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hope for Nollywood, seemed as if there was no here was a time when it Free was released. I hadn’t Living in Bondage: Breaking so when a friend of and then boom! here was a time long time, really,itreally I seemed as if Ithere movies in awhen seen Nigerian washesitantly, no hope for Nollywood, and then boom!weLiving on Netflix, agreedsuggested watchinitBondage: past. in the mine visited and I had seen Free whatBreaking seen Nigerian was released. I hadn’t considering movies in a really, really was I impressed, Boy,visited movie? must add. time, so when a friend mine behind thelong Who was suggested remake? we watch about aand it on Netflix, I agreed- hesitantly, of Who thought must add.

Boy, was I impressed, considering I what I had seen Who thought aboutisaCharles Okpaleke. remake?

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His name, my friend said, His name, my friend said, to keep our classics present and alive is Charles Okpaleke.the rights to the movie, For Okpaleke, it was an opportunity secured new generations, so he our of minds of in theFor risk working with new Okpaleke, it was took a massive then opportunity many details about to keepOkpaleke it himself, andan shares our classics bankrolled in the minds present andfilms of ourInnew alive still in interview, Charles thisgenerations, film. the many so henew for his first andrights secured faces,the talents bankrolled with to the movie, it himself, working andfor reason then his took a movies, massive risk of working with new producing talents for his first film.through 10. pages 8 In this interview, making. See the producing movies, his reason for workingCharles Okpaleke sharesneed manyhelp, detailsbut about with new places darkfaces, the making. See pages andand are in really the many astill in films 8 generations have through 10. Nigeria is strictly taboo. Many People from different in about your mental health of suicide brooding over them daily and speaking People from different generations or thoughtsare in depression am not referring Now, I and cloud of really dark labelled. dark places speaking about fear of being needand your mental of thehealth help, but up because in the work speakof Nigeria to puttaboo. won’t is strictly dark cloud not want whoindo depression or thoughts are a Therehave it.Many young men and women of suicide Far from thosespeak to won’t brooding umbrella. health’ over people up because mental who daily the ‘my of the and fear of being under shamingthem instead must stopNow, to thosehide youngwho help. We labelled.

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It is ok not who thattohas started to affect their mental Please remember that: state.

Please remember that: It is ok read. not to be ok.

Until next week, enjoy your Until next week, enjoy your read.

TT

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2023 PRESIDENTIAL PRIMARIES:

APC, PDP in 3-Man Race

•Buhari to Influence Emergence of APC’s Flagbearer •North Plots to Retain Power •Atiku, Wike in Fight to the Finish •Race For Delegates Hots Up

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IS NOW WHOLLY DIGITAL T

Photo: Kola Oshalusi @insignamedia Makeup: Zaron

here was a time when it seemed as if there was no hope for Nollywood, and then boom! Living in Bondage: Breaking Free was released. I hadn’t seen Nigerian movies in a really, really long time, so when a friend of mine visited and suggested we watch it on Netflix, I agreed- hesitantly, I must add. Boy, was I impressed, considering what I had seen in the past.

Who thought about a remake? Who was behind the movie?

His name, my friend said, is Charles Okpaleke.

For Okpaleke, it was an opportunity to keep our classics present and alive in the minds of our new generations, so he secured the rights to the movie, bankrolled it himself, and then took a massive risk of working with new talents for his first film. In this interview, Charles Okpaleke shares many details about producing movies, his reason for working with new faces, and the many films still in the making. See pages 8 through 10.

People from different generations are in really dark places and need help, but speaking about your mental health in Nigeria is strictly taboo. Many have a dark cloud of depression or thoughts of suicide brooding over them daily and won’t speak up because of the fear of being labelled. Now, I am not referring to those young men and women who do not want to put in the work and instead hide under the ‘my mental health’ umbrella. Far from it. There are many people who genuinely need help. We must stop shaming people who are going through something that has started to affect their mental state.

VOL 2 NO. 20 • MAY 15 - MAY 21, 2022

Please remember that: It is ok not to be ok.

Until next week, enjoy your read.

Onah Nwachukwu,

Editor, THEWILL DOWNTOWN THE BUSINESS OF MAKING MOVIES WITH

Charles Okpaleke

@onahluciaa

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COVER

2023 PRESIDENTIAL PRIMARIES:

APC, PDP in 3-Man Race •Buhari to Influence Emergence of APC’s Flagbearer •North Plots to Retain Power •Atiku, Wike in Fight to the Finish •Race For Delegates Hots Up

T

BY AMOS ESELE

he race to the 2023 presidency is becoming swifter and stable for a few aspirants on the platform of the two major parties, the governing All Progressives Congress, APC and the opposition Peoples Democratic Party, PDP. Less that two weeks to the May 28 and 29 date the PDP has fixed for the conduct of its presidential primary and the May 30 date that the APC would hold its primary, presidential aspirants on both party platforms are increasing by the day while only a few are actually marching on to the D-day.

With last midweek’s presidential directive to aspiring ministers and other political appointees to resign their appointments, many aspirants in the APC are no longer at ease with their ambition, leaving the turf to four frontrunners, THEWILL can authoritatively reveal.

THEWILL gathered that Muhammadu President Buhari had expressed his dismay and anger at the number of aspirants that paid N100 million for the party’s presidential forms, which prompted his decision for political appointees to resign.

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The directive came as a blow to many who had joined the bandwagon of aspirants to obtain the party’s Expression of Interest and Nomination forms when it looked like not doing so would appear politically incorrect since the president had encouraged whoever broached the idea with him to go ahead.

Mostly affected are the late comers who had not embarked on any form of consultation and were yet to buy Expression of Interest and Nomination forms beside announcing their interests publicly and making a media feast of their ambition.

in the life of this administration and secondly for family reasons.”

The development is however seen in political circles as part of the 2023 game plan of President Buhari.

The sudden exit of the ‘sacked’ ministers is also believed to be capable of exposing the rot in some of the Ministries, Departments and Agencies as most of the ministers were not given enough time to tidy up their mess. Moreover, Minister of Information, Lai Mohammed, has disclosed that replacements for the ‘sacked’ ministers were underway.

The sudden volte-face of the Minister of Labour and Productivity, Senator Chris Ngige, after he, alongside 9 other Ministers, were sent forth at the presidential villa last Thursday, speaks volume of this development.

For the PDP, the decision of the National Executive Committee, NEC, to throw the zoning option open to all aspirants with a pleasing clause on consensus candidacy, if the situation warrants it, has given some aspirants on its platform something serious to think about.

After a valedictory was held for him and other outgoing ministers, Ngige issued a state announcing “Withdrawal of My Presidential Ambition”, “in the overall interest of the of the nation, in order to enable me concentrate on my job, and assist the President and the Government weather the last lap

From within both dominant parties which are the main contenders in the 2023 elections, have emerged frontrunners that could clinch the presidential ticket if the parties held their primaries now. This is because some of these aspirants have the structure, the war chest and carry a lot of clout while a few

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COVER have captured the popular imagination to give them the required attention to remain in the fray.

FRONTRUNNERS IN APC, PDP As at the close of sale of forms last Thursday, 18 aspirants have purchased the APC presidential form.

They are Vice-President Yemi Osinbajo; former Minister of Transport, Chief Rotimi Amaechi, former Lagos State governor, Bola Tinubu; former Minister of State for Education, Emeka Nwajuiba; Lagos pastor, Tunde Bakare; Governor Mohammed Badaru of Jigawa State; Governor Dave Umahi of Ebonyi State and Senator Rochas Okorocha. Others are Senate President Ahmad Lawan, Governor Yahaya Bello; former Minister of Niger Delta Affairs, Godswill Akpabio; Ms Uju Ohanenye, the only female and Nicholas Felix.

Others are Governor Kayode Fayemi of Ekiti State; former Governor of Ogun State, Senator Ibikunle Amosun; Ex-Senate President, Ken Nnamani; former Minister of Science and Technology, Ogbonnaya Onu; and former Minister of State for Petroleum Resources, Timipre Sylva.

The power play within the party has sowed so much uncertainty within the ranks that only four formidable aspirants have emerged as frontrunners, two weeks to the presidential primary. They are Amaechi, Tinubu, Osinbajo and Lawan.

The PDP, on the other hand, has screened 17 presidential aspirants on its platform, with 15 of them passing the screening exercise, namely, former Vice President Atiku Abubakar; Governor Nyesom Wike of Rivers State and his Sokoto counterpart, Aminu Tambuwal; ex-Senate President, Bukola Saraki; Governor Bala Mohammed of Bauchi State; and ex-Anambra governor, Peter Obi. Others are ex-Secretary to Government of the Federation, Pius Anyim Pius; ex-banker Mohammed Hayatu-Deen; Governor Udom Emmanuel of Akwa Ibom State; Publisher, Dele Momudu; former governor of Ekiti State; Ayodele Fayose; Cosmas Ndukwe; Sam Ohuabunwa and Dr Anthony Nwachukwu. Like its rival APC, the opposition has just three major aspirants looking good to emerge as flagbearer.

The top contenders are former Vice President Atiku Abubakar, Governor Nyesom Wike and former Senate President, Bukola Saraki.

FRONTRUNNING ASPIRANTS APC: AMAECHI: The selling point for the former transportation minister is what party bigwigs describe as his hybrid origin. His political geography is SouthSouth, Rivers State, while his nationality as Ikwere identifies him with the Igbo in the South-East. Apart from that, the former two-term governor of Rivers State and two-term Speaker of the Rivers State House of Assembly has the resources to fund his primary election and also a nationwide election if he emerges the flagbearer. His two-term tenure as Minister of Transport has helped him consolidate his influence particularly in the North through patronage to traditional and political power brokers.

THEWILL gathered authoritatively that Buhari’s preference for a South-South successor with ties to Igbos is making Amaechi the aspirant to beat as he is the only aspirant in the race that meets the criteria.

“The president has told his close advisers and the new party chairman, Abdullahi Adamu of his desire PAGE 8

to reignite the political ties between the North and the minorities in the South,” one of our presidency sources said, asking not to be identified.

TINUBU: Having helped politicians into top positions as governors, ministers and legislators, coupled with his legendary wealth acquired from maintaining a firm grip on the finances of Lagos State where he was the first governor for two terms, Tinubu has the clout, structure and war chest to match any aspirant to a standstill. He is calling up the political capital he has built over the years as he consults across the country, wooing party delegates and selling his manifesto.

Tinubu’s biggest hurdle to the APC presidential ticket is the lack of support for his aspiration from President Buhari and the party’s national chairman Adamu. He is also not trusted by the northern establishment.

LAWAN: The President of the Senate, who once denied having any presidential ambition, suddenly turned around to obtain the APC’s nomination form less than a week to the end of the registration exercise. He emerged after the National Chairman of the party broke the news of the party’s decision to abandon its previous stand on zoning the presidency to the South. He had said frontally that the governing party would field a northerner if the PDP fields a northern candidate.

