ISSN-2052-1979
BOSS NEWSPAPER
Vol.2.24
www.thebossnewspapers.com
A Publication of Ovation Media Group
Buhari's 51st Foreign Trip: From Russia with Love
EVENT
AMAA 2019 ...Who Wins What?
PENDULUM
Bola Tinubu And His Date With Destiny In 2023
Zenith Emerges BAFI Bank Of The Year As Kennedy Uzoka Wins 2019 Bank CEO
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David Ibiyeomie: Celebrating God's Vision for Global Impact @57 By Eric Elezuo
H
ave you ever seen a man diligent in his work? Do you know he will sit at table with kings and not mean men. He will do wonders and positively affect men and the world in general. One man at the height of such achievement is Pastor David Ibiyeomie, who by every standard, as the Bible would say, is the son of Bishop David Oyedepo, himself the son of Pastor Enoch Adeboye. Of a truth, Pastor David Ibiyeomie has an enviable gyneology and pedigree. Born on October 21, 1962 in Bonny Island, Rivers State, to the family of late Chief and Mrs. Apollos Iganibo of Bolo Town in Ogu/Bolo Local Government
Area of Rivers State, Nigeria, David Ibiyeomie has grown by limps and bounds to become today, one of the reference points of world's gospel generals, impacting lives and bringing hope and succour t o God's childr en. Fro
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humble beginnings, Pastor Ibiyeomie has steadily seen the need to attain great heights, and so he also fashioned his way academically. He attended Banham Primary School Port-Harcourt, Rivers State, Nigeria between 1969 and 1 9 7 4 before he went t o Govern m e n t Compre hensive Secondar y School, Borikiri, Rivers State, Nigeria,
where he was from 1974 to 1979. Thereafter, he was admitted into the Rivers State University of Science and Te c h n o l o g y, P o r t Harcourt for a degree Course in Microbiology in 1980. Pastor Ibiyeomie saw the light of salvation in 1995 when he became born again. Shortly after he gave his life to Christ, a divine mandate was handed over to him, and being so obedient to the kingdom, he put every mechanism in motion to actuaslise the mandate. And with a super daddy in the person of Bishop David Oyedepo, whose divine guidance and training was made manifest, today he is a thoroughbred Pastor and teacher of the Gospel. Under the tutelage of Bishop Oyedepo, P a s t o r Ibiyeomie continued his education, this time, on a higher spiritual level. He attended full time B i b l e School at the Word of Faith Bible Institute, operated b y
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Oyedepo's Living Faith Church, the same year he became born again. That was where he was greatly influenced by the Ministry's standards and impact. After his Bible School training at WOFBI, Ibiyeomie started a house fellowship with his family in Victoria Island, Lagos home. However, he moved to Port Harcourt, Rivers State, later and established Salvation Ministries
Birabi Street, GRA Phase 1, Port Harcourt where about 100,000 attendees worship every Sunday alone. This is excluding it's satelite branches spread across the length and breath of the universe. Of all Ibiyeomie's expansion move, it was reported that In February 2011, the church started 14 satellite branches in one day, all running five services each. That was a new record in the history of church
over the globe through his television ministry, online ministration and with over 180 satellite churches within and outside the country and over 300 pastors assisting him. A s e l f l e s s l e a d e r, Ibiyeomie is a father to the millions of worshippers that throng the Salvation Ministry ground every Sunday, Thursday and other special events days. He is not just a father by
growth. The ministry will soon implement a seven services programme every Sunday. According to Ibiyeomie, the plan has been perfected according to God's dictates and will kick off soonest. In just 22 years of existence, Pastor Ibiyeomie and the ministry have practically become a phenomenon and reference point to the world. Today, David Ibiyeomie pastors millions of worshippers spread all
sound, he is indeed a father; meeting the needs of members whenever they arise. It is on record that he kind of live on equal basis with his pastors as practically all of them drive the same kind of jeep he drives, and equally own houses. He provided residential quarters, equipped with state of the art facilities for the staff and pastors’ comfort such as GLORIOUS COURT, S U C C E S S C O U RT,
David Ibiyeomie and family
(Glorious Chapel) precisely on April 13, 1997. It was a congregation of just 34 members including himself and wife. The mandate was clear: TO E S TA B L I S H T H E KINGDOM OF GOD H E R E O N E A RT H through infallible proofs. In a space of three months, the grace of God in Pastor Ibiyeomie was already manifesting, and the 'church' moved to a larger plot of land on Plot 17
KINGS COURT and T E A C H E R S QUARTERS. He is a giver par excellence. It is worthy of note that Ibiyeomie has remained systematic in bringing to past God's instruction towards expanding His kingdom. To this end, he changed his indoor healing miracle programme tagged “HEALING MIRACLE AND DELIVERANCE SERVICE which started in August 2001 to PORT H A R C O U R T MIRACLE CRUSADE in November 2003. The programme was remodeled to NIGHT OF Glory in 2010 and in January 2012, the NIGHT OF GLORY p r o g r a m m e metamorphosed into the 5NIGHTS OF GLORY. It has today become a household programme all-round the globe. In addition, he holds crusades in different major cities of the world where souls are continually won and miracles abound. The most recent is the Aba Miracle Crusade. With an unquenchable love for education, Ibiyeomie runs one of the best Christian schools in the region; Chockhmah International Academy; the primary and secondary educational arm of Salvation Ministries. He is also putting finishing touches to the opening of the PA C E - S E T T E R S UNIVERSITY. The ministry also runs
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The WORD OF LIFE BIBLE INSTITUTE to cater for the spiritual needs of not only members, but all and sundry. The school is reputed to have produced thousands of scholars across denominations since inception. Papa, as he is fondly called by members who adore him, has not hidden the fact that he is a very rich pastor. He has also not hidden the source of his enduring wealth, and uses every opportunity to teach members how to be wealthy. To him, you only have to give to be super rich - give God unsparingly and unconditionally, and also give to humanity. His passion to see humanity flourish has seen him awarding scholarships to 634 students in primary, secondary and tertiary institutions in one year. He has also renovated and donated modern hospital equipment worth over two hundred thousand US Dollars to the pediatric section of the University of Port Harcourt Teaching Hospital (UPTH) Nigeria; creating a w o n d e r f u l ambiance to expedite the recovery of the patients . He also rebuilt the fence of the Central State Primary School,
I g w u r u t a a n d reconstructed several roads in the city of Port Harcourt to make the environment more habitable. He has in the same vein, built a state-ofthe-art home for the elderly in Port Harcourt. Ibiyeomie's humanitarian services can only be imagined. He has practically superceded the concept of giving. His unquenchable desire to see that humanity is well catered for on a more l a r g e r s c a l e metamorphosed in the establishment of the David Ibiyeomie Foundation (DIF) through which he has rendered untold assistance to thousands. In a space of less than one year, that is between 2018 and 2019, the giver extraordinaire has spent over N1.5 billion on scholarships alone. Here is a man who has redefined
the concept of giving and brotherly love. Apart from a preacher and teacher of the Word, Ibiyeomie is a writer of repute, and credited with over 85 inspirational books cutting across all strata of living. Some of them are Dealing with Habits, Enjoying the Favour of God, Secrets for Generational Impact, Total Dominion, The Power of Praise, The Real You, How to Hear from God, The Power of Small Beginning, How Faith Wo r k s , To u c h o f Excellence, How to Fulfill Your Destiny, The Power of Obedience, Prosperity of the Righteous, Business Secrets, The Wonders of Wisdom, The Power of Resurrection, Wisdom for Creativity, Attitude for Supernatural Supplies, The Totality of Man, Keys to Impactful Living, See
You at the Top, The Pathway to Greatness, The Power of Commitment, Wisdom to See Ahead, The Price for Power, The P r o s p e r o u s F a m i l y, Wa l k i n g i n t h e Anointing, Be the Best, Success Pillars and Demonstrating Love for Your Nation. He is the quintessential evidence to God's vision towards global impact. He is happily married to Peace Ibiyeomie, and they are blessed with a son, David Ibiyeomie jr. Today, the man with a stupendous vision to turn the world around for Christ is 57 years, and we can't just keep quiet but clink glasses and give God Glory for all He has done. We are so privilege to have an Ibiyeomie in this age and time. Congratulations sir, and happy glorious birthday!
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AMAA 2019...Who Wins What? ll is now set for the
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highly anticipated 2019 edition of the African Academy Movie Aw a r d s ( A M A A ) scheduled for Landmark Events Centre, Victoria Island, Lagos on Sunday, October 27, 2019. According to AMAA CEO, Ms Peace AnyiamOsigwe, the continent's leading and most glamorous awards event will up the ante with an unforgettable evening of h i g h - c a l i b r e entertainment, colour and glamour. AMAA, she stated, has consistently for 14 years honoured and promoted excellence in the African movie industry and Africans in the diaspora, as well served as a platform to unite Africans from across the globe through arts and culture. It has also facilitated the convergence and celebration of African movie stars – actors, d i r e c t o r s , cinematographers and other professionals while investing in the art of filmmaking. Speaking during an interactive session with correspondents, she revealed that " Engaging The Narrative" , the theme for this year , was specifically chosen to inspire practitioners to begin to tell the African story in our uniquely special way and in our own language. S h e t h e r e f o r e u rg e d governments to invest in
practitioners who tell authentic African stories because such stories though impactful may not necessarily make it to the cinemas or festivals. Ms Anyiam-Osigwe then revealed that the event would be hosted by Lorenzo Menakaya, Lala Akindoju and Chibundu Stanley (Funny Bone). Another feature of the 2019 edition is the introduction of the Best Nigerian Film which is sponsored by the Nigeria Film and Video Censors Board. She said that AMAA has earned the respect of industry professionals over the years because of its insistence on integrity, probity and excellence. She further revealed that the organisers don't know winners until they are announced and there is usually no pressure on the Jury to favour any film or entry. She added that another factor that has stood AMAA out is that it is not
merely an award but a vehicle that has helped to discover, nurture and expose African talents in all spheres of the industry. She noted that this year's AMAA actually began with the Africa Film Academy Workshop and gala night in Enugu. She told us that many rising and established professionals attended the workshop which had Jim Jermananok, an awardwinning writer, director, producer and author as lead facilitator. While a representative of BVA Consultancy spoke on how to access the creative industry funds from Bank of Industry (BOI). She went further to explain that the film industry has the potential to solve the problem of youth unemployment because it has the ability to engage assorted professionals. According to her "on a typical movie hundreds of people made up of 172 different professionals are usually on ground: From
electricians, to fashion designers to caterers, to IT experts and even mechanics" She was full of praise for the Lagos State Commissioner for To u r s i s m , A r t s & Culture, Mrs Olufunke Adebolu who she said has started by creating a Film office that has begun to provide advisory services and logistics support to movie makers. Ms Anyiam-Osigwe noted that after her interaction with the new commissioner, there was no doubt that the industry will witness positive impact if the plans being prepared by the Ministry come to fruition. Speaking about the Jury, she said that it is made up of time-tested experts. Members of Jury this year include: Dorothy Wenner, Asantesewa Olatunji, Berni Goldblat, John Akomfrah, Steve Ayorinde, Keith Shiri, June Givanni, Hyginus Ekwuazi.
