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2023 PRESIDENCY:

Confusion, Anxiety Trail PDP’s Gamble With Zoning •Move Threatens Party’s Firm Grip on South-South, South-East •Committee Screens All 17 Presidential Aspirants, Disqualifies Two •Division Over Northern Consensus Candidate Ignites Tension •Mistrust Amongst PDP Southern Governors Over Southern Presidency Vow

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COVER

2023 Presidency: Confusion, Anxiety Trail PDP’s Gamble With Zoning •Move Threatens Party’s Firm Grip on South-South, South-East •Committee Screens All 17 Presidential Aspirants, Disqualifies Two •Division Over Northern Consensus Candidate Ignites Tension •Mistrust Amongst PDP Southern Governors Over Southern Presidency Vow

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BY AMOS ESELE AND AYO ESAN

eaders of the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) are facing a Janus-like situation.

Like the mythical god of duality, transition and new beginnings, after whom the month of January is named, PDP leaders are torn between the adoption or jettisoning of the concept of zoning in choosing its presidential candidate for the 2023 general election.

The challenge of transiting from the opposition to the governing party in 2023 for a party that once held power for 16 years is testing its tactics and strategy to the point of anxiety. This is to be expected for a party that wrote in its Constitution that zoning of key positions would be rotated between the North and the South.

Until the party convenes its National Executive Committee (NEC) on Thursday, May 5, 2022 and takes a frontal position on the zoning arrangement, the palpable tension among aspirants and stakeholders in the party across the country will still be at fever pitch.

the alignment of party interests with popular interests, which feel maligned by the nepotism, insecurity linked to killer herders, profligacy and heightened ethnic mistrust under the current administration, besides the fact that President Muhammadu Buhari, a Fulani from the North, would have ruled for eight years by 2023.

Party leaders are aware of the ongoing tension caused by the two options among members and supporters of the party, but want to do things their own way, particularly with the zoning arrangement.

According to PDP’s National Publicity Secretary, Mr Debo Ologunagba, the party follows due process, consults widely and embraces inclusivity in its operations and so would settle the zoning and consensus matter soon.

He told THEWILL after the meeting of the National Working Committee (NWC) on Tuesday that the NEC would meet and settle the matter once and for all.

In the meantime, some presidential aspirants from the North, who seek consensus arrangement, have also met a brick wall. This was evident in the criticism and rejection that trailed the adoption of a former Senate President, Dr Bukola Saraki and Governor Bala Mohammed of Bauchi State as the northern consensus candidates by the Chairman of the Northern Elders Forum, Prof Ango Abdullahi.

He said, “The NEC at its 98th meeting constituted a committee on zoning. The Committee submitted its report to NEC through the NWC. The NWC would convene a meeting of NEC on May 5 to present the report for consideration. It is after NEC’s consideration that we, as a party, would make a decision. For now, the party has not taken a position on zoning or consensus.

Any report to that effect is an attempt to paint the party in a bad light.”

Party leaders and aspirants from the South, particularly the Southern Governors Forum, comprising 17 governors from both the APC and PDP, are clamouring for the presidency in 2023 to be zoned to the South.

But a former chieftain of the party and one-time Minister of Education, Prof Tunde Adeniran, spoke the minds of many party pro-zoning supporters in an interview with this newspaper.

They argued that the major political parties should allow

According to him, “PDP is founded on some philosophy

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and certain principles which include fairness, justice, equity, the rule of law and of course, all that will bring the best in each member regarding patriotism and national development.

“Apart from the letters of the constitution of the party, the spirit of the constitution is also expected to guide the running of the party’s affairs. And it is my expectation that the present leadership, particularly the national chairman being a very solid scholar and an experienced politician and an ideologically oriented person would do the needful to ensure that the fundamental principles and the philosophy which informed the founding of the PDP are re-established.”

ZONING FORMULA AS BOTTLENECK Although zoning is constitutional for the PDP, it has become a bottleneck for the party for two main reasons.

Leaders of the party devised zoning as a means of political inclusion, among all ethnic groups in the country, at a time the party was the only major party. Top political positions, such as President, Vice President, President of the Senate, Speaker of the House of Representatives, Secretary to the Government of the Federation and National Chairman were shared among the six geo-political zones of the country. The position of the president was to rotate between North and South.

With the emergence in power of the APC in 2015, the unexpected had happened. PDP had not taken into consideration that it may lose the presidency sometime in the future and so the constitution of the party did not envisage what happens if another party wins the presidency. How will the zoning of the offices be affected by such development? Will it take into cognizance the zone that produced the president from THEWILLNIGERIA

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COVER the other party in sharing the position in the following elections? The issue of zoning has therefore been dogged by controversy following the party’s loss of the presidential election in 2015.

Speaking with THEWILL, a former Deputy National Chairman of the party and a Board of Trustees member, Chief Bode George, said the founding fathers of the party did not envisage that the party would one day lose the presidential election and so they did not factor into the party’s constitution how the zoning arrangement will affect the sharing of its position.

MOUNTING POLITICAL FEARS The fear that is being expressed by the pro-zoning group, including the aspirants, is the party’s delay in announcing the position on zoning after setting up two committees on it. The first was the Governor Bala Mohammed Committee on the review of the party’s performance in the 2019 presidential election. The committee had recommended merit, instead of zoning as the mode for choosing its presidential candidate.

Recently, facing a backlash from the champions of zoning, it set up the Governor Samuel Ortomled Committee made up of one representation each from all the states. That is the report the NEC will be discussing at its Thursday, May 5 meeting.

Apart from the 17-member Southern Governors Forum, several social and political organisations have joined the widespread agitation for zoning. PanYoruba group, Afenifere and its counterparts in the South-East, Middle-Belt and Niger Delta, namely, Ohanaeze Ndigbo, Middle Belt Forum and PANDEF, have said with one voice that the party must keep its word. These groups and PDP presidential aspirants suspect fouI play on the part of the National Working Committee of the party.

Speaking with THEWILL, one of PDP’s southern presidential aspirants, who did not want his name in print for fear of intimidation, said the National Executive Committee should have by now announced its decision on zoning after almost a month that the Ortom-led committee submitted its report.

“We are suspecting foul play. The Zoning Committee submitted its reports about three weeks ago. They left the report in a cooler and are screening all the 17 aspirants. So after clearing all the 17 aspirants for the primary, is it now that you will announce the zoning?

Can they stop somebody who has been cleared by the party not to contest the primary based on any zoning arrangements? That is our fear,” he said.

Continuing, the source said, “You would share our fear if you remember that some people said they saw a leaked report of the zoning committee that throws the presidential ticket open to all the zones, although this was refuted by Governor Ortom.”

Collectively, all the southern ethnic groups have said that zoning the presidency to the south, particularly the South-East, must be adopted for the sake of fairness, equity and justice.

Addressing a gathering comprising representatives of these organisations, recently, Afenifere leader, Chief Ayo Adebanjo, said, “For merit, fairness and justice, the South-East should be allowed to produce the president in 2023.”

To make matters worse for the PDP, its major rival, the governing APC, has held on to its long decided decision to zone its presidential ticket to the South.

Currently, all its 20 presidential aspirants are from the South, except Governor Yahaya Bello of Kogi who is from the North-Central.

PDP IN SURVIVAL STRATEGY To say the party is in a dilemma over zoning is to state the obvious. Chief Bode George made the point in an interview with THEWILL. He said, “The THEWILLNIGERIA

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founding fathers of the PDP sat together when General Abdulsalam Abubakar was trying to hand over and they said ‘Look, let us be serious with our nation.

What has been the major setback in this country?’ It has been that in the North, the minorities were to be seen and that is all.

“In the South, it was the same thing. So the founding fathers, Chief Bola Ige from the South-West and Pa Alex Ekwueme from the South-East, for example, were people who would not get in the same room and discuss politics. So, the G9 wanted to find out what exactly had been the major setback in the progress of our nation and they thought the majority would always have their way. The minorities were to be seen and not heard. So they came up with this brilliant idea to divide Nigeria into six geopolitical zones so that there would be three zones in the North (North-Central, North-East, and North-West) and in the South, you have South-East, South-South and the South-West.

“With these geo-political zones, they sat back and said, ‘Look, there are six top positions in the government: The President, the Vice President, Senate President, Speaker of the House of Reps, Secretary to the Government of the Federation and National Chairman of the party.’ So there are six geopolitical zones and six top positions.

“Nobody, whether you are minority or majority, will go home without something to show to their people. So that sense of commitment was established. But when you look at it like that, after eight years, all the positions in the South will go to the North and all the positions in the North will come to the South. But the mistake they made was that, and it is natural, you know, you can’t find solutions to all problems, especially when it is a developing country; even developed countries do have problems.

“What the founders didn’t consider was that there might be a situation where another political party would produce the president. You know it wasn’t in our political equation. So when the APC produced the president and he was from the North, what happened to our zoning arrangement? We never factored that in our political equations.

“Now President Buhari of the APC has been in power for eight years and he is from the North, how will that affect the zoning in the PDP? Our founding fathers didn’t put that into consideration and that is why we are having the current problem.”

Still, in an attempt to manage the aforementioned political fallout, the party’s body language, points to a high probability that it will throw the contest open among presidential aspirants.

The argument by bigwigs of the party is that the PDP wants to win the presidency in 2023 and to accomplish

“

Collectively, all the southern ethnic groups have said that zoning the presidency to the south, particularly the South-East, must be adopted for the sake of fairness, equity and justice

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that, it will adopt a workable strategy to do so. Thus last Friday, the party screened all 17 aspirants for its presidential ticket, ahead of its May 28 and May 29 presidential convention. The screening committee was chaired by a former President of the Senate, David Mark. He said two aspirants, who he did not identify, were disqualified.

Echoing Mr Ologunaba, who on Wednesday last week, after the NWC meeting, was quoted as saying that the Constitution gives all qualified Nigerians the right to contest and not be discriminated against, the National Chairman, Iyorchia Ayu, last Thursday said he had no preference among all the 17 aspirants, whom he enjoined to canvass their aspirations among party delegates across the country.

Ayu spoke while addressing former Vice President Atiku Abubakar and one of the party’s presidential aspirants, who addressed the NWC on that day and asked to be given a right of first refusal, having garnered 11 million votes in the 2019 poll, which the party lost.

Ayu said, “So, you are a presidential aspirant today.

But I want people to know that you are still my friend. I can’t deny you. I’m saying this to make it clear to those who say, ‘Oh, because of my personal relationship with you, as chairman, I’ll work for you.

“Mr Vice President, I will not work for you as an aspirant. I will work for all the 17 aspirants. It is left to you to convince the delegates of our party that you are the best. You have to market yourself. You have to work hard.”

With the position of Ayu and Ologunagba and the screening of all 17 presidential aspirants, the party’s Thursday, May 5 meeting of the NEC may be a fait accompli on zoning, throwing the contest open to aspirants from all the regions.

THE POLITICAL FALL OUT With the South and Middle Belt adamant about the zoning of the presidential ticket to the South, particularly the South-East, the PDP may possibly be gambling with votes from the three geo-political zones.

This argument is well canvassed by groups backing former Anambra governor and presidential aspirant, Dr Peter Obi, and ex-Secretary to Government of the Federation, Pius Anyim Pius. However, the PDP is expected to seriously consider fairness and justice as well as the likely voting pattern that would emerge if the APC picks its candidate from the South-East/ South-South.

The combined voting strength of the North overwhelmingly trounces that of the South by over 60 percent, no doubt, but in a representative democracy that the country practices, the Constitution requires an even spread and two–thirds majority across 24 states of the federation.

Moreover, the possibility of the Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC) achieving at least 60 per cent success rate with electronic transmission of election results has strengthened the position of the advocates of power shift. All that is needed, they argue, is for both political parties to present candidates with national appeal and leadership qualities, considering the convergence of interest for a leader with strong economic, wealth management and job creation skills, to replace the Buhari administration.

Also, there is the overwhelming national sentiment about power shift to the South, against the backdrop of the perceived lopsidedness of the current administration’s key appointments which favoured the core North most. Generally, key APC governors like Nasir-el Rufai of Kaduna State and his Katsina counterpart, Aminu Masari, have been canvassing the concept of power shift to the South since the president won his re-election in 2019.

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NEWS Gov Diri Presents Jerseys to Prosperity Cup Teams FROM DAVID OWEI, YENAGOA

B

ayelsa State Governor, Senator Douye Diri, has praised youths in the state for their massive involvement in sporting activities and for winning laurels for the state, noting that sports remain a variable tool for engaging and shaping youths into having blissful careers.

The governor stated this while flagging off the distribution of football jerseys to the 206 participating teams at the Bayelsa Governor’s Football Tournament, and also announcing cash reward for the state’s contingent at the just concluded first ever National Para Games, where the state came tops with 93 medals.

L-R: President Muhammadu Buhari; His Royal Majesty, Oba of Benin, Ewuare 11; Prince Aghatise Erediauwa and Prince Nduka Obaigbena, during an audience with the Oba and his delegation at the State House Abuja. April 29, 2022.

Nomination Forms Trouble Why We Won’t Participate Benue Council Sets Plateau APC on Free Fall inPolls - NNPP, APC FROM UKANDI ODEY, JOS

T

he purchase of nomination and expression of interest forms for Governor Simon Lalong to contest the senatorial seat of Plateau South by his commissioners has continued to generate reactions and sentiments that are threatening cohesion and tolerance within the state APC. Last week, Lalong’s Commissioner for Lands, Survey. And town Planning, Yakubu Datti, announced that the Forum of Commissioners, of which he is chairman, has pooled sixty million naira to purchase the APC expression of interest and nomination forms for Governor Lalong to contest Plateau South Senatorial seat in 2023.

No sooner was the news release signed

by Yakubu Datti, on behalf of the Forum, arguably borne of political expediency such as purchase of nomination forms, and published than the question of the difference between twenty million naixa as the actual cost of the nomination form and the N60million actually raised by the Forum of Commissioners was raised to the front banner, with many accusing

the “forum of commissioners” of money laundering.

In a statement, a nascent and reactionary group that identifies itself as “Concerned Ardent APC Supporters Network, CAPCSUN, CALLED ON Governor Simon Bako Lalong, to fulfil his promise of providing a level playing ground in the party for all aspirant which he re-echoed two weeks ago when he claimed that he has not anointed any aspirant or anybody to succeed him.

In a statement signed by one Ciroma Hassanm, CAPCSUN says “information at its disposal indicate that the Governor is speaking from both sides of the mouth because it is alleged that he is using government funds through his commissioners to buy forms for himself and two preferred governorship aspirants”.

The Statement noted further that apart from the foregoing being a “betrayal of the trust of Plateau people, Governor Lalong is also hell bent on ensuring that former Governor Joshua Dariye is not released from prison until after the APC primaries”.

Police Arrests 4 NHFSS Members in Benue Over Assault

T

he Benue State Police Command has said that its attention has been drawn to news making the rounds on social media and complaints brought forward by victims assaulted by members of a group operating under the umbrella of the Nigeria Hunters and Forest Security Services (NHFSS).

In a statement released in Makurdi, the Police Public Relations Officer, Superintendent of Police, Sewuese Anene, said that detectives were deployed to investigate the case in which four suspects were arrested.

“Investigation reveals that on April 26, 2022 a group of persons who assembled themselves unlawfully under the umbrella of NHFSS and the leadership of one Mr Ajonye Peter embarked on a rally to show case themselves in some communities as a legal entity without notifying the police and without any authority to operate,” Anene said.

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The PPRO also confirmed that in the course of the rally the suspects came across citizens going about their normal businesses and decided to cut their hair for reasons best known to them.

According to her, the leader of the group and three other suspects have been arrested and investigation is ongoing.

“The Commissioner of Police , Cp. Wale Abbas, condemned in totality this barbaric and dehumanizing act as well as the unlawful assembly of this group. While commiserating with victims in his office, the CP assured them that, the command under his watch will not allow lawlessness hence, the suspects will be dealt with in accordance with the laws,” she said.

The PPRO quotes the Commissioner of Police as commending public spirited persons who guided the victims to take lawful steps towards addressing this issue and pledged his commitment to handle issues promptly.

FROM KAJO MARTINS, MAKURDI

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he Benue State chapter of the New Nigeria Peoples Party (NNPP) said it did not feature any candidate in the local government polls held last Saturday.

A spokesperson for the party said, “Officially, we were not in support of any PDP candidate or BSIEC process. It shouldn’t be strange that even political parties that are part of the mess in Benue State did not even participate in the election.

“Our members are to please note that, beyond our non participation, we firmly believe BSIEC under the PDP government cannot hold any credible polls. Previous media reports that the Ad-hoc staff of the electoral body have been waiting for months to get paid their dues is very disturbing. Other pre-election hiccups, as we understand, affirms that nothing has really changed.”

A statement signed by Mr Sam Agwa in Makurdi last Friday, pointed out that previous polls conducted in 2020, which he described as ‘rubber stamped and mere templates,’ were widely believed to have only wasted state funds and possibly enriched the pockets of a few privileged interests groups.

He said, “NNPP members are therefore, not expected to participate, but theycould do so only as private citizens and out of their volition as Benue citizens. We believe that when we take over from May 29, 2023, we shall via policy and legislation give meaning and significance to the electoral process in Benue State”.

Agwa, stated that, for now, they can only manage along and trust that sooner Benue will rise again and elections will be driven on core democratic values where every Benue citizen across all political parties will not be electorally shortchanged or arm-twisted.

Earlier, the leadership of the All Progressives Congress in Benue State had decided that the party would not participate in the local government polls under the present PDP leadership in the state.

The Chairman of the party in Benue, Austn Agada, arising from one of its meetings in Makurdi, had said that nothing good would come out of the exercise and advised NNPP members to stay away so as not to be ridiculed.

The tenure of the outgoing local government council officials elected in 2020 will end early in June 2022.

Senator Diri, who was amazed with the number of registered teams for the tournament, otherwise known as “The Prosperity Cup”, urged the players to be focused on tourney, and not be caught in any form of misconduct or violence throughout the competition.

Also presented were sets of hosts and balls to all participating teams.

Earlier, the Commissioner for Youth and Sports Development, Hon. Daniel Igali, said the state currently has the largest grassroots football tournament in Nigeria, which was due to the revolution going on in the state.

He expressed the optimism that the current feat would be built upon to achieve better results.

“We currently have the largest grassroots football tournament in Nigeria. That attests to the revolution going on in Bayelsa State.

“Bayelsa is currently the home of sports in Nigeria. We have upstaged the bigger names. Hopefully, at the end of the year, we will show our true colours again,” Igali stated.

On his part, the Director-General, The Prosperity Cup, Mr Ono Akpe, noted that the tournament had proven to be the country’s largest football competition, since its inception in 2015 and it gains are overwhelming.

He added that 20 centres across the eight council areas were carefully selected to host this year’s edition at the preliminary stage, urging the host communities to ensure a hitch free exercise, so as to enjoy the best of grassroot football.

The DG also described the registration of Ohaneze FC, Oduduwa FC Northern FC and Niger Delta FC in the tournament as an interesting development that it would help foster unity and peaceful coexistence in the state.

“This development would go a long way to strengthen inter-community relations not only amongst the indigenes but also amongst the other tribes living in Bayelsa,” he added.

The curtain raiser of the tournament would see defending champions, Okolobiri community of Yenagoa, begin their quest of retaining the trophy when they face first timers, Bayelsa Medical University, at the Samson Siasia Sports Complex, on Monday, May 2, 2022.

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POLITICS

2023: PDP, APC Begin Preparation For Primaries

BY AYO ESAN

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ith less than 35 days to the Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC0 ‘s deadline for the submission of the list of candidates for the 2023 General Election, the two major political parties, the All Progressives Congress (APC) and the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) have started preparing for the primaries, which will come to a climax with the presidential primaries.

In compliance with Section 29(1) of the Electoral Act, which states that political parties shall hold a primary and submit the list of candidates not later than 180 days before the general election, INEC set June 3 as the last date for the submission of the list by all political parties.

