has never forsaken His creation and

he is looking to help us get back to the place he intends for us to be but we keep ignoring the Holy Spirit.

A major part of the problem is that we want to have the Holy Spirit’s gifts, but we reject His person. God wants us to desire the person of the Holy Spirit. Failure to desire Him with heart, intent and consistently, is why we suffer and struggle in life.

According to John 14:17, we are meant to know the Holy Spirit & He’s meant to dwell in us.

Who is the Holy Spirit?

He is the Helper, Comforter, Advocate, Intercessor, Counsellor, Strengthener, Standby and the Spirit of Truth The Holy Spirit is meant to monitor and regulate your behaviour as a Christian. But we so often do not give him room.

There is a unique difference between the Holy Spirit & the other Members of the Trinity.

That’s why we call Him the “Holy” Spirit, God wants us to have a special level of respect and regard for Him. He is a Person with feelings just like you. The things that hurt you will very likely hurt the Holy Spirit as well.

What’s the purpose of the Holy Spirit’s coming into our lives?

1 Cor. 2:7-12 If you can count all that God does for you, then you can list the purpose of the Holy Spirit in your life. Whatever is important to and for us is

important to the Holy Spirit.

The Holy Spirit’s purpose is to let us know the things the Father has freely given us.

These things might have been given “freely,” but they are not cheap and should not be handled with levity.

There are many things God wants us to know and have but many are not ready for them yet. It is the Holy Spirit’s purpose to lay hold on what’s being made freely available and lead us into those truths.

There are two ways we can do this: 1. We can believe it and lay hold of it through faith (as we have been taught for long) 2. We can yield to and become intimate with the Holy Spirit and allow Him to lead us into the things that will make life easy for us.

3. How does the Holy Spirit speak to us?

Man, just like God is tripartite. We communicate/interact with the physical world with our bodies (using our feelings). Our souls communicate with the mental world (with our reasoning). We communicate/interact with the Holy Spirit with our spirits. The voice of our spirit is the conscience.

Dr. Iruofagha James is the founding pastor, Glory Christian Ministries, Odo-Olowo Street, Apapa/Oshodi Expressway, Ijeshatedo, Lagos. www.isjames.org Tel: 08060599144

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Sunday 29 April 2018

Interview ‘We can make palm oil industry the real sector for investment in Nigeria’ CHRIS BAYWOOD IBE is the governing council chairman of Nigerian Institute for Oil Pam Research (NIFOR) in Benin City. In this interview with CHUKA UROKO, he highlights the potential of the palm oil industry and its capacity to catalyse growth in the economy. He assures that, without bureaucracy, the council can make the industry the real sector for investment, insisting that the industry possesses what it takes to turn around the economy as it did about 55 years ago.

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any people out there do not know Nigerian Institute for Oil Pam Research (NIFOR) beyond its name. Tell us, what is NIFOR all about?

Nigerian Institute for Oil Pam Research (NIFOR) is a federal government agency that has to do with palm oil production. Over 50 years ago, it was one of the agencies that the federal government heavily relied upon. It is one of the oldest agencies in the country established in 1964.

It was from NIFOR that the Malaysians picked up their first palm seedling with which they developed their own palm industry. Today, Malaysia is one of the leading producers of palm produce. So, if we apply the business sense and allow the private sector to drive the agency, we can take it back to greater heights.

As the chairman of this agency’s governing council, what are your agenda for its turn around?

If we are not bugged down by bureaucracy which is the hallmark of the civil service, I’m hopeful that we are going to come up with programmes that will make NIFOR a worthy venture. That is why we are going to embark on awareness creation to make Nigerians realise that if Nigeria can turn around rice production, almost to zero importation within two years, we can also make the palm oil industry the real sector for investment.

Everybody in Nigerian today is thinking rice. So, we can get as many Nigerians and foreign investors as possible to begin to think the palm oil industry. If there are Nigerians thinking of businesses to invest in, let them think the palm industry.

By so doing, we can turn the sector around and make it competitive alongside crude oil. We can make it an investors’ haven for Nigerians and foreigners. So, our focus at the moment is to make NIFOR investorfriendly for both Nigerians and foreign investors alike.

One target we are setting for ourselves is to make NIFOR a brand.

We will seek to promote the NIFOR brand and get Nigerians to identify with it because NIFOR can boost the Nigerian economy. By creating this awareness, we will make people know that it holds enormous investment opportunities.

If we don’t realise our target in terms of revenue, we would have succeeded in establishing a strong platform for growth and sustainability. We would have created opportunities for investment and become a catalyst for development and improvement. So our word here is that we will seek to be a catalyst to turn around the fortunes of palm production at NIFOR and the country as a whole.

Given that we don’t have much time on our hands and that the palm seedling takes a minimum of 4-5

Baywood Ibe years to mature and begin to yield revenue, we are going to set up a template and establish a frame work for investment and attract private sector and entrepreneurs’ interest in NIFOR. People are not interested in oil palm because they are not aware of the opportunities it holds.

That is why we want to bring that to the attention of investors seeking investment opportunities.

What possible relationships, similarities or differences exist between palm and crude oil business?

The relationship I see here is business. Therefore, my personal approach to this assignment will be from the standpoint of a businessman. As a board, our approach will be to position NIFOR as a privatesector-driven agency. If we don’t apply this approach, we are surely going to have challenges because a lot of Nigerians do not even know what NIFOR stands for.

As a businessman who has been in oil and gas business in the last 28 years, I have gone through the sector’s swings and business policy tumbling. I have always weathered the storm. So, I will bring that experience to bear on this assignment as the chairman of the governing council of NIFOR. My take is that we will adopt the private-sector approach in order for us to make something out of the agency.

For an effective turnaround of this agency, you must have set tar-

gets for yourself. Let us into these targets.

Left to me, as chairman of the governing council, NIFOR should be private-sector driven. When we effectively do that, we are sure to surpass our target. Our target is to make NIFOR one place everybody would do business with. We are inspired by the sudden turnaround of the rice sector in Nigeria. We are enamoured that Thailand would soon come to Nigeria to set up a milling plant for rice production, following the news that the government of Thailand is gravely concerned that rice importation from Thailand had dropped by nearly 97 percent. So, my take on this is that we can do the same given the enabling environment, the political will and support of the government.

One thing we have to make clear to government is that if we are talking about diversification, oil palm is one key area in agriculture that can turn around the economy of the nation. I believe that government is paying so much attention to rice and that was why it was able to come up with the Anchor Borrowing Scheme of the central bank of Nigeria (CBN) which has revolutionarised rice production. I see no reason government cannot set up such a scheme for investors to develop the palm oil industry sector. This will be a revolution that will change the face of palm oil production in the country.

Government and, indeed, in-

We are inspired by the sudden turnaround of the rice sector in Nigeria.

We are enamoured that Thailand would soon come to Nigeria to set up a milling plant for rice production, following the news that the government of Thailand is gravely concerned that rice importation from Thailand had dropped by nearly 97 percent

vestors are interested in sectors of the economy with export potential. Can palm produce be exported?

If we are able to produce enough palm produce for domestic consumption, we can export the excess.

Every produce from the palm is exportable. So, the important thing for now is to set up a time frame, a target and a frame work that will establish a real value chain. If we are able to do that, we will become a net exporter of palm produce – oil, sheer butter and others. Our word here, therefore, is that we will work

hard within the short time we have to help NIFOR attain the next level of performance.

With all the potential in this sector as you have pointed out, what is your message to investors?

I call on potential investors to consider the enormous opportunities in palm oil production. Nothing about the palm is a loss; everything from the palm is re-useable; everything from the palm has revenue base. If it is well supported, it is one aspect of agriculture that can attract the confidence of investors. It is an opportunity waiting to be tapped. I therefore call on entrepreneurs like me to consider giving this sector a look in as it is an opportunity that has manifested itself.

Here is a crop that can be planted both in savannah and rain forest belts of the country. It is one crop that can withstand adverse weather conditions. We are going to take this message to the door steps of many Nigerians and during our tenure as members of the board of NIFOR in order to make our impact felt.

What role do you expect the government to play for a palm oil revolution to happen in this country?

I wish to appeal to government to come out with policies that will help to make land available to investors willing to go into palm production.

The biggest challenge in this sector is the size of land required by every serious investor wishing to go into commercial oil production. Every investor, indeed, needs massive swats of land to establish plantations.

We all know that the Land Use Act places land firmly in the hands of government. And we know the challenges involved even in acquiring small parcels of land for property development what more a large expanse of land for palm plantation. For us to break this jinx and surmount this hurdle now that government has woken up to this agricultural revolution, it must make conscious effort to facilitate land acquisition wherever and whenever an investor is interested. From federal to state government, there must be a policy that should allow for easy access to land.

From my experience, it will take a minimum of three years to perfect any title for any big land required for palm plantation. And so, for us to attain self-sufficiency in palm production within five years, there must be the political will to make land available to investors who show evidence that they are willing to invest.

Besides, there should be an equivalent of the Anchor Borrowing Scheme type of funding. That will enable investors to access huge money because palm production is a long-term business. The gestation time is about five years. And there is no bank in Nigeria that can fund such business that will require six years of maturity.

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21 Inside Lagos Pilgrims urged to offset hajj payment April 3

Lagos attracts $43bn investments …as firm developS energy-saving streetlights across state

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JOSHUA BASSEY

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nvestments in excess of $43 billion have been attracted to Lagos between May 2015 and March 2018 making the state one of the preferred destinations for investors in West Africa.

Ademola Abass, special adviser to Governor Akinwunmi Ambode, on Overseas Affairs and Investment, who released the figure, added that with the successful closure on these investments, the government was strategising to attract new ones.

Abass, in a session with the media last week, as part of activities to mark the third year in office of Ambode, said more investors were already showing interest in “tapping into the investment opportunities in Lagos because of pursuit of measures to enhance the ease of doing business.”

According to him, the creation of the Office of Overseas Affairs and Investment has further strengthened investors’ confidence and inspired their belief in Lagos as a place to conduct business and live in.

He said: “Lagos as an emerging market is becoming the financial hub and a preferred investment destination in Africa. The advocacy to arouse investor’s confidence and interest has translated to considerable success that we now experience by all the infrastructural renewal and development that are evident.”

CEO., Hope for Women in Nigeria Initiative (HOFOWEM), Mrs. Oyefunke Olayinka (2nd right); supported by Chairman, Yaba Local Council Development Area (LCDA), Hon. Kayode Omiyale (3rd left) & his wife, Kemi (2nd left), to make symbolic presentation to one of the Chiefs of Makoko Community, Alhaji Ibraheem Aladetan (3rd right), when HOFOWEM (a pet project of the wife of the governor of Lagos State, Mrs. Bolanle Ambode) distributed of over 3000 insecticide-treated nets to Makoko residents, as part of activities to mark the 2018 World Malaria Day, at Yaba, on Wednesday, 25th April, 2018.

He said that the government was also helping existing and prospective investors through the provision of business support services. According to him, a foreign firm, LaTerre Batiment Limited has concluded plans to build a new Island in the state, while another firm, Rockwealth Integrated Services would also commence redevelopment of Amuwo Odofin area into a mixed use real estate development.

Other major projects, according to Abass, are Detergent Manufacturing Plant

to be sited within the Lekki Free Trade Zone by Gilmore Limited; LED manufacturing factory to be located in Epe by Low Energy Designs Limited; and development of energy-saving streetlights across the state, also by Low Energy Designs Limited, while redevelopment of Makoko area by Bufad Engineering Services and reclamation of land for mixed use development in VGC area by Ja Paul Lekki Heights Limited, were awaiting approval.

To further grow the economy of the state, the govern-

321 vulnerable residents get N53m lift

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hree hundred and twenty one residents classified as vulnerable have received a total sum of N53 million from Lagos State Government in the last three years.

The beneficiaries included persons with health related challenges who could not pay their medical bills, couples with multiple births, victims of road accidents and fire disasters. The beneficiaries spread across the three senatorial districts of the state were selected after their requests were scrutinised to establish the veracity of their cases.

Benjamin Olabinjo, the special adviser to the government on Civic Engagement, who confirmed the disbursement of the fund, said it was to save lives which were already danger in line with the policy of inclusiveness of the state

government.

Olabinjo said the Office of Civic Engagement had also been educating the populace on the urgent need to register and obtain their permanent voter cards (PVCs) ahead of the 2019 general elections, to enable them exercise their voting right.

“It is important for all adults of voting age to participate in the political process that would produce those that would be at the helm of affairs in the polity. Let me emphasise here that to remain apathetic to this exercise is a self denial of the inalienable right to vote for candidates of your choice when it is time to do so.”

He implored those who have not registered to take advantage of the ongoing exercise to do so now.

According to Olabinjo, in the last three years, the office

undertook engagement activities which cut across individuals, groups, communities, civil organisations, volunteer groups, non-governmental organisations and political stakeholders.

“One hundred and ten civil rights organisations and nongovernmental organisations were engaged and enlightened on the various government programmes and the need for them to be actively engaged.”

He added that 108 communities were engaged while their requests included provision of facilities such as roads, streetlights, drainages, health centres and schools.

According to him, 25 volunteer groups who were essentially rendering social services were identified and encouraged to do proper registration with relevant agencies.

ment, he said, has identified critical sectors such as power, agriculture, transportation, health, tourism, housing, information technology and manufacturing as areas of focus. He said the focused sectors have been scanned for investment opportunities and the government has provided foreign investors an insight into such opportunities.

Abass said as part of measures to project the investment opportunities to the world, government would soon unveil an advocacy

tagged “Lagos To The World (L2TW), which is a multifaceted initiative aimed at using cutting-edge strategic tools in projecting and effectively communicating the opportunities that abound in Lagos.

“To be clear, the campaign has nothing to do with branding or anything of sort. It is a well-pointed strategy aimed at better communicating what the State has got to offer investors worldwide, as well as laying out the benefits that await investors who choose Lagos State as their destination,” he said.

ntending pilgrims from Lagos have been directed to complete payment for the 2018 hajj by April 30 to facilitate their participation in the exercise.

AbdulHakeem Abdul-Lateef, Lagos State commissioner for Home Affairs, gave the directive during a stakeholders meeting on Friday.

Abdul-Lateef, represented

by Tajudeen Yusuf, chairman of the state Muslim Pilgrims Welfare Board, said the deadline was extended from March 31 to April 30 to give room for more pilgrims to undertake the exercise this year.

“All intending pilgrims should pay in full before the deadline of April 30 lapses. I want them take advantage of the new date so as not to miss out,” he said.

The commissioner explained that the deadline was a joint decision of the Saudi authorities and the National Hajj Commission of Nigeria (NAHCON).

He said: “As you are all aware, this is a joint decision by the Saudi authorities and NAHCON, Lagos state has no powers to influence it. Our pilgrims from Lagos need to take it seriously so as not to miss the opportunity of performing the 2018 Hajj,” said Abdul-Lateef He stressed that the weekend enlightenment lectures, which began on April 21, would continue in all the 18 designated local government centres in the state.

The commissioner called for peaceful co-existence among various religious groups as the state government was determined to improve basic infrastructures in the state.

Police nab suspects, seize N9m Indian hemp

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he police in Lagos have recovered over N9m worth of weed suspected to be Indian hemp from criminal hideouts at Majidun and Ajegunle area of the state.

In an operation which carried out by operatives of the Anti-Kidnapping Squad and Federal Special Anti-Robbery Squad (FSARS), 26 suspected cultists and kidnappers were also arrested.

Edgal Imohimi, the Commissioner of Police (CP), Lagos, who briefed the press, said that the arrests were made between April 24 and April 26 “In our effort to ensure that we fight those using Lagos for hard drugs peddling and taking over our neighborhoods, a Toyota Sienna bus carrying five bales of suspected weed was accosted on April 24.

“Similarly, a bus carrying 34 bags of suspected weed

was also intercepted during police patrol. The occupants of the vehicles were arrested and the owner of the exhibits has also been arrested.

“The suspected weed, valued at N9m, has been impounded and will be destroyed as soon as possible.

“On April 26, between the hours of 11pm and 3am, the creeks of Itowolo, Majidun and Ajegunle areas were raided by the operatives of anti-kidnapping squad of the Lagos Police Command.

“Assisted by operatives of FSARS Ipakodo, 26 suspected cultists and kidnappers were arrested and two bags of weed suspected to be Indian hemp were recovered from a makeshift structure at the Creek of Ajegunle.

“The owner of the structure and the weeds was not arrested because he was not seen. In a similar vein, at 2pm, on April 27 at Itowolo

creek close to the waters, a man with a gun in his hand sighted us and ran.

“When he was pursued, he dropped the gun and jumped into the waters. One double barrel gun was recovered.

Meanwhile, effort is on to arrest him,” he said.

In another development, a notorious cultist was arrested at Oworonshoki on April 17 by the operatives of the antikidnapping squad. According to the CP, the officer-incharge, anti-cultism, received credible information that a wanted dreaded cultist and leader of the Aiye confraternity, who had been terrorising Oworonshoki community was sighted.

Based on the information, the O/C anti-cultism mobilised his operatives, went after the suspect and arrested him.

Investigation is in progress and effort is on to arrest other fleeing members of his gang,” he said.

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Politics Tinubu still sees Buhari as best candidate to lead Nigeria - Ajomale Henry Ajomale, chairman, All Progressives Congress (APC) in Lagos State and the national chairman of association of APC state chairmen, in this interview with select journalists spoke on a number of issues, including President Muhammadu Buhari re-election bid and the state of the APC in Lagos. INIEBONG IWOK was there. Excerpts:

Can we say that the body language of Bola Tinubu, the national leader of the APC, suggests that he has endorsed Buhari’s second term bid? f course, what Tinubu is doing is not for his personal benefit, or what he is going to get. The reasons for his action are his concern for the country and what he is after is; how can we get out of the problems we have currently? How can the country be great? How can the common man get the benefit of democracy?

Tinubu still sees Buhari as the best candidate who can get us to that dream, that if he is given a second chance he would consolidate on his achievements; he needs it; his plans would come to fruition; it would be carried out and delivered.

You know when you occupy a position, the first two years is for learning and when you start working the other two years is up, so you need another term to consolidate on your achievements. If it is for his personal interest alone, he may have contested against him, but Tinubu still sees Buhari as the best candidate for the job.

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But Nigerians think the President has not done enough in terms of fulfilling his campaign promises?

He has done a lot in term of campaign fulfilment when you; when you look at the situations, when we came to office; Okonjo Iweala and the rest were giving out figures on the state of the country, and that was the bases on which we plan.

We plan based on information available to us; but when we got in, we realise that the treasury was empty.

But the party had programmes, but there is no way we are going to execute the programmes without money; then suddenly we went into recession; if the president can take the country out of recession within one year he should be congratulated.

We know how long it take Obama to take the U.S out of recession, but if the PDP had returned to power, Nigeria would have been bankrupt by now and today you can be sure we have about 50 million Dollars in the treasure.

That mean the country can survive for the next six months, if we continue to move like this Nigeria would be among the best country in the world.

What is the state of the party in Lagos?

Presently in Lagos; we have no problem; at the moment as am taking to you there is no serious problem among our members; but when election is coming like this you would see issues coming up; a lot people have aspirants that want to contest for Governor, House of representatives, Senate and others positions.

This issues that would always suffice when election is coming up but generally there is no problem in the party.

But one of your exco member Fouad Oki, is having issues with the party, he made some allegations?

How many people where there in the press conference he called, except few of his people, the members of APC in Lagos is about two millions and there has not been problems; there are so many groups in the

Henry Ajomale

party and he as a right to talk.

I don’t see merit in what he said; if congress were done, for example the primary that brought the current Governor we spend more than 24 hours at the venue how is that imposition? If you have more than eleven aspirants contesting for one position and one of them win how is that imposition?

Look at what happened in Amuwo Odofin, we lost some sit, because we could not compete with the PDP money; the president at that time shifted his base here, we wanted to even register his resident here in Lagos, can you call that imposition, I don’t know where he get that imposition claim.

But is that not a sign of crisis in the Lagos APC? Don’t you think, if one out of 33-member executives complain, it tells about his personality; it is not a serious matter. We have a group, he is not the first person that would have a group, it is healthy for the party; it gives us more members, because these people would in return bring more people to join t he party, it is allowed in a democracy.

Has the party reconciled with him now?

There is no problem; we don’t have problem with him, there was a time he said we wanted to suspend him, he was carrying that news

We have no problem; at the moment as am taking to you there is no serious problem among our members; but when election is coming like this you would see issues coming up; a lot people have aspirants that want to contest for Governor, House of representatives, Senate and others positions

and going to the newspaper to seek popularity; let him bring the letter where he was suspended. If one out of the 33 exco members is saying this it means he is not normal.

Having a group is not bad, it gives the party more members, and they would bring us more people in as much as their activity would not impugn on the party.

If we have this issue that does not mean that when election comes we would not work together; we would join hand together and fight the enemy.

The party is still one and the leadership is still one; we don’t have problem with him, he is only one out of the 33-member exco that decides to criticise the party and sometimes as an individual one can learn from his criticism if we think it is genuine.

How prepared is the APC for the national convention and the state congresses?

A lot of surprises would be made and you would be surprised that Buhari would win.

All those ganging up against him would fail, because they try to put him in a situation and paint him bad, they have failed.

Soyinka said when the president just came in, that if you fight corruption it would fight you back. Why are they fighting Buhari? It is because they are afraid of his anti-corruption war. Why should you advise someone not to contest; are you his father?

If you are not fighting him why advise him not to contest?

But some elements also in the APC do not want him to contest?

May be some people are afraid of him and his ambition and some of them now want him to step down.

The security situation in the country is degenerating daily; don’t you think Buhari has failed Nigerians on this?

It is true that the security is the most paramount thing; if you have security you have everything; there would be peace and life will be longer; but where there is no security, people would be killed anyhow. What is happen-

ing now is that our people are killed anyhow.

But the killing is not new. It happened in the time of Jonathan, even the soldiers we can count how many times that they lost their lives to Boko-Haram. They even ran away and they were arrested and court-marshaled for not fighting enough.

If necessary equipment is provided for the military they would do well; only a stupid leader would open his eye and allow his people to be killed; but if you have the weapons the morale of the soldiers will be boosted.

We have been living with the cattle rustlers for years, they use sticks; you must ask yourself; how did they transform from that to using AK 47, then it means something is wrong; the answer has not been found.

I think, these are not cattle rustlers, but how many security personnel do we have in the country? You want to recruit now and they say we don’t have money; and you are releasing money and they say we cannot spend one million dollar on security; this is an issue we should not even quarrel about it.

Supposing the government needs the money now, they should wait until they get the money to fund the budget.

People are suspicious that the APC wants to use the money for campaign?

Only stupid people would say that because PDP has done it in the past; it means that is our intention; we have learnt lessons, if you know the kind of president we have, he would never do that; since he assumed office, he has not given contract to the party, not to talk of giving us money to run the party.

I have not gotten money to run the party from him, here in Lagos; it is our members in elective positions’ contribution to the party that is what we are using.

How did we defeat the PDP; if not the grace of God and the support of our people; the people wanted them to go and the money they spent became useless.

And they are the ones making statements now; those making these allegations are the ones whose pipelines have been blocked; because there is no more free money. You

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Politics APC, Buhari not prepared for governance - Olorunniru

must work hard, that is why life is hard now, and we must realise that soon, we would come out of this situation; the country would be a better place for us to live in.

If you have criticisms, why don’t you send it to the president; if you have idea, why don’t you go to the seat of power and see the president?

But they must have made attempt to see him without success?

To me that is not true, I have directed some people to write letter and the president repied them, that is why I would be more surprised when a prominent person who has access to the president cannot go to him and make his complaint to him.

He was there for eight years what did he achieve? He made mistakes. Was Obasanjo perfect? That he felt he is the best in the world. As a former president, you don’t take part in politics; you are supposed to advise.

He has access to the president, he visits him often, how come he is saying this; everybody wants to be known, he feels he can just talk, let him tell us, what is between him and the president.

If you want people to follow your unfinished programmes, you are now advising, it is not every time you write to me that I would follow your advice, it may be out-dated, and I may have other programmes.

You now resorted to writing letters to president; you wrote to the one that died; you wrote to Jonathan; let him realise that he has done his own, let him allow others to rule.

But other prominent Nigerians have advised Buhari not to seek re-election?

He would return because the people are behind him, the prominent people don’t vote, during election days, they rest; it is the common man that votes.

Do you think Buhari has done enough for the South-West; are you confident he would get their votes?

There is no way anybody would claim, the president has done enough for his zone; Buhari would win southwest flat; the day after election come back to me.

There is this cold war between the ‘Abuja boys’ and their governors which is affecting peace in the party?

“Abuja boys”, “Lagos boys”, they are members of the party and you would find out that on the day of election we would merge. Abuja boys are benefiting from this government and they can’t work against this government Are you not afraid of the proposed merger of some opposition parties?

We have done that before and it was a success, they can merge and win election, but I know that they don’t have the liver to do it.

They need the grassroots, and I know they don’t have it.

People think Tinubu’s reconciling assignment should have started from Lagos; the relationship between Fashola and Ambode has not been cordial; Muiz Banire also is having issues with the party?

How do you know that it has not been settled among them? If you say they have not been close, they don’t have to be close; if they are friendly it is enough.

But we have to be civil to each other, that is the most important thing in the party.

For Muiz Banire, that is his problem, if he feels he as problem in the party, he should know how to solve it; he is a member of the national working committee of the party; we don’t have problem with him; we don’t have to call the press to say he is fighting us.

Lagos APC has been accused of not defending the policies of Governor Ambode, especially the controversial land use charge, etc.?

You are jumping the gun, you don’t know

INIOBONG IWOK

what we are doing, we are at it; the party would come out at the right time to talk about it, we can’t detect to him; we can only advise. We have detected certain things in his programmes and at the right time we would come out and tell him what the people think.

The Lagos APC is accused of breaching the electoral law by series of endorsements of the governor for second term, giving the impression that the race is closed to other aspirants?