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Shaibu Husseini, Ayoku Babu and Filippe Savadogo. She stated that she was excited about the event because of the intense competition that will ensue among the films that had been entered. "Though there are more short films, that feature films, the competition this year will be intense because no one has any clue about the leading film, this will increase the excitement and fun of the award night" she told us. The 15th edition which will feature 26 categories will be aired on the Startimes bouquet and will be covered on all AMAA social media pages. The event has such sponsors as Lagos State Government, Startimes and Moet & Chandon. Speaking on behalf of the sponsors, Mr Adeumi Balogun of Startimes said his organisation was happy to associate with the AMAA brand. He revealed that Startimes viewers will enjoy AMAA on channels such as Nollywood Plus and NTA 2 Channel 5, adding that there is every likelihood that this relationship will linger for years. Africa Movie Academy Awards are presented annually to recognize e x c e l l e n c e o f professionals in the film industry. It was founded by Peace Anyiam-Osigwe and run through the Africa Film Academy. The categories as follow... Michael Anyiam Osigwe
Award For Best Film by an African-Born Director Living Abroad 1. Julius Amedume – Rattlesnakes 2. Tosin Coker – Lara and the Beats 3. Robert O. Peters – Makeroom Aw a r d F o r B e s t Diaspora Short Film 1. Bail (United Kingdom) 2. Oath Bound (United Kingdom) 3. Fevah (USA) 4. I Am Superman (Brazil) Aw a r d F o r B e s t Diaspora Documentary 1.Wax Print 1 FABRIC, 4 continent (United Kingdom) 2.The Guardian of No Return (Guadalope) 3. Dare to Dream (USA/Cuba) 4. Drugs as Weapons Against Us (USA) 5. My Friend Fela (Brazil) Aw a r d F o r B e s t Diaspora Narrative Feature 1. Nine Nights (UK) 2. Olympia (USA) 3. Traffik (USA) 4. Hero (Trinidad and Tobago/Canada) 5. Sprinter (Jamaica) Aw a r d F o r B e s t Achievement in Production Design 1. Redemption (Mozambique) 2. Rafiki (Kenya) 3. Ellen, The Ellen Parkies Stories (South Africa) 4. Urgent (Morocco) 5. Burial of Kojo (Ghana) 6. Sew the Winter to My Skin (South Africa) 7. Mercy of the Jungle (Rwanda) 8. Delivery Boy (Nigeria) Aw a r d F o r B e s t
Achievement in MakeUp 1. Makeroom (Nigeria) 2. Gold Statue (Nigeria) 3 . Ve r o n i c a ’s Wi s h (Uganda) 4. Sew the Winter to My Skin (South Africa) 5. Before the Vows (Ghana) 6. Mercy of the Jungle (Rwanda) 7. The Burial of Kojo (Ghana) Aw a r d F o r B e s t Achievement in Soundtrack 1. Subira (Kenya) 2. Mabata Bata (Mozambique) 3. Farewell Ella Bella (South Africa) 4. Mercy of the Jungle (Rwanda) 5. Sew the Winter to My Skin (South Africa) 6. Lara and the Beats (Nigeria) 7. The Delivery Boy (Nigeria) 8. Redemption (Mozambique) Aw a r d F o r B e s t Achievement in Visual Effects 1. Makeroom (Nigeria) 2. Sew the Winter to My Skin (South Africa) 3. Knockout Blessing (Nigeria) 4. Mabata Bata (Mozambique) 5. The Delivery Boy (Nigeria) 6. The King of Boys (Nigeria) 7. Burial of Kojo (Ghana) Aw a r d F o r B e s t Achievement in Sound 1. The Last Victim (South Africa) 2. Sew the Winter to My Skin (South Africa)
3. Makeroom (Nigeria) 4. The Delivery Boy (Nigeria) 5. The Burial of Kojo (Ghana) 6. Urgent (Morocco) 7. Mabata Bata (Mozambique) 8. Redemption (Uganda) Aw a r d F o r B e s t Achievement in Cinematography 1. Mabata Bata (Mozambique) 2. Sew the Winter to My Skin (South Africa) 3. Mother, I am Suffocating, This Is My Last Film About You (Lesotho) 4. Redemption (Mozambique) 5. Rafiki (Kenya) 6. Delivery Boy (Nigeria) 7. The Burial of Kojo (Ghana) 8. Redemption (Mozambique) Aw a r d F o r B e s t Achievement in Editing 1. The Delivery Boy (Nigeria) 2. The Burial of Kojo (Ghana) 3. The Last Victim (South Africa) 4. Rafiki (Kenya) 5 The Gold Statute (Nigeria) 6. Diamond in the Sky (Nigeria) 7. Mercy of the Jungle (Rwanda) 8. Sew The Winter To My Skin (South Africa) Aw a r d F o r B e s t Achievement in Screenplay 1. The Delivery Boy (Nigeria) 2. The Last Victim (South Africa)
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3. Rafiki (Kenya) 4. Diamond in the Sky (Nigeria) 5. Gold Statute (Morocco) 6. Lara and the Beats (Nigeria) 7. Redemption (Mozambique) 8. Up North (Nigeria) National Film and Video Censors Board (NFVCB)Award For Best Nigerian Film 1. The Delivery Boy 2. Lara and the Beats 3. Makeroom 4. King of Boys 5. Gold Statute 6. Up North 7. Knockout Blessing Aw a r d F o r B e s t Young/Promising Actor 1. Youssef Alaoui (Ayoub) URGENT 2. Angel Onyinyechi Unigwe (Adaeze) LIGHT IN THE DARK 3. Cynthia Dankwa (Esi) BURIAL OF KOJO 4. Emilio Bilo (Azarias) Mabata Bata
5. Jamma Ibrahim (Amir) The Delivery Boy 6. Catherine Credo (Neema) Fatuma Award For Best Actor in a Supporting Role 1. Remilekun “Reminisce” Sarafu (Makanaki) – King of Boys 2. Jarrid Geduld 9 (Abie) – Ellen, The Ellen Parkies Story 3. Zolisa Xaluva (Wyatt Earp) – Sew the Winter to my Skin 4. Kanayo O. Kanyayo (Chief Otuekong) – Up North 5. Kobina Amissah-Sam (Kwabina) – The Burial of Kojo 6. Bucci Franklyn (Dagogo) – Knockout Blessing Award For Best Actress in a Supporting Role 1. Eniola Shobayo (Vivian) – Knockout Blessing 2. Linda Ejiofor (Oby) – Knockout Blessing
3. Kandyse McClure (Golden Eyes) – Sew the Winter to My Skin 4. Adesua Etomi (Kemi) – The King of Boys 5. Joke Silva (Mama Jumoke) – Light in the Dark 6. Arlete Bombe (Mia) – Redemption Award For Best Actor in a Leading Role 1. Gabriel Afolayan – Gold Statue 2 Joseph Otsiman (Kojo) – The Burial of Kojo 3 Chinedu Ikedieze (Big Chi) – Lara and the Beats 4 Jimmy Jean Louis (RobertMcQueen) – Rattlesnakes 5. Gil Alexandre (Bruno) – Redemption 6. Marc Zinga – Mercy of the Jungle 7. Ezra Mabengeza (Samson) – Sew The Winter To My Skin 8 . Ay o u b B o m b w e (Mwanyusi) – Fatuma Award For Best Actress in a Leading Role
1 Sheila Munyiva (Ziki) – Rafiki 2. Rita Dominic (Jumoke Arinze) – Light in the Dark 3. Jill Levenberg (Ellen) – The Ellen Parkies Story 4. Beatrice Taisamo (Fatuma) – Fatuma 5. Seyi Shay (Lara) – Lara and the Beats 6. Sola Sobowale (Eniola) – King of Boys 7. Jemima Osunde (Nkem) – The Delivery Boy 8. Samantha Mugatsia (Kena) – Rafiki Aw a r d F o r B e s t Director-First Feature Film 1. Blitz Bazawule – The Burial of Kojo (Ghana) 2. Adekunle “Nodash” Adejuyigbe – The Delivery Boy (Nigeria) 3. Sippy Chadha – Subira (Tanzania) 4. Nicole Amarteifo – Before the Vows (Ghana)
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Rivers Gov Poll: Supreme Court Upholds Wike’s Victory
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he Supreme Court on Friday upheld the two appeals filed by N y e s o m Wi k e , t h e Governor of Rivers State,
challenging the decision of the Court of Appeal, upturning the dismissal of a petition filed by the African Action Congress and Festus Awara its candidate in the last governorship election. Justice Ejembi Eko, in delivering the lead judgment, upheld the two appeals by Wike on the grounds that they were meritorious. The appeals were against the
decisions of the Court of Appeal, reversing the two decisions of the Rivers State Governorship Election Tribunal. The Appeal Court sitting in Port Harcourt had set aside the judgment of the R i v e r s S t a t e Governorship Election Petition Tribunal that d i s m i s s e d Aw a r a ’ s petition. The five-man panel consequently directed all parties to return to the tribunal to hear the matter on its merit. The judgment that was
read by Justice J.O. Bada, held that the appellant did no harm for requesting the regularisation of his suit. On the second appeal by Awara, on the consent judgment and preliminary objections by respondents, the fiveman appeal panel in a unanimous judgment also set aside the judgment of the tribunal, saying that the tribunal erred in their decision. (NAN)
Border Closure: Bear With Us, Osinbajo Begs Nigerians
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ice President Yemi Osinbajo on Friday begged Nigerians to bear with the government over the closure of the border with neighbouring countries. Osinbajo speaking at the ongoing town hall meeting which coincides with the National Festival of Arts and Culture, NAFEST in Edo State, said the border closure is in the interest of the country and local producers especially farmers. He also said that the government closed the borders because “we want our neighbouring countries to begin to take us very very serious.” Osinbajo was responding to the question by the Vice President of Edo market women, Mrs Christiana Omokaro who cried to him about the high cost of rice and other foodstuffs in the market. She also asked the VP to look
at the epileptic state of power supply in the country. The Vice President explained that part of the reason for the border closure was to get the attention of neighbouring countries to take more seriously the question of policing the borders. He said other prosperous nations did not allow any country to bring goods into their countries but opted to grow what they eat. Prof. Osinbajo noted that smuggling discourage local production and does not allow Nigeria farmers to have access to the market. “Part of the reasons for shutting the border is the smuggling that has been going on. If we continue to allow the Chinese and others to continue to bring in all those things, we will kill farming completely and most of our people will not be employed. "There may be some pain in
other to gain. The countries of the world that are prosperous didn’t allow anybody to bring in anything to their countries. They made sure they grow what they eat. I can assure you that very soon you will see a great deal of progress. You will see more of our own commodities coming into the market. If we allow our own people grow these things, our people will prosper. The only way our
people can prosper is if we let them use the opportunity that they have such as farming, fishing and others. “We are going to make sure that commodities are cheaper. We must bear in mind that the reason today some commodities are more expensive is because we stopped smuggling. We have to encourage our local farmers so that our local farmers can prosper.”
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Visually Impaired Professor Wins N8.8m SUV
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visually impaired Professor of Education at Bayero University, Kano, Prof. Jibrin Diso, on Friday received a car worth N8.8m won through a raffle draw with 699 other persons. The Permanent Secretary, Ministry of Budget and National Planning, Mr Ernest Umakhihe, during the hand-over of the car in A b u j a , s a i d D i s o ’s emergence as winner was God’s doing. Narrating how the visually impaired university don won the luxury SUV, Umakhihe explained that he led a delegation of 700 participants of Joint Planning Board and National Council on Development Planning for a meeting in Asaba, Delta State. He said that after the two days meeting, a familiarisation tour was undertaken to Innoson Vehicles Motor plant at Nnewi to see the level of commitment of the c o m p a n y t o manufacturing industry towards the nation’s economic diversification.\ He stated that as a show of appreciation for the visit, the Chairman of the company magnanimously donated a brand new IVM Ikenga model vehicle to the delegation. The permanent secretary said there was confusion regarding how the owner of the car could emerge among 700 participants.
According to him, in order to determine ownership and ensure transparency, the council decided to use a raffle draw where Diso emerged a winner. He added that it was God’s involvement for the visually impaired person to emerge winner in ‘699 no and one yes’, “the professor was lucky to pick the yes and he won’’. Umakhihe congratulated the winner of the vehicle and also thanked IVM for the support to the national economic development. He reiterated the g o v e r n m e n t ’ s commitment and determination to support and encourage the local industries through the implementation of the
local content’s policy in ensuring patronage of “ M a d e i n N i g e r i a ’’ products. Responding, Diso thanked the ministry and IVM for the donation and described his emergence as the winner as an act of God. He said he was grateful to God who made it possible for him to partake in the national assignment where he had the opportunity to participate in the raffle draw and later won. “I also thank God for making me visually impaired and then gave me the opportunity to turn my disability to ability. “I must also state it clearly that it is not easy
for a visually impaired person to become a professor in this country because of several challenges,” he said. Diso, who said he became blind at the age of two, advised other people living with disability not to relent or discouraged to contribute their quotas to the development of the country. The professor of education enjoined government at all levels to provide opportunities for those living with disabilities to partake in government and governance of the country. (NAN)
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We Didn’t Demand Police Report From Jos Accident Victims - NAF
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he Nigerian Air Force has said that a post on Twitter alleging that it refused medical attention to two accident victims rushed to its hospital in Jos, was “gross misrepresentation of facts.’’ Air Commodore Ibikunle Daramola, NAF Director of Public Relations and Information, denied the report in a statement in Abuja. Daramola added that the post alleged that the victims, who were brought to the hospital on Sunday, were denied medical care because of the absence of Police report. “While we sympathise with the friends and loved ones of the victims on their
unfortunate loss, the NAF wishes to state categorically that the facts presented in the report were inaccurate. “For the avoidance of doubt, the public is kindly informed that the two patients were indeed rushed to the 563 NAF hospital as reported. “However, they were brought in by personnel of the Nigeria Security and Civil Defence Corps hence, the issue of requesting for a Police report never arose. “Besides, in keeping with the Hippocratic Oath, all NAF Hospitals have a standing instruction to stabilise and, where possible, treat all accident victims without asking for
payment or police report. “In this particular case, information at our disposal indicates that one of the victims was brought in dead, while the other victim had evidence of severe head injury, which the Hospital did not have the capacity to handle. “ A c c o r d i n g l y, t h e immediate caregivers were promptly advised to move the surviving victim to the Jos University Teaching Hospital or the Plateau State Specialist Hospital, for further treatment. “At no time throughout their stay at the hospital was any police report demanded. “The NAF, as a highly
disciplined and professional force, has standard procedures in dealing with such cases. “A Police report is seldom required as the NAF Air Provost are empowered to handle such cases within NAF Bases and liaise with the Nigeria Police Force, where required. “The NAF once more sympathises with the families of the victims. “However, we wish to advise the public to please discountenance the portion of the Tweet thread that referred to a demand for Police report as a prerequisite for treatment as it is a gross misrepresentation of the facts,’’ he said (NAN)
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Cyber Attack Shuts Johannesburg City Authority’s Network
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ackers have shut down the cyber n e t w o r k o f Johannesburg City Council, targeting computers of Local Government employees in South Africa’s economic hub, city officials on Friday said. The hackers allegedly demanded ransom in the form of bitcoins in exchange for reactivating internet and email links to the city’s billing systems, local media reported. The City of Johannesburg said it could not confirm the authenticity of the ransom demand and that it’s forensic and IT units were investigating the attack.