THE PDP The PDP concluded its sale of nomination forms and scheduled its presidential primary for May 28 and 29. In all, there are 17 presidential aspirants who have undergone screening. The aspirants, who beat the deadline, were two-term governor of Kwara State and immediate past Senate President, Dr Bukola Saraki; former Vice President Atiku Abubakar; former Speaker, House of Representatives and incumbent Governor of Sokoto State, Aminu Tambuwal; former President of the Senate and former Secretary to the Government of the Federation, Anyim Pius Anyim.

Others include former Minister of Federal Capital Territory and currently Governor of Bauchi State, Senator Bala Mohammed; former Minister of State for Education and Rivers State Governor, Nyesom Wike; outgoing Akwa Ibom State Governor, Udom Emmanuel; 2019 PDP vice presidential candidate and former Anambra State Governor, Peter Obi; former Ekiti State Governor, Ayodele Fayose; United States-based medical doctor, Nwachukwu Anakwenze; and Publisher of Ovation Magazine, Dele Momodu.

Also successful were Investment banker and economist, Mohammed Hayatu-Deen; pharmacist, Sam Ohabunwa; former Speaker of Abia State House of Assembly, Cosmos Ndukwe; Charles Ugwu; as well as the only female aspirant in the race, Tareila Diana.

The party realised the sum of N640 million from the 16 male presidential aspirants and N6 million from the only female presidential aspirant, Diana, making the revenue generated N646 million.

PDP also appointed former Senate President, David Mark as the Chairman of the 10-member Committee appointed to screen all its aspirants. Other members of the committee include Celestine THEWILLNIGERIA

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“

aspirants who may not have such a huge amount from realizing their ambition.

In compliance with Section 29(1) of the Electoral Act, which states that political parties shall hold a primary and submit the list of candidates not later than 180 days before the general election, INEC set June 3 as the last date for the submission of the list by all political parties

The party has fixed May 10 as the last day for the submission of completed forms.

Omehia, Mike Ahamba and former Governor of Ondo state, Olusegun Mimiko.

MODE OF PRIMARIES Neither the APC nor the PDP has stated the option it will use in conducting the primaries. The new Electoral Act has given the political parties three options and they include Direct Primary, Indirect Primary and the Consensus arrangement.

The party has also released the names of other Chairmen and members of the Appeal Committees for all the contestants for the State Houses of Assembly, the National Assembly and Governorship elections The presidential screening took place on Friday April 29, 2022, while appeal from the screening exercise will take place on Monday, May 2 Under the updated time-table of the PDP, the three-man Ad Hoc Ward Congress was fixed for last Saturday, April 30, 2022, while the Local Government Area National Delegates Congresses will now hold on Thursday, May 5, 2022.

THE APC APC began its sales of nomination forms on Tuesday, April 26, 2022. The exercise is scheduled to end on May 6, 2022. The sale of the forms ought to have commenced penultimate Saturday, but it was postponed.

The price of forms for persons seeking to contest for seats in state houses of assembly was pegged at N2 million, while the House of Representatives is N10 million and the Senate is N20 million. The presidential form is fixed at N100m and this has generated much criticism from the public especially political analysts who believe the cost of the forms are on the high side and may prevent genuine

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The ruling party also said aspirants for the state Houses of Assembly and governorship will be screened on May 12; those aspiring to hold seats in the House of Representatives and Senate will be screened on May 13 and those seeking to clinch the party’s presidential ticket will be screened on May 14.

The primaries for governorship, state Houses of Assembly, House of Representatives, and Senate are May 18, 20, 22 and 24, respectively.

A special convention for the presidential primaries is scheduled to be held from May 30 to June 1.

Section 84 (2) of the Electoral Act states that: “The procedure for the nomination of candidates by political parties for the various elective positions shall be by direct, indirect primaries or consensus.”

APC which adopted the consensus arrangement in the election of its National Working Committee at its last convention had however stated at the last NEC meeting that it is opposed to the consensus arrangement for the primaries. To many APC stalwarts, the word consensus is a euphemism for the imposition of a candidate by President Muhammadu Buhari or those who can use his name to do so.

However President Buhari has warned against imposition of candidates reiterating remarks he made in an interview with Channels Television in January where he said he has no interest in who succeeds him.

PDP PRESIDENTIAL ASPIRANTS AND SEARCH FOR CONSENSUS Prominent PDP presidential aspirants, including former Senate President Bukola Saraki; Governor Bala Mohammed of Bauchi

•Continues on page 11

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POLITICS/INTERVIEW

Nobody Can Justify High Cost of Nomination Forms – Adeniran Elder statesman and former Minister of Education, Prof Tunde Adeniran, speaks on the recent pardon granted former Governors of Plateau and Taraba States, Chief Joshua Dariye and Rev. Jolly Nyame, respectively, by the National Council of States and the sale of nomination forms for the forthcoming presidential election by the All Progressives Congress and the Peoples Democratic Party, in this interview with AYO ESAN. Excerpts:

The Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) charges N40 million for presidential nomination forms, while the All Progressives Congress (APC) charges N100m. What do you think this portends for the electoral system?

It shows that we are still not serious about fiscal discipline in our private and public life. Whatever the motivation, such high costs have consequences for the nature of our politics, for the structuring of leadership and for leadership recruitment. It is, indeed, pathetic that such a criterion definitely serves to review and delist people, among who have the capacity to serve this country well. The message is clear: Only those with very deep pockets, no matter how they came about their wealth, will be able to vie for such office. It gives the impression that only those PAGE 10

Adeniran

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few weeks ago, the National Council of States granted pardon to former Governors of Plateau and Taraba States, Joshua Dariye and Rev. Jolly Nyame, respectively. Both former governors were found guilty of corruption while in office and subsequently detained. What is your take on this development?

It is very disturbing. The prerogative of mercy can be granted by the President, but then how we have been using governmental power in this country has reinforced the poverty of our nation. I’m talking of mental poverty, material poverty, ideological poverty and developmental poverty. There are those who got convicted due to circumstances beyond their control, who are mostly poor people. There is no report of any record that such people have been granted pardon.

This kind of development encourages corruption, abuse of privileges and power. It also discourages patriotism. If examined in a very fundamental way, the action is very repulsive. I believe that it was illadvised and it will worsen our situation as a country that is being propelled by very corrupt tendencies.

who have had access to the national treasury will be in a position to use that opportunity or that privilege to acquire power and continue to lord it over others.

I strongly believe that it will be difficult for anybody to justify those high charges for forms. It could have been much lower and still serve the purpose. For those who argued that they need it for the operations or the running cost of parties, I believe that the parties could be run at a less expensive level than that which will require aspirants having to pay hundreds of millions of naira.

You are a founding father of the PDP, though you are no longer active in partisan politics. Are you happy with the way the party is being run at present?

Well, I don’t know the way it is being run now because I am no longer a member.

Although zoning is a tradition of the PDP, nowadays the party does not seem to be serious

about it. How do you see that?

The PDP is founded on some philosophy and certain principles, which include fairness, justice, equity, the rule of law and of course, all that will bring out the best in each member in terms of patriotism and national development.

Apart from the letters of the constitution of the party, the spirit of the constitution is also expected to guide the running of its affairs. It is my expectation that the present leadership, particularly the national chairman, being a very solid scholar and an experienced politician and an ideologically oriented person, will do the needful to ensure that the fundamental principles and the philosophy which informed the founding of the PDP are re-established.

How do you see the agitation for a President from the South?

Yes, there have been agitations for a President from the South and I’m in support of it. But such THEWILLNIGERIA

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POLITICS/INTERVIEW become a culture. We have reached a stage where any charlatan or bigot can rise up one day and say they want to become President of Nigeria. It is a sad development. It has shown how low we’ve sunk as a nation. It is about time we had the right leadership.

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Such high costs have consequences for the nature of our politics, for the structuring of leadership and for leadership recruitment. It is, indeed, pathetic that such a criterion definitely serves to review and delist people, among who have the capacity to serve this country well

a President must have good qualities. Indeed for psychological reasons, what Nigeria needs in 2023 is a President that must come from the South but not a Southern President. What this country should even do at this time, which is my own personal position, is that we should look at those who are aspiring and those who are not aspiring, do a headhunt of people who we believe will not only unite this country but will also provide dynamic leadership.

Taking someone from the South will have a psychological effect in terms of justice, and equity.

But it goes beyond that. If you take someone from the South and he continues with what we are going through now, then that will be failure. It will be tragic for the nation. A president coming from the South is ideal, but such a President must be able to treat all Nigerians as his own citizens. He should be able to make us proud as Nigerians .He should be able to guarantee security of all Nigerians. We have developed violence to such a high level that it has THEWILLNIGERIA

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A few weeks ago, a legal luminary, Chief Afe Babalola, suggested that we need to review our constitution before any general election takes place. He also proposed an Interim National Government in 2023 instead of an elected government. What is your reaction to his proposition?

I have read about it and I believe that the elder statesman, who is a very knowledgeable personality, not only in terms of law, but also in term of human affairs and national development, meant very well for the country. He is worried that our present situation will not guarantee a free and fair election and that unless an enabling environment is created, it would be difficult to have an ideal transition from the present administration to the next. And he felt that, to have an ideal situation, we need to set aside the present dispensation.

I believe he is genuinely concerned about the direction that this country is going and he will want it to be put right. If the wrong curve is straightened out, this country will be back on course and there will be peace and development based on justice and the rule of law.

... PDP, APC Begin Preparation For Primaries •Continued from page 9

State ; the former Managing Director of FSB International Bank, Mohammed Hayatudeen and Governor Aminu Tambuwal of Sokoto State have for several weeks embarked on the process of achieving a consensus arrangement in picking the presidential candidate of the party.

But despite the enormous energy put into the project, their quest for a consensus candidate for the party, ahead of its presidential primaries, is looking more like a fruitless mission.

The proponents of the consensus arrangements, Saraki; Hayatudeen, Tambuwal and Mohammed have been crisscrossing the length and breadth of the country to sell the idea of consensus to presidential aspirants and PDP governors, but former Vice President Atiku Abubakar, Dele Momodu and Mazi Sam Ohuabunwa are opposed to the consensus and they are insisting that all aspirants must face the party’s delegates in a primary election, which may be indirect.

Penultimate Friday, however, a former Vice-Chancellor of Ahmadu Bello University, Zaria and Chairman of the Northern Elders Forum, Prof Ango Abdullahi, curiously announced in Minna, Niger State that northern elders had chosen Bala Mohammed and Bukola Saraki as the region’s consensus candidates .

“It is hereby resolved that Gov Bala Mohammed from the North-East and former Senate President Senator Bukola Saraki from the North-Central be presented as the northern consensus candidates for the moment,” Abdullahi said.

Ekiti State will be having its governorship election in June. As an elder statesman, what is your advice to the Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC) and the people of Ekiti State as they prepare for the election?

My advice is that Ekiti State, being an enlightened state, should be able to show the rest of the country how democracy should be practised. It should ensure that the governorship election is free and fair. INEC must put in place a mechanism, a policy framework, that will be implemented to guarantee a free and fair election, particularly ensuring that every vote counts and there is no vote buying, which will make a mockery of any election and democracy in general.

He urged the aspirants to work together and make allowance for further consultation to foster understanding among themselves, and the PDP community to ensure a primary in which all eligible candidates would be free to exercise their rights.

Both INEC and the people of Ekiti should also work hard and cooperate to ensure that there is no violence.

Election or leadership ascension should not be by force. People should be allowed to freely choose their leaders. And an election period should in words and action be a celebration of democratic choice by the people.

ZONING OF PRESIDENTIAL TICKET The question is whether the presidential tickets of both major political parties will be zoned to aspirants from any particular section of the country or not.

Some people have expressed fear that insecurity may threaten or affect the 2023 general election.

Do you think so?

There are two ways of looking at it. If we don’t tackle the problem frontally and overcome the challenges, it will linger and affect the election. But if proactive measures are taken, there will be no problem. Part of the agenda of the terrorists is to ensure that whatever political agenda the country has will amount to nothing because of the way they are going to divert attention from them and because of the way they plan to sabotage the Federal Government’s efforts. If the terrorists are allowed to have a free day, of course they will achieve their goal. But if the government decides to take proactive measures by ensuring that the plans of the terrorists do not materialise, then there will be a general election. What this mean is that every step must be taken to ensure that security is guaranteed, that total and effective security is put in place. Once this is done, nobody will entertain any fear about 2023.

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But this was promptly rejected by other Northern PDP Presidential aspirants, including Tambuwal, Hayatudeen, and Atiku Abubakar.

Tambuwal said they had earlier agreed to drop the campaign, having realised that it could not work. Even before the consensus campaign of the four ended in fiasco, aspirants appeared to have all accepted the inevitability of a contest at the end of May in an indirect primary.

All things being equal, the PDP will use the indirect primary option, which has been its tradition since its inception

THEWILL recalls that last year the Southern Governors Forum had, during its meeting in Lagos, said the presidency should go to the South in 2023. The state governors who cut across the PDP and the APC said the rotation of the presidency to the South was sacrosanct because the North would have held the position for eight years at the end of President Buhari’s second term in 2023.

Prominent regional groups like the Pan-Yoruba Group, Afenifere, Ohanaeze Ndigbo, PANDEF and the Middle Belt Forum have also demanded that the next president must come from the South.

Although the APC has not officially announced the zoning of the presidential ticket to the South, it is worth noting that all the presidential aspirants are from the South except Governor Yahaya Bello of Kogi State, who is from the North-Central.

PDP AND ITS ZONING COMMITTEE The PDP, which has the tradition of zoning its major positions, especially the presidential ticket, set up a 37-Member Committee on Zoning led by Governor Samuel Ortom of Benue State. But the National Working Committee did not wait for the Committee’s report before selling nomination forms to all aspirants across the six geo-political zones. All the presidential aspirants have also undergone screening. This has informed the view of many political analysts that the party has quietly thrown open its presidential primaries to aspirants from all parts of the country.

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POLITICS

I’ll End Ekiti’s Reliance on Federal Allocations – Oluyede How will you achieve that?

First, our people must be made to realise that Ekiti State is poor. We should also make them to understand that the thing called federal allocation is evil in a sense that it is another person’s sweat. Eating other people’s sweat is an abomination in the sight of God. At the Garden of Eden when Adam and Eve did what was an abomination before God, He pronounced to Adam that he shall eat from his sweat. Tapping from what we don’t labour for is what the Muslim call ‘Haram,’ which is evil. So, my government is going to de-emphasise federal allocation and work on creating wealth among our people, through hard work and dedication. We need to start following the law of prosperity in Ekiti State. Nobody gets free money and prosper genuinely with it. Man is made to eat from his sweat; we don’t commit anything to the federal allocation that we have made our mainstay.

The governorship candidate of the African Democratic Congress (ADC) in Ekiti State, Dr Wole Oluyede, speaks with AYO ESAN about his agenda for the state, if elected. Excerpts:

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The electorate choose who they think should lead them to prosperity and healthy living. The person so chosen ought to see himself or herself as a servant given a rare privilege to lead. He or she should therefore be seen to be leading well. In elementary government, there are checks and balances to call people in government to order or sack them, as the case may be, if found wanting in their assigned responsibilities. Unfortunately, things have gone haywire and we no longer have it as it is supposed to be. Our elected leaders now don the toga of terror and become unreachable the moment they assumed office.

So, to us as a government, it will not be about being the governor. Being governor is not the issue here. The issue is to use governance as an opportunity to channel power to the right course. The whole essence of governance is to improve the lives of the people. It is about bringing to table the essential things that will improve the living standard of the people.

Looking at what is happening today, one will see that those who have been governing the country have not really done anything in the area of improving the living standard. We have a situation where the government, over the years, has relied solely on the federal allocation of N3 billion a month to cater for a population of 2.5 million citizens. Calculating what we receive as

Oluyede

hy are you in the governorship race and what do you plan to do differently if given the mandate to govern Ekiti State?

It amuses me most of the time when I am confronted with this kind of question. This is because, even in some private moments, I do ask myself the question.

It is so unfortunate that governance has been so much bastardised in this clime to an extent that many have lost focus of what leadership is really about. In actual sense, governance should mean offering selfless service to the people.

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Calculating what we receive as allocation per head will give about N1, 360.00 per head. Unfortunately, the government is not thinking of how to move out of this chain of perpetual reliance on federal allocation to self-reliance. This is one of the scourges our government is coming to correct allocation per head will give about N1, 360.00 per head.

Unfortunately, the government is not thinking of how to move out of this chain of perpetual reliance on federal allocation to self-reliance. This is one of the scourges our government is coming to correct.

Do you think this is possible in four years?

Oh yes, it is doable in less than four years. It is all about leading by example and setting the records straight.

Our fore-fathers have fought poverty and illiteracy before now. With money generated from cocoa plantations, we have built Cocoa House, established the first television station in Africa, bequeathed quality education to children and youth of that time through schools built by individuals and community efforts.

So, why won’t it be doable now? We are coming to set the right template and lead our people back to their place of destiny by showing exemplary leadership examples.

Sometimes the governor has so many responsibilities that he is distracted from some of these things?

And why should the state government choke itself with responsibilities that do not concern it? Why should the state government lord over the local government councils and still complain of being choked? You see, these are some of the things we are going to correct. In bringing governance closer to the people, there is the urgent need for the local councils to be autonomous.

Government should let their funds go to them directly.

By doing this, you get rid of unnecessary burden, development will spread faster in the grassroots and the people will be happy. All we need, as a people, is a dedicated, visionary leader to fix Ekiti State and the people will be happy again.

Gov. Abiodun Deserves Second Term in Office - Fayemi SEGUN AYINDE, ABEOKUTA

Fayemi, who stated this in Abeokuta, the state capital, during a visit to the governor said that as the chairman of NGF, people shouldn’t be surprised that he was promoting Abiodun to come and rule the state for the second time He said that for President Muhammadu Buhari to have come to the state to inaugurate some laudable projects, he was certain that the people of the state would support him for his second term in office .

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The Ekiti State Governor, who commended his Ogun State counterpart for both local and foreign investment drive for the state, said the recent hundred of millions of dollars investment into the Olokola Free Trade Zone and the agro cargo airport couldn’t have been possible without the confidence of investors in the leadership of the state.

“He (Abiodun) has demonstrated capacity, he has increased investment, naturally, this is a state that attracts more investment than the rest of us, those of us in the hinterland, because it is close to Lagos. But, on top of that, he has brought to bare his business acumen, his extensive knowledge of the investment terrain to attract a lot more investment,” Fayemi noted.

Abiodun

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he Chairman of the Nigeria Governors Forum (NGF) and the Governor of Ekiti State, Dr. Kayode Fayemi , has declared that Governor Dapo Abiodun deserved to be elected for a second term in office.

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EDITORIAL

Better Deal for Nigerian Workers

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he International Workers Day is here, once again, today, Sunday, May 1. Rallies will be held nationwide to commemorate the day.

Just like in the past years, Nigerian workers will be praised to high heavens by government at the local, state and federal levels for their contributions to nation building and development. In their usual manner, political leaders will, once again, reel out empty promises to cajole the workers into thinking that their inputs and efforts over the years are being appreciated.

But beyond the empty promises and tissues of lies that have continued to be their hallmarks year-in yearout is the insincerity behind those promises, which has made most of them quite undeliverable over the years.

Despite all the lies that are being churned out to the workers every May Day, the fact remains that Nigerian workers have become a bastion of hope and strong pillar of support to democratic Nigeria, though the expected dividends of democracy are not trickling down to the workers the way it should have been.

Over the years, Nigerian workers have been battered, harassed and deprived of their entitlements by the political elite who have suddenly turned themselves into slavedrivers and tin-gods in a civil service system that has unfortunately become

that of a master-servant relationship. Just like the entire country that is enmeshed in corruption even in high places, the civil service has lost its glamour as workers are now being treated with disdain.

State governors and ministers have become so arrogant that they feel they can get away with anything. Many civil servants are being owed several months’ salaries with the governors not showing any remorse. In the private sector, workers are sacked at will, while others are threatened with a sack for demanding their rights.

