Cherry Africa Magazine Edition 5

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JJanuary y 2019

CHERRY

AFRICA

...Harnessing Africa’s Potential

Masari takes Katsina to the next level Inside The Mind of Africa’s Richest Amazon Africa’s longserving leaders undermine development

Values of Kagame’s A U Presidency

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Nigeria

With an increased port operational efficiency, decreased port cost and decreased financial burden on government,

Nigerian Ports Authority is becoming

Nigerian Ports Authority

2 January, 2019 CHERRYAFRICA MARI T

ERRAQUE SERVIM

US

...To be the Leading Port in Africa...

Website: www.nigerianports.org

Email: info@nigerianports.org

Graphics Unit NPA 01/2016

the Hub of International Freighting and Trade in West and Central Africa.

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October, 2017

CHERRY

AFRICA

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Contents

...Harnessing Africa’s Potential

Baby Gorillas Get Named NEPAD’s 5 per cent Agenda Initiative AKWA IBOM @ 30

Governance Beyond Sloganeering: President Aku΍o-Addo’s Paradigm

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PAGE

Masari charts new course

6-7

PAGE 23

Under Weah: Which direction is Liberia heading?

PAGE 55

Inside The Mind of Africa’s Richest Amazon, ISABEL DOS SANTOS

Page 48 Africa’s long-serving leaders undermine development PAGE 17

08 Akufo-Addo’s all business Japan ride 14 Ecobank Ghana joins global trend with Xpress Account 29 Strides in Education

36 How we Responded to Challenges we met 42 Our scorecard on programmes is excellent 45 Our contributions to stable security are visible 57 7 Female African Entrepreneurs Leading The Tech Revolution 60 Update on AWLO-Rwanda 2019 62 Goal Setting And The Achievement Of Your Vision

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The Brexit trials and tribulations of Theresa May PAGE 53 January, 2019 CHERRYAFRICA

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AFRICA

Publisher’s Note

...Harnessing Africa’s Potentials

Time To Destroy Africa’s Yoke As of Tuesday, November 27, 2018, based on the latest United Nations estimates, Africa’s population was 1,300,290,900. This population is equivalent to 16.64 per cent of the total world population. Africa also ranks number 2 among regions of the world (roughly equivalent to "continents"), ordered by population. The continent has population density of 43 per Km2 (113 people per mi2), total land area of 29,648,481 Km2 (11,447,338 sq. miles) with 40.6 per cent of this huge population found in urban centres (523,004,491 people in 2018), while the median age is 19.4 years.

It remains a saddening commentary and grieves to the marrow, however, that Africa, a continent that is home to this number of people has always been depicted as the poorest continent in the world even with its verdant endowments that include such precious commodities as cocoa, diamond, oil, gas, gold, and many others.

As in many other countries of the contemporary world Africa also has its own share of rising and stifling challenges that have clogged the wheel of progress. However, the remarkable difference in Africa’s narrative remains its failure to fail forward in the continent’s problem solving initiatives. Its pool of sit-tight rulers, decision makers and kleptomaniacs have crassly continued to fail to lift it out of these lingering problems that have muted progress over the years.

Most of them are either clueless on how to adroitly tackle the problems or are not heartily committed to solving them. Worse still, they are also not willing to either leave the stage or involve others who have the desire, acumen and commitment to tackle and surmount the problems. While other regions of the world are seen making measurable progress in tune with present day realities Africa is still beset by its damning problems. Today, the continent, going by the assessment of the international community with which it relates in almost all spheres of human endeavour-since it is not a continent in autarky- is still neck-deep and deep-seated, as it were, in its problems the most serious of which are identified as corruption, poor governance, unemployment, insecurity, drought and famine.

Financial misconduct and fraudulent deals by government officials remain an obstinate canker that has been eating deep into the economic fibre of the continent with many of its leaders in the public and private sectors emerging ‘richer and more successful’ than the countries and institutions they lead, especially in material well-being.

The continent has also been unfortunate with its leaders many of whom are barely educated, unskilled, lack the requisite skills and unprepared for the intricate challenges of modern day leadership beyond the allure of occupying exalted offices for their lifetime if possible.

Unemployment especially among the youth and graduates of tertiary institutions remains a ticking time bomb that is already causing severe and disruptive consequences in the areas of insecurity, armed robbery, kidnapping, cultism, electoral violence and other related socio-economic distortions.

The continent has lived with the harsh reality of threats posed by such dreadful terrorist groups as Al-Shaabab, Boko-Haram and the Islamic State in West Africa (ISWA) for more than a decade or even longer in some cases. These dare-devil groups abduct girls, rape women and blast churches, public and other religious buildings in their blameworthy acts that project the continent as unsafe to people, goods, services and investments.

Developments in Cape Town, South Africa are big lessons that must not be lost on Africans in a hurry. The beautiful tourism city looks set to become the world’s first major city to run out of water following a drought in the Western Cape Province of the country that began in 2015 and is believed to have reached a critical level.

Somali, Central African Republic and South Sudan have also been doing battle with harsh famines making them net receivers of international food donations and programmes.

Commentators on African affairs have repeatedly asserted that there is a strong cord of relationship between the miseries of the continent and these niggling problems which when solved can become strong push and pull factors to lead the continent towards sustainable and inclusive development.

We are aware of some initiatives in some countries aimed at addressing these problems but at the same time demand more from the continent’s leaders in our firm belief that Africa can solve its problems, however complex they may be. The earlier the problems are solved the better for the huge population which should be source of opportunity and strength rather than threat.

Carolyn Isaac 4 January, 2019 CHERRYAFRICA

Publisher

© 2019 All rights reserved

Chairman Air Vice Marshal Francis Nyoyoko (Rtd) Editorial Team Publisher Carolyn Isaac publisher@cherryafrica.net Managing Editor Murphy Jones editor@cherryafrica.net Associate Editors Athan Tashobya (Kigali) Morgan Winsor, Patricia Abena-Kissi Contributing Editors Nicholas Newman( London), Jamie Leigh-Matroos (Cape Town) Abdoulie Nget (Banjul) Design and Production Kelechi Okoro – Emmanuels Country Manager Ann Ashiogwu Administration Job Peters Samuel Asiamah admin@cherryafrica.net Marketing Selasi Appiah (Ghana) Akunna Nworgu (Lagos) advertising@cherryafrica.net Subscription Juliet Joseph subscription@cherryafrica.net Editorial Advisory Board Tony Charles (Chairman) Dare Akpata, Salome Malema, Makwaia Wa Kuhenga, Kede Alhie, Umar Sanni, Peace King Kporvie Office 5, Owukori Crescent, Western Avenue, Alaka, Surulere Lagos Nigeria.

Tel: +234 81 7777 7503 info@cherryafrica.net Ghana Bureau: 18 Junction, Sprintex Paraku Estates Opposite KFC, Sprintex, Accra-Ghana +233244677080, +233559791583 ghanabureau@cherryafrica.net ISSN: 24657107

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COVER

Values of Kagame’s A U Presidency 6 January, 2019 CHERRYAFRICA

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COVER

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By Athan Tashobya

n Feb 10, 2019, President Paul Kagame of Rwanda will hand over the African Union chairmanship to Abdul Fattah Al-Sisi, President of the Arab Republic of Egypt.

Taking you back to the day he assumed office, in January 2018, during his acceptance speech Kagame promised “to do this with you and do the best job I can.” if he had the full support of his colleagues.

And to say that he outdid exactly what he promised is an understatement. It is fair to say that Kagame’s transformational effect has been felt across Africa and if the congratulatory messages that a washed social media on the day he handed over the rotational seat are anything to go by, the continent’s crop of current and future leaders drew inspiration from the Rwandan leader.

From leading African reform committee to champion the signing of the Continental Free Trade Area agreement, and many more in between, it is safe to say that the founding fathers of the African Union must be looking down on the continental union with a grin of pride, especially in 2018.

At the just concluded AU summit, Kagame, who is spearheading the AU institutional reforms, would present a status update of the process.

He said that the process was on schedule but there was still much to be done as some of the toughest decisions were yet to be made.

So far, he said that 50 countries have made their payments to the Peace Fund, which now stands at $89 million.

During Kagame’s tenure, the continent made progress in aspects such as the launch of the Peace Fund, signing of the African Continental Free Trade Area, increased partnership with international organisations such as United Nations and European Union, and increased financial contribution by member states among others.

In 2016 when he was appointed to lead AU reforms, total contributions

by African states were at 36 per cent.

From leading African reform committee to champion the signing of the Continental Free Trade Area agreement, and many more in between, it is safe to say that the founding fathers of the African Union must be looking down on the continental union with a grin of pride, especially in 2018 The self-funding mechanism suggested a 0.2 per cent levy on eligible imports, have made possible a dramatic 24 per cent jump in self-funding by Africans.

The levy will generate around 1.2 billion USD annually and cover most of the AU activities, including programmes, operations and peace and security missions.

The progress during his tenure includes long-standing African Union objectives such as Continental Free Trade

Area (CFTA), Free Movement of people, common African passport, Peace Fund, and managing Africa’s global partnerships.

These initiatives reflect the commitment and aspiration of Africa’s leaders and citizens, that Kagame himself asked for when he took over the seat in Addis Ababa, 2018.

But it is not over. Just like Moses in the bible, Kagame has shown Africa and Africans the way to “Canaan” and it’s up to his successors to proudly take the mantle and lead Africans to the Promised Land.

“What is critical at this juncture is to sustain this good momentum and remain much more and better focused on results,” Kagame stated, as he hands over to Al-Sisi, of Egypt.

Meanwhile, President Kagame will continue serving as a member of the troika, which includes President Abdel Fattal el-Sisi as well as the next chair who would take over from him.

The Rwanda President will also continue to lead the AU reform process as entrusted to him by the African Heads of State during the AU Summit in Kigali in 2016.

Like he has done in his home country by slashing donor dependence to the minimum 26 per cent, Kagame is championing self-reliance (Kwigira) and African dignity (Agaciro), coupled by several home-grown solutions approaches just like those he has applied in Rwanda to see a country whose 10 per cent of its population was killed in 1994 genocide against the Tutsis to becoming the fastest growing economy just 25 years later.

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CONTINENTAL ISSUE

GHANA

Akufo-Addo’s all business Japan ride Ghana President Nana Akufo-Addo was in Japan for three days of serious business focused meetings that should change the country’s economic landscape. Komla Adom reports 8 January, 2019 CHERRYAFRICA

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CONTINENTAL ISSUE

GHANA

G

hana’s Akufo-Addo did not drive from his home country thirteen thousand six hundred and fifty eight kilometres, in one of the yetto-be assembled Nissan vehicles in the Ghanaian capital, to Japan.

The Ghanaian leader did not also travel to the Asian Island country to save Nissan chairman Carlos Ghosn from being fired for alleged financial misconduct.

In fact, the second meeting between Ghana’s president and top Japanese officials, since President John Mahama in May 2016, was one more of trade, business, and

infrastructure.

Nissan – Ghana partnership boost!

With Japanese multinational automobile manufacturer, Nissan having signed a memorandum of understanding (MOU) with Ghana

to establish an assembly plant in the country, president Akufo-Addo had enough reason to make the trip to the East Asian country – even if it was not remotely connected.

Nissan leads new car sales in Ghana with a 32 per cent market share and its plans to make Gha-

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CONTINENTAL ISSUE

na its sales hub in West Africa, alone, leaves the country in the prospect books. Good enough reason!

Beyond the Nissan project, the president would also seize the opportunity to interact with the Ghanaian community living in that country and extend a business invitation to some of Japan’s other big corporations and businessmen.

All of this is in furtherance of the single most important agenda of the president to create employment for the teeming youth of the West African country.

Akufo-Addo in Japan

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GHANA

Let’s rewind…to September 2018.

President Akufo-Addo’s visit to the Peoples’ Republic of China, was greeted with a Chinese police band playing up Nana’s favourite song – Oye! The band, the people in the foyer of the auditorium waved miniature Ghanaian flags, and with dance moves to match, sang along as the president walked into the space.

Nothing like that funfair or boogie time in Japan!

Emperor HM Akihito receives the Ghanaian leader It must have been averaging12

degrees Celsius in Tokyo that day, when President Akufo-Addo, in company of his ministers and cabinet lieutenants called on the Emperor of Japan, His Majesty Akihito.

To boost bilateral ties and longstanding economic partnerships with Japan, president Akufo-Addo held talks with Prime Minister Shinzo Abe. In the meeting which lasted almost fifty minutes, the two discussed issues, further enhancing the political and socio-economic relations, cultural and people-to-people exchanges between Ghana and Japan – and of course, Ghana and Japan’s co-op-

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CONTINENTAL ISSUE

eration at the multilateral level.

Tokyo International Conference on African Development (TICAD) In a joint statement with the Prime Minister Shinzo Abe, President Akufo-Addo highly valued Japan’s initiative for the development of Africa through the Tokyo International Conference on African Development (TICAD) process, which is an open, inclusive, and transparent partnership forum and expressed appreciation for Japan’s significant contribution to date. The two leaders underscored the importance of the steady implementation of the measures an-

GHANA

nounced at TICAD and reaffirmed cooperation for the success of TICAD 7. President Akufo-Addo promised to participate in TICAD 7 in 2019.

National Trunk road grant Ghana holds a strategically important position in the West Africa Growth Ring Corridor Development to enhance connectivity and promote economic activities in the sub-region, in the view of the two leaders. For this reason they reaffirmed the importance of developing quality infrastructure in accordance with international standards such as openness, transparency, economic efficiency in view of life cycle cost, social and environmental considerations and

financial soundness including debt sustainability of recipient countries.

President Akufo-Addo, impressed by Japan’s cooperation in Ghana’s infrastructure development such as the reinforcement of power supply to Accra Central and the improvement of the Tema motorway roundabout, said the projects would further boost industrial development, with the government’s One district; one factory programme firmly in Mr. Akufo-Addo’s mind.

At the end of the close – to – fifty minute meeting, Ghana received a $57 million (¥6.49 billion) grant facility from Japan for the rehabilitation of phase two of the national trunk road, January, 2019 CHERRYAFRICA

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SPECIAL REPORT

N8, among others.

Other business meetings With a deal with Nissan already in the bag it was not a bad idea that the Ghanaian leader would seek to court a lot more top business corporations to turn their eyes towards the gateway to Africa, which is Ghana. With the relative political stability, peace and tranquillity, many argue Ghana is the destination of choice for investments, and President Akufo-Addo, armed with this bragging right, held series of meetings with Chief Executive Officer of one of the world's largest general trading companies; Sumitomo Corporation. He also held meeting with Chief Executive Officer of Toyota Tsusho Corporation, the trading arm of the Toyota Group.

The hints for these meetings have not been disclosed, but there are reports the Ghanaian president explored avenues of corporation and partnerships for projects in various fields to essentially make Ghana a better economic marketplace on the continent. These ended the first day of Mr. Akufo-Addo’s three-day Japan visit.

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Akufo-Addo’s second day outing Day two, of the three –day state visit to the Asian country afforded Mr. Akufo-Addo the opportunity to meet and hold further bilateral talks, Wednesday, December 12, with Chief Cabinet Secretary, Hon. Yoshihide Suga. Japan’s decision to restart com-

mercial whaling in July last year after it withdrew from the International Whaling Commission, did not come up in this meeting.

With investment promotion one of the key pillars of the government’s industrial development plan, the president also addressed a joint Ghana Investment Promotion Centre/Japan

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SPECIAL REPORT

External Trade Organization (JETRO) Summit; where issues of direct and indirect investments were discussed.

Also discussed were issues to do with trade facilitation and commerce and transportation. Ghana took the opportunity through the country’s Investment Promotion captains, to understudy the practices that work – and are timeless, to replicate at home. Top players in the investment promotion space shared ideas and exchanged notes which could be cru-

cial in the long run.

The president also took the opportunity to address a forum organised by the United Nations University; after this he held a meeting with members of the Ghanaian community resident in Tokyo.

Of course members of the Ghanaian community living out there brought before the president issues that affect them and reserved some time to speak on some happenings in the socio-political landscape back

home in Ghana.

Akufo-Addo visits Noguchi’s birthplace The three day state visit could not have ended without Mr. Akufo-Addo paying a visit to Inawashiro, birthplace of Dr. Hideyo Noguchi.