Although Governor Mohammed Badaru Abubakar of Jigawa State and Senator Ahmed Sani, alongside Lawan, have picked the APC forms, the Senate President who is from Yobe State, North East, is the only strong candidate the APC can field today from the North in response to the PDP challenge. He is today the northern establishment’s man in the APC. OSINBAJO: The decision to include Vice President Osinbajo as a major contender in the APC presidential race was a tough one because of the power play and intrigues surrounding the race.

Though his candidacy is popular amongst Nigerians if the results of sample polls are to be taken seriously, the preacher-cum politician does not appear to have the political structure and resources to compete and win over delegates in the party’s primary.

His main support, a big one for that matter, is from the Nasarawa State Governor, Abdullahi Sule-led coalition of some governors of the party who are

“

The development is however seen in political circles as part of the 2023 game plan of President Buhari. The sudden exit of the ‘sacked’ ministers is also believed to be capable of exposing the rot in some of the Ministries, Departments and Agencies as most of the ministers were not given enough time to tidy up their mess

rooting for him. There is also the claim that being the Vice President for eight years, he remains close to some of President Buhari’s men who have access to Aso Rock and this may be an advantage to realising his ambition.

However, Osinbajo’s main obstacle to the APC ticket is that he does not enjoy the backing of the President and his very close kitchen cabinet members.

PDP: ATIKU: The decision of the party to throw the presidential primaries open has boosted the chances of the former Vice President who has lost some support from the key old bloc in the party, which swung things in his favour to become the party’s candidate in 2019.

With the removal of zoning, there are insinuations that the party’s National Chairman, Iyorchia Ayu and Chairman of the Zoning Committee, Governor Samuel Ortom of Benue state, are supporting Atiku who, besides being a friend, is also a titled chief in Tiv land, as Zege Mule U Tiv (defender of the Tiv Nation). In addition, Atiku, 75, has the money to spend, a vast network of political associates across the country making up a solid structure for him to consummate his ambition.

One factor that could cost Atiku the PDP ticket is his age as well as the controversy surrounding his comments on the barbaric killing of a Christian female student, Deborah Samuel, in Sokoto State for alleged blasphemy against Prophet Mohammed, by a group of Muslim students. Atiku had initially condemned the murder in a tweet but deleted it when some northern Muslims threatened not to vote for him.

WIKE: As a major financier of the party, the Rivers State governor has been able to determine many outcomes for the party, as well as make reliable friends among governors, particularly Governors Seyi Makinde of Oyo State and Ahmed Fintiri of Adamawa State, with whom he recently re-engineered the party before and after former National Chairman of the PDP, Uche Sedondus, was forced out. He also has a lot of money to make delegates look his way. He is known to have an effective grassroots group across all the 774 local government areas, which he built when he was Chairman of Obio Akpor Local Government 1999 to 2007 and has revived and sustained the network since becoming governor in 2015. This backing of such a post-primary grassroots structure would have made him intensify efforts to clinch the party ticket. He stands as the most formidable aspirant from the South strong enough to compete for the ticket.

The fortunes of the PDP in the 2023 presidential election may be determined by how it manages Wike’s aspiration in its primary.

SARAKI: Quietly and smoothly, the former Senate President, who was popular in the party for his activism, is said to have become the darling of the old bloc of the party that have broken ties with Atiku, the General Ibrahim Babangida, General Abdulsalami Abubakar and General Aliyu Mohammed Gusau. His battle cry that the party gives the North-Central zone a shot at the presidency is favourably received by the old bloc and some stakeholders in the party who are seeking a president in his 50s with leadership experience.

His major drawback is that he does not have the kind of money at the disposal of Atiku and Wike.

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NEWS Bayelsa Assembly Aspirant Set To Empower Constituents

FROM DAVID OWEI, YENAGOA Bayelsa House of Assembly aspirant on the platform of the All Progressives Congress (APC) for Ogbia Constituency 2 of the state, Chief Godknows Obein, has promised to improve the welfare of his Constituents if he wins in the forthcoming APC primaries in the state.

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L-R: Recipient, NPOM award and Chairman, Air Peace, Mr. Allen Onyema; President Muhammadu Buhari, and Minister of Labour and Employment, Sen Chris Ngige, during the conferment of National Productivity Order of Merit and the Celebration of the 19th National Productivity Day (NPOM) AWARD held at the State House, Abuja on May 12, 2022.

Serve Your Conscience, Vote Osinbajo, Group Tells APC Delegates FROM SEGUN AYINDE, ABEOKUTA

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group known as The Osinbajo Project has urged delegates, who will be participating in the primaries of the All Progressives Congress, to serve their conscience by voting Vice President Yemi Osinbajo as the presidential candidate of the party The group also appealed to the delegates to resist the temptation to vote for wealthy politicians that have no plans for the future of the country.

The Coordinator of The Osinbajo Project, Otunba Olatunji Olanyi, who disclosed this when the VP visited the state recently, admonished the delegates to vote for Osinbajo to become APC’s presidential flagbearer in the 2023 election.

Olaniyi said the VP was the only aspirant that is qualified to clinch the party’s presidential ticket with his experience in governance, under President Muhammadu

Buhari, in the last seven years.

He described Osinbajo as a man of integrity, impeccable loyalist and astute administrator who had served and demonstrated a high level of competence, professionalism and uncommon patriotism since the current administration came on board in 2015 Olaniyi stressed that the VP, while acting in President Buhari’s absence during his medical vacation, was able to prove to the world that he is a leader that understands the national polity with his actions that created positive impact in the country.

He said the Osinbajo project is an inclusive organisation with structures at the national, state, local and ward levels to promote the VP’s aspiration towards his emergence not only as APC’s presidential candidate but also as President of the Federal Republic of Nigeria come 2023 general election.

House Owner Laments Over Govt Neglect

BY SAMPSON UHUEGBU, OWERRI

M

r Eugene Njoku, an indigene of Umuduruegwelle Autonomous Community in Ehime Mbano Local Government Area of Imo State, has vowed to take over his dilapidated building, which had since been abandoned, from the community.

Njoku, who was spotted while clearing the bushes that had overgrown the premises of the health centre, told THEWILL that in 2003, residents of the community pleaded with him to give them his building for use as a health centre in order to facilitate their request for autonomy.

He said he gave his house to the community for that purpose and later, regretted that since then the building had been abandoned by the community and government.

“This is my first labour. I want to take back my house to renovate it myself and live there with my children. They could not maintain it for me.

“I was residing in Edo State, but now that I am in the village, my house should be given back to me”, he said.

An indigene of the community, who gave THEWILLNIGERIA

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her name as Mrs. Caroline Iwu, told our correspondent that pregnant women in the area had resorted to going to private hospitals for antenatal and child delivery.

“The nurses working in this health centre have stopped coming to work for many months. You can see how bushy the compound has become.”

In an interview, the traditional ruler of Umuduruegwelle Autonomous Community, His Royal Highness, Eze Daniel Emereonye, confirmed that the community pleaded with Njoku to lease out the building.

The monarch said that residents of Umudurugwelle had before then written several letters requesting the Imo State Government to come to their aid, but to no avail.

“He left his house for our community to use as a health centre for 18 years.

Unfortunately, all our efforts to upgrade were fruitless,” Eze Emeronye added.

He appealed to Governor Hope Uzodimma to come to the aid of the community by giving the health centre a facelift.

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I’ll Prioritise Poverty Reduction, Employment Opportunities, If Elected — Obi

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presidential aspirant on the platform of the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) and former Governor of Anambra State, Peter Obi, has said that he will prioritise poverty reduction and tackle unemployment, if elected.

Obi stated this last Thursday at a meeting with PDP stakeholders and delegates from Sokoto and Zamfara States at the party Secretariat in Sokoto.

Claiming that he had the capacity to fix the political and socioeconomic challenges of Nigeria, he said that Nigerians needed to make an informed decision that would produce a president with capacity to fix the social, economic and political challenges facing the country.

“I served as Governor of Anambra State for eight years. I built stronger institutions in the state. I promise to replicate such, if elected as President of Nigeria. ”I was a vice presidential candidate with Atiku Abubakar on the platform of the PDP in 2019 and I leveraged his experience as a captain with focus, integrity, tested resource management skills and contentment to achieve the feat. ”A society will work, only if people pursue the cause with strong determination,” Obi said.

He noted that Nigeria had potentialities and human resources that would ensure strong economic and social institutions, as obtained in other developed nations, if maximally exploited.

According him, when he was a governor, his administration implemented policies that catered for workers salary, pensions and gratuity payments.

The presidential aspirant added that he did not leave hind boutstanding workers’ salaries alongside contract payments.

He stressed that tackling unemployment and ensuring stronger institutions would eliminate security challenges and facilitate rapid development.

Earlier, the Sokoto State Deputy Chairman of PDP, Alhaji Zaki Bishiri, welcomed Obi to the state, describing him as an astute economist capable of transforming the nation’s challenges in recognition of his experience.

Bishiri assured delegates’ supports toward party success in future elections.

Speaking at the APC secretariat in Yenagoa, shortly after submitting the Expression of Interest and Nomination forms for the House of Assembly election in Bayelsa, the aspirant also pledged to empower his constituents at the APC secretariat in Yenagoa,.

Speaking with Newsmen on the side line of the quest by the Ogbia Constituency two people weeks ago for him to contest the polls, the aspirant hinted that his resolve to vie for the position was particularly based on the need to impact the lives of his Constituents.

He noted that the people in Ogbia Constituency 2 have for long been yearning for good, responsive and responsible democratic representation.

Chief Obein berated former members of the State House of Assembly from the area for not putting in their best in terms of empowerment initiatives for the teeming youths and women of the various wards and communities of the constituency, saying that upon his election he would leverage his wealth of experience as an entrepreneur to build lasting legacies of representation for the constituency.

“One key and very important thing I’ll be doing, if elected, is that I’ll properly engage my constituents in entrepreneurial training and skills acquisition to make sure the teeming unemployed Youths and women, have something to fall back on.

“As you know, I’m the most popular aspirant among all other aspirants across party lines in the constituency.

Just go round and check, you will believe what I’m saying here. I’ll win and make empowerment initiatives readily available for my Constituents,” he said.

The Assembly hopeful, who also bared his mind on the processes involved in obtaining and submission of the interest and nomination forms described it as fair, noting also that the APC is the only alternative to addressing the inadequacies occasioned as a result of poor representation in the Constituency.

Meanwhile, Chief Obein has again called on the APC delegates to vote for him in the party’s Assembly primaries slated to take place soon, this was even as he has restated his desire to continue impacting positively on the lives of his constituents through his businesses spread across various parts of the constituency and the state in general.

“As you know me, even when I’m not handling any elective or appointive office, I’ve still been empowering our Youths and others. I’ll continue in this direction if I’m elected,” Chief Obein said.