I was there in one of those programmes; I was invited because am a member of Lagos west Senatorial district; I was invited to that meeting, but did you see me speak? I was there because I reside in Lagos west districts.

For the governorship race; it is still open, those endorsing Ambode are doing that on their won and they can vote for him if they like, it does not mean the door is closed to others.

It does not look like he would be the only one that would contest the governorship race; others also have the right to campaign; there would still be primaries.

Ambode is doing all this with his supporters, you cannot stop them, no one would say I should not give form to anyone who wants to contest; the race is open to anyone who wants to contest; that is what the law says.

Senator Olamilekan Solomon wants to contest in Ogun next year; he is representing a constituency here in Lagos, is that not against the interest of the people?

He is not telling us he is not representing Lagos again, as he bought the form to contest.

Until he does that we cannot act on rumour; do you want to recall him? If he does that, it means he cannot contest here again; some of the people that went to contest in Kogi, there is no way they would come back and contest here again.

What if he goes to court?

So be it. If that is what the court says we would obey the court, I cannot go against the court, I am a lawyer; but I see that Faleke has transfered his card to Kogi; he is no more here; at the end of the tenure we would pick another person, but if the court says no, I would give him the form.

Aregbesola is said to be interested in contesting for Senatorial position in Lagos after stepping down in Osun as governor?

I was not there when he had a programme on that; I was only there when he came to indicate interest, in other part it is acceptable. If you build a house in Lagos Island, and you have a house in Lagos mainland; you can transfer, if the people vote for you fine, it is not my question it is what the law says.

There is growing agitations over the fifth term ambition of Hon. Femi Gbajabiamila in his constituency, how do you react to that?

Is there any law in the party that says that someone cannot go for a fifth term?

If he still wins and the people still vote for him why would I say no? It is done everywhere; Look at America, John Kennedy was there for more than 30 years until he died.

It is constitutional; it is only the president, governors that have term.

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member of the Lagos State House of Assembly, Dipo Olorunniru, has said that the All Progressives Congress (APC) and the Muhammadu Buhari administration had failed Nigerians because they were not prepared for governance before they won the 2015 general election.

Olorunniru, who is representing AmuwoOdofin Constituency One in the Assembly, added that the Buhari administration had failed because its cabinet was constituted with ministers who had nothing to offer the country, stressing that the administration was bereft of policies and agenda that would transform the fortunes of the country.

Olorunniru, who is the only PDP lawmaker in the Lagos State House of Assembly and who refused to defect to the ruling APC out of the five elected on the platform of the PDP into the Assembly in 2015 general election, stressed that it was wrong for the administration to prioritise corruption when there were several burning issues bedeviling the country.

He further dismissed the second term bid of the president, while advocating for younger and intellectual leader.

“Even the blind knows that this administration has failed Nigerians, the president and the APC did not have agenda or policy

to implement when they win, because they were just after winning elections,” he said.

“You can see that they have failed; because the calibre of people in the cabinet is not right, he is only after corruption, and they are not visible. It is the opposition that is being targeted.

And he wants a second term, what we need is younger leaders who have something to offer the country,” Olorunniru said.

On the allegation that most states’ Assemblies in the country were rubber-stamp of the executives, the lawmaker noted it was wrong for Nigerians to always expect disagreement between the executive and lawmakers, stressing that the country would stagnate, while meaningful development would not be achieved if the two arms of government could not work together.

“I think Nigerians should learn and not expect the lawmakers and the executive to always be at logger heads because they were elected to make laws, work together for the good of the people and if this situation is different we may not achieve much,” he explained.

He said that he refused to defect to the APC in spite of promise made to him, because he was loyal to his party and the people of his constituency who elected him on the platform of the PDP, adding that the party had learnt its lessons and would win the 2019 general election.

L-R: Adewale Similoluwa of HEDA Resource Centre; Adeolu Adekola, EiE Nigeria; Harriet Blest, Viamo; ‘Yemi Adamolekun, EiE Nigeria, and Cheta Nwanze, SBM Intelligence, at the event yesterday.

Avail yourselves of constitutional provision to recall non-performing representatives, Group tells Nigerians

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igerians have been urged to take advantage of constitutional provisions to recall their nonperforming representatives both at the state and federal levels of the legislature.

The advice was given at the launch of ‘Citizen’s Guide to the Recall Process’ held in Lagos by EnoughisEnough (EiE) group in conjunction with other associations.

Yemi Adamolekun, executive director, EiE, noted that despite the allegations against lawmakers over poor representation, constituencies have not been able to leverage on the constitutional provision to successfully effect a recall of any of their representatives found wanting.

“Nigerian lawmakers are consistently accused of irresponsible behaviour and poor representation of their constituents, yet they complete their tenure. Rather than using their constitutional power to recall non-performing legislators, we are seeing citizens violently react to their representatives,” Adamolekun said.

“Angry youths attacked Joshua Lidani (Senator, Gombe South) on Monday, April

2nd and angry constituents stoned Garba Hamman Julde (Bali/Gassol federal constituency, Taraba) on Saturday, March 31st.

“To complement our work with other partners on a transparent and accountable National Assembly (#OpenNASS), it became imperative to educate citizens on their constitutional right to ‘recall’ a legislator who represents them poorly.

“In 2013, we started the process to publish a guide to educate citizens on this constitutional provision and it has been quite a journey. Against the backdrop of Dino Melaye’s recall process, the guide is finally ready!” she said.

According to her, “Recall is the constitutional power of citizens to remove members of the legislature before the expiration of their term. Nigerian lawmakers have been repeatedly accused of irresponsible behaviour and poor representation of their constituents, yet they complete their tenure.

“It is important for citizens to know that they have an avenue to replace their representation at the legislative chambers in between the election cycle.”

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Sunday 29 April 2018

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Politics

Politics

Ekiti guber race: The contenders and pretenders for APC ticket As the Ekiti gubernatorial election, fixed for July 14, 2018, draws nearer and ahead of the All Progressives Congress (APC) primary on May 5th, INIOBONG IWOK examines the profiles of some of the major candidates and their chances of clinching the APC ticket.

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Sunday Adebomi debomi is a United States Army officer, who recently defected from the People’s Democratic Party (PDP) to the All Progressives Congress (APC) after falling out with the incumbent Governor Ayodele Fayose’s over his leadership style.

A native of Ise-Ekiti, where he grew up, Adebomi is relatively new in the political circle in the state, but he was one of the politicians that worked for Fayose’s stunning electoral victory over former Governor Kayode Fayemi in 2014.

He recently said his sojourn into politics was to champion the cause of the youth and advocate for issues that affect them. He challenged the youth to be more politically conscious, aspire for elective positions and redirect their focus.

However, political observers are of the opinion that he does not have the political clout to clinch the APC ticket.

Some analysts believe that his interest in the governorship position is just to seek more political relevance, while using it as a bargaining chip for lesser position and appointment after the election.

Gbenga Aluko Gbenga Aluko was born in 1963 to the late prominent economics scholar, Professor Sam Aluko.

He contested for the Senatorial position of Ekiti South on the platform of the People’s Democratic Party (PDP) and was sworn in as a senator at the start of the Fourth Republic in 1999. He was a former chief whip of the Senate.

He attended Federal Government College, Ilorin and the University of Benin where he graduated with a degree in Geography and Regional Planning.

He also went to College of Energy and Petroleum, Oxford, England, for post graduate studies in Petroleum International Oil Trading and Pricing.

He also served as chairman of the Senate committee on selection, senate services, aviation, women affairs, finance and appropriation, social development and sports and later local and foreign debt.

In 2002, he seconded a motion which set up an ad-hoc committee that probed alleged constitutional and budgetary breaches against the then president Olusegun Obasanjo.

Aluko left the PDP and joined the Labour Party where he contested the 2007 governorship election.

Having eyed the governorship seat for long, his entrance into the race this time around was expected.

He recently said that out of the governorship aspirants, he was the only one who had contributed and empowered the people of Ekiti State through his industry which had employed thousands of Ekiti indigenes.

Political watchers in the state are of the opinion that Aluko is not a serious candidate and that his chances of clinching the ticket

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Sunday Adebomi

Segun Oni were very remote.

They claim that he lacks the political clout and grassroots support to challenge or defeat Fayose’s anointed candidate in the governorship election even if he is given the APC ticket on a platter of gold.

Babafemi Ojudu Ojudu was born in 1961 and attended Ado-Ekiti Grammar School and the University of Ife, now Obafemi Awolowo University (OAU) where he studied English and graduated in 1984.

He subsequently bagged a Master’s degree in political science from the University of Lagos in 1986.

Ojudu, a veteran journalist, started his Journalism career with the Guardian in 1984 as reporter; he also worked with the African Concord as a staff writer and later managing editor.

Ojudu fought the various military regimes and exposed their various shady deals, especially the Abacha regime and subsequently he was arrested, tortured and imprisoned on various occasions.

In 2011, he ran for the senatorial seat of Ekiti Central constituency on the platform of the defunct Action Congress of Nigeria (ACN) after

Babafemi Ojudu

Gbenga Aluko

Bamidele Faparusi

Opeyemi Bamidele

Kayode Fayemi a prolonged legal battle with the incumbent Senator Festus Bode Ola, he defeated Ayodele Fayose who contested on the Labour Party (LP) platform and Kayode Alufa of the PDP. He was appointed as Special Adviser to President Muhmmadu Buhari on political matters in 2016.

Ojudu is seen as one of the strongest contenders for the APC ticket, based on his affinity with the federal might and his closeness to the national leader of the party, Asiwaju Bola Tinubu, with whom he has worked in various capacities.

He recently said while declaring for the governorship, that he holds the secret to defeating incumbent Governor Ayodele Fayose, having defeated him before in the Senatorial election.

Ojudu boasted that he would defeat any anointed candidate of Fayose.

However, experts say Ojudu seems detached from the grassroots and people, especially those in his constituency.

He is been accused of not doing enough for his constituency as Senator, and he is being tagged a ‘Lagos Politician’.

However, analysts strongly

Bimbo Daramola

Debo Ranti

Femi Bamisile believe that his picking the governorship ticket depends on whose camp he belongs in the APC. Segun Oni Segun Oni was born in IfakiEkiti in 1954. In 2007 April he was elected governor of the state, while he was removed from office in controversial circumstances in October 2010 after judgment of the Appeal Court which ruled against him after the election was challenged by the candidate of the then Action Congress of Nigeria (ACN) Kayode Fayemi.

Oni attended Methodist Modern Secondary School, Ifaki Ekiti and Wesley College Ibadan and studied Engineering at the Obafemi Awolowo University, (OAU).

In 2014, he joined as one of the founding members of the APC and presently he is the party’s SouthWest vice chairman.

Oni is seen as a strong contender for the APC ticket having ruled the state and has wide grassroots support across Ekiti.

Political observers are of the opinion that having been the national vice chairman of the party southwest, Oni may use his position to influence delegates in his

favour.

He is seen as the most likely candidate who can challenge Fayose’s grassroots popularity in the state and is very close to the national leadership of the party.

Speaking recently, Oni debunked insinuations that he may dump the APC for the Social Democratic Party (SDP) to actualise his governorship ambition, noting that he was the only candidate of the APC who understands the political terrain of the state, Kayode Fayemi Fayemi is currently the minister of Solid Minerals Development and a former governor of Ekiti State, sworn into office in October 2010.

He had his first degree and Master’s degree from the University of Lagos and Obafemi Awolowo University, in History, Politics and International Relations.

He has a doctorate in War Studies from the Kings College University of London, England.

He attended Christ’s Schools, AdoEkiti and served as director of Centre for Democracy and Development; prior to that he had worked as journalist, lecturer, researcher and strategy development adviser in Nigeria and the United Nations.

Fayemi ran for the governorship of the state on the platform of the defunct Action Congress Nigeria (ACN) and after three

years of legal battle he won in the Appeal Court sitting in Kwara State that declared him duly elected.

His campaign marked the end of Segun Oni’s administration as the governor of the state.

However, Fayemi’s four years administration in Ekiti was marred by alleged unpopular policies; he was accused of being detached from the populace, while running and elitist administration.

He subsequently lost the 2015 governorship election in the state to incumbent governor Ayodele Fayose.

Fayemi is seen as a strong contender for the APC ticket due to his strong political links with the presidency. He is in a close relationship with President Muhammadu Buhari which may work in his favour.

Fayemi’s entrance into the governorship race was expected. However, experts are of the view that Fayemi may not get the party ticket because he appears detached from the masses and the grassroots which is on the other hand the selling point of Fayose and his anointed candidate.

Fayemi’s alleged current cold war with the national leader of the APC, Tinubu, may also work against him at the primary.

Speaking recently while declaring in the state capital, Ado-Ekiti, the minister, said his administration in his first journey was able to transform the infrastructure,

increase internally generated revenue, promising to industrialise Ekiti if re-elected.

Opeyemi Bamidele Bamidele was born in July 29, 1973 at Iyin-Ekiti. He spent most of his early years in Lagos State and attended the Obafemi Awolowo University and the University of Benin where he graduated with a degree in Law in 1990 and later called to the Nigerian Bar after graduating from the Nigerian Law School in 1992.

He contested for the primaries of the House Representatives on the platform of the Social Democratic Party (SDP) and lost in 1993.

He was later appointed the special assistant on political masters and later as the commissioner for youths, sports and social development in the Tinubu’s administration.

He was elected as a member of the House of Representatives on the platform of the Action Congress of Nigeria (ACN) in 2011.

He fell out with Tinubu, his political godfather, and joined the opposition party.

Bamidele contested the governorship of Ekiti State in 2014 on

the platform of the Labour Party (LP) where he was perceived to have played the role of a ‘spoiler’ for the then governor and candidate of APC, Kayode Fayemi.

Declaring recently in the state capital, he promised to liberate Ekiti State from under-development and poverty, stressing that he would run people-centred policies.

Bamidele is not seen as a serious candidate. His perceived ‘spoiler’ role in the 2014 governorship election may come back to haunt him.

His chances of clinching the APC ticket appear slim as he does not seem to have the needed grassroots popularity to challenge the ruling PDP should he scale the primary hurdle in the APC. Bimbo Daramola Daramola started his primary education at Anglican Primary School and also attended Saint Joseph Primary School, Aramoko Ekiti, finishing in1973, while his secondary education was at Christ School Ado-Ekiti.

In 1984, he gained admission to study Geology at the then Ondo State University, which

later changed to Ekiti State University; graduated in 1989.

Daramola obtained his Master’s degree in Business Administration from the University of Ilorin in 1995.

An entrepreneur, he worked in several companies and later co-founded Rucie Communications where he later became deputy managing director.

In 2011, he was chosen as the Action Congress of Nigeria (ACN) candidate for the House of Representatives position for Ekiti North 1, Oyin-Ikole Local Government Area which he won, and served till 2015, on the platform of the Action Congress of Nigeria (ACN).

Daramola served as the vice chairman of the House committee on Millennium Development Goals, (MDGs) and was a member of several other committees.

He headed the committee which probed the allocation of plot of land in the Federal Capital Territory to individuals and companies and possible cause of fraud.

Daramola has been a vocal voice in Ekiti; he had consistently challenged the Ayodele Fayose’s administration and his policies and commands high popularity among the grassroots, especially the youth.

However, political observers see him as not popular enough and lacking the political structure and stature to challenge and defeat the Fayose-led PDP in the state.

His entrance into the governorship race is seen as a means of gaining more popularity and a bargaining chip for other lesser political position.

Bamidele Faparusi Faparusi was a member of the House of Representatives between 2011 and 2015.

He is an entrepreneur, engineer and business man.

Faparusi has always been a strong advocate of restructuring of the country; he said it would be hypocritical for the APC to ignore zoning in selecting candidate for the governorship position.

Speaking recently on his governorship ambition, Faparusi

promised to provide purposeful leadership in the state, stressing that he was among the few politicians who understand the need of Ekiti indigenes.

He also recently reaffirmed his confidence in the APC to conduct a credible governorship primary election in the state.

However, Faparusi is not being seen as a serious candidate as observers claim that he lacks the popularity and political structure to win the governorships election.

Though, a grassroots politician, observers view his governorship ambition as largely to seek political relevance, while using it as a bargain for position in the APC. Femi Bamisile Femi Bamisile was a former speaker of the Ekiti State House of Assembly. He is a grassroots politician, who understands the political terrain of Ekiti State.

Speaking recently on his ambition, Bamisile said he was not afraid of federal might or politicians who were former members of the House of Representatives or senators.

He promised to alleviate poverty and industrialise the state if elected in office.

He is very optimistic that he will get about 1,500 votes of the delegates that would vote in the primary, stressing that he was confident he would clinch the APC ticket.

Bamisile could spring surprise in the primaries, he is grass root politician who seem to understand the political terrain of the state.

However, what may work against him is his lack of federal support; he is not close to leadership of the APC. Debo Ranti Debo Ranti was a pioneer commissioner for trade, investment and innovation in Ekiti state.

He was also a commissioner for budget and economic planning under the Kayode Fayemi’s administration.

A native of Emure-Ekiti, in the state’s South Senatorial district; he is a fellow of the American Society of Actuaries.

Ranti has extensive experience having worked round the world, such as Canada, the middle-east and Africa for over 13 years.

He was managing director of Minimal Incorporated, a global company for specific oversight to established operation in the middle-east, Africa and Asia.

Speaking recently on his governorship ambition, Ranti lamented the leadership failure in the country, stressing that lack of visionary leadership was the reason for the failure of the country to attain its lofty goals.

Ranti said he was the most experienced aspirant of the APC, promising to use his business experience and connections to attract foreign investment to the state if he clinches the APC ticket and ultimately the governorship seat.

However, Ranti’s governorship ambition is not being taken seriously by political observes in the state as he is seen to lack the necessary structure and political clout to win the governorship election, even if he is given the APC ticket.

Political watchers categorised him as one of the “pretenders in the race”, who is just using the governorship ambition to attract attention and lobby for post at the federal level.

2019 Watch

Gusau, a security czar, joins the fray?

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2019: APC and Buhari’s Support Group ‘provocative’ posturing in A/Ibom ANIEFIOK UD0NQUAK, Uyo

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he All Progressives Congress (APC) seems to be finding it tough and hard to get things done the right way and it appears to score low marks when it comes to the protection of lives and property in the country.

In fact, many have observed with dismay that never in the history of the country had human lives been taken for granted with hundreds being killed daily when the country is not at war.

The recent killing of two priests of the Catholic Church in the middle belt, Benue Sate in particular, has graphically illustrated the state of affairs in the country and the apparent lacklustre attitude of the ruling party.

Coupled with many other controversies that have trailed the many policies of the APC-led government, the party is certainly faring badly when it comes to controversial policies and programmes and it does not seem to care.

Take for instance, the opening of an office by a group known as the National Committee of Buhari Support Group (NCBSG) in Uyo, the Akwa Ibom State capital, the event and the location of the office did not come without controversy and confrontational attitude by the APC. First, aside from the NCBSG office being located a few metres away from the official residence of Governor Udom Emmanuel which also serves as the Governor’s Office, a development which many consider to be provocative, the action itself is seen by many as

Buhari

confrontational in many ways.

Located along the ever-busy Wellington Bassey way in the heart of the city, it has the potential of causing disruption of free flow of traffic whenever the group has its activities being close to the road, according to observers.

Again, observers point to the golden rule of doing to others as “you would wish others to do unto you,” saying that it would have been unthinkable for the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) to locate any of its offices near the official residence of any governor of a state that it is not in power or that of President Muhammadu Buhari.

While inaugurating the office

few days ago, the entire stretch of the road had to be cordoned off as traffic came to a standstill within a few metres to the governor’s lodge and forcing business activities within the vicinity to be put on hold.

Abu Ibrahim, chairman of the board of trustees of the group noted that the inauguration of the body in the state marked the beginning of activities aimed at ensuring national cohesion without saying how that would be done with the nation being more divided that it has ever been.

“This event will not only lead to the re-election of President Buhari but would open a new bridge of

understanding between the state and other Nigerians. The SouthSouth interest in national development is key to the success of this administration,’’ he stated.

No doubt, the South-South region of the country is crucial to the development of the country being a region which produces the country the bulk of the country’s revenue from crude oil and gas resources. Analysts have been quick to point out how Akwa Ibom State has remained without petrochemical facilities despite being a leading oil producer, how the state has no airport built by the Federal Government and no rail link to other parts of the country.

According to Governor Udom Emmanuel, Akwa Ibom is one of the few states maintaining its airport without the support of the federal government while it is struggling to develop its deep seaport which has a natural habour that would require less dredging for it to be put to use. Yet, nothing has been done by way of support from the Federal Government.

They also point to the recent approval of a rail line to Niger Republic in which work is expected to begin soon whereas Akwa Ibom State, a major oil producer has nothing to show.

The implication of the location of the group’s office in Uyo close to the governor’s office which has sparked controversy can be gleaned from the statement by Ibrahim who seems to be interested in getting the best from the South-South and indeed Akwa Ibom State but not showing any commitment to addressing the injustice Akwa Ibom State has been exposed to over years. Among the

notable cases of injustices are the negative effect of oil exploration, environmental degradation and non appointment of its citizens into top position at the Nigerian National Petroleum Corporation (NNPC). In fact, in the last appointment announced by the presidency, the south-south zone has the least number of appointees on the board of the corporation. Akwa Ibom has none.

Another glaring case is the demand by the state government and the relocation of the head office of Mobil Producing Nigeria to Uyo as it is the practice in other parts of the world, but this appeal has always fallen on deaf ears. Despite the oil company having been in Akwa Ibom State for more than three decades, the major road to the company’s operational base in Ibeno has only recently been constructed by the state government.

Meanwhile, as the controversy continues, the group’s office is reported to have been marked for demolition because the building “never got approval before it was erected.” It was not immediately clear whether the entire building would be pulled down or only the fence marked by officials of the Uyo Capital City Development Authority (UCCDA), the agency responsible for building plans in the state capital.

It has maintained that the building where the group has its office was among the several other property in the state capital that has been built without approval. The authority’s chairman, Enobong Uwah said the building had earlier been marked to be pulled down before it was rented by the Buhari Support group for its activities.

Women group declares ‘state of emergency’ for prayers NGOZI OKPALAKUNNE

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s preparations for the 2019 elections gather momentum, “The Wife”, a body of married women has declared a state of emergency for prayers to ensure its peaceful conduct and the nation’s unity.

Nkem Okoro, founder and chairperson of “The Wife”, who made the declaration for the organisation, tasked Nigerian women to earnestly pray for the forth coming 2019 general elections.

Okoro who made the call at a media chat in Lagos heralding her 60th birthday celebration

and retirement from the services of Federal Ministry of Education stressed that God hears the prayers of women.

She reasoned that if women cry to God that He will take control of all the activities in the country come 2019 and beyond.

She also stressed the need for parents particularly mothers to ensure their wards were properly brought up in the way of the way of the Lord, adding . “If each home is well tailored, and children are brought up to do the right things, they will be responsible enough to give back to the society that raised them positively.”

She frowned at mothers who do

Nkem Okoro

not have time for their children and added that women should create time so as to take adequate care of their wards.

In her words: “Many years back, a lot of women didn’t work unlike what we have today and because both the husband and wife are working nobody in the house to take care of the children.

So, I am appealing to mothers to really reflect back on this and make some sacrifices and adjustments here and there to still have time for the children.”

Okoro, who was among the team that researched and formulated the curriculum for the Gifted Programme of the Federal Ministry of Education revealed

that her retirement and 60th birthday revelry will feature the launch of her fourth book titled ‘Blissful Marriage: A Self Help Resource’.

On her reason for writing the book, she said: “I consider the book as a way of giving back to society as I contribute towards building happy and stable marriages. It is obvious that the institution of marriage today is faced with several challenges and high divorce rate and l am sure that adequate training for would-be couples and married couples will furnish them with knowledge, skills and a healthy attitude for getting married and staying married for the long haul!”

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2019 Watch

Presidency

Gusau, a security czar, joins the fray?

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ZEBULON AGOMUO

f performance in office as a president is determined by the astuteness of a politician or the number of political appointments one has received; or if it were to be determined by one’s intimidating profile, then, Aliyu Mohammed Gusau perfectly fits the bill.

He is a member of the Northern establishment; a man who has held security-related positions in the past and has a web of connections across the country. Gusau has also had a hand in installing past military heads of state Nigeria.

Although he has not openly declared his intention to contest the presidential election next year, sources close to him have indicated that there was such a plan in the offing.

While in March 2014, at the height of the Boko Haram onslaught, Gusau was appointed the Defence minister by the then president Goodluck Jonathan.

While he was being sworn in, he said: “The challenges are evidently daunting but surmountable; with the help of almighty Allah and our collective resolve and determination we will get to the destination that will give Nigerians the confidence that the country is indeed a safe place for everyone.”

According to him, “reading through the hand over notes, I carefully looked at the structure of the ministry of Defence,

Gusau

including the detail of its institutions, I have also studied the responsibilities of the various units and manpower dis-

positions both in the civil and military.”

“The ministry has recorded remarkable successes in some areas and they

hammadu Lawal Rafindadi as director of the National Security Organisation (NSO), and dismissed Aliyu from the DMI, replacing him with Colonel Halilu Akilu. Aliyu was sent on a training course at the Royal College of Defence Studies in Britain.

Aliyu was a player in the coup of 27 August 1985, when Babangida replaced Buhari. In the lead-up, due to the influence he had acquired as DMI, Aliyu was placed under intense surveillance and in turn placed pressure on the coup leaders to act swiftly.

After the coup, Aliyu was appointed Director of the Defence Intelligence Agency (DIA) and Acting Director-General of the NSO from September 1985 to August 1986, then Coordinator on National Security from August 1986 to December 1989. He reorganised the security and intelligence apparatuses, which had fallen in disarray under Rafindadi during the Buhari regime, breaking up the NSO into three organisations: State Security Services (SSS), National Intelligence Agency (NIA) and the Directorate of Military Intelligence (DMI).