Dr. Noguchi is remembered as the man who laid the foundation for the strong relations between Ghana and Japan, which led to formal establishment of diplomatic relations thirty years later, in 1957. Ghanaians continue to be grateful to him for his dedication, subsequently leading to the discovery of the yellow fever vaccine. In expressing Ghana’s appreciation to him, the street in front of the Japanese Embassy in Accra has been recently renamed in his honour, in addition to the Noguchi Memorial Institute for Medical Research, located in the University of Ghana.

President Akufo-Addo and Japanese government officials reaffirmed the importance of promoting resilient health systems toward the achievement of Universal Health Coverage (UHC), as a prerequisite for Ghana’s human security and growth. The President commended Japan’s cooperation in the health sector such as the strengthening of community-based health services and the introduction of the mother child health record book. Ghana and Japan only recently signed for some exchange of notes for the Project for Addressing Malnutrition in Ashanti and Northern Regions - and the contributions made by the Noguchi Memorial Institute for Medical Research (NMIMR), have been massive, according to the president.

In all it was an interesting threeday state visit to Japan, at least as described by officials on the trip with the president. Though there was not the funfair and jamboree, as some allege there was in China when President Akufo-Addo visited, there must have been fruitful discussions which will make it to the planning of government projects going forward. As Japanese friends will say: .” Don’t break a sweat, it only means Thank you!

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BANKING

Ecobank Ghana joins global trend with Xpress Account

I

Jide Ade

n its bid to deepen the global drive for financial inclusion, and with the recent launch of Ecobank Xpress Account, Ecobank Ghana has joined the club of its counterparts in more than 34 other countries that enjoy the innovative service around the world.

Sources close to the lender say the Xpress Money Promotion is aimed at encouraging existing customers and the public to actively use the Xpress Account for payments in place of cash transactions.

Features Ecobank Xpress Account is a self-service, real time, online digital account or wallet which is easily operated on the mobile phone.

With a registered SIM, the public can download the Ecobank Mobile App, open an Ecobank Xpress Account instantly and start transacting.

Alternatively, users of feature phones can simply dial *770# for the same service.Once opened, the customers’ phone numbers become their bank account numbers.

Speaking at the launch of the pro-

14 January, January, 2019 2019 CHERRYAFRICA CHERRYAFRICA

Dan Sackey cutting tape to launch 'Ecobank Xpress Money Promotion motion, Mr Daniel Sackey, Managing Director Ecobank Ghana, said financial inclusion of the unbanked and under banked segment of the population was key to unlocking their participation in the economy.

He explained that there was therefore, the need to provide the required incentives and an enabling

financial environment to ensure a cash-lite economy, financial inclusion and sustained economic growth.

According to Mr Sackey, in line with modern banking practice and in order to encourage its numerous digital clients, most of whom live within the under-banked and unbanked informal segments of the market, the Ecobank

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money across the 34 countries we operate within Africa,” Sackey added.

He said in all more than 70,000 customers would win the GH¢500,000 prizes at stake over the three months promotion period.

Xpress Account is not only free, attracting no charges for the user but is also an interest-bearing account, and offering competitive interest rates.

“Let’s come together to help change the payment attitudes and behaviours of fellow Ghanaians. Cash-based transactions remain a huge burden and we need to be resolute in the pursuit of this transformational agenda.

“Currently, you can withdraw or deposit money into your Xpress account from any of the more than 1,500 designated Ecobank Xpress Point locations around the country. You can also send and receive money to and from any bank account or mobile money wallet in Ghana as well as send and receive

How to win To qualify for the weekly draws, the public is required to open Ecobank Xpress Account, deposit GH¢50 through transfers from existing bank accounts or from mobile money wallets.

Every deposit of GH¢50 will give the customer a point in the draw and give him the chance of winning prizes within the three months promotion period from December 2018 to March 8, 2019.

Mr Tara Squire, Regional Head Consumer Banking, said the promotion was to reward as many customers as possible in instant rewards, airtime benefits and cash rewards up to GH¢10,000.

He said in all more than 70,000 customers would win the GH¢500,000 prizes at stake over the three months promotion period.

Squire encouraged existing and potential customers to participate in the promotion.

In response questions o how thisnew product plays in the mobile money ecosystem that the product complements government’s urge to ensure a cashlite society and advance the course of mobile money interoperability.

According to Squire, the launch is a mass drive aimed at encouraging customers and the public to use the Ecobank Xpress Account for payments in place of cash transactions. Non-customers are encouraged to open the Ecobank Xpress Account instantly, fund it and use it for transactions for cash prizes.

Around Africa, the upgraded version of Ecobank’s revolutionary new mobile app has attracted 3 million new customers in just 6 months, taking the total number of users to 4 million.

The app builds on the core functionality that saw the original version applauded as a game changer for African banking by using digital technology to combat many of the financial inclusion barriers faced by those on the continent. This includes the dearth of rural branches, affordability of products, high transaction

costs and minimum opening balance requirements.

Ade Ayeyemi, Ecobank Group CEO, recently said that Ecobank’s strategic mission was built around using mobile banking to deliver innovative, efficient and cost-effective services to those who have typically sat outside of the formal economy, and therefore goes far beyond the reach of the traditional branch and ATM networks.

Subsequently, while the app won one million customers in its first year of launch, upgraded features have seen the rate of sign-ups treble in half of the time. So far this year, app usage has been growing at an average 700k new customers per month.

“Customers can use the app on their mobile to instantly open Ecobank Xpress Account, which doesn’t have any account fees, paperwork or minimum balance requirements, or to send and receive money across 33 African countries,” he explains.

“Therefore, our app not only removes the barriers that have financially excluded so many Africans but offers next generation functionality to help them send money, make withdrawals or pay for goods and services.”

Patrick Akinwuntan, Ecobank’s Group Executive, Consumer Banking, says that Ecobank is committed to providing all Africans with access to financial services, but doing so in a way that conjoins functionality with convenient, accessible and efficient banking channels, such as the rollout of Ecobank Xpress ™ Point Agents.

“We want to be the digital bank of choice for all Africans,” he said.

“Functionality is one thing – giving our customers unrivalled convenience is another. The Ecobank Xpress Point Agents that can now be found in your local neighbourhood enable you to deposit money into your app-based Ecobank Xpress Account and begin to make digital payments on the app using Ecobankpay. You can also withdraw funds in local currency that may have been sent to you from friends or relatives using our innovative instant transfer or Xpress Cash capabilities.”

The Ecobank Mobile App is available for download from the Google Play Store or Apple Store January, January, 2019 2019 CHERRYAFRICA CHERRYAFRICA

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SPECIAL REPORT

Africa’s long-serving leaders undermine development

C

Komla Adom uriously, Africa, the world's second largest and second most-populous continent, only behind Asia, now features prominently as home of some of the world’s longest-serving political leaders. For decades, some of these so-called leaders have evolved as despots after flouting election laws in most cases and sometimes veiling legitimacy to their stay in power with very draconi-

an decrees and laws to cling desperately onto power. It is commonplace in many countries on the continent seeing leaders some of whom just occupy the highest offices in their domains and waste resources without delivering value continue to brazenly disregard their countries’ constitutions and laws governing tenures, while citizens watch helplessly.

Term tenures As term limits meant to counter the temptation of leaders to overstay their welcome are flagrantly

breached, African watchers continue to strive without success to get the concept of democracy ingrained in the body politic. But of course, these efforts continue to fall short of what is required to realistically deal with the abuse of office – certainly not enough. Regular transfer of power as seen in countries like Mauritius, Ghana, Botswana and Zambia, and the like cannot guarantee political and socio-economic stability. Accountable leadership is also very key. Despite constitutional provisions and regular elections and power transfers, counJanuary, 2019 CHERRYAFRICA

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AFRICA

Paul Biya tries such as Angola, Togo, Cameroon and Equatorial Guinea are virtually de facto one party or one leader suppressive states; term limits, resignation and sometimes retirement mean nothing. In many of these countries, some of the leaders stay in power all these years, for lack of a succession plan – that’s giving them the benefit of the doubt. Others refuse to leave because of the benefits from the state’s rich resources; largely mineral deposits and oil.

Leaving office voluntarily, they seem to believe, will deprive them of all of these and even more. The eventual departure of Angola’s Eduardo Dos Santos from office after decades in power, for example has beamed the suspicion of corruption on his family.

His children stand accused of amassing billions during their father’s rule.

It is, however, not only doom. Senegal, Botswana and Mauritius, for example, vividly demonstrate the benefits of frequent power transfers that are evident in their countries.

Incumbents fear a real chance of getting removed from office exists, if they fail to lead and manage country’s resources properly. Term limits have recently become controversial and divisive. Some leaders have used dubious constitutional amend-

18 January, 2019 CHERRYAFRICA

Teodoro Obiang Nguema Mbasogo ments to extend their stay in power.

What happened in Rwanda, Uganda, Burundi and Congo Republic are very clear and recent examples that speak to this! Below are some of the longest-serving leaders.

Teodoro Obiang Nguema Mbasogo, Equatorial Guinea.

Teodoro Obiang has been president of the oil-rich African country, Equatorial Guinea since 1979 when he took power in a coup. He turns 76 on June 5. He has been in charge of the Central African country for 38 years and remains leader of the country. In April 2016 he won the election with a landslide to extend his mandate for a further seven years till the next elections in 2022.

Provisional results showed Teodoro won with 93.7 per cent of the votes on a turnout of 92.9 per cent. In July 2017, he was also elected life president of the ruling party. He has now led the country for forty years; and became the longest-serving president in the world in 2011, following the death of Libya's leader of 42 years, Moammar Gaddafi, and ranks as the world’s second longest-serving non-royal national leader.

He ousted his uncle, Francisco Macias Nguema, in an August 1979

coup and has overseen Equatorial Guinea's emergence as an important oil producer, beginning in the 1990s. Obiang appears unfazed even as he has been widely accused of massive corruption and abuse of power. Human Rights Watch in a study revealed roughly half the population in the oil-rich country lacks access to potable water, while life expectancy and infant mortality rates remain below the sub-Saharan average. Meanwhile, Mr Obiang and his family have amassed considerable personal wealth. His son, who serves as vice president, was sentenced to a three-year suspended jail term for corruption by a French court in 2017, after a landmark graft trial that lifted the lid on his playboy lifestyle. The 48-year-old, was also given a suspended fine of €30 million ($35 million) by the Paris judges who found him guilty of embezzlement, money laundering, corruption and abuse of trust. It is on record that it took Lee Kuan Yew a period of 35 years to turn Singpore to the status of first world country from the backwater of underdevelopment.

It seems long-serving African leaders would rather become despots and behemoths than replicate or improve on this feat. Leaders in the

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AFRICA

Denis Sassou Nguesso

Omar al-Bashir United Arab Emirates have demonstrated with the Dubai experience that it could still be done.

The Organized Crime and Corruption Reporting Project (OCCRP), which calculated the amount of time the president spent abroad using reports from the daily newspaper, estimates that the president spent nearly 60 days out of the country in 2018, on private visits.

Paul Biya, Cameroon Paul Biya has been in power for thirty six years as leader of Cameroon. Thirty seven years in November, 1982, he has been nicknamed an "absentee landlord" and "lion man" (which I will tell you about later in this piece), because of his frequent holidays abroad. Mr Biya’s repeated absence from the country has been a talk of the country with critics descending hard on the eighty-six year old. The Organized Crime and Corruption Reporting Project (OCCRP), which calculated the amount of time the president spent abroad using reports from the daily newspaper, estimates that the president spent nearly 60 days out of the country in 2018, on private visits. It is widely known that Mr. Biya rarely calls cabinet meetings or summons as a result. The ‘’absentee landlord’’ has been accused of rigging elections in his favour and allowing the constitution to be changed to continue to cling to power. He's survived several coup attempts and adopted the

nickname "lion man" in 1990 after Cameroon's national football team, the Indomitable Lions, reached the quarter-finals of the World Cup. One of the senior military officers who helped abort the 1984 coup d’état in Cameroon, passed away on January 18, 2018 in Yaoundé. General Benoit Asso’o Emane, 82, had been one of Biya’s closest confidants, according to many reports – and that was why he helped abort the 1984 coup, which would have seen Mr. Biya ousted. Under his rule, Cameroon has survived an economic crisis and moved from being a one-party state to multi-party politics; the same period has also been characterized by endemic corruption and the abolition of term limits in 2008, which allowed the octogenarian to run for re-election in 2011. President Paul Biya won a seventh term in office in 2018, in polls marred by low turnout and voter intimidation and other forms of electoral malpractices, as the opposition parties and observers alleged. Sub-Saharan Africa's oldest leader, took 71.3 per cent of the vote, according to official results, with the opposition calling for a re-run of the presidential election. Two days beJanuary, 2019 CHERRYAFRICA

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AFRICA

Yoweri Museveni fore results were announced, however, Africa's longest-serving President Teodoro Obiang Nguema of neighbouring Equatorial Guinea congratulated Mr Biya on his win, in a gesture widely interpreted as one of collusion and some hint of conspiracy between the two leaders. With 2018’s election, the absentee landlord is set to be in office for at least seven more years; by which time he could have hit ninety three…and he sure could still seek re-election, just how some of these leaders do.

Denis Sassou Nguesso – Republic of Congo The Republic of Congo is home to another of Africa’s long-serving leaders. In all, Denis Sassou Nguesso has been president of the Central African country, for thirty five years. His two stints as leader of the country were from 1979 to 1992 before returning to power in 1997 during the country's second civil war. As if infected with a cancer eating through the flesh of many African leaders, Denis Sassou Nguesso was embroiled in a bribery scandal together with his wife and his son. They were accused by a former employee of the Nguessos who claims to have made payments through an aide and some Belgian firm, to win

20 January, 2019 CHERRYAFRICA

Idriss Deby oil contracts – a SWISS prosecution document revealed. French investigators charged his daughter and son-inlaw with corruption. Julienne Sassou Nguesso, 50, and her 53-year-old husband Guy Johnson were placed under investigation for "money laundering and misuse of public funds". In March that same year, Mr. Nguesso’s nephew Wilfred Nguesso, was placed under investigation on the same counts.

The development is part of a series of inquiries by the French authorities into the assets of three African presidential families that began in 2010.

Denis Sassou Nguesso was allowed to run again due to the adoption of the new constitution and won re-election receiving 60 per cent of the vote. Another African head – who is ageing yet still at it. At seventy five; seventy six in November this year, Denis Sassou Nguesso, the former military colonel, will still be accorded the presidential courtesies, military adornment and the respects of the people, as long as the controversies surrounding his presidency wane. Or maybe not!

Yoweri Museveni – Uganda Thirty three years – and counting, this political leader in Uganda is still grinding hard. President since 1986, the towering figure who turns sev-

The development is part of a series of inquiries by the French authorities into the assets of three African presidential families that began in 2010. Denis Sassou Nguesso was allowed to run again due to the adoption of the new constitution and won re-election receiving 60 per cent of the votes.

www.cherryafrica.net

AFRICA Mr. Museveni is in his fifth presidential term, which expires in 2021, by which time he will be 77 — two years past the age limit for a president set by Uganda’s 1995 Constitution.

enty-five in September, has been credited with establishment of peace and political stability in the country, promotion of industrialization, organizing for the people to work out their own Constitution in 1995. Critics have come hard on the thirty three year ‘rule’ of Mr. Museveni. For many of these critics corruption, plain stealing and thuggery have been commonplace under the Ugandan leader. The most recent marquee development in Uganda, which has riled some democracy enthusiasts, has to be the lifting of age limits for the president, despite massive opposition by Ugandans. Uganda’s Parliament in 2017 voted to lift the age limit for the presidency, setting the stage for President Yoweri Museveni to rule the country indefinitely. Mr. Museveni is in his fifth presidential term, which expires in 2021, by which time he will be 77 — two years past the age limit for a president set by Uganda’s 1995 Constitution. The dictator is exactly the problem he once

talked elegantly against in his younger days, due to that singular act to maintain power. Museveni has been described by many as extremely nepotic and chauvinistic. There are reports his close family members have been appointed to key positions in government, especially in the security sector. His wife, Janet Museveni, is currently the cabinet Minister for Education and Sports - a position she’s occupied since 2016. Their son, Maj Gen Muhoozi Kainerugaba, was the head of the elite presidential Special Forces Command until January 2017 when he was moved to an advisory role within the presidency.