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Oyebanji

Oni

Kolawole

POLITICS

Ekiti 2022: Parties Prepare For Battle Amid Fear of Violence

BY AYO ESAN

W

ith about a month to the governorship election in Ekiti State, political parties have already started campaigning across the nooks and crannies of the state, soliciting votes from the electorate through open rallies and Town Hall meetings with various stakeholders.

It was however gathered that though there are 16 aspirants holding forth for the various political parties, some of the aspirants for the Ekiti top job are as dumb as the political parties they represent.

As it stands, the June 18 contest will obviously be a fierce one between the ruling All Progressives Congress (APC), represented by former Chief of Staff to the Governor, Biodun Oyebanji; the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP), with former State Chairman of the party, Bisi Kolawole, as arrowhead; the African Democratic Party (ADC), led by Dr Wole Oluyede and the Social Democratic Party, (SDP), led by former Governor Segun Oni. The APC and its torchbearer, Oyebanji, are wrapping their victory joker in the power of incumbency, that is, the fact that they have the incumbent government’s support. This was obvious in the deployment of state resources and manpower to provide colourful outings that can bequeath a soft landing to victory for their candidate, Oyebanji.

Oyebanji, who is from the Central Senatorial zone of the state, a district that has led for 12 out of the 23 democratic years of Ekiti State, has been campaigning on the achievements of the current government in the state, led by Dr Kayode Fayemi.

The northern zone will cover for the remaining 11 years with the completion of Fayemi’s second term in October. This has spurred agitation for a shift of power to the south, which has never produced any governor, in the coming election.

To pacify the South, APC has made overtures to the beleaguered people by picking the deputy to Oyebanji from Ikere, a major town in the southern senatorial district, in the person of Mrs. Monisola Christiana Afuye.

Bisi Kolawole of the PDP is from Efon, in the Central District of Ekiti State. Kolawole is the political son of maverick politician and former Ekiti State governor, Ayo Fayose. He was formerly the State Chairman of his party.

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Chief Segun Oni of the SDP is regarded as a third force behind APC and PDP. But a recent independent survey carried out even placed him second after the APC candidate, Oyebanji

The emergence of Kolawole as governorship candidate of the PDP was deemed as controversial by Segun Oni, who felt shortchanged by the process that produced the former. Talk of clout or popularity, Kolawole seems to score low points in that arena.

But the Efon-born politician is relying heavily on the street popularity of Fayose, which is unquestionable. Talk of a governor who has made himself very available to the people of Ekiti, there is none like Fayose. He is seen by some as a man of the people, a friend of the oppressed and an outspoken governor, daring, combative and resolute on the side of the people. To some Ekiti people, particularly the illiterate and lowly, which forms the bulk of the electorate, Fayose is the ideal governor. He can walk in the street bare footed, drink local gin with Okada riders and eat on the streets.

Dr Wole Oluyede, of the ADC is much talked about as one politician that may hit the accurate mark in the coming election, judging by the high points trailing his candidature. Barring the fact that he is not a home-grown politician, which is a plus in some quarters where the current order is seen as hellish, he stands tall among other contestants.

He is also a menace to the grassroots politicians who wonder why he pulls so many crowds and a domineering political followership despite living far away in Australia.

A political analyst has described Oluwole as an “uncelebrated grassroots politician, who spends time, energy and money to attend to his people, particularly the lowly and the indigent, most of who are armed with his contact number and are sure of response anytime they call him”.

In all, there are three things working for Oluyede as a politician: Humility, passion and philanthropism. To a man who is known to be a successful professional, accomplished investor, influential and wealthy, his unfettered relationship with the masses and the massive support he is getting in return from that circle has grown from envy to hatred in the camp of his peer.

Chief Segun Oni of the SDP is regarded as a third force behind APC and PDP. But a recent independent survey carried out even placed him second after the APC candidate, Oyebanji.

Many who applauded his leadership style in 2007 are however beginning to doubt if the Oni they knew then is still the same Oni of today. To many juggernauts, Oni lacks a firm approach to party matters and he is seemingly very feeble on political principles. For instance, he was quick to congratulate Bisi Kolawole when he was defeated in the PDP primary, only to turn around a few days later, due to pressure from his political allies, to condemn the process. Oni also rushed to the All Progressives Grand Alliance (APGA) moments later before he recently found a place in the SDP. But the way he is pulling crowds at campaign rallies has raised his hope of becoming the next governor.

THREAT OF VIOLENCE As the campaign continues, so do the signs of violence increase each day. The SDP governorship Candidate, Mr Segun Oni, was allegedly attacked by political thugs from the rival parties when his campaign train landed in Efon Alaye last month. At the end of the attack, about four people were allegedly shot while several vehicles were vandalised.

Also speaking with THEWILL, the Special Adviser on Media to the Accord Governorship Candidate, Chief Reuben Famuyibo, Jide Omojolomoju said that posters of his principal were removed in various parts of the state, a situation he described as uncalled for.

•Continues on page 13

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MAY 15 - MAY 21, 2022 T H E W I L L N E W S P A P E R • www.thewillnigeria.com

POLITICS/INTERVIEW APC PRESIDENTIAL PRIMARY:

Osinbajo, Fayemi’s Entrance Won’t Affect Tinubu’s Chances – Ibesanmi The Lagos State Coordinator of Tinubu Support Organisation (TSO), Akinduro Ibesanmi, speaks with AYO ESAN, about Asiwaju Bola Tinubu’s chances in the forthcoming presidential primary of the All Progressives Congress scheduled for the end of May and other issues as they affect the country. Excerpts:

Are you optimistic that Tinubu will emerge victorious in the primary?

Definitely. I wish you had listened to Asiwaju talk recently. He promised to return home quietly, if defeated in the APC presidential primary. But he said he would continue to work for victory. He also assured us that at the end of the day, he will emerge victorious. This is a man that has traversed the length and breadth of Nigeria. This is a man who has been to the national assembly; both the red chamber and the green chamber and they both endorsed him. Tinubu has built structures everywhere in Nigeria. So let us see how the whole thing goes. At the end of the day, let us see what happens. But we are optimistic of his victory and I can assure you Asiwaju will carry the day.

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Surprisingly some of his political godsons, such as Vice President Yemi Osinbajo and Governor Kayode Fayemi of Ekiti State, have also obtained nomination forms to contest in the APC primary. What is your take on this?

Well I am not surprised. I am not in any way surprised because everybody has the right to whatever is good.

The Nigerian constitution permits whoever is qualified and has attained a particular age to contest in the presidential election. For me, it is no big deal that Osinbajo and Fayemi have signified their intention to contest. It is normal.

Ibesanmi

ince you support Asiwaju Bola Tinubu’s presidential ambition, what are his chances of winning the forthcoming presidential primary of the All Progressives Congress?

We are very anxious and as the primary draws nearer, we are waiting for the day to come. We know and we are sure that in the end, Asiwaju Bola Tinubu will carry the day. He has done so much and he is still working seriously. You can see that of all the aspirants that have signified their intention to contest in the presidential election on the platform of the APC , he is the only one that is serious . We hope that at the end of the day, he will emerge victorious.

What is it about Tinubu that has endeared him to you? Why are you backing him for the country’s topmost job?

Yes, I have spoken with journalists on this subject many times. Tinubu is a man that has a track record. We can trace his performances to when he was Governor of Lagos State. He did very well and the template he left behind is still being used today. Today, Lagos is regarded as the fifth largest economy, thanks to Tinubu who laid the solid foundation. So we believe that with his performances in Lagos , if he is allowed to rule Nigeria , the country will become a better place for all of us to live in.

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Their coming into the race will not affect Tinubu’s chances. The thing is that running for president is no child’s play. Before you can run for the presidency in Nigeria you must have structures in place. You are a Yoruba man and I am a Yoruba man, let us even look at the South-West.

Where is Fayemi’s structure, where does the structure of Osinbajo lie?

How will that affect Tinubu’s chances in the APC presidential primary?

Their coming into the race will not affect Tinubu’s chances. The thing is that running for president is no child’s play. Before you can run for the presidency in Nigeria you must have structures in place. You are a Yoruba man and I am a Yoruba man, let us even look at the South-West. Where is Fayemi’s structure, where does the structure of Osinbajo lie? Osinbajo was in Lagos before, but because he wanted to contest in the presidential election, he moved to Ogun, his home state.

Where is his structure in Ogun State?

attract more sympathy for Tinubu, especially from members of the public who are aware that these people contesting against were beneficiaries of his political school. How on earth would the people that benefited so much from him decide to backstab him? A lot of delegates would say no, we won’t support these people.

To me it is a healthy rivalry and it is not a problem at all.

The present structure in Ogun State belongs to the incumbent governor of the state. So where is Osinbajo going to get a structure? Or does he have his structure in Abuja? So their entrance in the presidential race will not affect Asiwaju Tinubu in any way. Instead, it will

Aren’t you worried about the large number of aspirants in the APC? I think the more, the merrier. It shows that APC is a party that everybody wants to be part of. It is a party that a lot of people are aspiring to belong to and that

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is why you see a lot of aspirants. But, to me, some of the aspirants are coming out, just for the sake of it. Like I have said, you must have a structure before you can aspire to become a councilor, not to talk of aspiring to become President of Nigeria. Some of these aspirants that you are talking about do not have structure anywhere, some of them are opportunists.

Maybe because they have money, they decided to make some noise so that people will know that they are rich.

So they decided to come out. I think that in the end, the champion of champions will carry the day.

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What is your advice to APC delegates as they prepare for the primary?

My advice to them is very simple. They should ‘shine their eyes’ and avoid distractions. Know what Nigeria needs now. Muhammadu Buhari has tried his best, but things can get better, if only we will allow somebody who has a track record, who we all know is a performer and a reformer to take over from him. I will only appeal to the delegates not to base their decisions on sentiments. They should not base their decision on cash and carry. Look at the track records of all these aspirants and you will see that of all of them, Asiwaju Bola Tinubu is the best.

How would you assess the performance of Governor Babajide Sanwo-Olu of Lagos?

In one word, I would describe Governor Sanwo-Olu as a man who has performed creditably well, despite the problem posed by the COVID-19 pandemic initially.

Shortly after the pandemic, we had the @endsars protest. Despite all that, Sanwo-Olu has been able to touch all aspects of the economy. He has been able to do so much. I will not regard him as a road-contractor governor, but I will describe him as an infrastructure governor. He has done so much for the people of Lagos State.

Penultimate Friday, Sanwo-Olu was anointed by the APC leaders and members in Lagos State for a second term. How do you see the development, considering that his predecessor, Akinwunmi Ambode, was denied a second term ticket?

It gladdens my heart. I remembered that during a TV interview, he was asked how he would feel if denied the opportunity to come back for a second term. And he said, “Lagosians will miss our good work.” And when the news came that he has been endorsed by the leadership of the party, I was happy. It means that the governor will be given the opportunity to take Lagos to a higher level.