Aliyu was appointed General Officer Commanding 2 Mechanised Division, Ibadan (December 1989 – August 1990) and Chief of Administration, Defence Headquarters, Lagos (August 1990 to February 1992). He was Commandant of the NDA, Kaduna from February 1992 to January 1993. Aliyu became National Security Advisor in January 1993, and was promoted to Army chief when Babangida passed control to the short-lived civilian government of the Third Republic in August 1993.

As soon as General Sani Abacha had consolidated power in November 1993 he

replaced Aliyu by Chris Alli as chief of army staff. Retiring from the army, Aliyu became chairman & chief executive of Alpha Public Affairs Consultancy from December 1993 until recalled as NSA by the newly elected President Olusegun Obasanjo in May 1999.

The man Gusau

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liyu Mohammed Gusau, born May 18 1943, is a retired lieutenant-general who served in many senior level security, defence, and military roles. He served as minister of defence, as national security adviser to two different presidents, chief of Army Staff, headed different intelligence agencies, and was commandant of the Nigerian Defence Academy.

He was born in Gusau, Zamfara State.

The army added his birthplace to his name, making “Aliyu Mohammed Gusau”, to distinguish him from another General Aliyu Mohammed. Although Aliyu does not himself use “Gusau” in his name, it has been widely adopted by the media. He enrolled as an officer cadet at the NDA in 1964 and was commissioned into the Nigerian Army as a 2nd Lieutenant in 1967.

Military career He was Commander of 9 Infantry brigade, Abeokuta (April 1976 – July 1978), Adjutant General of 2 Mechanised Division (July 1978 – September 1979) and Director of Personnel Services, Army Headquarters (October 1979 – November 1979).

From November 1979 to December 1983 Aliyu was Director of Military Intelligence (DMI). He played an important role in the coup that ousted President Shehu Shagari on 31 December 1983 and brought General Muhammadu Buhari to power. Following the coup, he was proposed as overall head of Intelligence, with the support of Chief of Army Staff Ibrahim Babangida, but the appointment was opposed by Buhari.

Buhari confirmed Shagari’s appointee Mu-

Fourth Republic With wide influence in both civilian and military circles, Aliyu played a central role in ensuring that the transition to democracy in May 1999 went smoothly. Aliyu was the National Security Advisor in the crucial period when former political office holders in the armed forces were retired in June 1999, helping Obasanjo assume control of the armed forces as a civilian President. He remained National Security Advisor during most of Obasanjo’s presidency. He left office to compete in the 2006 People’s Democratic Party (PDP) primaries for presidential candidate, coming third. The winner, Umaru Yar’Adua, went on to be elected president.

On 8 March 2010, Acting President Goodluck Jonathan announced that he was removing Major-General Sarki Mukhtar as National Security Adviser and replacing him with Aliyu. A few days later, Aliyu met with the service chiefs in Abuja to discuss the Jos crisis and the security situation in the country. There were rumours that a review of senior army and police assignments could be underway. In April 2010, it was announced that Aliyu would seek nomination to be a candidate in the 2011 Presidential election under the PDP platform. This effort was frustrated through a Northern Consensus Candidature bid which he lost to Atiku Abubakar (Turakin Adamawa).

can do much better in others, I applaud the achievements of the past and look forward to adding our modest contribution in the months ahead.”

Ordinarily, for people like Gusau, the Nigeria project is just a “routine assignment”. He has been around. He knows and understands the system very well, but Nigeria remains ever stunted in its growth.

At the time he was appointed to do battle with the Boko Haram, a pundit had expressed pessimism over the possibility of Gusau putting the Boko Haram to rout, saying his political ambition was capable of limiting his capabilities in his new assignment. At that time, there were indications that Gusau was nursing presidential ambition.

“If Gusau had not been a politician; or let me say, if he were not still nursing any political ambition, and remained only a professional soldier, though in retirement, he would have excelled on his current job, but because he will still go back to the people of North someday to canvass their votes for Presidency, he will definitely not bite with the venom expected of him to check the insurgency. What we are likely to see is a lukewarm attitude to the fight. This may be a personal opinion, but at the end of the day, I may be vindicated. Do you know why? Buhari remains an idol to many people in the North because they see him as one who protects their interest. So, let nobody think Gusau has come to crush Boko Haram with a sledge hammer,” the pundit, who craved anonymity, said.

The analyst had also advised Gusau to approach his job with an attitude to break new grounds and not dwelling on past successes.

“One of the major problems in Nigeria is the ‘superman attitude’ people bring on their new job. The minister must see his new job as a fresh challenge; at least, until his appointment this month he had not held the post before. He may have been many things in the past, but definitely not a minister of defence.

The habit of many Nigerians is ‘Oh, I have done it before’ and as a result they forget to look at the new challenge being presented and how to rejig their operations for effective result,” the analyst said.

Gusau is not new to public office. For instance, during the Olusegun Obasanjo administration, he was saddled with a special assignment - to go after the public funds looted by past governments from treasury.

An observer, who spoke on condition of anonymity, told BDSUNDAY that Nigeria under another retired soldier may not leave the third world status for first going by the present experience.

“I am afraid if Nigeria has or can make reasonable progress with another retired soldier being at the helm of affairs as president. With what we have seen in the last three years or so, I am not very optimistic. Their mindset is always quite different from ours; I may be wrong but that’s the impression they have given us,” the observer said.

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NewsmakersOfYesteryears

Ahmadu Bello: A progressive conservative ‘It was very clear that the Sardauna understood northerners’ concerns about domination by southern Nigerian politicians and seemed reluctant to embrace independence for that reason. He also recognized its inevitability and worked to ensure that the predominately Muslim north would not be excluded from various government development projects.’

SIAKA MOMOH

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lhaji Ahmadu Bello, premier of the Northern Region of Nigeria, Sardauna of Sokoto and leader of Northern Peoples’ Congress (NPC), was unquestionably leader of the North, leader of his party, and leader of his people, who held that large part of Nigeria in firm grip.

His focus Ahmadu Bello knew what he wanted and worked for it, and gunned for it. For him it was development and control of his people. And he did that creditably well. Not that he was not interested in one Nigeria; he was, but for the political juggernaut, charity begins at home. Alhaji Abubakar Tafawa Balewa, his apparatchik could go and take care of business at the centre in Lagos whilst he took care of the home front. He found fulfillment in his position as leader of the northern region and president general of the NPC, which at the time was the largest political party in Nigeria. Bello was made a Knight of the British Empire by Queen Elizabeth II of England in 1959.

It was very clear that the Sardauna understood northerners’ concerns about domination by southern Nigerian politicians and seemed reluctant to embrace independence for that reason. He also recognized its inevitability and worked to ensure that the predominately Muslim north would not be excluded from various government development projects. He sponsored the Bank of the North, the Northern Nigerian Development Company, and founded the Ahmadu Bello University.

Cutting his politics In 1934, Bello was made the District Head of Rabah by Sultan Hassan dan Muazu, succeeding his brother. In 1938, he was promoted to the position of Divisional Head of Gusau (in present-day Zamfara State) and became a member of the Sultan’s council. In 1938, at the age of just 28, he made

Zik, Bello and Awolowo

Sir-Ahmadu-Bello attempts to become the Sultan of Sokoto but was not successful, losing to Sir Siddiq Abubakar III who reigned for 50 years until his death in 1988.

The new Sultan immediately made Sir Ahmadu Bello the Sardauna (Crown Prince) of Sokoto, an honorary title, and promoted him to the Sokoto Native Authority Council. These titles automatically made him the Chief Political Adviser to the Sultan. Later, he was put in charge of the Sokoto Province to oversee 47 districts and by 1944, he was back at the Sultan’s Palace to work as the Chief Secretary of the State Native Administration.

In the 1940s, he joined Jamiyya Mutanen Arewa which would later become the NPC in 1951. In 1948, he got a government scholarship and went to England to study Local Government Administration which broadened his u n d e r s t a n d i n g a n d k n ow l e d g e o f governance.

In parliament After returning from Britain, he was nominated to represent the province of Sokoto in the regional House of Assembly. As a member of the assembly, he was a notable voice for northern interests and embraced a style of consultation and consensus with the major representatives of the northern emirates namely Kano, Bornu and Sokoto. He was selected along with others as a member of a committee that redrafted the Richards Constitution and he also attended a general conference in Ibadan.

His work at the assembly and in the constitution drafting committee brought him appreciation in the north and he was asked to take on leadership positions within Jamiyya Mutanen Arewa. In the first elections held in Northern Nigeria in 1952, Sir Ahmadu Bello won a seat in the Northern House of Assembly, and became a member of the regional executive council as minister of works. Bello was successfully minister of Works, of Local Government, and of Community Development in the Northern Region of Nigeria.

Higher responsibility In 1954, Bello became the first Premier of Northern Nigeria. In the 1959 independence elections, Bello led the NPC to win a plurality of the parliamentary seats. Bello’s NPC forged an alliance with Dr. Nnamdi Azikiwe’s NCNC (National Council of Nigeria and the Cameroons) to form Nigeria’s first indigenous federal government which led to independence from Britain. In forming the 1960 independence federal government of Nigeria, Bello as president of the NPC, chose to remain Premier of Northern Nigeria and devolved the position of Prime Minister of the Federation to the deputy president of the NPC, Abubakar Tafawa Balewa.

Bello A major priority of his was making sure the region was at par politically and economically with the Western and Eastern regions. This contributed to the decision to replace both Southerners and Europeans in the Northern region’s civil services with Northerners, a policy that received criticism from opposition leaders such as Ibrahim Imam.

Bello originally embraced the Indirect rule system of colonial Nigeria before gradually embracing reforms.

During his period of premiership, his biographer, John Paden described him as a progressive conservative, because he was an agent of change and also of the traditional elites.

Alhaji (Sir) Ahmadu Bello, along with a number of other political leaders, were brutally murdered during the 1966 coup d’état, one in a series of events characterizing Nigeria’s political instability.

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Report ‘Official corruption, impunity, widespread killing reign supreme under Buhari’ Being the part one of the 48-page 2017 Country Report on Human Rights released in Washington DC penultimate Friday; a very damning assessment of Nigeria by the United States Department of State under the administration of President Muhammadu Buhari since 2015.

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Executive summary igeria is a federal republic composed of 36 states and the Federal Capital Territory (FCT).

In 2015 citizens elected President Muhammadu Buhari of the All Progressives Congress party to a fouryear term in the first successful democratic transfer of power from a sitting president in the country’s history.

Civilian authorities did not always maintain effective control over the security services.

The insurgency in the Northeast by the militant terrorist groups Boko Haram and the Islamic State in West Africa (ISIS-WA) continued. The groups conducted numerous attacks on government and civilian targets that resulted in thousands of deaths and injuries, widespread destruction, the internal displacement of approximately 1.8 million persons, and external displacement of an estimated 205,000 Nigerian refugees to neighboring countries, principally Cameroon, Chad, and Niger.

The most significant human rights issues included extrajudicial and arbitrary killings; disappearances and arbitrary detentions; torture, particularly in detention facilities, including sexual exploitation and abuse; use of children by some security elements, looting, and destruction of property; civilian detentions in military facilities, often based on flimsy evidence; denial of fair public trial; executive influence on the judiciary; infringement on citizens’ privacy rights; restrictions on freedoms of speech, press, assembly, and movement; official corruption; lack of accountability in cases involving violence against women and children, including female genital mutilation/ cutting and sexual exploitation of children; trafficking in persons; early and forced marriages; criminalisation of status and same-sex sexual conduct based on sexual orientation and gender identity; and forced and bonded labor.

The government took steps to investigate alleged abuses but fewer steps to prosecute officials who committed violations, whether in the security forces or elsewhere in the government. Impunity remained widespread at all levels of government.

The government did not adequately investigate or prosecute most of the major outstanding allegations of human rights violations by the security forces or the majority of cases of police or military extortion or other abuse of power.

The Borno State government provided financial and in-kind resources to some members of the Civilian Joint Task Force (CJTF), a self-defense group that coordinated and at times aligned with the military to prevent attacks against civilian populations by Boko Haram and ISIS-WA. Human rights organisations and press reporting charged the CJTF with committing human rights violations.

The government took limited steps to investigate and punish CJTF members who committed human rights abuses. There were no reports of criminal investigation into members of the military or armed groups who were previously alleged to have used children in support roles or who continued to do so.

Boko Haram’s numerous attacks often targeted civilians. The group, which recruited and forcefully conscripted child soldiers, carried out scores of suicide bombings - many by young women and girls forced into doing so--and other attacks on population centers in the Northeast and in Cameroon, Chad, and Niger.

Abductions by Boko Haram continued. The group subjected many abducted women and girls to sexual and gender-based violence, including forced marriages and rape. The government investigated attacks by Boko Haram and ISIS-WA and took some steps to prosecute their members, although the majority of suspected insurgent group supporters were held in military custody without charge.

President Buhari

In its response to Boko Haram and ISIS-WA attacks, and at times in response to crime and insecurity in general, security service personnel perpetrated extrajudicial killings and engaged in torture, sexual exploitation and abuse, arbitrary detention, mistreatment of detainees, use of children by some security elements, looting, and destruction of property.

The country also suffered from ethnic, regional, and religious violence.

Section 1. Respect for the Integrity of the Person, Including Freedom from: a. Arbitrary Deprivation of Life and other Unlawful or Politically Motivated Killings There were several reports the government or its agents committed arbitrary and unlawful killings. The national police, army, and other security services used

lethal and excessive force to disperse protesters and apprehend criminals and suspects and committed other extrajudicial killings.

Authorities generally did not hold police, military, or other security force personnel accountable for the use of excessive or deadly force or for the deaths of persons in custody. State and federal panels of inquiry investigating suspicious deaths generally did not make their findings public.

In August the acting president convened a civilian-led presidential investigative panel to review compliance of the armed forces with human rights obligations and rules of engagement. As of November the panel had not issued a report.

In September the military reportedly clashed with supporters of the separatist Indigenous People of Biafra (IPOB) movement, a secessionist group, in Abia

Human rights groups expressed concern regarding the response and the National Human Rights Commission (NHRC) urged the military to respect its rules of engagement and stated it would investigate allegations of human rights abuses

State during military exercises. These clashes allegedly resulted in injuries to some protestors and the death of at least one police officer. Human rights groups expressed concern regarding the response and the National Human Rights C o m m i s s i o n ( N H RC ) urged the military to respect its rules of engagement and stated it would investigate allegations of human rights abuses.

As of November the government had not adequately investigated or held police or military personnel accountable for extrajudicial killings of supporters of IPOB movement in 2016.

Amnesty International (AI) reported that security forces killed at least 150 IPOB members or supporters and arbitrarily arrested hundreds from August 2015 to August 2016. The Nigerian Army (NA) reportedly investigated the incidents as part of a broader Board of Inquiry (BOI), but its full report was not made public.

There have been no reports of discipline or prosecution of police or military personnel.

As of November there were no reports of the federal government further investigating or holding individuals accountable for the 2015 killing and subsequent mass burial of members of the Shia group Islamic Movement of Nigeria (IMN) and other civilians by NA forces in Zaria, Kaduna State. The federal government had indicated it would wait for the results of a Kaduna State judicial commission of inquiry before taking further action to investigate or hold those responsible to account. In July 2016 the government of Kaduna made public the commission’s nonbinding report, which found the NA used “excessive and disproportionate” force during the 2015 altercations in which 348 IMN members and one soldier died. The commission recommended the federal government conduct an independent investigation and prosecute anyone found to have acted unlawfully. It also called for the proscription of the IMN and the monitoring of its members and their

activities. In December 2016 the government of Kaduna State published a white paper that included acceptance of the commission’s recommendation to investigate and prosecute allegations of excessive and disproportionate use of force by the NA. As of November, however, there was no indication that authorities had held any members of the NA accountable for the events in Zaria. It also accepted the recommendation to hold IMN leader Sheikh Ibrahim Zakzaky responsible for all illegal acts committed by IMN members Country Reports on Human Rights Practices for 2017 United States Department of State • Bureau of Democracy, Human Rights and Labor during the altercations and in the preceding 30 years. In December 2016 a federal court declared the continued detention without charge of Zakzaky and his wife illegal and unconstitutional. The court ordered their immediate and unconditional release but gave authorities 45 days to carry it out, reasoning that the government needed that time to provide the couple with a dwelling to replace the one destroyed following the 2015 Zaria incidents. As of November the federal government had not complied with this order and Zakzaky and his spouse remained in detention. As of November more than 200 imprisoned IMN members awaited trial on charges of conspiracy and culpable homicide.

In January the air force mistakenly bombed an informal Internally Displaced Persons (IDP) settlement in Rann, Borno State, which resulted in the killing and injuring of more than 100 civilians and humanitarian workers. Army personnel were also injured. The government and military leaders publicly assumed responsibility for the strike and launched an investigation. The air force conducted its own internal investigation, but as of November the government had not made public its findings. No Continues on page 30

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Report ‘Official corruption, impunity, widespread killing...

Continued from page 29

air force or army personnel were known to be held accountable for their role in the event.

There were reports of arbitrary and unlawful killings related to internal conflicts in the Northeast and other areas (see section 1.g.). b. Disappearance In August, AI issued a report on the International Day of the Disappeared, calling on the government to investigate several unexplained disappearances, including the reported disappearances of more than 600 members of the IMN, more than 200 pro-Biafra protesters in the Southeast, and an unknown number of individuals in the Northeast where Boko Haram had been active.

According to AI, in August 2016 armed men in a sport utility vehicle bearing government license plates abducted pro-Biafra activist Sunday Chucks Obasi outside his home in AmukoNnewi, Anambra State.

In response to inquiries by his family, police in Anambra stated Obasi was not in their custody. In April, AI reported Obasi had been held incommunicado by the Department of State Services (DSS) and stated he was tortured during interrogation concerning the IPOB movement. In December 2016 he was released and charged with obstructing DSS officials. His trial was pending at year’s end.

Country Reports on Human Rights Practices for 2017 Criminal groups abducted civilians in the Niger Delta and the Southeast, often to collect ransom payments. There was also an increase in maritime kidnappings as militants turned to piracy and related crimes to support themselves. On February 8, for example, pirates boarded a cargo ship off the coast of Bayelsa State, kidnapping seven Russians and one Ukrainian on board. The pirates reportedly released the sailors after the parent company paid a ransom.

Other parts of the country experienced a significant number of abductions.

Prominent and wealthy figures were often targets of abduction. For example, in May a member of the House of Representatives from Kano State, GarbaDurbunde, was kidnapped on the Abuja-Kaduna highway.

According to press reports, he was released after paying a ransom.

Boko Haram conducted large-scale abductions in Adamawa, Borno, and Yobe States (see section 1.g.). c. Torture and Other Cruel, Inhuman, or Degrading Treatment or Punishment The constitution and law prohibit torture and other cruel, inhuman, or degrading treatment. The Administration of Criminal Justice Act (ACJA), passed in 2015, prohibits torture and cruel, inhuman, or degrading treatment of arrestees; however, it fails to prescribe penalties for violators. Each state must also individually adopt the ACJA for the legislation to apply beyond the FCT and federal agencies.

As of November only the states of Anambra, Cross Rivers, Ekiti, Enugu, Lagos, Ondo, and Oyo had adopted ACJA-compliant legislation. In July both houses of the National Assembly passed an anti-torture bill, which was waiting for the president’s signature.

The Ministry of Justice previously established a National Committee against Torture (NCAT). Lack of legal and operational independence and lack of funding, however, prevented NCAT from carrying out its work effectively.

The law prohibits the introduction into trials of evidence and confessions obtained through torture.

Authorities did not respect this prohibition, however, and police often used torture to extract confessions later used to try suspects.

Police also repeatedly mistreated civilians to extort money.

In September 2016 AI reported police officers in the Special Anti-robbery Squad (SARS) regularly tortured detainees in custody as a means of extracting confessions and bribes.

For example, SARS officers in Enugu State reportedly beat one victim with machetes and heavy sticks, releasing him only after payment of 25,500 naira ($81).

In response to AI’s findings, the inspector general of police reportedly admonished SARS commanders and announced broad reforms to correct SARS units’ failures to follow due process and their use of excessive force Allegations of widespread abuse by SARS officers, however, continued throughout the year. In response to videos showing

stoning and amputation sentences on procedural or evidentiary grounds, there were no challenges on constitutional grounds.

There were no reports of canings during the year. Defendants generally did not challenge caning sentences in court as a violation of statutory law. Sharia courts usually carried out caning immediately. In some cases convicted individuals paid fines or went to prison in lieu of caning.

Ibrahim Idris

apparent abuse of civilians

by SARS officers, a social media campaign developed and demanded SARS units be disbanded. In December the inspector general of police responded by announcing plans to reorganise--but not to disband--SARS units.

At year’s end it was unclear what form the purported reorganisation would take.

Local nongovernmental organisations (NGOs) and international human rights groups accused the security services of illegal detention, inhuman treatment, and torture of demonstrators, criminal suspects, militants, detainees, and prisoners.

Military and police reportedly used a wide range of torture methods, including beatings, shootings, nail and tooth extractions, rape, and other forms of sexual violence. According to reports, security services committed rape and other forms of violence against women and girls, often with impunity. As of September the government apparently had not held any responsible officials to account for reported incidents of torture in detention facilities in the Northeast, including Giwa Barracks.

Police used a technique

commonly referred to as “parading” of arrestees, which involved walking arrestees through public spaces and subjecting them to public ridicule and abuse.

Bystanders often taunted and hurled food and other objects at arrestees.

The sharia courts in 12 northern states may prescribe punishments such as caning, amputation, and death by stoning. The sharia criminal procedure code allows defendants 30 days to appeal sentences involving mutilation or death to a higher sharia court. Statutory law mandates state governors treat all court decisions equally, including amputation or death sentences, regardless of whether issued by a sharia or a non-sharia court. Authorities, however, often did not carry out caning, amputation, and stoning sentences passed by sharia courts because defendants frequently appealed, a process that could be lengthy.

Federal appellate courts had not ruled on whether such punishments violate the constitution because no relevant cases reached the federal level. Although sharia appellate courts consistently overturned

Police used a technique commonly referred to as “parading” of arrestees, which involved walking arrestees through public spaces and subjecting them to public ridicule and abuse

Prison and detention centre conditions Prison and detention center conditions remained harsh and life threatening. Prisoners and detainees reportedly were subjected to torture, gross overcrowding, inadequate medical care, food and water shortages, and other abuses; some of these conditions resulted in deaths. The government often detained suspected militants outside the formal prison system (see section 1.g.).

Physical Conditions: Overcrowding was a significant problem. Although the total designed capacity of the country’s prisons was 50,153 inmates, as of June they held 68,259 prisoners.

Approximately 68 percent of inmates were in pretrial detention or remanded. As of January there were 1,225 female inmates. Authorities sometimes held female and male prisoners together, especially in rural areas. In 2013 the Nigerian Prison Service (NPS) reported there were 847 juvenile inmates in juvenile detention centers, but prison authorities often held juvenile suspects with adults.

Prisoners and detainees were reportedly subjected to extrajudicial execution, torture, gross overcrowding, food and water shortages, inadequate medical treatment, deliberate and incidental exposure to heat and sun, and infrastructure deficiencies that led to wholly inadequate sanitary conditions that could result in death. Guards and prison officials reportedly extorted inmates or levied fees on them to pay for food, prison maintenance, transport to routine court appointments, and release from prison. Female inmates in some cases faced the threat of rape.

Most of the 240 prisons were 70 to 80 years old and lacked basic facilities.

Lack of potable water, inadequate sewage facilities,

and severe overcrowding resulted in dangerous and unsanitary conditions. Disease remained pervasive in cramped, poorly ventilated prison facilities, which had chronic shortages of medical supplies. Inadequate medical treatment caused many prisoners to die from treatable illnesses, such as HIV/AIDS, malaria, and tuberculosis. In April the Lagos State Controller of Prisons stated that 32 inmates died in 2016 in a single Lagos prison due to lack of access to medical care. The House of Representatives confirmed that more than 900 inmates died in prisons across the country in 2016 due to severe lack of drugs and health care. Although authorities attempted to isolate persons with communicable diseases, facilities often lacked adequate space, and inmates with these illnesses lived with the general prison population. There were no reliable statistics on the total number of prison deaths during the year.

Only prisoners with money or support from their families had sufficient food. Prison officials routinely stole money provided for prisoners’ food. Poor inmates often relied on handouts from others to survive.

Prison officials, police, and other security force personnel often denied inmates food and medical treatment to punish them or extort money.

In general, prisons had no facilities to care for pregnant women or nursing mothers. Although the law prohibits the imprisonment of children, minors - many of whom were born in prison--lived in the prisons.

The NGO Citizens United for the Rehabilitation of Errants (CURE)-Nigeria reported children in some cases remained with their inmate mothers up to at least age six. While the total number of children living in prison with their mothers was unknown, CURENigeria’s April survey of 198 of the country’s approximately 1,225 women inmates found more than 30 women with children in just three prisons. Approximately 10 percent of survey respondents reported they were pregnant. Results of surveys of women and children in prisons conducted by CURE-Nigeria revealed many children in custody did not receive Continues on page 31

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Report munizations, and authorities made few provisions to accommodate their physical needs, to include hygiene items, proper bedding, proper food, and recreation areas. According to its March 2016 report, female inmates largely relied on charitable organizations to obtain hygiene items.

Generally prisons made few efforts to provide mental health services or other accommodations to prisoners with mental disabilities (see section 6).

Several unofficial military prisons reported by domestic and international human rights groups--including the Giwa Barracks facility in Maiduguri, Borno State-operated (see section 1.g.). In May 2016, AI reported that at least 149 individuals, including 12 children and babies, had died since January 2016 at Giwa Barracks. According to the report, overcrowding coupled with disease and inadequate access to food and water were the most likely causes of the increase in mortality at the installation. The military reportedly detained many of those at Giwa Barracks during arbitrary mass arrests based on random profiling rather than reasonable suspicion of supporting Boko Haram. The military publicly denied the findings of the report but worked with UNICEF, and by October 2016 had released 876 children from the facility. Subsequently in April, 484 persons were released from Giwa to a rehabilitation centre run by the Borno State government. In October, 752 persons were released from Giwa, the total reportedly comprising 626 women and girls, 69 boys, and 57 elderly men.