His younger brother, Salim Saleh, was appointed commander of the Uganda Army following his victory over Tito Okello in 1986, but sacked him in 1989 following claims of corruption.

Omar al-Bashir - Sudan October 16 marks exactly twenty six years since Sudanese president

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SPECIAL REPORT Omar al-Bashir became leader of the Arabic country. At seventy five years, Omar al-Bashir was elected president (with a five-year term) in the 1996 national election. Omar alBashir is reported to have exploited Sudan’s ethnic division for decades, but it appears Sudan is united against him now. Bashir’s reign has been punctuated by brutal crackdowns against perceived uprisings in the country’s west and south, areas where darker-skinned Sudanese people are a majority. In the early 2000s, he recruited ethnic Arab militias known as the Janjaweed to Darfur where they committed mass killings and rape, and drove the entire region into hiding and hunger.

Bashir remains under indictment for war crimes by the International Criminal Court, and some allege he directed a genocide in Darfur. The International Criminal Court (ICC) in 2008, charged Mr. Bashir with genocide and crimes against humanity.

The first warrant for arrest for Omar Hassan Ahmad Al Bashir was issued on 4 March 2009, the second on 12 July 2010. With the issuance of two ICC arrest warrants in 2009 and 2010, al-Bashir became the first ever sitting head of state to be wanted by an international court, according to The Coalition for the ICC. This was also the first genocide charge ever brought by the ICC. While several

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ICC member states have since hosted al-Bashir contrary to their obligations to arrest ICC fugitives, his international travel has been greatly curtailed by the threat of legal action, often instigated by national civil society groups. The UN Security Council, having referred the situation to the ICC, has consistently failed to ensure al-Bashir’s arrest.

Idriss Deby – Chad The Chadian politician, who has been president since 1990, wrestled power in the rebellion against then president Hissene Habre. The sixty-six year old has since survived multiple uprisings and won elections six years after he became president and also in 2001. After term limits were controversially abolished in Chad, he won the three elections – including the most recent in 2016.

Chad began oil export somewhere in 2013 with a little over 160,000 barrels in exports, daily. Despite these, public goods and services are limited or absent; with Chad having one of the lowest GDP per capita at PPP in the world. Education and electricity supply two of the major issues, and of course corruption is eating out all of the resources and the revenues they are worth. International watchdog Transparency International one time, named Chad as the most corrupt country in Af-

rica. In November 2017, Chad was forced to reject bribery allegations made in the US that President Iddris Deby was paid $2m in bribes in exchange for providing a Chinese Energy firm with Oil rights without due process.

In most of the other African countries, democracy is the new order – one that is expected to allow for communal growth, discipline and maintain a good level of law and order while preserving the rights of citizens. The counter arguments for some, is that democracy retards growth; as many decisions which hitherto could be taken without any drag, now takes nearly a lifetime to pass. The legal channels can sometimes be long and winding, they argue. But there is too much evidence from the above to show some of our longest – serving leaders have used their grip on power to among other – amass wealth for themselves, enrich their families and generations, perpetuate crimes against humanity and the like. International bodies have failed to intervene in dealing with the outspread of some of the decisions of these leaders. And for many more years to come, this continent, Africa, will continue to be home to some of the world’s longest-serving presidents. And there appears very little anyone can do about it.

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SPECIAL REPORT

Masari charts new course January, 2019 CHERRYAFRICA

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W

hen it comes to issues on public administration, His Excellency Bello Aminu Masari, the Governor of Katsina State is one of the heavyweights in Nigeria. In addition the public offices held by him in the past, he was also the former Speaker of Nigeria’s House of Representatives.

When he became Governor on May 29, 2015, he touched down running with his cabinet in quick response to various challenges staring the state in the face. He had come prepared to work and was there to demonstrate his readiness to take the Bull by the horns. Since the inauguration of the administration his style of governance has been a sea change as he has at every curve moved away from what used to be to what ought to be in the effort at making a clear difference.

One of the manifold challenges in

24 January, 2019 CHERRYAFRICA

the North West then was cattle rustling a crime perpetrated by fully armed rustlers with more sophisticated arms. Though they lacked the training, in terms of fire power they had out powered the police and civil defence by then with clinical precision. Military presence in Kaduna wasn’t much then so the rustlers were busy maiming and killing business every day.

Masari’s administration has established well over 30 comprehensive health centres across the state from inception to increase healthcare delivery with the employment of over 1,000 health workers and support staff to improve service delivery in general hospitals across the State.

The Governor said the administration has gone far in finalizing arrangement for the establishment of Teaching Hospitals for Umaru Yar Adua University Kastina to further back his desire to address human resource gap in the health sector with action. The institution will serve as

a huge development project to the community and the government at large in terms of increasing access to quality health training and increase delivery. The general health sector received massive boost with renovation of the general hospitals to world class for quality healthcare delivery.

Elaborate work has also been done through the Governor’s initiative to address challenges in the state’s health care sector where institutions and hospitals had become nothing but hospitals, notwithstanding the 3 premier hospitals existing in Katsina, Daura and Funtua. This initiative which laid Government under necessity to bring the 3 hospitals up to standard general hospitals whatever it would cost has now seen more than 90 per cent the projects completed.

MIn addition to the 3 hospitals the state now has hospitals in MallumFashi, Ducenma, Bauri and Kagara to some extent and has embarked on massive rehabilitation of some of the primary healthcare centres across

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SPECIAL REPORT

the state. Masari said: “we also met schools of Nursing and Midwifery that were established since 1956 with the capacity of 60 to qualify at least 50. They never had permanent accreditation, all the accreditation they had over the years was temporary accreditation but we were able to reconstruct and rehabilitate additional facilities and the Nigerian Nursing Council upgraded the schools to 120 to graduate 100. So these we did in the health sector and we again became more serious in terms of who goes to the school of Nursing. Prior to our coming into office it was the daughter of this and the brother of that but now we say that there should be exams for those who can make it because what we discovered is that when they present 60 they get at least 5 and all the others will fail and repeat, at a point repeaters will block the chances of fresh students. So by introducing exams, we were now able to have over 30 that seat for the exams and pass and also we established another school of midwifery alongside.”

There were so many other issues which the state contended with in the areas of girl-child education and welfare, agriculture, flooding, making Katsina Investment Promotion Agency (KIPA) to realise its objectives, and more. These, the Governor

has been adeptly addressing through his five-point agenda, which has ensured that

Katsina continues to feel the touch of governance raised to the next level.

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SPECIAL REPORT AMNESTY PROGRAMME

26 2 6 Janu January, JJa anu nuaarry ry, y, 2019 20 01119 9 CHERRYAFRICA CHERRY CH ERRY ER RYA AF FR RIIC CA A

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SPECIAL REPORT REPO ORT WATER PROJECT

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SPECIAL REPORT

THE TEAM THAT MADE THE DIFFERENCE

ALH. MUNTARI KADO H.C, FINANCE

ALH. ABUBAKAR YUSUF H.C, COMMERCE

ALH. ABDULKADIR M. ZAKKA, H.C, LG&CHIEFTAINCY AFFAIRS

HAMZA SULEMAN FASKARI H.C, ENVIRONMENT

ALH. HAMZA M. BORODO H.C, INFORMATION & CULTURE

ALH. ABUBAKAR SADA ILU H.C, LANDS AND SURVEY

ALH. SALISU DANDUME H.C, WATER RESOURCES

DR. BADIYYA HASSAN MASHI H.C , WOMAN AFFAIRS

ENGR. TASI'U DANDAGORO H.C, WORKS HOUSING AND TRANSPORT

ALH. MUHAMMAD M. KANTI H.C, RESOURCE DEVELOPMNT

28 January, 2019 CHERRYAFRICA

PROF. BADAMASI LAWAL CHARANCHI, H.C, EDUCATION

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SPECIAL REPORT

Strides in Education

S

ince May 29, 2015, when Aminu Bello Masari was sworn in as Governor of Katsina State, the education sector has been accorded one of the highest priorities of the state government. The sector features prominently in the Governor’s five point policy programme tagged Restoration Agenda.

It has not only received high budgetary allocations, the sector has also witnessed increased infrastructural facelift, improved child school enrolment, better performance of students from the state in public examinations, recruitment of qualified teaching personnel and enhanced welfare of workers. The Governor’s dexterous steps towards repositioning education to ensure its accessibility mainly to the indigent and vulnerable population

has been evident through various incentives that have been introduced by the administration, among which are school feeding programme, free tuition, sustained foreign scholarship and students exchange programmes.

These nimble moves have left no one in doubt about the future of the education sector in the State.

Katsina state under the watch of the present administration now has very bright chances of breaking the shackles and yokes associated with the backwater of being educationally disadvantaged. The widespread and aggressive attention he has been paying to the sector has not left any community or local government behind and makes this even more realistic.

At an interactive chat with media executives in Katsina recently, the Gover-

nor said: “Education, which for centuries raised the profile of Katsina and its people throughout the ‘Bilad al-Sudan’, became out of reach for the poor. On top of all that, government which is expected to be sensitive, responsive, just and fair to all and sundry transformed itself into an unresponsive and unjust behemoth that promoted impunity, condoned corruption and celebrated bad governance.

“Thus, the present Administration inherited a policy where the State Government was spending so much to pay for examination fees in respect of candidates of the State origin. But despite the huge sum of money the Government paid, the results always put Katsina State as the least or second to the last in terms of performance across the Nation.

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“With our coming on board, we amended the policy and introduced Qualifying Examinations. Candidates must attain the laid down pre-requisites before they are sponsored for NECO, WAEC and other Examinations.

“Even though so many people grumbled on the qualifying examinations, the results indicated drastic improvement in general performance of the sponsored candidates. For instance, in 2014 only 30 per cent of the sponsored candidates were able to obtain 5 Credits and above in WAEC and 46 per cent in NECO.” One of the core lessons from Masari’s education sector reforms in the state is the fact that public schools are no lon-

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ger the exclusive preserve of the children of the poor and the less privileged as they now compete favourably with private initiatives in terms of quality.

The contention here is that appraising the success or failure of The Government’s Restoration Agenda on Education from whatever angle it is viewed remains holistic and is delivering the principal objectives of the programme.

Visits to schools in the 34 local government areas of the state for real-time assessment of things, interviews with policy makers and stakeholders and state of infrastructural developments as well as budgetary allocations to the Education sector, in league give an honest parameter for assessing the Agen-

da. The Commissioner for Education, Dr. Badamasi Lawal, says that there is a wave of infrastructural rehabilitation of schools in the state will soon catch up with all schools in the state as envisaged in the budget plan for 2019.

The Commissioner for Information, Katsina State, Alhaji Hamza Borodo, in defining the restoration spirit that informed Governor Masari’s fundamental contents of the Restoration Agenda, informed the Governor’s desire to restore the state to its glorious past by re-casting its foundation on a more sustainable development structure.

The Governor,- Aminu Bello Masari, anchored his policy strategy response on the yearnings of the people for instant and radical social transformation, economic opportunities and empowerment, greater political participation and inclusion, and easier access to educational opportunities and social justice.

His words: “Our leaders and other eminent ‘Katsinawa and Daurawa’ that led the movement for the creation of Katsina State and who equally participated in laying the first rudimentary structures and institutions of governance for the baby State were not ignorant of those expectations.”

Stakeholders are quick to say that Masari’s administration has demonstrated the depth, character and administrative capacity to deal with developmental challenges facing the state.

They add that the significance of the vision and the initiatives of Masari as demonstrated through his restoration agenda cannot be lost on people who have seen the primary and secondary schools benefiting from the government’s restoration agenda.”

Many of the indigenes and even non-indigenes state on the education projects executed by the incumbent administration, that Masari has achieved a lot in terms of infrastructural development, and tackling the several huge demands posed by rapid enrolment of large population of school age children into the sector.

Interestingly, education has become one of the biggest industries in Katsina State. Even the establishment of several tertiary institutions and other categories of schools in the state are increasingly insufficient, leaving to crav-

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SPECIAL REPORT UBEC used to give a lot of money in collaboration with the State Government.

In 2016, about N800million was given to the State by UBEC and the Katsina State Government gave similar amount for the infrastructural development on the construction of primary schools and other facilities across Katsina State,” he said.

Lawal added: “Also in 2017, about N1.2 billion was donated by UBEC and similar amount was also given by Katsina State Government. That is to say, it is a kind of joint venture between UBEC and the State Government for the provision of infrastructure for basic education in the state.”

ing for more. Stakeholders hold strong opinions that optimal academic performance depends to a large extent, on teacher availability and quality.

The administration is determined to salvage the situation on the shortage of teaching personnel as it had recruited about 7,000 teachers through the S-power project. Additional recruitment exercises have been held, and government has continuously embarked on quality in-house teacher training programmes in collaboration with Global Partners and Donor Agencies.

The government’s aggressive address of huge deficit of teachers has since weakened the nerves of the sceptics

who thought the plight of the education sector were insurmountable.

Hajiya Halima Othman, Katsina State Ministry of Education’s Director of Schools, is of the opinion that the state is on the fast lane to meeting public expectations in the education sector, thanks to the strong backing of the Governor.

Badamasi Lawal , the State Commissioner for Education, says the state government is doing so much in terms of providing infrastructural development to all levels of education across the State.

“If we look at the basic education, that is the primary education sector,

Schools rehabilitation and renovation A good number of Schools spread across the 34 local government areas of the state have received a touch of tremendous rehabilitation, renovation and upgrading while others are waiting on the list of schools programmed for attention. Rehabilitation works on schools especially primary and secondary are either completed or undergoing transformation from their former state to a new one across the state.

This has seen primary and secondary schools renovated with some constructions done and toilets reconstructed and rehabilitated, to demonstrate that the state is on course when it comes to school infrastructure.

More than N800 million was also released for construction of junior secondary and senior secondary schools across the state last year alone.

The Education Commissioner further gave a break down on the rehabilitation of school infrastructure to the current rehabilitation of schools in Daura zone which he said has gulped about N700 million that has been expended in Government Girls Secondary School Rogogo and the ongoing construction worth about N144 million in Government Girls Science Senior Secondary School Sandamu.

His words: ''If you go to Kusada where a junior secondary school is being renovated, about the sum of N158 million has been earmarked and the contract was awarded and construction has reached about 60 per cent compleJanuary, 2019 CHERRYAFRICA

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tion.'' ''If you go to Tama about N91million has been spent for the rehabilitation and upgrading of Government Day Secondary School Tama and if you come to Mashi: Government Science Technical School Mashi, has a rehabilitation work valued at N258 million which has been going on, being one of the oldest technical schools in the defunct Kaduna State. Also if you go to, Kasanki a new Day Secondary School has a job valued at about N100 million, going on there.''

Mashi and GDSS Doguru If you go to Charanci, additional classrooms are being constructed at about N24million''. ''In Daura Senatorial Zone about

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N700 million was being expended for the construction and rehabilitation of some schools that have been previously marked dilapidated.The Schools include: FSP Daura, GGSS Sandamu ,College of Arabic and Islamic Studies Daura, GGSS Shargale, CDSSYamel, GGSS Mashi and GDSS Doguru. If you go to Charanci, additional classrooms are being constructed at about N24million''. ''If you go down to Ruwan Godiya, a School is being rehabilitated with about N64 million. Most of these project facilities have reached advanced stage of completion. This is just an aspect of Katsina state efforts to rehabilitate or to reconstruct some of

the dilapidated infrastructure in these schools''.

The Education Commissioner further said that the State Government has so far established 6 new schools including: GGSS/D/Safe, GGSS Shema, Command Girls Secondary School, Barkiya, GDJSS Dumurkul, and GJSS Faskari.

It was further learnt that government has constructed 7 new schools known as GDSS Kaita, GDSS Kasanki, GDSS Kadisau, Command Boys Science Secondary School Faskari, GDSS Gora, GSSS Musawa and GDSS Yankara.

Overall, schools have been either completely rebuilt, renovated, upgraded, rehabilitated or equipped for sound academic activities and training in their hundreds.

Schools such as KCK and GSS Kabomo whose infrastructures were completely written off before now, have been transformed into modern institutions with million contract awarded for ICT textbooks, whereas religious and cultural books of about N13m has also been awarded.

The Commissioner also recalled that aside from school rehabilitation, books and ICT facilities were also provided and that about N154million has been expended for the provision of instruction/ teaching materials and another N60 million contract awarded for ICT textbooks, whereas contracts for religious and cultural books of about N13m has also been awarded.