What is your advice for Lagos APC members concerning the governorship primary coming up soon?

Yes the advice is that though we have heard that somebody else has obtained the form, it is still good.

There is no problem. Let the delegates decide. And I know the delegates that have seen the track record of Sanwo-Olu, the good things he has done in the last three years in office. There won’t be a misplaced priority. The delegates will choose right by supporting Sanwo-Olu for a second term. All the good work he has done in the first term, they will allow him to continue and complete it so that Lagos state will be a place for everybody to live.

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POLITICS

Lalong‘s Choice of Successor And Impending Crisis Crisis looms in Plateau State All Progressives Congress as Governor Simon Lalong’s decision to anoint an in-law as his successor forces 18 other aspirants into a tendentious coalition, UKANDI ODEY writes

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Some excursion into history will capture the last days of former Governor Jonah David Jang, who sought to make history by ditching the rotation or zoning arrangement in the build-up to the 2015 general election. In the circumstances, against all entreaties and wise political counsel, Jang had his way and say, anointed and imposed his tribesman, the late Senator Gyang Nyam Shong Pwajok, popularly referred to by his admirers as GNS, on the Peoples Democratic Party as its governorship candidate. This generated discontent within the party as much as it spread ethnic hatred and bitterness, especially against the Jang’s Berom tribe. The outcome was predicted and it came to pass: many PDP faithful indulged in antiparty bickering and activities; some like the present deputy governor, Soni Gwanle Tyoden, decamped outrightly from the PDP, and became running mate to the APC gubernatorial candidate as that Party’s ranks were gaining and swelling. The baseline of the political miscalculation by Jang was a robust ethnic and political gang-up against the PDP to ensure it was voted out of power in the state in 2015.

A similar scenario is already afoot, except that this time it is not so much about ethnic extremism and selfishness as it is about overwhelming social forces and debt of conscience. Earlier, Governor Simon Lalong claimed that he had not anointed a successor and what was going on was basically name dropping, including some of the aspirants using old pictures with him as evidential validation of their claims. Although the political opposition retorted immediately by telling him that because of depleted public trust and poor performance perception, he lacked the moral right to anoint any candidate to be acceptable to the people of Plateau State.

He is now caught in a labyrinth of excruciating emotions, in search of a nexus between ‘anointing’ and ‘imposing’ a candidate on the State APC, and ultimately on the people of Plateau State.

The bubble burst and an uncanny cat came through from the bag of tricks and intrigues, when an amorphous, quick patch assemblage led by an over ambitious politicians, inappropriately branding itself as the Legacy Group, purportedly bought nomination and expression of interest forms and offered same to Lalong to contest Plateau South senatorial seat in 2023. More than the incisiveness and discerning of the onlooker and the bookmakers, it was the superciliousness and ill-tempered loquacity of the spokesman of the group that betrayed Lalong and his anointed candidate, a project that is already in bile and blight, and choking in crossfire of sentiments and sentimentalities at take off.

At a World Press Conference last Monday, it was a consummate outflow of emotions, as venom and vitriolic were in company as if to suggest that war has begun.

Convened by 18 APC Governorship Aspirants’ Forum, some of the gubernatorial aspirants used the conference to challenge Governor Lalong, and accuse him of using his position as governor and leader of the APC in the State to cause unfair competition in the governorship race.

Amos Gizo, who spoke on behalf of the aggrieved 18 aspirants, opened and introduced their case and plight solemnly: “it is necessary to address you this morning considering certain developments in our great party, the APC, Plateau State chapter”.

In a further thrust of the matter, Gizo said: “It is no longer

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istory does not repeat itself as it is erroneously claimed widely, but people commit the same errors sometimes repeatedly and cause similar events to occur between ancient and modern history. This is what is playing out in Plateau State as the build-up to the 2023 general acquires ferocity in both momentum and intrigues.

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Earlier, Governor Simon Lalong claimed that he had not anointed a successor and what was going on was basically name dropping, including some of the aspirants using old pictures with him as evidential validation of their claims

news that the issue of the moment is the 2023 general elections...As the processes are going on in the State, the Executive governor of Plateau state, Rt Hon Simon Bako Lalong, and the State Chairman, Hon. Rufus Bature, in an enlarged meeting in Government House on Monday April 18, admonished all aspirants to speak to themselves on possible withdrawals and a possibility of coming up with a consensus candidate”. Explaining that it was in furtherance of the foregoing objective that the chairman validated the legitimacy of the APC Governorship Aspirants’ Forum and appointed Amos Gizo as its Chairman, Gizo expressed shock that “what appeared like a rumour has received evidence in the body language of Governor Lalong, with members of the First Family (wife and brothers), his father in-law, the Accountant general of the State, the deputy National Secretary of the APC, anchored by the member representing Pankshin/Kanke/ Kanam in the House of Representatives, Hon. Yusuf Gagdi orchestrating a plan to subjugate the collective will of the members of the APC by imposing a candidate on members of the party in the person of Nentawe Yilwatda Goshen”.

Although the protesting 18 aspirants cited other issues that are wrong in the Party such as the use of former ad

hoc delegates as not acceptable to them, there is rancour and growing dissent in the Plateau State APC since the news broke that Governor Lalong has anointed Nentawe to impose on the Party as its governorship candidate for 2023. Having recently resigned as the Resident INEC Commissioner for Benue State, many APC stalwarts in the state refer to Nentawe and his ambition with scorn and disdain, saying he is a meal time interloper, and not a card-carrying member of the APC. Nentawe is also said to be a cousin of Lalong’s wife to whom the Governor is bound by a burden of debt.

In a Press Release last Thursday, the Plateau APC Elders Advisory Council expressed a position to the effect that “our interest is for a fair deal for every aspirant, a peaceful conduct of the elections”, after it admitted in the same statement that “in the past few days, the Media has been awash with reports of purported imposition of candidates on the people which is contrary to the tenets of democracy”.

Observers of affairs in the Plateau State APC said a lot of horse trading took place to force Lalong to cook this poison which lethal efficacy is already heading for the vital organs of the party, seeking its chassis, and radiating some miasma to set both membership and followership scampering. A major bargaining chip here is the Pankshin/ Kanke/Kanam federal constituency, the logic being to make an Ngas of Pankshin/Kanke governor, so Kanam minority can get second term in the House to represent PKK. Again, however, Netawe has become a metaphor and the elixir to extirpate a foment of tendencies to worsen the body chemistry of a Party that Lalong’s style of leadership has since put in a state of crisis and set on a trajectory of decomposition.

From the pre-local government election congresses last year, to the election of the State Executives of the Party, to the by-election of last February 26, it has been a succession and harvest of crises. The Party has been losing members in droves to the opposition PDP, a trend that is set to continue in worsened proportion as the Nentawe issue eats inwards and deploys a cog to the party’s electoral wheel.

Like any done deal, Governor Lalong does look ready and determined to reverse himself on Nentawe. Equally true is that other aspirant do not appear ready to stop the fight now or soon.

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MAY 15 - MAY 21, 2022 T H E W I L L N E W S P A P E R • www.thewillnigeria.com

POLITICS

Why Ogun East Senatorial District Needs Oduntan

BY OMOLADE AFONKARA

Another top contender for the office is former Ogun State governor, Otunba Gbenga Daniel, aka OGD.

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he time for the purchase of APC nomination forms has EXPIRED and the race for the 2023 general elections is getting hotter by the day. Many aspirants have started presenting their manifestoes to the masses and with this, the real contenders are being separated from pretenders.

Sources revealed that OGD has made up with Governor Abiodun, but that he is still not trusted and has a structure that constitutes mostly his Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) followers of 11 years, who are in the minority in the APC structure that is totally dominated by Abiodun.

One of the top contenders in the forthcoming National Assembly election, in whom the people reposes confidence, is Otunba Oluseyi Oduntan. He already has the backing of the leaders of the ruling All Progressives Congress (APC) in the Federal Capital Territory and Ogun State to represent the people of Ogun East Senatorial District in the National Assembly.

Information at our disposal indicates that the governor is upset with OGD because having contested and run the state from Remo, he is trying to destabilise the senatorial district by contesting, especially as the governor is also from the same Remo region, which might not go down well with stakeholders.

Even the residents of Ogun East have indicated that they are ready to support Otunba Oduntan as their representative in the red chamber in 2023.

Oduntan, a former Managing Director of the Honeywell Group, is not just an administrator per excellence; he is a man with vision and progressive ideas.

As part of his quest for the seat, Oduntan recently inaugurated his senatorial office and flagged off an e-Naira Youth Empowerment, which is an initiative backed by the Central Bank of Nigeria (CBN) on the e-Naira digital currency, in Ijebu Ode, where hundreds of youths across the senatorial district were trained as CBN agents on e-Naira.

Oduntan

Oduntan has repeatedly said that he is in the race because the state needs members of the National Assembly that would partner and complement the efforts of Governor Dapo Abiodun in his developmental agenda.

This is coupled with the fact that the Nigerian Vice President, Professor Yemi Osinbajo is also from Remo region.

of the APC in Ogun State and how he has positively affected the lives of the people that come around him from all parts of the state.

Oduntan is described as a man that has the love of the people at heart without any modicum of pretence. A resident, who gave his name as Lawrence Ajayi, said that both the old and the young prefer someone like Oduntan, whose reason for seeking office is service to humanity.

Oduntan is the most preferred candidate for the ticket because he is an establishment person and he has the backing of the powers that be both in Abuja and the state.

“We love Otunba Oluseyi Oduntan, he is a man of the people.

With a man like him in the senate, Ogun East will have better opportunities,” Ajayi said.

Indications have also emerged that of all the aspirants, Oduntan is the one closest to the Aso Rock Villa in Abuja and Oke Mosan Government House in Ogun State. This has given him an advantage over other aspirants. His chances are very bright, being the most preferred option, and the name on the lips of most residents of the Senatorial District is “Oduntan” who they said knows what to do with the office, when he is eventually elected in 2023.

Talking about others, it was argued that Segun Sebanjo, an aspirant for the office from the area, has stepped down and is no longer active on the field.

Contrary to insinuations in some quarters against his ambition, Oduntan is not a new comer to the race. He contested for the same seat in 2015, campaigning round the towns and villages of the district for support. His chances in the primary elections of the ruling APC are very bright and his supporters say he is the aspirant to beat. They point to his contributions to the success

With this, the Ijebu people are already grumbling and resisting such offering as unacceptable.

“The governor knows this and is adamant that he could not support such an arrangement.

“Therefore, without the Governor’s support, OGD’s eggs are cooked and his chances are very slim indeed.

“This leaves Otunba Seyi Oduntan, who has worked quietly behind the scene in the grassroots, for himself and the governor, earning the latter’s trust and confidence who has now pushed his formidable structure behind him to eventually come up with the ticket,” a source said.