It was unclear following the releases how many other children or adults remained in detention at Giwa Barracks or other unofficial detention facilities. In addition, according to press and NGO reporting, the military arrested and remanded to military detention facilities persons suspected of associations with Boko Haram or ISISWA. In 2014, AI reported the mass extrajudicial executions of more than 600 recaptured prisoners at Giwa Barracks following an escape attempt. In 2013 AI had revealed the existence of previously unknown military detention facilities in the Northeast-including Giwa Barracks, and the Sector Alpha (also

called “Guantanamo”) and Presidential Lodge (also called “the Guardroom”) facilities in Damaturu, Yobe State. According to AI the military subjected detainees to inhuman and degrading treatment; hundreds allegedly died due to extrajudicial killings, beatings, torture, or starvation. According to army statements to the press, its internal BOI investigated these allegations. As of September the full BOI report had not been made public and no one had been held accountable.

Administration: While prison authorities allowed visitors within a scheduled timeframe, few visits occurred, largely due to lack of family resources and travel distances.

Th e AC J A p r o v i d e s that the chief judge of each state, or any magistrate designated by the chief judge, shall conduct monthly inspections of police stations and other places of detention within the magistrate’s jurisdiction, other than prisons, and may inspect records of arrests, direct the arraignment of suspects, and grant bail if previously refused but appropriate.

The NHRC conducts prison audits. Despite an expressed willingness and ability to investigate credible allegations of inhuman conditions, however, the NHRC has not publicly released an audit report since 2012. Through its Legal Aid Council, the Ministry of Justice reportedly provided some monitoring of prisons through the Federal Government Prison Decongestion Program.

Independent Monitoring: There was limited monitoring of prisons by independent nongovernmental observers. The International Committee of the Red Cross had access to police detention and NPS facilities. Both the committee and UNICEF were also able to visit some military detention facilities. d. Arbitrary arrest or detention Although the constitution and law prohibit arbitrary arrest and detention, police and security services employed these practices.

According to numerous reports, since 2013 the military arbitrarily arrested and detained--often in unmonitored military detention facilities--thousands of persons in the context of the fight against Boko Haram in the Northeast (see section 1.g.). In their prosecution of corruption

Tukur Buratai

cases, law enforcement and intelligence agencies often failed to follow due process and arrested suspects without appropriate arrest and search warrants.

Role of the police and security apparatus The National Police Force (NPF) is the country’s largest law enforcement agency. An inspector general of police, appointed by and reporting directly to the president, commands the NPF. In addition to traditional police responsibilities of maintaining law and order in communities in each of the states and the FCT, the inspector general oversees law enforcement operations throughout the country involving border security, marine (navigation) matters, and counterterrorism. A state commissioner of police, nominated by the inspector general and approved by the state governor, commands NPF forces in each of the states and the FCT. Although administratively controlled by the inspector general, operationally the state commissioner reports to the governor. In the event of societal vio-

lence or emergencies, such as endemic terrorist activity or national disasters requiring deployment of law enforcement resources, the governor may also assume operational control of these forces.

The DSS is responsible for internal security and reports to the president through the national security adviser. Several other federal organisations have law enforcement components, such as the Economic & Financial Crimes Commission (EFCC), Attorney General’s Office, Ministry of Interior, and federal courts.

Due to the inability of law enforcement agencies to control societal violence, the government increasingly turned to the armed forces to address internal security concerns.

The constitution authorizes the use of the military to “[s]uppress insurrection and act in aid of civil authorities to restore order.” Armed forces were part of continuing joint security operations in the Niger Delta, Middle Belt, and Northwest.

The police, DSS, and military reported to civilian authorities but pe-

In the Northeast the military and members of vigilante groups, such as the CJTF, rounded up individuals during mass arrests, often without evidence

riodically acted outside civilian control. The government lacked effective mechanisms and sufficient political will to investigate and punish security force abuse and corruption. Police and the military remained susceptible to corruption, committed human rights abuses, and operated with widespread impunity in the apprehension, illegal detention, torture, and extrajudicial execution of suspects. The NPF Public Complaint and Rapid Response Unit reported dismissals of lowlevel police officers following public complaints of extortion. The DSS also reportedly committed human rights abuses. In some cases, private citizens or the government brought charges against perpetrators of human rights abuses, but most cases lingered in court or went unresolved after an initial investigation. In the armed forces, a soldier’s commanding officer determined disciplinary action, and the decision was subject to review by the chain of command according to the Armed Forces Act. In March 2016 the army announced the creation of a human rights desk to investigate complaints of human rights violations brought by civilians, although as of November few investigations had formally commenced and reportedly none led to accountability.

Arrest procedures and treatment of detainees Police and other security services have the authority to arrest individuals without first obtaining warrants if they have reasonable suspicion a person committed an offense, a power they often abused. The law requires that, even during a state of emergency, detainees must appear before a magistrate within 48 hours and have access to lawyers and family members. In many instances government and security officials did not adhere to this regulation without being bribed. Police held for interrogation individuals found in the vicinity of a crime for periods ranging from a few hours to several months, and after their release, authorities frequently asked the individuals to return for further questioning.

The law requires an arresting officer to inform the accused of charges at the time of arrest, transport the accused to a police station for processing

within a reasonable time, and allow the suspect to obtain counsel and post bail. Families were afraid to approach military barracks used as detention facilities. Police routinely detained suspects without informing them of the charges against them or allowing access to counsel and family members; such detentions often included solicitation of bribes. Provision of bail often remained arbitrary or subject to extrajudicial influence. Judges often set exceedingly stringent bail conditions. In many areas with no functioning bail system, suspects remained incarcerated indefinitely in investigative detention. Authorities kept detainees incommunicado for long periods.

Numerous detainees stated police demanded bribes to take them to court hearings or to release them. If family members wanted to attend a trial, police often demanded additional payment.

Arbitrary Arrest: Security personnel arbi trarily arrested numerous persons during the year, although the number remained unknown. In the Northeast the military and members of vigilante groups, such as the CJTF, rounded up individuals during mass arrests, often without evidence.

Security services detained journalists and demonstrators during the year (see sections 2.a. and 2.b.).

Pretrial Detention: Lengthy pretrial detention remained a serious problem. According to NPS figures released in March, 69 percent of the prison population consisted of detainees awaiting trial, often for years. The shortage of trial judges, trial backlogs, endemic corruption, bureaucratic inertia, and undue political influence seriously hampered the judicial system.

In many cases multiple adjournments resulted in years-long delays. Many detainees had their cases adjourned because the NPF and the NPS did not have vehicles to transport them to court. Some persons remained in detention because authorities lost their case files.

Detainee’s Ability to Challenge Lawfulness of Detention before a Court: Detainees may challenge the lawfulness of their detention before a court and have the right to submit Continues on page 32

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Report ‘Official corruption, impunity, widespread killing...

Continued from page 31

complaints to the NHRC. Nevertheless, most detainees found this approach ineffective because, even with legal representation, they often waited years to gain access to court. e. Denial of fair public trial Although the constitution and law provide for an independent judiciary, the judicial branch remained susceptible to pressure from the executive and legislative branches. Political leaders influenced the judiciary, particularly at the state and local levels. Understaffing, underfunding, inefficiency, and corruption prevented the judiciary from functioning adequately. Judges frequently failed to appear for trials. In addition the salaries of court officials ware low, and they often lacked proper equipment and training.

There was a widespread public perception that judges were easily bribed and litigants could not rely on the courts to render impartial judgments. Citizens encountered long delays and received requests from judicial officials for bribes to expedite cases or obtain favorable rulings.

Although the Ministry of Justice implemented strict requirements for education and length of service for judges at the federal and state levels, no requirements or monitoring bodies existed for judges at the local level. This contributed to corruption and the miscarriage of justice in local courts.

The constitution provides that, in addition to common law courts, states may establish courts based on sharia or customary (traditional) law. Sharia courts functioned in 12 northern states and the FCT. Customary courts functioned in most of the 36 states.

The nature of a case and the consent of the parties usually determined what type of court had jurisdiction. In the case of sharia courts in the North, the impetus to establish them stemmed at least in part from perceptions of inefficiency, cost, and corruption in the common law system.

The constitution specifically recognises sharia courts for “civil proceedings,” but they do not have the authority to compel participation by non-Muslims.

Non- Muslims have the option to have their cases tried in the sharia courts if involved in civil disputes with Muslims.

The constitution is silent on the use of sharia courts for criminal cases. In addition to civil matters, sharia courts also hear criminal cases if both complainant and defendant are Muslim and agree to the venue.

Sharia courts may pass sentences based on the sharia penal code, including for “hudud” offenses (serious criminal offenses with punishments prescribed in the Quran) that provide for punishments such as caning, amputation, and death by stoning. Despite constitutional language supporting only secular criminal courts and the prohibition against involuntary participation in sharia criminal courts, a Zamfara State law requires that a sharia court hear all criminal cases involving Muslims.

Defendants have the right to challenge the constitutionality of sharia criminal statutes through the common law appellate courts. As of November no challenges with adequate legal standing had reached the common law appellate system. The highest appellate court for sharia-based decisions is the Supreme Court, staffed by commonlaw judges who are not required to have any formal training in the sharia penal code. Sharia law experts often advise them.

Trial procedures Pursuant to constitutional or statutory provisions, defendants are presumed innocent and enjoy the rights to: be informed promptly and in detail of charges (with free interpretation as necessary from the moment charged through all appeals); receive a fair and public trial without undue delay; be present at their trial; communicate with an attorney of choice (or have one provided at public expense); have adequate time and facilities to prepare a defense; confront witnesses against them and present witnesses and evidence; not be compelled to testify or confess guilt; and appeal.

Authorities did not always respect these rights, most frequently due to a lack of capacity and resources. Insufficient numbers of judges and courtrooms, together with

Sadiq Abubakar

growing caseloads, often resulted in pretrial, trial, and appellate delays that could extend a trial for as many as 10 years. Although accused persons are entitled to counsel of their choice, there were reportedly some cases where defense counsel absented himself or herself from required court appearances so regularly that a court might proceed with a routine hearing in the absence of counsel, except for certain offenses for which conviction carries the death penalty. Authorities held defendants in prison awaiting trial for periods well beyond the terms allowed by law (see section 1.c.).

Human rights groups stated the government denied terror suspects detained by the military their rights to legal representation, due process, and to be heard by a judicial authority.

In October the government announced it had begun hearings in front of civilian judges at the Kainji military facility for approximately 1,670 detained persons and intended to do so for 651 held at Giwa Barracks in Maiduguri. Human rights

groups generally welcomed the initiative as a step towards delivering justice for victims of Boko Haram, but raised serious concerns regarding potential due process violations of the accused. Groups expressed concerns regarding access to counsel, lack of supporting evidence, protections for witnesses and defendants, and the lack of transparency in the process. The proceedings were held behind closed doors, and it was unclear if the NHRC or any other group was allowed to monitor the hearings, raising serious questions concerning the fairness of the trials. According to a government statement, of the 575 suspects arraigned in the initial proceedings, 45 pled guilty to various charges and were sentenced to between three and 31 years in prison; 468 persons were ordered to undergo a deradicalization and rehabilitation program before being released; 34 cases were dismissed; and 28 cases were remanded for trial in civilian courts elsewhere in the country.

By common law women and non-Muslims may

The constitution and law provide for an independent judiciary in civil matters, but the executive and legislative branches, as well as business interests, exerted influence and pressure in civil cases

testify in civil or criminal proceedings and give testimony that carries the same weight as testimony of other witnesses. Sharia courts usually accorded the testimony of women and non- Muslims less weight than that of Muslim men.

Some sharia court judges allowed different evidentiary requirements for male and female defendants to prove adultery or fornication.

Pregnancy, for example, was admissible evidence of a woman’s adultery or fornication in some sharia courts. In contrast, sharia courts could convict men only if they confessed or there was eyewitness testimony. Sharia courts, however, provided women some benefits, including increased access to divorce, child custody, and alimony.

Military courts tried only military personnel, but their judgments could be appealed to civilian courts.

Members of the military are subject to the Armed Forces Act regarding civil and criminal matters. The operational commanding officer of a member of the armed forces must approve charges against that member. The commanding officer decides whether the accusation merits initiation of court- martial proceedings or lower-level disciplinary action. Such determinations are nominally subject to higher review, although the commanding officer makes the final decision.

If the case proceeds, the accused is subject to trial by a four- member courtmartial. The law provides for internal appeals before military councils as well as final appeal to the civilian Court of Appeals.

Political Prisoners and Detainees There were no reports of political prisoners or detainees. Persons arrested in previous years for alleged treason remained in detention at year’s end.

Civil Judicial procedures and remedies The constitution and law provide for an independent judiciary in civil matters, but the executive and legislative branches, as well as business interests, exerted influence and pressure in civil cases. Official corruption and lack of will to implement court decisions also interfered with due process. The law provides for access to the courts for

redress of grievances, and courts may award damages and issue injunctions to stop or prevent a human rights violation, but the decisions of civil courts were difficult to enforce. f. Arbitrary or Unlawful Interference with Privacy, Family, Home, or Correspondence The law prohibits arbitrary interference, but authorities infringed on this right during the year, and police entered homes without judicial or other appropriate authorisation. There were reports of warrantless arrests of young men in the Niger Delta region on suspicion of having links with militant groups. In their pursuit of corruption cases, law enforcement agencies reportedly carried out searches and arrests without warrants.

State and local governments forcibly evicted thousands of residents and demolish their homes, generally without sufficient notice or alternative compensation, and sometimes in violation of court orders.

In March and April, for example, the Lagos State Government demolished houses in Otodo Gbame, a fishing village along the Lagos lagoon, despite a Lagos State High Court order forbidding the demolition and ordering the parties to explore an out-of-court settlement. According to press reports, the demolitions left 4,700 homeless and at least two dead while freeing up the land for commercial development. According to Justice & Empowerment Initiatives, approximately 30,000 Otodo Gbame residents were rendered homeless during the state’s first attempt to demolish the settlement in November 2016. In June a Lagos State High Court found that the evictions were a violation of the residents’ constitutional rights and ordered the government to consult with residents to plan for resettlement.

Press reporting indicated that the army was responsible for burning villages in areas where Boko Haram was suspected to have been operational and possibly supported by the local population. These actions reportedly contributed to the high number of internally displaced persons in the Northeast.

Continues next edition

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Focus Nigerian women driving innovation and creativity via intellectual property NURU ALABI

T

he 2018 commemoration of World Intellectual Property Day held on April 26, 2018.

The World Intellectual Property Day (WIPD) is celebrated annually to focus on the role of intellectual property rights in driving innovation and creativity, across the world. The World Intellectual Property Organisation (WIPO), which established WIPD in 2000, says its goal is to “raise awareness of how patents, copyright, trademarks and designs impact on daily life” and “to celebrate creativity, and the contribution made by creators and innovators to the development of societies across the globe.”

This year’s theme was “Powering Change: Women in Innovation and Creativity.” In different fora around the world, attention focused on how the world can utilise the instrumentality of intellectual property to unleash the creative energy of womenfolk in driving human progress.

Women, even if uncelebrated, are rolling out creative inventions that are positively impacting lives worldwide and advancing human knowledge and development. In diverse fields in the sciences, arts and humanities, women are pushing the frontiers of creativity and innovation.

While many of such women stand out and have been duly accorded their places in the history books, one or two such women perhaps bear recounting here.

The story of Helena Rubinstein, for instance, is quite inspiring. A Polish-American businesswoman, Rubinstein revolutionised the world of cosmetics and created the first publicly-listed global cosmetics corporation, Helena Rubinstein Incorporated. She established the band Crème Valaze and protected the trade mark with its registration in January 1907. She built an empire and is today regarded as the first self-made millionaire of modern times. Her immense success would have been impossible were it not for the role of Intellectual Property Law. Nigeria boasts of a long list of women who are making bold statements in entrepreneurship, innovation and creativity. Nigerian-born lawyer, Tara Fela-Durotoye, is today Africa’s leading beauty and makeup entrepreneur. Having established the House of Tara way back in 1998, she subsequently launched the first ever bridal directory in Nigeria in 1999, and followed up with the country’s foremost beauty academy in 2004. Well before she established EbonyLife TV, Mo Abudu had emerged the most renowned media personality and talk show host in Africa. Her talk show programme, ‘Moments with Mo’, was a go-to platform for a wide spectrum of eminent people in different fields from across the world. Once described as Africa’s ‘Most Successful Woman’ by Forbes, Abudu today uses EbonyLife TV to beam the African narrative to the world, with astonishing success. SecureID is today a glob-

khoobsurati.COM ally respected brand in the field of smart card technology and digital security. SecureID Nigeria Limited was founded by Kofo Akinkugbe in demonstration of creativity by women.

Underpinning this year’s theme of the World Intellectual Property Day, therefore, is the imperative of ensuring that the latent intellectual capital in women is strategically nurtured and harvested for the good of humanity.

Incidentally, a good number of organisations in Nigeria, seem to be increasingly buying into the global drive to enhance equal opportunity in the workplace as a critical step towards engendering a more productive workforce, that runs on the back of diversity and its associated spin-offs including creativity and innovativeness. Job advertisements for many international organizations in Nigeria for instance, boldly inform prospective candidates that they are “equal opportunity employers” and that “women are strongly encouraged to apply”. This predilection is common among international multilateral agencies such as the USAID and DFID, but is also being quickly adopted by many other organisations.

Notable among these organisations are MTN, British American Tobacco (BAT), Guinness Nigeria Plc, Stanbic IBTC Holdings Plc and Johnson and Johnson, who have embedded in their operational ethos an elaborate policy that seeks to

enhance inclusion, gender equality, cultural diversity and empowerment of women.

At MTN Nigeria, there is no glass ceiling of any sort as every employee has the opportunity of reaching the summit of the organisation. For the womenfolk, their presence at the top is exemplary in driving attainment of the company’s goals. Among them are Chief Enterprise Business Officer, Lynda Saint-Nwafor (formerly Chief Technical Officer); Vice President, MTN Group, Oyeronke Oyetunde; General Manager, Enterprise Marketing, Onyinye Ikenna-Emeka; General Manager, Corporate Af-

To celebrate creativity, and the contribution made by creators and innovators to the development of societies across the globe

fairs, Omasan Ogisi; and General Manager/Executive Secretary, MTN Foundation, Nonny Ugboma.

A similar situation exists at foremost brewer, Guinness Nigeria Plc, with several women manning

top leadership positions. They are Corporate Relations Director, Viola Graham-Douglas; Marketing and Innovation Director (Guinness and Spirits), Adenike Adebola; Marketing and Innovation Director (Innovation, Lager, Consumer Connections and APNADS), Jody Samuels-Ike; and Human Resources Director, Bola Olajomi-Otubu.

For BAT, women empowerment, diversity and inclusion is entrenched. According to the company, it achieved 31 percent female representation on its Board. It also boasts of female executives in all its senior functional and geographical leadership teams and ensures a sustainable stream of women for senior management roles. One of the ways by which it is supporting women’s progression into senior roles is through a program called ‘Women in Leadership,’ which provides training, mentoring and other types of career support for high potential female employees.

Stanbic IBTC Holdings Plc, a member of Standard Bank Group, also belongs in this category with women heading various subsidiaries and divisions. Titi Ogungbesan is Chief Executive, Stanbic IBTC Stockbrokers Ltd; Bunmi Dayo-Olagunju, Chief Executive, Stanbic IBTC Asset Management Limited; and Binta Max-Gbinije, Chief Executive, Stanbic IBTC Trustees Ltd. Also, Johnson & Johnson has recorded remarkable progress in gender diversity. This belief is emphasized at every level of training

and embedded in its training materials to ensure that staff imbibes them and that their thinking is not impacted by any hidden biases.

Johnson & Johnson regularly communicates the organizational commitment to diversity, both internally and externally.

The attainment of a more balanced representation for both men and women in leadership positions undoubtedly demands that organizations articulate unambiguous policies and action points and strive to implement such policies in a consistent manner. Also, mentoring has been identified as a pivotal aspect of the goal of establishing a critical mass of women to assume leadership roles.

Having significant women representation in the work force is a critical step towards ensuring that across the world, the potential of women as innovators and change agents is effectively harnessed. Women are best placed to understand and appreciate the challenges that fellow women face and whatever obstacles might impede their ability to fully unleash their creativity.

Women are also best placed to put in place the necessary mechanisms, based on their understanding of the issues, to foster innovativeness and creativity, including the deployment of intellectual property as an agent of economic and overall human progress.

Alabi is a Lagos-based entrepreneur and economist.

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Sunday 29 April 2018

AssemblyWatch From the Red Chamber With

OWEDE AGBAJILEKE

C

all it ‘double wahala’ for the embattled chairman, Senate Committee on Federal Capital Territory (FCT), Dino Melaye and you won’t be wrong.

The outspoken senator is facing the biggest political battle of his life after being in police custody on charges bordering on alleged gun running, even as the Independent National Electoral Commission yesterday commenced the recall process of the controversial lawmaker representing Kogi West Senatorial District.

The lingering rift between the Senate and the Executive continue to claim victims from both sides of the divide. In the raging political chess game, both gladiators, President Muhammadu Buhari and Senate President Bukola Saraki, have sacrificed their die-hard loyalists in the upper legislative chamber.

Senators who have been victims of the the roforofo

Melaye’s double wahala and Buhari’s anticipatory approval fight, proxy war and power play between Saraki and Buhari include: Melaye (APC, Kogi), Ovie Omo-Agege (APC, Delta), Peter Nwaoboshi (PDP, Delta), Shehu Sani (APC, Kaduna), Rabiu Kwankwaso (APC, Kano), Suleiman Hunkuyi (APC, Kaduna), Ali Ndume (APC, Borno) and Isah Misau (APC, Bauchi).

Of the aforementioned senators, Melaye is biggest casualty of them all, having supported Saraki and Buhari with all his might. He abandoned his constituency and followed the then All Progressives Congress (APC) presidential candidate, Buhari, to campaign grounds across 36 states of the federation in the buildup to the last general elections. As Master of Ceremony at All Progressives Congress presidential campaigns, he used every opportunity at his disposal to de-market the then President and Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) presidential candidate, Goodluck Jonathan, and praised Buhari to high heavens.

He offered himself as bodyguard to the Senate President and his wife, Toyin, to the Code of Conduct Tribunal (CCT) and Economic and Financial Crimes Commission (EFCC) respectively. In 2015, he pledged absolute loyalty to Saraki, saying only death could make him stop supporting the country’s Number Three citizen. The controversial lawmaker took to Facebook to pledge his loyalty.

Hear him: “My brother and

friend Senator Bukola Saraki, if you have 1 trillion supporters, I’m one; If you have one billion, I’m one; if you have one million, I’m one. If you have one thousand, I’m one; if you have ten, I’m one; if you have only one supporter, I’m one and if you have no single supporter, it means I’m dead. No shaking.

Four years too sure”.

Melaye’s ordeal was complicated by the fact that he could not choose his battles wisely.

He had so many enemies in the likes of his predecessor Smart Adeyemi; Buhari; Omo-Agege; Acting Chairman, Economic and Financial Crimes Commission, Ibrahim Magu; former Senate Majority Leader, Ali Ndume; former Lagos State Governor, Bola Tinubu; his wife Remi; Inspector General of Police Ibrahim Idris; Customs Comptroller General Hameed Ali; Kogi State Governor Yahaya Bello; Chairman, Senate Committee on Agriculture, Abdullahi Adamu; former Edo State Governor Adams Oshiomhole; Attorney General of the Federation Abubakar Malami; Director General, Department of State Services (DSS), Lawal Daura among others.

I was at Melaye’s MaitamaAbuja residence - Number 11 Sangha Street - on Monday last week where over 100 stern-looking mobile policemen cordoned off his apartment. I went with other colleagues to his house to catch a glimpse of

the stand-off. After watching the drama play out for over five hours, two heavily-armed policemen approached us and warned us to leave the street else we would be hit by ‘flying bullet’. According to him, they would get away with whatever happened to us at the scene.

Ironically, the same police are yet to arrest the armed thugs who invaded the Senate chambers two weeks ago. OmoAgege who led the hoodlums was merely given ‘police protection’ out of the Complex.

If only the police could use the fervour I saw on that day at Melaye’s house to tackle the perennial farmers-herdsmen clashes, the number of deaths recorded in Benue, Taraba, Adamawa, Kaduna and Plateau and other states could have been prevented.

The ordeal of Melaye should serve as a lesson for others to be mindful when supporting one politician against the other.

Former President Goodluck Jonathan spoke philosophically that “I am the most abused and insulted President in the world but when I leave office, you will all remember me for the total ‘freedom’ you enjoyed under me”.

Today, Melaye who was the cynosure of all eyes in the buildup to the 2015 general elections to Buhari’s admirers is now regarded as a villain by the powers that be.

Meanwhile, this week will be

Election sequence: A respite at last!

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he hullaballoo over the reordering of the sequence and time-table on the forthcoming general election has finally been rested by the two chambers of the National Assembly, on Wednesday, 18th April, 2018.

Till now, nobody could explain what prompted the resolution of the initially agitated federal lawmakers from embarking on a fruitless venture owing to the fact that they cannot mop-up sufficient support of two-third of the 360 members (240 members) and 109 senators (36 senators) as required by the Constitution, which serves as the grand norm guiding the affairs of Nigeria.