For the most part of the tenure of the Muhammadu Buhari Administration, one could hardly find a section of the civil service that is not distressed as strikes and industrial actions have become not only the order of the day, but also instruments of settling disputes between workers and the government.

From the various Ministries, Departments and Agencies (M DAs), the gloom is becoming more obvious, as the ongoing strike by the Academic Union of Universities (ASUU) has further exposed the insensitivity of the government to the plight of workers.

It is sad to note that a government that could not fulfill its basic obligations to the workers is being controlled by a political party that is currently throwing up its presidential nomination ticket to the highest bidder for as much as N100 million.

In the states, only a few have

been able to pay workers the minimum wage, which, in actual fact, cannot even meet the needs of the average worker as inflation has eaten deep into their take-home pay.

The average Nigerian worker is being dehumanised to the extent that suicide rate in the country is now on the ascendancy, with many also retiring into penury with their pension and other entitlements not forthcoming even many years after serving their fatherland.

While we commend the leadership of the Nigeria Labour Congress (N LC) for its role in putting some checks to the excesses of government like they did in Kaduna State, we want to

Since this year’s May Day is very strategic, as it is going to be the last before the 2023 general election, the labour unions should not allow themselves to be fooled again by the deceit and lies of a government that has so far failed the integrity test of trust and sincerity

encourage them to continue to rise in support of the Nigerian workers at all levels, especially in these desperate times. The labour union also has a role to play in challenging the workers to use their strength to get what they want from the government.

Since this year’s May Day is very strategic, as it is going to be the last before the 2023 general election, the labour unions should not allow themselves to be fooled again by the deceit and lies of a government that has so far failed the integrity test of trust and sincerity. The efforts of the Trade Union Congress (TUC) in leading the vanguard of mobilising the Nigerian workers to get ready for the general elections by getting their voter cards ready is highly commendable just as the planned intervention of the N LC in the Federal Government - ASUU brouhaha is a good way forward.

We believe that there is no better time to give the Nigerian workers what they really deserve than now.

The workers must use the power in their possession to demand a better deal from the government. The narrative whereby the government always bullies workers at will and threatens them for demanding their rights must stop. Government - labour relations should be complementary and should not be that of a masterservant relationship as being witnessed presently in Nigeria.

Publisher/Editor-in-Chief

Austyn Ogannah Editor – Olaolu Olusina Deputy Editor – Amos Esele Politics Editor – Ayo Esan Business Editor – Sam Diala Copy Editor – Chux Ohai Cartoon Editor – Victor Asowata Entertainment/Society Editor – Ivory Ukonu Photo Editor – Peace Udugba Head, Graphics – Tosin Yusuph Circulation Manager – Victor Nwokoh Nigeria Bureau: 36AA Remi Fani-Kayode Street, GRA, Ikeja. Lagos, Nigeria. info@thewillnigeria.com / @ THEWILLNG, +234 810 345 2286, +234 913 333 3888.

EDITOR: Olaolu Olusina @OLUSINA [Letters/Opinions: opinion.letters@thewillnigeria.com]

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OPI N ION

Monetisation of Politics: Antidote to Democracy

BY MACK OGBAMOSA

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here cannot be politics without money, no doubt. But a situation where money is placed above every other factor is not democracy. It is a move towards plutocracy, where the government is in the hands of the richest class of people in the society.

This is why politics in the country is regarded as a commercial venture where the investors recoup their investments. It is a game where the winner takes all. To satisfy this end, all manner of tactics, including bribery and thuggery, are employed. It is a dirty game where the end justifies the means.

This is not the beginning of this trend of politics. We have been on this route of monetisation of politics for a long time especially since the return of democracy in the Second Republic in 1979. Instead of politics of ideas, we have been playing politics of money. This, among other characteristics, has bedevilled our polity and led us to where we are today: Corruption, violence, poverty, insecurity, political instability and under-development.

Privatisation of the state is a game where political actors are made to believe that resources meant for the people belong to them, their families and their allies and they can appropriate it the way they like.

It is therefore not surprising to this writer to learn about the kind of figures being mentioned by our two major political parties for the sale of nomination forms for the presidential, governorship and other elective positions in the 2023 general election

It has entrenched and deepened the level of corruption in the country. According to the Transparency International report of 2021, Nigeria ranked 154th out of 180 countries listed in the corruption index . Denmark was the least corrupt while South Sudan was the worst.

For the All Progressive Congress (APC), the nomination form for the post of president goes for N100 million, while the governorship form is N50 million.

Besides these vices, monetisation of politics does not allow political actors to be loyal to the people or the Constitution , which they swore to uphold during their tenure.

The People’s Democratic Party (PDP) fixed its presidential nomination form at N40 million, while the form for the governorship position went for N21 million.

Their loyalty is to themselves and their sponsors, who are sometimes called God fathers. Afterall, the people did not assist them to raise money for nomination forms, bribe delegates, do campaigns, hire thugs and arrange thanks-giving after “winning” the elections. This trend has over the years increased the level of poverty in the country. Unlike the 1970s when Nigeria was one of the richest countries in the world, today, we are one of the poorest.

This idea of monetisation of politics in the country has negatively affected our polity. The result is that the nation has not enjoyed the main ingredients of democracy, which include free and fair elections, freedom of association, right to active participation by citizens by not only voting, but also having access to contest for the highest offices in the country, protection of human rights and respect for rule of law.

It has resulted in a situation where only the rich or moneybags can contest for political offices. Those who have ideas and are capable of delivering the results, but do not have money, will not be qualified as they cannot afford to buy forms. In the present circumstances, how many Nigerians with legitimate means of livelihood can afford to purchase these nomination forms?

If those who are capable but have no means are excluded, what will happen is that the forms will be available to those who are not likely to have acquired their resources through legitimate means. Those who claim to be sponsored will have to pay back their sponsors . To do that, they will be tempted to steal the resources of the state if elected.

Politics here is a game where the actors do not have to account for their stewardship. Why would they when they believe they bought rather than won their seats?

According to the National Bureau of Statistics, 83 million Nigerians were living in poverty by 2020. This figure was expected to have risen to 90 million by 2021.While the exchange rate of the naira to the United States dollar was 70 kobo to a dollar in the 1970s, it is now N560 to one dollar. Like the situation in the seventies, crude oil export still remains our major source of foreign exchange earnings. There is no serious effort at diversification of the economy.

Continuing with this trend means our unemployment rate will continue to rise. As at 2021, the nation’s unemployment rate, according to Augusto and Co, a rating agency, was 35 per cent.

In a country where there is no respect for statistics, this figure may not represent the actual situation. Suffice it to say that while an average secondary school leaver could easily secure a job in the early seventies, an average university graduate of today does not have the opportunity of getting a job after his or

National Youth Service Scheme (NYSC) programme.

The high level of poverty and unemployment has escalated insecurity in the country. While the major crime in the seventies was armed robbery, we are today surrounded by terrorists, bandits and kidnappers. Kidnappers are everywhere. They are in the northern and southern parts of the country. Nowhere is safe.

Monetisation of politics is the reason for lack of governance in the country. Instead of governance, we celebrate nonachievements like building of 2-kilometre roads, painting of a school building and paying the school fee of a few disabled pupils in secondary school. Our political actors use these to siphon resources meant for the people Is it any wonder that out of the 44 bills recently passed by the 9th National Assembly and transmitted to the state houses of assemblies, only one dealt with the socio- economic rights in Chapter 2 of the 1999 Constitution as amended. That provision is on free and compulsory basic education. The other aspect of education, like provision of free education up to university level, was not even discussed. Other socio-economic rights including provision of full employment and housing for the people were not touched. Also, the issue of state and community policing, which was canvassed by many as a way of helping the country to reduce the level of insecurity, was ignored by the Assembly.

In civilised democracies like the United States and the United Kingdom, politics is played essentially on the basis of ideological beliefs. It is therefore rare to hear of cross-carpeting by political actors. But because we are playing politics of money rather than politics of ideas, cross carpeting of politicians has become the order of the day. It is the same system of monetisation of politics that has discouraged the evolution and growth of political parties in the country. Unlike the situation in the First Republic, how many political parties can boost any known ideological disposition in the country today?

Until the nation embraces politics of ideas instead of politics of money, we will not only worsen the state of poverty, insecurity, political instability and under-development in the country, but also continue to neglect the primary purpose of government as enshrined in Section 14(b) of Chapter 2 of the 1999 Constitution which is the security and welfare of the people.

This is antithetical to democracy.

•Ogbamosa, a legal practitioner/ Communications Consultant, can be reached via mack_ogbamosa@ yahoo.com

2023 Presidential Race, APC And Rotimi Amaechi Factor

BY DAHIRU MAISHANU

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ittle by little, the haze on the political landscape is clearing.

The race for the apex and most coveted political office in Nigeria, the largest democracy in Africa, is gathering momentum. With regards to the awaited primary election of the All Progressives Congress (APC), the emerging picture of what to expect has now gone beyond the domain of speculation.

but solemn article of faith on “power shift”. After all, in the presidential election, the battlefield will be the entire country and that implies that whoever the candidate is, must be one with a national aura, reach and acceptance. That is, in other words, the game plan must be aimed at killing two birds with one stone.

It is by now, crystal clear that the APC is leaving nothing to chance in its efforts to secure another term of four years in 2023.

This is evident in the frenzy and horse-trading that preceded its recent national convention at the end of which Senator Abdullahi Adamu emerged victorious among party chieftains who had jostled for the post of National Chairman.

Another emerging discernible picture on the APC canvas is the spectacle of pretenders, those in the garbs of grandeur that do not reflect who they truly are. There are the jesters and the gamblers who are, perhaps, simply prancing the space for the kick and fun of it, in the hope that the pendulum could mystically swing their way. There are also the smart mercantilists, the carpetbaggers, cleverly jostling for recognition and relevance with the aim of being reckoned with at the end of the day in the sharing of the spoils of victory.

The decision of the APC strategists to settle for the two-term governor of Nasarawa State is telling. Politically an old war horse, Abdullahi Adamu at 75, however, remains a sturdy political warrior with the muscles and pedigrees required by the party to wade through the turbulent waters that lie ahead.

Known for his focus and single-minded commitment in the political arena, not a few in the opposition camps and, even within the APC would have been rattled with the coming of a man reputed to suffer no fools gladly in political duels.

From the array of the aspirants angling to fly its presidential flag in 2023, another obvious indication on the direction the APC is headed is that the party has settled the question of zoning its ticket in favour of the southern part of the country. It is conclusive therefore, that the ultimate winner and candidate of the party will be one from among those that have declared their intentions from any of the zones in that region. Beyond the geopolitical zone from where the flag bearer comes from, the APC also looks ardently focused on the choice of a wining horse in the historic contest. The overriding interest in success at the polls surpasses all other considerations.

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Going into the serious business of the forthcoming election, however, are a number of top quality materials from the horde on the APC platform currently aspiring to take over from President Muhammadu Buhari. The task before the party’s leadership and members is not, of course, made easier by this fact. The options may be few, but dexterity and painstaking calculations must be deployed in ensuring that it is the finest of the best that is thrown up in the long run. This demands that sentiments, deafening propaganda, intimidation and blackmail by aspirants, groups or enclaves of vested interests are not allowed to blur or distract attention on the ball.

Placed on the template of the exigencies of the nation and the APC’s desire for victory, Mr Chibuike Rotimi Amaechi, the present Minister of Transportation has been adjudged by political pundits, within and outside the APC circle, as one of the party’s surest picks of the basket.

Beside meeting the criterion of an outstanding member of the party from the South where the party’s presidential flag has been conclusively zoned, he as well, fits the clamour of a

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cross-section of citizens, including notable elder statesmen, for a generational shift in the political leadership of the country.

At 56 years, he stands as a fitting bridge between the old and younger generation of the nation’s crop of frontline political actors.

The APC, like any other political party that is seriously hoping to take over the reins of power at the centre in 2023, its standardbearer in the coming race must be one with an awe-inspiring background as an astute politician and an achiever in public service.

Crucially, Nigerians will want to interrogate the next President’s ability to tackle the pervasive insecurity in the land. For a people so polarised along the divisive lines of religion, ethnicity and region, among other primordial fault lines, citizens are most disposed to the candidate known for his honest and remarkable tracks as a pan Nigerian because so much is expected of him on the task of healing and fence mending.

That is just as the past achievements of a prospective national leader next time around, must illustrate convincing records to show his capacities in fixing the nation’s cascading economy, the resultant monster of poverty, spiraling youth unemployment, tardiness in the educational system, crises in the power and energy sectors, among other challenges facing the country.

A two term Speaker of the River State House of Assembly, an eight-year stint as governor of the same state, followed by his present position as the Minister of Transportation, from 1999 to date, Chief Rotimi Amaechi is literally a colossus in competition with Lilliputians in the contest for the APC presidential ticket and, against the others so far lining up in the opposition camps for the decisive ultimate race.

•Maishanu, a political analyst and commentator, can be reached via Moyijoh62@yahoo.com.

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MAY 01 - MAY 07, 2022 T H E W I L L N E W S P A P E R

Foreign Airlines’ Blocked Funds May Hit $300m In Q2 •Operators Approach Black Market •Expert Alleges Corruption

BY ANTHONY AWUNOR

I

f urgent steps are not taken to work out a mechanism to clear the existing backlog of foreign airlines’ funds trapped in Nigeria and prevent a subsequent build-up, there are indications that such funds will hit $300 million in the second quarter of 2022. Trapped funds are unremitted foreign airlines ticket sale proceeds held up in Nigeria and meant to be repatriated through foreign exchange.

The funds are stuck in the country because tickets are sold in Nigeria’s local currency, the naira. In getting the funds, these foreign airlines need to access the proceeds in dollar at the prevailing exchange rates. Exchange rate fluctuations and paucity of forex have, however, made it difficult in repatriating these airlines’ funds stuck in Nigeria. About 25 foreign airlines operating into Nigeria are involved in this challenge of fund repatriation.

Some of the major carriers affected by the crisis are British Airways, Etihad, Emirates, Lufthansa, Air France/KLM, Delta Air Lines, Virgin Atlantic, United Airlines, RwandAir and Ethiopian Airlines. With the increasing build up of foreign airlines’ trapped funds, THEWILL gathered that it is now difficult for some of the carriers to access funds through their banks at the official rate, hence they have resorted to the black

Q1 2022: UBA Plc Defies Headwinds, Records N42bn in Profit Growth

BY SAM DIALA

D

espite intense headwinds that impacted the economy this past quarter (Q1 2022), Africa’s Global Bank, United Bank for Africa (UBA) Plc, reported moderate, yet impressive performance, which signals a positive outlook for the entire year. In the bank’s Q1 2022 interim financial results released in the past week, the Tier-1 lender recorded positive performance in

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the key parameters that underscored resilience and unyielding efficiency in its corporate practice.

The interim financial results revealed a profit after tax (PAT) of N41.5 billion during the quarter against N38.2 billion recorded in the corresponding period of 2021, Continues on page 17

market to source forex at N580 and N585 to a dollar as against N418-N419 to a dollar.

According to an industry source, who lamented over the shortage of foreign exchange in the country as the main cause of their inability to repatriate the blocked funds, the situation has led airline operators to seek alternative means of raising funds.

While the government through the Central Bank of Nigeria (CBN) refers operators to their banks for forex, their financial institutions in turn keep sending them back to the CBN, claiming paucity of forex.

Meanwhile, the National Association of Nigeria Travel Agencies (NANTA) has warned that the failure of the foreign airlines to repatriate their ticket sales was in flagrant contradiction to the Bilateral Air Service Agreement (BASA) arrangements the Federal Government reached with foreign countries.

In line with BASA’s deal with countries, tickets are sold in naira, while the airlines repatriate the funds in Dollars through the country’s central bank. The federal government had in 2018 cleared $600m of blocked funds but the amount continued to rise.

Confirming the case of blocked funds of foreign airlines in

MORE INSIDE Consider Safety Of Online Businesses Over CallRestriction, NCC Tells Nigerians PAGE 19

FirstBank Celebrates Double Awards

Continues on page 17

Zenith Bank’s Earnings Surge 22% to N191.5bn in Q1 ’22

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enith Bank Plc has released its unaudited results for the first quarter of 2022 with earnings surge of 22 percent hitting N191.5 billion as against N157.3 billion recorded in the corresponding period of 2021.

From the unaudited financial statement presented to the Nigerian Exchange (NGX) Thursday, the bank recorded strong topline growth that reflected on the bottom line as

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Continues on page 19 THEWILLNIGERIA

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MAY 01 - MAY 07, 2022 T H E W I L L N E W S P A P E R • www.thewillnigeria.com

BANKING/AVIATION Q1 2022: UBA Plc Defies Headwinds, Records N42bn in Profit Growth Foreign Airlines’ Blocked

Funds May Hit $300m In Q2

Continued from page 16

“

The huge commitment to training and human capital shows the bank is not relenting in its human resource development goal which is central to attaining organizations’ vision and goals

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Continued from page 16

Nigeria, the Minister of Aviation, Senator Hadi Sirika, put the new figure at $283m when he spoke in Lagos a few weeks ago during the commissioning of the Murtala Muhammed International Airport (MMIA) new terminal.

Uzoka

reflecting a moderate 8.7 percent growth. Profit before tax (PAT) was N44.5 billion compared with N40.6 billion which shows a 10 percent increase.

Interest income rose by 15.2 percent to N125.0 billion from N108.6 billion in the corresponding period.

Notwithstanding the ample provision for Total Impairment charge of N4.1 billion (covering loans and receivables), which reflects a 106.4 percent increase from the N2 billion allowed in the Q1 2021, the bank posted Net operating income of N121.7 billion against N104.6 billion in the corresponding period – a 16.4 percent increase. Loans and advances to customers recorded a positive increase of 7 percent from N2.68 trillion in the preceding period to N2.86 trillion in Q1 2022. It suggests the bank’s addiction towards stimulating the economy through robust credit support to enterprises that operate mainly in the real sector.

A further insight showed that the bank’s Net income from fees and commission rose by 19.30 percent to N24.30 billion year-on-year against N20.36 billion in the preceding year. In tandem with the growth trajectory that underlined the bank’s Q1 performance, the foremost lender generated a total of N14.96 billion in net trading and foreign exchange income; representing a 42.89 percent growth compared with N10.47 billion in the comparable period of 2021.

The bank’s commitment to efficient application of technology yielded good results. It raked in a total of N15.11 billion during the quarter reflecting 21 percent growth over N12.48 billion in the corresponding period. It had spent N14.9 billion on E-Banking expenses in Q1 2022 against N13.52 billion in Q1 2021 reflecting 10.1 percent increase.

Total Interest income recorded a 15.2 percent increase to N125.07 billion from N108.59 billion in the corresponding period.

The efficient utilisation of its electronic banking channels to deliver superior financial services to its customers was also reflected in the 110 percent jump in Trade transactions income from N3.54 billion in Q1 2021 to N7.42 billion in the reporting period. Earnings per share rose to 114 kobo from 104 kobo in the corresponding period as Total assets which stood at N8.54 trillion in Q1 2021 rose by 4.06 percent to N8.88 trillion in Q1 2022.

The inflationary trend that aggravated in the first quarter reflected in the bank’s operating expenses, which rose to N46.32 billion from N38.29 billion in Q1 2022, showing a 4.06 percent rise, with ‘fuel, repairs and maintenance’ cost rising by 28 percent to N8.55 billion against N6.68 billion in Q1 2021.

Training and human capital development gulped N905 million compared with 281million in 2021, a whopping 222.06 percent.

“The huge commitment to training and human capital shows the bank is not relenting in its human resource development goal which is central to attaining organizations’ vision and goals. The significant resources committed to human capital, e-banking and IT-related expenses by UBA in Q1 2022 rubbed off on the bank’s top and bottom lines.

That is the way to go if it is determined to remain on top,” said Rosemary Akhimien, a human resource specialist.