He said, “So these and much other provision of textbooks and learning materials are also on course. Not quite long ago there was the award of contract of about N256m for customized items in all the 12 Zonal Education Quality Assurance offices in the state.

So coupled with the building of infrastructure you can now see learning materials being purchased or contract awarded for making learning-teaching process a success in Katsina State’’.

Budgetary allocations for the successive years for Education A breakdown of expenditure carried out in the Education Sector in the period under review, especially in the provision of schools’ infrastructure, rehabilitation and construction of entirely new schools spread across the

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SPECIAL REPORT Federal Constituencies in the 34 Local Government Areas of Katsina State showed that a total 70 schools have been touched and given a face lift or newly constructed.

These expenditures cover rehabilitation of burnt staff quarters and school buildings, upgrading of dilapidated schools and construction of new ones, provision of desks for classrooms, construction of new classroom blocks, and provision of laboratory facilities across the state Graphic Analysis of the Performances of Secondary School Students of Katsina State in public examinations (WAEC/ NECO) Data statistics obtained from the Department of Planning Research and Statistics of the State Ministry of Education, clearly showed an upward increase in the percentage performance of the students over the past 10 years as graphically illustrated between2008-2018 below: On a further analysis, between 20082014, the period witnessed a fluctuating performance of students in both WAEC and NECO. with WAEC started with 9.6% in 2008 only to come down in 2011 and 2012 to as low as 1.8%; 24% in 2013 and slid again to 2.21% in the early part of 2015.

The performance however improved from 2015 till date averaging 57.05% in 2016; 53.8% in 2017 and 69.3% in 2018.

Stakeholders attributed these performances to improved funding, quality of learning, and the overhauling of the entire education infrastructure in the state.

In NECO examinations however, the state performance has varied between the years 2008-2013, averaging between 35%, it went down to 11.0 % in 2009, 2010 and to even as low as 2.3% in 2011. From 20122014 however, the performance level picked up to 10.9%, and 46.5% respectively.

In the years 2015-2018 however during the present administration of Governor Aminu Bello Masari, the performance level of students in WASSCE and NECO appreciated from 21.7% in WASSCE in 2015 to 69.30%while NECO recorded an increase in performance

Maryam is the Assistant Senior Prefect of Government Girls Science Secondary School Ajiwa. She started the school in 2013 as JSS1 student. She narrates the prevailing conditions in the school before intervention.

"The school was always in a mess, everything was wrong. Our dormitories used to be congested; we used to have like 143 students or more in some; we didn't have enough beds, no good place for our sanitary needs as girls. The roofs were even leaking and the walls were washed off. The classrooms were not different. We used to have almost 87 students in class some 94 without enough chairs or desks to seat for studies. Most of us could hardly concentrate and we didn't have enough teachers.

Nothing in the labs for practicals as a science school; coming back to school was not something I wanted back then. But all that changed in 2016 when the Masari government came and renovated our school.

He built these storey buildings for us and added more classes for us. We used to have S.S.3 A-C but now in my set we have S.S.3 A to F and we have 45 students or 50 in some classes. It’s like that in the whole school. He also renovated and added more dormitories.

The whole school is completely

remodeled as you can see and we are happy because we have enough seats and more teachers too. Our clothes won't get dirty and leave us looking like rural farmers instead of students and girls that we are. We now have a conducive environment to learn and can compete with other schools for anything.

I am grateful to the Governor for helping us to make school an interesting place to study. He has given more attention to the girl child since he came and it gives me confidence.

Muduru Model Primary School founded in 1960 of students from 68.0% to 86.80% These statistics testify that the measures taken by Governor Masari to in-

troduce qualifying examination have yielded positive results and ensured proper utilization of public funds January, 2019 CHERRYAFRICA

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T

he Principal during the visit of CherryAfrica team to the school, confessed that Governor Masari is indeed a blessing to the education sector in Katsina sighting her school as an example. She said: "The Governor came in and changed the face of this place. Prior to his coming the entire school was in a mess. The dormitories were overpopulation as we had 130 to 150 students in each dormitories without enough beds some slept on the floor. The class rooms were not different as we had 95-100 stu-

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dents in most classes. They were no convenient place for the girls and we hadnt the necessary equipment and amenities or furniture's like chairs and desk.

In 2016 this school was amongst the many schools that was renovated and completely remodeled by the Governor Aminu Bello Masari.

The current administration added additional classrooms to the entire school which then allows the students to seat 45-50 in each class with enough chairs and desk as you

can see. The laboratories are well equipped to the standard that can enable the girls here compete with their peers across the nation. The dormitories now have enough beds and additional blocks to reduce the number of students in each dormitory. We now have 65-70 students in each dormitory. My office and the staff room was not left behind as you can see. This government has provided a conducive environment for students and we are grateful to the Masari-led administration for this."

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AFRICA ...Harnessing Africa’s Potential

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How we Responded to Challenges we met His Excellency, Bello Aminu Masari, Governor of Katsina State , Nigeria, shares his challenges, experiences, triumphs and way forward with CherryAfrica. Excerpts Your Excellency what situation did you meet when you took over office and what is it like today?

This is a more general question than specific. Not only in Katsina. When we came into office in 2015 the situation we met on ground starting with what was in the mind of everybody was the issue of security. Security was on top burner for the campaigns of 2015. In the North East we had Boko Haram and in the North West we had cattle rustling and these cattle rustlers fully armed with more sophisticated arms.

In most cases what they lacked was the training but in terms of fire power they had out powered the police and civil defense by then the military presence in Kaduna wasn’t much so they were killing business every day. It was everyday affair and the security agen-

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cies were bombarding me with pictures of people who were killed. But together with other Northern States, we formed a security committee in Kaduna under the general officer commanding 1 division who is responsible for almost all the states in the North West including Niger State. Niger state shares border with Kaduna State and we share common border with Kaduna state. So the forest area from Katsina area is up to Central Afrrica and also this swathe covers up to Niger, Mali and Burkina Faso.

So it’s a long stretch of forest area that has been inhabited by Fulani herdsmen for many years and has become routes for access to Central Africa even up to Southern Africa. We contributed money under the Kaduna arrangement and we were able to stabilize the area and later on we decided that every state

should go and hold its own area.

That’s what we did in Kaduna. When we came, we started doing something; these were people who were living in peace with their neighbors, how come they became enemies overnight killing one another? We were also very lucky at that time of the election of the Miyetti Allah who were the leaders of the Fulani Community came up and the person who won is a civil servant, a very senior officer, a director in the service of the government. So using him we were able to get some of the responsible leaders from the forest to come out. We engaged them and later discovered that 90 per cent of those living in the forest were not armed robbers and not cattle rustlers but some have been pushed into the forest because there were vigilantes and the vigilantes

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We commissioned a committee to visit all the primary and secondary schools in the state and they made a head count. in the villages when they see a Fulani man or woman they just kill the person. When any person enter the forest they stopped farming their farms that are bordering the forest because they will be killed or kidnapped. So it was a very serious situation between the Fulani that are living in the forest and the Fulani’s that are living outside the forest because all the cattle that they were stealing belonged to the Fulani. So through the amnesty programme, we were able to bring it to a manageable level despite the serious challenges we are having from our neighboring states.

We don’t have a common approach; every state has its own strategy. So that is really putting pressure on us up till now but we are still battling with the situation though at a manageable level.

What did you do about the education sector We commissioned a committee to visit all the primary and secondary schools in the state and they made a head count. We did not use register alone, we used head count to know the actual number of people in the schools, how many children we have in primary schools and how many we have in the secondary schools and what is the position of the structures, classrooms, desks and chairs because these were some of the major problems we met and the deficiency of classrooms. The

average population was about 99 per class and there were some cases they had up 200 and above as reported in a class that was designed to take maximum 45 -50. At that time we needed additional 19,000 classrooms in order to accommodate all the children. We also had deficiency in terms of qualified teachers who were 13,000. We had lack of chairs and desks of about 28,000. We really started from an informed position. We said okay, what we will do in addition to provision of classrooms is first, let us rehabilitate existing structures and see that they become schools because then they were not schools and we were able to do 2,084 schools and out of them 464 are new classes that we constructed. So the reality is that’s how we started.

In the case of deficiency of teachers we started by recruiting; all those who retired or died we had to replace them and we recruited about 1,957 teachers for primary schools. We transferred some that have teaching qualification in the local government system into classrooms and those who had higher education like degree and post graduate diplomas we deployed them to Ministry of Education; so that eased a little of our pressure; then we looked and said okay since we have NCE holders, diploma in education holders that we don’t have sufficient money but we can introduce the S-power program

like was done at the federal level. So that saw the recruitment of 5,000 NCE and diploma in education teachers to teach in primary schools and we have so far constructed over 13,000 desks and chairs for primary schools and for the secondary schools we have started also the second batch of the S- Power for those who have degree in education and other sciences so that we can reduce the gap.

How about health care In our health sector, our health institutions, our hospitals had become nothing but hospitals so we have 3 premier hospitals. Katsina, Daura and Funtua. We said that whatever it will cost us we have to bring up the hospitals up to a standard you can call a general hospital and we embarked on the 3 and I am sure now we have about 90 per cent.

We also employed over 500 medical workers that included doctors and nurses and right now we are processing about 454 nurses and doctors. So in addition to these 3 hospitals we have MallumFashi,Ducenma Bauri and Kagara to some extent and we embarked on massive rehabilitation of some of the primary healthcare centres across the state. So this is the situation in the health sector in brief and we also met schools of Nursing and Midwifery that were established since 1956 with the capacity of 60 to qualify at least 50.

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SPECIAL REPORT They never had permanent accreditation, all the accreditation they had over the years was temporary but we were able to reconstruct and rehabilitate additional facilities and the Nigerian Nursing Council upgraded the schools to 120 to graduate 100. So these we did in the health sector and we again became more serious in terms of who goes to the school of Nursing. Prior to our coming into office it was the daughter of this and the brother of that but now we say that there should be exams for those who can make it because what we discovered is that when they present 60 they get at least 5 and all the others will fail and repeat, at a point repeaters will block the chances of fresh students. So by introducing Exams, we were now able to have over 30 that seat for the exams and pass and also we established another school of midwifery alongside.

What is your government doing to ensure that the rights of the girl child are respected and protected?

I think the first school we started work on is Kabumu Girls Teachers College; it’s a boarding school in Bokorum LGA. We rehabilitated the school and even fenced it round. When we came into office, the schools were accessible from anywhere, you could even take the girls from the windows, the place was that open and it was the first school we secured. The next one was Ajiwa, Shanrangandi, Sandamu; securing the girls science secondary schools we were in Lugugu another girls secondary school, Jibia boarding schools where our girls are. We have secured them. We have renovated, rehabilitated and added structures to accommodate them and make sure that we have sufficient water supply to take care of their sanitation needs. When we came in it was shocking that girls were defecating outside in front of their dormitories so all over the place was messed up and we had to completely reconstruct everything. We introduced a program where mothers are being given money to keep their children in school and on our own parts we are training over 1,000 of them in Isa Keita College of Education for them to train as teachers so that they can go to their

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local communities and work as teachers when they finish. We employed the first batch under the Local Government Service Commission so that if they go back to their local communities, they can teach better because what we discovered was that if you have a teacher that teaches 6 kilometers away from where he resides, when he wakes up he has no money to even fuel his motor cycle or he has some problems and didn’t go to school so gradually it has become once a teacher absents himself 4-5times, the pupils gradually forget and the schools or classes get empty over time.

Generally, I think we have done empowerment more than any government in the history of this state. In all the empowerment we did, 60 per cent went to women because our main focus is to empower women so that they help the children. We discovered that the children of a mother that is economically independent tends to read and stay in school more than others and they tend to be brighter than their peers because they don’t have anger problems.

How then do you prepare or educate

the girl child on the dangers of early marriages or even prepare the ones who couldn’t go beyond secondary education for marriage such that they don’t end up as liabilities in the house of men?

Your question is apt given our culture and background because you are talking of something that we have been thinking of changing by introducing some forms of vocational trainings within the boarding schools for girls.

Three weeks ago I attended a school where a girl came 2nd and the best performing primary school across Nigeria and I was there to present the gift that was given atthe national level.

So the head mistress showed me that he had introduced teaching the young girls how to make cream, detergent Air freshener, car wash, small bag and how to knit sweaters and caps for the cold weather. They introduced that from primary 1 -6. The idea is that anytime a girl is out of school even if she is married she will have something that she can do at home, these are some of the things we are encouraging in schools.

Now about the girls that have completed secondary schools and they haven’t met the requirements of going

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SPECIAL REPORT for higher education, this is one of the critical issues which we are making deliberate efforts to address. It is a major challenge and we are using youths craft to address it where both young men and women are being taught various skills and since we are coming to office we have done more than 12 graduation ceremonies which we empowered women mostly young girls to set up their businesses.

Your Excellency, there has been a considerable shift in policy direction towards agriculture. How is your government looking at the sector?

I can’t say we have started it but I think in our campaign of 2014 that saw the election of 2015, we made it clear. Katsina is 100 per cent agrarian state, people depend on farming and livestock and we said Katsina province then comprises of Katsina emirate and Daura Emirate which is not a state, had the best western educational institutions run by Northern authorities so if the Northern authorities ran the institutions through agriculture and livestock then, why can’t we do it now? Because we heavily rely on oil now two things can happen to oil which we saw. The price fell down to $27 per barrel in 2017. Up till this time the price has not gone back to $80 per barrel. And again now in Nigeria there is agitation about the oil producing areas and revenue allocation, restructuring, fiscal federalism, all these point to one fact: that they are not comfortable with the revenue sharing formula as it is today. If then the price of oil goes down it means the whole country will go down but one thing that can never go down is agriculture because we have the population and people must eat, feed and clothe themselves. So naturally we must go back to agriculture because it is more sustainable and we thank God who has given us land and water. These are the two principal requirements for agriculture and we have a President that is determined to restore our lost glory, to take us back to where we were. You know the population of Nigeria, Niger and that of Ghana; if Nigeria population moves only one million into any of these countries, their economy will break. And here in Katsina alone we are 7 million people. So you can see that for us to go back to Ag-

riculture is a must because not only for Nigeria alone to feed itself but to help other West African countries and non African countries who are not favoured by climate conditions for farming. Here there are still some areas where you do dry season farming and you do rainy season farming. So we can have two seasons here When you talk about rice, Kebbi state is nationally known as the leader in rice production. In what critical areas has Katsina gained such prominence when it comes to agriculture?

Before the collapse of the textile industries in Nigeria because of massive importation and lack of energy Katsina state was producing 60 per cent of the cotton needs of this country and I think under our own priority crops, we have taken cotton and rice. Rice is grown all over Katsina state because the technologies in growing rice have progressed, you can have Fadama rice or upland rice; you grow it like growing maize and we also have comparative advantage in terms of maize production but the main cash crop is cotton and I think we are blessed with all sorts of conditions, though not known. But we are prominent in sugarcane and cotton basically.

Months back Katsina state witnessed a major flooding that claimed close to 50 lives and attracted federal presence. How is the state utilizing the ecological funds to checkmate such occurrences in the future?

I think we have benefitted through drainages constructed in Daura. In terms of what really happened that attracted the federal presence, there was flooding in Jibia and that flood claimed over 50 lives, some bodies are yet to be recovered till now because they were buried under the river bed. You know in sandy areas they keep on shifting and some of the bodies were recovered in Niger Republic because from Jibia to Niger is not far; This year happens to have recorded the highest rainfall and I can say we were very lucky and God was on our side because it wasn’t our thinking that we initiated construction of drainages across Katsina State. In Katsina Township alone, we have spent over N2 billion on drainages across the state. As at July, we had spent about N5.6 billion in terms of constructing drainages, and if not because we did that the level of destruction would’ve been more. So far we recorded serious flooding only in 3 places and we addressed them.

The major one was in Jibia followed by another one in Kadan rani which was January, 2019 CHERRYAFRICA

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SPECIAL REPORT not as serious; it didn’t claim lives but properties were damaged and another one in Daura and we have already addressed them but the one in Jibia was the major one that requires federal presence and the vice president visited and the director general in charge of NEMA came with some relief materials and food items to the displaced persons and we are happy to say that we have resettled 100 per cent of them now completely.