Firstly, the House resolved to step down the consideration of ‘A Bill for an Act to amend the provisions of the Electoral Act, No. 6, 2010 to further Improve the Electoral Process and for Related Matters, which was sponsored

by Aishatu Jibril Dukku and seven others slated for second reading. This was due to the absence of the sponsor of the bill, while Edward Pwajok (APCPlateau) who was the lead sponsor of the main controversial ‘Bill for an Act to Amend the provisions of the Electoral Act, No. 6, 2010 to make Provision for sequence of Elections in Nigeria; and for Related Matters’, publicly informed the House of his resolve to step down the bill, after due and wide consultation! Though never mentioned who and who were consulted. It however dawn on me and all those watching the trend of the drama playing out on the masquerade(s) behind the bill(s), Femi Gbajabiamila, Majority Leader and APC

chieftain from Lagos, stood up for the sake of posterity by requesting to clear his name among those listed to have sponsored the controversial bill. Gbajabiamila who argued that he knew nothing about the bill, asked the House Committee on Rules and Business/Secretariat to strike out his name. That submission alone busted the bubbles. The probing question is, who pays the piper, who played the tune of vetoing or overriding the President Muhammadu Buhari? That should be a food of thought for those who haven’t come to term with Nigerian politics, especially when it comes to games of number.

The fact is the North will always have its way, while the South will always have a say in the affairs of governance. To really get it right, there is a need to revisit the issue of restructuring and lopsidedness in the governance structure especially at the federal level!

The Constitution provides that, if, after 30 days, the President refuses to sign the bill into law, the National Assembly may differ with the President’s position, hence empowers the two Chambers to recall the controversial bill and re-pass it.

If the bill is passed in the form it was sent to the President by twothird majority vote in both Chambers, the bill automatically becomes a law even without the signature of the President, as in the case of the Niger Delta Development Commission Bill which was passed under President Olusegun Obasanjo’s administration. Unfortunately, the

eight Assembly midway rescinded its earlier position, despite the good intent of the bill which I highlighted elaborately in my last column.

The new development, of course, poses a damning question on the intent of the federal lawmakers. As postulated by some political analysts, it was self-serving and obvious attempt to cage the President from funding and doing the biddings of the federal lawmakers during general elections. But my utmost concern was about the pronouncement of the INEC, scrapping the use of electronic voting, which to my thinking simply means, forget credible elections! Whatever the case may be, Nigerians can challenge the process and the Commission for taking such a costly decision and the democracy.

Meanwhile, the just concluded legislative week was herculean for members of both Senate and House of Representatives as a result of the stolen mace in the course of Wednesday plenary on the floor of the Senate.

Of course, all the lawmakers across party lines condemned the act, which they described as an affront to democracy and National Assembly as an Institution. The most worrisome issue was that the ugly incident happened in the presence of visiting Ghanaian parliamentarians who were in Nigeria to understudy legislative activities at the federal level.

Similarly the House passed a resolution on the motion which

seeks to stop illegal mining activities that polluted Uke–Karshi River in Karu Local Government Area of Nasarawa State, which was sponsored

by Rt. Hon. Gaza Jonathan Gbefwi (APC-Nasarawa). According to the soft-spoken lawmaker, all citizenry within the vicinity suffered pollution of all kinds which were prohibited under the law establishing National Environmental Standards and Regulations Enforcement Agency (NESREA).

“Due to mining activities around Uke-Kashi River, the river that hitherto served as a source of drinking water, irrigation and contained aquatic life has become polluted by the waste from the illegal mining activities. The House is further worried that the pollution has led to the death of all aquatic life in the river which if not checked could have an effect on the eco system as well as people in the area who suffer from acute shortage of drinking water and can no longer have access to the river as an alternative source,” Gbewfi told the House. He lamented that the illegal mining activities has caused more harm than can be mentioned in the environment especially around the Uke-Kashi River.

The crude method with which the illegal miners use constitutes a health hazard to the human and aquatic population of the area. He called on the House as the hope of the people to ensure the sanity, healthcare and wellbeing of the people is guaranteed. In passing its resolution, the House mandated the Committee

a beehive of activities in the Red Chamber. Inspector General of Police, Ibrahim Idris, who earlier shunned Senate invitation on the arrest of Melaye and killings across the country to accompany President Buhari on a state visit to Bauchi State, is expected to appear on Wednesday before senators on live television.

Attention will also shift to the David Umoru-led Committee on Judiciary, Human Rights and Legal Matters, which is expected to give legal advice on whether President Buhari committed constitutional breaches by withdrawing $496 million from the Excess Crude Account for the purchase of 12 Tucano warplanes from the United States Government without National Assembly approval.

Adoption or rejection of the committee’s recommendations will determine if the upper legislative chamber will invoke Section 143 of the 1999 Constitution by commencing impeachment proceedings against the President.

I find it funny that some persons are justifying anticipatory approval by the President on the grounds that it is a security issue, whereas United States President Donald Trump sought Congress approval for the sale of the aircraft to Nigeria.

Amidst the power play, the status of the 2018 appropriation bill remains unknown.

From the Green House With

KEHINDE AKINTOLA on Environment and Habitat to liaise with NESREA, in line with the statutory duties of NESREA, to end the pollution of the Uke-Karshi River.

Similarly, the House also mandated the Committee on Solid Minerals to liaise with the Ministry of Mines and Steel Development to verify the status of the miners and if found to be mining illegally, they should be apprehended and the necessary punitive action be taken against them, and report back to the house within eight weeks for further legislative action.

Also at plenary, the House upheld the suspension of Munir Gwarzo, Director-General, Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC) by the Minister of Finance, Kemi Adeosun, as contained in the report of the Committee on Capital Market and Institutions which was adopted at the Committee of the Whole.

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SundayBusiness Food & Beverages With Ayo Oyoze Baje

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o say it as it is, it comes as a piece of good news that the upcoming Food Fair is meant to broaden the continental approach to food security and give investors value for their resources.

For instance, Food West Africa as it is tagged that comes up early May is aimed at providing a unique and veritable platform for food entrepreneurs to showcase their food and drink, equipment, food services and hospitality to thousands of influential decision makers. This would no doubt positively impact on individuals and corporate organizations from across the West African food and drink industry.

It is also meant to become the

Food Fair for all

largest platform for both international and regional food and beverage companies to meet, network and establish business ties especially in Africa’s largest economy – Nigeria. More than 100 companies from across the world are expected to participate from countries such as China, Germany, Russia, Spain, Srilanka, Turkey and the UK. This is a welcome development.

Specifically, the participants will meet with major suppliers and exhibitors from all over the world.

They will connect with potential investors and trading partners and establish contact with manufacturers who may be looking for local representatives. The added advantages are that they will learn about new product launches and latest technologies in the food industry.

By networking with over 4200 industry professionals, value will be added to their businesses.

The significance of this noble vision underscores the importance of food to man. Good, nutritious food is undoubtedly man’s most basic need, ranking above shelter and clothing. It is man’s constant contract with life. Simply put, we cannot do without it because it is the fuel that powers the body for everyday’s activities. And it is essential for all-round health too.

Packed full with much-needed nutrients, we utilize the carbohydrates to give us energy, the proteins to build the body cells or replace worn-out ones. Fats and

oils, collectively called lipids provide us warmth and sometimes energy when carbohydrates are in short supply. Micro-nutrients, or bio-chemicals that are available in smaller quantities such as vitamins, minerals and phyto-chemicals (naturally occurring plant substances that fight disease) play their vital role by ensuring the general wellbeing of the human body.

Most of the food we eat enhance our immunity: protecting us from getting sick when disease-causing micro-organisms (pathogens) find their way into our systems through the air we breathe, the water we drink and the food we eat.

The problem with our eating habits, however include the fact that we sometimes do not choose wisely, when it has to do with what to eat and in the right combination. Too often we look down on some important food items, especially fruits, nuts and vegetables not knowing the significant functions they perform to keep us healthy, hale and hearty.

So, how do we maximize these immense nutritional and the attendant economic benefits? That is the million-Naira question, especially in Nigeria where according to Dr. Adesina: “We are importing products that we can easily find local alternatives for that will reduce our import bill such as the N635 bn being spent on wheat importation every year.

However, the Chief Executive Officer, Nigerian American Agricul-

Rite Foods holds first Consumer Forum for beverages Obinna Emelike

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n a bid to express its appreciation to its loyal customers, Rite Foods Limited held a National Consumer Forum, which took place on April 25, 2017 at Yard 158, Oregun, Ikeja, Lagos. The forum, themed, the 1st National Consumer Forum for Beverage, was a platform to appreciate loyal customers for their patronage, over the last 10 years.

The company, which started in 2007 is a player in the snacks segment of the food industry and is gradually taking its place in the soft drinks’ and energy drinks’ segment of the beverage industry

in Nigeria.

It has also taken a grand leap in the FMCG industry by building a world class beverage and sausage roll factory, in Ososa, Ogun State, Nigeria. The major milestone has further promoted development in the Nigerian food industry. Their world class factory is currently considered the leading production facility in Nigeria. Some popular products by Rite Foods Limited are; Rite and Bigi Sausage Rolls, Bigi Cola, Bigi Orange, Bigi Apple, Big Lime and Lemon, Bigi Tropical, Big premium Water and Fearless Energy Drink.

Seleem Adegunwa, managing director, Rite Foods Ltd., in his welcome address, said, the company prides itself as very

Ibrahim Azeez, national sales manager, Rite Foods Ltd, presenting award to A.G.A Stores

Nigerian with world class facilities, and the forum was an avenue to celebrate the beverage brand, which is just twenty months old.

The presentation of gifts was one of the major highlights of the forum, and was done in three categories; winners of the Distributors Promo that ran from December 2017 - March 2018 and the Zonal Award to the top three customers of the financial year, April 2017 - March 2018, as presented by Ibrahim Azeez, national sales manager, Rite Foods Ltd. The second category was the National Awards presentation for the beverage categories (CSD & Energy drinks) for the financial year ended and the third, a national awards presentation to the top three customers of the financial year ended.

Gifts and prices worth N67 million were presented on the day and they included, an Isuzu QKR 5.2 tons truck, worth N11 million presented to the National Award first place winner, the sum of N1 million was presented to the second place winner and, N500,000 to the third place winner.

Other items presented as gifts were fridges, generator sets, and washing machines.

The First Consumer Forum f o r Be v e r a g e s p o r t r a y e d a new dimension to customer appreciation between the company and its consumers with the feature of a live band and sumptuous meal treats.

tural Empowerment Programme Limited, Chief Temitope Ajayi has stated that the situation is reversible. In a similar vein, Dr. Geraldine Ikenna the Director of Nigerian Agricultural Products Export Promotion Initiative holds a similar view.

For instance, Ikenna is of the opinion that there should be greater involvement of the private sector.

That is why the Food West Africa Fair is coming at the right time to enhance the value chain. Similarly, massive commercial and merchandised agricultural engagements will provide jobs for thousands of unemployed Nigerians and accelerate industrialization, especially with the development of SMEs. The food fair should provide answers to the situation whereby out of the 84 million hectares of arable land only about 40 per cent was being cultivated, while less than 10 per cent was being optimized. As a way forward Richard Hargrave, the Managing Director of Dizengof West Africa Limited is of the opinion that government should have no business with agriculture.

Said he: “Instead, it should focus on infrastructure essential for Nigeria to grow more of its own food.” Government needs to be focused on assisting in building infrastructure to help the private sector to build a successful agricultural sector But one area that the government could still be useful is funding.

According to Samuel Afolyan, the Executive Director, Agricultural

and Rural Management Training Institute, ARMTI doing so would boost industrialization and food security. He urged the central bank of Nigeria, CBN to make more money available to support capacity building of entrepreneurs, especially in agric products that could encourage more people to venture into farming.

He has therefore, appealed to the National Assembly to make laws that would make the environment more conducive for agric business people including farmers and investors. The other issues that should be tackled frontally include the quality of machinery involved in food production, processing and preservation. It has been observed that most of the tractors imported from China, India, and Pakistan do not work here in Nigeria because they were never made for our peculiar environment.

In terms of funding, experts feel that the non-agric sector could go with 20 to 25 per cent interest rate but such cannot be sustained in the agric sector. Like the Manufacturers Association of Nigeria, MAN , some believe that more should be done towards increasing the skills acquisition of local farmers. That would enhance the value chain from land preparation through processing to preservation.

Baje is Nigerian first Food Technologist in the media

MProbity sets to launch its technological breakthrough in May Obinna Emelike

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n a bid to enhance performance and communication management in corporate organisations in the country, MProbity, a business solutions provider, has developed GEPPP, a software technology designed to boost efficiency and productivity among the workforce.

GEPPP, which stands for: Global, Exceeding, Performance, Potentials and Probity is expected to hit the Nigerian market in the first week in May. With GEPPP, MProbity, which is based in Lagos, is taking a closer look at the primary problems that African corporate world is facing, which have dragged the continent backward and find solutions using software technology.

GEPPP is MProbity’s first technology and the company plans to come up with a lot more similar technological initiatives in the future to advance management system in Africa.

Speaking during a media parley to announce the technological breakthrough, Martins Egbo, founder/CEO of MProbity, said that for Africa to catch up with the rest of the world, the problems of organisations operating on the continent must be fixed starting with Nigeria because organisations are

the backbone of every continent that shape the behaviours of the workforce.

He defined the GEPPP as a workplaceperformancecommunication management technology that connects every hierarchy workforce and intelligently refused possibilities.

But what actually are the benefits of GEPPP to the users? The technology is designed to help management to get information on-the-go because the facility has a report module. It helps management to issue queries to staff that fail to perform their duties or deliver on time and that way, put the workforce on check.

On the contrary, GEPPP is not a not a human resources or a payroll software neither is it a financial software planning technology. It is not a customer relations and document/archival software. Hitherto, MProbity is not trying to replicate what other companies have done in software technology.

“GEPPP software will reinvent management system in Africa since the continent is in dire need of indigenous technologies that will enable it advance management operation.

“Everything MProbity built in GEPPO was done in Nigeria; not a single one is outsourced to a foreign company. It’s all locally built with local contents. And it means we have great people in Nigeria and we need to raise great people in the country”, the CEO explained.

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Sunday 29 April 2018

SundayBusiness Buhari’s economic diplomacy and national development

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he launch of the National Economic Diplomacy Initiative by the President Mohammadu Buhari’s government on the 5th of April 2018 is a welcome development.

It is in fact overdue in Nigeria’s economic recovery plan over the years, but for the poor vision of past Nigerian leaders.

According to the famous professor of political science, Okwudiba Nnoli, ‘‘Economic development is a progressive increase in the productive forces accompanied by salutary changes in the relations of production’’.

Therefore, economic development is a sine-qua-non for peace in Nigeria and in all societies; because it is the only way the welfare and security of lives and property can be guaranteed.

It is essential for the survival of every human society. Nations pursue their economic development through all aspects of their national life; including through their foreign policy objectives.

National economic development is usually the justification for the popularity of economic diplomacy as a foreign policy thrust by nation-states. Thank God, President Buhari has realised the need for this.

Vice-President Yemi Osibajo, in his speech at the occasion said that; the event was of monumental importance to both Nigeria’s diplomacy and the economy. In his words, ‘‘This is the convergence of our global reach and

influence with the tremendous opportunities for commerce and industry in Nigeria, a gamechanging synergy that has been waiting to happen for years,’’.

Economic diplomacy is a foreign policy orientation that emphasises and pursues the economic development aspirations of a sovereign state in the conduct of its diplomacy with other nations, international organisations and all other actors in international relations. Nigeria does not need to be an exception in the management of international affairs in the comity of nations.

Nigeria has played ‘Father Christmas’ with its national resources for so long! It has always been about playing the ‘’Africa’s big brother’’. Whatever that means in terms of the prosperity of the Nigerian economy and that of the Nigerian people, is yet to be appreciated in concrete terms. Scholars like Attahiru Jega, Okechukwu Ibeanu and many others have questioned the extent the economic objectives of externally oriented diplomatic policies and actions have helped the cause of the Nigerian state and her people.

According to them, how has this form of diplomacy; particularly the quest for foreign investment and search for new export markets and the desire to be recognised as sub-regional and African regional leader been realised? Certainly this is a topic for vigorous debate and arguments and it is one thing to call oneself a leader and another thing to be seen as such by others. Again,

they were of the view that, the ambition of Nigeria to be seen as a leader in Africa has not been converted from perception to reality. This, fifty years after Nigeria’s independence, are issues that should bother Nigeria.

It is important therefore, to implement this new economic diplomatic plan in line with the Lagos Plan of Action and the African Economic Community. This is the reason I share the views of the Minister of Foreign Affairs at the event, Geoffrey Onyeama; who said ‘‘this is why we have participated in African integration processes since the adoption of the Lagos Plan of Action and the Treaty of establishing the African Economic Community.

It is also why we participated actively in negotiations to establish the African Continental Free Trade Area.

The National Economic Diplomacy Initiative is a very good economic and foreign policy for the country. The difference and challenge now is the mode and pattern of implementation.

Therefore; it behoves the Federal Government of Nigeria to implement it with local content in view.

By local content, it is a considered opinion that there are fundamental economic policies that Nigeria needs to get right before foreign direct investment and economic partnerships between Nigeria and other countries can yield positive results on our economy; for instance, annual budget implementation.

Nigerian budgetary processes over the years have been in

Member, board of directors, Nigerian Tourism Development Corporation; Bolanle Kuku; director, NTDC, Aare Segun Phillips Phillips; chairman, NTDC Board, Mohammed S. Nanono; director-general, NTDC, Folorunsho Coker; and director, NTDC, Barrister (masan Agbajoh, during the inaugural meeting of the board at the NTDC headquarters in Abuja...on Wednesday

shambles. The executive -legislative bickering has not helped this situation, and the Nigerian economy and the welfare of the ordinary people suffer. It is high time this economic fundamental is corrected, so that the good dividends of the Economic Recovery and Growth Plan can be reaped. According to Eze Onyekpere, a budget analyst; the state is under a legal obligation to make a budget which is a statement of income and expenditure and an indication of the state’s expenditure priorities for the year. It is an economic, political and human rights process.

As an economic process, budgets convert state development plans and priorities into a programme of action. For instance, the provisions of the Nigerian Medium Term Economic Framework (National Economic Empowerment and Development Strategy-NEEDS) will need budgetary allocations to function, its mandate to create seven million new jobs and enhanced funding of the social sectors will need direct and indirect budget funding and support.

According to the International Budget Partnership, the budget is the government’s most important economic policy tool. It affects the lives of all people and particularly those of the poor people. Yet traditionally, the budget process has, to a larger extent, been the exclusive preserve of the executive branch of government. External engagement in the budget process by the public- and even by legislatures was seen only as a constitutional requirement.

Some even thought such participation might threaten a country’s fiscal stability. Much has changed in the past two decades. It is now widely accepted by donors and civil societies around the world, and increasing number of governments, that the public access to budget information can help to improve accountability, which in turn can help to make poverty reduction initiatives more effective, if the public is given opportunities to advocate for its priorities and monitor policy implementation.

For the National Economic Diplomacy Initiative to enjoy successful implementation and impact on the economy and lives of Nigerians, it is a necessity that relevant budgetary mechanism is designed to accompany it. That way it will no longer be one of the usual Breton Woods imposed programmes on Third World economies.

Oyekunle, an Economist, writes in from Kano

Establish measures to check palm oil smuggling, Njoku urges FG SABY ELEMBA, Owerri.

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governorship aspirant and a professor of agricultural economics, Jude Ejike Njoku has said that the massive smuggling and the unrestrained importation of crude palm oil, CPO, would only be stopped if the Federal Government puts measures and programmes in place to increase the production of Palm oil locally.

The former Vice Chancellor of the Federal University of Technology Owerri (FUTO), said the annual smuggling and the unrestrained importation of crude palm oil of about 400,000 million tons was to fill the annual supply gap of about 800,000 MT, and such was not healthy for local producers and investors in the palm oil production subsector of the economy.

Nigeria is the world’s fifth largest producer of crude palm oil, with a total official output of about 930,000 MT annually.

“The situation now is that we are not able to produce enough Palm oil to meet domestic consumption and manufacturing needs. So we have to import large quantities of Palm oil to meet the deficiency.

“Now usually importation has a way of depressing the price of locally produced commodities and of course that becomes a disincentive to production and investment that is the effect.

“But the truth is that you have to depend on importation for some time before you can increase production to close the gap,” Njoku said.

According to him the federal government should put in place “programs and measures to us in the next couple of years to increase production to the extent that it meets local consumption requirements” And if the federal government can do that he stated that importation could be eliminated and the customs and immigration would make sure that they play their roles in checking excessive importation of crude palm oil so that it does not continue to depress price and reduce the incentive of local producers from producing more for the market.

Meanwhile, he has said that he would use his vast wealth of knowledge and experience to bring the desired change, prosperity and development and of course, restore sanity and the dignity of the Imo people.

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Equity Market 18 manufacturers post mixed results as first quarter profits rise to N94bn ... Analysts project similar results for second quarter Stories by TELIAT SULE

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he nation’s manufacturing sector may not have totally come out of recession following the analysis of the first quarter unaudited financial statements which show mixed results for the 18 firms that featured in our analysis. This comes as the Central Bank of Nigeria (CBN) reported a rise in Manufacturing Purchasing Managers’ Index (PMI) for March 2018.

The companies in question are Okomu Oil, Livestock Feeds, Nigerian Breweries, Lafarge, Dangote Cement, Unilever, Cadbury, GSK, Fidson and Morison Industries. Others are BOC Gases, Beta Glass, Total Nigeria, Eterna, Forte Oil, Paints and Coasting, CAP and Premier Paints.

The analysis focused on growth in their revenues, cost of sales and profit after tax (PAT). We also analysed their operational efficiency using cost of sales to revenue and profit margin.

For the first quarter ended March 31, 2018, collectively, the revenue made by the 18 manufacturing firms stood at N636.14 billion, representing 5.94 percent increase over N600.45 billion realised same period in 2017. The combined profit after tax rose by 11.9 percent from N83.87 billion in similar period in 2017 to N93.83 billion in March this year.

However, their cost of sales equally trended upward by 3.48 percent from N383.67 billion in the first quarter of 2017 to N397.01 billion as at March this year.

While the combined revenue and PAT trended upward, the same cannot be said of these firms when we examined their individual performance. For instance, Okomu Oil and Livestock are players in the nation’s agric and agro-allied sector. For the period that ended in March 2018, the only similarity between the two firm is that they both reduced their cost of sales. Okomu Oil’s cost of sales fell by 48.17 percent to N655.18 million from N1.26 billion in corresponding period in 2017. But while Okomu Oil’s gross earnings and PAT rose by 24.52 percent and 13.16 percent, Livestock Feeds saw a decline in both metrics to the tune of 48.17 percent and 684.98 percent respectively. From N5.89 billion in Q1 2017, Okomu Oil’s revenue rose to N7.34 billion in the first

quarter of 2018. Similarly, PAT rose to N3.47 billion in Q1 2018 as against N3.07 billion in Q1 2017. Livestock Feeds’ revenue declined to N1.62 billion from N3.12 billion during the reference period while it made a loss after tax of N102.93 million in March 2018 compared with a profit after tax of N17.6 million in same period last year.

An analyst has attributed the contrasting performance of these firms the business line each firms presently engages in.

“Okomu Oil is into the production of crude palm oil which is on high demand presently as local producers cannot meet the market demand.

As a result of this, the company can afford to increase prices of its produces based on the market situation in order to maximise profit. On the contrary, Livestock Feeds is under cost pressures. Maize, which is their major input is very expensive in the market as well as the firm faces serious competition from big players such as Olam”, Fola Abimbola, research analyst at CSL Stockbrokers, said.

At 47 percent, Okomu Oil’s profit margin fell in the first quarter of 2018 when compared with 52 percent in similar period in 2017. The company

was able to improve its efficiency during the period as the cost of sales to revenue fell to 9 percent at the end of Q1 2018 compared with 21 percent as at the end of the first quarter of 2017. For Livestock Feeds, at 95 percent cost of sales to revenue, the firm spent 95 percent of a dollar to generate a dollar revenue in the first quarter of 2018 compared with 88 percent in Q1 2017.

GSK and Fidson Healthcare posted modest growth across all metrics.

GSK’s revenue was up 9.46 percent from N3.85 billion in Q1 2017 to N4.21 billion in Q1 in 2018. Profit after tax rose to N258.29 million as against a loss after tax of N8.26 million in Q1 2017. Profit margin improved from -0.2 percent in Q1 2017 to 6 percent in Q1 2018. In the same manner, cost of sales to revenue declined from 75 percent in Q1 2017 to 71 percent in Q1 2018.

Fidson’s gross earnings were up by 5.51 percent from N3.42 billion in Q1 2017 to N3.61 billion in Q1 2018.

PAT rose to N202.80 million from N160.98 million, representing an increase of 25.98 percent during the period. Profit margin was up from 4.7 percent in Q1 2017 to 5.6 percent as at the end of March 2018. However,

the firm spent 52 percent of its earning to generate a dollar revenue in the first quarter of 2018 compared with 48 percent in Q1 2017.

Total Nigeria saw a decline in gross revenue to the tune of 5.99 percent from N80.46 billion in Q1 2017 to N75.65 billion in same period 2018.

On the contrary, Eterna and Forte Oil posted 4.56 percent and 20.63 percent increase in gross revenue for the period. From N51.96 billion in Q1 2017, Eterna’s gross earnings stood at N54.33 billion in Q1 2018. Forte Oil’s revenue rose to N39.81 billion from N33 billion during the period.

On the contrary, both Total and Eterna had their PAT decline for the period. As against N2.67 billion, Total’s PAT for Q1 2018 fell to N1.67 billion, and from N681.5 million in Q1 2017, Eterna Plc’s PAT fell to N510.82 million during the period. For Forte Oil, PAT rose to N2.96 billion in Q1 2018 from N1.88 billion in Q1 2017.

“Forte Oil is more diversified than Total and Eterna as it is into downstream and power generation businesses. As a downstream player, Total Nigeria plays in a segment of the industry where prices are fixed”, Kayode Tinuoye, research analyst at the United Capital, said.

“The company and its subsidiaries are primarily engaged in the marketing of petroleum products which is divided into fuels, production chemicals, lubricants, greases and power generation”, according to Forte Oil Plc in its Q1 2018 unaudited results when reporting its principal activities. Amperion Power Distribution Company Limited and Geregu Power Plc are its foothold in the Nigerian power sector.