Nigeria’s inflation rate rose by 15.70 percent in February 2022 after recording a fall in the previous month, January, at 16.87 percent as the nation faced

fuel shortages that contributed majorly to push prices higher. The National Bureau of Statistics announced that the consumer price index (CPI) increase between February 2021 and February 2022 was 15.70 per cent, higher than 15.70 per cent recorded in January.

Nigeria has faced fuel shortages since February, after importing substandard fuel which resulted in weeks of severe scarcity and long queues at filling stations. The shortage has seen transport costs rise, thereby affecting goods and commodities nationwide. Inflation in March inched up to 15.9 percent from February’s 15.7 percent. Many banks have reduced their working hours as a result of the high cost of diesel, the main source of energy used in running their operations.

The UBA’s Q1 2022 was precipitated by its 2021 FY results for the period ended December 31, 2021. The Tier-1 bank’s PBT rose 20.3 percent to N153.1 billion, compared to N127.3 billion at the end of the preceding year. Similarly, profit after tax (PAT) grew by 8.7 percent to N118.7 billion in 2021, compared to N109.2 billion recorded in 2020.

The bank had also explained that the impressive result was achieved amid huge challenging business and slow economic recovery in most of the countries of its (subsidiaries’) operations.

The lender’s gross earnings rose significantly to N660.2 billion, representing an increase of 7 percent compared to N616.8 billion recorded at the end of the 2020 financial year. Total assets also followed the growth trajectory, hitting an unprecedented N8.5 trillion or 11 percent rise to the year under review, up from N7.7 trillion in 2020.

Commenting on the result, the Group Managing Director/CEO, Kennedy Uzoka, said that notwithstanding the tight and challenging operating environment, UBA continues to deliver significant performance, Uzoka explained that the quality of UBA’s portfolio, as well as the strength of the bank’s credit risk management frameworks and policies, remain the bedrock of the positive results that the bank has been recording over the years, adding that the year’s performance highlights UBA’s relentless customer focus, and leverage on its key strategic levers – People, Process and Technology.

“Looking forward, I am particularly excited about our ongoing Enterprise Transformation Programme, which is designed to enhance the bank’s process agility, service delivery and customer experience. We are also making sizable investments in cutting-edge technology and cyber security, to keep our innovative digital banking offerings above the curve, as we tool and retool our human resources to compete and win in a rapidly changing and evolving landscape.

This will ensure the bank continues to achieve respectable top and bottom-line growth through the medium to long term,” the GMD stated.

The effect was the impressive Q1 2022 financial results.

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He said, “Mr President, the aviation business suffers from issues of access to foreign exchange by local and foreign airlines and the ability to repatriate blocked funds.

Nigeria currently holds $283m of foreign airlines funds blocked in the country. I would like to humbly request the support of the Central Bank of Nigeria, through the directive of Mr President, to prioritise access to forex for all carriers both local and foreign and to work out a mechanism to clear the existing backlog urgently and prevent subsequent build up.”

Also commenting on the development, Mr Kingsley Nwokoma, President, Association of Foreign Airlines and Representatives in Nigeria (AFARN), expressed worry that the matter had been a recurring issue in recent years.

Nwokoma in a chat, lamented that the difficulty experienced by the foreign airlines in repatriating their ticket sales was affecting their performance, especially aircraft maintenance; noting however, that it is a global phenomenon.

He, all the same, debunked the claim that the operators were planning to start selling air tickets in dollars in Nigeria, stressing that it negated the existing Federal Government law.

The AFRAN President appealed to the Federal Government to intervene in the situation before it deteriorated further.

He said: “This issue has been prevalent, unfortunately, the government has not been able to address it. The airlines need to repatriate money to their home countries because they operate from their home countries.

“Imagine if other countries, like Nigeria, did not allow foreign airlines to repatriate their money, it would lead to a total collapse of the airlines. So, it is something that the government has to look into and get it sorted out once and for all. It won’t be nice to sell tickets in dollars. We can sort it out. It is a government thing and the government and its agencies should look into it.”

that the foreign carriers approach the parallel markets to source dollars.

Akporiaye also stated that selling tickets in foreign currencies in Nigeria is in contravention of the country’s law. “The only thing the airlines are doing right now to mitigate this situation is to sell higher classes. They have stopped inventory for the lower ones. They only sell higher classes. As you are aware, every cabin has the lowest and the highest fare. So, they are selling from the middle to the highest.

“They claim they source for forex in the black market, which is almost N200 higher than the actual amount of the tickets. To break even and not operate at a loss, they are selling higher seats. For instance, all these cheapest fares of N300,000 to London are not available for sale.

Those available for sale are from N400,000 to N500,000. So, that is what they do, but they don’t sell in dollars.

“Tickets are priced in dollars and they are now sold in local currencies of each country. For instance, if a ticket is sold at $1,000, using the approved rate, it is just about N400,000 or so. So, we sell it at N420,000 and the airlines go to buy at N580 per dollar or more.

They have stopped the $1,000 tickets and they now sell $2,000 to $2,500 tickets which, using the rate in the system, is over N800,000. So, by the time they now go and buy at N580 to a dollar, they are able to breakeven and make interest.”

Akporiaye challenged the government to open up on the current situation in the airline sub-sector, maintaining that the problem of blocked funds is solely the responsibility of the government.

Comrade Abdulrasaq Saidu, Secretary General of the Association of Nigerian Aviation Professional (ANAP) attributed the inability for the airlines to repatriate their funds to corruption. According to him, if things are done rightly, the airlines would be able to repatriate their funds without much ado because it is very vital since aviation business is done in dollars.

In the same vein, Mrs. Susan Akporiaye, NANTA President, dismissed the report that the airlines were planning to sell tickets in dollars.

Saidu said, “It is very unfortunate that the airlines are experiencing the issue of trapped funds. The CBN, which is an institution of government, should ensure that the issue is treated with urgency.

I urge the federal government to ensure that the trapped funds are repatriated”.

The NANTA President pointed out that the foreign carriers were still selling tickets in naira, stressing that the earlier report, which allegedly emanated from the Aircraft Performance Group (APG) that tickets were being sold in dollar, was false. She, however, explained that in order to remain in business and profitable, the airlines have begun to sell higher class tickets to the travelling public. According to her, the lower class fares by airlines are no longer available, reiterating

“I am appealing for a solution because it negates the Bilateral Air Service Agreement (BASA).

Beyond that, it will affect us when all these airlines decide to boycott their major flight services in the country. They can devise a means whereby they only come to Nigeria and pick up their passengers. When such happens, the neighbouring countries will be the main beneficiaries. The Federal Government should tackle it head on”, the union leader advised.

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MAY 01 - MAY 07, 2022 T H E W I L L N E W S P A P E R • www.thewillnigeria.com

FINANCE

New Banks, Fake Banks and Dubious Banking

BY MARCEL OKEKE

A

seemingly innocuous ‘war’ has been raging in the Nigerian financial services space for quite some time now: the ‘war’ to checkmate the activities of mostly unlicensed and unapproved ‘banks’ of various hues that have practically invaded the banking sector.

The ‘invaders’ have been variously described as ‘online lenders’, ‘loan sharks’, ‘shylocks’, among others; yet, they keep mushrooming, gnawing at and chipping off the normal businesses of banks. The activities of these ‘invaders’ have indeed irked and rattled relevant regulatory agencies to no end; thus, prompting the setting up of a joint-agency investigation and disciplinary task force to ‘smoke out’ and rout out these ‘strange banks’.

Not long ago, the Federal Competition and Consumer Protection Commission (FCCPC), the Central Bank of Nigeria (CBN) and the Economic Financial Crimes Commission (EFCC) jointly commenced a rights violation investigation into the money lending methods and impacts of these so called banks. Mr Babatunde Irukera, the Chief Executive Officer of FCCPC, disclosed recently in Abuja that the Independent Corrupt Practices Commission (ICPC) and the National Information Technology Development Agency were also members of the Joint Regulatory Enforcement Committee. Irukera said that the committee would lead efforts to address multiple potentially dubious conducts of certain money lenders, otherwise known as loan sharks.

According to him, the relevant regulatory agencies have resolved to collaborate and pursue urgent enforcement action against already known violators while investigating others, as well as criminal prosecutions where applicable. He regretted that ‘the act’ was fast becoming a dominant and abusive practice targeting some of the most vulnerable persons in the Nigerian society. Many beneficiaries of the loan facilities of these voodoo banks are known to have been subjected to questionable repayment enforcement practices including public shaming and violations of privacy; and these have led to “significant and understandable consumer aggravation and dissatisfaction,” Irukera said.

The methods of these pseudo banks also include arbitrary, unjust, unreasonable, or exploitative interest rates and/ or loan balances calculations, harassment and failure of consumer feedback mechanisms, among others. Irukera said: “initial inquiries demonstrate that many of the purported lenders are not legally acceptably established or otherwise licensed by the appropriate authorities to engage in the services they ostensibly provide.”

Without any iota of doubt, these pseudo banks have been blossoming on the ‘wings’ of financial technology (fintech), offering financial products and services without going through the rigours of proper registration and/or licensing by the appropriate authorities. This also affords them the ‘escape route’ from the prying eyes and scrutiny of the regulatory and supervisory agencies. Thus, ensconced in their largely arcane world, they lure unsuspecting members of the public with ‘baits’ (products) that are practically ‘whited sepulchre.’ And their victims end up paying through their nose, and could be pushed into peonage of sorts.

Owners and operators of these pseudo banks who are mostly ‘digital natives’ apply as their tool of trade what is referred to as apps: software programs that are designed to perform specific functions directly for the user (and which eliminates the boredom and burden of paperwork in conventional banking when processing loans, for instance). The FCCPC & Co have, in the course of their investigations, traced ownership and ‘management’ of these apps to some digital technology giants, namely Google and Apple.

Indeed, the consumer protection body (FCCPC) blames the two tech giants “for the inability to trace the owners of some defaulting online money lending banks over consumer rights violations.” It has prior to this indictment, ordered Google and Apple to enforce the withdrawal of these money lending applications (apps) from their stores where evidence of inappropriate conduct or use of the apps in violation of the rights of consumers has been established.

While the FCCPC is leading in this ‘war’ from its chosen front, the Central Bank of Nigeria (CBN) has similarly been unrelenting in the effort to protect the gullible and vulnerable public from the dubious schemes of

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“

One of the dangers in patronising these IFOs is that most of them are fronts for drug-related businesses, money laundering syndicates, incorrigible tax dodgers and other similar rogue matters that negatively impact on the smooth operations of the financial systems not just in Nigeria but elsewhere in the global village

mushrooming ‘banks’ in the financial services space.

Indeed, for the umpteenth time, the apex bank has brought to the attention of Nigerians the risks involved in patronising what it calls “Illegal Financial Operators (IFOs) who carry out their nefarious businesses of extorting money from unsuspecting members of the public with a promise of high yields that will remain what it is, false promise.”

Reiterating the warning by the Financial Services Regulation Coordinating Committee (FSRCC) recently, the head of Corporate Communications, CBN, Mr Osita Nwanisobi, said the increase in the number and activities of the IFOs which portend grave risk to public confidence and the stability of the Nigerian financial system was becoming worrisome.

Dismissing the pseudo banks as ‘Ponzi schemes’, Nwanisobi maintained that “as Nigerians, we have a role to play in “stopping some of these institutions operating illegally.” He insisted that “the nation must be suspicious of any institution that begins to ask prospective investors to bring their money with offers of outrageously high interest rate.”

One of the dangers in patronising these IFOs is that most of them are fronts for drug-related businesses, money laundering syndicates, incorrigible tax dodgers and other similar rogue matters that negatively impact on the smooth operations of the financial systems not just in Nigeria but elsewhere in the global village.

The Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC) has also been part of this raging ‘war’ against the unrelenting perpetrators of ‘Ponzi schemes’ in Nigeria. On March 14, 2022, the apex capital market regulator wielded the big stick, and shut the offices of some organisations including Oxford International Group/Oxford Commercial Services, Farmforte Agro Allied Solutions Limited/Agropartnerships, VEKTR Capital Investment/VEKTR Enterprises.

In doing this, SEC says: “the Commission hereby notifies the investing public that none of these entities is registered by the SEC and the investment schemes promoted by them are also not authorized by the SEC.” The Commission warned that “it is unlawful for any private enterprise…to solicit funds from the public by whatever means to fund its private venture in contravention of the Investment and Securities Act, 2007.”

As the war against the ‘online lenders’, voodoo banks or ‘Ponzi schemes’ is intensifying, the financial services ecosystem keeps getting populated by some more new entrants. This scenario is already heightening competition in an already ‘tight’ banking sector. Payment Service Banks (PSBs), Agency Banks and others are joining in their numbers. Just a few days ago, the apex bank gave final nod to MTN Nigeria to launch it PSB, marking the telecom company’s entry into the already ‘crowded’ banking industry. For sure, this development is bound to further raise competition, particularly among commercial banks and Fintechs; it could also advance financial inclusion by providing a varied and heterogeneous range of financial services to the hitherto unbanked people.

However, all these pose challenges, both to the apex bank, other regulatory agencies and the banking public: the task of consistently separating the ‘apples’ from the ‘oranges’.

In other words, the banking public (all cadres) must consistently be educated on the rightful players and the fake and fraudulent ‘invaders’ that must be routed out. At present, too many desperados (especially fintech experts) are flooding the financial services industry in the quest to reap bounties, even as the economy lies supine.

•Okeke, an economist, sustainability expert and consultant on business strategy, lives in LekkiLagos. He can be reached at: obioraokeke2000@ yahoo.com THEWILLNIGERIA

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MAY 01 - MAY 07, 2022 T H E W I L L N E W S P A P E R • www.thewillnigeria.com

BUSINESS NEWS FirstBank Celebrates Double Awards

F

irst Bank of Nigeria Limited has won two awards: Best Bank in Nigeria 2022 and Best Banking Digital Transformation Nigeria at the International Investor Awards 2022, a print and online publication that provides insights, news and visual informative pieces with topics ranging from world markets, investing opportunities, industry analysis and so much more. All content is dedicated to the global investment community that wants to take a step ahead.

L-R: Chairman, Nigerian Exchange Limited (NGX), Abubakar B. Mahmoud, SAN; Chief Executive Officer, NGX, Mr. Temi Popoola; Group Managing Director/ Chief Executive Officer (GMD/CEO), Access Holdings Plc, Dr. Herbert Wigwe and Chairman, Access Holdings Plc, Mr. Bababode Osunkoya, at the Closing Gong Ceremony to commemorate the restructuring and listing of Access Holdings Plc at Nigerian Exchange Limited in Lagos on April 28, 2022.

Photo: Peace Udugba.

Zenith Bank’s Earnings Surge 22% to N191.5bn Continued from page 16

the Group achieved an 11 percent increase in profit before tax (PBT) from N61.02 billion in Q1 2021 to N67.99 billion in Q1 2022.

also helped to boost the net interest margin which improved from 6.0 percent in Q1 2021 to 7.3 percent in Q1 2022.

Similarly, profit after tax also followed the growth trajectory with a 10 percent increase to N58.19 billion in Q1 2022 from N53.06 billion recorded in Q1 2021. An analysis of the report revealed that the growth in the topline was spurred by a rise in both interest income and noninterest income. Interest income grew by 25 percent, from N101.12 billion in Q1 2021 to N126.38 billion in Q1 2022, while non-interest income grew by 12 percent, from N51.20 billion to N57.23 billion.

At the Conference Call held on March 3, 2022, to present the 2021 Financial Year Earnings (FYE), the Group Managing Director/ CEO, Mr Ebenezer Onyeagwu, said that Zenith Bank beat market expectations with double-digit growth in Gross Earnings and impressive performance in other parameters. He added that the growth was achieved in the face of growing macroeconomic instability which saw the bank sustain strong earnings growth and improved liquidity.

The combined effects of the improvement in interest income on loans and advances helped to spur the growth in interest income and non-interest income.

Analysts attribute this to the bank’s ability to deploy its retail strategy which boosts customer base and leads to expanding its electronic banking income from the increased volume of transactions across all its channels.

Zenith Bank’s total assets grew by 9 percent from N9.45 trillion to N10.32 trillion in 2022, Customer deposits, a strong component of the assets, grew by 12 percent from N6.47 trillion in December 2021 to N7.25 trillion at the end of Q1 2022.

Loans and advances also grew by 6 percent, from N3.5 trillion in December 2021 to N3.7 trillion in March 2022. This development THEWILLNIGERIA

Zenith Bank through its resilience in a challenging environment had outranked Guaranty Trust Holding Company to become Nigeria’s biggest bank by market value. The bank also belongs to the exclusive ‘Premium Board’ league of the Nigerian Exchange Limited, a platform that separates the ‘men from the boys’.

For over three decades, Zenith Bank has distinguished itself in the Nigerian financial services industry through superior service offerings, unique customer experience, and sound economic indices. The Bank remains a clear leader in the digital space with several firsts in deploying innovative products, solutions, and an assortment of alternative channels that ensure convenience, speed, and safety of transactions.

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Consider Safety Of Online Businesses Over Call Restriction, NCC Tells Nigerians FROM SEGUN AYINDE, ABEOKUTA

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he Nigeria Communications Commission (NCC) has appealed to Nigerians to think of safety that the liking of their Sims registration to their National Identification Number (NIN) will bring to doing their online businesses rather than the inconveniences of blocking their outgoing calls.

The commission, who said that its blockage of the unlinked SIMs was to safeguard Nigerians’ electronic transactions including financial and business services as well as prevention of crimes and criminality in the country, urged the citizens to consider such benefits above any difficulties The Executive Commissioner, Stakeholders Management of NCC, Barrister Adeleke Adewolu, disclosed this at the Village Square Dialogue held at the Centenary Hall, Ake, Abeokuta, the Ogun state capital.

He said that the purpose of the meeting with consumers in Abeokuta was the firm recognition of the pride of place that this ancient city holds as a historical hub of Trade and Commerce – not only in South-West Nigeria, but in the Nation as a whole.

Adewolu, who stated that NCC would have totally barred the services of consumers that refused to link up their SIMs to their NIN from receiving calls, or using data to operate their social media platform or any online activities, averred that the commission did not do that in order to avail them opportunity of submitting their NIN to their mobile services operators on time.

He said that NCC only stopped people that refused to heed to the federal government directive in liking their SIMs to their NIN from making outgoing calls with their mobile phones, appealing to them to co-operatee with the commission in submitting their NIN for their SIMs to be unblocked. *Continues online at www. thewillnigeria.com

The bank was recognised with the Best Bank in Nigeria 2022 award for its leadership role in promoting financial inclusion in Nigeria which has been integral to improving lives and stimulating businesses of individuals across the country.

Also, the Best Bank in Digital Transformation was awarded to FirstBank in recognition of its continued efforts at reinventing its digital banking channels which have been central to reinforcing the Bank’s leading role in promoting a cashless society in the country whilst putting customers at an advantage in enjoying a secured and seamless digital banking experiences.

The Bank’s digital banking channels include; its recently unveiled fully automated branch (FirstBank Digital Experience Centre), *894# USSD banking, FirstMobile, First online, and WhatsApp banking amongst others..

Expressing delight at the Bank’s performance. Ms Folake Ani-Mumuney, Group Head, Marketing and Corporate Communications First Bank of Nigeria Limited said: “We thank International Investor Awards for the recognition, whilst dedicating these awards to our esteemed customers spread across the world for their unflinching patronage of our services through our 128 years of existence.

As a bank that is woven into the fabric of society, we remain committed to ensuring that our customers enjoy safe, secure and advanced financial services as they seamlessly carry out their banking transactions on the go, irrespective of where they are,” she concluded.

In 2021 financial year, the Bank received similar recognitions. A few of these are: Most Innovative Retail Banking App Nigeria 2021 by Global Banking and Finance Awards; African Bank of the Year 2021 & Innovative Banking Product of the Year 2021 by African Leadership Magazine Awards; Best Internet Banking Nigeria 2021 by International Business Magazine; Best Financial Brand 2021 by Global Brands Awards.