Tinubu
Johannesburg is home to five million residents and contributes 16 per cent to the country’s total 326 billion dollars national economy. Officials said the attack on Thursday afternoon via employees’ computers had affected its call centres, website and online electronic platforms. “You’re sitting as an employee and then boom, a message appears on your computer screen and it turns blue. You try to reboot, switch off and nothing. “Some messages demand money, other threatened to attack employees (physically),” City of
Johannesburg spokesman Ntahtise Modingwane said. “We picked it up quickly and shut the whole system down,” Modingwane said. “We’re working around the clock and the system should be back up during the weekend.” The city’s electricity distribution company City Power suffered a similar attack in July when a ransomware virus planted in its cyber systems by unknown hackers hit its pre-paid customers,
according to local news website News24. United Kingdom-based tech firm Mimecast said in a report there was 19 per cent increase in ransomware attacks targeting South African companies between 2018 and 2019. Ransomware is a type of malware that encrypts a victim’s files, with the hacker typically demanding payment to restore access. (Reuters/NAN)
More Than 200 Rescued On Sinking Vessel Off Cameroon
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he Cameroon marine authority on Friday said it had rescued more than 200 passengers from their capsising vessel in the Atlantic Ocean. The rescued passengers
mainly of African nationalities were rescued and brought to Cameroon air force base in Douala, Cameroon’s commercial capital. Cameroon marine was
still investigating what caused the vessel to capsize but passengers said it likely ran out of fuel at sea in Cameroon territorial waters. They were rescued after
several hours by the marine and fishermen. Witnesses said some passengers dove into the sea in an attempt to swim to safety and were rescued by local fishermen. No deaths were reported but marine officials said they were still searching for “any m i s s i n g passengers”. Women and babies were among the rescued passengers on board the vessel that was heading to neighbouring Gabon according to Marine officials. (Xinhua/NAN)
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Court Sets Aside Bench Warrant Against Adoke, Etete, Others
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Federal Capital Territory High Court has set aside a bench warrant issued for the arrest of a former Attorney General of the Federation and Minister of Justice, Mohammed Adoke. The court had on April 17 issued the warrant against Adoke, a former Minister
of Petroleum, Dan Etete, and four others over the OPL 245/Malabu affair. Justice Danlami Senchi, while nullifying the warrant of arrest issued on April 17, 2019 said the application was meritorious. He agreed with the Applicant’s counsel, Mike
Ozekhome (SAN), that the order was issued without jurisdiction of the court. He held that the defendants had not been served with the information charge when the order was made. However, efforts to get the court to strike out the names of the 4th-9th defendants from the charge proved abortive as the judge refused their prayer. Ozekhome had asked the court to set aside the order on the grounds that the court was misled. He also asked the court to strike out his name in the suit the Federal Government filed against
Shell Nigeria Exploration Production Company Limited and 10 others. Ozekhome had submitted that the order for Adoke’s arrest was issued in breach of his right to fair hearing as guaranteed by the constitution. He added that Adoke was neither served with the charge sheet and proof of evidence, or any other summons in respect of the criminal charge pending before the court. He had submitted that the warrant for the former AGF’s arrest was issued without jurisdiction and ought to be set aside.
Unpaid Salaries: Workers Lock Up LG Boss
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rotesting workers in D o m a L o c a l Government Area of Nasarawa State locked up the council chairman, Mr. Rabo Sani, for over three hours to press for the payment of their outstanding September salary. The workers had accused the council boss of exposing them to unnecessary hardship with his consistent absence from office. Investigations by Northern City News on Thursday revealed that an earlier attempt by the soldiers from the 123 Special Forces Army Barracks, Doma, to mediate was rebuffed as the workers refused to listen to
entreaties while the threehour standoff lasted. When calm was restored, the council boss while addressing the aggrieved workers attributed the problem to the N100m liabilities left behind by his predecessor. He also explained that part of the liability was due to the fact that the council was over-staffed. Sani said, “With the commencement of local government autonomy, our problems surface because what we normally do before the autonomy was to augment salaries of few councils with those with less financial burden. “From June, July and August, we have to augment our salary with N28m from Value Added
Tax and the committee on Local Government forbid us to augment salary from VAT and insisted that VAT was meant for project.” He further revealed that the council paid money for the installation of street lights, over N30m for a 1km road leading to the Andoma’s palace while another 300m road project was ongoing. For the month of August, he said the local government suffered a shortfall of N9.2m which affected the
payment of the salary for September. Responding to a question from reporters on the way out of the crisis, he appeared to be at his wits end. He said he approached a bank to collect an overdraft but the bank manager told him that the branch could not provide any facility above N20m without approval from headquarters.
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Buhari's 51st Foreign Trip: From Russia with Love By Eric Elezuo
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n October 22, 2019, P r e s i d e n t Muhammadu Buhari embarked on what was probably his 51st foreign trip since he assumed power in 2015. He was headed to Sochi, in Russia for a two day working visit tagged Russia-Africa Summit with other African leaders also participating. Two days after energetic engagements, a cross section of stakeholders
agree that Buhari has returned home with a 'bag of goodies'. It was believed that the President struck a deal of over $150 billion investment which has the potential to lift the Nigerian economy substantially and take it out of the doldrum. According to the Buhari Media Organisation (BMO), which led a team of excited Nigerians to applaud the President's
laudable achievements, Russia will invest huge sums of money in different sectors of the Nigerian economy. In a statement signed by its chairman, Niyi Akinsiju and secretary, Cassidy Madueke, the largesse include a ten billion dollar coastal rail line which will traverse Lagos, Benin SKC Ogbonnia Onitsha to Calabar in Cross River state. “Another is eighty billion
dollars in nuclear energy, with four nuclear plants to be built in four regions of the nation. “Other phenomenal gains of President Muhammadu Buhari’s trip to Russia are the investment of about 1.5 billion dollars in the revival of the longabandoned Ajaokuta steel project, and two billion dollars for military equipment; two billion dollars will be invested in
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wheat production.” The group believes that the results are manifesting with the huge inflow of foreign direct investments. “We therefore commend the tireless efforts of Mr. President to reposition the country in all facets of life and enjoin Nigerians to continue to lend their support,” BMO stated. In his assessment, an entrepreneur and a chieftain of the ruling All Progressives Congress ( A P C ) , M r. To n y e Princewill, who claimed t h a t B u h a r i ' s achievements in Sochi portends an early Christmas gift to Nigerians also foresee the creation of jobs and more jobs from the trips of that singular visit. He declared thus in his writeup: "As I scrolled down the 13 different agreements that were reached, I couldn’t
help but feel a deep sense of pride at the amount of effort and teamwork that must have preceded the visit and the different areas of the country and the economy impacted by them. My single biggest emotion though was relief. Because of the top three priorities we need as a country which are Jobs, Jobs, Jobs. I see millions of jobs from this visit alone. But as with so many agreements, meetings, summits and presidential visits, follow up is key. With a new cabinet that has results to deliver and a more collaborative legislature however, I see few challenges to a positive outcome." The gains were a product of Buhari's carefully mapped trip which provided opportunity to hold bilateral talks on the side with the Russian
President, Vladmir Putin, and like a choreographed displayed, all the propositions of Buhari and his team received a clear nod from the Russian leader, including co-organizing the fifth Joint Commission meeting to review and ratify all the agreements (about 40) contained in the Intergovernmental Nigeria-Russia Joint Commission on Economic, Scientific and Technical Cooperation Protocol of November 11, 2016. Buhari's achievements from the Sochi-Russia trip can be itemised as follows: Revamping of the abandoned Ajaokuta steel Plant Buhari specifically requested that Russia and Nigeria enter a partnership on a
government-togovernment basis for the revival of the multimillion dollar plant, and received a clearance to the effect. It is worthy of note that the Ajaokuta Steel plant has defiled every attempt to put it to work by successive governments ever since it was initiated by the Alhaji Shehu Shagari government many decades ago. The project has gulped millions of dollars in its wake, and still remained comatose. On the protracted Aluminum Smelter Company of Nigeria (ALSCON) in Ikot-Abasi, Akwa-Ibom State, President Buhari said that he had asked the Ministry of Justice “to submit a comprehensive report on the UC Russel (the Russian owners of the plant) matter...I want to
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Cover assure you that the aim of our reforms is to ensure such investments are concluded and actualized in a professional and painless manner.” Enhancing the Country's huge gas potential and infrastructure Another huge economic gain of Buhari's trip to Russia and parley with the Russian president was the acceptance of Russia to play a significant role in further developing Nigeria’s huge oil and gas industry. Consequently, Russia will help revive Nigeria’s moribund oil refineries through the establishment of a framework for a joint venture between the Nigerian National Petroleum Corporation (NNPC) and Russia-based leading oil company, Lukoil. Russia will also explore some of Nigeria’s oil in the deep offshore. Nigeria and Russia also agreed to revive and solidify the venture between the NNPC and R u s s i a ’s g a s g i a n t , Gazprom, in order to d e v e l o p N i g e r i a ’s enormous gas potential and infrastructure Rehabilitation of the Nigeria's Rail transport sector Agreement was also reached to the effect that Russia will assist to develop Nigeria’s rail infrastructure by constructing a 1,400km rail line from Lagos to the South-south city of Calabar in Cross River State. Security and Military
Cooperation President Buhari agreed to renew the Nigeria-Russia M i l i t a r y Te c h n i c a l Agreement which had lapsed within a short time, saying: “I have directed the Minister of Defence to work with the Ministry of Justice to conclude this matter within the shortest possible time.” The military deal is expected to foster cooperation in direct procurement of military hardware on a government-togovernment basis at a lower cost. In the same vein, Russia will train Nigeria's military personnel and modernize its armed forces. Putin's Russia also promised Nigeria aid in equipment and infrastructure for the military. Education and
Agriculture Both presidents also agreed to enter a partnership on education and agriculture. The Russian leader said his country will award more scholarships to Nigerians. Establishment of Nuclear Power Plant Talks were also finalized on the establishment of a nuclear power plant in Nigeria. Putin agreed that the next step in the implementation of the project should be the construction of the plant. In his humble assessment of facts, President Buhari understood the place of both countries in the scheme of affairs, saying that Nigeria though has a lot of similarities with Russia, has so much from the world super power Buhari said: "There are
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many similarities between Russia’s journey and your leadership and Nigeria’s aspirations for the future. We can learn a lot from the experience of Russia’s ongoing reforms and transitioning from an oil dependent economy to a modern, diversified and inclusive economy." In all, the Buhari was able to get his Russian counterpart to agree to return to negotiation table to fast track the completion of all abandoned projects which the two countries had signed to do. In addition, President Buhari hinted on the need to improve the United Nations Security Council and called for the Russian leader's support in Nigeria's push to become a permanent member of the council.