Otunba Oduntan is no spring chicken on the field. He contested against Governor Abiodun for this ticket in 2015.

It was gathered that Oduntan is well loved by the people of Ogun East, who remembered his huge efforts to earn the ticket and have backed him to earn their support for the ticket this time around.

Another aspirant, Deji Ashiru is said to be looking for the House of Reps ticket “because he is unable to get the support of Governor Dapo Abiodun of the state.”

Information available to us in Ogun East Senatorial District indicates that Oduntan is the anointed one, especially as the APC structure is gearing up to work for him both at the primaries and for the general elections.

It was gathered that the incumbent senator from the area, Lekan Mustapha has burnt his bridges with the Governor and is not favourably considered by his constituents, who see him as ineffective in the chambers.

And for those, who have been following the political dynamism of the Gateway State, it was agreed that “Oduntan would be a round peg in a round hole unlike some others, who have become spent forces.”

They said that it is hard to see anything he had been able to achieve since he got to the office few years back.

•Afonkara, a political analyst, lives and works in Abeokuta, Ogun State

...Parties Prepare For Battle Amid Fear of Violence Continued from Page 10

He also informed that the activities of hoodlums harassing road users, especially commercial motorcycle operators, who don’t have APC’s stickers on their vehicles had created a tense atmosphere in Ado Ekiti, capital of the state.

He said that members of the Accord Party are also living in the fear of attack from rival parties that have since realised that Accord is a serious contender for the governorship seat of Ekiti State.

Famuyibo, while reacting to the orgy of violence trailing the political parties’ campaigns in the state, has called on Governor Kayode Fayemi not to set the state on fire ahead of the election.

Famuyibo was also reacting to the alleged plan by the APC to unleash violence on the electorate on election day; the alleged defacing and destruction of his posters and banners by suspected APC lackeys and the untoward incident that occurred in Efon Alaaye last month in which some people were shot and vehicles vandalised when the candidate of the Social Democratic Party, SDP, Segun Oni, was there on campaign.

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made available to the media, Basorun Famuyibo warned that the insinuations making the rounds that the APC had bought all available canes, popularly known as ‘pankere,’ in Ado Ekiti and has perfected plans to unleash violence on the electorate on election day, using some known popular thugs, had better be nothing but rumours.

He said, “I’m using this medium to warn Fayemi not to set Ekiti State on fire ahead of the election. Even though he was young during the 1983 fracas in old Ondo State, let it be known to him that we cannot afford such repeating itself in Ekiti State.

“The 1983 events in old Ondo State should resonate with the powers that be. We don’t want a repeat of that in Ekiti State.

“What happened between late Adekunle Ajasin and Akin Omoboriowo, which led to the wanton killings and destruction of property in the old Ondo State is still fresh in our memory and we don’t want a repeat in Ekiti State. The wounds are yet to heal.

“He should also know that nobody is a custodian of violence and nobody has the monopoly of violence and Ekiti people are

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not ready to turn the state to a theatre of violence.”

He called on the people of the state to remain focused and not be intimidated, asking them to vote according to their conscience on Election Day. The governorship candidate of the ADC in the June 2022 Ekiti State governorship election, Dr Wole Oluyede, also condemned the recent attack on the convoy of Chief Segun Oni of the SDP, saying, “It is a gross act of intolerance that is inimical to progress, given the lingering socio-political and economic lapses that Ekiti people presently grapple with.”

Oluyede, who spoke through the Wole Oluyede Campaign Organisation’s Director of Media, Mr Gboyega Adeoye, bemoaned the rising insecurity in Ekiti in recent times and cautioned that any act of intolerance by political parties at this time, would only escalate tension and plunge the state into an undeserved crisis.

He therefore, sued for peace, noting that, “whoever is genuinely seeking to govern for the betterment of the lot of the people will not contemplate stepping on their blood to power.”

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EDITORIAL

FG Must Accede to ASUU’s Demands

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he news that the lingering strike action by the Academic Staff Union of Universities (ASUU) may soon be suspended is a welcome development. Last Thursday, President Muhammadu Buhari appealed to the striking university lecturers to return to work in order to pave the way for a peaceful resolution of the crisis. He also appealed to students to be patient and exercise restraint to enable the Federal Government resolve the issue within the available resources.

For many Nigerians, the persistent strike action has become not only worrisome but also embarrassing.

The decision by the clearly frustrated lecturers to extend their industrial action by yet another three months, two weeks ago, had been a source of great concern to not only the parents whose children and wards have been at home for well over three months, but also the Federal Government.

The students, who have been at home for the fourth month running, also decided to take their destiny in their hands by giving an ultimatum to the Federal Government to respond to ASUU’s demands within seven days. Matching their words with actions, the students started a series of protests across the country, blocking major roads and highways, as they threatened that the two major political parties - All Progressives Congress (APC) and Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) would not hold their presidential primaries in Abuja if the Federal

Government fails to accede to the demands of ASUU. It is sad and quite unbelievable that what started just as a warning strike by the lecturers was allowed to develop into a full-blown strike due to the nonchalance and lackadaisical attitude of government officials who, until recently, have refused to sincerely attend to the genuine demands of the university teachers.

Preferring to focus more on their political ambitions rather than the interests of Nigerian students, the immediate past Minister for Labour, Chris Ngige, and his Education counterpart, Adamu Adamu, felt the lecturers were asking for too much.

Treating the university teachers as beggars and not caring a hoot about what happened to the thousands of students in the public universities, the political elite continued, shamelessly, in their permutations and scheming for the next elections.

While the salaries of the striking lecturers have been stopped by the Federal Government, the political class and their accomplices were junketing around, engaging in a political bazaar, raising over N40 billion in less than two weeks from Expression of Interest and Nomination Forms into various political offices. This is shocking and surprising against the Federal Government’s claims that it is broke, more so, as some former ministers featured prominently in the bazaar, dishing out a whopping N100 million for Expression of Interest and Nomination Forms .

We want to stress the need for the Federal Government to place great priority on education,

especially that of the younger generation of Nigerians, because they are the future of the country. Education is a right and not a privilege. The standard benchmark of the national budget to be dedicated to education as recommended by the United Nations Educational, Scientific and Cultural Organisation, UNESCO, is between 15 to 20 per cent.

Unfortunately, despite all assurances from successive administrations, Nigeria committed a paltry 5.8 per cent of its 2021 national budget to education, increasing it to a meagre 7.9 per cent in 2022. A situation where our students, especially in public institutions, would remain idle at home for several months because of ASUU strike is therefore totally

Preferring to focus more on their political ambitions rather than the interests of Nigerian students, the immediate past Minister for Labour, Chris Ngige, and his Education counterpart, Adamu Adamu, felt the lecturers were asking for too much

unacceptable.

We are, however, glad that President Buhari is now showing some concern towards resolving the crisis, though coming a bit late. ASUU had claimed that the President’s earlier directive that government officials responsible should open talks with the lecturers’ union had not been obeyed to the letters hence its refusal to call off the strike .

We are also glad that Buhari’s appeal is coming just as the Tertiary Education Trust Fund (TETFUND) has started disbursing N642,848,138:00 to each of the beneficiary universities for the 2022 interventions, while benefitting polytechnics and colleges of education will get the sums of N396,780,086:00 and N447, 758, 804: 00 each, respectively. The Federal Government should fulfill its side of whatever agreements have been reached with the lecturers.

The effects of the frequent disturbance of academic calendars are there for all to see in the quality of graduates being churned out of our public universities and other tertiary institutions every year. A nation that plays with the destiny of its youth is planning for its doom.

Nigeria has already entered the inglorious world record with the number of out-of-school children in the country. We cannot afford to add the total destruction of our public university system to our list of woes. Posterity would never forgive any administration that has a hand in this kind of misfortune. We therefore call for the fast tracking of the negotiations so that the lecturers and students could return to school as soon as possible.

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

A Nation Without Boundaries, Sad Outcomes

BY PRINCE CHARLES DICKSON

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t has been a while since I read voraciously a work by a Nigerian author without dropping it till I was done. This book was not only well written but also I could relate with it and it made me reflect again on the construct called Nigeria.

I do not know exactly what was the driving force for Innocent Usar, but for the barracks raised lad turned great man, the journey through the book, Pushing through boundaries (How to create epic outcomes in life and business), indeed, is one of shared learning and teachable moments.

The book comprises 43 chapters, 307 pages and it is well-crafted around six parts. I cannot pick out which is my best part.

Reading through the first part reinforced my learning that Nigeria is where we are today because our leaders and citizens (A) do not have an aware mind and (B) do not know the power of an aware mind. I heard myself asking what the Nigerian mind runs on and as a cautious optimist on the Nigerian project, what is the unseen? As we head towards 2023, what does our mind hold? If Nigeria was a puzzle, is there a missing link? Is it a jigsaw puzzle completely gone wrong, a nation of people just running kitikiti and katakata?

So, let me share this, in February 2019 Egypt’s transport minister resigned following a deadly train crash in Cairo that killed at least 25 people, leaving scores injured. In India, the administrative head of the nation’s railways, AK Mittal, resigned in Aug 2017 after two train derailments in five days in the northern state of Uttar.

It was not the first time. Sometime in 1999, there was a resignation.

David Cameron resigned in June 2016 after the UK voted to leave the European Union. The then Prime Minister of Britain announced his resignation, following the victory for leave supporters after a divisive referendum campaign, bringing an abrupt end to his

six-year premiership after the British public took the momentous decision to reject his entreaties and turn their back on the European Union.

Also David Cameron resigned as chairman of the advisory board to the Afiniti software company after its founder was accused of sexual harassment and assault in November 2021.

In Nigeria, there are no boundaries, there are no limits, our mind is not aware! The question then, is in Usar’s words succinctly shaping reality…as we move along, nothing is new. When one listens, we hear a cacophony of noise, the thoughts are scary. The glasses are stained, visuals blurred and perception is vague. For a nation and people that cannot agree on one thing. Leaders are stiff- necked and followers are guided by primordial sentiments. We do not resign, because there is no remorse. No one holds up to his responsibility.

When I look at the debate on where the next President should come from, I borrow copiously from Usar’s word of caution that a map is not the territory. Our difficult differences and the odds, amongst many other factors, has left us a nation where her people cannot simply deal with hard truths.

The story told by Usar in the chronicles of a barracks boy before he embarks on discussing language can be best understood when we look at the recent brouhaha between Apostle Sulieman and Pastor Tunde Bakare’s attacks on the Igbo nation and the reactions all in the battle towards 2023, it is obvious that this nation is not ready for mental repatterning when one watches and listens to those seeking political offices.

A nation and her people are trapped in a whirlwind of nothingness and the atmosphere is the reason why the government is battling to explain pardon that it granted within the limits of constitutional power but one that has ripple effects.