Others are: Best Consumer Digital Bank 2021 by Global Finance; Alternative Delivery Channel of the Year 2021

by BusinessDay Banks and Other Financial Institutions Awards and 2nd Most admired financial services Brand in Africa by Brand Africa.

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MAY 01 - MAY 07, 2022 T H E W I L L N E W S P A P E R • www.thewillnigeria.com

SHOTS OF THE WEEK Photo Editor: Peace Udugba [08033050729]

L-R: Registrar/Chief Executive, Chartered Institute of Bankers of Nigeria, Dr. Seye Awojobi; Registrar, Abubakar Tafawa Balewa University Bauchi, Dr. Ahmed Hassan; Deputy Vice-Chancellor, ATBU Bauchi, Prof. Ibrahim Garuba; 2nd Vice President, CIBN, Prof. Pius Olanrewaju; President/Chairman of Council, CIBN, Dr. Bayo Olugbemi; Rep of SSG Bauchi State, Alh. Hashimu Jagaban, and others, during the official commissioning of The CIBN Bankers Hall, at ATBU, Bauchi on April 23, 2022.

L-R: Chief Financial Officer, HEINEKEN, Mr. Harold van den Broek; Chairman, Nigerian Breweries Plc, Chief Kola Jamodu; Secretary to the Enugu State Government, Prof. Simon Ortuanya; Chief Executive Officer, HEINEKEN, Mr. Dolf van den Brink; Director Trade & Exchange, Central Bank of Nigeria/Representative of the CBN Governor, Dr. Ozoemena Nnaji and Managing Director, NB Plc, Mr. Hans Essaadi, during the commissioning of Ama Brewery Expansion in Enugu State on April 27, 2022.

Anambra State Governor, Prof Chukwuma Charles Soludo, pay a Condolence visit to the former Governor of L-R: Partnership Lead, Reckitt, Mrs. Cassandra Uzo-Ogbugh; Marketing Director, Reckitt Sub-Saharan Africa, Tanzim Anambra State, Dr. Chukwuemeka Ezeife (left), over the death of his wife, Mrs Njideka Ezeife at his country home, Rezwan, and National Coordinator, National Malaria Elimination Programme (NMEP), Dr. Perpetua Uhomoibhi, Igbo Ukwu in Anambra State on April 24, 2022. during the 2022 World Malaria Day in Abuja on April 25, 2022.

Mr Henry Ohaeri and Miss Oprah Chioma Uzodimma, cutting the cake to mark their Traditional Marriage, at the L-R: Ekiti State Governor/Chairman, Governor's Forum, Dr Kayode Fayemi, with the Ooni of Ife, Oba Enita Ogunwusi, country home of Imo State Governor, Sen. Hope Uzodimma, in Imo State on April 28, 2022. during the Governor's visit to the Ooni's palace in Ile Ife on April 24, 2022.

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EVANS AKERE

Building Home Grown Brands

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Evans Akere, CEO of VansKere, one of the most sought after fashion brands in Nigeria speaks with IVORY UKONU about his unbreakable love for fashion, his recent foray into furniture making, interior design and sundry issues.

Akere

PASTOR IGHODALO ENCOURAGED ME TO STAY IN FASHION DESIGN – EVANS AKERE Y

ou recently added furniture making to your core business which is fashion. Are you trying to deviate?

No, I am only diversifying. I am still in the fashion business, I only added furniture making and interior design although furniture making will be the core while interior design will just be on the side.

Why furniture making? What informed this decision?

The Covid-19 pandemic prompted it. The pandemic came with a lot of good and bad. People were thrown into the unemployment market as a result of companies shutting down. I didn’t want that to happen to me so it caused me to have a rethink. The good part was that I had more than enough time to catch up on a lot of things during the lockdown; like dusting books to read, thinking about the present, the past, the future and just generally reflecting on a lot of things and reassessing myself. Imagine putting all your eggs in one basket and something like the pandemic happens again. My business is about making party clothes, red carpet clothes and all through the pandemic, there were are no events, so people were not ordering clothes. They were only concerned about their shelter, food, their health, etc. Because there was no event to attend, it hit the fashion industry really hard. We were only able to stay busy by making branded face masks. Even with the gradual easing of the lockdown, it took a while before people began to get back into the groove.

So this got me thinking about another stream of income. So while I was reading a book by Richard Branson on how he started his Virgin brand, it occurred to me that diversification was the way to go. A client told me that the guy he bought furniture from told him that he made the most money since he began furniture making during the lockdown. You know, during that period, people were forced to sit at home, reassess their homes which they never spent too much time in and began spending money to effect their desired change. So it got me thinking. I already have a platform, I have a solid brand so I can build a new business with it. Coming up with a new business to build on my already existing brand was easy.

Furniture making and interior decoration is similar to fashion designing. They both require creativity and are similar in nature, so why not.

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What is the furniture company called?

Vans Kere Homes. Like our fashion line, it is an indigenous brand and I am hoping to change the narrative with our designs, to be proudly made in Nigeria. And I am hoping that with time, people will begin to lose interest buying imported furniture because people spend a fortune on them.

It is going to happen, after all we are all now beginning to embrace indigenous brands. The only thing I feel Nigerians are yet to get right according to international standards is jeans and t-shirts.

What kind of furniture will you be focusing on?

Sofas, beds, dining, shelves, kitchen cabinet, doors etc.

Akere

What is going to distinguish yours from other indigenous furniture brands?

Besides the unique designs, I am big on finishing and this is coming from my experience in the business. Some of my fashion clients are not big on designs, they are only concerned with the durability of the fabric and are ready to pay any amount just to get the finishing and fit right. My signature on all our fashion brands will be replicated in the interiors and furniture as well, that way wherever you see it, you will be able to identify this from VansKere Homes, just like our fashion brands that can be easily recognised.

Is it true that you bought an already existing furniture and interior décor company along with its factory?

Yes. I was their client and when the need to diversify came up, I made them an offer. I like what they were already doing and I intend to retain some of that aspect.

Before you made your move, did you acquire basic knowledge in furniture making and interior decoration?

No, but I am currently doing so now but I believe in delegating to people who are well experienced in that field.

Your fashion brand, VansKere is 17 years-old this year and you have successfully created two different brands in addition to the original brand. How has the journey been?

To God be the glory. We have successfully grown three different fashion lines under the VansKere brand, the Avant Garde, the Afro-Athleisure collection - Signore Fusion line and the VansKere brand itself. During the Covid19, lockdown, I began to make easy breezy casual wear for lounging in homes or just running brief errands since the pandemic got a lot of people working from home. This gave birth to the Afro-Athleisure collection - Signore Fusion line.

The Signore Fusion was already a diffusion brand which was used to create avant garde clothes for celebrity clients.

So when the idea of easy breezy casuals came up, there was really no time to come up with a different brand name and go through the process of registering it. So I decided to put it under the Signore Fusion brand and it was a huge success.

It is athletic but cool casual which appeals to the younger ones. It is also more affordable than the classic clothes in the main VansKere brand which is targeted at the matured, conservative but fashion forward person. The vision of the VansKere brand is creating modern traditional wears, you know creating appealing designs for kaftans, agbada that appeals to older people.

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Was that how you established your relationship with Pastor Ituah?

No because even after I had made some progress in the business, it was difficult trying to reach him. Then one day I attended an event and sat near a lady with whom I struck up a conservation. She took my complimentary card and said I should expect a call from some of her male clients who are always looking for good designers to make their clothes.

Surprisingly, the next week, I got a call from the office of Asue Ighodalo, Pastor Ituah’s brother. At first, it didn’t occur to me that they were related. I just did my job, made some clothes for him and he said he would introduce me to his brother. When he mentioned his name, I just knew this is what they call divine connection. So when I finally met him, I didn’t tell him about how his sermon changed my life until two years after. And since then, we have remained so close.

But you are aware that the younger generation is beginning to find Kaftans and agbada appealing Yes. Besides the main VansKere brand, which makes indigenous clothes appealing, we now have new designers with fresh ideas who are changing the narrative, making traditional clothes really appealing. So it is not a coincidence that 90 per cent of people you see at events wear Nigerian made designs and they are proud of it. It is no longer like in those days when people shy away from wearing traditional clothes or when they do, they are ashamed to say who the designer is.

So back to the question. How has the journey been?

It has been sweet and bitter. The truth is that I do not see myself doing any other thing. I didn’t come into the industry for fame and fortune. I didn’t even know that I would get to the level that I am today. If I was money driven, I probably would have been running my law practice but it was all about the passion. I come from a family of lawyers. My dad already had a law chamber. He was one of the most successful lawyers from Edo State. My brother is also a lawyer and has his own chambers as well. So if it was about money, I would have ended up either in my father’s chambers or with my brother who tried to convince me to abandon my passion. My family didn’t think I was ok abandoning law for ‘tailoring’. They all told me that if my dad was alive (he passed on while I was still in school), I probably wouldn’t have thought of abandoning law to be cutting fabrics. I am called to the bar, I just never practised with my law degree.

Even when I was reading law in school, I was just trying to fit in. I knew that law wasn’t for me. But I am glad I finished school and got called to the bar otherwise no one would have taken a dropout seriously. Today my family is proud of me. I strongly believe my journey into the fashion industry wasn’t by accident, but a fulfillment of destiny.

How do you tackle challenges?

Challenges are inevitably a part of life. If the government doesn’t create it for you, your clients will. If they don’t you may inadvertently create it yourself. When it comes, deal with it and move on or find a way around it and still move on.

I don’t think any challenge I face now is as tough as the one I faced when I started out.

What would you consider to be your greatest achievement since starting out?

I don’t think I have gotten there yet. I am still striving to push my brand to a level where the high and mighty will see me as a reference point in cloth making. That being said, I have a few awards in my kitty which has sort of given me the push and motivation to know that people appreciate what I do and that I am on the right track. I have made clothes for the high and mighty, one of whom is among the three richest men in Nigeria. This is a man that can afford the best of clothes, but chose me to make his clothes. It just showed me that I must be doing something that he and all others noticed. It wasn‘t about the money.

Are you fulfilled?

Yes I am. I am happy because I do what I enjoy.

If you weren’t a fashion designer, what other areas do you think you would have excelled in?

Most likely interior designing because it is similar to fashion designing.

What do you like most about being a fashion designer?

It is the ability to transform plain or patterned fabrics into gorgeous and beautiful attires. That is the kick for me. It starts with the mind and translates to the fabrics. I tell people that the business of creativity is the most difficult business on earth. The mind is constantly at work, and you are under pressure round the clock. As a designer, people expect gorgeous designs from you each time they walk into your studio. So much is expected from you, which I believe is the same with everybody in the creative business. People want innovation, new things which are better than the previous ones. So you have to deliver.

Some fashion designers have also incorporated accessories production to complement the clothes they make. Are you looking in that direction?

Yes and this we started last year. We do shoes, belts, cuff links, caps, cravats, pocket squares. The idea is to make VansKere a one stop fashion and accessory business. It is capital intensive but it is all part of diversifying.

What do you make of everyone trying to get into the fashion business?

The fashion industry has no doubt become very glamorous and lucrative, that’s why lots of people are coming in, and the industry has grown over the years, which is good. I remember that in those days, the profession was usually associated with illiterates and school dropouts, but these days, that is no longer the case. Lots of graduates have come in to revolutionize it and give it a new face.

You also run the VansKere Foundation. What is it all about?

I try to impact younger creatives through the foundation under a mentorship programme called the VansKere Mentorship Programme. I enjoy passing across knowledge, helping people discover their potentials and encouraging them to reach for the heights in any way that I can. As I grew in business, I began getting private messages from younger creatives most of whom I have never met, seeking my advice on certain things. So, I would invite them over to any of my offices or simply talk things over on the phone if it was something that could be handled immediately. But over time, the number of creatives reaching out to me grew and I couldn’t handle it anymore as I got busier. Since I couldn’t delegate, I thought it best to just gather them together for one day to trash out issues. I started from using one of my offices and when it could no longer accommodate them, I began renting halls in hotels and hosting these bright-eyed creatives.

I invite other creatives like myself to make it a broad spectrum. It is fully paid for by me, no sponsorship from anywhere. It is an annual thing and the last one we held, we THEWILLNIGERIA

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Akere had to prune down over 600 applications to 300. This year, I am looking at how I can empower some of them. I know how difficult it was when I started out. It took me three years before I could even buy an industrial machine so I know they are also not finding it easy.

Speaking of difficulty, was there ever a time you thought of quitting?

Oh yes. At that point, I had moved from where I started out in Ojodu to Opebi, Ikeja where I felt I would gain more visibility and grow rapidly. But it was as if I was starting all over again. My old clients just fizzled out because they assumed that they could no longer afford me. Things became tough. In fact I had already started calling my friends to tell them I was going to take up a 9-to-5 job. Some of them were already making jest of me saying they are happy I was now back to my senses. A few were willing to help and one in particular was already showing me the ropes and told me to focus on real estate as opposed to litigation. So I made up my mind to split the place I got into two, use one part for the real estate firm while I continue part time with the fashion designing. The following Sunday, I went to church.

My church was holding a special programme and invited Pastor Ituah Ighodalo as the guest pastor and the Lord spoke to me through him. God used him to redirect my thinking and keep me on track. The topic of his sermon was being consistent, never losing focus, paying the price for greatness and remaining on course as long as what you are doing is something meaningful. And it was just what I needed to hear.

There and then I made up my mind to stay the course with my fashion designing. Surprisingly, the Monday after when I resumed at work, it was showers of favour. First, someone I never knew before that day contacted me and put me through on how to go about packaging and marketing my brand to the right people. He pointed out the things I was lacking in or not doing and he didn’t collect a dime from me but we settled on barter. That was the turning point.

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Akere

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STORIES BY IVORY UKONU

After The Storm Comes Respite For Seinye Lulu-Briggs

OLUBADAN TACTICALLY ENDORSES OSINBAJO’S PRESIDENTIAL AMBITION

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Odili

MARY ODILI SET TO RETIRE AS JUSTICE OF THE SUPREME COURT

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Osinbajo & Olubadan

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he ongoing cold war between Vice President Yemi Osinbajo and Bola Ahmed Tinubu, the national leader of the All Progressives Congress, seems to be spilling over to other politicians, monarchs and other highly placed individuals who have openly endorsed Osinbajo’s ambition.

Both Osinbajo and Tinubu, former buddies, are in contention to replace President Muhammadu Buhari after his tenure expires next year.

While Tinubu’s foot soldiers see Osinbajo’s ambition as an aberration and a display of disloyalty to a man who propped him up politically, loyalists of Osinbajo insist that the Vice President owes no Nigerian, let alone Tinubu, any allegiance.

They insist that he is old enough to be his own man without due recourse to his political godfather. Well, the latter’s argument seems to be playing out just fine in Osinbajo’s favour, judging by the number of people who are openly rooting for the Vice President, particularly monarchs.

During a visit to the Alake of Egbaland, Oba Adedotun Gbadebo during the week, to seek his support and that of other traditional rulers in his home state of Ogun, the monarch said Osinbajo had creditably acquitted himself in service to the nation and is therefore eminently qualified to be the next president.

“Every time the Vice President has gone for something competitive, he has always won.

This will not be an exception.

By the grace of God, our Vice President has paid his dues. He has gone through serving others and has been winning colours all the way. He is therefore eminently qualified to be the

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next president,” the Alake told him.

The import of Alake’s endorsement pales in comparison to that of the Olubadan of Ibadan, Oba Lekan Balogun, Alli Okunmade II, who hoped that Osinbajo becomes President of Nigeria. While describing the Vice President as a wonderful person during a visit to his palace, the Olubadan said, “God will help you achieve your dream. Very soon, hopefully, in God’s name, you will be president of Nigeria.”

While this may look like just a rhetorical speech expected of a monarch, who should act the fatherly role to all, there is actually more than meets the eye with regards to the speech. Recall that THEWILL had exclusively published that during his installation ceremony, many dignitaries from far and near, attended the ceremony including presidential aspirants, Osinbajo himself and former Vice President Atiku Abubakar of the Peoples Democratic Party, but Tinubu, who is supposedly a close friend of the Olubadan, was absent. The Jagaban of Borgu however preferred to send a representative in the person of Femi Pedro, his deputy when he was governor of Lagos State.

Tinubu’s absence at the ceremony spoke volumes.

He willingly sacrificed his attendance at the ceremony, which would have been a morale booster for the new Olubadan, just to avoid being in the same space with Osinbajo.

But even after the ceremony ended, Tinubu is still yet to pay the Olubadan a visit. But judging from the monarch’s tactical endorsement of Osinbajo, it is obvious where his heart lies on who to support in the tight presidential race.

fter an impactful service in the judiciary, which spans decades, Mary Ukaego Odili is set to retire as a Justice of the Supreme Court of Nigeria.

Justice Odili will be hanging her wig on May 12, 2022, the same day she will be clocking 70, the retiring age for Supreme Court Judges.

Justice Odili, who doesn’t look anything near her age is one of the foremost jurists, constitutional avatars and legal titans this country has ever produced. She began her legal career as a Magistrate grade III in November 1978 after she was called to the bar in 1977.

She served as Chief Magistrate Grade I; Chairman of the Juvenile Court, President, Marine Board of Inquiry into the 1979 Buguma Boat disaster; Chairman, Constitution Drafting Committee of the University of Nigeria Alumni Associates.

She was the inaugural Chairperson of the International Federal of Women Lawyers (FIDA) Rivers State among several other appointments.

In 1992, she became a High Court Judge and she continued on this path even while serving as the First Lady of Rivers State, alongside her husband, former governor of Rivers State, medical doctor turned politician, Peter Odili for eight years. She once held the offices of Justice, Court of Appeal, Abuja Division and Presiding Justice, Court of Appeal, Kaduna Division.

On May 3, 2011, she was nominated by the then President Goodluck Jonathan to the Supreme Court as a representative of the South-East geo-political zone. One of her landmark achievements as a Justice of the Supreme Court was leading the five-man panel at the Supreme Court that nullified the governorship election of David Lyon, after his deputy was found wanting for submitting fake certificates during pre-election screening after they were declared winners on November 16, 2019, Bayelsa State governorship election.

All through her tenure in the nation’s judiciary, Justice Odili has sufficiently displayed a reassuring penchant for straight forward legal and judicial constitution, interpreting the law accurately and appropriately while delivering judgements resoundingly and decisively without caring whose ox was gored in the process.

On the day she is expected to retire, elder statesman, and legal luminary, Prof Ben Nwabuze, a Senior Advocate of Nigeria, will be delivering a valedictory address on behalf of the Body of SANs. Nwabueze was assigned this role by the Honourable Chief Justice of Nigeria, Justice Ibrahim Tanko Muhammad.

A mother of four and doting grandmother of many, two of her daughters, followed in her footsteps. While Chinelo Odili is a judge of the Rivers State High Court, Njideka Iheme-Nwosu nee Odili, is a Judge of the High Court in the Federal Capital Territory.

t has been almost four years since Seinye Lulu-Briggs, the Ghanaian born wife of distinguished elder Kalabari statesman, High Chief Dr O.B. Lulu-Briggs, was in the eye of the storm over controversies surrounding the death of her husband.

Lulu-Briggs died on arrival at the Kotoka International Airport Clinic, Accra, Ghana on December 27, 2018. He was on an annual vacation to the country in company with his wife, family, friends and staff. The billionaire philanthropist was 88 at the time he passed on. Following his death, his older sons, Senibo and Sofiri, led by Dumo, a governorship aspirant in Rivers State in the 2023 general elections on one hand and their father’s widow on the other hand, immediately went for each other’s jugular.

While the deceased’s sons accused their father’s widow of not being truthful about what led to his demise, Seinye on her part claimed that she was being victimised and scandalised, with lies cooked up against her. She accused her stepsons of being more interested in her late husband’s assets, alleging that Dumo repeatedly asked her for a list of the assets so that they can sell off some of the properties to raise money to give his father a befitting burial. She told them that she was not in possession of any list.