We are also working with the federal government for a major construction in that area to avoid future occurrence because there was flooding in that area about 2 or 3 times dating as far back as 50 years. So it has a history and we try to mitigate it even before there. It was the efforts we made in terms of rechanneling some major areas that even reduced the level of destruction but now we are working with the World Bank which came in. They have now commissioned consultants which the federal government will pay over N600 million and they will come and spend well over N15 billion to secure the Jibia drainage works and the federal government will also come so whichever one comes first.

Upon arrival, you set up Katsina Investment Promotion Agency {KIPA}.

What has been the impact of that agency to the government from inception?

Well KIPA was a fall out of the Economic Summit we had and the idea was to create our own structure where investors won’t have to suffer going to different agencies and that one agency will be able to provide answers to all their questions and all their requirements and right now they are driving the process of establishing the economic zone along Jibia road which is about 800 hectares of land that we are developing. We started with 100. I think few days ago they signed the contract agreement between the company that is driving the project and doing the construction to provide energy and water and roads, drainages, fencing and now to advertise to the world to come and establish because from there to Nigeria, Niger border is only 30 minutes drive. So we are working through KIPA

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to make sure that access to the land license and other requirements for investors especially in the area of agriculture and energy is processed on time.

As the campaign for 2019 elections is gathering momentum, what will be your honest assessment of the federal government given its campaign promises in 2014?

I think we need to go back to what was Nigeria in 2015 and what is Nigeria today for you to understand or actually appreciate the efforts made by the federal government. From 2015 the inception of this administration, about 8 or 9 local government areas Boko Haram were hoisting their flags as being a country. Today we don’t have any LGA with such even though we still have some hit and run; some of them come from as far as Chad, Niger Republic to come and hit some villages and towns and go back to their hiding places. I think as a result of the most recent attacks the federal government has sent a delegation to Chad.

So for that in the area of federal government, we haven’t gotten 100 per cent but I can say we have 70 per cent in terms of securing the country and arresting the perennial conflicts between cattle rustlers, the cattle herders and farmers. In some cases it has even become a tribal thing than religious thing as suspected by various quarters and the President is using his powers to be able to control the situation. At least normalcy has returned almost to all part of this country. And like the famous movie says that the man has gone to the moon and conquered the moon but has not conquered criminality. So anybody that is using that saying there will be zero criminality is joking.

It is impossible since the creation of Adam and Eve. That’s security for you.

If you look at the revenue accruable to the federal government and you compare to the last government, the six years of the immediate past government, they made $396 billion out of oil revenue and in 3 and half years of this administration, Buhari made $94

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billion, so even if you divide that by 2, you have 188 and if you divide that by 2 again that’s when you have that.

And today, the federal government and some states with access the train has started running from Kaduna to Abuja and from Abuja and others.

Today the East West road that started in the time of Gowon is gone far and work has started on the 2nd Niger Bridge. All the roads in the South East are under complete rehabilitation. PH to Aba is going under complete reconstruction. Today the national grid has improved from3,000 Megawatts to 7000 Megawats going to 11,000 megawatts by 2013. Today the railway work is almost completed to start from PH to Maidugiri through Jos/Markurdi and the Kano rail line will extend up to Jibia, Katsina, which was recognized by United Nations as the LAKAD Corridor. LAKAD means Lagos, Kano, Jibia, it is economical.

Today in Katsina, the water supply that started in 1992 by the end of the year we believe water will come to Dusenma and from there it will graduate to Katsina.

This state has produced two civilian Presidents and one Head of State

among other prominent sons. How has that impacted on the state?

We will produce more by the grace of God. You see we produce leadership not for ourselves but for the nation. The fact that Buhari is President he has never brought anything to Katsina State and will never because that is not in his nature. The fact that I am governor here doesn’t mean I should take everything to my local government. I cannot give to my local government what I cannot give to others; we don’t do leadership that way from this part of the country. The way we were brought up in a polygamous home, if my mother cooks, she shares the meat across all the children in the family, other children should take before her children then she takes last. That is how leadership should be. As a leader you should not eat and let your subjects suffer. I would even prefer if he takes it to Bayelsa State and let them see the difference in governance and gradually everyone and everywhere would be covered; then the scramble for leadership will reduce. It doesn’t matter where you come from, once you do the right thing people will stop asking from where is he.

And today, the federal government and some states with access the train has started running from Kaduna to Abuja and from Abuja and others. Today the East West road that started in the time of Gowon is gone far and work has started on the 2nd Niger Bridge.

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SPECIAL REPORT

Our scorecard on programmes is excellent In this interview with CherryAfrica, Secretary to the Government of Katsina, Alhaji Inuwa Mustapha discusses the achievements of the government and sundry issues affecting the wellbeing of the people.

Prior to your appointment as the Secretary to the Government of Katsina State (SGS) some Local Government Areas were said to be under siege due to the activities of some forest dwellers. As chairman of the Dialogue and Amnesty Committee, how were you able to address the situation and restore the relative peace Katsina seems to enjoy now?

In the actual sense they were more than 9 Local Governments because apart from the LG at the border you still have some LGs inside that were equally affected including the major roads. Sure we were able to start addressing the issue not in my capacity as chairman of Dialogue and Amnesty Committee which was a later development any way but as the SGS the office coordinates all the security activities in the state. We liaise with the security agents in the state, we meet them, discuss and fashion out strategies on all security matters. So before we were even inaugurated, during our campaigns we promised people that if elected into office, we’ll do everything within the powers of the government and available resources to address the issues and return sanity to these areas. As you rightly said, the areas

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were not only under siege but there was lack of commercial activities in these areas and social activities. People were sleeping in the bush, some on the trees, Some were migrating from their communities to urban areas to sleep.

People were not taking their goods to the market for fear of being attacked in the night because the bandits had informants all over. People were killed almost on daily basis and there was a time about 142 people were killed in a single operation. Some were killed in the most humiliating manners and their houses and farmlands destroyed.

The situation was terrible even to a point Katsina was under curfew because of the youths who were also engaged in this criminality. At a time by 9p.m. all activities must stop, businesses closed for fear of being attacked. So the government officially enforced curfew in Katsina in particular when were about to start elections. So when we came we summoned the security chiefs and made it very clear to them on the issue of security we won’t compromise and the government was willing to do everything possible to support them with funding, equipment and more to ensure that the state was secured. So that’s how we started and within a short period of time we were

able to achieve a lot. Many of the bandits were arrested. Many of the rustled animals were recovered. So we were able to make a lot of progress to the extent that the animals were looking for ways out. Within the period of the year we recovered over 30,000 herds of cattle. We also made a lot of arrests.

Others were taken to court and we recovered a lot of weapons until towards of the end of 2016 that we thought of looking another way.

Apart from the activities on security we wanted to also try to dialogue; we reached out because from the contacts we had from those who were arrested, we realized not all of them were criminals. Some of those living in the forest were forced to be there and they are equally worried because many of them could not come to town so they were finding means of livelihood very difficult and expensive. From our investigations we discovered some have been in the bush for as long as 8 years without coming to town for market or interacting with their relations in the towns and villages. So we used the Fulani cultural associations called Miyetti Allah. Fortunately, a new leader was elected so we started reaching out to them through the association which was also determined to see the end of this. Initially

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SPECIAL REPORT we had a lot of reservations. Both the Fulani and the youth, we had our apprehension because we were not sure of their sincerity. So it was like taking a risk and with the risk we visited them in the forest but under heavy security so we started talking. We also invited them to this very office so we continue talking and quite a reasonable number agreed to lay down their arms. Then we granted them amnesty and also we agreed on a day to celebrate, it was symbolic presentation of this surrendering of arms which took place on January 15, 2017 in one of the notorious LGAs of these activities, which is Hankara.

It was well attended. Over 200 of these repentant rustlers were in attendance. We received over 300 assorted fire arms, a lot of ammunitions and the event was attended by the Governor and all members of the executive council including the Deputy Governor, the two Emirs from from Daura ans Katsina and the security chiefs including the General Officer Commanding from Kaduna, the brigade commander from Kano. They all attended because it was really unbelievable. As at that time, a lot of these rushers were around; the famous Faharandaji who was seen as a president among them also came and surrendered his arms. So that saw the creation of the dialogue and amnesty committee, because the committee was to continue with this effort discussing with them, collecting the surrendered fire arms and also providing them what the government agreed to provide because we had some agreements and they had some demands that they grant amnesty to all those without going back to history to punish them at all. They wanted the government to agree to compensate them for the fire arms so that if you surrender the weapons you used to destroy lives you need something to start with. They needed schools because according to them in the course of our discussion they believe ignorance was one of the major contributors to their activities and the government agreed to construct schools and clinics for them, reconstruct their dams and some social services for them.

What motivated the government

to dialogue with a group of notorious bandits that have been in the bush for close to a decade and have destroyed innocent lives over the years?

Like I said, from the interactions I had with quite a number of them especially through the association, that where they said if we go back to history of what really brought the whole thing because they started many years back as mere clashes between farmers and herders especially in terms of crops production because before the end of the harvest period sometimes they will encroach into the farmlands and simply because quite a number of their grazing areas were turned into farmlands. The cattle routes were also taken over as farmland so they had difficulties in getting their livestock move freely from one place to the other depending on the season. So this started many years ago.

Incidentally when this issue started, I was then the SSG so am aware of what happened. The committee was set up to interface to dialogue with them and to try and mediate between the farmers and herdsmen. So when the situations became tensed you find out that where any Fulani man/woman was seen they were chased out. In some cases they were even killed. So many of them moved to the bush to save their lives.

It is not every one of them that was a criminal or cattle rustler. Many of them ended up there just to save their lives but they have to carry arms because they are in the midst of dangerous people with arms. So even if you don’t be-

lieve in what they are doing, you don’t participate in what they are doing you have to protect yourself. But whenever any of these people get to town they are mistaken or regarded as criminals and would be killed. And I can tell you they were not enjoying the money or the lives they were living because if somebody could stay in the bush for 8 years no matter what kind of money you are getting you can’t enjoy and not only that, they get some of these things at very exorbitant price. For instance, look at a loaf of bread sold for N10 in the open market in the town, by the time it gets to them it will be about N50 because people also take advantage of the situation and many of them could not get to the hospital for medical care when they are sick and only a few could afford to go and treat them in the bush and even at that it was very expensive and even the rustled cattle when they sell them it will be at ridiculous amount.

Don’t be surprised that a cow that goes for N150, 000 could be sold for N60, 000-N50, 000 and they may not even pay at once. They give them in piecemeal. So you see the whole thing was not okay and a lot of them were not very happy and that is why when we brought this issue of amnesty, a lot of them embraced it.

You mentioned earlier that one of the causes of this problem was encroachment. How was your government able to address that?

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SPECIAL REPORT the reclamation of these cattle routes and so far we have done the first phase, carving out about 905 Kilometers across the state. And very soon we will embark on the second phase. We want to be sure that in the entire state we are able to bring back the grazing areas which was encroached on; we asked the farmers to vacate and allow the grazing areas to continue. To also demarcate the cattle routes throughout the state across and also the cattle have been roaming major routes and certain routes and normally we have certain meters of the road so that the animals can move freely from one place to the other. So the Governor was able to plan for the entire work. So we have done the first phase and we will continue with the second and third which I believe will be the final phase.

Coming to your youths, what are the things in place to effectively engage and possibly challenge them, considering their role in the society?

Honestly that is one fundamental problem that I believe is even more dangerous than the cattle rustling in the communities because most of these criminals’ activities are as a result of these uneducated and jobless youths who have nothing to do and so on. So during the entire campaign we had a battalion of youths going with us.

We told them when the government comes in place we will try and get them something doing and this government has lived to its campaign promises. Initially in this office we trained over 1,000 youths on different trades; the records are available.

What would you consider your major problem in Katsina state given your population?

It is our population. This is a place where you have a household with over 30 and you find out that the man is a low income earner and he doesn’t have enough to take care of the children in schools. So when you cannot provide your children with good education that could earn them better jobs, you continue to have these kinds of problems.

Many of them terminate at primary on most secondary level and now secondary level education is not the enough to

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give you any good job so that becomes our problem. And you find our business here is largely agriculture.

What is your government doing to address this?

You see, the issue is more of culture and religion and when these issues come you can’t stop there. For instance, the religion allows one to marry one to 3 or 4 wives, you cannot stop but what should be important to people should be the means. Even when the religion has said you can marry up to 4 wives what is fundamental is that you have the means but because of our communal living where you find if you have somebody who is maybe earning high income they just relax knowing they’ll fall back to him when you have issues but in other society this can’t happen; you see them struggle to do it; you can’t find these kinds of things.

But here even when the government provides the service say His Excellency gave out 2 or 3 bedroom flats, somebody with 37 children, tell me the number of rooms that you will give that will make sense? And even in schools, when you construct schools for a particular community assuming you have 3 or 4 classroom blocks and one person brings 37 children it’s enough to make a class so it is for this reason that the government embarked on adequate large scale empowerment and education to eradicate these kinds of things and we are achieving good results.

That brings us to the issue of child mortality. What is your government doing to educate these young mothers to reduce it?

The government is doing a lot to improve the health sector. When you look round you’ll see the structure but the tremendous improvement not only on the structure but from what it used to be in personnel and equipment and other things. It is important to empower some people to take good care of their families to avoid some of the things that cause early death of our children but the situation incidentally is reducing; these kind of things really require a lot of investment but unfortunately in this part of the country, most of the things are left for the government to do, education,

health, you name it.

How is the government encouraging investors?

We are doing our best to encourage investors. You are aware we had investment summit here which the Vice President came to declare open. A lot of people came from within and outside the country and quite a number of them have lived to their promises.

They’ve started the process of establishing businesses but you see there are a lot of other things that should come in; market is important and other logistics. A lot of them are in agro-allied business.

As the SGS of Katsina, given an option of choice, what would you have done differently?

The way we handled the youth empowerment program would ve been done differently if given another chance. We ll look at it and do it to be more result oriented with effective checks and monitoring mechanisms.

2. The civil service too would ve been handled differently to be more result oriented and have certain degree of independence in terms of the way they think. I don t want the civil service to be like a robot, they just wait for directives/instructions because they are the ones who are always there, who should initiate decisions so that it will be result oriented but when you wait for the Boss always to direct and most of us politicians have no knowledge of the civil service, some of us are coming from the private sector while some of us has never worked before. So its better to carry them along and allow them to have some form of independence cause a lot of them are versed in the system and very intelligent and if you don t allow them to think, we will be surpressing what they could ve contributed to benefit the system or even help us succeed and by extension frustrating them psychologically and that is not good for anyone.

3, Finally, I would've really like us to try and encourage the single treasury system. I believe it will help to block a lot of leakages and the government should have some political will to ensure compliance from all areas.

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Our contributions to stable security are visible Munil Atiku Lamido is the chairman of Miyetti Allah Cattle Breeders Association of Nigeria, Katsina state branch.

He speaks with CherryAfrica on some critical issues

Before then what was the situation in the state and what motivated you to aspire?

Before we took over oďŹƒce, there were a lot of things we were willing to do to reduce the rate of insecurity. The situation wasn't very pleasant and it was quite unfortunate, I must say. Those were some of the reasons we had the interest to get into this association to contribute my best and stand in the gap for the government and the people as a mediator.

The members of Miyetti Allah Cattle Breeders Association are the Fulanis and the Fulanis as we all know are popularly known for cattle rearing; that is their major business so the association is for cattle herders.

It could be a Fulani or non Fulani, as long as he is a cattle breeder he can become a member. They are people from various local government Areas in specific states across Nigeria. They are members of the common society but sometimes due to the nature of their businesses, whoever has a large number of cattle is likely influenced by his business. He is likely to change environment to a place that suits his business.

Who are the members of Miyetti Allah Association?

Did you say they have always been members of the common society?

When did you assume oďŹƒce?

I was elected into this position as chairman Katsina state branch in January 2016.

Yes except for some of them that got engaged in crimes and they know they can't appear in normal society so those ones ran into the forest to hide.

What then went wrong, at what point did members of your association become enemies of the very society they once lived in as friends?

Well a lot went wrong. Change and maybe neglect. First of all, the Fulaniman was used to grazing his cattle at a particular place and they were used to a certain route; all of a sudden those routes in which the cattle were using to move around were encroached on and turned to farms so there was no way the herders would pass with their livestock without destroying these farmlands in the

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SPECIAL REPORT course of passing and the farmers see those things as deliberate acts of wickedness by the herders and they attack. So people were forced to look for alternative way to help themselves whether peacefully or violently. This encroachment has been the reason why their peaceful coexistence was interrupted. Sometimes when it happens and the farmer attacks the livestock and the herdsmen will definitely try to protect and defend their livestock and that's how it happens in most cases. Such incidents claim lives and the animals too will be carted away.