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Pendulum
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Tinubu
Pendulum - Dele Momodu -
Dele Momodu
Dele Momodu
Delemomoduovation
momodudele@yahoo.co.uk
Bola Tinubu And His Date With Destiny In 2023 and flapping their wings. It would be silly of anyone to shut their eyes to such developments. The debate is already raging, as always. We love to talk. Don't we? That's our pastime, sadly or joyously. The naysayers are having a field day with a plethora of reasons and questions on why he cannot succeed. What does Tinubu want again? He can't win! He is not fit enough! He is too tainted and tarnished! The HausaFulani will never give him power. How can he think he can attain what Chief Obafemi Awolowo and Chief Moshood Abiola failed to get? Why can't he field one of the people he empowered in the past? Too many questions begging for answers. I often wonder what exactly the matter is with us we practically groan and grumble over anything and everything. Someone once wrote that we all have the Abacha traits in us. We are all autocratic and oppressive
in nature, the reason Democracy is not working here and may never work in most parts of Africa. We are just too intolerant and too dismissive. But for me and my house, I'm a consummate Democrat. I believe everyone has the right to aspire to any height in life, especially in politics. Political leadership is not the personal property of any person, dynasty or group! If you ask me, I will tell you, unequivocally, and repeatedly, that Tinubu is eminently qualified to contest. If you ask me if he is a saint, I will say no. None of us is. Not even Buhari. Not you, not me. Nations are not governed by saints but by performers. That is one of the recurring theses that I regularly propagate in my musings and reflections. I have no illusions that Tinubu will definitely perform as President of Nigeria, if he ever contests and wins. He has a knack for identifying brilliant
“
I strongly believe that Tinubu should be given a chance on the merit when, and if, he eventually proclaims his candidacy
“
F
ellow Nigerians permit me to say, it is no longer a secret that the former Governor of Lagos State and easily one of the most influential politicians in Africa, Asiwaju Bola Ahmed Tinubu, has his gaze firmly fixed on the Nigerian Presidential seat in Abuja. Let me put it more frontally, Tinubu will love to drop the Chieftaincy title, Asiwaju, for that of President Bola Ahmed Tinubu. Who wouldn't, anyway? I once tried my luck despite not having ten percent of Ti n u b u ' s s t u p e n d o u s resources, extensive networks, public service experience and achievements and so on. I know that some will think it is too early to be talking about a successor to President Muhammadu Buhari given that his second term is barely six months old. Nevertheless, the political gladiators are already baring their fangs and showing their hands
minds and fertile brains, and the ability to nurture them to greatness. He has demonstrated this repeatedly and almost e n d l e s s l y. E x a m p l e s abound without doubt. Does Tinubu suffer from e x c e s s e s a n d shortcomings? Perhaps, again like all mortals, he does. This does not diminish his greatness. His excesses are mitigated by several strong and
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Pendulum positive qualities. He is generous to a fault. He has lifted many souls, old and young, from penury and perdition. He is a classic example of the Good Samaritan. We all have our shortcomings and why should Tinubu be an exception. Too many unprintable rumours, myths and comments have been circulated in writing and also spoken about him, some bordering on character assassination and unverifiable vilification, but God chooses and anoints those he wants. And no one can challenge God. It is obvious that Tinubu has been richly blessed, despite his apparent foibles. Such is life. I have followed his trajectory for close to three decades. His story is a stuff of fairy tales. All those who have disparaged, derided, denigrated and despised him have not been able to bring him down, despite their monumental efforts to achieve this. When you think he is supine, broken and out, he rises, like the Black onyx and soars again. I witnessed this, live and direct, during our exile days. Many times, we all felt down and out but Tinubu's passion and influence re-engineered things and made us redouble our efforts. The reason is simple. Tinubu has an uncommon audacity. I believe his bravery has taken him beyond his own imagination. A man who has survived too many
tribulations like him cannot be an ordinary soul. God must love him dearly and extraordinarily. He has fought many battles that he won, spectacularly. He is naturally smart and adequately fearless. A mutual friend once told a few of us that he is very sure Tinubu would still take the risk even if you say a particular venture will kill him. He has such kamikaze instincts. You can't go far in life, if you're too squeamish and Tinubu is a living proof that courage conquers all. It is wrong to say Tinubu has no right to run for the Presidency in 2023. Who are those who will run if he does not? How are they better? What qualifies them to run that disqualifies him from running? Yes, I may prefer younger people to take over but many of them we have seen have not justified the noise about "not too young to rule," by ruling senselessly and r e c k l e s s l y. I ' m n o w convinced that age should not be a deliberate barrier; track record of achievements should be the priority. I welcome all those who want to run and believe that they should be allowed to run without hindrance. It is wrong to muzzle the opposition, or even an opponent, because any nationalist and patriot will want the best for Nigeria and so long as the people express their preference for that person, he should be given the
opportunity. Nigeria has suffered and continues to suffer because Murtala Mohammed, Chief M. K. O. Abiola and, to a lesser extent, Chief Obafemi Aw o l o w o w e r e n o t allowed to rule Nigeria by the selfish manipulations and evil machinations of incurably selfish and obviously misguided elements. Let's now take on the issues I earlier mentioned, one by one. Those who are petrified, or just being c h e e k y, t h a t t h e Hausa/Fulani will never hand over power to the South and, by extension, to Tinubu, and others, really baffle me. Self-doubt is one of the biggest afflictions of the Southerners. Too many
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people suffer from inferiority complex. They Tinubu themselves have resigned to slavery and servitude, voluntarily, in their own country. This is one of the reasons the Tinubu experiment and controversy is 'sweeting' me. If Tinubu cannot be supported by the North, despite all he did for Muhammadu Buhari to become President, after chasing the shadows for three record times, then there is no hope for Nigeria. In any event, I must stress that it is an insult to other parts of Northern Nigeria to suggest that there is a monolithic and homogenous North. We all know that is far from the truth. There are diverse
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Pendulum and disparate tribes in the Middle belt. Even within the core north there are several minority tribes who do not share the same aspirations as their more visible and vociferous neighbours. We must discourage the notion of master-servant relationship in this country. We must promote unity and uphold the rights of every Nigerian citizen. Personally, I don't care where the next President comes from, North, East, S o u t h o r We s t . A l l aspirants are welcome. The more, the merrier. That is why I'm not for zoning, in any form. I want aspirants to contest on their disastrous or meritorious records. Let the electorates be the judges. But to say someone is automatically disqualified on account of ethnicity, or even religion, is so unfortunate and so not right and definitely unacceptable, at this time and age. It is one of the reasons that we have been robbed of stellar leaders in the past and the present. Are we not tired of this intractable backwardness? On Awolowo and Abiola, it was the same myopia that made some powerful forces to gang up against them. What did the enemies of progress then gain after all? Let's concede that Awolowo did not win, what of Abiola who was robbed in broad daylight and even paid the supreme price! Who knows if Tinubu will finally cross the bridge and finish the final lap of this
marathon? No one knows God's plans. Goodluck Jonathan never dreamt of being Deputy Governor, talk less of becoming President of Africa's most populous country. Yemi Osinbajo had resigned himself to Law and Pastoral work but s u d d e n l y a n d unexpectedly became Vice President, almost effortlessly. He was probably home, arms akimbo, when he was called and annointed from the blues. Also, his
However, it is my belief that such a decision is solely his. It must always be remembered that he had the chance to be VicePresident and could have put his foot down to make the coalition work. On that occasion, for the good of his Party and the Nation, he gave up his dream and ambition and put forward another spectacular candidate, Professor Yemi Osinbajo, who has not let his mentor down and has shown admirable comportment and grace. I
helicopter crashed one terrible afternoon on his way to some political rallies in Kogi State, yet none of the passengers died. Many have died in less chaotically dangerous circumstances, and not a scratch on these children of God. Was that not a powerful sign and testimony that these are not mere mortals to be rubbished or traduced. Some contend that Tinubu should not contest but instead allow one of his proteges to run instead.
believe there must therefore be some cogent reasons why he feels the time has come to be the king rather than a Kingmaker in perpetuity. There is nothing wrong in him making such an informed decision. He should be allowed to exercise his franchise and bet on himself again. Tinubu is an enigmatic calculator who knows how to permutate the game and stun his opponents. Like Buhari, I want to assume that Tinubu had planned
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this journey for a very long time. All the steps he Tinubusince 1999 has taken obviously point to this fact. The kind of political and social machinery that he has built is probably only matched and surpassed by those of great leaders that nurtured and forged our Independence, like the Owelle of Onitsha, Chief Nnamdi Azikiwe, the Sardauna of Sokoto, Sir Ahmadu Bello, the Odole of Ife, Chief Obafemi Awolowo, and the Aare Ona Kakanfo of Yo r u b a l a n d , C h i e f Moshood Abiola. The rest is in the hands of God. For me, Tinubu's ambition is not an impossible mission. He is a master strategist who has acquired the templates of others like Major General Shehu Musa Yar'Adua, Chief Moshood Abiola, Alhaji Atiku Abubakar, plus being one of those who ran Buhari's campaigns, substantially. He knows the Nigerian terrain very well and even his enemies respect him tremendously. For me, what gives Tinubu pre-eminence over most of the others who are contending for the crown but presently hiding behind one finger is his glittering records and achievements in both the private and public sectors. I really do not care about his past because as a Christian, none of us can judge anyone, and I have ample examples of the possible transformation and transfiguration of
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Pendulum human beings, as the Lord pleases. That is a long time ago and gone with the winds. He has done more than enough to remove that from his narrative. Whatever his background was, he cannot be robbed of his victory and glory perpetually. Yes, it is clear that he came from very humble beginnings of deprivation and chronic need but he sought to improve himself by seeking the golden fleece. He succeeded in his quest attaining a Bachelor of Science degree in Accounting. His success in this regard can be measured by the fact that he was head hunted by top accounting firms like Arthur Andersen and Deloitte, Haskins and Sells. He eventually joined Mobil in Nigeria where he excelled spectacullarly and rose to become a top executive in the company. His should thus be a veritable inspiration to majority of those in similar
circumstances today, that anyone can rise up from the pit of hell to any heights, by dint of hard work and uncommon s a g a c i t y a n d determination. His political career started in 1992. He was elected to the highest legislative house in the Nigerian Senate. When that ill-fated experiment by General Ibrahim Babangida went t h e w a y, i t w a s programmed to go, Tinubu fled Nigeria and regrouped with like minded patriotic Nigerians to form the external wing of the prodemocracy National Democratic Coalition (NADECO). After the death of General Sani Abacha, Tinubu returned home to contest as Governor of Lagos State and won a convincing victory. It is Tinubu's achievements as a twoterm Governor of Lagos State that has projected
him to the prominent and exalted position that he now occupies in the Nigerian political sphere. He began the systematic and robust increase of the internally generated revenue of Lagos State which his successors have had no choice but to emulate, and sustain incrementally thus making Lagos State one of the richest self-sustaining 'governments' in Africa. His indomitable and indefatigable spirit led him to challenge the Federal Government headlong and succeeded in standing tall as he fought President Olusegun Obasanjo to a standstill. Despite not having access to funding for his local governments, Tinubu single-handedly revived and revamped Local Governments in Lagos State and brought tremendous developments to practically every part of Lagos State. His other great political prowess is in identifying quality and
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talented leaders from hitherto political obscurity Tinubuthem on the and foisting people to great effect. I strongly believe that Tinubu should be given a chance on the merit when, and if, he eventually proclaims his candidacy. Others will eventually come forth and should also be considered on their merits. As they do, we will have cause to revisit their suitability. Our country can only gain from such robustly healthy competition. We have a preponderance of brilliant men and women who can take Nigeria to the zenith of greatness but they are usually wasted on the altar of greed and selfishness. What is clear to me is that it is only a matter of time before events begin to unfold. In the meantime, I can only wish Tinubu all the best in his appointment with destiny.