The brothers rebuffed Seinye’s offer to give them some of her own personal funds for the burial.

Their insistence on the list of assets, according to her, delayed late Chief Lulu-Briggs’ burial on three different occasions. Ironically, according to Seinye, when it was time to read the late Lulu-Brigg’s will, after lawyers had filed his Last Will and Testament in the Rivers State Probate Registry, Dumo allegedly went to the same registry and deposited a photocopy of a purported Will allegedly given to him for safekeeping by his father in 2003.

Seinye alleged that Dumo threatened to raise an inquiry into the cause of his father’s death if she failed to grant his request for the list of assets. She claimed that he clearly stated that if the burial took place, there would be nothing to use to bring her to the table. In other words, Dumo was alledgedly using his father’s body as a bait in an attempt to forcefully take over his father’s assets.

Several meetings were held to resolve the issue. In one of such meetings with Governor Nyesom Wike of Rivers State, Dumo allegedly demanded 50 per cent of Moni Pulo Limited, an oil exploration company founded by his late father, of which Seinye was the executive director.

She told him emphatically that she could not negotiate his father, her husband’s assets with him as she is not holding them. She however offered 50 per cent of her shares in the company, which was held in trust for her children, including Dumo and his siblings. But he allegedly rejected the offer and instead, made a proposal asking that all that belonged to his father; Moni Pulo Limited, landed properties, including gifts received over a period of 15 years, her personal assets/ companies, as well as her husband’s

personal effects be returned to her husband’s estate and handed over to him, Dumo, to re-administer and allocate as may be applicable, thereby discarding his father’s Will and wishes. This she said was Dumo’s condition for the burial of his father.

Seinye claimed that Dumo was very much aware that the late philanthropist’s Will and Testament and all his properties were handed to a trust company in September 2013. The Letter of Wishes of that Trust is to take care of the education of his younger children, grandchildren, Lulu-Briggs great grandchildren and future generations to the level they desire. She reiterated that her husband’s properties and assets are therefore not hers to share to him (Dumo).

Dumo then sent a petition to the Nigerian Police alleging that Seinye killed her husband. Ironically, according to Seinye, her husband’s older sons were the ones who made several attempts, when their father was alive, to keep him miserable and they allegedly threatened his life unless he ‘settled them’.

Thus began a long winding investigation into Dumo’s allegation.

Seinye was eventually exonerated.

An autopsy was conducted on the body of Chief Lulu-Briggs to determine the cause of his death, but Dumo wasn’t satisfied with it.

He allegedly wanted another one conducted despite the fact that the autopsy had exonerated Seinye.

Not satisfied with these results, he allegedly applied all kinds of devices to intimidate, frustrate and publicly insult her, including persuading the Ghanaian and Nigerian Police to investigate his father’s widow for smuggling a dead body into Ghana.

After two years of bickering and a lot of back and forth on the matter, the late Lulu-Briggs was finally buried, but his widow was absent at the burial for obvious reasons. Many years after, Seinye seems to have risen from the throes of her bitter experience and has continued to win and soar on all fronts. First, the accomplished businesswoman has expanded her businesses, which includes a bottling company, a foods and beverages firm, a multifunctional haulage, asset-leasing and manpower management company, while also overseeing the affairs of Moni Pulo.

She has also taken on the plight of widows and helped them rise above victimisation and all forms of persecution. To this end she collaborated with the African Women Lawyers Association (AWLA) to offer free legal service, fully paid for by her husband’s foundation,

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to support embattled widows in the pursuit of their rights and the protection of their dignity.

A few weeks ago, the Federal High Court in Lagos voided a travel ban placed on her by the Economic and Financial Crimes Commission (EFCC) and Nigeria Immigration Service (NIS). Justice Ayokunle Faji ordered the EFCC and NIS to pay her the sum of N15 million while also declaring the seizure of her passport as unlawful.

Justice Faji also ruled that each of the respondents, that is, EFCC and NIS should publish an apology to her in two national newspapers.

What was the problem? On arrival in Lagos from London on January 14, 2020, she was detained for several hours without explanation.

Similarly, on January 29, 2020, she was stopped from travelling at the Lagos International Airport and kept in a solitary room till the following morning and released without her international passport and other travel documents.

Both the EFCC and NIS had justified the seizure of her passport and her detention, arguing that Seinye was under investigation and granted an administrative bail, which she jumped; a development, it said, compelled it to place her on a watch list and ask the immigration service to seize her travelling documents.

While delivering his judgment, Justice Faji held that there was no material evidence by the EFCC and NIS before the court to support their claims adding that there was therefore, no justification for the unlawful treatment meted out to her.

While still basking in the euphoria of her triumph, she snagged two major awards, all recognising her for her work as a businesswoman, social investor and philanthropist. First was the Daily Independent Personality of the Year Award and the Silverbird Group’s Extraordinary Achievement Award. A year before and months before the two awards, Vanguard Newspaper named her the Woman of The Year.

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STORIES BY SHADE WESLEY-METIBOGUN

Why Orji Kalu Cannot Forget The Sarakis in a Hurry

MMM INITIATOR CHUDDY UGORJI RETURNS

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huddy Ugorji, the initiator of Mavrodi Mondial Moneybox, the popular Ponzi scheme also known as MMM, is back in Nigeria. Ugorji had reportedly fled to the Philippines after a failed assassination attempt on his life in an Abuja hotel in 2017. He had to jump the hotel’s fence to escape from his attackers and afterwards, travelled abroad in company with his wife, Amaka, far away from the painful groans of thousands of Nigerians who lost their hard-earned money to the Ponzi scheme’s crash in 2016.

Ugorji left the scene and nothing was heard of him for a long time only to return recently and quietly introduce another Ponzi scheme called MLM. Due to the public

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outrage ignited by the collapse of MMM, he has been maintaining a low profile.

Ugorji’s new scheme, MLM, is operated like the crashed MMM. In a nutshell, participants receive help in the form of cash donations and give out cash to members of their communities. The businessman has not been very vocal about it for fear of attracting the attention of those who lost a lot of money when MMM crashed.

Recall that in 2016, Nigerians were introduced to, MMM where its registered participant provided help by donating money to another

Ugorji participant. They also get help by requesting money after some days with a 30 per cent increase in their initial donation. Although many Nigerians invested large sums of money in the scheme, they were unable to cash out before it crashed. But Ugorji, who initiated the scheme in Nigeria, cashed out and lived a flamboyant lifestyle. He splashed pictures of his luxury boat cruise and threw a lavish wedding ceremony that was attended by many celebrities.

ormer Governor of Abia State and currently member of the Senate, Orji Uzor Kalu, will not forget a huge favour done to his family by Mrs Toyin Saraki, wife of former Senate President, Bukola Saraki. The former first lady of Kwara State is said to be instrumental to the growth and good upbringing that Neya, Kalu’s first daughter, received.

When Neya was growing up and she needed to study overseas, Kalu turned to the Saraki’s who were still based abroad and kept her daughter in their care. This was in the 1980s. Being the first daughter and the apple of her father’s eyes, Kalu was reluctant to leave his daughter alone until Toyin came through and accommodated Neya. She took care of Neya as her own daughter and had a great influence in her life.

For the short period that she spent with them, the Sarakis sheltered her and Toyin played a motherly role in her life.

Although the Kalu’s and the Saraki’s are separated by political parties, the two families still hold each other in high esteem because of Neya and the favour granted in the past.

Kalu

TFC Boss, Yinka Adedayo, Resurfaces

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or a long time, society matriarch Yinka Adedayo and her husband, Kunle shunned the social scene like a plague, following the death of their only son, Bunmi, whose painful passing cut deep into the hearts of many Nigerians. Bunmi’s death became a hard reality for the Adedayos to grapple with and this prompted them to beat a retreat from the social scene. They resorted to channeling their grief into expanding their business, Tastee

Fried Chicken by opening up new branches and building a majestic edifice in the heart of Ikeja which serves as the headquarters of the quick service restaurant.

It was however a pleasant surprise when Yinka who was a doting mum while her only son was still alive, made a lone public appearance without her husband, to felicitate with former Managing Director of Daily Times, Yemi Ogunbiyi, on his 75th birthday cum book launch a few weeks ago. Many

guests took it upon themselves to personally exchange pleasantries with her, having not seen in a long while. Hopefully she gets to make more of such public appearances.

Bunmi, her only son, died on September 25, 2013, in Pretoria, South Africa, following pneumonia complications. While he was alive, he was an executive director of his parent’s company and was known to be quite charitable. His noble acts of kindness caused his parents to set up The Bunmi Adedayo Foundation in his honour to carry on with his spirit of giving and sharing. Bunmi left behind a wife and two children.

Mariam Longe Unveils First Children’s Book

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ariam Longe, one of the co-hosts of Your View, a breakfast talk show on TVC, has unveiled her first book of children’s literature, Vultures to the Rescue.

The book is part of the author’s advocacy for environmental conservation and sustainability. Longe had always supported the Nigeria Conservation Foundation’s campaign for the conservation of vultures in Nigeria.

The book, which was illustrated by Oluwaseyi

Longe

Alade, fills the void for formal education in the area of environmental studies. It unravels misconceptions around vultures and their economic value to man.

The book is specially designed to attract children and it is written in English and Hausa languages.

Longe has since been moving from one place to the other promoting the book. Aside from being an author and a TV host, she is a lifestyle coach for women dealing with unhealthy weight issues.

Tope Alabi, Tajudeen Bioku at War Over Copyright Infringement

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ospel artiste, Tope Alabi and United States-based boss of NPC records, Alhaji Tajudeen Bioku, have been at war over copyright infringement for some years now. The dispute has even degenerated to a court case, but their lawyers are making frantic efforts to settle it out of court. It all started after the gospel artiste signed a deal with NPC Records Audio Works in 2006 to compose and produce a music album in two languages, English and Yoruba. The singer

Adedayo THEWILLNIGERIA

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produced the Yoruba version Angeli Mi, which was released in 2007.

Some of the songs in the album became instant hits. When Alabi failed to produce the English version, Bioku reported him to the Special Fraud Unit in Ikoyi, Lagos State and the Nigeria Copyright Commission (NCC). Alabi thereafter proceeded to give some telecommunication giants the right to use three of her songs, Jesu Olurapada, Angeli Mi, and E gbe ga from the album as ringtones

without Bioku’s consent, who is the sole copyright owner of the album. Bioku got to know about the illicit transaction in 2020 and sued the singer and the telecommunication companies at the Lagos High Court, Lagos Island, specifically requesting the sum of N1.5 billion from the telco companies.

Alabi’s lawyer has been trying to get the two parties to settle out of court. It was gathered that if he succeeds, the singer would pay the record label boss several millions of naira.

Alabi

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STORIES BY SHADE WESLEY-METIBOGUN

Nollywood Actors Take Over Late Dejo Tunfulu’s Unfinished Project

MEET JOSHUA MENSAH, SKIT MAKER MARAJI’S HUSBAND W

hen popular skit maker, Gloria Oloruntobi, otherwise known as Maraji, revealed that she was expecting her first child, many of

her fans were surprised and eager to know the identity of the man that swept her off her feet and got her pregnant. Well, they no longer have to wonder. He is Joshua

The Mensahs

Mensah, a Ghanaian, who is also known as Wan Mensah. Mensah is a mobile film maker, Youtuber and Chief Executive Officer of Moment Pro, a film production company. He runs an online movie and photography academy where potential filmmakers and photographers are groomed. He is also the founder of Enzyms, a place to connect with creatives from Ghana and other parts of Africa.

Mensah and Maraji met a few years ago in the line of business.

Their path crossed when the film maker approached Maraji to record a video of his ex-girlfriend.

The two of them became friends and eventually started a romantic relationship until 2020 when Mensah decided to end it abruptly because he had fallen in love with someone else. Maraji, who was heart-broken and dejected, turned to her social media fans for comfort.

A few months after their separation, the lovebirds sorted out their differences and renewed their relationship. In 2021, they got married, in a very private ceremony witnessed by only the members of their respective families and a very few close friends. Maraji had to relocate from Lagos to Ghana to join her husband. They welcomed their first child, Jayden Mensah, last week.

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Adeyemi

LATE ALAAFIN’S LAST WIFE, MUM THROWN OUT OF PALACE

Trouble in Cute Abiola’s Home E

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t seems that all is not well with comedian, Abdulgafar Ahmed Oluwatoyin, also known as Cute Abiola, and his wife, Kudirat Mosunmola, less than one year after they got married. The couple has stopped following each other on social media, with Kudirat reverting to her maiden name.

Cute Abiola is alleged to be in romantic dalliances with some of the ladies he gives roles in his comedy skits. It is also alleged that there are two particular hotels on Lagos Island where he lodges these ladies. Cute Abiola’s wife is aware of his illicit affairs with other women, THEWILL gathered, and she has tried severally to talk him out of the habit, but in vain.

She has some evidence to prove that he has been sleeping around and has allegedly threatened to release them on social media because he refused to turn a new leaf.

Frustrated by her husband’s behaviour, Kudirat is alleged to have moved out of her home a few weeks ago, yet the comedian has been going about his business as if nothing happened.

But deep inside, some of his close friends revealed, he is not happy. Just recently, he took to social media to announce that he was battling with depression and decided to get himself a new car to get rid of it.

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However, Cute Abiola’s mother has allegedly intervened in the matter between her son and his

The Abdulgafars

wife. Hopefully the estranged couple may yet reunite and continue to live blissfully together.

stranged wife of late Alaafin of Oyo, Oba Lamidi Adeyemi, Damilola Adeyemi and her mother were thrown out of the palace while on a condolence visit to other wives of the deceased and his relatives.

Damilola, whose other motive for the visit was allegedly to remind members of the late monarch’s family that she would soon return to reclaim her inheritance as one of his legally married wives, was practically disgraced and thrown out by the palace guards, who warned her never to set foot in the palace again because she packed her things in 2020 and left on her own accord.

Although Damilola’s mother pleaded with the guards to allow her daughter to pay her last respects to the late Alaafin and to commiserate with her co-wives, they would have none of that and went on to kick both of them out. The guards insisted that by exiting the palace in 2020, Damilola had severed her ties with the traditional ruler.

By walking out of her marriage and abandoning her matrimonial home in 2020, Damilola was said to have broken a sacred rule. A few months after her exit, she accused the traditional ruler of constantly threatening and harassing her in a statement posted on social media.

She also claimed that the king wanted to kidnap her. But her family would have none of that and ordered her to return to her matrimonial home. The allegations were denied by the palace and it was announced that she was no longer welcome in the palace.

ork has commenced on uploaded on his social media a housing project, which handle. late actor Adekunle The friends of the deceased have Adetokunbo, also known as also called on their colleagues Dejo Tunfulu, who passed away in the movie industry to come on April 1, 2022, left behind, to the aid of the late comic thanks to some of his friends who actor’s family so that they can decided to complete it. complete the legacies he left The project is now under the behind within one year. Nigeria’s supervision of Olaide Olabanji, entertainment industry was a movie producer and a very thrown into mourning on April close friend of Adetokunbo. Only 1, 2022 when the news of the the foundation of the project untimely death of the actor was had been dug by the time announced. The actor died while Adetokunbo died three weeks receiving treatment at the Ikorodu ago after a brief illness. After General Hospital. It was gathered he was laid to rest, some of his that he was previously diagnosed friends in the movie industry with chronic kidney disease promised to help his family before he became critically ill and complete the project. eventually passed on.

With assistance from other Nollywood practitioners, Olabanji was able to raise some funds. The money realised from the fundraising campaign was spent on the project. Adetokunbo’s friends have been supervising the project since it started. All the while Olabanji has been updating fans of the late actor and his colleagues on the progress of the project.

Video of the work in progress is often Adetokunbo

Why Jodie is Passionate About Physically Challenged Children

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oy Esoghene Odiete, professionally known as Jodie, is passionate about children with special needs and she has been pursuing that passion with vigour. The singer abandoned her music career to pursue her dream and has been getting the needed support from Nigerians who have been donating to the noble cause.

Jodie’s passion for special children started in 2016 after giving birth to her first son, Chinua Nnaji, who was born with Lissencephaly and Cerebral Palsy.

Odiete

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Lissencephaly is a rare genelinked brain disorder whereby the whole part of the surface of the brain appears smooth. It is characterised by an abnormally small head and cerebral palsy is a disorder that affects a person’s ability to move and maintain balance and posture.

The singer was battling with her son’s challenge when she was dealt with another blow after her marriage with Nollywood actor David Nnaji crashed. She slipped into depression. With help from her family and friends, she was able to rise again to pursue her passion for children with special needs.

The mother of one is now working towards building a care centre for such children, just like the Cerebral Palsy Centre in Lakowe, Lagos State. She is also working towards setting up a Non-Governmental Organisation (NGO) to fuel her passion.

Jodie is currently recording a song on the plight of mothers nursing children with special needs.

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TOURISM

We Need Stand-Alone Tourism Ministry – Expert To grow Nigeria’s GDP through tourism, the Federal Government should create a separate tourism ministry that will oversee tourism activities within the country, JANEFRANCES CHIBUZOR writes

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he Federation of Tourism Association of Nigeria (FTAN) has expressed displeasure over the absence of a stand-alone tourism ministry in the country.

This was disclosed by the President of FTAN, Mr. Nkereuwem Onung, during the fifth edition of the National Tourism and Transportation Summit and Expo held at the International Conference Centre, Abuja.

Speaking at the event, Onung said that the tourism sector had been sidelined because of the absence of a stand-alone ministry to activate its pivotal role as a relevant ecosystem of the Nigeria economy.

He charged the Mohammadu Buhari Administration to resuscitate the Presidential Council on Tourism and to stimulate the states apparatus in order to drive genuine development and the promotion of practical tourism in Nigeria.

“Let me also appreciate the fact that we are talking about the link between transportation and tourism. This link is very important because when we want to calculate the Gross Domestic Product of tourism, we will look at travels and that is why we are sometimes told that they can’t give us our own

ministry because they have not seen any contribution from tourism to the GDP.

success of the summit and expo rests on the fact that it was anchored by the private sector.

“When you add up the contribution of transportation and you bring aviation and other allied tourism sector businesses that make up the value chain together, it will give you an incredible outlook of data and inflow that will blow your mind.

He said, “Due to the COVID-19 pandemic, many hotels were shut down for about 12 months, most people lost their jobs and businesses, airlines where not flying and yet the aviation sector managed to get relief from the government because of its role and that was why NANTA shared from it.

“We have many people who are doing events and because they think tourism is not viable, they begin to get into alliances with other departments of the economy and that is why we want to use this opportunity to call on the Federal Government to revive the PCT where you will bring the eight different ministries together so that tourism will find its feet in Nigeria,” Onung said.

Onung, who spoke passionately about setbacks in the tourism sector, added, “Today, as a sector, we are dysfunctional and you can’t believe it because we even think that some of the government agencies are illegal because of the laws in operation. Due to a 2019 Supreme Court judgement, we are told that tourism resides with the states, though we know that tourism should be a national phenomenon. That is the problem we have.”

Arguing that transportation is not the only bottleneck of tourism, he highlighted other problems of the sector to include non availability of a functional master plan and outdated tourism policies.

He called for conversation among stakeholders in the sector, saying, “It is time for us to sit together to explore the lowest hanging fruit of tourism for the development of our country.”

Onung commended the Institute of Tourism Professionals of Nigeria for organising an event that is pivotal to the stimulation of public and private sector partnership, stressing that the

“This industry needs help and that is why I am asking the Permanent Secretary in the Ministry of Information and Culture to take the massage back to the Minister, Alhaji Lai Mohammed, that we want to know what happened to the FG approved COVID-19 palliative “relief fund” for the tourism sector, we are interested in it. Let us not sweep it under the carpet.”

Onung thanked the organiser of the National Tourism Transportation Summit and Expo, Chief Abiodun Odusanwo, for creating an environment for conversation. “We have only two major events, Akwaaba African Travel Market and this event, so we cannot afford not to be here.