The Nigerian project lacks the essentials of teamwork

that Usar alludes to. The Chrisland School Sex-tape makes the last part of the book a treasure. I asked myself, how are we measuring on the scale of integrity and where is the vulnerability in parenting? Is this generation going through the motions, where most decisions are taken with the fear of missing out, in other words, rather than get it right, we probably are tripping on a pedestal.

Innocent, a master practitioner of Neuro Linguistic Programming, certainly knows that if we use his Epic Outcomes Matrix, there is a huge difference in political rhetoric and realities. We are again on the one-chance journey, the country called Nigeria is at another stage.

Are we building rafts to get us pass this level or is it a case of a people that are consistently and consciously destroying all that we stand for.

What do we stand for, who are we, what really is working in Nigeria? We are tortured with banditry, terror, abductions and killings by unknown gunmen.

Every section of the country is terrified and our economy is on a nosedive, but no one is bold enough to say that a nation that should ordinarily be creating epic outcomes across the globe is a minnow beset in all corners.

The book Pushing Through Boundaries is one that every Nigerian leader should read, every citizen must read, with a pen by their side taking notes. Sadly, what is it that we say again, “that to hide information from the black man, put it in a book”.

We are losing it. There is a need for many Usars of this nation to stand and be counted. Very few things put smiles on the faces of Nigerians nowadays, but with Innocent Usar’s book, I a see the resilience, the Nigerian never-say-die spirit. We may still be able to snatch victory from the jaws of defeat because as it currently stands, the story of the barracks boy seems like a story told once upon a time in Niagara Falls. I am afraid that we didn’t start well. But can we end well? Only time will tell.

Joe Anatune: Exit of a Colossus And Jolly Good Fellow

BY CHRISTIAN ABURIME

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he name, Joe Anatune, may not ring a loud bell to some people except those privileged to have come in contact, or whose paths have crossed, with the man. There is something enigmatic about the man and the name. From the very humble beginning, it was very clear, even though the heavens may not have displayed terrific lightening and torrential rainfall to herald his birth, that he was destined for greatness. But to Joe, greatness is not measured in material acquisitions or the horde of degrees one has acquired here on earth. Joe believed that ‘greatness’ is the impact one has made in the lives of other people and his community.

Joe Anatune, the jolly good fellow that he was, showed very early in life that the true meaning of ‘greatness’ is when “we live for one another” From his days at the famous Emekuku High School, the genius in Joe could no longer hide. It began to manifest, to the amazement of his classmates and the school authority.

Distinction was his first, second and middle name. From form one to form five in the old school system, Joe always came top in his class. One of his classmates, Mr Sam Ekeocha, who later became a big shot at Briscoe Nigeria, literally described Joe as a “Book Wizard”. Sam had told me then, referring to Joe as Josiah, that Josiah topping the class always wasn’t even the problem. The problem was the unbelievable wide gap between Joe and the person in second position.

Sam said that all through their secondary school days nobody could close that gap. To him, Joe was not just an intellectual ‘wizard’ but also a phenomenon of a kind that became the envy of all at Emekuku.

Joe later crowned his glorious days at Emekuku High School by becoming the Head Boy. In those days, the school authority promoted only deserving pupils, who literally THEWILLNIGERIA

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brought honour, recognition and laurels to their alma mater from the various competitions in which they represented the school, to that position.

In one of such memorable competitions, Joe was shown on national television for winning the top prize in the Universal Postal Union Letter-Writing Competition for the Young.

The news went viral in the school and Joe’s community, reaffirming, indeed, that he was a genius.

Leadership positions started coming to Joe early in life.

From the position of Assistant Sanitation Prefect, he became the Head Boy of the school as earlier mentioned.

As expected, Joe left school with a distinction in the West African School Certificate Examination and gained admission into the University of Nigeria, Nsukka, to study Marketing. As it was at Emekuku, so it was at UNN. Joe replicated his uncommon brilliance throughout his education at UNN and graduated with a Second Class Upper degree.

While at UNN, Joe developed a passion for advertising.

Before graduating from the university, he became the President of the Marketing Students Association.

As it was in his secondary school days, he won the highly coveted AAPN (now AAAN) Prize for the Best Student in Advertising He later took up an appointment with Dawn Functions in Enugu. He was later seconded to Lagos to head Dawn Functions, Lagos, as an executive director Joe grew Dawn Functions, Lagos to become an outstanding advertising agency before quitting to establish his own agency, B3 Communications.

Joe believed so much in humanity and he devoted his time to

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human capital development. He contributed to funding the education of a number of Awa indigenes at the secondary and tertiary levels. He also provided employment in his vast business organisation for Indigenes of Anambra.

As a member of League of Anambra Professionals (LAP), where he served repeatedly as the Publicity Secretary, Joe contributed positively to the growth and development of Anambra.

He made his mark in advertising as a communication consultant and a brand builder of immense reputation.

Joe also invested heavily in humanity. As a humble and unassuming jolly good fellow, he has shared his advertising knowledge and trained other great minds, such as Kenneth Onyemaka, Dennis Olise, Robie Ukah, Ernest Onwumere, Christopher Eze, Okey Emmanuel, Dennis Onifade and this writer, among several others Today, we mourn the quintessential advertising/PR man who left us so suddenly, a great man who sees greatness only in positively impacting the lives of others Today, we mourn the communication consultant par excellence and public relations guru who plied his trade with so much humility and professionalism Today, we mourn a gentleman, a colleague, a friend, a real colossus and a Jolly good fellow who came, saw and conquered and departed quietly.

The Great Onwa of Awa will forever be remembered in our hearts.

Good night, sir!

•Aburime, Chief Press Secretary to Anambra State Governor, Prof Charles Chukwuma Soludo, sent this write-up from Awka.

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Essaadi

MAY 15 - MAY 2 1, 2022 T H E W I L L N E W S P A P E R

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www.t hew i llni g eri a. c om VOL .2 N O.2 0

•Source: Companies’ Report

Q1 2022: Consumer Goods Firms May Downsize Over High Operating Costs

BY SAM DIALA

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he performance of Nigeria’s major Fast-Moving Consumer Goods (FMCG) firms was severely impacted by a tough operating environment in the first quarter of the year (Q1 2022). Spiral inflation, decline in consumer demand, wrong-headed policies, among the others, combined to create a regime of high operating costs for the companies surveyed by THEWILL. An analysis of the Q1 2022 interim reports revealed that the companies struggled to lift margins. Their profit and revenue haul showed an average 50 percent growth yearon-year, while the key six cost/expenses indices revealed an average 92 percent increase. The selected key cost areas include Tax Expenses, Cost of Sales, Administrative Cost, Sales/Marketing Distribution, Raw Materials/Inventory and Employee Expenses/Entitlements.

Data from the firms’ interim reports posted on their websites showed a significant increase in their operating costs which could lead to downscaling in the firms’ operations, or outright downsizing to remain in business. Stakeholders and industry experts believe that the firms must take drastic measures to avoid sinking in the miry clay of high operating expenses as inflation rages.

The six quoted major FMCG firms surveyed include Nigerian Breweries Plc, Unilever Nigeria Plc, Nestle

Nigeria Plc, Guinness Nigeria Plc, Cadbury Nigeria Plc and Dangote Sugar Refinery Plc. They have a combined market capitalisation of N2.3 trillion and constitute over 60 percent of total market capitalisation of the Consumer Goods Sector amounting to N3.36 trillion as of Friday May 13, 2022.

The combined revenue of the six firms for Q1 2022 was N462.2 billion as against N328.4 billion reflecting a 40.8 percent increase, while profit after tax (PAT) rose by 60.5 percent to N50.3 billion year-on-year against N31.4 billion in the corresponding period. On the average, the two incomeyielding windows, combined, grew by 50 percent in the first quarter of 2022.

Nigerian Breweries, Nestle and Dangote Sugar recorded the highest revenue haul of N137.8 billion, N110.3 billion and N94.5 billion respectively during the period; while Nestle, Nigerian Breweries and Dangote Sugar posted the highest PAT of N17.9 billion, N13.7 billion and N8.9 billion respectively.

The highest expenses window recorded by the six surveyed firms was in cost of sales (COS) which jumped from N216.3 billion in Q1 2021 to N269.9 billion in Q1 2022, representing a 24.8 percent increase. The COS is the accumulated total of all costs used to create a product or service which has been Continues on page 17

Experts Caution Operators as Access, UBA, Zenith Bank MORE INSIDE Airlines Mull N100K Base For Tickets Ogun Trains 20,000 Farmers Emerge Top Trade Equities ... Say N50K Air Fare Undervalued

BY ANTHONY AWUNOR here is an indication that air travellers in the country may finally bear the brunt of the lingering aviation fuel scarcity that is threatening the industry.

T

Investigations have shown that,

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to Boost Food Security, Job Creation

with the unending negotiation between the Major Oil Marketers Association of Nigeria (MOMAN) and domestic airline operators on one side and the refusal of Continues on page 17

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Ease Of Doing Business Attracts $500m Investment To Nasarawa - Sule

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he securities of three Tier-1 deposit money banks (DMBs), Access Bank Plc, United Bank for Africa (UBA) Plc and Zenith Bank Plc emerged the top traded in the Financial Services Sector for the week ended May 13, 2022, data from The Nigerian Exchange Weekly Statistics Report have shown. The three lenders recorded a total share turnover volume of 31,680,958 from 693 deals to lead the Financial Services Sector.

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AVIATION/INDUSTRY Experts Caution Operators as Airlines Mull N100K Base For Tickets Q1 2022: Consumer Goods Firms May Downsize Over High Operating Costs after, both parties are yet to reach a concrete

Continued from page 16

agreement.

On his part, the Managing Director of Nigerian National Petroleum Corporation (NNPC), Mr Mele Kyari, has said that the corporation could not have a fixed price because JetA1 is a deregulated product.

Consequently, airline operators cannot hold onto any price, even though reports give N700 reference points. But the reality is that N700 per litre cannot be a reference point as the current price depends on the market condition, just as it can be higher than N700 depending on the market.

Onyema

For instance, THEWILL has learned that there is usually a build-up to that price because when the customer takes marine at N435, he has to transport to the charter vessel, bring it to his depot, to his fuel station and transport it. So there cannot be two same prices in two different locations, such as Lagos and Maiduguri.

the Nigeria National Petroleum Corporation (NNPC) and Central Bank of Nigeria (CBN) to fix the price of the product, on the other hand, airline operators may be left with no option, other than to increase air fares from N50, 000 base for one-way economy ticket to N100, 000.

Apart from the issue of fuel, the airlines’ operational costs are further bloated due to over 30 charges embedded in a single one-hour flight ticket by government agencies and other stakeholders. In addition, some airports have equally increased their charges, while ground handling companies have also jerked up their own charges.

For aviation fuel, available statistics show that, as at February, 2021 aviation fuel was bought for N190 per litre. In February, 2022, within the span of one year, it climbed up to as high as N440 per litre in most airports across the country. Today, the price is hovering between N600 to N700 per litre.