“On the average, the results are decent particularly if you compare them with the low base in Q1 2017.

We are going to see much of the same in the second quarter of the year and we expect their results to spike in the third quarter of the year. We base our assumption on the declining interest rates, cost reduction and decent export revenues”, Tinuoye added.

Paints and Coating, CAP and Premier Paints exhibited similar characteristics as others highlighted above.

Paints and Coasting recorded a decline in sales to the tune of 23.35 percent; reduced cost of sales by 40.70 percent while PAT rose by 44.29 percent. On the other hand, its profit margin improved marginally from 1 percent to 2 percent during the period, efficiency improved as cost of sales to revenue declined from 64 percent in Q1 2017 to 50 percent in Q1 2018.

CAP revenue was up 13.32 percent from N1.73 billion to N1.96 billion during the period. Both cost of sales and PAT rose by 11.76 percent and 18.43 percent respectively. Similarly, profit margin improved marginally from 23 percent in Q1 2017 to 24 percent in Q1 2018, just as the cost of sales to revenue declined from 52 percent in Q1 2017 to 51 percent in Q1 2018.

Premier Paints posted 34.84 percent increase in gross revenue just as its cost of sales was up by 17.43 percent. Regardless, it ended the first quarter of 2018 in the red as loss after tax stood at N17.94 million compared to a loss after tax of N22.07 million in Q1 2017.

As at the close of business last week Friday, Okomu Oil’s share price had risen by 14 percent year to date; Fidson, 47.6 percent; Eterna, 62.6 percent; GSK, 11.1 percent, Beta Glass, 47.1, Unilever, 33.9 percent; CAP, 14 percent; Dangote Cement, 6.5 percent and Forte Oil 4.0 percent.

Others either closed neutral or ended the period in the negative territory.

Equities gain N197 as Index rises by 1.05 percent ... NPF declares 17kobo final dividend for FY17

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tocks listed on the Nigerian Stock Exchange (NSE) last week appreciated by N197.06 billion as the market capitalisation closed at N14.94 trillion last week Friday up from N14.74 trillion recorded

in the period week. This amounted to an increase of 1.34 percent week to date and 9.78 percent year to date.

Similarly, the All Share Index (ASI) added 430 points to close at 41,244.89 points last week

as against 40,814.89 points as at the end of the previous week.

By implication, week on week ASI appreciated by 1.05 percent while YTD it closed higher at 7.85 percent.

Meanwhile, NPF Microfinance

Bank has declared a final dividend of 17 kobo per share for shareholders whose names are in the register of members as at the close of business on June 1, 2018. The payment date is June 28, 2018.

In another development, MRS Oil Nigeria has announced the resignation of John Ugochukwu, a non-executive director in the company. According to the company, his resignation was effective April 26,2018.

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Sunday 29 April 2018

BrandsOnSunday SPOTLIGHTING BRAND VALUE

Tech: Driving convenience with smarter dishwashers DANIEL OBI

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ccording to a global study one of the main reasons consumers opted for dishwashers over traditional manual washing was the convenience and time-saving aspect.

In the study conducted for a report in the International Journal of Consumer Studies, according to a statement 45 per cent of respondents, including in the Middle East and Africa region, said that regular use of the dishwasher was necessary for the number of dirty dishes piled up. Less than one-third of the respondents said they used dishwashers to save water and energy.

It is common knowledge that before the invention of the dishwasher, all people were washing utensils by hand. With the characteristics that categorise the latest modern dishwasher, it is equally important to remember that the dishwashers are not a new entrant into the home appliances segment but have had a long and rich history. Regardless of its impressive functionality, the first dishwashers were simply streamlined with no special features as we know them today.

Thanks to the advancements in technology, today’s dishwashers are a beneficiary of great technological innovations which have seen it offer improved performance, greater versatility and an aesthetic, modern design.

The study concluded that almost all dishwasher models tested achieved better cleaning results with less water and energy use, which highlights the potential sav-

ings to consumers from using smart appliances and its impact on the planet and our sustainability goals.

“With manufacturers like LG, an increasing number of consumers are realising the benefits of energy-saving and more sustainable dishwashing solutions that are not just convenient, but offer health benefits as well”, LG said in a statement.

“The Residential Dishwashers Market: Global Industry Analysis and Opportunity Assessment 2014 – 2020 report suggests that, apart from energy and water savings, a rising reason for dishwasher use is health and productivity. As awareness about foodborne diseases and the need for proper sanitisation at home increases, so will the demand for, and adoption of dishwashers that contribute to the health and

wellbeing of families across the Middle East and Africa”.

The reports states that in 2017, the market revenue of dishwasher in MEA was around $650mn, and that is forecast to grow as more people adopt smarter solutions for their homes.

Modern dishwashers take the chore out of doing the dishes thanks to a number of time-saving features like pre-soak cycles, better rotating sprayers, and trays and racks that are removable and can be moved around for different shapes and sizes of dishes.

Leading dishwasher manufacturers like LG go a step beyond, the statement said by offering consumers a host of functions like connectedness (Wi-Fi-enabled appliances) and innovative, health-focussed technologies. These innovations

have helped turn the once-luxury appliance into a modern-day household necessity.

“Innovations like LG’s Inverter Direct Drive Motor have allowed dishwashers to go beyond energy efficiency, greatly reducing wear, noise and operational vibrations, and increasing space and flexibility of use. Older dishwashers suffered from a lack of flexible space and noisy, vibrating operation. Thanks to LG’s continued research and innovation, whether you choose an in-built or standalone LG dishwasher configuration, you can be guaranteed of reduced operational noise and dust, with increased efficiency and durability.

“Additional LG innovations like TrueSteam ensures uniform cleaning of fragile items and dirty pots in a single cycle. TrueSteam is powerful yet gentle, able to remove stubborn marks like lipstick on glassware but without any streaks, scratches or chips. UV Sanitization further kills any harmful bacteria, ensuring all cutlery and crockery in the home is safe and germ-free, reducing the risk of spread of foodborne illnesses”.

For those looking for comprehensive dishwashing solutions at home that ensure the health and wellbeing of the whole family, LG said it will be unveiling the new range of dishwashers for 2018 and they are set to present you with a perfect choice for your home needs.

Designed to clean and sanitize different types of pots, pans, crockery and cutlery with minimal effort and wastage of water and energy, LG’s innovative new dishwashers are poised to meet consumer needs and demands in the region.

Chivita promotes active lifestyle in new campaign

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hivita Active, one of Nigeria’s leading fruit juice brands, has launched a new communication campaign tagged C’mon Get Active. The campaign is designed to inspire consumers to get active and encourage wellness through active health, while reinforcing Chivita Active’s position as a high quality wholesome fruit juice and an enabler for a healthy active life.

Deployed across different communication channels including TV, Radio, Print, the C’mon Get Active campaign aligns with the growing consciousness amongst Nigerians to stay healthy by embarking on a journey of active health. The C’mon Get Active campaign tells stories of ordinary people who in their own special ways say YES to active health, by simple and engaging workouts across various parts of the day.

With the ‘Chivita Active Power of 6 Citrus’ offering already building brand relevance through its positioning for active health, further complemented by the introduction of ‘Chivita Active Vegetable Fruit Nectar’, has been an innovative approach at integrating healthy lifestyle and enhanced nourishment.

A statement from the company said Chivita Active is filled with the power of Vegetables and Fruits perfectly blended with the goodness of vitamins and fibre with no preservatives. It is a smart and tasty

Big Brother Naija 2018 ends, offers huge branding opportunity for housemates

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hough Big Brother Naija has comeandgonewithMiracle Ikechukwu emerging as winner of the N45 million prize at stake but the three months show has created opportunity for all thehousematestorepresentbrands.

Miracle Ikechukwu

Unconfirmed reports say Big Brother Naija 2018 housemate, BamBam has concluded her endorsement deal as the brand ambassador of Famouspotatong, a luxury Intercontinental, fine dining restaurant and Premium indoor & outdoor location in Abuja. Nina Onyenobi, one of the five finalists of the 2018 BBNaija housemate is also said to be endorsing her first deal with `Flawless Beauty makeup’ as brand Ambassador. Other housemates are also signing /negotiating endorsement deals with some brands owners.

Previous contestants in the BBN have also been engaged by some brands as brand ambassadors.

The 2018 winner of the three months of suspense, drama, intrigue and controversy in BBN, Double Wahala , Miracle, went home with

N25 million cash, an SUV and other prizes with a combined worth of N45 million.

Former Big Brother Naija housemate, Bisola, hosted a live viewing in Lagos, Nigeria, and coverage of the show switched between the Lagos and South Africa venues.

Nigerian serial hitmaker, Davido, kicked off proceedings with his hit track, ‘Fia’ and the five finalists, Tobi, Cee-C, Nina, Miracle and Alex were then joined in the house by Ebuka, who gave them opportunities to clear the air on several controversial issues. The first eviction of the night was then announced, as Nina was told to leave the Big Brother house.

Viewers also got the chance to hear from past housemates who were in attendance at the Lagos venue, as Bisola probed them on their relationships and ventures

outside the house.

A pair of performances followed, first with ‘Legbegbe’ crooner Mr. Real thrilling viewers and then Kaffy and the Magneto Dance Crew performing expertly choreographed dance moves.

Another eviction was up next, as Alex was also evicted from the Big Brother Naija house. Following further performances by Dice Ailes and Kaffy, Tobi became the next housemate to be evicted leaving Miracle and Cee-C as the top two finalists.

After a very tense moment on stage, the venue erupted as Miracle Igbokwe was unveiled as the winner of Big Brother Naija: Double Wahala, with the Regional Director of M-Net West Africa, Wangi Mba-Uzoukwu presenting a cheque for 25 million naira.

way to get the right dose of antioxidant and stamina for a healthy active lifestyle, as well as the go-to fruit juice, whether at home, work, or on the go.

Tolu Fatusi, a fitness instructor at the National Stadium, Surulere, in the statement emphasized the need for Nigerians to embrace a regimen for active health to promote wellness.

“For me, I take a 2km walk everyday in my neighbourhood to stay smart, active and be more productive. Part of my routine includes taking a pack of Chivita Active Fruit Juice along for the walk because it is a high-quality fruit juice with great taste and dense in nutrients for enhanced nourishment. It is an essential enabler for my active health routine,” he stated.

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Arts BankoleArt of Crucifix: Creating in the order of a positive family tradition OBINNA EMELIKE

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t was indeed an exhibition of rare works. At the event held recently at the International Conference Centre, Abuja with the theme ‘Silhouette of Words,’ it was crystal clear that Bankole Bako, a self-taught artist, neither belongs in the status quo, the parochialism, the stereotype, nor be captive of any established art norms requesting liberation from any quarters. Therefore, he is not bound by the climate of fear for lack of patronage and survival. With his art, he does not see such fear as an issue; from the onset, making almost two decades, he has been working more on experimental art, not minding the saleability of the works and the lack of private or institutional funding. He has been very consistent with his conceptual epiphany or eruption.

Bankole’s art and aesthetic initiatives, from the generalistic point of view, are neither acclaimed nor particularly noticed in the realm of painting in Nigeria. For all admirable advancement he remains uniquely conservative, not competing for recognition within the clan of established artists in the Nigerian visual art landscape. However, his contributions poise to become the subject of wide-ranging scholarly research.

This exhibition, a collection of attractive life-size seven paper Crucifix – the chronology of Christ’s life– makes no claim to provide any neat finality of the established concept, to conjure up any single cause meant to explain this phenomenon in its manifold ramifications. The landscape of his artistic movement, like all such artistic endeavour, looks complex and multitiered though perhaps to allow for simplistic explanation and extension. According to him: “The beauty of this exhibition lies in its revelation that visual creativity in Nigeria nay

Bankole Danladi Bako

Africa is no longer anonymous... In my artistic foray, I have in this exhibition targeted a specific theme in an area where possible enlargement can be created, the crucifix.”

The exhibition offers the willingness that permeates the scriptural directive of the biblical teachings and the visual recording of episcopal commitment. In ‘Silhouette of Words’, there are such works as ‘Angelic Roles’, a 19-inch creation in which the artists brings attention to beliefs, superstition and myth. The cat-like image is about four angels praising God in solemnness. There is also, among others, a 19-inch ‘Iya Ibeji’ about which is the positive role of the missionary, exemplifying culture, tradition and religion. In a framed set of nine (10-year old) drums titled ‘Jesus Testimony About Himself’, the highlights are the real meanings to be given to the personality of Christ,

according to the Holy Bible.

The stained glass, wooden and metallic works are his attempts at documenting and visually creating an understanding about the chronology of Christ. His wild new sights and experiences have led him to make paper highlights and create visual descriptions of The Lord’s Supper; his version documents all the accounts of Christ’s last days from the books of Mathew, Mark, Luke and John, just as he did in the past exhibitions with images of native people, animals, and plants. His mixed media, with thematic reference from the Holy Bible, is a paper collage painting highlighting the words, prints, and images with Christianity. Shedding light on ‘Mirror and Console’, Bankole believes mirrors are now made more for functionalities than before.“From the changing rooms of our houses to the studios and stages in public

places, there are mirrors that snap or take pictures at events and venues”, he said. Bankoleart’s ‘Mirrors’ are used media of effect of evangelism, having the seeming fruits of the Holy Spirit juxtaposed in the frame. From the smallest size to the largest of his ‘Drums’, there is the message of the ascension of Jesus Christ from the testimonies of Christ Himself to the maps of His journey. Apart from the ‘The Chair’, Canvas comprise a great collection of paintings from the ‘Warriors of God’, ‘Crowns and Thrones’, ‘The Heart’, ‘Martyrdom’, ‘Peace and Beauty’, to drums that talk about God’s teachings and mission.

Going by what appears to be the turn of event, however, a Bako family generation born, raised and well established in the evangelistic norm, the artist makes a new set that has come into creativity with Bankole living and working on varied themes.

The artist by this exhibition appears to return to the path of his forbears and elders to work full-time, may be, making art a veritable means through which he propagates the gospel. The earlier generation of the Bakos had a committed existence as preachers in Nigeria, paying rare sacrifices in order of whom Bankole himself has decided to speak through his art about the culture of sincere sacrifice and commitment in the Christendom. The act of preaching is in the family boasting till date a good number of preachers at a very high level. From the linage was Bankole’s father, Rev. Ayo Victor Bala Bako (1940 – 2008). He grew under his parents, Rev. Cannon and Mrs J. A. Bako. His great grandfather, Evangelist Thomas Walter Bako – the Martyr - was shot when he was preaching at Tawari village and died on the 3rd June 1902. In 1943, the son of T. W. Bako, Rev. J. A. Bako, was transferred to St. Paul’s Breadfruit, Lagos as a curate. Also Rt. Rev. George Bako, who later became and retired the Bishop of Lokoja, was a chorister and an active member of St. Paul’s since 1943.

In his words: “For me, it is about creating memories, connecting generations by passing on the religious heritage as a rhythm and a seasonality of life.” The visual art exploit of Bankoleart has continued to flourish with the increased experimentation at numerous artist-run spaces in Nigeria, and in spite of poor financial budget which could affect his works, he is still able to make people have access to his works through a number of exhibitions. Unarguably, he is among the new generation of artists to emerge from Africa. The African art scene now sees an artist in Bankole who uses traditional media and new technologies to create works that explore many concerns including environmental conservatism, culture, the preservation of native heritage, ecology, and more.

Indian Envoy calls for consolidation of cultural relationship with Nigeria

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he High Commissioner of India to Nigeria, B.N Reddy has reemphasized the need to consolidate on the long standing cultural relationship between Nigeria and India.

The Envoy made the call while playing host to Olusegun Runsewe, director general, National Council for Arts and Culture (NCAC), and his team during a courtesy call to the Indian High Commission in Abuja recently.

Both men agreed that Nigeria and India shared a lot of similarities in terms of culture, music, history and language stressing that there is need to now fully leverage on these cultural similarities for the benefit of both countries.

During the visit, the Indian high

commissioner took the NCAC team round their premises to visualize the various mosaic artworks on display within the building depicting the rise of India via an artistic rendition of the rising sun.

According to Reddy, the national flower, the lotus placed in the centre with closed buds heralds the promise of the blossoms which symbolizes hope for the future just as the tiger and peacock represents their national animal and bird.

He further enlightened the visitors that India had twenty eight states with different languages and culture saying they will be explored in the forthcoming cultural event slated from April 28- May 5, 2018 in Abuja.

“It is natural we collaborate with Nigeria who also has a very

The director-general, National Council for Arts and Culture, Otunba Segun Runsewe receiving a souvenir from the High Commissioner of India to Nigeria, His Excellency Mr. B.N Reddy

rich cultural heritage in terms of tradition, music, culture, food and

languages”, the envoy aid and also promised to invite renowned

artists from India to grace the occasion.

In his response, the NCAC director general, praised the High Commissioner for his visionary leadership and vigor in repositioning the Indian High Commission in Nigeria. He promised to play vital roles in reawakening the strong cultural ties between Nigeria and India.

“Mosaic is a great cultural representation which is worthy of celebration. Since 1963, Nigeria and India have always had a formidable cultural collaboration which the new management of the Council under my leadership is ready to build on”, Runsewe said.

The meeting was concluded with the exchange of gifts and souvenirs between the two parties.

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Arts Etihad launches loungewear collection at the iconic louvre Abu Dhabi … Collection designed by young Emirati brand

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tihad Airways leveraged its sponsorships of global fashion weeks and its Platinum Partner status of Louvre Abu Dhabi to launch a new Emirati designed loungewear collection at an exclusive reception held last night at the iconic cultural institution.

The stylish new line by Emirati brand A Friend of Mine

by Xpoze will be offered to the airline’s guests on all First Class flights, and also to those staying in The Residence on board the Airbus A380 fleet.

The ‘Night at the Museum’ event was jointly hosted by Etihad Airways and influential fashion luminary Lauren Santo Domingo, co-founder of online luxury fashion retailer, Moda Operandi, and attended by leading figures from the world of fashion including models Halima Aden and Eric Rutherford, as well as, global fashion and lifestyle media.

The loungewear collection was designed by A Friend of Mine by Xpoze following an extensive brief from the airline, which was seeking innovative and striking

designs for inflight apparel which would be comfortable, functional, and would follow the same attention to detail and design principles held by Etihad Airways. Importantly, the creations would have to be high-quality, wearable onboard for relaxing and sleeping, yet be simple and stylish enough to be worn outdoors or matched with other items of clothing.

Linda Celestino, Etihad Airways Vice President Guest Experience and Delivery, said: “We are thrilled to be launching the new Etihad loungewear collection here at Louvre Abu Dhabi. This is after all an Abu Dhabi story. What the ladies at a Friend of Mine have managed to deliver is a testament to the tremendous talent and creativity which has become synonymous

with our home city.

“In today’s throw-away culture, it has never been more important for us to challenge the norms and to create clothing which can be enjoyed inflight, yet be strong and trendy enough to be kept and worn again as a bespoke item, whether relaxing at home or out with friends. By doing so, we also present our guests with a long-lasting and

...as Ogun hosts 3rd African Drum Festival

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33 states in Nigeria, over 20 African countries and the Caribbean perform at the June 12 Cultural Centre, Kuto, Abeokuta.

In attendance at the threeday event, which was supported by MTN, were Minister of Information and Culture Lai Mohammed, Wole Soyinka, and royal fathers, including Alake of Egbaland, Oba Adedotun Gbadebo; Alafin of Oyo, Oba Lamidi Adeyemi III; Ooni of Ife, Oba Adeyeye Ogunwusi; Obong of Calabar, Etubom Ekpo; Akarigbo of Remo land, Oba Babatunde Ajayi, and many others.

Wole Soyinka headlined the conference and symposium. He said, “There is no-

where that you don’t have drums in Africa. If we are to revive our ideals and ideas as a continent, we must start with a culture, like drumming, that cuts across.”

He spoke in-depth about the cultural heritage in Nigeria and across Africa and how our approach to culture, especially the different particular elements like drumming, should be different.

Veteran African drummer Bakossa Cocou Armel said drums were used back in the day to pass messages across, just as telephones are used now, and also as signals to show when a boy has become a man.

“Our culture is very rich

fashion magazine Zahrat Al Khaleej to identify the best local talent to create the new designs. The competition drew almost 71,000 votes via the publication’s social media channels.

The launch of the loungewear coincides with the debut of Moda Operandi’s Ramadan collection. Both Etihad Airways and Moda Operandi share a commitment to fashion’s expansion in the Middle East through the support of local designers. Moda Operandi is currently exploring e-commerce opportunities with young Emirati brands, offering them access to its global luxury retail platform.

This is the second time Etihad Airways has collaborated with Moda Operandi.

In February 2017, the airline co-hosted a star-studded dinner with Lauren Santo Domingo at New York Fashion Week: The Shows to mark the launch of ‘Runway to Runway’, its unique rewards program specially designed to support the fashion community’s international travel requirements.

9mobile commemorates World Book Day, donates books to Lagos library

Unifying Africa through drums rums have been a vital part of Africa, intertwined in its very fabric.

From kings’ palaces to family units, drums have their pride of place. This reality was affirmed at the just concluded African Drum Festival, which saw a colourful drum expertise from participants.

The rhythms and beats were different but those who are experienced in such matters could tell the subtle similarities.One of such experts was the Alaafin of Oyo, Oba Lamidi Olayiwola Adeyemi III, who spoke about Africa’s rich culture and the need for similar platforms across the continent.

The monarch related the drumming culture in Yoruba land to the state of the country. “Every morning at 5am, drums wake up Yoruba kings to remind them of the oaths they took to serve their people. We need drums to wake our leaders and policymakers in Nigeria,” he said.

The third edition of the Africa Drum festival, tagged ‘Drumming for Advancement’, saw drum troupes from

valuable memento of their experience with us. This is something uniquely Etihad and reinforces our position as the airline of innovation and choice.”

The new loungewear is inspired by the simplicity, clean lines and timeless elegance of traditional Emirati dress, cleverly combined with current global trends to create an aesthetic unique to Etihad.

Simple, earthy colours have been used to ensure that the pieces in the collection complement all skin tones, and can be easily matched with other items of clothing for everyday wear. Made of antibacterial and hypoallergenic Modal, the loungewear is free of unnecessary stitching and embellishments and is crease-resistant and breathable.

A Friend of Mine by Xpoze was founded by Rawdha Al Shaffar, Buthaina Al Marri and Fatma Al Muddhareb.

In November 2017, the young Emirati brand was announced as the winner of a major competition launched

by Etihad Airways in partnership with leading UAE

and drumming in itself is an art. Most of our children, however, don’t see this. They do not know how important drums are to our culture.

We need to quickly return to our history and bring our rich heritage upfront,” said legendary music producer Laolu Akintobi.

Lai Mohammed, in his welcome speech at the festival, noted that Africa has a very rich heritage and platforms that showcase its robust culture, like the African Drum Festival, should be supported.

“The drum festival keys into our objective of turning the creative industry into a thriving industry, one that provides jobs and promotes the economy. I will also appeal to the corporate world to partner with Ogun State and support this festival by providing the much needed resources to ensure its sustenance,” the minister said.

“This festival is important to Africa because it provides us an avenue to showcase our rich cultural heritage as well as an opportunity to preserve the culture for the future heritage,” he said.

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mobile has taken its passion for social development of its host communities a step further by donating books to the Isolo Public Library in Lagos State, and also launching a reading club to promote literacy, in commemoration of the 2018 World Book Day. The World Book Day is a day set aside to encourage everyone, particularly young people, to discover the pleasure of reading. In this light, the telecom company has partnered with Lagos State to promote literacy and drive a healthy reading culture among youths in the state.

During the visit to the stateowned library at Isolo, 9mobile delighted students, teachers, and officials of the library, with donations of books by renowned authors, including; Chinua Achebe, Cyprian Ekwensi, Mabel Segun, and Jowhor Ile – winner of the 9mobile Prize for Literature 2016. The donationofbooksby9mobilefurther underscores its commitment to the development and promotion of writing and reading in Nigeria and Africa at large.

Speakingatthepresentation of the books to Lagos State Library Board, Oluseyi Osunsedo, acting director, Regulatory & Corporate Affairs, 9mobile, said

the benefits of book reading on national development are immense, noting that the telco is promoting a reading culture to support knowledge acquisition and retention in Nigeria, especially among the youth.

“For us at 9mobile, we are passionate about driving sustainable national development and making a positive impact in the lives of Nigerians. As a youthful brand, our product offerings and CSR activities firmly confirmourbeliefthattheyouth are critical to nation-building, and education is the bedrock of any nation’s development”, she stated.

Osunsedo added further that, “Education is the fuel that enables the youth to add value to their family, society, and country. By reading books, the youth are being educated, and are opening their minds to learn, develop and grow.

This is why we chose to donate books to mark the World Book Day. We have also gone a step further to establish a reading club at the Isolo Public Library, and this means we will continue to provide more books and ensure that the students and youth continue to improve themselves and make themselves invaluable to our society.”

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Life&Living Imagine life without clothes JUMOKE AKIYODE-LAWANSON

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while ago, I was listening to a conversation between two people on radio and one of them was complaining about just how expensive clothes are. ‘It really is expensive to look good,’ she said. And I thought to myself, ‘imagine life without clothes?’ If we did not have to dress up and look good for others to see and admire how we look, would there be anything like jealousy, hate or envy? Would people be killing themselves by buying accessories and clothing items that they obviously cannot afford just to ‘belong’? Or would we just be living as carelessly and freely as animals if there was nothing like clothes?

Let’s rewind time to the days of Adam and Eve in the Bible.

Remember that they only started covering themselves in shame when they sinned against God. So that answers the question. There would have been no shame, jealousy, envy and the others if we had a life without clothes because that would have meant that there was no sin from the beginning. Get it?

How wonderful would that have been? I can only imagine.