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Feature
Jumping the Gun: The Five Ambitious Fingers of 2023? By Eric Elezuo
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any are of the opinion that 2023 is a long way away, but to the ambitious, many of who are already beginning to (overtly and covertly) express their intentions to seek the highest office in the land. A lot of supporters or praise singers have echoed their principal's intentions though of course none of those involved has so far owned up to harbouring presidential ambition as the year 2023 drag itself forward. The title of this piece is derived from a former Attorney General and Minister of Justice, Chief Bola Ige (1930-2001), who in 1998 described the five political parties that unilaterally adopted
General Sani Abacha as consensus presidential candidate as the “five fingers of a leprous hand". The parties, much as Abacha remained vocally silent, beckoned on him to be their parties' flag bearer. Though his silence spoke volumes, but it was never held against him until he unceremoniously passed away on June 8, 1998. The parties were Grassroots Democratic Movement (GDM), Congress for National Consensus (CNC), National Centre Party of Nigeria (NCPN), Democratic Party of Nigeria (DPN), and United Nigeria Congress Party (UNCP), Late Chief Gani Fawehinmi's attempt to
declare the head of the junta unfit to stand for the said election was quashed by Justice Babatunde Belgore of the Federal High Court, who declared thus: “If other people in their wisdom decided to nominate him or confer an honour on him, he is not bound in law to react. The greatest fundamental human right is that a man cannot be prosecuted or held liable for his thought or even his wishes. A man's mind is like a parachute; it can only function or malfunction when it is open.” “I cannot see how a declaration can be made or injunction can be issued on SKC Ogbonnia a mere speculative conclusion.” Resting on Justice
Belgore's precedence therefore, it will be out of place to hold responsible as many as are nurturing presidential ambition come 2023. However, a few names come to mind as a result of their body language, clandestine moves, and/or followers’ actions. They include but not limited to 1. the incumbent Vice President, Prof Yemi Osinbajo; 2. the National Chairman of the ruling All Progressives Congress (APC), Comrade Adams Oshiomhole; 3. the APC National Leader, Asiwaju Bola Tinubu; 4. the Kaduna State governor, Malam Nasir elRufai and 5. a former Secretary to the federal Government, Baba Gana Kingibe. Let's view their abilities or
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otherwise to hold the exalted position: YEMI OSINBAJO Born into the family of Opeoluwa Osinbajo on March 8, 1957, in Lagos, Yemi Osinbajo SAN, GCON, has come under serial attacks by a cross section of Nigerians described as the cabal, for harbouring unconfirmed ambition for the presidency. Osinbajo's suspicion dated back to the periods before the run off to the 2019 elections when some faceless groups and individuals accused him of eyeing the presidency, especially owing to his superlative performance as Acting President when President Muhammadu Buhari was away on sick leave. Though he appears his usual self, the Vice President has suffered great humiliation in the recent past including allegation that he was corrupt and systematic stripping of his legitimate
duties. A scholar of great repute, Osinbajo was educated at Corona Primary School, in Lagos. Between 1969 and 1975, he attended Igbobi College Yaba, Lagos, Nigeria where he was the winner of the State Merit Award (1971); the School Prize for English Oratory (1972); Adeoba Prize for English Oratory (1972-1975); Elias Prize for Best Performance in H i s t o r y ( WA S C , 1973); School Prize for Literature (HSC, 1975); and African S t a t e s m a n Intercollegiate Best S p e a k e r ’s P r i z e (1974). Thereafter, he studied for his undergraduate degree at the University of Lagos between 1975-1978 when he obtained a Second Class Upper Degree in Law. Here, he also won the Graham-Douglas Prize for Commercial
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L a w. I n 1 9 7 9 , h e completed the mandatory one-year professional training at the Nigerian Law School whereon he was admitted to practice as a Barrister and Solicitor of Nigeria’s Supreme Court. In 1980, he attended the London School of Economics & Political Science, where he
obtained a Master of Laws degree. From 1979–1980, Osinbajo served the compulsory one year youth service as a legal o ff i c e r w i t h B e n d e l Development and Planning Authority (BDPA), Bendel state. In 1981, he was employed as a law lecturer at the University of Lagos, Nigeria. From 1983 to 1986, he was Senior lecturer of Law at the University of Lagos. From 1988 to 1992, he was an Adviser (legal advice and litigation) to the AttorneyGeneral and Minister of Justice, Bola Ajibola. Osinbajo began lecturing at the age of 23. Yemi Osinbajo was also the Pastor in charge of the Lagos Province 48 (Olive Tree provincial headquarter) of The Reedeemed Christian Church of God, Ikoyi
SKC Ogbonnia
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before his inauguration into office as the Vice President of Nigeria. On May 9, 2017, he became the Acting President after President Muhammadu Buhari wrote a written declaration to the president of the Senate and Speaker of the House of Representatives on his decision to embark on a medical trip. Ruthless as a leader in taking the right decisions, on August 7, 2018, he fired the State Security Service boss, Lawal Daura for illegal invasion of National Assembly by armed and masked operatives of the department. Daura was replaced with Matthew Seiyefa, who was removed by Buhari when he returned from medical leave. BABA GANA KINGIBE This is one man who a lot of people believe has a lot to do with the presidency come 2023, his old age notwithstanding. He is alleged to be a member of the so-called cabal, which up till now, is yet to be unmasked. Kingibe was in 2018 recognised and honoured as the running mate of the Chief Moshood Abiola in the June 12, 1993 presidential election despite the fact that he left the struggle even before it started. He was conferred with the Grand Commander of the Order of the Niger (GCON) award. An honour reserved for former vice presidents. He was born on the June 25, 1945 to the family of
Mustafa Shuwa and Ya Kingi Mallam. He grew up in city of Maiduguri and attended primary schools in the city. In 1958, he was admitted into the Borno Provincial Secondary School, however, in 1960, he traveled to London to complete his O'Level and A-level at Bishop's Stortford College under a Borno Native Authority sponsored scholarship scheme. He took up further studies earning a Bachelor of Arts degree in International Relations at the University of Sussex. He worked as a Research and Planning Officer at Ahmadu Bello University, Zaria before becoming the head of Features and Current Affairs at the Broadcasting Corporation of Northern Nigeria. In 1972, he joined the Nigerian Foreign Service a senior counselor and later became the head of the
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political desk at the Nigerian High Commission in London. During the Obasanjo administration in the late 1970s, Kingibe worked in the political department as principal secretary and was involved in the government's return to civil rule programme, states creation and boundary adjustment, local government reforms and the constitutional drafting committee. In 1981,at age 36, he was appointed the Nigerian ambassador to Greece and later the country's representative in Pakistan. In June 2007, he was appointed Secretary to the Federal Government of Nigeria. He was unceremoniously removed from office on September 8, 2008 by the President, Umaru Yar'Adua after SKC Ogbonnia spreading rumors about the President's ill-health while believed to be
contending for the presidency. Kingibe has silently remained in the corridors of power ever since Buhari assumed power in 2015, and bookmakers suspect that something may be brewing. B O L A A H M E D TINUBU Bola Tinubu is revered by many as the most successful politician to have come out of the south-west in recent times owing to his elaborate political schemings and maneuvers. He has been single handedly dictating the political direction of Lagos State in the last 20 years, having been a two terms governor of the state. He is also reputed to have played a great part in the installation of Buhari as president in 2015 and 2019. Not a few however, believe that all his political schemes over the years are geared towards becoming
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the president in 2013 His presidential posters were the first to don major streets of Lagos and unlike some of the others accused of presidential ambition; Tinubu has not denied his ambition. Born Bola Ahmed Adekunle Tinubu on March 29, 1952 in the city of Lagos, Nigeria. Asiwaju as he is fondly called attended St. John's Primary School, Aroloya, Lagos and Children's Home School in Ibadan. At the age of 23 in 1975, the man whose hindsight is legendary left the shores of Nigeria for the proverbial greener pastures to the United States, where he studied first at Richard J. Daley College in Chicago, Illinois and then at Chicago State University. He graduated in 1979 with a Bachelor of Science degree in Accounting. In the run-up to the 1999 elections, he was a protĂŠgĂŠ of Alliance for Democracy (AD) leaders Abraham A d e s a n y a a n d Ay o Adebanjo. He paid his dues. He won the AD primaries for the Lagos State gubernatorial elections in competition with Funsho Williams and Wahab Dosunmu, a former Minister of Works and Housing. In April 1999, he stood for the position of Executive Governor of Lagos State on the AD ticket and was elected, and there extended his larger than life existence. Following the victory by the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) in the April
2007 elections, Bola Tinubu was active in negotiations to bring together the fragmented opposition parties into a "mega-party" capable of challenging the PDP in 2011. In July 2009, he called for implementation of electoral reforms spelled out in the Uwais report to ensure that the 2011 elections would be as free and fair as the elections of 1993 had been. Tinubu is married to Oluremi Tinubu, the current Senator representing Lagos c e n t r a l . H i s m o t h e r, Abibatu Mogaji died on June 15, 2014 at the age of 96. In giving back to the society, Asiwaju Tinubu has established industries, and employed thousands of Nigerians. His investments cut across the media, aviation, finance and many more. His Bourdillon Ikoyi home
Feature is home to many individuals who throng there on a daily basis for one directive or assistance. A D A M S OSHIOMHOLE Oshiomhole is a firebrand activist, who spent most of his professional life as a labour unionist. His presidential ambition took many by surprise when his posters appeared in Abuja with Kaduna State governor as running mate. Though he has since denied knowledge of the posters, bookmakers believe there is no smoke without fire. Presently the National Chairman of the ruling All Progressives Congress (APC), Adams Aliyu Oshiomhole was born on April 4, 1952 at Iyamho, near Auchi in Edo State. He was born Muslim but was led to Christianity by his late wife, Clara who died of cancer aged 54. He is Catholic and his
Christian name is Eric. He has since remarried to a young model called Lara Fortes. After his secondary education, he joined the Arewa Textiles Company, where he was elected u n i o n s e c r e t a r y. H e became a full-time trade union organizer in 1975. He then studied at Ruskin College, Oxford in the United Kingdom and majored in Economics and Industrial Relations. He also attended the National Institute for Policy and Strategic Studies, Kuru. In April 2007, Adams Oshiomhole ran for Governor of Edo State under the Action Congress Party, with which his Labour Party had entered a strategic alliance. Though he lost, he contested the election results at the tribunal and emerged victorious On 11 November 2008, a federal Appeal Court
SKC Ogbonnia
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sitting in Benin City upheld the ruling of the state's elections petitions tribunal, declaring Oshiomole to be the Governor of Edo State. The decision was based on several voting irregularities. In 2012, he was elected to a second term, winning the elections in a massive landslide. He ended his tenure on November 12 2016. On 23 June 2018, Adams Oshiomhole emerged as the national chairman of the All Progressives Congress (APC) in Nigeria following a voice vote by delegates at the party National convention, and led the party to presidential victory in 2019. NASIR EL-RUFAI Kaduna State governor, Nasir El-Rufai has been
one name that has remained synonymous with the presidency for a very long time now. He has a way of warming his way into the hearts of incumbent presidents. While Chief Olusegun Obasanjo was president between 1999 and 2007, many believe he would be the successor. He was even 'considered' to replace the then vice president, Alhaji Atiku Abubakar, who was having a running battle with Obasanjo. Today, apart from his posters coming as a presidential hopeful come 2023, his utterances have left many in doubt about his ambition. He was born on February 16, 1960 in Daudawa of Faskari Local Government Area in Katsina State. His father died when he was
Feature eight years old, and was sponsored throughout his schooling days by an uncle in Kaduna. He attended Barewa College, and graduated at the top of the class, winning the "Barewa Old Boys' Association Academic Achievement" Trophy in 1976. He went off to Ahmadu Bello University, Zaria, earning a Bachelor in Quantity Surveying degree with First Class Honors. He also attended postgraduate programmes at Harvard Business School and Georgetown University. Since leaving public service, Nasir has completed an LL.B degree from the University of London, graduating in August 2008 with Second Class Honors, Upper Division, and a Master's
Degree in Public Administration from the John F. Kennedy School of Government, Harvard University in June 2009. He also received the Kennedy School Certificate in Public Policy and Management having spent 11 months as an Edward A. Mason Fellow in Public Policy and Management from July 2008 to June 2009. Rufai is serving his second term as Governor of Kaduna State. He is also a writer of great repute. Much as many fingers are up for the number one office in the land, it should not be forgotten that President Buhari, who has tasted power this far might spring a surprise third term intention. Who knows?
SKC Ogbonnia
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ADDING VALUE WITH HENRY UKAZU henrous@gmail.com
Run Your Race
G
reetings Friends, Every living being, be it animal or human, has a race to run. In the same vein, every business, organization, or government also has a race to run. Have you ever wondered why newborn babies cry immediately after delivery? On a literal note, they cry because they are about to begin their journey. Just like everyone is unique, every race is different. One of the greatest reasons people fail in life is that they tend to run a race that is not meant for them. They fail
to develop themselves by concentrating on their “ t r a d e s e c r e t s ” . I t ’s important to note that you can imitate someone but you can never be like them nor assume their style. Imagine you are running a race and you are on lane one; to avoid being disqualified, you have to maintain your lane until you finish the race. You have to own your race by maintaining your lane. It’s funny to note that most people will like to be on a particular lane with the hope they will get to the finish race faster forgetting that every lane is different
and it is the energy and skill they invest in themselves that will ultimately determine who wins the race. There’s an adage which says that it is because the philosopher was too busy to see what was ahead of him that he forgot there was a ditch in front of him and fell into it. The question now becomes how do you run your race? In simple terms, running your race means, as you lay your bed, so you lie on it. L e t ’s s h a r e s o m e insightful meanings on what running your race
means. Running your own race means: always looking toward your goals while being aware of what’s around you. Running your own race means: not focusing too much on who’s next to you or who’s behind you. Running your own race means: beating your own best time, not anybody else’s. Running your race entails a lot of work, but first of all, you have to decide what you want to achieve. For instance, if you have a dream of becoming an attorney, a pilot or soccer player, the onus is on you to read,
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learn and train. If you don’t, no one will do it for you. Whether you’re launching a business, trying to finish school, or starting a blog, it is important for you to understand what’s needed in the industry in order to succeed. There will always be other people on the track, in the audience, and in the arena observing and watching you. Some will be there to cheer you up, some will be looking for faults, some will try to criticize you, while others will either mock, test or observe to see what you are up to. In order to win the race, you must remain focused on the big picture. It doesn’t matter if you fail, just get up and learn from your mistakes. Always note that there will always be people ahead or behind you. But if you spend all your time looking at what others are doing, you’re going to trip over your own feet. Remember that you’re competing to be the best version of you, and everything else will fall into place at the appropriate time. Most times we get caught up trying to make it big in life. You may put in so many hours at work, deprive yourself of sleep, wake up early, do research, maybe you need to invest in yourself take a class, go to a conference/seminar, work with a mentor, start that small business, put that website up or even learn a particular skill. All these are examples of running your race. Nobody will run it for you. At the
end of the day, you may discover you have little or nothing to show for it. My candid advice to you is don’t be hard on yourself. Just continue to build in addition to working on yourself, one day all your efforts will add up. In the race of life, you need
to start from somewhere in order to get to where you want to be. You can start small, but you need to have the vision of your endpoint in mind. Starting small entails being consistent in all you are doing. This is achieved by developing yourself and
learning the necessary skills and information that is needed in the industry. In conclusion, what race are you running and what are the races you need to succeed?