With the rapid fluctuation of the price of aviation fuel, the industry has witnessed a lot of inconsistencies in the past one year. For instance, when Jet A1 was sold for N190 a year ago, a flight ticket for a one-way economy trip was purchased at N23,000.

Although the oil marketers and the airline operators have been asked to meet and agree on a transparent basis of pricing, three months

“

One way out of the tight situation, experts say, is for the airline operators to commence the process of securing a license for the importation of aviation fuel to avoid suspicion over the landing cost of the product and other associated logistic issues THEWILLNIGERIA

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One way out of the tight situation, experts say, is for the airline operators to commence the process of securing a license for the importation of aviation fuel so as to avoid suspicion over the landing cost of the product and other associated logistic issues.

As a result of these challenges, domestic airline operators in the country had a few weeks ago threatened to embark on suspension of operations in response to the astronomic and continuously rising cost of JetA1.

Reacting to these challenges that operators are facing, the President of Aviation Round Table (ART) Dr. Gabriel Olowo said that aviation fuel has been an issue for an upwards of 20 years in Nigeria without serious attention.

“Yet airlines keep operating out of being patriotic. Regrettably this is planning for an accident.

“This has been the essence of my consistent advocacy for upward review of tariffs all the time. But how high can tariffs go given the average passenger purchasing power? If any airline pretends about this problem, such airline must be receiving subsidies for the business or ‘cutting corners’.

“No operational and management skill can answer for this uncontrollable factor of the business. Government must provide a lasting solution once and for all at this time.

While I also appeal to the airlines to heed the Minister’s appeal to endure and stretch a little more but not beyond their elastic limit,” he said.

Also commenting, the Secretary General of the Association of Nigerian Aviation Professionals (ANAP), Comrade Abdulrasaq Saidu blamed the government for the difficulties airline operators are facing in getting fuel.

Comrade Saidu opined that if the refineries were in a good shape, the issue of fuel scarcity would not arise. He therefore cautioned the airline to operate only at their convenience based on their cost of operation.

“I will blame the government for the fuel crises we have at hand because if the refineries were working, the challenge wouldn’t have been there. I advise the operators to be very careful and operate within the limits of their convenience, so that they don’t overstretch themselves”, the ANAP scribe said.

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Continued from page 16

sold. It represents the direct costs related to the manufacturing of goods and services that are sold.

Nigerian Breweries, Dangote Sugar and Nestle posted the highest COS of N75.4 billion, N75 billion and N67 billion, respectively.

The companies’ raw/packaging materials inventories showed a total of N161.4 billion during the three months of the year, a 20 percent rise from N134.7 billion spent in the corresponding period in 2021.

Nigerian Breweries report showed N54.7 billion worth of raw/packaging materials inventory during the period. Others are Dangote Sugar and Nestle with N48.2 billion and N32.3 billion respectively.

Employee expenses/entitlements during the period grew by 23 percent to N63.6 billion from N51.8 billion posted in Q1 2021, with Unilever recording the highest employee/personnel expenses/entitlements of N37.9 billion followed by Nigerian Breweries with N13.6 billion. The other higher number was that of Nestle which recorded N8.4 billion.

Sales/Marketing/Distribution expenses by the six firms totaled N57.9 billion against N40.5 billion in the corresponding period which reflects a 43.3 percent increase. Nigerian Breweries recorded N32.2 billion, followed

by Nestle and Guinness with N14.3 billion and 8.3 billion respectively.

Tax expenses by the surveyed firms rose by 66.5 percent to N26 billion from N15.6 billion in Q1 2022 with Nestle, Nigerian Breweries and Dangote Sugar posting the highest: N9.9 billion, N7.2 billion and N4.8 billion respectively. Two companies recorded net losses on foreign exchange transactions: Nigerian Breweries N1.9 billion and Guinness N286 million.

With their profit/revenue windows showing an average 50 percent growth year-on-year, against an average 92 percent increase in the sampled six key cost/expenses indices, experts express concern over the ability of the sector to cope with the impending headwind.

The immediate past director-general of Lagos Chamber of Commerce and Industry (LCCI) Dr Muda Yusuf expressed concern that some firms may shut down if their customers can no longer afford to buy their products.

“It calls for a lot of creativity and innovation on the part of the firms so that they can continue in business”, Yusuf said, explaining that the trend could create four scenarios.

He posited that the firms may find a means of breaking their products into smaller units that the consumer can buy or scale down their operations by reducing the size of their workers

“

The high operating cost will reverse the gains of recovery by the FMCG firms after the double tragedy of the 2020 COVID-19-induced recession and the 15-months land border closure which offered a ray of hope for the small firms engaged in the backward integration policy

or reducing their working hours.

Also, they may pass the extra cost to their consumers by increasing the price of their products.

“In a worst case scenario, the firms may shut down because it is better to be on zero than to be running negative”, Dr Yusuf, who is now the CEO, Centre for the Promotion of Private Enterprise (CPPE) told THEWILL by telephone.

The high operating cost will reverse the gains of recovery by the FMCG firms after the double tragedy of the 2020 COVID19-induced recession and the 15-months land border closure which offered a ray of hope for the small firms engaged in the backward integration policy.

Backward integration is a practice where companies are encouraged to cultivate their own raw materials by purchasing their suppliers or establishing farms to grow produce for their factories.

Operators in the SME space belonging to various sectors, especially agriculture and transportation, have benefited from the policy as the FMCG firms take giant strides in supporting and implementing the policy.

The fortune decline for the subsector will severely impact on the margins of the small businesses playing at various points of the value chain.

For instance, Nestlé Nigeria planned to engage 5,000 smallholder farmers for the supply of raw materials for its agro-business operations. The initiative, ‘Developing Inclusive Grain Value Chains Project’, is in partnership with IDH— a Sustainable Trade Initiative and TechoServe outfit.

Continues on page 18

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FINANCE

Spotlight Shines on Nigeria’s Growing Fiscal Deficit

BY LUKMAN OTUNUGA

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t is no secret that many developing countries bear high fiscal deficits in the pursuit of economic growth.

Nigeria’s ballooning debt profile is a perfect example of how excessive government spending can place an economy in an unfavorable position, despite its mission to stimulate growth. This remains a major talking point across international institutions as the country’s rising budget deficit threatens its long-term outlook.

Indeed, the Federal Government recorded an N2.23 trillion fiscal deficit in the final quarter of 2021 thanks to shortfalls in oil revenues. Last year, the deficit expanded to a whopping N7.3 trillion after the actual expenditure of N11.69 trillion eclipsed the revenues of N4.39 trillion.

This certainly does not bode well for the economy and may have immediate ramifications like a downgrade in bond ratings which could result in higher interest rates on loans. This becomes a vicious cycle because higher interest rates for future borrowing may increase the deficit if revenues fail to rise.

Ahmed

Over the past 10 years, Africa’s largest economy has been spending beyond its revenues with the IMF forecasting the government deficit to widen to 6.4 percent of GDP this year from 6 per cent at the end of 2021. Nigeria’s total public debt is expected to reach 44.2 per cent of GDP by 2027! One of the primary dangers of a budget deficit is the continued increase in prices. If the deficit forces the Central Bank of Nigeria (CBN) to release more money into the economy, such could feed into inflationary pressures – threatening economic growth. It does not end here, the ballooning debt lowers Nigeria’s national savings, encourages spending cuts, decreases the ability to respond to domestic/external shocks, and most importantly increases the risk of a fiscal crisis.

The burning question is how can Nigeria reduce its fiscal deficit? On paper, the most logical steps would be to either increase revenues or decrease spending. In regards to boosting revenue, Nigeria earns more than 90 per cent of its foreign exchange and 70 per cent of government revenue from oil exports. Given how the forces influencing oil prices are beyond the country’s control, this may not be a reliable source of revenue. On top of this, the nasty combination of sub-optimal oil production and fuel subsidies has burned and eaten into oil sales.

This leaves the government with taxes. Back in 2019, the tax-to-GDP ratio in Nigeria was a paltry 6 per cent, which was lower than the average of the 30 African countries in Revenue Statistics in Africa 2021 (16.6 per cent). In fact, out of the 30 countries, Nigeria had the lowest figure while Tunisia had the highest tax-to-GDP at 34.3 per cent.

According to the World Bank, tax revenues above 15 per cent of a country’s GDP are a key ingredient for economic growth and poverty reduction. It is worth keeping in mind that Nigeria increases its VAT rate from 5 per cent to 7.5 per cent in February 2020. However, the IMF has stated that the country needs to increase VAT to at least 10% this year and 15 per cent by 2025 to boost revenues after it recovers from a recession.

There are reports that Nigeria is considering a bond sale targeted at the diaspora to raise funds with the goal of narrowing its budget deficit. According to Bloomberg, the government may sell the debt after it repays $300 million of diaspora bonds maturing in June. Should such a move prove successful, this could boost sentiment towards Africa’s largest economy and reduce its widening fiscal deficit. The federal government expects this year’s deficit will widen by an extra 965 billion Naira to 7.35 trillion naira, amounting to roughly 4% of gross domestic product.

Given how Nigeria’s need for borrowing has ramped up due to geopolitical risks and the lingering effects of the COVID-19 pandemic, the bond sale could offer a lifeline at a time when external and domestic risks are threatening the country’s fragile economic recovery.

•Otunuga is a Senior Research Analyst at FXTM Ltd.

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“

One of the primary dangers of a budget deficit is the continued increase in prices. If the deficit forces the Central Bank of Nigeria (CBN) to release more money into the economy, such could feed into inflationary pressures – threatening economic growth

Q1 2022: Consumer Goods Firms May Downsize Over High Operating Costs Continued from page 17

Nestle revealed that the objectives of the project include: working with six small and mediumsized enterprises (SMEs) that aggregate crops and supply them to Nestlé factories; aggregators and sub-aggregators will receive training on proper grain handling, storage, and testing, as well as entrepreneurial and financial skills; while logistics partners will receive training on proper handling and storage of grain during transit.

Nigerian Breweries stepped up local production of sorghum and cassava to boost local raw material supply for its plants. The FMCG firm has made significant strides towards the development and commercial cultivation of sorghum and its use by the industry since the 80’s.

FrieslandCampina WAMCO Nigeria has developed its local raw milk sourcing in a bid to support backward integration, an initiative that has provided a source of sustained income to almost 2,000 farmers (including 900 women).

Manufacturers in the flour milling sector have been taking steps to increase their tempo of backward integration in recent times. Flour Mills of Nigeria Plc has invested in Thai Farms and other agricultural projects to cultivate raw materials for most of its processes. Cadbury Nigeria established a cocoa processing plant in Ondo.

The challenged performance of the FMCGs firms emanates from the rising cost of goods and services which is eating into companies’ profits at levels not seen since 2017. This is despite price adjustments made across board by most of the consumer goods companies.