Yes we all know that clothing

is important because it reflects an individual’s culture, personality and preferences. People can use clothing to enhance their personal appearance and protect the body from extreme temperatures and

elements in various climates but apart from these reasons, it is important to be more cautious about your appearance as people often form first impressions based on what a person wears.

Have you ever heard this saying, ‘looking good is good business’?

Well it’s undoubtedly true as fashion designers and beauticians are cashing out more than ever these days.

‘I have never seen anyone consciously making an effort to look bad. Even the people that seem a bit care free still want to look nice and presentable. Believe it or not, Nigerians judge people a lot by the way the person looks,’ Moni Fajobi, a Lagos based fashion designer tells BDSunday.

Historically, it is believed that the invention of clothing is one of the important factors that made migration possible as findings have shown that clothes appeared some 70,000 years before humans started to migrate north from Africa into cooler climates. Without a way of covering up to shield their bodies from cold, they probably would have had to all stay in the warmer climate of Africa.

Countless scenarios have also proven that you have to dress the way you would like to be addressed. So it goes without saying that if you dress like a thug, you are more likely than not to be treated as a thug. Some say it is sad that an individual should be judged by his mode of dressing but that’s just our sad reality.

So ladies and gentlemen, please make the extra effort to dress appropriately, fit for the occasion and look good, because sadly, we do not live in a world without clothes.

We can only imagine!

Why KIZA is the go to place for Africans in Dubai IFEOMA OKEKE

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t the ground floor of Emirates Financial Towers along Sheikh Zayed Road in Dubai, United Arab Emirates lays the KIZA Restaurant and Lounge popularly known as the only pan African Restaurant in the Middle East.

To a new visitor, the premises adorned with map of Africa immediately reminds one of the African continent, right from the entrance to the varieties of authentic panAfrican cuisine.

A recent visit to KIZA shows that the cozy and large restaurant has become a platform through which premium African artists like David Adedeji Adeleke, aka Davido Innocent Idibia, popularly known as Tuface and many other African celebrities have performed in Dubai. Apart from mere eating and drinking, KIZA equally offers bestin-class pan-African hospitality and entertainment services, spanning across dining, music, fashion, art and entertainment. Speaking during a chat on Emirates Airlines Familiarization trip to Dubai recently, CEO and Managing Partner of KIZA, Joseph Osawaye informed that KIZA brand was established in 2012 as

a casual dining and entertainment brand, quickly developing a unique market position across all of its segments. “ Based in Oud Metha Dubai, KIZA’s following grew exponentially and captured a wide demographic across the UAE. KIZA has also been a platform through which premium Africa artistes have performed in Dubai”, he said.

In 2015, KIZA’s management

said to have remodeled as an upscale restaurant and lounge.

According to the management “our flagship restaurant, based in the Dubai International Financial Centre, cleverly harmonizes all aspects of our operating model. In addition to our organic growth, we have also expanded geographically with the opening of KIZA Nairobi in the last quarter of 2015”. In further

stated that “our new DIFC venue offers a unique multi-sensory experience, intertwining food with art and music performed by our resident DJ’s The venue is highly sought after to host a range of events including corporate and social functions, with the option of a closed space for groups up to 30” Also receiving the Emirates media team at KIZA was the Opera-

tion’s Manager, Glen Vambe who urged the visitors to experience KIZA’s warm African hospitality. To Vambe, KIZA is the first authentic pan-African restaurant in Dubai, just as he pointed out that their menu consists of a selection of popular dishes from across the continent.

“This is the only pan African restaurant around. We try to offer cuisines that encompasses African choices and options”.According to Vambe, KIZA is a multi-cultural outfit as they have been able to employ workers cutting across Africa nations like Nigeria, Cameroun, South Africa, Ghana and even non Africans. Others who were at the dinner at KIZA restaurants were Emirates PRteam, including Smita Natalia Deans, Bardees Badr amongst others.

Delicious African cuisine such as pounded yam with egusi soup, Ghanaian kele wele, goat meat pepper soup, special BBQ chicken wings, peppered chicken, beef or gizzards, dulet, Sudanese Tamiya.

All these were complimented with KIZA wide range of African inspired cocktails and mocktails. There were also peri-peri prawns, tilapia fillet, princess KIZA, KIZA BBQ ribs, red snapper fillet and others.

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Sunday 29 April 2018

THINGS TO DO IN LAGOS Sweet Kiwi Ever since I first had a cup of parfait from Sweet Kiwi, I have been a huge fan! Well, also because they serve you with this really cute spoon(s), that a friend says can pass for a ‘’Back-scratcher’’ (hahahaha!)

Anyway, I feel their frozen yoghurts are more than YUMMY! Ever tasted something so sweet, you shut your eyes every minute just to savour the moment. Yeah, that’s the feeling you (will) get with anything from the sweet kiwi stable.

Snack It Up A Bit This Weekend!

Yeah, yeah, I know what your thoughts are mere looking at the title of this piece. How about I told you, snacking every once a while hurt nobody? (*hehehe*) Even if you are ‘’team fit-fam’’, relax, you are still entitled to cheat days. Right? (I know you said, YES) So here’s what I’m thinking, the weekend is meant for relaxation, right? (I know you said YES, again).

How about you try out the watch-a-movie and snack up a bit routine this time; whether home or out. Here are a few options of where you can get really sumptuous snacks in Lagos; Johnny Rockets This is one out a very few spots in Lagos where you can get really nice, tasty burgers and other finger foods.

At some point, I was tempted to crown them Lagos’ ‘’King of Burgers’’, but I think I will hold on to that title until I try out every Hamburger-making eatery in town.

If you think of or too lazy to prepare home-made burgers this weekend, allow Johnny hook you up!

(Location – Adetokunbo ademola street, Victoria Island, Lagos)

(Location – Admiralty way, Lekki phase 1, Lagos)

Krispy Kreme Doughnuts I have been a lover of doughnuts for God-knows-how-long; now having a foremost American doughnut company set up camp in Lagos is like heaven on earth.

Asides, being one of the weirdest, yet simple shaped pastry, doughnuts are just… DELICIOUS! If you feel this doesn’t make any sense, walk into any Krispy Kreme outlet in Lagos; I can bet – not a million bucks, because I’m not yet in the 30billlion gang – you will walk out with a box of doughnuts and a sticky brain-note to always come back for more.

(Location – Ikeja City Mall, Lagos; and Bishop Aboyade Cole street, Victoria Island Lagos)

EVENTS HAPPENING TODAY Open House Lagos Date – 29th April 2018

P.s – These are random selections based on personal experiences.

GTB Food and Drink Fair Date : April 29th, 30th of April & May 1st, 2018 Time : 10am – 9pm (daily) Venue : Plot 1 Water Corporation Road, Oniru Victoria Island, Lagos

Indie View Lagos (A short film series) Theme – The passion, possibilities and pitfalls of film making Venue – Freedom Park, Lagos Date – 29th April 2018 Time – 6pm to 10pm

Bijou Pop Up Sales baker hotel Time – 12pm to 6pm Venue – The Wheat- 4 Lawrence Street, Ikoyi

Synthesis (Painting Exhibition by Timi Kakandar) Venue – Freedom Park, Hospital Road, broad street, adjacent saint Nicholas hospital, Lagos Island, Lagos.

Time – 4pm

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13 Amazing facts about the human body (1) You may think you know everything about your body.

The truth is you didn’t create yourself, so you will continue to discover things about the body you occupy. Check out the amazing facts below.

You produce enough spit in one lifetime to fill up two swimming pools.

(2) You have an ecosystem in your belly button which is the size of a rainforest.

(3) Your nose has the ability to remember over 50,000 different scents.

(4) Red blood cells make the entire journey around your body in about 20 seconds.

(5) Your eyes focus about 100,000 times a day.

(6) When stressed and experiencing an adrenaline rush you can lift up a car.

(7) We can distinguish between up to 1 million different colours at a time.

(8) Our bodies actually glow in the dark, our eyes are not just designed to see it.

(9) Bananas share 50 of our DNA. (10) Our brain produces enough electricity to fully power a light bulb.

(11) Every second your body produces 2million new cells.

(12) Human brains have the ability to read 1000 words a minute.

(13) We shed 40 pounds of skin cells in one lifetime.

BDSUNDAY 43

Miracle Ikechukwu Emerges As BIG Brother Naija: Double Wahala Winner After 85 long days with humans he never knew existed, Miracle Ikechukwuu emerged as the undeniable winner.

With 47 million in his account. You can expect that Miracle will be flying your aircraft really soon.

We wish himself and Nina, best of love.

Visa Free Countries For Nigerians Did you know that as a Nigerian there are so many countries you can visit without a visa?

Here are 5 of them that we are sure you’ll love to check out this summer…

Barbados (Visa free for 6 months) – This is where Rihanna is from so just imagine how cool it will be to holiday

there.

Fiji Islands (Visa free for 4 months) Ghana – it’s just next door and there’s 24/7 light so why not.

Madagascar (Visa on arrival) Gambia (Visa free for 90 days) – this place is really beautiful. You must check out Leo’s Beach Hotel.

For more information, check out www.therealgist.com

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Sunday 29 April 2018

Travel

Deeper Life’s new mega church, a boost to religious tourism OBINNA EMELIKE

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hile on a flight from Johannesburg to Lagos last November, a group of people decked in branded T-shirts caught my attention. They were almost everywhere on the flight. On a further inquiry, I discovered that they were heading to one of the mega churches in Lagos for pilgrimage of sort.

That underscores the growing prominence of religious tourism, especially for the Christian faith in Nigeria with a proliferation of mega churches.

The churches are not done yet with the building of mega structures.

A visit to Gbagada in Lagos mainland reveals yet another architectural wonder, a beautiful edifice and a holy place, which in its sheer beauty draws both worshipers and tourists.

Worshipers and passersby are seen taking pictures with the church’s imposing background at will.

Sitting on five plots on (2-10) Ayodele Okeowo Street, Gbagad, Lagos, is the new headquarters of Deeper Life Bible Church auditorium, considered to be the fourth largest church in the world. The church; the latest and one of the largest churches in the world, is truly mega and tourist attraction in all respect.

From its huge 30,000 worshipers capacity, the newly commissioned church built in amphitheatre style has elevated the aesthetics of the entire Gbagada and communities around Ayodele Okeowo Street, adjoining streets and the Gbagada

General Hospital Road.

From the several flags flying at the entrance to indicate the many countries Deeper Life Bible Church has spread the gospel to, the imposing building that makes caricature of all other buildings its dwarfs on the street, to the well-laid green lawns and tarred road, the new church speaks volume of delightful attraction not only to souls but to visitors.

While inside, the worshippers cannot help but behold the church in holy awe or have holy fun; if that is allowed. The interior is more aesthetically enhanced across the four floors. The four-storey amphitheatre saves worshippers from tropical heat with its central air-conditioning

units, chiller farm and air handling units.

For the elderly and the convenience of the worshippers, a-12 passenger elevator move people from the base to the four floors. As well, the alter is simple, yet magnificent. It hosts a moderate pulpit and a choir stand that features a wide range of world class music instruments. The audio is also perfect with huge hanging speakers imbedded in the roofing design as while as inbuilt in walls across the floors.

The seating arrangement causes goose pimple, especially when the church is full to capacity with worshippers. It looks like a battalion of soldiers in ceremonial march.

In the tradition of the church, there

are many banners with inspirational write-ups hanging on the floor panels and galleries to further condition the congregation in worship mood.

The immediate church surrounding offers huge space even for openair crusade, it is peaceful, well-laid out with outdoor decorations with some trees growing to add to the environmental friendliness of the church.

Going by its 30,000 capacity, there is a huge multipurpose hall for hosting receptions and every other event considered not appropriate to hold inside the church.

But the wonder is the adjourning four-level car/bus park measuring 9063 m2, which accommodates 450 cars and 75 buses. Yet, the aesthetics of the immediate environment

was lifted a lot more with a bridge constructed by the church which spanned the entire length of the parallel Oduwaiye Street with traffic lights. This is testimony to the church’s commitment to the residents’ welfare.

With the bridge, built by Julius Berger, motorists and pedestrians have access to other road networks even during church service sessions.

The 30,000 capacity church project constructed by Cappa and D’alberto had been on for about 13 years and it is estimated to be valued over N5 billion (about $16 million).

At the opening of the mega church on Tuesday April24, 2018, Yemi Osinbajo, vice president of Nigeria, congratulated the General Superintendent and members of the Deeper Life for the vision and execution of the edifice and called on them to sustain the message of undiluted gospel of Christ the Church has been known for while also ensuring that the Temple of Christ which the church has built is also built in the hearts of the people.

Also, William F. Kumuyi, general overseer of the church who is widely called General Superintendent (GS) by members and well noted for his unwavering stand on holiness and righteous living, is fulfilled having many of his young worshippers and admirers of his holiness message remain with the church rather than leave for things not related to the doctrine or spiritual stand point of the church.

However, the new church expects many visitations beyond the annual December and Easter retreats as members from across the world are eager to visit with friends on pilgrimage soon.

‘Plateau is safe for business, tourism’ OBINNA EMELIKE

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ith a mild weather, undulating landscape dotted with rocky and rolling hills, awesome waterfalls, wildlife parks and colourful cultures, Plateau State is truly a destination worth visiting. At the recently concluded annual general meeting of the National Association of Tour Operators in Jos, YAKUBU DATI, the state’s Commissioner of Information, tells OBINNA EMELIKE the determination of the state government to bring back Plateau to its glorious days through the promotion of security, tourism and other businesses‎.

What do you hope to achieve with the hosting of tour operators’ AGM? F‎ irst we want to appreciate the National Association of Tour Operators (NATOP) for picking Plateau State as venue for their annual general meeting (AGM). The hosting of the meeting is a statement that the state has turned a new leaf and the governor of Plateau State, Simon Lalong has listed tourism as part of the key programmes that will be pursued. All these fall into the five policy thrust of his administration.

Plateau has remained the centre of tourism because it is naturally endowed and the people are also friendly, you cannot find the weather anywhere in Nigeria. So, there are lots of combinations that project Plateau as the headquarters of tourism in Nigeria and I believe with this

Yakubu-Dati visit, most of you will bear witnesses to the abundant tourism potential in the state. The governor is also working round the clock to ensure the sustenance of peace in the state because if there is no peace, there is not much you can do. For the facts that groups like you are coming in shows to the outside world that Plateau is at peace. Peace is not the absence of conflict; in every society there are bound to be conflicts where human being are involved,

but the capacity to be able to nip it in the bud or develop standard operating procedures to control it is what makes the difference. We are happy that so much has been done. About a month ago President Muhhamadu Buhari and even spent the night. He launched the Plateau Road Map to Peace, which is a-five document that creates systematic steps that will be taken to avert any breakdown of law and order. All these are practical strategies that are being put in

place by this government to ensure sustenance of peace.

How safe is Plateau State for tourists now?

You are h ‎ ere now; you can see that the state is at peace. Of course, once in a while you will see some criminal elements trying to take advantage of gaps to create mayhem and is not peculiar to Plateau.

Although the issue of security is the prerogative of the federal government, the state is not relenting, that was why last week, the Governor purchased and distributed about 21 Hilux vans to assist security agencies, apart from the support we give them in terms of logistics. So, all those are efforts aimed at strengthening the security agencies, to be able to carry out their responsibility of safeguarding the state.

We are happy that all those interventions are yielding fruits and that accounts for why such organisation like NATOP picked interest to come to Plateau State. The state is also collaborating with the tour operators to ensure that the delegates have as much view as possible because you need at least one month in Plateau to see all our tourism sites.

The sites abound; Wase Rock, about 200 ft high, is the only one of such rocks in the country, we have the Assop Falls, which I learnt you have visited, we have even the Shere Hills, which is the leadership training centre, we have the museum, the Jos Zoo, and the Wildlife Park. Plateau is the centre of tourism, so we are happy and hope that you will use this opportunity to give a lot of pub-

licity to what we have in the state.

The state is safe for tourism and all other activities. Before this government came, most of the hotels are hardly filled, but after two years of stability by the present government, things have changed.

We now have about 150 hotels and every weekend, the hotels are fully booked. That in itself is an indication that people are coming in to state. Of course, people cannot come where they feel unsafe.

Are there efforts at improving on tourism infrastructure?

J‎ ust like the venue of this conference, the Hill Station Hotel, it was in a dilapidated state until this government came, look for some investors to try to work it up and pumped in some money. Now, the hotel is habitable.

Secondly, there are also deliberate efforts at ensuring that key drivers of tourism and in this case we are talking about tour operators, will also focus on the state because they are the ones that will move the traffic here. So, by the time they are able to see and are convinced, it makes the gospel easier. So, much is being done as you can also see from the airport. I am sure you enjoyed the beautiful road, which was commissioned by the President. So, all these are interventions that are put in place to give visitors resounding welcome, because if you do not have that, most tourists will not even look at the state. So, all these factors are being put one after the other to create the enabling environment for tourism to thrive.

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Travel

Ethiopian airline partners aviation school club to grow manpower in Nigeria Stories by IFEOMA OKEKE

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frica’s largest and most profitable carrier, Ethiopian Airlines is partnering with Aviators Africa School Club (AASC), to meet with the growing pace of air traffic and to ensure that the aviation industry is not lacking in seasoned manpower in the sector.

Aviators Africa Academy (AAA), an initiator of the school club in Nigeria was born out of the need to inspire the next generation in the aviation and aerospace in the country.

Tigist Terefe, Manager, Sales and Business Development, Ethiopian Airlines Aviation Academy, said the airline was pleased to be partnering with the school club in ensuring that the sector has adequate manpower.

Terefe said the Ethiopian airlines academy has been providing assistance to other Africans countries in the area personnel training since the establishment of its training centre.

She said the center is an International Civil Aviation Organization (ICAO’s) Regional Training Center of Excellence and Full TRAINAIR Plus member.

Terefe added that the centre is an International Air Transport Association (IATA’s) Regional Training

Partner, Accredited Training Center & Authorized Training School, Approved Training Organization by the Ethiopian Civil Aviation Authority.

She said: “Ethiopian Airlines Aviation Academy -EAA is the largest and most modern aviation training academy in Africa offering range of training services in core airline trainings( Pilots training, Aircraft Maintenance Technicians, Cabin Crew, Ground Services, Cargo, Dangerous Goods Trans-

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modern technologies & a practical experience in an airline operation environment.

“In line with ICAO’s Next Generation Project & its strategy of nurturing partnership/cooperation, EAA is very glad to take part in support of the launch ceremony of Aviators Africa School Club in Lagos, Nigeria. EAA will continue to support the growth of the sector in Africa & venture more in such initiatives in the future too.”

L-R Kingsley Ezenwa, Communications Manager, Dana Air, Marcel Obioha, Dana Air/ Heartland Player of the Month of March, and GoodFaith Chibuor Etuemena, Chairman of Heartland Fc of Imo state, during the presentation of cheque of 200,000 to the Heartland player as part of Dana Air’s sponsorship of the team.

South African Airways awarded 4-Star Skytrax ranking for 16th consecutive year outh African Airways (SAA) has maintained a 4-Star Skytrax ranking, in both Business and Economy Class, for a 16th consecutive year.

“This win will surely strengthen our global position for once again being awarded a 4-Star ranking.

Awards demonstrate that SAA is standing its ground as one of the leading airlines in the world,” Tlali Tlali, SAA spokesperson said.

The SAA stations audited this year were South Africa: ORTIA, Durban, and Cape Town; regional – Mauritius and international: Hong Kong, UK, Perth, and São Paulo. “We were also fortunate to have had our new Airbus A330-300 audited this year amongst our aircraft fleet.

The A330-300s are state-of-the-art aircraft and the latest acquisition in our fleet,” said Tlali.

The Skytrax 4-Star ranking is a seal of quality approval awarded to airlines supplying good quality performance across a range of product and service-delivery rating areas. Skytrax assessed the rating after detailed product and service standards audits for each featured airline and not connected to any customer ratings. A 4-Star Airline rating signifies airlines providing a good standard of product and staff service across all travel categories, including cabin seating, safety standards, cabin cleanliness, comfort amenities, catering, tax-free sales, reading materials, in-flight enter-

portation regulation & handling, etc) & more.

“A huge contributor of skilled aviation professionals for the region, EAA has trained close to 12,000 professionals in different aviation fields from all over the continent of Africa, Ethiopia included. With the increasing demand for trained aviation professionals in Africa, EAA, more than ever is ready to train aspiring youth of the continent in its different training programs using

tainment, and staff service.

Skytrax, an independent, global airline-rating organisation, awarded the 4-Star rating placing the airline amongst other international and partner airlines. SAA has maintained quality levels throughout what has been another challenging year for the airline, delivering an excellent product and service standards to our customers, making this 4-Star Airline ranking well deserved.

Skytrax commented: “The South African Airways product and service standards continue to perform at a standard that is meeting 4-Star levels and this applies to long-haul, regional, and domestic flights.”

“SAA operates in a highly competitive environment with other African airlines such as Air Mauritius, Royal Air Maroc, Air Seychelles, and Ethiopian Airways also achieving 4 Stars. Winning awards inspires us to seek further opportunities for service excellence and act as an important motivation for employees to keep doing their best and further improve the travel experience of the millions of customers who choose to fly with SAA,” said Tlali.

SAA recently also won four of the six APEX Regional Passenger Choice Awards (PCAs) for Best Seat Comfort, Best Cabin Service, Best Food and Beverage, and Best Overall in Africa for airlines operating in the Africa region. The airline won the Best in Region – Africa award twice before, in 2012 and 2011.

Airline launches #FlyLufthansaToRussia campaign

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u f t h a n s a Ni g e r i a h a s launched the ‘#FlyLufthansaToRussia’ campaign to give customers an opportunity to experience Russia in all its glory. This exciting campaign is in partnership with selected social media influencers, who will join one lucky fan to Russia in June, 2018.

Chiamaka Obuekwe (@socialprefect), award-winning tourism expert and CEO of Social Prefect Tours, , has been selected as one of the three social media influencers, along with popular Nigerian comedian, Nosa Afolabi (@lasisielenu) and sports journalist, Bolarinwa Olajide (@ iambolar).

“We are excited about this campaign and hope that a deserving fan gets the opportunity to visit Russia together with his/her favorite influencer. We look forward to welcoming them on board Lufthansa Premi-

um Economy”, Adenike Macaulay, Lufthansa Group, Sales Products and Programs Lead for Sub-Saharan Africa said.

To participate, fans simply have to visit www.lufthansa.com to vote for their preferred choice amongst the selected social media influencers.

Voting automatically qualifies each participant for a chance to enjoy an all-expense paid trip to Russia with the winning influencer.

Participants will also be receiving $50 discount vouchers for their next trip on Lufthansa as a thank you gift from the Influencers. The ‘Fly Lufthansa to Russia’ campaign starts on April 20, 2018 and runs till May 9, 2018.

Lufthansa offers daily flights from Lagos, Abuja and Port Harcourt via Frankfurt to over 200 destinations in Europe, USA, Canada and beyond.

Air Peace crew wins NIPR awards

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igeria’s leading carrier, Air Peace and five of its crew members revelled in accolades on Thursday when the Nigerian Institute of Public Relations (NIPR) rewarded them with the “National Carrier of Repute” and “Nigerian Crew Member of Repute” awards respectively for delivering flight services with exceptional efficiency.

Rotimi Oladele, President of NIPR, presented the awards to the airline and its crew members during the annual conference of the institute in Umuahia, Abia State.

Air Peace, he enthused, had brought honour to Nigeria in the aviation industry and proved that the nation had the capacity to fix its challenges.

Oladele affirmed that the carrier’s on-time performance, customer service, safety and fleet maintenance reputations were unparalleled.

The NIPR boss commended Air Peace’s crew chosen for the “Nigerian Crew Member of Repute” award - Adesola Arasi, Violet Enahoro, Ademola Olowolade, Ann Otiede, Yemisi Beckley and Paul Ijeh - for distinguishing themselves in their engagements with members of the flying public.

He justified the choice of Air Peace and its crew for the awards, saying they were practically assessed by NIPR teams without their knowledge.

He said a total of 20 airlines were covertly assessed by the institute’s teams on board 29 flights and at the carriers’ offices.

Air Peace and its crew, he said, emerged winners after securing a total of 67 percent of the votes.

Responding on behalf of Air Peace, Chris Iwarah, its Corporate Communications Manager, assured that the carrier was driven by a passion to project the name of Nigeria globally through exceptional flight services.

From seven aircraft and five routes at launch in 2014, he said Air Peace had increased its fleet to 24 aircraft and taken its flight operations to 12 domestic and four regional destinations.

Iwarah said the airline was set to broaden its regional route network with the addition of Monrovia (Liberia), Lome (Togo) and Abidjan (Cote d’Ivoire) in the next few weeks.

He assured that the airline, which recently set a record as the first Nigerian carrier to acquire a Boeing 777 aircraft for its long-haul operations, would soon prove the mettle of the country on the global aviation scenes with the launch of its Houston, London, Guangzhou-China, Dubai, Sharjah, Mumbai and Johannesburg services.

He commended NIPR for rewarding merit, assuring that the awards would spur Air Peace and its crew to further raise the bar of service in the nation’s aviation industry.

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Health&Science Mortein partners with four state ministries of health to fight malaria ANTHONIA OBOKOH

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n its continued effort to increase awareness and drastically reduce malaria morbidity and mortality rates, Reckitt Benckiser (RB) Nigeria, makers of Mortein insecticide brand has partners with four states ministries of health to upscale action and sustains their commitment for the elimination of malaria in Nigeria through community engagement, continued investment and sustained efforts.

As part of activities marking this year’s World Malaria Day with its theme: “I stand with Mortein, Ready To Beat Malaria” reaffirmed its commitment with stakeholders; Lagos, Ogun and Abia State Government ministries of Health as well as the National Malaria Elimination Program (NMEP) Abuja The community engagement saw officials from the States Ministry of Health and Reckitt Benckiser carry out sanitation, health quiz competitions and also participated in a road walk from the federal secretariat complex to Barcelona Hotel, Abuja, where a ministerial press briefing was then held. ‘‘As I speak to you, millions of people are suffering from malaria all over Nigeria and every minute a child reportedly dies from malaria’’, said Aliza Leferink, marketing director, RB West Africa Speaking at the press briefing in Abuja to commemorate the 2018 World Malaria Day(WMD).