Secondly, education is lacking. The inability of the Fulani people to enroll their children in schools too contributed to the crisis.

What is your perspective in this friction?

I think education is the major cause of these whole friction because people don't have normal approach to issues, they maintain what was passed to them over 100 years ago by their fore fathers. Those very old and backward ways of reasoning in this 24th century and it is very unfortunate. I feel bad about it.

For how long has this problem been?

This crisis started over 15 if not 20 years ago but then it wasn't this serious; in the past 7-8 years now it has worsened and during the coming of this administration the crisis was at its peak.

Members of this association are reported to be in possession of sophisticated fire arms, some more sophisticated than that of the security agents.

Where do they get such arms and why engage firearms in fighting harmless farmers whose only oense in most cases is protecting their crops?

You know this whole friction caused each group to go in search of arms to fight the other and the arms got proliferated everywhere. Sometimes you find people holding firearms that they have no legal right to possess or can't even aord. We suspect infiltration because on many occasions there's been report where security agents at the boarder will arrest some of them with illegally brought

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I think people need to understand the situation here or seek proper knowledge and information because it can't be a religious crisis when a Muslim Fulani man kills a Muslim farmer or fights with another Fulani man who is also a Muslim. This can't be religious but crime.

in firearms from Libya through Niger and so on but the Federal government is handling the boarder issue and they are being addressed.

Why do the herdsmen engage in indiscriminate killings, what do they really want?

I think they just want to retaliate the gradual killings that have been on over the years in some villages. At times they kill 3 to 4 Fulani's in suspicion that they are cattle rustlers and sometimes most of the victims are innocent because the main criminals hardly come to where they can even be arrested. The farmers did form their groups of vigilante and they were hunting down any Fulani person. It was pure retaliation.

This crisis is said to have some religious undertone. What’s your reaction to this?

Not at all. I think people need to understand the situation here or seek proper knowledge and information because it can't be a religious crisis

when a Muslim Fulani man kills a Muslim farmer or fights with another Fulani man who is also a Muslim. This can't be religious but crime. This is purely a case of criminality and these people commit crime against their own brothers and against humanity.

This for all we know could escalate to cities where there is no farmer or cattle herders and people start killing themselves because of what started by some criminals in the forest years back. That's why we did everything within our power to stop it.

The relative peace enjoyed in Katsina is credited to the synergy between your association and the state government alongside other security formations. How did it happen?

The situation before the arrival of the administration was scary and it gave us concern so upon my assumption as chairman after series of meetings, we the Miyetti Allah association and the government of Katsina state in collaboration with the security formations along with the traditional institutions and the vigilante group formed a committee called Amnesty and Reconcilliation. It took me time to convince them to be able to accept the amnesty headed by the Secretary to Government of Katsina State. On my part it took a lot of work. It took days of sojourn in the forest to convince the forest dwellers So what were the conditions your association gave the government in exchange for the Amnesty?

We demanded for construction of primary schools in locations where they are densely populated, clinics, teachers to teach them in terms of religious and western education and they also demanded the release of some of the people that were wrongly arrested in suspicion and were still in police custody so the government engaged the ministry of justice to advice on the legal implications of such demands and we recorded success.

The number of firearms that were surrendered was quite impressive.

And the government in turn built us the schools and sent in teachers, built us clinics and dams so far I can say Katsina state is peaceful.

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INTERVIEW

Inside The Mind of Africa’s Richest Amazon, ISABEL DOS SANTOS 48 January, 48 Januar ary, y, 2 2019 019 CHERRYAFRICA 01 CHER ERRY RYAFRI RICA CA

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INTERVIEW Isabel dos Santos, 45, is Africa's richest woman and the eldest child of Angola’s former President José Eduardo dos Santos, who was in power from 1979 to 2017.

In 2013, Forbes said her net worth had reached more than three billion US dollars, making her Africa's first billionaire woman. Five years her wealth has continued to grow.

She talks about business, being a woman in a world dominated by men and how she keeps steaming forward in spite of daily challenges.

H

ow have the men in your life (father, husband, others) supported your growth as a female leader in business, and what advice can you give to men to help contribute to the growth of female leaders?

I realised quite late in life that my education had been quite rare for an African girl. My father raised me exactly has he had done my brothers, and never told me: “girls don’t do this” or “girls cannot be that”. At age 18, going to university, I was undecided on what to apply for, and I remember my father persuading me to become an astronaut or a computer scientist, it never crossed my mind that this is something that African girls don’t do and cannot be.

Finally, I chose to study Engineering at University, and there was only one other girl (Chinese) in my class.

I do not ever recall hearing things

like, “Don’t worry, your brothers will work and take care of you”, or “you are girl; one day will marry and find a nice man to take care of you”. I was taught to make my own way in life, and never to depend on any man being it father, brother, or husband.

This built in me a strong spirit of independence. My parents were both insistent on an education that focused on confidence and competitiveness.

As a woman I have also been lucky to have found and married an open-minded husband who is also African, and who never saw my personal career or success as a threat, and who allowed me the time and space that I needed to dedicate to my work.

My husband has been a pillar of support throughout my career - crucial to my success. He has provided me always with honest advice and encouragement. He is a great father to all of our four children, being there for them when I am absent, during my long

My husband has been a pillar of support throughout my career - crucial to my success.

He has provided me always with honest advice and encouragement.

He is a great father to all of our four children, being there for them when I am absent, during my long work schedules and overseas trips.

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In the business world there are very few female peers, and it is still undoubtedly a very maledominated society.

Discrimination and prejudice exist.

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work schedules and overseas trips.

The advice I would give to parents is to establish very early on a sense of confidence and responsibility in their girls. Teach them to fend for themselves and to rely only on themselves.

Teach your daughter life skills. Teach your daughter the skills on how to best manage her finances, her salary, and her investments wisely. And moreover, treat her as an independent person and whole human being with a true role in society, equal to that of a man's.

In a male-dominated society, what are some of the biggest challenges you face as a female business woman?

In the business world there are very few female peers, and it is till undoubtedly a very male-dominated society.

Discrimination and prejudice exist. On

various occasions in business meetings it has happened to me that the other party with whom I am negotiating will look solely at my male advisor or male lawyer, to see what he has to say, even though I am the owner / shareholder of the business and have already clearly stated my decision.

Your opinions are frequently second guessed simply because you are a woman. I am also often asked: “what business does your husband do?” People just assume that as a woman and a mother you are someone less able to be negotiating at the table or that you built your own business. The toughest thing for women is to raise capital and investment for their business, as the financial system has “more confidence” in male-led projects.

Are there particular challenges that you face as an African woman?

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Being very often the only black person in the room ... is a challenge, people tend to treat you differently. Africa has unfortunately been marketed in a very poor way. The narrative around African economies and African business isn't favourable, it’s full of negative connotations. Africa needs better marketing in order to promote its success stories better. There is very little knowledge of African businesses or key business players out there.

How do you maintain your strength to carry forward?

As an African person, I was lucky to receive a top education. In this way I am privileged, and this provides me with a great sense of duty, to do more for others, for my country and for our people.

To inspire and help others build their dreams, build their business, get good jobs, and educate their children.

What opportunities exist currently in Angola or other countries in the continent for women who wish to make money and build successful enterprises?

Opportunities for me always start with a simple question: What do you know how to do? What are you good at? And there you will find your opportunity.

Angola in particular has many untapped resources: from minerals and agriculture, manufacturing to services and tourism. Each one comes with a different level of complexity, different need for investment, but all are strong and possible starting points.

The more complex the business, the more it will require, for you to be experienced and skilled, and the need for more capital. Today, the Angolan banking sector offers financing and loans for good projects and businesses, and it is true that interest rates are still high, and that some collateral or partial guarantees is required, as well as some starting capital (savings or land) as equity from the investors. Angola imports over $9 billion of food commodities and consumer goods. Today Africa as a whole continues to import vast amounts of commodities and consumer goods.

A good opportunity in Africa would be the medium scale production of agriculture produce or animal farming or manufacturing. Also in some countries, there is a growing middle class with a growing disposable income, and thus internal tourism such as lodges, and countryside bed and breakfasts are also a developing opportunity for small family-owned businesses. Good quality private education and private health care clinics are also sectors of potential business growth in Africa, as people want to invest in education for their children.

Bigger opportunities, for more capital intensive investments and bigger deals, lie in industries, such as glass or steel manufacturing for construction, or mineral exploration.

As an African person, I was lucky to receive a top education.

In this way I am privileged, and this provides me with a great sense of duty, to do more for others, for my country and for our people.

How can we get started?

Your best business bet is you, your skills, your motivation, and your passion.

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INTERVIEW your idea in detail, be persistent, and partner yourself with a trusted team.

Stay passionate always, and execute don’t delegate.

What are some tips and tricks you can share with young women about managing time, juggling responsibilities, and self-care with all your different ventures and responsibilities?

Time unfortunately is one of those things that none of us has enough of!

We always end up sacrificing something, whether it is less time with our family, or our friends, or having our social life. Or even less time at the gym!

It’s a challenge. Priorities are key.

You must allocate your time to your priorities, and your priorities must match your life expectations.

Because you are the richest woman in Africa, many people must ask you for charity and support for their social ventures. Have you established a formalised way to give back?

Supporting social ventures has always been a priority. From the start, I have installed in my companies a specific division for social responsibility and sponsorship programmes. We sponsor several charities, and we run our own programmes.

My vision is that to have a better society; it’s important for us to give back and help others. Today, giving back has become part of our company culture, and we have thousands of employees that are volunteers and help run our programmes in the community.

We created a culture that engages people, and each person has the opportunity to play an active role in our social ventures. We finance and run a large and diverse programme of social responsibility initiatives such as: supporting a children’s Pediatric hospital where we are one of the largest donors and partners; we finance and run the largest nationwide campaign for the fight and prevention against Malaria; we sponsor a charity for clean water initiatives in poor communities;

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with our volunteers we run a “special day “ programme for underprivileged or sick children in which we organise special play days and fun adventures, for over 10.000 children in all the country, to give them the experiences they would never otherwise have.

Last year, I started the first Christmas telethon, on the nationwide television network, it allowed us to partner up with several companies and businesses to further help and support communities’ needs.

I have encouraged all our employees to be part of our social responsibility programmes, as volunteers, as I believe we need to multiply our efforts and together we are stronger.

I am personally very involved, as a donor, but also personally taking part in these actions, as well as in organizing social ventures and engaging with the community directly, as this is a firm commitment I have made to help improve our society.

How do you decide what causes to support, and when to say no?

I choose to support those initiatives that are focused on the needs of children, a n d with education and

healthcare at the core of what I do.

The fight against malaria is a cause that I carry very close to my heart and I am very committed to help to its eradication.

My commitment is for one day to see Africa brimming with entrepreneurs, from businesses small and big, with ambitious initiatives, full of perseverance, support and opportunities. In my vision, I believe that we have a true lever for change in Africa, and it’s not our resources, but our education. The quality of education we are able to give our children will determine the future of Africa. Anyone that dreams of changing Africa, education is the key. We must educate our girls, as they are the future mothers and an encyclopedia of knowledge for their children.

Courtesy: Today News Africa and APO Group.

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CONTINENTAL ISSUE

The Brexit trials and tribulations of Theresa May

D

Nicholas Newman

ecember has been a terrible month for Theresa May, Britain’s Prime Minister.

Fearing a defeat in Parliament on her Withdrawal Bill, she cancelled the vote at the last minute and triggered a noconfidence vote on her leadership from her own side. The result was not an utter endorsement with 117 votes against and just 200 votes in support. In effect, one-third of her Parliamentary Party failed to support her. The almost certainty of a Parliamentary defeat of her “flagship” deal has led her to further humiliation in Brussels and playing for time by postponing the Parliamentary vote until 14th January.

A defeat in Parliament could provide the opportunity for Her Majesty’s Opposition, the Labour Party, to bring about a Parliamentary vote of no confidence in the government, which, if won, would result in a general election at a critical time and delay Brexit.

Current opinion polls suggest that the Labour Party led by Jeremy Corbyn would win outright or in a coalition with smaller parties such as the Scottish Nationalists Party.

Over Brexit, Parliament is currently deadlocked with no clear majority in support of any course of action. There seems to be no majority in favour of

May’s Brexit “deal” and the “backstop” as it currently stands and the continued membership of the customs union is attracting some opposition.

The Norway option has its supporters and detractors, as Britain would have access to the single market but it would have no vote over EU rules.

Although, one thing is clear, there is

almost unanimous opposition to “no deal” or “crashing out.”

As for May’s Withdrawal Agreement, the 585 pages briefly outline the impact of Britain’s withdrawal from the EU. It covers such issues as citizen rights, the Irish border, and the cost of Britain leaving the EU, plus future trading and political relationships, be-

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CONTINENTAL ISSUE tween Britain and the EU. But, it keeps the UK in the customs union which means that UK consumers and businesses keep paying the Common External Tariff on imports from outside the EU and sending 80% of these revenues directly to Brussels.

Continued membership of the customs union also means the UK cannot make bespoke trade deals with the rest of the world, particularly the US and Asia.

The Norway option involves Britain joining the European Economic Area, a free trade area and allowing for free movement of people, paying dues to the EU and following all rules and regulations of the EU. It does require Britain to become a rule taker rather than a rule maker, a condition that is unpalatable to many MPs. The no deal option is about Britain exiting the European Union and trading based on World Trade Organisation rules under which British exporters would face new tariffs and restrictions on its trade in goods and services with Europe. The EU, taken as a whole is the UK’s largest trading partner.

In 2017, UK exports to the EU were £274 billion (44% of all UK exports). UK imports from the EU were £341 billion (53% of all UK imports). A no deal would disrupt or even sever supply chains.

For instance, the BMW Mini assembled in Oxford, is made up of components manufactured from all over Europe.

For “remainers” the prospect of Brexit is an economic disaster of the first order and best to be avoided, with by either aborting the Withdrawal Agreement or by returning the decision to the “people” for a second referendum.

However, Brexit supporters argue that a second referendum is anti-democratic, whilst “remainers” argue; there is a strong democratic case for holding a second referendum. Since 23 June 2016, the date of the first referendum, voters have learnt quite a few things we did not know before.

Ironically, the regions that voted in favour of Brexit are predicted to suffer the most from Brexit, given that they are recipients of European economic aid, which is unlikely to be made up by the Treasury.

54 January, 2019 CHERRYAFRICA

However, as some economists have pointed out, the vote may reflect a need for self-determination at the expense of economic wellbeing.

One thing is clear: the Prime Minister is a lame duck. She is unlikely to gain the concessions she needs from European Union leaders to help persuade MP’s to support her “deal”. Now asParliament is about to close for the C hristmas and New Year break there is much for MPs to think about . One option, which is gaining political support, is to delay Brexit and return the decision to the electorate in a second referendum and asking people to vote on the “deal” on offer, staying in the EU or leaving.

This is thought by some as a means to break the Parliamentary deadlock, unite the country and move on to domestic priorities such as transport and health. But what if there is a majority vote in favour of leave? One thing is certain, 2019 is likely to be a very difficult year for Britain’s leaders.

In 2017, UK exports to the EU were £274 billion (44% of all UK exports). UK imports from the EU were £341 billion (53% of all UK imports).

A no deal would disrupt or even sever supply chains. For instance, the BMW Mini assembled in Oxford, is made up of components manufactured from all over Europe.

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Under Weah: Which direction is Liberia heading?

A Cees Harmon

lthough the 12 years spent in office as president of Liberia

by Former president Ellen Johnson Sirleaf were was marred by allegations of corruption, there were also noticeable improvements in the lives of Liberians.

Considering the fact that she inherited a country that had virtually its entire infrastructure destroyed by 14 years of civil war, her accomplishments were obvious. Roads were built and repaired, power supply became regular and water supply in parts of the country was restored. Moreover, under Sirleaf Liberians’ wages were fairly healthy by West Africa’s standard.

Liberians, especially the youth, were hoping for an improvement over Sirleaf’s Unity Party’s performance and overwhelmingly voted George Weah and his Congress for Democratic Change, who had promised to fight corruption and meliorate the lives of Liberians, especially the poor.