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Business
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Zenith Emerges BAFI Bank Of The Year As Kennedy Uzoka Wins 2019 Bank CEO
Z
enith Bank PLC and United Bank for Africa led winners in the 2019 Businessday Banks & Other Financial Institutions Award (BAFI) as the lenders raked in the biggest banking awards for the night. Zenith bested two of the country’s top lenders to emerge Bank of the year in the 7th annual BAFI award for its banking leadership, growth capacity, worldclass risk management structure, excellent customer service “We dedicate the award to our esteemed customers and we are optimistic we would sustain the performance,” said Nkem Oni-Egboma, MD Zenith
Pensions Custodian Ltd. Kennedy Uzoka, Group Managing Director/CEO, United Bank for Africa (UBA) PLC was also awarded BAFI 2019 Bank CEO of the year for his visionary leadership under which UBA, Africa’s global bank, has grown in leaps and bounds since he took helms of affairs in 2006. The Businessday Banks’ & Other Financial Institutions Award (BAFI) organized by West Africa’s most authoritative news m e d i a , B u s i n e s s D a y, brings together superachieving deposit, merchant, investment, microfinance banks and other financial institutions
to celebrate their contributions, as well as that of individuals in the industry, to Nigeria’s economy. The 7th BAFI, “the awards that matter to those who matter in financial services,” comes amid intensified efforts by players in the financial services industry to extend credit across all slices of the (Nigerian) customer pyramid, and innovations seen in previously complacent areas, Frank Aigbogun, Publisher, BusinessDay Media Ltd said in his welcome address at the event. In other categories, FBNH emerged as Bank Holding Company of the
second year running. DLM Advisory partner won Deal Advisor of the year, Zedcrest Capital carted home the Diversified Financial Services Group of the year award, Rand Merchant Bank Nigeria Ltd raked awards in the Merchant Bank of the year category and Debt Arranger of the Year Award. Coronation Merchant Bank won Investment Bank of the year for second time since 2018 w h i l e L A P O Microfinance Bank, which accounts for 24 percent of total Microfinance credit in Nigeria, emerged MFB of the year.
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Lagos Commodities, Futures Exchange To Partner With Ecobank For Trade Settlement Across Africa
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h e L a g o s Commodities and Futures Exchange (LCFE) has indicated its readiness to partner with Ecobank to enable the seamless settlement of trades across Africa as it starts trading in a few weeks. The Managing Director of the Exchange, Akin Akeredolu-Ale stated that the Exchange needs a bank that has the required African spread and superior technology like that of Ecobank that can support it to accomplish its mandate to formalize trade across the continent. He said the Lagos Commodities and Futures Exchange is determined to give Africa trade the needed structure that will enable everyone measure and determine growth within the continent both at national and regional levels. This he noted will position Africa to compete better globally. According to Akin Akeredolu-Ale, partnering with Ecobank will “enable us easily accomplish our vision of enabling trade across the continent. Ecobank had set up a technology that facilitates trade and currency exchange with its wide footprint across Africa and it is only natural for us to seek to partner with such an organization.” He enumerated the activities of the Lagos Commodities and Futures Exchange to include
providing a trading platform for the e x c h a n g e o f agricultural, Oil and Gas, Solid Mineral and Currency commodities In his comment, the Managing Director, Ecobank Nigeria, Patrick Akinwuntan, stated that Ecobank’s unique and large panAfrican platform positions the bank to support trade at all levels. According to Akinwuntan the Ecobank’s technology platform is designed to help unlock the opportunities of the continent, through standardisation across 33 countries, thereby fueling regional integration, trade and investment across borders. Akinwuntan praised the tenacity of the initiators of the Lagos Commodities and Futures Exchange in their quest to formally trade across the continent. He assured them of Ecobank’s support whilst also noting that relevant regulators will be carried along. In his words, Akinwuntan said “the need for a commodity Exchange is long overdue and we are confident of the capacity of the Board and Management of the Lagos Commodities and Futures Exchange to close this gap. Ecobank’s approach to doing business in Africa is to create a united and integrated platform that reflects the values of Africa as a whole whilst leveraging its diverse talents and resources to tackle its
common challenges and realize its immense opportunities as one market. Further, he reiterated that “with a larger African footprint than any other bank in the world operating in West, Central East and Southern Africa. We are the only bank that spans 36 African countries, but operates a truly integrated African network. That is One unified integrated Ecobank Mobile Banking App, that works seamlessly across all 33 operating countries in Africa; One Ecobank Omni and Omnilite serving all Multinationals and SMEs in Africa; One Rapidtransfer app that breaks down country borders and allows the diaspora community send money directly to their loved ones, instantly and affordably across Africa; One Ecobank Online Banking platform that you can access easily whether you are in Abuja or Kinshasha.” Also speaking, Akintayo Dada, Executive Director,
Corporate Banking said “Ecobank is determined as the pan-Africa bank to contribute to the development and advancement of the continent through financial integration with uniform world –class practices and proprietary technologies. “Ecobank offers a comprehensive suite of digital financial services to meet the challenge of modern banking across all its business segments, which includes Consumer, Commercial and Corporate Banking. We provide solutions that make banking more i n s t a n t , a ff o r d a b l e , convenient and accessible for everyone on the continent and b e y o n d , f r o m i n t e r n a t i o n a l corporations to the local consumer”. He stated Dada thanked the Lagos Commodities and Futures Exchange team for their trust in Ecobank and assured them of the bank’s support.
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CBN’s Credit Stress Test Show Banks Vulnerable To Shocks Above 100.00% In NPL
T
he Central Bank of Nigeria (CBN) conducted a credit rust stress test for the banking sector at the end of December 2018, which revealed that lenders could withstand a shock of up to 75.00 per cent increase in the industry NonPerforming Loans (NPLs) as the Capital Adequacy Ratio (CAR) remained above 10.00 per cent. However, the industry was vulnerable to shocks above 100.00 per cent increase in NPLs as the industry CAR fell below 10.00 per cent. Similarly, the credit concentration stress test showed that the CAR of the banking industry fell below the 10.00 per cent regulatory threshold under scenarios 2 and 3 of the test. Under scenario 3, the
CAR of the banking industry declined to (1.42) per cent, from the preshock position. This implies a severe negative impact on the industry if the quality of the exposures to five largest obligors worsened. The breakdown of banking industry total credit by sector showed that the oil and gas sector accounted for 30.29 per cent, while manufacturing, government, general commerce, finance and insurance, and others accounted for 14.53, 6.02, 7.40, 6.42 and 35.34 per cent, respectively, at the end of December 2018, according to the CBN’s Financial Stability Report (FSR) released last week. Analysts in the financial services sector had
projected a further rise in the NPLs following the recent directives on Loan to Deposit Ratio (LDR) by the CBN. The CBN had directed all deposit money banks to maintain a minimum LDR of 60 percent by September 30, 2019 and subsequently increased it to 65 percent with December 2019 as the new deadline. The focus of the LDR minimum is to promote consumer and mortgage credit to drive demand, the regulator explained. At the end of December 2018 banking industry stress test, which covered 21 commercial and 5 merchant banks, was conducted by the regulator to evaluate and determine the resilience
of the industry to probable and adverse shocks, including credit, liquidity, interest rate and contagion risks. The report revealed that baseline capital adequacy ratio (CAR) for the banking industry at end-December 2018 was 15.26 per cent, indicating 3.18 percentage points increase from the 12.08 per cent recorded at the end of June 2018. The baseline banking industry NPL ratio was 11.64 per cent at the end of December 2018, showing a slight improvement of 0.81 percentage points from the 12.45 per cent recorded at end-June 2018.
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IMF Says CBN’s Inflation Policies The Way To Go
T
he International Monetary Fund (IMF)said the efforts of the Central Bank of Nigeria (CBN) towards controlling inflationary pressure is the way to go in bringing down inflation rate. Abebe Selassie, director, African department, IMF who said this at the ongoing IMF/ World Bank annual meetings in Washington, D.C. said adjustment to the very high inflation that seen on the exchange rate was still playing out. “I understand also there’s been some, you know, shocks related to food prices, and the like. I
think, frankly, just keeping on what the Central Bank has been doing over the last couple of years, continuing to bear down on inflation, to make sure that it can gradually decline, as the way to go,” he said. Speaking during the African department press briefing, he said, “we don’t think that monetary policy is badly calibrated; far from it. So, I think just continuing, giving time for deflation to decelerate is what’s needed”. On fiscal policy, Selassie said it was important that the government increases non-tax revenues to be able to invest in the
infrastructure the country needs in building, expanding university education, expanding health service coverage. He stated that governments need a lot of resources to facilitate a lot of the investment that the government needs to make. “I think there’s also scope for reforms to make sure that you have a business environment that facilitates more private investments. And we discuss with the governments in trying to provide policy advice as much as we can”. Responding to questions on border closure, he said, “our understanding is that
the border has been closed, reflecting concerns about smuggling that’s been taking place, illegal trade, not the legal trade that you want to facilitate. So we’re very hopeful that discussions will resolve the challenges that this illegal trade is fostering.” He said if the border closure was to be sustained for a long time it’s going to definitely have an impact on Benin and Niger, which of course, rely quite extensively on their big brother next door. “So, we hope that there will be a resolution to that”.
Cititrust Holdings Wins Investment Holding Company Of The Year
C
ititrust Holdings Plc. - a multi-sector investment group, has emerged winner of the prestigious Investment Holding Company of the Year Award at the 2019 edition of BusinessDay’s Banks’ and Other Financial Institutions (BAFI) Awards, which held in Lagos on Saturday, October 19, 2019. The company beat out some of Nigeria’s most iconic diversified business investment groups to clinch the award. Cititrust Holdings was recognized to have demonstrated strategic agility in long-term value creation across different
sectors of the economy in a way that is sustainable for its non-operating business model. According to the award citation, the Awards Review Committee was impressed by its strategic vision, disciplined execution and solid competitive positions of its investee companies and subsidiaries. Receiving the award on behalf of the c o m p a n y, M r. Ye m i A d e f i s a n , C i t i t r u s t ’s dynamic Group Chief E x e c u t i v e O ff i c e r, expressed his appreciation to BusinessDay for the honour and dedicated the award to all its shareholders and investors
across 11 African countries. He promised that the company will continue to improve on its services to win the award again. The group, which was founded in 2006, holds significant investments that cut across commercial and mortgage banking, asset m a n a g e m e n t , stockbroking, and investment banking, currency trading, pension f u n d administrat ion and insurance services.
As a real sector investor, Cititrust’s portfolio includes investments in the energy, healthcare, telecommunications, engineering and construction sectors. Cititrust Holdings prides itself on its culture of integrity, innovation, vision, and value creation.