According her, the latest WHO World Malaria Report, released in November 2017, there were 216 million cases of malaria in 2016, up from 211 million cases in 2015.

... Says 19.4m children under-vaccinated in Africa AKINREMI FEYISIPO

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The estimated number of malaria deaths stood at 445 000 in 2016, a similar number to the previous year of 446 000.

“An estimated 445,000 pregnant women and children aged below five die every year from malaria with Africa accounting for over 90 per cent of global malaria cases and deaths,” said Leferink.

Isaac Adewole , minister of Health said that the Federal Government through NMEP has achieved remarkable strides in its various interventions, having trained numerous healthcare providers, distributed doses of Artemisinin-based Combination Therapy (ACT) drugs and delivered units of Rapid Diagnosis Test (RDT) kits to states.

“A malaria-free Nigeria is possible through a stronger inter-sectorial coordination, implementation of well-known and cost-effective in-

terventions, supported by a strong accountability framework and a strengthened primary health care system. These will facilitate timely allocation of adequate resources and access to basic health services to the population, particularly the underserved population,” said Adewole The minister commended Mortein for its work and continuous support in the fight against malaria through its collaboration with the government and pledges the Federal government’s commitment to work with RB/ Mortein to ensure total eradication of malaria in the country by imploring everyone to join the fight to beat Malaria.

However, the Roll Back Malaria Partnership (RBMP), states that Nigeria has the highest malariaburden, accounting for 26 per cent of global malaria cases and almost a third of related deaths.

“This puts a strain on health systems and national malaria program budgets, hence calling for sophisticated intervention adaptable in combating and eliminating malaria and malaria transmission to its barest minimum.” says Roll Back Malaria Partnership.

Also speaking at the press briefing Audu Bala Mohammed, National coordinator, (NMEP) stated that “the fight against malaria is an on-going one and it is a fight to the finish in the country.

“Mortein brand has continuously put structures in place, which will drastically reduce the intensity of malaria transmission in the country through sustainable initiatives. We don’t talk about malaria prevention once a year,” explained Bamigbaiye-Elatuyi Omotola , marketing manager, Home and Hygiene, Reckitt Benckiser, West Africa.

TVS Tricycle Riders get free check-ups in Ajah IFEOMA OKEKE

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t was excitement all through as TVS Tricycle riders in Ajah, Lagos were rendered free medical examination for their health statuses as well as free mechanical service for their tricycles during a Mega Free Check-up Camp held in Ajah recently.

The 5-day free check-up camp organised by Wandel International, the flagship company of the Simba Group, sole distributors of the TVS Tricycles and motorcycles by TVS India Limited, was a way of giving back to end users and the society at large.

Numerous tricycles were attended to by experts mechanical during the exercise which the Head, Service, Vivek Pendharkar, said will also feature free oil filters and engine oil, training for riders on driving safe and keeping the vehicle fit as well as free medical consultation for high blood pressure, diabetic and the condition of the sights of the operators.

“The main purpose of the free

Ekiti govt. solicits support for successful vaccination campaign

Head, Tricycle, Amit Seth (left), Adekunle Pelujo representing Elejigbo of Langbasa Kajerojaiye I, Dealer, Olubunmi Kuforiji, Vivek Pendharkar, National Sales Manager, Deji Olaniye and TVS India, Gowri Shankar, recently at SIMBA’s Mega Free Checkup Camp in collaboration with TVS India at Ajah.

camp check-up is to give gratitude to our end users who have been supporting us. Our end users are our strength because they tell us what to do and what not to do. We support them by providing them with services, spear parts as well as establish strong personal relationship with them through our TVS dealer in this area which is Madam Olubunmi Kuforiji of FOBIMS. And through this we have been able to grow our business here in Ajah”, he said.

While declaring open the free check-up camp, Adekunle Pelujo, who represented the Oba Hafeez Olakunle Badiru, the Elejigbo of Langbasa, said the event will not only help the operators to put their vehicles in proper shape but also enable them keep their health condition in proper shape.

Amit Seth, Head, Tricycle Business, said, “We have been here for many years and we feel this is the right time to use the tricycles as a

means of empowering people for better livelihood. And that is why we have upgraded the product to a higher level - the TVS Dulex Plus - with advanced features, it save fuel, it is less polluting to the environment and of course offers more comfort.

Olubunmi Kuforiji of FOBIMS, the TVS main dealer in Ajah, said “when we started the project of sales of the TVS tricycles in Ajah here about 10 years ago, it was very challenging but because TVS is a company with integrity, committed to the end users satisfactions, we have been able to overcome virtually all the challenges.

“Ajah is the home of TVS, what we have been able to achieve in the environment is incredible. Many years back when we introduced TVS to this area, the pe3ole embraced us and today we are not only number one in Ajah but number in Lagos and in Nigeria as a whole. So today we are giving back to our numerous customers.” Deji Olaniyan, National Sales Manager, TVS, said.

kiti State Government has solicited the support of traditional rulers’ wives, community leaders, religious leaders and political office holders for the success of the African Vaccination Week (AVW) in the State.

The State Commissioner for Health, Simon Ojo who made the call in Ado Ekiti during the flag-off ceremony of the 8th AVW, lamented that an estimated 19.4million children under the age of one were undervaccinated in Africa.

Speaking through the Permanent Secretary in the State Ministry of Health, Ayo Omole, Ojo described immunization as one of the most successful and cost-effective public health interventions adding that it currently averts an estimated two to three million deaths every year.

He however noted that additional 1.5million deaths could be avoided if global vaccination coverage improved.

Ojo, a medical doctor noted that Nigeria and Ekiti State in particular has however conducted large scale vaccination activities or information outreach and health promotion through immunization and other child survival interventions.

The Commissioner said that this year’s programme would continue to focus on advocacy and sensitization on the role of all stakeholders in line with objectives of the global and regional immunization strategic plans as well as the persistent challenges to achieve the set targets.

According to him, Nigeria and her development partners aim at highlighting the need for everyone to get vaccinated and update their immunization status throughout life course while also receiving other lifesaving interventions.

“The State also strive to ensure full involvement and contribution of all stakeholders to make sure that everyone is reached with vaccines and other health interventions while sufficient resources must be allocated for immunisation”, he said.

Ojo noted that the theme of the 8th edition of AVW scheduled to hold from 23 to 29 April, 2018 “vaccines work, do your part!” is very apt saying that it highlights the collective action needed to ensure that every person is protected from vaccine-preventable diseases.

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Sports ICPC commends NFF for transparency and accountability Chivita Active promotes healthy lifestyle in new campaign ...Inaugurates NFF’s ACTU unit … unveils C’mon Get Active

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Stories by ANTHONY NLEBEM

heIndependentCorrupt Practices and Other Related Offences Commission (ICPC) on Wednesday in Abuja inaugurated the Anti-Corruption and Transparency Unit (ACTU) of the Nigeria Football Federation, commending the football body for its zeal in establishing the unit and ensuring its inauguration.

Acting Chairman of the ICPC,Dr.MusaUsmanAbubakar explained that the ACTU “is one of the strategies being deployed by the ICPC to monitorcorruptionandengenderfull compliance with transparency and accountability policies by Ministries, Departments and Agencies of Government.” A representative,OtaOkorie,the Assistant Commissioner, read the speech on his behalf.

The ICPC boss added that the NFF’s role in “organizing domestic and international football is crucial to the promotionofunitywithintheNigerian Nation and the world at large” and that “the ICPC through the ACTU seeks to implement a three –dimensional approach towards entrenching ideals in theworkplace;asderivedfrom its mandates of Prohibition and Preventionofcorruptionaswell as enlisting and enlightening public servants on and against the ills of corruption.”

President of the Nigeria Football Federation, Amaju

Shehu Dikko, NFF 2nd vice president/LMC chairman; Dr. Mohammed Sanusi, NFF general secretary with some members of NFF management, officials from the ICPC and members of NFF’s ACTU at the ACTU’s inauguration held in Abuja recently.

Pinnick, who was represented

by NFF 2nd Vice President/ LMCChairman,MallamShehu Dikko, said the creation of the unit sits well with the present NFFadministration’svisionand objectivesofabsolutetransparency and accountability.

“When we came on board in 2014, one of the first moves we made was to ensure that our book –keeping processes were better done than in the past, and we appointed world –renowned firm, PWC as our auditors. Our last audited account was certified good and evenFIFAhascommendedour effortsinstraighteningprocesses and ensuring accountability.

“That was why we made all the effort to birth the ACTU in NFF. We all know that prevention is cure. If anyone’s going wrong in any process, the ACTUwillbetheretoputhimor

herright.Weseethisasanother milestone for our administration.Rightprocessesarekeyfor investor –confidence.”

While observing that a corrupt –free society is the goal of all good people, Dikko assured that the Federation would give ACTUallthesupportnecessary to succeed in its work.

NFF General Secretary, Dr. Mohammed Sanusi, also pledged that the Federation would fully support and cooperate with the ACTU. The NFF’s ACTU chairman, Barrister Okey Obi, thanked the Federation for finding the members worthy in character and in person to serve in such capacity, pledging that the unit wouldservethepurposeandend forwhichithasbeenputinplace.

Other members are Miss Ruth David, Dr. Christian Emeruwa, Mr. Wale Adeyin-

ka, Mr. Rajan Zaka and Alhaji Magaji Abdullahi. Mr. Ayo OluIbidapo is the secretary.

WithOkoriefromtheICPC office to perform the inauguration were Alhassan Abubakar (Assistant Chief Superintendent), Adogo Alonyenu (Corruption, Monitoring and Evaluation Department), Adebimpe Abodunrin (CMED), Joseph Odu (Chief Anti-Corruption Assistant), Jimoh Kamaldeen (CMED) and Joy Erusiafe (CMED).

Coach Bitrus Bewarang (NFF’s Technical Director), Mohammed Cheku Salihu (Director of Finance), Bola Oyeyode (Director of Competitions), Ademola Olajire (DirectorofCommunications), YusufTegina(DeputyDirector, Audit) and Karim Bako (Assistant Director, Finance) were also there.

LaLiga signs regional partnership with Big Cola Nigeria LaLiga and AJEAST Nigeria, the makers of Big Cola, have announced the signing of an agreement under which the multinational beverage company has become LaLiga’s latest regional partner in Nigeria.

The strategic partnership was announced at a press conference in Lagos, on Thursday April 26th, 2018.

Gregory Bolle, LaLiga’s Head of global partnership sales; Mr. Theo Williams, Country Director of AJEAST Nigeria; and Perpetual Ohiri, Marketing Manager Big Cola Nigeria, took center stage at this event. Philip Diwan, CEO of Legacy Sports, Javier Del Rio, LaLiga’s Delegate in Nigeria, and LaLiga Ambassador, Mutiu Adepoju were also among those in attendance.

The partnership further reinforces both LaLiga and AJEAST’s continued commitment to consumer satisfaction in Nigeria. Moreover, it will enable the beverage company – who are a major stakeholder in the Nigerian fast moving consumer goods industry – to offer its customers access to exclusive content related to the Spanish football competition.

Following the signing of the agreement, Gregory Bolle, LaLiga’s Head of Glob-

al Partnership Sales, noted: “LaLiga loves Africa and Nigeria is a strategic country for us, because of its fans and numerous football talents such as Francis Uzoho (Deportivo de la Coruna) and Oghenekaro Etebo (UD Las Palmas). LaLiga is proud to kick off this partnership with a leading beverage brand such as Big Cola. This partnership will allow our millions of Nigerian LaLiga fans to further engage with the best league in the world.

Through this innovative collaboration with Big Cola, we will prove once again that we are committed to becoming closer than ever to our fan-

tastic Nigerian fans.”

Meanwhile, Mr. Theo Williams Country Director of AJEAST Nigeria, stated: “We are proud to launch this partnership with LaLiga. This partnership provides us with a remarkable platform to broaden Big Cola’s profile and values, while giving us another opening to create distinctive experiences for football fans all over Nigeria.”

Also speaking at the event, Javier Del Rio, LaLiga’s Delegate for Nigeria said “This is another major step for LaLiga in the right direction here in Nigeria. Through this partnership with Big

L-R: Philip Diwan, CEO Legacy Sports ;Javier del Rio, LaLiga Delegate in Nigeria ; Perpetual Ohiri,Marketing Manager Big Cola Nigeria; Theo Williams, Managing Director AJEAST Nigeria; Gregory Bolle, Head of International Partnership Sales and Mutiu Adepoju, LaLiga Ambassador, at the LaLiga and Big Cola partnership press conference held in Lagos.

Cola, we´ll be able to bring the best League in the world closer to the Nigerian fans and all the young football talents in the country” Under this agreement, AJEAST Nigeria, will gain access to Intellectual Property and marketing rights, tickets and hospitality deals, merchandising, rights to digital assets and social media, public viewing events for El Clásico, access to trophy tours and exclusive content from the 20 clubs participating in the Spanish top flight league.

Thepartnershipreaffirms AJEAST’s status as a major player in the development of football in Nigeria, while further illustrating LaLiga’s successful international expansion in Africa to get closer to its Nigerian fans.

The partnership with Big Cola continues LaLiga’s commitmenttoNigeria,joining projects already taken up by the LaLiga office in Nigeria, such as the MoU signing with the NPFL, the NPFL All-Star Trip to Spain, the Legacy Sports Partnership, the LaLiga – NPFL coaching seminar for Nigerian youth coaches, the NPFL U-15 tournament, the MoU signing with the NWFL, and the official LaLiga in Naija media event.

h i v i t a Ac t i v e , one of Nigeria’s leading fruit juice brands, has launched a new communication campaign tagged C’mon Get Active. The campaign is designed to inspire consumers to get active and encourage wellness through active health, while reinforcing Chivita Active’s position as a high quality wholesome fruit juice and an enabler for a healthy active life.

Deployed across different communication channels including TV, Radio, Print, etc., the C’mon Get Active campaign aligns with the growing consciousness amongst Nigerians to stay healthy by embarking on a journey of active health. The C’mon Get Active campaign tells stories of ordinary people who in their own special ways say YES to active health, by simple and engaging workouts across various parts of the day.

With the ‘Chivita Active Power of 6 Citrus’ offering already building brand relevance through its positioning for active health, further complemented by the introduction of ‘Chivita Active Vegetable Fruit Nectar’, has been an innovative approach at integrating healthy lifestyle and enhanced nourishment.

Chivita Active is filled with the power of Vegetables and Fruits perfectly blended with the goodness of vitamins and fibre with no preservatives. It is a smart and tasty way to get the right dose of antioxidant and stamina for a healthy active lifestyle, as well as the go-to fruit juice, whether at home, work, or on the go.

Tolu Fatusi, a fitness instructor at the National Stadium, Surulere, emphasized the need for Nigerians to embrace a regimen for active health to promote wellness.

“For me, I take a 2km walk everyday in my neighbourhood to stay smart, active and be more productive. Part of my routine includes

taking a pack of Chivita Active Fruit Juice along for the walk because it is a high-quality fruit juice with great taste and dense in nutrients for enhanced nourishment.

It is an essential enabler for my active health routine,” he stated.

Hassan Belgore, a communication analyst with WingPlus Communication stated that the Chivita Active C’mon Get Active commercial underlines the relevance of Chivita Active to the Nigerian consumers, who are increasingly striving for wellness through active health.

“It is a campaign that definitely highlights the brand promise of Chivita Active and attempts to stimulate positive consumer experience for the brand by positioning the brand as the go-to fruit juice for active health,” he noted.

Commenting on the new campaign, Chi Limited’s Marketing Director, Probal Bhattacharya, said that the new Chivita Active campaign C’mon Get Active is a call to consumers to get active by connecting with their aspiration for living an healthy active life.

“In an era of growing health consciousness, when consumers are proactively looking for enablers for a fit healthy active life, Chivita Active is undoubtedly their go to brand of fruit juice.

With this new communication we want to give the fit & healthy at heart a friendly nudge to overcome the inertia and step right out to enjoy the aspired healthy active life, each one in their own special way,” he noted.

Since its introduction into the Nigerian juice market, Chivita Active has been well received by consumers, and its success and market leadership have been underscored by its brand proposition and superior quality. Chivita Active is available in four exciting blends of 6 Citrus Fruits and the Vegetables + Fruits variants: Carrot and Orange, Beetroot and Grape, Beetroot and Apple.

BDSUNDAY

NEW YOU CAN TRUST

I

SUNDAY 29 APRIL 2018

Nigeria’s $22.3bn migrant remittance: The real economics

D

oes a growing migrant remittance inflow provide any insights on the economic and development state of recipient nations like Nigerian?

To what extent does the state of the recipient nation stimulate remittance growth for a given period?

For decades, economists have used diverse metrics for measuring wealth creation, human development and economic growth for nations.

Values like Gross Domestic Product (GDP) have been used for years but it has also come under serious scrutiny, as experts query its present-day usefulness and relevance. Globalisation, technological growth and changes in lifestyle have now provided nations several new - albeit more efficient - measures of economic performance and state of development.

In 2017, the money transfer industry was excited about the growth of remittances to SubSaharan Africa, which peaked at $37.8 billion, led

by Nigeria with $22.3 billion, according to the World Bank. While this is hailed as great news for Fintech and albeit the Nigerian economy at large; the conversation on the economic impacts of remittances (both financial & social remittances), is very double edged! In spite of the apparent economic benefits, high ranking recipient nations like Nigeria have many reasons to worry. This is because the seemingly good growth in migrant remittances is underlied by the equivalent growth in mass emigration that highlights a bigger problem.

I postulate that migrant remittances may be the new GDP in a distinct shape; a quasi-measure of economic growth and even development within a country. If you don’t agree; compare the GROWTH in migrant remittance inflows from the year 2000 to 2017 in Nigeria (1,500percent), to that of four random countries; United States (50%), Japan (253%), and South Africa (122%).

Furthermore, with Nigeria (190 million people) recording $22.3 billion worth of inflows in 2017 - one of the highest in the word - which other countries have huge numbers in absolute figure and how does their economy compare?

Philippines with 103.3 million people (remittance = $32,795 billion), Pakistan with 193m people (remittance = $19,801 billion) Mexico with 127.5 million people (remittance = $30,534 billion).

Undoubtedly, migrant remittances stimulate local demand for goods and service, and often stand as a viable source of foreign exchange.

However, if growing financial remittance over these years correlates with increased migration, and also doubles as a pointer to the steepness of the economic divide (income levels, social welfare and standard of living) between the

receiver nation and the source nation(s), then large remittances may be a Trojan horse for recipient nations. This scenario shifts the strategic question for nations like Nigeria. It highlights the need for radical improvements in the standard of living, which would cob emigration, as opposed to the superficial concern of lowering absolute cost of remittance in order to increase, the volume. While savoring the many benefits of Diaspora financial remittances made possible by emergent payment technologies, it’s also important to note that its continuing growth could be indicative of worsening economic conditions.

What of “Social Remittance”?

As the remittance blessing/anomaly is adjusted, there is also an exigent need to balance high financial remittance with equivalent volume of “Social Remittance”. As a top beneficiary of financial remittances, Nigeria should also champion Migrant Social Remittances, which is the reverse flow of ideas, skills, values and knowledge from migrants to their home country.

The Nigerian Ministry of Foreign Affairs recently launched a great initiative to support Nigerian Diasporas looking to contribute to the home economy. Broadly, that initiative resembles a channel for some degree of social remittances. How sufficient could it be? It may be analogous to using a single Fintech platform for the $22. 3 billion remitted to Nigeria in 2017. I well believe that the potential social remittances to Nigeria, if quantified will be equivalent to or higher than the financial remittance of $22.3 billion and there should be market-driven solution for capturing that value. As we strive to capture currently forgone social remittances, the pertinent question remains; why does Nigeria have one of the highest levels of migrant remittance in the world? And why has it been on the rise since the last 18 years.

A poverty link? Yes! Wide spread, systemic poverty traps! The economic and development concept of poverty traps describes people who can neither “raise” (earn or save) sufficient capital to liberate themselves, nor ‘find” capital (through borrowing or aid) to support self-growth. They are therefore lost in a vicious, endless cycle of insufficiency.

There are studies supporting the postulation that remittances rarely support meaningful investments in receiving countries, as they are typically geared toward consumption. One World Bank report supported the notion that remittances are counter cyclical (compared to foreign Aids and FDI), since they grow in times of economic downturn and natural disaster (and relatedly decline in times of boom in home

CHIJIOKE MAMA

In Nigeria the Uperclass-middleclasslower class social classification is appearing unsuitable for depicting the nation’s economic strata. Rather we might have The Rich; The Poor and the “Trapped Poor”.

Nigeria’s “trapped poor” are the hundreds of millions of people who are poor in Human Capital, Financial Capital, Infrastructure Capital and Knowledge Capital and whose chances of overcoming those barriers are extremely low

countries). This is a pointer to the relationship between poverty, emigration and remittances and why Nigerian has been on a continuous growth trajectory for 18 years.

In Nigeria the Uperclass-middleclass-lower class social classification is appearing unsuitable for depicting the nation’s economic strata.

Rather we might have The Rich; The Poor and the “Trapped Poor”. Nigeria’s “trapped poor” are the hundreds of millions of people who are poor in Human Capital, Financial Capital, Infrastructure Capital and Knowledge Capital and whose chances of overcoming those barriers are extremely low. There have been some direct attempts at alleviating poverty in Nigeria, some of which were misguided and ill-designed. But the great tragedy is the politicians’ misconception that traditional efforts will be sufficient in rescuing the trapped poor. Since that misconception has consistently failed, the outcome has been mass emigration. The sheer inefficiency or insufficiency of decades of economic interventions in Nigeria - that breeds citizen frustration, emigration- and eventually remittance - will continue to instigate wide spread impoverishment.

Therefore, the hard questions for Nigeria amidst her booming remittance market are many. How can growing remittances help to inspire development at home and in turn, cub the emigration that feeds it? Also, how will the lost benefits of “Social Remittance” be properly harnessed?

From the impoverishment and frustration that inspires emigration, to the eventual remittances of foreign income to the home country and the ensuing argument on their costs/benefits; it appears Nigeria is entangled in a complex economic-development phenomenon that calls for a serious debate but presently absent debate.

MAMA is the founder of Meiracopp Nigeria Limited (MNL) and a Doctoral Researcher at the University of Port Harcourt (m.chijioke@ meiracopp.com)

Off the Cuff

Quick Takes

Ali Modu Sheriff: Unstable as water!

A

li Modu Sheriff needs no introduction to those who follow political events in the country, particularly since 1999.

He served as senator during the Sani Abacha regime and also from 1999 to 2003. He was a two-term governor of Borno State. He was first elected governor in 2003 on the platform of the defunct All Nigeria People’s Party (ANPP) and re-elected in 2007.

The story of the genesis of the Islamist sect, Boko Haram, in Nigeria cannot be successfully told without a mention of Sheriff. In fact, at a point he was accused of being a sponsor to the sect by an Australian hostage negotiator, Stephen Davies.

A man of immense wealth, Sheriff was beckoned by some governors of the People’s Democratic Party (PDP) after the 2015 disastrous defeat by the All Progressives Congress (APC) to take over the leadership of the party at the centre.

He is an astute politician and an asset to many parties in the past, even up till 2014. But his inability to manage success appears to be responsible for his receding political relevance.

In the merger that took place in 2014, Sheriff,

who was chairman of the Board of Trustees (BoT) of the defunct ANPP, led the party into the APC. He however, dumped the broom party shortly after the party’s national convention in 2014. Pundits said at that time that he was forced out by a strong force that was not comfortable with his strong vibrations.

He was said to have sharply disagreed with Bola Ahmed Tinubu, national leader of the party, over the national chairmanship of the party. While he rooted for Tom Ikimi, Tinubu backed John OdigieOyegun. Seeing that he was merely going to be an “O’Yes member” in the APC, he decamped to the PDP. He had an unfettered access to power at the topmost level and needed not to fraternise with the Borno State chapter of the party.

His defection did not benefit the PDP as he was said to have made no impact in the 2015 election for the umbrella party. But he was to make a surprise appearance in February 2016 after months of hibernation after the general election, as the acting national chairman of the PDP amidst stiff opposition.

Under his leadership the PDP nearly went into extinction.

Two months after he joined the PDP from the

APC, Kasshim Shettima, governor of Borno State, said that going by Sheriff’s antecedents, he would destroy the PDP. “He is a very consummate politician who is presiding over a dead horse, and I am absolutely certain that he will see to the total annihilation of the PDP. My boss is a very consummate politician; he can survive in any political terrain. He will certainly find his way and will successfully destroy the PDP to the better glory of the APC,” Shettima said.

True to prediction, Sheriff nearly sank PDP. Like a chimpanzee that refuses to let go a cup peacefully handed to him to have a drink, Sheriff held on to leadership cup handed over to him and refused to release it. He only relaxed his grip by the legal powers of the nation’s courts.

Unlike in 2014 when he returned to the PDP and was received by the national secretariat without any input by the Borno State chapter, this time around, the APC national secretariat pointedly told Sheriff to start the process from the grassroots.

His next step will largely determine his political future. Talk of a rolling moss!

N50

It was for his refusal to part with this amount of money that a police sergeant Onyebuchi Nweke allegedly killed one Ofim Ejike, a commercial motorcyclist in Abakaliki , Ebonyi State, last Wednesday.

Dangerous dimension!

‘Like play, like play butterfly enters the bush”. By the same token, the Fulani herdsmen’s harassment that started mildly, like scaring away people from their farms while their cattle graze in those farms, has gone full blown. They have graduated from raping girls and women, chopping off people’s arms, slashing throats, torching residential buildings and now to invading sacred places of worship, killing clerics and worshippers. And the Federal authorities are still preaching the message of “tolerance”.

These are indeed perilous times in Nigeria.

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