Thirteen months into Weah’s tenure leaves many Liberians disappointed

and disgruntled. With no clear economic policies, many observers, especially investors perceive the new government to be rudderless, engendering dwindling investor confidence.

Exchange rate to the United States dollar, which hovered around $110 Liberian dollar has soared to $170 since Weah assumed power. This has come with its attendant inflation, thus putting a squeeze on the purchasing power of Liberians, inflicting more hardship.

Many who had voted for Weah are beginning to doubt his sincerity as campaign promises have become a far cry from reality. He has been criticized for not leading by example in declaring his assets to the anti-corruption commission. Asset declaration is normal for all government officials before taking office, according to Liberia's National Code of Conduct. After enormous public pressure, he eventually filed a declaration in July.

He has also faced accusations about putting his personal business interests first, including pushing ahead with two big real estate projects. Many question Weah for not erecting such huge estates before assuming office.

President Weah has also come under

attack for the personal nature of other public infrastructure projects, from road improvement in his home areas to slum improvements where he grew up. When he ordered the re-roofing of more than 200 houses in Monrovia's Gibraltar slum, where he was born and raised, the initial official explanation was that the president was undertaking the project privately and paying for it himself.

But months after the work was completed, a memo to the finance ministry ordering the transfer of nearly $1m ($160 LD) in official funds to cover the costs was leaked to the media. The ministry of finance has so far remained reticent since the publication of the memo.

A recent massive scandal allegedly unearthed by a local newspaper involving the head of the National Housing Authority (NHA) and a Burkinabe firm seeking to construct 5,000 low-income housing units in the country is an indictment on the Weah government which came to power on the mantra to fight corrupt public officers.

In the allegedrecording obtained by the paper, NHA Managing Director Duanah Siryon can be heard discussing kickbacks in the tone of US$160,000 to

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CONTINENTAL ISSUE

be allegedly distributed among top government officials including the Ministers of Justice, Finance and State and Presidential Affairs.

The NHA scandal is happening as investigation of a reported “missing L$16 billion” continues in the country. The missing banknotes saga remains indelible, leaving the rest of world concerned about the stability of the country’s economy. Added to corruption, the dearth of foreign direct investment is partly an albatross on job creation prospects in Liberia. The country’s private sector remains constrained by gap in critical road, electricity and port infrastructure.

Some observers say the government itself creates some of these issues.

The country’s low-quality infrastructure, bureaucratic burdens, high level of corruption, unskilled labour force and comparatively very high supply chain costs are also affecting investors, according to a World Bank recent report.

Liberia is ranked 172nd out of 190 countries in the 2018 Doing Business report compiled by the World Bank. This means, Liberia is among countries that are unattractive to foreign investors.

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LIBERIA

According to the UN Conference on Trade and Development (UNCTAD) world investment report, FDI flows to Liberia fell sharply by 60.4 per cent from $627 to $248 million since 2015.

As Weah’s first year in the hot seat elapsed, some economists said investors are still apprehensive about existing hurdles that have the propensity of hurting FDIs. Weah’s presidency boasted recently that his government had done what no other government had ever done in the country’s history. The boast was that Weah is the only president to make a bold promise to connect the entire country, a boast he has no roadmap for yet.A host of Liberians interviewed by this medium, including Garblejay James, a clergyman, Melvin Payne, a civil servant say the president does not even have the goodwill of the international community. They say foreign governments and multilateral organisations are reluctant to commit aid to Liberia because of fear such funds would be misused.

As the Weah presidency goes into its second of six years, there are con-

cerns that the gains of the previous government will be lost along the way, thus endangering the country’s fragile peace, with its agitated youth population.

Meanwhile, Liberians in some quarters are blaming former President Sirleaf for the country’s looming malaise. Considering the fact that Sirleaf betrayed her own party and vice then, Joseph Boakai, who was in hot contention for the presidency with Weah, and openly supported Weah.

Some claim that the only possible explanations for her action are either that she wanted to leave the country in the hands of a mediocre so as to outshine him for posterity, or that she has something to hide, which Weah either does not see or has decided to protect her in exchange for the betrayal.

And as if the president has run out of ideas to run a country, he recently erected and pastors a family church named: Forky Jlaleh Family Fellowship Church. That may go a long way in keeping sentimental youths oblivious of harsh economic reality

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WOMEN IN TECHNOLOGY

7

Female African Entrepreneurs Leading The Tech Revolution

By Georgina Varley

From sustainable vertical farming, to affordable eye care for young people, here are 7 african women who are providing creative tech solutions to issues across the continent.

Nneile Nkholise, Founder & Director @ iMED Tech Group

Nneile Nkholise is one of the best-known young entrepreneurs in South Africa. She established iMED Tech Group in 2015 while studying for her MEng in Mechanical Engineering at Central University of Technology.

The company provides innovative medical solutions to impact healthcare delivery across the continent. Nkholise has experience in 3D printing applications in the medical field and used this technology in the development of her custom-made products.

Audrey Cheng, CEO & Co-Founder @ Moringa School Audrey Cheng is an entrepreneur working to transform higher education in Africa. Moringa School was born after she learnt that, due to outdated university training programmes, only 1% of computer science graduates in Kenya were able to secure positions in their field.

Cheng’s learning accelerator fast tracks promising individuals across the continent into becoming global tech talent. With a 95% job placement rate, the business is flourishing. Cheng’s goal is to train more than 200,000 people in emerging markets by 2030.

Nkholise is a Harambean, a member of an elite group of entrepreneurs leading ventures that are unlocking the full potential of African people. She has also won the SAB Foundation Social Innovation Award, been recognised as Africa’s top female innovator at the World Economic Forum on Africa and chosen to be one of the 100 entrepreneurs selected to represent their countries at the Global Entrepreneurship Summit in 2016. Her achievements were acknowledged by Forbes Africa in its 30 Under 30 Technology List for 2018, where she was ranked 13th, making her the top female innovator on the list. Understanding the impact that she can make, Nkholise has set aside money to help fund a South African organisation that develops STEM and entrepreneurship skills in young girls.

Catch Nneile Nkholise speaking on ‘Tech's Role in Africa’s Unemployment Crisis’ @ 12:05 on 18th March at Women in Tech Africa.

Originating in Kenya, Moringa School has now launched in Rwanda, Pakistan, Ghana, and Uganda. Front-end web development and user interface and experience design are at the forefront of the courses that the business provides. The school has been recognised by the Financial Times and IFC for Achievement in Sustainable Development, With a Focus on Education, Knowledge and Skills. Cheng, who set up the company aged 20, has been recognised for her social entrepreneurship as one of the World Economic Forum’s Top African Female Innovators for 2018 and was selected by Forbes as one of its 30 Under 30 Social Entrepreneurs in 2016.

Listen to Audrey Cheng speaking about ‘Delivering the Education Needed to Leverage Africa’s Demographic Opportunity’ @ 16:00 on 18th March at Women in Tech Africa.

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WOMEN IN TECHNOLOGY Catherine Lückhoff, Founder and CEO @ NicheStreem Catherine Lückhoff is the founder and CEO of NicheStreem, a startup based in Cape Town that specialises in streaming services for music fans. Founded in 2015, NicheStreem builds and powers affordable, audience specific audio streams for niche markets. Lückhoff has an innate understanding of Afrikaans music and soon realised that it could be profitable to provide communities like her own with the opportunity to stream their specific music tastes. Highlife and Naija Gospel are just two of these curated streams. The platform enables businesses to develop, run, and manage streaming services without the complexity of building and maintaining the website.

NicheStreem is Lückhoff’s third company. During her

Odunayo Eweniyi, Co-Founder and COO @ Piggybank.ng In addition to being the Co-Founder of PushCV, a website that pre-screens job candidates and aids in the writing of CVs, Odunayo Eweniyi heads automated savings platform Piggybank.ng. She has over 5 years of experience in business analysis and operations, as well as a top degree in Computer Engineering from Covenant University in Nigeria. Eweniyi was listed on the World Women in Fintech Power List for 2017 and is a Westerwelle Young Entrepreneurs fellow for 2018.

Piggybank.ng launched in April 2016, based on recommendations from PushCV users. Grown mainly from word of mouth, the free platform is aimed at millennials who wish to save money periodically towards a target. Users can put aside as little as $1 a day and restrict withdrawals until a convenient date set by the customer. In just 8 months from the launch, Piggybank.ng had saved $58,000 for its users. The platform securely enables users to grow their funds, manage their finances efficiently, and ultimately achieve economic freedom. In the near future, Eweniyiintends to launch a group savings feature on the website. Piggybank.ng has also recently acquired a stake in Nigeria’s Gold Microfinance Bank, which will help the business expand its offerings.

Catch Odunayo Eweniyi pitching in our ‘Troubleshooting with VC – What NOT to do when getting their money’ session @ 12:05 on 18th March at Women in Tech Africa.

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4th year at university, she started an online PR campaign business called Mango OMC and, in 2013, founded HQ Africa, a business development and strategy firm. She served on the board of The Silicon Cape Initiative, a community of tech entrepreneurs, developers, creatives, angel investors, and venture capitalists and has been named one of the Mail & Guardian’s 200 Young South Africans.

Lückhoff also frequently mentors tech talent for programmes such as TechStars, Sw7, Launch Weekend, Innotech, and Spark-Up. This South African entrepreneur’s success story proves that balancing university and business is an achievable ambition.

Lückhoff now heads the Cloud Innovation Unit for Swipe iX. Her work includes facial recognition sign in systems, robo-advisers and Deep Lens projects.

June Syowia, Founder and CEO @ Beiless Group Beiless Group is a marketing firm based in Kenya founded by June Syowia. Services include online media campaigns, strategic online communication, digital advertising, social media management, and content creation.

Whilst studying at the University of Nairobi, Syowia attended a training class that sparked her interest in digital marketing. Following this, she bought a laptop and pitched marketing services to her friends for free, which led to her company being established in 2015. In addition to running Beiless Group, Syowia operates a database where people from the construction industry can advertise their labour services.

Aged 23, Syowia made the Forbes Africa 30 under 30 list for 2018. This recognition comes after she was awarded the Global Student Entrepreneur Award in Kenya and named among the 100 Brightest Young Minds in Africa for 2017. The year before that, Syowia was listed as one of the 100 Most Influential Young Kenyans, an achievement she repeated in 2018.

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WOMEN IN TECHNOLOGY

Oluwayimika Angel Adelaja, Co-Founder and Executive Director @ We Farm Africa and Founder and CEO at Fresh Direct Produce Source: Africanpreneurs In Nigeria, Oluwayimika Angel Adelaja is providing innovative solutions to the acute food shortage. Two of her businesses, We Farm Africa and Fresh Direct Produce, are bringing communities together with the help of agricultural technologies. Adelaja has pioneered stackable container farms that reduce the stress on land use and the need to import vegetables, in addition to helping urban populations gain access to high quality food. Adelaja’s organic urban farms use less water and land than traditional farming methods and produce 15 times higher product yield.

Brenda Katwesigye, Co-Founder @ Wazi Vision Source: Lionesses of Africa Brenda Katwesigye became concerned with the cost of eye care in Uganda after a trip to the opticians in 2015.

This particular eye test was a turning point for Katwesigye, leaving her with many questions. How could people in her country afford a pair of glasses? Why were opticians disproportionately located in urban areas? Why were the designs so plain considering the price? Katwesigye set out to create a cost-effective solution for her fellow Ugandans, launching Wazi Vision in 2016. She transitioned away from her career in risk management

Vertical farming and hydroponics, her innovative solutions to food shortage, aid in strengthening the agricultural value chain and create opportunities for Africans. Her projects are especially aimed at young people, with her personal mission to make agriculture fun for them taking centre stage.

In her spare time, Adelaja focuses on developmental economics and empowering women. She has also served in numerous high-profile positions such as Special Assistant to the Senior Special Adviser to the President on Poverty Alleviation and National Coordinator and Consultant to the Senior Special Adviser to the President on Wealth Creation.

and IT auditing at Deloitte with the help of the Mandela-Washington Fellowship.

Wazi Vision provides free eye tests in schools and rural areas. It has also developed an app that uses virtual reality to perform visual tests and sells glasses constructed out of recycled plastic, which reduces the price of the frames from $100 to $20. Quartz Africa recognised Katwesigye as one of its 30 Innovators for 2018 and, the same year, Forbes named Wazi Vision among its top 60 Women-Led Startups that are shaking up tech across the globe. This African entrepreneur is, undeniably, making headway in the manufacturing of high quality, affordable eyewear in Uganda.

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CONTINENTAL ISSUE

AFRICA WOMEN

Update on AWLO-Rwanda 2019

A Carolyn Isaac

frican Women in Leadership Organization, an international not-for-profit organization founded in 2009 with the aim of driving women's leadership through gender parity, leadership eectiveness and global development. The organisation draws its membership of African women from 23 chapters and youth councils in 12 countries including USA and UK. In recognition of its gender development strides and registered achievements in women empowerment and leadership, AWLO has chosen Rwanda as this year's host. In collaboration with Rwanda Convention Bureau, AWLO will be converging the largest gathering of African women in the Country of A Thousand hills for the 11th edition of its annual conference from 4th to 5th April 2019 at the prestigious Kigali Marriott hotel.

Speaking with CherryAfrica, the founder of the organization, Dr. Elisha Attai who is excited about this year's conference said he takes pride in the many achievements of President Paul Kagame whose administration has not only brought women closer to leadership but also facilitated structures for sustainability of his impact.

Adding that those progressive values are aligned with his and the organization (AWLO) was beaming its light on countries development through its annual conferences (AWLC).

The annual conference aims to harness and enhance the leadership potential of women in leadership positions across Africa and channel them towards the unity and development of the region. The conference provides the platform for women from all walks of life to come together to further advance the status of the African women.

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This year's conference themed Empowered for Sustainability is expected to capture solutions and stakeholders opinions on sustaining women empowerment in politics, economics, business, work place culturally,socially and model case studies of enterprising African women with a focus on their strategies and competencies.

It will also collate the valued opinions of women in leadership to guide decision making processes as it affects women in all areas.

Build the capacity of women to upscale skills and individual competitive advantage for leadership; leverage on the host country for a mutually beneficial relationship to promote the conference objectives and the advancement of women in leadership and generally, create opportunities for women through exposure to international networks, business to business

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CONTINENTAL ISSUE networks and showcase.

Expected Outcomes The action plan generated from the women in leadership Congress at AWLC Rwanda 2019 will be effectively

AFRICA WOMEN powering networks envision and draw out action plans for their unique cases, have their interest represented in all resolutions and foster support systems.

Heads of government agencies from other African countries will take away Rwanda's strategy of women's empowerment to impact positively on Africa. incorporated by stakeholders in their respective domains. * Women leaders will model after enterprising women case study to expand businesses and grow flourishing enterprises. * Women's interest would be valued and incorporated in decision making in the work place, policy making culturally and across sectors to enhance equality. * Eighty per cent of women in attendance will be nominated for promotion and leadership positions and achieve outstanding results. * Heads of government agencies from other African countries will take away Rwandan's strategy of women's empowerment to impact positively on Africa. * Generally, women in attendance will be expected to access new em-

Expected Delegates This year's conference delegates will be drawn from prominent government officials in Rwanda, development partners, women professionals and entrepreneurs, women in public service, International NGOs, Religious based organizations, philanthropist, women associations, female youths and other stakeholders including Politicians, First ladies, Diplomats and many more.

Keynote address at the conference delivered by the former President of Liberia, Her Excellency, Ellen Johnson Sirleaf The conference which will have the First Lady of Rwanda, Her Excellency, Mrs. Jeanette Kagame as the special guest, will have its; the address will be targeted towards the need for more women to consciously advance in leadership roles and lay

emphasis on nurturing potential and evolve to take up more challenging leadership roles.

Opening plenary section will be on the theme "Empowered for Sustainability". Taking a cue from the keynote address, it will channel perspective of five stakeholders on the key drivers of sustainable women's empowerment. The stakeholders will represent the interest of women in various sectors as it affects sustainable empowerment. Areas including policy making, cultural practice, business, politics, economic and leadership.

These will form part of implementable action to guide decision making process as it affects sustainable women's empowerment.