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Lifestyle
Vol.2.24
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A Publication of Ovation Media Group
TOP NOTCH
Prince Harry Surprises Meghan Markle During A Round Table Discussion On Gender Equity And Inclusion EVENTS
Ile Ife Shakes As Business Colossus Sir Kesington Adebukunola Adebutu Becomes Odole Odua
Street Style Looks from Lagos Fashion Week 2019
Ini Edo Looks Absolutely Stunning And Adorable In New Photo
Etebo Expected To Defy Injury, Be Fit For Super Eagles Vs Benin, Lesotho
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TOPNOTCH ...Celebrity Gist Unlimited
I Banned Premarital Sex Amongst My Staff During The Recording Of 'jesus Is King' Album - Kanye West
K
anye West's ninth studio album Jesus Is King is due to drop on October 25th and in a new interview with Zane Lowe airing on Beats 1, he opened up about the recording process behind the project. Kanye West said he made some major lifestyle changes in the year that's followed since creative directing the inaugural P o r n H u b Aw a r d s i n
September 2018 and his solution for the recording of Jesus Is King? Celibacy. "There were times where I was asking people not to have premarital sex while they were working on the album. There were times where I went to people that were working on other projects and said can you just work and focus on this? I thought if we could all focus and fast. Families who pray together stay together" Kanye West told Lowe.
Prince Harry Surprises Meghan Markle During A Round Table Discussion On Gender Equity And Inclusion
T
he Duchess of Sussex was joined today by the Duke of Sussex for a round table discussion on gender equity and inclusion with One Young World and Queen's Commonwealth Trust young leaders. The roundtable discussion held at Windsor Castle and Meghan Markle was driven there by Harry. She even joked about her husband "crashing the party". Meghan told guests: "In terms of gender equality, which is something I have championed for a long time, I think that
conversation can't happen without men being a part of it. "So for this reason it made complete sense to let him (Harry) join today so thank you for letting him crash the party." Meghan has joined The Q u e e n ' s Commonwealth Trust and One Young World to look at how young leaders are driving meaningful change for empowering women. The Duchess of Sussex is a
longstanding supporter of One Young World, having first joined as a Counsellor at the 2014 summit in Dublin. Earlier this week The Duchess of Sussex
attended the 10th Annual O n e Yo u n g Wo r l d Opening Ceremony at The Royal Albert Hall, which brought together 2,000 young leaders from 190 countries.
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Jeff Bezos Loses World's Richest Position To Bill Gates
J
eff Bezos has just lost his position as the richest person on Earth to Bill Gates. According to Forbes, the Amazon honcho lost his title during afterhours trading Thursday, October 24th when the company's shares plummeted 7 percent, dropping Bezos' fortune to $103.9 Billion. Bill Gate's net worth stands at $105.7 billion. The stock market isn't the only reason Jeff is now number 2 and he could still be on top if not for this year's insanely costly divorce with exwife MacKenzie, who took a huge chunk of his fortune. MacKenzie's net worth now stands at $32.7 billion, placing her among the top 20 in the world.
Singer Sade Adu's Transgender Son Celebrates 3-Years Of Testosterone Treatment
I
zaak Theo, the transgender son of British-Nigerian singer, Sade Adu is
celebrating another milestone in his transgender journey. This comes a month after
the 23-year-old who was born as Sade's daughter, Mickailia, completed his transition from female to
male following the success of a phalloplasty (a plastic surgery to construct a penis). Taking to his Instagram page to celebrate his transgender journey, he revealed to his followers that it has been three years since he started the hormone therapy and alot has been learnt. Sharing a video of himself speaking, Theo wrote in his caption, 'Few weeks back, THREE YEARS ON T. Can't believe it. What have I learnt? Other than a million things, Truly anything is possible. You can achieve pretty much anything set your mind to. Loving yourself is freedom and the universe has your backk if you put your trust in her. Big up for all the support yall. Much love always'
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Entertainment
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Ini Edo Looks Absolutely Stunning And Adorable In New Photo
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Events
The
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Ile Ife Shakes As Business Colossus Sir Kesington Adebukunola Adebutu Becomes Odole Odua Photo: Adekoya Adegbite, Ken Ehimen & Segun Lawal
Imperial Magesty Oba Enitan Ogunwusi Ooni Of Ife & Celebrant
I
n years to come, those who were there will recount the magnificence of the occasion to their children and children's children. It was sheer colour, glamour and an exhibition of the rich Yoruba culture as Billionaire Business guru and Philanthropist, Sir Kesington Adebutu was installed as Odole Odua. The whole town shock to its very foundation as celebrated Nigerians including Vice President, Prof. Yemi Osinbajo, Former President, Chief Olusegun Obasanjo, Governors of Lagos, Ogun and Osun as well as Deputy Governor of
Edo all came to honour this great son of the soil. From his base at the Ife Grand Resort now run by Chief Wanle Akinboboye's La Campagne Ltd, Sir Kesington was chauffeured in a gleaming new maroon Rolls Royce Phantom( that was specially bought for the occasion) to the palace, he was trailed by a long convoy of exotic cars. Midway, he stepped down from the wonder on wheels to mount a horse drawn carriage which began a steady but triumphant journey to the Oonirisa Palace. The whole town stand stood still as residents
Chief Olusegun Obasanjo with celebrant
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Events
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Celebrant , Hon. Ladipupo Kesington & Gov. Dapo Abiodun
lined both sides of the street cheering the man of means. He first went to the Oranmiyan Temple for some rites and then to the Laadin Temple within the Palace before for prayers before he was officially installed. He was presented two gold swords, and other paraphernalia of office amidst cheers by the Ooni of Ife, His Imperial Majesty, Oba Enitan Adeyeye Ogunwusi. Thereafter there was a 5-star reception at a special marquee mounted within the Palace that was efficiently organised by the Planning Committee
chaired by Aare Kola Oyefeso Ksquare Security was in charge of security and the experienced outfit was stretched to its limit by the deluge of guests. While Astoria took care of food, Ice Box and Bonix were in charge of drinks. Ace broadcaster, Prince Bisi Olatilo and Gbenga Adeyinka Ist served as Comperes. King Sunny Ade was the only artiste on stage and he rocked in his usual jolly style till late into the night. It was a fitting finale to a very grand occasion.
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Events
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Sir, Kesington Adebutu , Chief Olusegun Obasanjo & Chief(Mrs) Nike Akande
Hajia Bola Shagaya, Celebrant and others
Chief & Chief (Mrs) Onafowokan
(R-L) Otunba Onabanjo & Rtd AIG Tunji Alapini
Prince Dapo Abiodun (Gov. Of Ogun State) & H.E. Adegboyega Oyetola (Gov. Of Osun State )
(Middle) Doyin Okupe
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Events
Sir Kesington Adebutu & Chief Olusegun Obasanjo
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Prince Bisi Olatilo & Mr Micheal Effiong
Imperial Magesty Oba Enitan Ogunwusi Ooni Of Ife , Celebrant & Akarigbo Of Remo Land Oba Babatunde Ajayi
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Events
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BOS @20: Bisi Olatilo Sets High Powered Committees, Promises Superlative Show
T
he Chief Executive Executive Officer, B i s c o m Communications, and Creator, Bisi Olatilo Show, Prince Bisi Olatilo, has inaugurated high powered committees comprising prominent professionals across different strata of human endeavours to plan and supervise the forthcoming celebration of the 20th anniversary of the ever popular Bisi Olatilo Show (BOS). The committees include Security, ICT, TV/Radio, Social Media, Welfare, Entertainment, and Event Management. The event which held at the Exclusive Spot Hotel, located at the highbrow Ikoyi Island was attended by notable media gurus, captains of industries, top government officials and
entertainment buffs. Welcoming the attendees with a brief a citation of his biography, Prince Olatilo, reputed for his ability to flawlessly speak Nigeria's three major languages, disclosed that
the show will hold at the Balmoral Centre, Federal Palace Hotel, Victoria Island, Lagos, on Friday, November 22, 2019. Further in his speech, he acknowledged as many that has there for him through
the thorny part of broadcasting and later to stardom. In their various responses, guests showered encomiums on Prince Olatilo for his steadfastness, commitment and zeal in propagating the gospel of journalism ever since his days at the Federal Radio Corporation of Nigeria, and later with the Bisi Olatilo Show. Responding, the former Governor of Cross River State, Dr. Donald Duke, congratulated Prince Olatilo for hitting the milestone with Bisi O l a t i l o S h o w, a n d sincerely encouraged him to mentor the younger ones to follow in his stead. Also speaking, a former Commissioner for Commerce in Ogun State
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Relationship
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Flourishing Relationship: Core Life Values Partners Need To Agree On
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hile differences aren’t bad for h e a l t h y relationships, there remains certain things that you cannot afford to disagree on. Intimacy in a relationship Differences are great, even welcome in relationships. Two people do not have to be the same to fall in love or grow in it. The differences partners have in behavior, character and features often make for a balance in their relationship, and they create a kind of wellrounded affair where two people can complement each other rather than being two exact peas in a pod. While differences aren’t bad for healthy relationships, some necessary areas of agreement remain, which s h o u l d n o t b e compromised if a happy relationship is the goal. Fran Greene, a relationship coach tells Elite Daily,
“sharing values is crucial for a relationship to thrive and grow. Shared values are the ‘superglue’ of all relationships.” And each individual needs to recognize these important values and discuss it with each other before hitching a ride to forever together. If you are wondering what these are, here are few of them listed below. The future As wild as it may sound, there are people who really do not care about having kids and it is not too much to ask and know if you are with someone like that. Ask questions about your careers and what will happen concerning that if, for example, one person gets a super amazing offer in a different city or country. Ask questions and reach an agreement on how you'll run your finances, how religion is going to be… these are serious stuff that could cause irreparable
damage to a union and it is important to trash them out before jumping head on into the relationship. Commitment To make a beautiful thing out of a relationship, both partners need to be on the same page as regards commitment, too. When one partner desires a level of commitment and the other wants something not as deep as that, it creates friction and a toxic environment. What this suggests is that couples need to understand from the onset what they are both getting into, the potential the relationship has and the possibilities they are willing to explore. You can’t be dating someone who just wants to chill for the foreseeable future when you really want to go all the way within a short while. Trust According to Greene, trust has to be an indispensable part of any and every
relationship, and it is a value that both partners need to possess and appreciate in each other. “The happiest couples trust their partners totally and completely,” Greene tells Elite Daily. “They do not second guess their actions, motives or plans for the future. Couples who trust each other have more fulfilling relationships because they c a n d o t h i n g s independently and feel safe and secure when their partner is engaging in an activity that they are not a part of.” How You Fight How you resolve conflict may be more important than how many fights you get into. Disagreements are inevitable, but if your partner shuts down, gives you the silent treatment, or diminishes you when you don’t agree, that’s not the best formula for a healthy connection. And you need to figure it out early, if this is an area of difference between you and them.
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Street Style Looks from Lagos Fashion Week 2019
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he Lagos Fashion Week 2019 with a theme 'Street style', did nothing short than serve us amazing an amazing street style looks from guests, fashion lovers, industry insiders as well as, industry players. The multi-day fashion event featured designers, fashion experts, enthusiasts, and media from across the continent and beyond. The dynamic fashion event which is aimed at driving and celebrating Nigerian and ultimately, African, the fashion industry had in attendance people from all walks of life oozing everything fashion. See some of the exquisite street style fashion below...
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Sermon
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Parable of the Patient Dog By Babatunde Jose
"O ye who believe! Obey Allah, and obey the Apostle, and those charged with authority among you. If ye differ in anything among yourselves, refer it to Allah and His Apostle, if ye do believe in Allah and the Last day: That is best, and most suitable for final determination." (Quran 4:59) slam makes no sharp division between sacred and secular affairs; it expects governments to be i m b u e d w i t h righteousness. Likewise Islam expects Muslims to respect the authority of such government for otherwise there can be no order or discipline. This however, is the bane of religious precepts in a secular environment. It is not in consonant with participatory democracy and the qualities desired from followers in modern
I
democratic society. This is the origin of the proverbial docility, acquiescence and unquestioning acceptance of leadership and the 'rankadede' syndrome; an unquestioning obeisance of leaders. The above verse of the Quran is based on the assumption of a theocratic state. Modern nation states demand a different set of qualities from followers among which are; willingness to assume responsibilities, competence and selfmanagement, efficiency, political engagement, readiness to be mobilized and lending a voice to protest bad leadership and of course, demand for accountability. Unfortunately, most of these qualities are wanting in the followership in our society; hence the absence of a culture of protest. As followers we are too
timid and complacent. We do not make forceful demands on our rulers. We acquiesce and resort to self help. We do not make them accountable and limit our complaints to rancorous discussions at the beer parlor or at social events over plates of jollof rice and Coca Cola. In the words of Prof Wole Soyinka: "I have become increasingly convinced that, between leadership and the led, there is only a very thin dividing line, o f t e n n e a r l y indistinguishable. There is no question in my mind that, most often, the socalled led are their own worst enemies, even to the point of self-betrayal and treachery to their own existence. . . . ." Wole Soyinka: 'Handshake Across History'. The key role of citizens in a democracy is to
participate in public life. In other climes they protest and riot over increase in the price of bread or rice, fuel and other issues that impinge on the welfare of the people. Here we are content to accept all that they throw at us with equanimity. What have we done about the fantabulous take home pay of our legislators? Nothing! We do not protest the potholes on our streets or the delay in refuse disposal. We make little or no demands on our leaders and do not hold them responsible for our degradation. Political apathy can lead to low voter turnout as we witnessed during the last elections and stagnation in government. The case of Lebanon illustrates the matter. In CNN's Fareed Zakaria's
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Sermon Global Briefing, Bilal Y. Saab writes at the Middle East Institute, citizens of the fragile country (where civil war raged from 1975 to 1990 and where power is still split, for the most part, between Christians, Sunnis, and Shiites) did not take part in the Arab Spring. But, that has changed recently as Lebanon has joined the club of countries facing mass demonstrations. In the vein of Chile's transitfare hike, Ecuador's end to fuel subsidies, and Hong Kong's extradition bill, Lebanon's proposed $6 monthly tax on WhatsApp calls touched off a movement. As in other cases, it's about much more: "This is not about a messaging app," Saab writes. "This is about less than half the people in Lebanon being connected to official water supplies, a tiny minority getting full electricity coverage, more than a third of the country's youth being unemployed," among other grievances. "My only surprise is that it has taken so long for the anger to spill on to the streets," Roula Khalaf writes in the Financial Times, noting that reforms passed at "lightning speed" in response may not be enough. The situation in Lebanon exemplifies our condition in Nigeria where untold hardships are being face by the people. It is left to us to extract commitments and action on issues from our political leaders before giving them our vote.