Speaking on tourism opportunities for Nigeria in Africa, he informed the audience on the Africa Agenda 2063, which outlines the Africa that we all want. According to him, it is the blueprint and the Master Plan for transforming Africa. He said, “AfCFTA is real and we have to be practical to be part of the moving train. ITPN is one of the 23 associations that make up a federation, which is the voice of tourism in Nigeria. In FTAN, we are trying to bring forth the TRIC mandate. There has to be tourism marketing in Nigeria. Destination Nigeria has to be emphasised and we are coming to a position where we have to do proper advocacy; insurance has to be done and capacity building has to be emphasised to give the tourism industry a viable and sustainable meaning to the Nigeria economy”, he added.

NCAC, FRSC Partner To Promote Safety On Nigerian Roads T

BY JANEFRANCES CHIBUZOR

roads.

In his response, Oyeyemi expressed delight for the visit, which he said came at a time when the commission needed to increase its synergy with critical stakeholders on measures to ensure the attitudinal change of road users.

he National Council for Arts and Culture and the Federal Road Safety Corps have concluded plans to start a massive campaign for safety on Nigerian

Oyeyemi said the FRSC was proud to partner with the NCAC, which has a deep passion for the Nigerian project and has contributed immensely in burnishing the image of Nigeria at home and in the Diaspora, within the Culture and tourism space.

This decision was the outcome of a meeting between the Director-General, National Council for Arts and Culture, Otunba Segun Runsewe and the Corps Marshal of the Federal Road Safety Corps, Boboye Oyeyemi, at the Corps headquarters in Abuja.

He maintained that one of the cardinal responsibilities of the FRSC is to ensure that all road users, especially the drivers at various motor parks across the country, are well schooled on safety protocols before embarking on their journey, adding that the exercise has yielded positive results as cases of accidents on our roads have reduced drastically.

Otunba Runsewe, who expressed his appreciation to the Corp Marshal for the warm reception accorded him and his management team, said he was overwhelmed with the state-of-the-art facilities at FRSC Monitoring and Control Room, as well as the FRSC Radio Station broadcasting from 107.1 FM, when he was conducted round the facility.

Runsewe commended Oyeyemi for his visionary leadership, which has culminated in the sustenance of the vision and mandate of the FRSC. The NCAC boss however noted with dismay that major causes of mishaps on our roads stem from the fact that our cultural values as Nigerians have been eroded, adding that there was urgent need for a reorientation for all road users.

He also stressed the need for increased synergy and collaboration between both organisations to sensitise road users on the moral imperative of imbibing the culture of safety on our roads to reduce accidents and avoid unnecessary loss of lives.

“It is alien to our culture to drink and drive. It is also not in our culture to use electronic gadgets like phones and to over speed while driving. The NCAC is ready to collaborate with the FRSC in its drive to educate Nigerians on the need THEWILLNIGERIA

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The Director-General, National Council for Arts and Culture, Otunba Segun Runsewe, presenting the symbol of the cooperation between the two organisations with the insignia “ NCAC and FRSC The partnership that works” to the Corps Marshall, Federal Road Safety Commission, Boboye Oyeyemi, at the FRSC headquarters in Abuja.

to restore sanity on our roads by reviving the culture of safety.”

Runsewe presented to the Corps Marshal and his top management team promotional materials to aid the enlightenment campaign of the FRSC and called for increased funding for the FRSC to enable it fulfill its core mandate of making our roads safer.

THEWILLNIGERIA

The corps marshal expressed the FRSC readiness to collaborate with the NCAC by allocating a 30 minutes slot on the FM Radio for the Corps educational officers and for NCAC to introduce the much needed cultural content in its safety and enlightenment campaigns to the public as much still needs to be done in that regard.

While presenting safety books to the NCAC, he expressed delight on the veritable platform created by the partnership and remarked that NCAC will form an integral part of its campaign machinery since it has the capacity, in terms of language, dance arts and crafts, to culturally drive home messages on safety.

The highlight of the meeting was the unveiling of the symbol of cooperation between the two organisations with the insignia: NCAC and FRSC, a partnership that works, followed by an exchange of gifts by the heads of both organisations.

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ARTS

Reinvention of James Eze better appreciated when it is performed on stage or before an audience.

BY MICHAEL JIMOH

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or some people, staying in any one profession for too long becomes a bore, something of a routine. Faced with such situation, some will gleefully take up something else, find another way of satisfying their career lust.

Watching Mashtermind and Dallie perform at Bukka Hut that day showed they have a long way to go musically with Eze as their Quicy Jones to a budding Michael Jackson.

How did Eze meet the pair who were not in the same department? An idea whose time has come, so they say, will find its root. Eze had advertised for singers with extraordinary voices. A male and female were recommended. By the time Eze spoke with them, they were plainly not keen. Each of them recommended Michael and Deborah. After rehearsing with them and checking them out, Eze found out they were just the ideal singers he wanted. They’ve been together ever since. Indeed, when this reporter called Eze post-Udala launch in Lagos, he was with his musicians somewhere in an eatery in Awka.

That is exactly what James Eze has done or, better still, has been doing in the last couple of years. From the mid-nineties when he started writing for THISDAY, Eze has hopped from one job to another like one forever in search of newer grounds to conquer.

He has. Eze distinguished himself for the three, four or so years he was at THISDAY such that when he told his editors he was leaving for the banking hall, some were simply horrified.

How could such a brilliant journalist who should hone his skill as a writer turn to the rather uncreative banking hall? James left anyway, and for obvious reasons. Needless to say he made good in the bank. Next was his appointment with Airtel as head of Corporate Services. Of course, his bosses were impressed there as well.

By the way, the name Udala is derived from a local fruit native to the orient. “Udala (heart-shaped, orange colour fruit) in the Igbo socio-cultural setting is a symbol of innocence,” Eze said, “because udala trees in the traditional Igbo society used to be a place of gathering and play for children. Innocence in the sense that children would gather under the udala tree and play all kinds of games. And then they waited for the precious, ripe udala fruit to fall. When it falls, the children would race for it, and whoever was fastest would pick the udala, and if the fellow was kind enough, he or she would share it with his or her mates. I looked at that my cultural setting, part of my growth process, part of my encounter as a child; I also know that udala fruit is very tasty. When I was growing up, there were some udala trees that were famous for producing sweet udala fruits, and children usually gathered there most. It’s still being relished by so many people today in urban areas; many people still hunger for udala.

Though editors at THISDAY feared Eze will forget about creative writing because a very busy banking schedule will take much of his time, it was the opposite that happened. For all his years at Fidelity Bank, there was never a shortage of creative writing workshops with the likes of Chimamanda Ngozi Adichie and Helon Habila coming over to Nigeria from the U.S. as guest lecturers to mentor younger and aspiring writers.

Eze himself was beavering away, writing poetry which were never published. Any poet worth his verse know very well you don’t rush to publish. Keep polishing your lines of verse until they attain that near perfect state. Eze did exactly that, writing and rewriting, rephrasing an idea or two, canceling out a word or inappropriate lines.

One of his bosses at Fidelity possibly never knew Eze was writing poetry but he took notice of his performance on the job. Michael, James the poet and Deborah By the time Willie Obiano was elected governor of Anambra state eight years ago, he took James along as his Chief Press Secretary. Staying on for eight good years says something about Eze’s dedication to work as the chief spokesman of Anambra state even though he himself is from neighbouring Enugu state.

At the end of their service as CPS to their principals, many a CPS often disappear from the public radar with their bosses. Not so Eze. Early in April when this reporter heard of an imminent meeting with the press, the first thing that came to mind was something to do with the travails the former governor of Anambra state was going through. Damage control, perhaps. Thankfully, it was not. It was another reinvention or reincarnation of James Eze. On Tuesday April 12 at Bukka Hut in Surulere around midafternoon, Eze let it be known he had become a singer, musician not only by mouth but with an EP to prove his claim.

You could say that more than any other of his generation, Eze has managed to become so many things in such a short time: from being a journalist, banker, a public relations man then CPS. Don’t forget he is a poet, also, whose collection – dispossessed - won the Association of Nigerian Authors poetry prize in 2020. Now he is into music fully, with two adorable young university graduates and musicians themselves – Michael Chibuike Chinedu aka Masthamind and Deborah Chiamaka Nnabuife aka Dallie.

Michael is a Mathematics graduate while Deborah finished from Zoology both from the same Nnamdi Azikiwe University Awka.

“Today, we want to present our first EP, and we want to share,” James began by telling the dozen or so journalists at Bukka Hut. “We are not putting out music that chimes into the music industry as we know it. The songs that we have to offer speak to poetry. As I have said elsewhere, my aim is to find new audiences for poetry, and in my last reading at Nsukka we had that broad heading: what’s the difference between a poem and a song? At that event we tried to answer it: there’s really no difference between a song and a poem. What is clear for any discerning mind is that certain kinds of poetry can make very smooth transition to the ears than typical poetry as we know it, in the sense that poetry has always been very isolationist, very eclectic, very selective of its audience.

Music cuts through to reach wider ears and wider audiences.

Continuing, the journalist-turned-banker-turned-CPS and now poet/ musician said: “In our offering today, you will hear songs that have their roots buried in poetry in the sense that language is used very poetically and you will encounter metaphors,

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the name Udala is derived from a local fruit native to the orient. Udala (heart-shaped, orange colour fruit) in the Igbo socio-cultural setting is a symbol of innocence, because udala trees in the traditional Igbo society used to be a place of gathering and play for children

imageries, and very intense feelings captured in a few words but they come to you in voices that are layered to tease, please and entice you which two young friends of mine have done exquisitely, excellently beyond my personal imagination, and I know that it will be beyond the anticipation of many Nigerians.

An allusion has been made to people who do performance poetry, who do oral, folkloric kind of poetry; that’s not what we are doing here. We are here to offer music in a very different and intense package.”

All that would seem like talking the talk. No! He also walked the walk first by showing guests musical videos of productions by his label Udala Tree Productions. Michael and Deborah also performed a duet, Mike strumming a guitar and Deborah singing along. They are both young, in their twenties and refreshingly good to look at. Anyone can imagine the pair in the coming years ruling the airwaves, dishing out songs “that have roots buried in poetry.”

Some of the songs in Udala come straight from Eze’s poetry collection, dispossessed, which is just as good. What is music if not poetry and what is poetry if not song or music? “dance in the skies,” “I found love,” “love song,” “my truth” and “he say, she say” which make up the EP are all taken from dispossessed and rendered so perfectly making one believe that poetry is, indeed,

“So, I thought that udala symbolises not just innocence, but the communal sharing spirit. And the sweetness of udala, its delicacy also crops into the melody that you listen to, something that is pleasant and good. Our lyrics are not vulgar; there’s nothing you’d encounter that will foul up your mood. We are not selling sex or pornography. We have quality messages, songs that families could listen to together and create a bound among them.

So, our song is sweetness. Udala Nation is about pleasantness, a kind of entertainment that is wholesome, that anyone who encounters our offerings will absorb in. Besides, these are not just songs as we know them, but poetry couched in songs.”

And with Masthamind and Dallie as collaborators, Eze is sure to serve music lovers in Nigeria and beyond the pleasant taste of that fruit through music.

But what is Dalie’s impression so far of his new métier? Working in a zoo taming animals should be a natural fit for a zoologist.

Instead, Dallie is keen on taming humans with music or exciting them. “The whole thing has been very different for me, because before now I was doing the normal things with music. But our boss (Eze) challenged and pushed me to go outside my comfort zone. I can easily sit back and write songs with the mood or something, but this one is different because I have something already written down to work with. I wasn’t comfortable at first, but at the end I had to tap into the story first of all, and then be able to express it. It was really adventurous and I love every part of it. I began to see that poetry can be very deep, and you have to be part and parcel of poetry to see that you can immerse yourself into it and really enjoy it.”

And Masthamind the Mathematician? “I will say it was quite challenging for me at first. I remember when I was working; I would just do my thing. One thing about music is that you have to see yourself as part of the character to be able to deliver. So I did the first part and he (Eze) wasn’t pleased at all. So he had to talk to me and encouraged me to imagine myself in that kind of situation. Then I started thinking about a lot of things and from then I put myself into it. I can say I’ve improved in certain areas of my music career. From my experience working on this project, if you give me a few lines I can just begin to create something out of them. I can say I’ve really enjoyed every part of this music journey.”

With the Mathematician and zoologist as partners in song and music, Eze is sure to make good as well in his new métier as he has in previous ones. So, what next? Eze will tell reporters when he is ready. For now, he is content writing poetry and setting them to music under his Udala label.

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ARTS

An Artist’s Obsession With African Migrants

BY MICHAEL JIMOH

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he longest running exhibition opened last week in the Federal Capital Territory mounted by multidisciplinary artist Ken Nwadiogbu in collaboration with Dolly Kola-Balogun Creative Director and founder of Retro Africa. Maurice Chapot is the curator.

The exhibition which opened to the public last week will run for three months until June 23. It is one of a kind.

Nwadiogbu is an award-winning artist. Fascinated by some of his experiences in his natal country, and like most creative people do, Nwadiogbu captured them in his works - oil on canvas, installations, animation and much else.

One installation, for instance, is titled “Jesus of Lubeck.”

Spectators might be deceived by the name Lubeck, a city in Germany which the installation has nothing to do with.

In truth, Jesus of Lubeck is a throwback to the slave trade in Badagry in the eighteenth and nineteenth centuries.

Another is an animation and digital recreation of migrants.

Recently, the UK government announced it was going to resettle African migrants in an African country – Rwanda specifically. Nwadiogbu saw it as fodder for his creative cannon. “In playful colours and simple forms,” a brochure of the exhibition reads, “Ken Nwadiogbu critically addresses this sensitive subject, inviting us to embrace new perspectives. Using personified cardboard boxes as vivid metaphors of black migrants, he plays around with the parcels’ disposable nature, underlining the dehumanisation process at work in the migration politics.”

Nwadiogbu

What drives this particular exhibition mostly is the theme of migration spectators notice all around. It is a subject matter that has preoccupied several other artists, writers and documentary film makers. Helon Habila, professor of Creative Writing at George Mason University, Fairfax, focused on migration in his most recent novel, Travelers published in 2020. Ben Taub of the New Yorker wrote a lengthy and gripping feature piece on the dangers involved in African migrants looking to making it good in Europe via the Sahara through the Mediterranean.

To be sure, Nwadiogbu isn’t a household name in the Nigerian artistic pantheon yet, like a Chika Okeke, for instance, or Victor Ehikhamenor. But he is inching his way up there, especially now with his first and solo exhibition in Abuja. Though one would have expected the show at any of the pricey galleries in Lagos, culture capital of Nigeria, spectators in Abuja were nor disappointed at the opening night.

A series of 12 paintings were mounted, not to mention the installations. Credited with “introducing the ‘Contemporealism’ movement, a fusion that is primarily centred on Hyper-Realism and Contemporary art, Nwadiogbu captures figuratively painted memories to drive conversations about the way of life of people living in Nigeria,” boasts a brochure. “it is his hope that these people begin to interact with the viewer, constantly expressing what it feels like to be them.”

Though his paintings on the politics of migration spoke volume to spectators at the exhibition ground, the artist has voiced his concern about the issue nonetheless. “For me, this is a statement on migration in this time. It is me encouraging people not to follow the “ship of no return”.

It’s great to migrate, but even greater to return. If we keep leaving (without plans of returning), there’ll be nobody to champion change in the country.”

Born in 1994 and based in Lagos, Nwadiogbu is a selftaught multidisciplinary artist though he is a professional civil engineer. He started with charcoal drawings before graduating to painting, sculpture and installation. For Nwadiogbu, “there’s no one perspective of looking at the world. Your view of how you see the world is THEWILLNIGERIA

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Love will set us Free

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What drives this particular exhibition mostly is the theme of migration spectators notice all around. It is a subject matter that has preoccupied several other artists, writers and documentary film makers

different from my view. I believe the rare ability to see the world from a different perspective other than yours is what humanity is all about. Empathy thrives from there, Ubuntu becomes achievable.”

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Nwadiobgu is similarly concerned about an exodus that has European and African diplomats in tizzy. “For me,” the artist has said about his works depicting the migrants through various medium, “this is a statement on migration in this time. It is me encouraging people not to follow the “ship of no return”. It’s great to migrate, but even greater to return. If we keep leaving (without plans of returning), there’ll be nobody to champion change in the country.”

It is possible the series on migration may never have been but for the UK Government’s plan to resettle African migrants in the central African country. “As the UK recently announced in a dramatic statement the outsourcing of Asylum seekers to Rwanda for processing, migration took the light once again as a serious, and challenging matter of concern on the global stage.”

At Retro Africa is a fashionable gallery and sort of mecca for artists and creative types in Abuja. It is also a “platform for emerging and established artists through a range of creative outlets such as curated exhibitions, art fairs, intercultural dialogues and online media.” Retro Africa’s aim “is to spread awareness and encourage a cycle of growth and learning within the African art scene.”

Though more than a week into the show, spectators have till late June to soak in Nwadiogbu’s message through his art.

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NEWSXTRA IMF Remains Optimistic Despite Challenging Outlook For Africa

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Vice President Yemi Osinbajo,SAN, pays a condolence visit to the family of the Late Alaafin of Oyo, Oba Dr. Adeyemi III in Oyo town, Oyo State on April 29, 2022.

Ikorodu Stool: Court Adjourns Hearing Till November

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he Appeal Court, sitting in Lagos, has fixed November 9, 2022, for the hearing of an appeal filed by the Lambo branch of Lasunwon Ruling House that challenged the installation of Oba Kabir Shotobi as the Ayangburen of Ikorodu, Lagos State.

The appellate court, which was presided

by Hon.Justice Obande Ogbuinya, adjourned the matter for hearing after granting appellants’ motion for extension of time to file amended documents which is to be presented before the Court.

The appellate court also adjourned the case due to the non appearance of the second counsel.

Meanwhile, the lead counsel to the appellants, Barrister Eyitayo Jegede (SAN), who appeared with two other ounsels in addition to the existing counsels presented a Memorandum of Appearance to the Court.

After listening to his submission, the Judge ordered that the case be adjourned for hearing till November 9, 2022.

It will be recalled that in a suit No:

IKD/57/2007. Mathew Adetayo Shodipo & Ors Vs Ezekiel Shodipo & Ors, which terms of settlement dated 31st March 2009. Consent Judgement was dated 1st April, 2009, Chief Kabiru Adewale Shotobi was installed as Odofin of Ikorodu officially in the year 2009.

The office and position he held from 2009 till 2015 when Justice M A Savage’s judgement ignored the consent judgement of Hon Justice H.A.O. Abiru of Lagos High Court, Ikorodu Division (now JCA).

The Judgment of the High Court, Ikorodu, in Suit No:IKD/57/2007, is to the effect that the respondents are not bound by the consent judgment in Suit N0:IKD/57/2007, wherein it was agreed that, the next chieftaincy that comes to the Lasuwon Ruling House of Ikorodu, is conceded to the Lambo branch, by the Adegorushen branch of which the 3rd respondent (Chief Kabiru Adewale Shotobi) is a member.

The third respondent benefited from the said consent judgment to become Odofin of Ikorodu and later reneged to become the Oba.

Nigerian Army to Deploy 185 Soldiers, 12 Officers to Gambia

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he Nigerian Army said it would deploy 185 soldiers and 12 officers for the ECOWAS Peacekeeping Mission in The Gambia.

Chief of Operations, Army Headquarters, Maj.-Gen. Olufemi Akinjobi, disclosed this on Thursday at the graduation ceremony of Nigerian Company 7 which will soon head for the small West African state.

The ceremony was held at the Martin Luther Agwai International Leadership and Peacekeeping Centre, Jaji, Kaduna State.

The News Agency of Nigeria (NAN) reports that before now, Nigeria had deployed six separate companies to The Gambia.

Akinjobi said Nigeria was committed to deploying quality peacekeepers for global peace and security..