Key plenary topics will include; * Adopting to economies to scale thriving women owned businesses. * Self leadership: Demystifying and creating opportunities for self * The role of branding in the development of economies: A case study of Rwanda * Show and tell plenary section on Africa Women case studies: Their competencies and strategies. * Leadership workshop * Women in leadership Congress The conference closing section will include revising all sections, opening the floor for contributions and adopting a resolution of practical strategies

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HR DISCOURSE

WITH TRICIA ABENA KISSI

Goal Setting And The Achievement Of Your Vision

W

here do you see yourself in the next five years?

What do you desire to have in life? Who do you desire to become in future? The truth is you can be all that God created you to be; and get the most out of life. All you need is a vision and an action plan to achieve it. Vision is a written statement of where you are going or what you want to become. It describes a picture of your preferred future.

To achieve your vision, you need to set personal goals. It is not just enough to have a vision. You need to plan on how you are going to achieve your vision because your vision will not become a reality by chance. You need to work at it and make it happen. You need to break down your vision into goals and specific objectives; determine what it will cost you to achieve it; then take deliberate action and steps towards its achievement. A rich oil baron, H. L. Hunt, once said, and rightly so, that there are two steps to getting anything in life: First, decide exactly what you want; then find the price and decide to pay it. It is said that vision without action is daydreaming; and action without vision is wasteful. You need to back your vision with action; and this is where goal setting comes in.

Diana Scharf Hunt asserts that, “Goals are dreams with deadlines."

A goal is something you want to achieve, either in the short time or long term. Goals give you direction and keep you focused on where you are going or heading. With set goals and objectives, you know where to

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put your time and eort towards achieving your vision. Setting goals

and objectives give you direction and control over your own life. With your

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goals and objectives firmly in place, you can successfully steer your own life and achieve your vision.

Successful people pay the price to achieve their goals. They do not give excuses; and they do not allow obstacles or challenges to stop them from achieving their goals. They motivate themselves with a compelling reason to succeed and this reason drives

them past their fears on to success.

What you actually need, as a first step to the achievement of your vision is a clearly defined goal and objectives.

A clearly-defined goal propels you to achieve your vision and reach your full potential. Your goals must conform to the SMART principles. SMART stands for: Specific, Measurable, Attainable, Realistic/Relevant and TimeBound.

Specific: You must know exactly what you want to accomplish with all the details.

Measurable: Define specific criteria for measuring progress toward the accomplishment of each goal you set so that you can measure and keep track of your progress.

Attainable: Your goal must be challenging yet possible to achieve.

Realistic: Your goal must be realistic and take cognizance of your abilities and skills. Almost certainly your goal is realistic if you truly believe that you can achieve it.

Relevant: Your goals must be relevant to your God-given purpose; and be in line with your beliefs and values.

Your goal must be consistent with other goals and be aligned with your immediate and long-term plans.

Time Bound: Your goals must have deadlines. They must have start dates and end dates.

In setting your goals, don’t write: “I want to be rich”; write “I want to make one million Ghana Cedis within 10 years by starting an internet marketing business selling personal development products all over the world and by providing career and life coaching consultancy and conducting live seminars.” Don’t write: “I want to lose weight”; write: “I want to lose 20 pounds by 30th January, 2015 by performing a half hour of cardio exercises and half hour of strength training per day, 5 times a week. I will also eat only healthy food and avoid junk food.” Don’t write: “I want to write a book”; write: “I want to write a work book on “How to achieve your goals” that is at least 150 pages long and get it completed by 30th April, 2017. I will write at least 7 pages every week until I complete the book.”

A lot of people do not accomplish

their goals because they do not set their goals the right way. The most effective way of creating your goals is to use the SMART goal approach. Setting SMART goals is a guarantee that your goals contain all the vital elements to maximize your goal setting success.

Goals must have a clearly defined time frame including a start date and an end date. If you don’t have a time limit then there is no urgency to start taking action towards achieving your goals. You must be determined to act out your goals if you want to achieve your vision. Once you have clearly defined goals, you need to come up with an action plan of how you are going to achieve those goals.

And most importantly, take action towards the achievement of your goals and vision. No matter how SMART your goal is; no matter how well-written and compelling your vision is, it will not magically happen if you don’t take action. Please note that the greatest enemy to the achievement of your goals is You. Only you can stop yourself from achieving your goals by failing to take action. Don’t stop yourself! What do you want to achieve in life? What do you want to do in this life? Where do you want to reach in life? How much do you want to earn in life? What do you want to be remembered for? What legacy do you want to leave your children?

Whatever it is, you can achieve it. You just need to define exactly what you want; identify the price; and decide to pay it by taking action. All the secrets to success in life can be summed up in these: planning and action. So go ahead, plan and act on your goals and you will achieve your vision. God will surely help you.

Patricia Abena Kissi (Mrs) HR Consultant/Personal & Career Development Coach/Author CEO, SEDAT Consult Ltd +233 (0) 24 4629245 / +233 (0) 50 8913333 www.sedatconsult.com.gh patricia@sedatconsult.com.gh / triciaak2000@yahoo.com

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BOOK REVIEW A Writer's Husky Voice And A Drunken Giant On The Brink Of Dystopia – A review of Ayo Oyoze Baje’s Drumbeats of Democracy

By Folu Agoi, President, PEN International, Nigerian Centre (aka PEN Nigeria) Title: Drumbeats of Democracy Author: Ayo Oyoze Baje Publisher: Oyoze Creative Concept Date of publication: 2018 Number of pages: 490Reviewer: Folu Agoi Overview Drumbeats of Democracy by Ayo Oyoze Baje is a uniquely robust collection of specimens of critical journalistic commentaries symbolic of the author's enthusiastic efforts towards the institution of responsible political leadership and good governance in Nigeria and, by extension, the evolution of a civilised global community.

The publication – the culmination of four decades of commitment and contribution to the mass media, a journey that began with the Nigerian Herald in 1978 – is an intellectual monument to forty unbroken years of perspiration and, evidently, inspiration. The text is presented in 14 chapters, each of which comprises several feature articles and – particularly Chapters 1 to 8 – a poem or two serving either as a prelude or an interlude to spice up the publication.

Structure Dedicated to God Almighty and the author's deceased parents, Mallam Sadiku Jatto Umeche and Madam Awawu Avosuahi Oremeyi Umeche – for their love and inspiration, the book opens with a poem titled 'Why?' (published in The Nigerian Herald on April 26, 1980). In the piece of poetry that laments the pathetic state of the Nigerian state, the poet's persona poses piercing questions, asking: Why should I be a dot, a coma, a colon, a letter, a word, a line, even a banner and not a chapter for the pages of history?

That poem and another, 'Witness to Agony', set the stage for the first chapter of the book, a chapter – captioned The Leadership Question Persists – that parades eight critical articles, mostly bearing interrogative headlines, such as: (a) Do they know that we are suffering? (b) What is our concept of leadership? (c) Will democracy ever favor the people? (d) We have failed our founding fathers

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Chapter Two – with the banner The Polity: The Foundation of This House Is Faulty! – features an introductory poem, 'Our Children's Anthem' and fifteen critical essays, which include: Parrots of patriotism, Local Government administration as scapegoats, One country, different nations, What we want from the national conference, Needed – The people's constitution, 2015 and the imperative of political restructuring.

Chapter Three is dedicated to economic issues. Captioned It's All about the Economy, the chapter features two powerful poems – 'Sap Cares' and 'Requiem for The Naira' – and twenty-two essays on the country's economy and related matters. They include: Nigeria's shameful poverty level, UN's battle against poverty, Days of hunger, The national shame of unpaid salaries, Multinationals and second slavery, The second coming of Okonjo-Iweala, Nigeria's debilitating debt profile, Who will pay these huge debts? Ajaokuta steel company, The power of bargaining in a globalized economy, Taxation and the people's parliament, As economic recession looms, and Youth unemployment: A ticking time bomb!

Chapter Four, bearing the headline The Education Delivery Challenge, features nine articles, besides the introductory poem titled 'Ode to rejected Inventors'.

The essays include – Needed: State of emergency in the education sector, Making the best use of our best brains, Maximizing the potentials of our young inventors, Reviving Nigeria Reading culture, ANA's celebration of Prof Akachi Ezeigbo, the literary icon, Strengthening Bio medical Engineering in Nigeria.

Chapter Five bears a screaming banner: Corruption Has Many Colours! The chapter contains three interesting poems – 'The Question', 'Anini, and the rest it us' and 'The weaver birds' – with nine critical essays, some of which are: The colours of corruption, Ha! Nigerians stash $107 billion abroad, High cost of accessing political power in Nigeria, Our politician's shameless squandermania, Implications of legislator's jumbo pay, Is impunity our middle name, 2Face Idibia's protest and base sentiments and The obnoxious immunity clause.

The other chapters – each of which consists of several essays – bear the banner headlines: Morality: Has It Gone to the Dogs?

The Electoral Process: Must It Always Be Bloody?

The Imperative of Food Security Environmental Protection and Healthcare Delivery The Entertainment Industry To Our Youth: Where Do We Go From Here?

Substance The articles in the publication cover virtually all aspects of our existence – as Nigerians and as members of

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BOOK REVIEW the human community. But the main thrust of the publication, the subject to which the author has dedicated forty years of his working life, is the Nigerian project. Thus, the bulk of the articles are commentaries on the national question, leadership and governance, Nigeria's defective structure, education and youth development, security of lives and property, food security, corruption, greed, the entertainment industry youth development.

Of particular interest are the antepenultimate and penultimate chapters. The first is dedicated to Lagos State.

Titled Lagos State as Nigeria's Success Story, the segment features the following contents: A Brief history, From Jakande to Tinubu – A Solid foundation laid, Lesson from BRF brand at 50, Gov. Ambode – Inspiring leadership in a grand style and Special status for Lagos? Why not?

The penultimate chapter, captioned And They Made the Difference, pays a glowing tribute to Joe Odumakin – 'Hero of Democracy and Good Governance' who demonstrates a great deal of 'Passion for Human Rights', personifying the struggle for an egalitarian society. The segment also offers floral tributes to some departed heroes like 'Africa's late labour leader number one, Pa Michael Aikhamen Imoudu', 'symbol of integrity' who went to meet his maker on July 22, 2005 'at the ripe age of 103 years', Babatunde Jose, MKO Abiola – the undeclared winner of the June 12, 1993 Presidential election cancelled by Ibrahim Badamosi Babangida, Dora Akunyili, former Director-General of National Agency for Food, Drug Administration and Control (NAFDAC), Stella Ameyo Adadevoh, described as 'Portrait of selfless service' – the Consultant endocrinologist who lost her life 'through her contact with late Patrick Sawyer, the first index case of the deadly and dreaded Ebola Virus Disease, EVD', Adamu Attah – the First civilian governor of Kwara state, Human Rights Activist Gani Fawehinmi and legendary Nelson Mandela.

Style In Drumbeats of Democracy, an edifying text logically and articulately presented, we find a good blend of powerful prose and beautiful poetry, a grand case of creative intermarriage seemingly symbolic of the author's longstanding relationship with teaching and writing – sacred vocations that appear to be two sides of a gold coin.

Simplicity of style is one distinctive feature of Drumbeats of Democracy, a hoarse voice calling out a drunken giant, putting a clear mirror to the giant's face, challenging him to come to his senses, to reinvent himself and take his place in the global stage.

Virtually all the articles in the publication reflect a schoolteacher's simple explanatory style, as reflected in the rather laborious characterisation of 'democracy' in the introduction where the author catalogues Nigeria's socio-economic and other ills – the most prominent among which are corruption, greed, nepotism and favouritism – and prescribes therapies for them.

The Poet in the Author

A thorough stylistic analysis of Drumbeats of Democracy presents Ayo Oyoze Baje as a time-honoured poet, besides being an accomplished teacher, journalist, social commentator, academic writer, publisher et cetera.

Journalism entails writing news stories or articles for newspapers of magazines, if not for broadcast on radio or television, that is, reporting events and, sometimes, making commentaries on the events. But poetry, the song of the soul, is a sacred medium through which life's day-to-day experiences are captured artistically, metaphorised and fossilised for eternal preservation. In other words, creative writing is the zenith of intellectual activity; and poetry is the most sublime of the literary forms, a factor that informed Maxim Uzoatu's characterisation of poetry as the god of literature. The poetry in Oyoze Baje is symbolised by the quality and quantity of the poetic interludes deployed to spice up Drumbeats of Democracy.

Besides the poems that open the door and welcome the reader to the intellectual treasures of the book, each of the chapters of the publication – particularly chapters 1 to 8 – features exciting poetic expressions that speak to our creative imagination and emotional intelligence.

The poems in Drumbeats of Democracy exhibit natural cohesion, particularly considering the substance of the verses. They include: 'Why?', 'Witness to Agony', 'Our Children's Anthem', 'Sap Cares', 'Requiem for the Naira', 'Another Song', 'Ode to the Rejected Inventors', 'Corruption Has Many Colours!', 'When Angels Cry', and several other exciting poetic compositions which serve to add colour to the book.

A critical appraisal of each of these poems – along paradigmatic and syntagmatic axes – would portray Mr Baje's poetry as displaying an impressive array of poetic elements. These include imagery and symbolism, besides witticism, lyricism and other indices of good poetry.

Some samples of Baje's poetry, much of which reflects no association with verbosity or obscurantism, will illustrate the point being made here.

'Witness to Agony' (1989) is dedicated to various members of our society, particularly the downtrodden. Here are some portions of the poem: I am the witness – to the famished farmers with the fear-furrowed faces...

I am the witness – to the women in the oven of the earth and their bare-footed urchins with empty pans and pails pounding the rocky bush paths from rills to hills digging the barren riverbed sands looking for the water of succour, to douse the angry flames within.

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BOOK REVIEW

to the wailing widow whose neck was crushed yesterday by the firewood fetched for tomorrow's market place...

I am the witness – to the cowed cobbler bareback bent to the callous koboko canes of the slapping sun, trying vainly to mend others' broken dreams.

I am the witness to the tired truck pushers...

Requiem For The Naira Once upon a time our naira danced with the dollar and yawned at the yen she laughed at the lira and frowned at the franc she saddled the cedi and marched with the mark.

Once upon a time before our economic eggheads bruised and battered her down to her begging knees.

When will she rise again?

Our Naira to walk the streets with pride, When? When? When? © 1988.

A Message From The Masses When we left our huts and farms And trekked to the cities

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To cast our votes When we left our schools and shops And trooped to the polls To cast our ballots When we left our factories and friends And hurried to the booths To do our duties We did not pray for politics of bitterness We did not wish for politics of malice We did not dream of tribal bigotry We did not ask for selfish sentiments We did not plead for dogged opposition We did not call for cruel confrontation We did not cry for the winners or the losers Because out of five fingers There is one THUMB We asked for tolerance We called for calm We dreamt of cheaper food and shelter We wished for sounder health and education We prayed to eat our bread in peace We never thought of drinking our wine With a swarm of flies Nor tasting our honey in a forest of bees. © 1979.

Conclusion Drumbeats of Democracy is a passionate writer's warning voice calling a drunken giant on the brink of dystopia, an excellent intellectual effort in a land hardly known to reward intellectual excellence. The publication serves to announce Ayo Oyoze Baje as one patriotic Nigerian who, through the instrumentality of teaching and writing, has taken centre stage in the struggle for a civilised society, if not utopia.

All the articles in the publication exhibit some distinctive attributes. First, it must be asserted that the entire publication is a product of passion – passion for fatherland, and for the global community. The book, indeed the author's entire teaching and writing engagements spanning over four decades, is a function of patriotism, one sometimes bordering on fanaticism – characterised by blind love for one's country.

Drumbeats of Democracy, a bumper harvest of feature articles on practically every sphere of life with particular focus on Nigeria, is a product and function of a singular passion for humanity in general and the author's fatherland in particular.

Many of the articles in the publication lament the 'inexcusable social inequality and injustice' and other demons that have stunted Nigeria, a potentially great nation, since Independence. The most prominent among the identified demons is weak government facilitated by irresponsible leadership and compliant followership.

The articles in the book offer viable solutions to the socio-political and other malaise in the country.

The suggested solutions, elaborately illustrated, are clearly pedagogically incontestable.

In a word, Drumbeats of Democracy, a giant portrait of a drunken giant or wayward child dreaming of El Dorado, is a colourful parade of lucid prose spiced with fine poetry, a testament to Ayo Oyoze Baje's creativity and the power of his piercing gaze

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