"This is a duty we must not shirk. It is a duty to us and t o p o s t e r i t y. B u t , considering all that has gone before, and threatens to kill the future of this nation, you have a responsibility to go further and say, 'Enough' of unchangeable casts of mind whose possessors only re-cycle themselves either directly or by surrogation. It is time to disarm the entire political scene and re-arm the visionaries. The nation needs new players, new minds. It is time that a united opposition seize the bull by the horns and make a determined effort t o w a r d s t o t a l transformation." It has been argued that religion; in particular Islam is a contributing factor to the situation of political docility and lethargy of its adherents. This perhaps account for the proverbial acceptance of some of our brothers in the faith for the misrule of their leaders and why they have remained a-political. This thesis is however faulted in the light of the 'Arab Spring' and other uprisings and protests in patently Islamic climes. It is therefore not Islam or Christianity that makes a citizen a p a t h e t i c , irresponsible to his political duties and obligations; rather it is the political culture
of lethargy and departicipation. Despite the suffering and challenges we face, we lack the culture of protest and rejection of bad governance. People are not prepared to make sacrifice on the barricades and as such resign their lives to fate. There are however instances in the stories of the Prophet and the Caliphs of the importance of followers asking questions and making demands on their leaders. A person cannot be a functioning member of his community if he or she lacks knowledge and wisdom. Equally a follower is expected to be courageous. According to Mohamed "courage is a quality of the soul, its heart's strength against
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shock and composure when experiencing fear." (Mohamed, Y. (2006); The Path to Virtue: The ethical Philosophy of AlRaghib Al-IĹ&#x;fahani: International Institute of Islamic Thought and Civilization, p 275) The earliest followers in Islam were credible, honest and courageous. Therefore, they established themselves as independent, critical thinkers whose knowledge and wisdom are dependable. Bashir bin S a ' a d ( r. a ) w a s a courageous follower during 'Omar's (r.a) regime. He was bold enough to tell Caliph 'Omar that they will straighten him as they do with their arrows if he fails to properly perform his duties as a leader. Caliph Omar said, "It is the duty of the leader and followers to listen to each other and to voice out their concern." He added, "When followers do not participate and provide input, they are not contributing something useful. And we are not useful if we do not consent to their contributions." (Ali, A.J. (2005), Islamic Perspectives on Management and O rg a n i z a t i o n . Cheltenham: Edward Elgar. P 135) In the parable of the patient dog, we learn that' the patient dog starves to death'. There can be no virtue in patience under naked hunger and suffering.
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Sports
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Mourinho’s Former Assistant Hints Ex-United Boss To Replace Zidane
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ormer assistant to f o r m e r Manchester United Boss, Luis Campos has claimed Mourinho would soon be at the helm of affairs at Santiago Bernabeu. Campos insists it won’t be long before Mourinho replaces Zidane as Madrid coach. ‘Real Madrid are a good thing. Jose Mourinho is a good
thing. When we mix two good things together you get better results, ‘ Campos told sports show El Chiringuito de Jugones. Mourinho Advises Lampard To Hand Zouma, Abraham Chelsea Key Roles ‘Real Madrid needs to have the best managers and Mourinho’s CV gives him the right to work in the best clubs.’ Campos also encouraged Paris Saint-Germain forward Kylian Mbappe to join Real
Madrid. He said: ‘I think he will end up at Real Madrid. ‘If he wants to be the best player in the world, he has to play for Real Madrid. ‘It is unavoidable that they run into each other.’ The Portuguese coach has been out of job since being sacked by Manchester United in December 2018. He has recently been linked to key clubs like Borussia Dortmund.
Etebo Expected To Defy Injury, Be Fit For Super Eagles Vs Benin, Lesotho
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ghenekaro Etebo is expected to be fit for N i g e r i a ’s 2 0 2 1 Africa Cup of Nations qualifying double header against Benin and Lesotho after picking up an injury in Stoke City’s 1-0 away defeat to Sheffield Wednesday on Tuesday, r e p o r t s Completesports.com. Etebo was replaced by Mark Duffy in the 21st minute at Hillsborough after he sustained an injury and There are fears the 23-
year-old who missed N i g e r i a ’s f r i e n d l y encounter against fivetime world champions, Brazil this month due to personal reasons would not be available for the Super Eagles in the AFCON 2021 qualifiers, but a reliable source close to the player has told Completesports.com that midfielder’s injury is not too serious. “His injury is not a serious one. He might miss one or two games for Stoke City,
but he will be fit for the games against Benin and Lesotho,” the s o u r c e t o l d Completesports.com. Etebo has made 11 league appearances for the Potters this season. Stoke City are away to Millwall on Saturday. The Super Eagles will host neighbours, Benin Republic on November 14, and then travel to Maseru five days later for the clash against Lesotho.
Pukki, Klopp Win August Premier League Awards
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orld football governing body, FIFA has announced China as the host of the inaugural edition of the new expanded Club World Cup in 2021. The competition, which currently features seven teams; the winner from each confederation’s major continental tournament will be expanded to 24 teams for the first time. FIFA also that the next edition of the current Club World Cup format would be hosted by Qatar ahead of the World Cup in 2022 with the 2019 competition kicking off on December 2019. The new format would feature eight European teams, six from South America, three from each of Africa, Asia and North and Central America and one from Oceania will begin in June 2021 and the competition will run every four years from June to July, taking the place on the FIFA calendar currently occupied by the
Confederations Cup, which is also being scrapped. FIFA President Gianni Infantino confirmed that China had been the only candidate to host the competition as football has been made a national priority under President Xi Jinping. “It is a historic decision for football,” FIFA President Gianni Infantino said, speaking at a FIFA council meeting in Shanghai. “The new [tournament] will be a
competition which anyone who loves football is looking forward to. It is the first real and true Club World Cup where the best clubs will compete. “It will allow us to generate significant revenues but I want to underline this, very, very clearly … FIFA will have zero out of this because we will reinvest this in football.”
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President Buhari’s Wife Deserves Respect and Protection
W
hether we like it or not, Mrs Aisha Buhari is the wife of the President of Nigeria, Muhammadu Buhari. What this means is that she is supposed to be accorded respect and protection specifically reserved for the president. Consequently, whoever does otherwise is guilty of constitutional breach and is liable to commensurate punishment. It is premised on the above that every force that contributed to the humiliation or otherwise of the president’s wife last weekend through the release of a two years old incomplete video to the public domain should be made to answer for their actions or inactions. This is disheartening that over one week after, the President and by extension, the Presidency has not deemed it fit to address the so called anomalies. Except for a privately made statement, authorship of whom is unknown, no member of the President’s household has bothered to come to her defence and rescue. I am not at home calling the woman the First Lady as she rightly deserves, because of her husband’s tongue in cheek condemnation of the position during the run off to the 2015 Presidential election. Buhari was once quoted as saying “office of the First Lady is a waste of money that PDP designed to steal. There won’t be one if you vote for me, I’m not a wasteful Homo sapien.” But that does not in any way preclude the fact that she is the wife of the most powerful man in Nigeria, and in fact, the West African sub-region. She therefore, deserves every respect and protection available. It is disheartening that the President has not called the proverbial ‘family meeting’ regarding why a family member has to release a video depicting his wife in an unruly manner, and even ahead to castigate her before the international media. It is unheard of. It does not matter if the one involved, Fatima Daura is the daughter
of President Buhari’s most beloved uncle, Mamman Daura or otherwise, the fact remains that the young woman went beyond her boundary to cast aspersion on the President’s wife. Compensating her with appointments of new aides is not enough to douse the fire of the insult. If the video had been released by a regular citizen, it would have been a different ball game, but from a family member? It smacks of serious cracks on the wall. It is not possible anyone would have tried such misdemeanor against the likes of Stella Obasanjo of blessed memory, Turai Yar’dua or Patience Jonathan. These were First Ladies who spoke as they looked. It is possible Aisha Buhari’s traducers are taking advantage of her continuous clash of position with her husband. She believed that her husband is not in charge, but at the mercy of the ‘cabal”. Buhari on the other hand, believes his wife belong to the kitchen and the other room. Their affair has constantly appeared like a no love lost situation, and that gave the Daura daughters to call her out even at a time there was no provocation or was not Chinua Achebe who said that ‘he that brings home a maggot infested firewood should not complain when lizards pay him a visit’. Yes, Mrs Buhari has apologised for the part she played in the viral video, but that should a major reason to make others take responsibility for their parts. All said and done, President Buhari, like a good husband and family man he is supposed to be, must rise and shield his wife from ravaging predators in the form of family members.
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EDITORIAL TEAM PUBLISHER/EDITOR-IN-CHIEF Dele Momodu momodudele@yahoo.co.uk ASSOCIATE PUBLISHER Mobolaji Momodu EDITOR Michael Effiong mikeffiong2009@yahoo.com mikeffiong@ovationinternational.com ASST. EDITOR Eric Elezuo PHOTO EDITOR Adekoya Adegbite PRODUCTION MANAGER/ART DIRECTOR Isaac Edoh-Philip GRAPHICS DESIGNER Ajibade Morakinyo PHOTO JOURNALISTS Colin Ramsay...Ade James (USA)...Dayo Adedayo Isaac Adegbite...Dragan Mikki (UK)...Bodise Wilson Soji Adekunle...Vera Odjugo...Tope Brown Segun Lawal...Ken Ehimen Guy L’Avenir (Benin Republic)...Ben Dzakah (Ghana) WEB DESIGNER/MANAGER Kwaku Yeboah Darteh MARKETING/ADVERTS Zed Dominic Okolue (Benin Republic) US CORRESPONDENTS Samantha Ofole Prince...Shola Orolugbagbe CONTRIBUTORS Jimi Akinniyi...Sanya Ojikutu...Isatou N’jie Dayo Olomu...Makeba Boateng LAGOS OFFICE Babatunde Martins - Head Admin Aderemi Abiola - Admin. Officer UK OPERATIONS 7, Du Maurier House, Lawn Road, London Nw3 2XE Tel: +447951026178, +447956967160 UK DISTRIBUTION/WORLDWIDE SUBSCRIPTION Jay Magazine & Newspaper Distribution, UK +44(20) 76358888, +447976628251 UK AND EUROPE DISTRIBUTION Quality Magazine Distribution Global Distribution MANAGING EDITOR BENIN REPUBLIC BUREAU Jeanne-Frances Maduakor Centre Commercial Xanadu-Ancien Pont, Wlacodiji Contonou Tel: +229 97221918, +229 98155422 CONTRIBUTING EDITOR Ike Okonta...Sunmi Smart-Cole...Okagbue Aduba Osasu Obayiuwana...Dupe Ashama Isha Tejan-Cole (West Africa)...Richie Dayo Johnson GHANA OPERATIONS 17, Asafoatse Afua Street, West Airport. Tel: +233244843099, +233244839737 LAGOS 2, Gabriel Akinmade Taylor Estate, Opebi-Allen Roundabout, Ikeja, Lagos, Nigeria Tel: +(234)8055069220, (0)8023002090, (4)4543030 TOGO BUREAU King Nee +2289160855 Chinyere Ndukwe +22890039631 DIRECTORS Segun Fatoye, Mobolaji Momodu, Damola Aderemi, Dele Momodu (CEO)
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