Akinjobi was represented by Maj.-

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Gen. Zakari Abubakar, Director, Peace Operations, Army Headquarters.

He explained that Nigeria had successfully participated in 40 peacekeeping missions across the globe and deployed more than100,000 peacekeepers since 1960.

He maintained that the ECOWAS Mission in The Gambia was established as an intervention mission to resolve the constitutional crisis that followed the disputed presidential election of 2016.

The mission, he said, had helped restore peace and stability.

Earlier, Commandant of the Centre, Maj.-Gen. Auwal Fagge explained that the centre had within the last four weeks refreshed the troops on some tactical aspects of peacekeeping training.

The aspects, he said, included base camp security, patrols, cordon and search, as well as escort of VIPs, amongst others.

Commonwealth Education Ministers Vow to Increase Investment in Education

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ducation ministers at the 21st Conference of Commonwealth Education Ministers (CCEM) in Nairobi, Kenya, have resolved to recognise the urgent need to increase investment in education and skills at all ages, with particular focus on ensuring foundational skills for all.

The Ministers, in a joint statement issued at the conference on Friday, also recognised the urgent issues raised in the Kenyatta Call to Action on Education Finance in 2021 and agreed to look for suitable opportunities to consider the financing of education and welcomed initiatives that support the capacity building of ministries of education on financing of education.

Hosted by the Government of Kenya in collaboration with the Commonwealth Secretariat and Kenya’s Ministry of Education, the two-day conference focused on the theme, ‘Rethinking Education for Innovation, Growth and Sustainability post-Covid-19’ and accorded ministers, policymakers, civil society, and development partners the opportunity to share knowledge and good practice, and explore trends and innovative approaches that can be adapted by member countries to develop sustainable and resilient education systems.

With regard to charting the way forward in the recovery from the COVID-19 pandemic, ministers committed to building resilient education systems that can withstand future threats and disruptions and sought to improve access to digital connectivity and skills to support teaching and learning.

Ministers resolved to build back better and with resilience for fair, inclusive economic recovery, and a sustainable future in the Commonwealth.

Ministers also acknowledged the Commonwealth of Learning’s focus on promoting learning for sustainable development through the use of technologies and noted the report and good work in support of distance education and learning, especially during COVID-19 pandemic.

In her concluding remarks, the Commonwealth Secretary-General, The Rt. Hon Patricia Scotland QC, said: “Over the last two days, we have discussed important issues such as financing education, Covid-19 mitigation and recovery strategies, education and employability, redefining learning spaces and education for sustainability and peace.

he IMF says it sees a challenging economic outlook for Africa due to the war in Ukraine and lingering impact of pandemic, but insists that there are reasons to be optimistic as well.

Africa Department Director at IMF, Abe Selassie, expressed the optimism while speaking with reporters in Washington on Thursday (April 28).

“At the start of 2022 and even a little after in the third year of the pandemic, it looked like sub-Saharan African countries were beginning to recover from the very difficult economic conditions they had encountered in 2020 and 2021.

Unfortunately, most countries in the region are now facing a major setback,” Selassie told reporters at the launch of the Fund’s Africa Regional Economic Outlook report.

Higher fuel costs and the prospect of a smaller than usual wheat harvest in Ukraine were key drivers of inflation.

This could lead to social unrest, the IMF also warned.

“Indeed, over the last couple of months we have increased our inflation projections significantly, lifting the regional average for 2022 by a full four percentage points, which represents the worst inflation reading in the region since 2008. But most importantly, high food prices have increased food security concerns across the continent and will hurt all segments of the population,” he said.

Many countries in Africa borrowed heavily to deal with Covid-19, and with looming interest rate hikes by the US Federal Reserve on the horizon, the IMF is urging concessional financing and grants be offered to reduce the debt load.

“This is a new shock, and this shock requires incremental financing and not just, you know, reallocating support that was already committed. So, I think the international community can help by coming forward with robust concessional financing,” said Selassie.

But the report did see signs of resilience, and higher commodity prices may help some countries, particularly oil exporters.

“I do want to emphasise that, yes, that was a very difficult policy environment. But, you know, it is a region which has been very, very resilient. It’s resilience that’s been tested time and again, unfortunately, in recent years. But I do remain very optimistic about the medium- and longterm growth potential of our countries. It’s just making sure that we come through this period,” he said.

The IMF is urging policymakers to be nimble and flexible to put their finances on firm ground to handle debt while ensuring adequate social spending and safety nets. He pointed to Kenya as an example of countries walking the fine line.

“In countries like Kenya, where the exchange rate is flexible, where you have, you know, relatively deep and liquid financial markets, allowing the exchange rate to move is, I think as the Bank of Kenya, Central Bank of Kenya has done the right policy step. I think, you know, in the highly uncertain global environment we face making sure that the reserves remain adequate, that there is some exchange rate flexibility to absorb. This is all important in terms of the financing outlook.”

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MAY 01 - MAY 07, 2022 T H E W I L L N E W S P A P E R • www.thewillnigeria.com

SportsLive Preparing Athletes For Excellence At All Levels

BY JUDE OBAFEMI he sterling accomplishments of Nigerian track and field stars, Enoch Adegoke and Grace Nwokocha, at international competitions has opened the eyes of budding athletes to the importance of these local meets on their paths to glowing careers in athletics. It was therefore apposite that the two were propped up as exemplary athletes for the class of competitors desiring to represent the country at this year’s African Senior Athletics Championships scheduled to take place in Mauritius between June 8 and 12, 2022.

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In a bid to encourage passionate dedication to exceling at the qualifying series for the African competition, the SecretaryGeneral of the Athletics Federation of Nigeria, Adisa Adeniyi Beyioku, drew the attention of invitees for the second All Comers competition of the year, from where the Nigerian contingent to Mauritius will be selected, to the remarkable feats Adegoke and Nwokocha have achieved for themselves and their country.

Like these hopefuls, Adegoke and Nwokocha started at local competitions. Adegoke won the 100m at the Nigerian Commonweath Games trials in a personal best time of 10.31s before he became part of a Nigerian team that qualified for the final of the 4x100m relay at the 2018 Commonwealth Games, but failed to finish and were eventually disqualified for dropping the baton in the exchange. The Nigerian team came back from that disappointment at the 2018 African Championships and, with Adegoke contributing, went on to win a silver medal in the event.

Adegoke was also billed to represent Nigeria at the 2018 World Under-20 Athletics Championships, but visa processing bottlenecks prevented Team Nigeria from participating at the event. After humble beginnings at the local stage, he has represented Nigeria at the continental level and capped his meteoric rise when he donned the country’s colours at the Summer Games in Tokyo, Japan. Adegoke set a personal best of 9.98 seconds in his 100m heat in Tokyo, making him the 11th Nigerian to breach the 10-second barrier. He advanced to the final after finishing second in his semi-final heat with a time of 10.00s, only to suffer an apparent hamstring injury and was unable to finish the race.

While Adegoke is the current fastest man in Nigeria, which he earned after beating the likes of Usheoritse Itsekiri and Jerry Jakpa to claim the feat at the 2021 National Olympic Games Trials at the Yaba College of Technology Sports Complex in Lagos, his ascent is mirrored in the rise of fellow athlete and Nigerian female sprinter Nwokocha. The 21-yearold burst into the limelight in Akure in March last year when she dusted the competition to breast the tape at the second All Comers meet, which held at the Federal University of Technology, Akure in a time of 11.23 seconds. Nkwocha has not looked back ever since. She followed that up by finishing in first position at the 20th National Sports Festival, held at the Samuel Ogbemudia Stadium, Benin City; at the Nigerian Trials and at the 3rd MoC Grand Prix both of which held at the Yabatech Sport Complex, Lagos last year. She also finished first at the 2022 Tom Jones Invitational which held at the Percy Beard Track, Gainesville, Florida. Although she ran a personal best of 11.0s at the Tokyo Olympics’ Women’s 100m, she did not make it to the finals.

The achievements of these two track and field athletes have shown that sheer determination and hard work can propel athletes who have the zeal to excel, from local competitions to the grandest stages of sporting experience. Both of them, like many of their predecessors before them, took off from humble beginnings at local tournaments and rode their chances to represent Nigeria at the Olympics. They are present examples of the type of athletes the AFN President, Tonobok Okowa, believes should emerge from the ongoing All Comers competition at the Yaba College of Technology.

Okowa insists that the Federation is interested in athletes with the hunger for excellence, who are prospects for podium finishes. These category of athletes are, according to Okowa, the candidates that will be picked from among the best of those congregating at the Yaba College for the competition in Mauritius.

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The desire of the AFN President to only select the best must be matched by providing them with the best that money can buy to ensure that they perfect their acts and deliver medals at Mauritius and beyond

As is the tradition, the two-day All Comers event serves as selection trials for home-based athletes that will fly Team Nigeria’s flag to Mauritius in June. Ahead of the commencement of the competition, the AFN released a programme of events that outlined the competitions that will be contested and the days for each event.

The opening day, Thursday, began with the 10,000 Race Walk final for women, which was followed by the 10,000 Race walk final for the men. After these, the women’s discus final, men’s high jump final and the men and women’s 1,500m final followed respectively. Still on Thursday, the heat for men and women’s 100m, high jump for women, 100m hurdles (women), 110m hurdles (men) 400m for men and women, as well as hammer throw final for men and women wrapped up the morning session of events for the opening day. In the afternoon session, the final of the long jump event (men), javelin (women), 400m hurdles (women), shot put (men), 400m hurdles (men), 100m women final B, 100m women final A, 100m men final B, 100m men final A and the long jump women’s final took place.

These were followed by Friday’s cast of events. It began with the 10,000m final for men, shot put final (women), triple jump final for men, javelin (men), 400m final (men and women), 200m final (men and women), 4x100m final (men and women) and 4x400m mixed final. These events ensured that the AFN had a contingent of athletes to feature for Nigeria at these events for which they had contested and proved themselves

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capable. It also meant that these athletes achieved the required qualification standard before the window to qualify closed on April 30. This point was highlighted by Samuel Onikeku, the AFN Technical Director, who was proud to reveal that the bulk of the team that will fly Team Nigeria’s flag in Mauritius would be home-based athletes. With the contingent in place, the responsibility of the Federation will be to provide them with the technical and material resources to best prepare their minds, psyche and bodies for the challenge that will be posed by athletes from other countries that are also being prepared for Mauritius. The desire of the AFN President to only select the best must be matched by providing them with the best that money can buy to ensure that they perfect their acts and deliver medals at Mauritius and beyond.

As for the Senior Athletics Championships, the track and field events in Mauritius will be the 22nd edition of the competition organised by the Confederation of African Athletics (CAA).

After the 21st edition wrapped up in Asaba, Nigeria, the 22nd was due to be hosted at the Stade Olympique d’Oran in Algeria in 2020 before it was postponed to 2021 and then outrightly cancelled because of the COVID-19 pandemic. Mauritius then picked up the hosting rights and the competition was postponed to this year. It will now hold at Mauritius’ brand new Côte d’Or National Sports Complex, considered to be one of Africa’s most ultramodern sports arenas. It comprises four state-of-the-art facilities: a gymnasium, an aquatic center, a football stadium and an athletics track with a capacity of 15,000 spectators. Spread across 19 hectares and inaugurated on 15 July 2019, the sports complex is the largest and fully integrated sports and entertainment hub in the Indian Ocean and in the African region.

About 48 out of 55 African countries have confirmed their participation at the June championships, so far. There will be no fewer than 45 events on the programme: 22 for Men and 22 for women and one mixed event, including a 10km Trail Race for both men and women. The events for men include: hurdles, decathlon, high jump, pole vault, long jump, triple jump, shot put, hammer, and javelin. Those for women are hurdles, heptathlon, high jump, pole vault, long jump, triple jump, shot put, discus, hammer, and javelin. In 2018, when Nigeria hosted the last edition of the African Senior Athletics Championships in Asaba, Delta State, the country finished third on the medals table with nine gold, five silver and six bronze medals. Kenya won the competition with 11 gold, six silver and two bronze medals while South Africa was second with nine gold, 14 silver and eight bronze medals. It is hoped that Nigeria will perform better this year as the country prepares athletes that will continue to bring glory to Nigeria and write their names in gold.

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Curbing Influence Of Cash In Our Party Politics, Elections I n 2008, at the 56th quadrennial presidential election of the United States of America, the unlikeliest candidate, a young, black junior senator from Illinois, Barack Obama, did the improbable. He beat frontline aspirants in the Democratic Party primary: Hillary Clinton, Bill Richardson and John Edwards, to clinch the party’s ticket and went on to defeat Senator John McCain in the general election to become the 44th President of the US. What was considered a daring attempt turned the history of the American presidency around, bringing first-time voters and Americans advocating for change to the polls. This demography helped to drive the campaign of the Democrat, who had only come to national consciousness through a stirring speech he delivered during a previous party convention, to make Obama the first black President to lead the United States.

The change that Obama wrought to the 2008 electioneering process was hinged on the remarkable campaign the politician put together to promote his candidacy, exploit the use of emerging technologies, wake a majority of mostly young Americans to their responsibility of changing the way they are governed and unite a diametrically divided population.

America may be years ahead of Nigeria in terms of political maturity, election integrity and the targeted use of voter data, yet as the truism goes, Rome was not built in a day. That is why I have chosen to reflect on the need to move our political trite of surrendering elective positions to the highest bidder, which appears to be at the background of the exorbitant fees charged for elective nomination forms, to a system of politics that is valuedriven and mobilisation-based.

The reason for reliving the Obama example here is to highlight the positive difference that a campaign, which places merit on the ability to mobilise voters in their numbers makes and how it makes the politician so brought to position by people-power to feel responsible to the electorate that made it possible, as opposed to one who simply “buys” the position at full price and does not feel beholden to the service of governing. The point I am making here is that there are untoward consequences to attaching more value to the financial windfall that these exorbitant nomination forms will bring to the coffers of these political parties over and above the true character of the nominees, their capacity to govern, their manifestos and their ability to mobilise numbers capable of bringing any of the parties victory at the polls.

The outrageously exorbitant price of N100 million, which the ruling All Progressives Congress (APC) and the N50 million that the main opposition Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) have fixed to obtain nomination forms for the presidential ticket shows that their leadership is out of touch with present realities in the country, promotes corruption and supports the notion that the parties are not in the business of elevating the best hands to steer the ship of the country to better tides, but in the trading of seats to the highest bidders, irrespective of their antecedents. Such a decision, reached after scrutinising other alternatives, makes it easy to reach the conclusion that the presidency and by extension, other positions in the party, is technically up for sale. It means that they have reserved these positions for only those with the wherewithal to afford the high costs of buying these forms.

What makes it even more insidious is that the cost of seeking the party’s nomination begins to balloon afterwards for the aspirant from this point. For instance, a serious aspirant for president will have to build and oil

political structures across the 774 local governments and meet directly or indirectly with these local leaders, who are voting delegates to intimate them of their ambition and solicit their support. Such visits, which are called consultations, are not done empty handed and each local government will leave the candidate a few millions of naira poorer.

All aspirants perform this political ritual of “watering the ground” and “greasing the palms” of those with whom they consult with cash to influence their support.

Our royal fathers are not exempt from the giveaways.

The prospective aspirant must then prepare to dole out millions of naira to voting delegates on the day of the primary, as well as have millions of naira for the party officials that will conduct the exercise. In most cases, the person that pays the highest amount to each delegate is elected as flagbearer. A presidential aspirant of the APC or PDP would likely expend at least $150 million at the minimum to stand a chance of winning the primary.

How such an aspirant, whose entire salary in the fouryear-term, for which this form was obtained, will not exceed N60 million, from a summation of all allocated allowances that include leave, hardship, consistency, duty tour, constituent and estacode allowances, motor vehicle loan and gratuities, all of which come up to about N14 million plus annually, will recoup his investment except he steals from government, remains to be seen.

Not only will an aspirant, who has spent that much for a nomination form and a lot more in campaigning, believe he or she owes his or her victory, not to the people, but to the huge sums of money spent in the process, one of his or her principal objectives, while in power, will be aimed at fraudulently recouping the capital invested in gaining the position in the first place. It will have reduced the original political call to service to nothing short of a money game, a business transaction, a barter of patronage and an avenue of corruption, which is one more nail in the coffin of the government’s anti-corruption stance.

The spokespersons of both parties have laboured to defend the fees with the weak argument that it will discourage unserious candidates, clean out pretenders from the pool of those signifying their interests for the highest office in the land and provide the party with the financial muscle to organise a free and fair internal process of picking their flag bearers, while giving them enough to prosecute next year’s general election. Already, based on the number of candidates that have declared to contest the presidential elections under the APC and PDP banners, the parties are clearly reaping a windfall.

Yet, where does this leave a country where the ruling party prides itself as the one that effected the Not-TooYoung-To-Run Bill? If promising youths, with the mental capacity, intellectual drive, political sagacity, consummate maturity and desire to step up at different levels: local, state, federal and presidential, to contest for positions with ideas that will move the country forward, how do they scale through the exorbitant pay walls erected with the aid of exorbitant fees that are designed to keep them locked out? Where is the empathetic intelligence of the current government to dare to place such a high price tag on nomination forms for their party’s candidates in a country where, for every one Nigerian struggling to find

two meals a day, there are two more scraping the bottom of the barrel for one meal a day. About 100 million people live below the poverty line, more than 10 million children are out of school, 2,350 children below the age of five die of preventable diseases, power supply remains epileptic and it impinges on industrialisation, thus increasing the abysmal levels of unemployment and underemployment in the country.

Even countries that do not have a fraction of the ills that are bedevilling Nigeria dare not sacrifice human capacity development on the altar of political expediency. Still, a country with embarrassing levels of development deficiency is once again demonstrating how cut off it is from reality. If we revisit the improbably meteoric rise from the Illinois Senate that Obama rode an insurgent campaign to presidential victory in 2008, what becomes apparent was how he brought his grassroots mobilising chops to bear. It worked while he campaigned for the Senate.

He only had to scale it to the national level to go against the more established Clinton, McCain and the might of the Republican Party. By exploiting the potential of the Internet as a tool for organising, mobilising and fundraising, he ran the first true campaign of the 21st century.

The political parties in Nigeria owe us something similar, to evolve a novel system of selecting candidates that does not reek of selling out slots to the highest bidders. There are alternatives to ensuring that a party puts forward quality, driven and serious-minded candidates that can win elections, govern well and positively promote the party at all levels.

One system that I will recommend is to task any aspirant wishing to contest elections through the party’s platform to demonstrate the efficacy of their candidacy via a preconvention mobilisation effort that will test their mettle and prove their capacity to bring in the numbers required to be successful at the general election. To put this in practice, the party may decide to make it mandatory for aspirants seeking to fly its flag at the general election, to indicate their interest by organically obtaining a set number of signatures of verified party members spread evenly across the areas of their contest after acquiring a form with a nominal fee for administrative purposes.

Because democracy remains a game of numbers, this immediately rules out pretenders that are devoid of mass appeal, while ensuring that candidates, who make it to the primaries, are individuals with the ability to mobilise numbers, have something to offer in their candidacy and have convinced party members that they can win.

This will immediately transform our politicking from a transaction that welcomes all comers, even with dubious backgrounds and questionable wealth, to one of ideas and the capacity to lead men and manage resources at the scale of Nigeria. It is the practice in saner climes and matured democracies, which we can reproduce here. It may not compulsorily begin with the presidency, but it is worth considering to wean our democracy from an overreliance on moneybags whilst reducing the influence of money in the system as a whole.

Until we resolve to change the influence of money in our primary and general elections, we will continue to elect people who will get into public office with the mindset of corrupt enrichment and our country will never develop to its true greatness.

Not only will an aspirant, who has spent that much for a nomination form and a lot more in campaigning, believe he or she owes his or her victory, not to the people, but to the huge sums of money spent in the process, one of his or her principal objectives, while in power, will be aimed at fraudulently recouping the capital invested in gaining the position in the first place PAGE 32

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