Latest report from the National Bureau of Statistics (NBS) states Nigeria’s inflation rate at 15.92 percent up from 15.7 percent reported in February. The rise in operating cost of many companies revealed dips in gross margins negatively impacting profitability growth.

Specifically, Nigerian companies spent a huge sum on power in the first quarter of 2022 as the cost of energy surged significantly across most countries in the world. Escalating power supply blackouts worsen the situation by forcing businesses and households to buy more diesel and petrol to operate generators. Cost of diesel sold as high as N850 per litre in some areas of the country, while some firms had to cut down on working hours in order to manage costs.

The spiral effects also extended to the cost of transportation on the back of petrol scarcity which lingered for six weeks in a row, caused by the importation of adulterated fuel. Notably, the high cost of operating expenses is rampaging the entire economic landscape hitting hard on the small and medium enterprises (SMEs) which are direct beneficiaries of the recovery phase of the FMCGs after the COVID-19 pandemic. Whilst price increases have helped cushion rising cost for some of the companies, experts anticipate a further dip in profits in the short to medium term if the current inflationary trends persist.

Last month, the Manufacturers Association of Nigeria (MAN) warned that the high costs of diesel used by their members could lead to a high cost of goods and services due to escalating cost of production.

“Knowing that diesel has been deregulated removes the question of a buffer to the cost. The law of demand and supply is at play here and since we have historically lacked local refining capability, we are left at the mercy of the vagaries of international price and the geopolitics of it. As long as the price of crude oil continues to go up, price of AGO will equally skyrocket,” DirectorGeneral, Manufacturers Association of Nigeria (MAN) Mr. Segun Ajayi-Kadir said.

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BUSINESS NEWS Ease Of Doing Business Attracts $500m Investment to Nasarawa – Sule FROM KAJO MARTINS , MAKURDI

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overnor Abdullahi Sule of Nasarawa State has said that the ease of doing business and investment promotion have attracted over $500 million investment into key sectors in the state within the last three years.

According to him, the implementation of Nasarawa Economic Development Strategy (NEDS) is already reflecting in not just improved outcomes in key areas, but also in terms of developmental impacts of the State as is evident in the significant increase in the Internally Generated Revenue (IGR), by 49% in 2020 during the Covid-19 pandemic.

L-R: Imo State Commissioner for Petroleum Resources, Hon. Goodluck Opiah; Divisional Manager, Stakeholders’ Management & Community Development, Nigerian Agip Oil Company Limited, Mr Chris Eke; Imo State Governor, Hope Uzodimma; General Manager District (GMD), Nigerian Agip Oil Company Limited, Mr Giordano Crema; Asst. Manager, Government Relations, Nigerian Agip Oil Company Limited, Mrs Uloma Olosunde, and Manager, Government Relations, Nigerian Agip Oil Company Limited, Mr Tonye Young-Arley, when Agip Oil Company Limited paid a working visit to the Governor in Owerri on May 12, 2022.

Access, UBA, Zenith Bank Emerge Top Trade Equities Continued from page 16

Access Bank Plc recorded 9,719,846 share turnover volume in 183 deals while UBA’s 192 transaction deals resulted in 11,686,086 share turnover volumes. Zenith Bank securities were traded in 318 deals recording 10,275,026 share turnover volumes.

FBN Holdings under ‘Other Financial Institutions’ sub-sector recorded share turnover volume of 6,456,942 in 159 deals.

Specifically, Access, UBA and Zenith Bank securities account for 83 percent of the total Financial Services 38,147,900 share turnover volume at the end of the week, according to The Nigerian Exchange Weekly Report seen by THEWILL. The ICT Sector recorded 632,901 share turnover volumes in 449 deals The Industrial Goods sector recorded a total of 15,289,771 share turnover volumes in 579 deals, while Oil & Gas securities traded in 28 deals recorded 210,127 share turnover volume.

Generally, for Equity market, a total turnover of 1.816 billion shares worth N27.194 billion in 36,286 deals was traded last week by investors on the floor of the Exchange, in contrast to a total of 1,598 billion shares valued at N19.603 billion that exchanged hands in the previous week in 21,494 deals.

The Financial Services Industry (measured by volume) led the activity chart with 904.860 million shares valued at N8.498 billion traded in 12,883 deals; thus contributing 49.82 percent and 31.25 percent to the total equity turnover volume and value respectively. The Conglomerates Industry followed with 263.830 million shares worth N540.313 million in 1,651 deals.

The third place was The Consumer Goods Industry, with a turnover of 238.964 million shares worth N5.816 THEWILLNIGERIA

billion in 7,635 deals. Trading in the top three equities namely Transnational Corporation Plc, Guaranty Trust Holding Company Plc and Jaiz Bank Plc (measured by volume) accounted for 459,179 million shares worth N3.294 billion in 3,645 deals, contributing 25.28 percent and 12.11 percent to the total equity turnover volume and value respectively.

For the Bond market, a total of 43,629 units valued at N48.535 million were traded this week in 33 deals compared with a total of 13,800 units valued at N14.387 million transacted last week in 7 deals.

The NGX All-Share Index and Market Capitalization appreciated by 4.25 percent to close the week at 53,098.46 and N28.626 trillion respectively.

Similarly, all other indices finished higher with the exception of NGX Insurance, NGX AFR Div Yield, and NGX Sovereign bond indices which depreciated at 1.9 2.82 percent, and 0.02 percent, while, NGX Asem index closed flat.

Reports on the performance of the Nigerian Exchange since the years have revealed that the nation’s bourse showcases an All Share Index (ASI) that crossed 50,000 as of Wednesday, May 4th , with trading closing at 50,126 points.

This is the first time the All-Share Index, which is the broad index that measures the performance of Nigerian Stocks, has exceeded the 50,000 mark since July 2008 when it closed at 53,110.

The ASI rose to as high as 65,652.4 in February 2008, its highest ever, and had since then not exceeded the 50,000 point.

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*Continues online at www. thewillnigeria.com THEWILLNIGERIA

Ogun Trains 20,000 Farmers to Boost Food Security, Job Creation FROM SEGUN AYINDE, ABEOKUTA

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gun State Government says it will be training over 20,000 farmers in modern farming technique through extension officers across the 20 Local Government Area of the State to boost food security and job creation in Agric value-chain Commissioner for Agriculture, Dr. Adeola Odedina, who stated this at a Capacity Building Programme for the extension officers in Abeokuta, said that the training was part of the Ogun Cares FADAMA RA 2 project to cushion the effect of COVID-19 on poor and vulnerable farmers in the state The project is an intervention of the State Government in collaboration with Federal Government and the World Bank, aimed at restoring the livelihood of the poor and the vulnerable farmers to maintain food security by giving grants to them and those in agricultural value chain Odedina, who was represented by the Permanent Secretary in the Ministry, Dr. Dotun Sorunke, said that the programme for the extension officers became imperative to train and assist the over 20,000 farmers to restore their livelihood and produce food for the populace The commissioner stated that with the establishment of the programme the future is bright for the state in agriculture especially in the area of food sufficiency and job creation in agric value-chain which would aid industrialization in the state “We put up this capacity building programme because we want you all to be transformed and we don’t want you to miss the road, so you don’t mislead the farmers. You can only give what you know because if you learn good things, you will produce good things.

Your work will also involve gathering of information and data capturing, so you need to be attentive and make use of every knowledge gained”, he added.

“We are already on track to surpass that of 2020. It is important to state that an independent evaluation platform (Kingmaker) has also showed that Nasarawa State moved from 24th position in 2016 to 12th position in 2020 in terms of standard of living of the citizens”.

Governor Sule made the disclosure on Wednesday while declaring open a 2-Day Nasarawa Investment Summit, in Lafia, the state capital in which some business experts including the former President of Ghana, John Dramani Mahama; Edo State governor, Godwin Obaseki; President, Dangote Group of Companies, Alhaji Aliko Dangote; former Governor, Central Bank of Nigeria and Emir of Kano, Alhaji Sanusi among others were in attendant.

“Let me welcome His Excellency, John Dramani Mahama, the former President of the Republic of Ghana to Nasarawa State; my colleague, His Excellency, Godwin Obaseki, Executive Governor of Edo State; In the same vein, I welcome the President, Dangote Group, Alh. Aliko Dangote to this historic event; His Royal Highness, Mallam Sanusi Lamido Sanusi, the 14th Emir of Kano and former Governor of the Central Bank of Nigeria to this auspicious occasion”.

Governor Sule expressed optimism that the gathering will offer an opportunity to continue to map the future of an economic landscape, with renewed vigor in order to further explore business opportunities that abound in the State and forge investment partnerships in the Agricultural and Solid Minerals sectors of the State economy.

With the theme: “Diamond In The Rough: The Making Of A New Investment Frontier”, the governor explained that the theme was deliberately coined in line with the vision and philosophy of the present Administration, geared towards driving the State economy for socioeconomic development.

“The Summit is, therefore, aimed at positioning Nasarawa State in the investment destination amongst the top three most competitive States in Nigeria by 2023 in terms of accelerated growth, increased economic opportunities, social inclusion and improved quality of life of citizenry”.

“It is also aimed at promoting investment opportunities and fostering synergy, as well as partnerships between Government institutions and private sector actors, who are critical players in the socioeconomic development of society”. *Continues online at www. thewillnigeria.com

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

Imo State Governor, Hope Uzodimma (M); his wife, Barr. Chioma Uzodimma (R), and Barr. (Mrs) Toyosi Akinrele L-R: Speaker, House of Representatives, Femi Gbajabiamila; Vice President, Prof. Yemi Osinbajo, SAN, and Deputy Ogunsiji (L), when the latter visited Imo State to present some Covid-19 palliatives to the people in Owerri on May Speaker, Ahmed Idris Wase, during the first Conference of Speakers and Heads of African Parliaments (CoSAP) in 10, 2022.

Abuja on May 9, 2022.

L:R: Former Deputy Governor of Lagos State, Mr. Femi Pedro; Ogun State Governor, Prince Dapo Abiodun; Diocesan Bishop of Ijebu S/W, Rev. Babatunde Ogunbanwo, and the distinguished fellow of the Diocese, Dr. Abiodun Shobanjo, during the Thanksgiving Service for the Fourth Synod, at St. Barnabas Anglican Church, Okun-Owa Ijebu, Odogbolu LGA of Ogun State on May 8, 2022.

L-R: Chief Executive, Stanbic IBTC Capital, Funso Akere; Chief Executive Officer, Lagos Free Zone, Dinesh Rathi; Managing Director, Africa, Tolaram Group, Haresh Aswani, and Chief Executive Officer, InfraCredit, Chinua Azubike, during the signing ceremony for Lagos Free Zone Company (LFZC) 20-year Series II Bond , held in Lagos on May 10, 2022.

L:R: Vice Chancellor Lagos State University (LASU), Prof. Ibiyemi Bello; Wife of Lagos State Deputy Governor, Mrs. Oluremi Hamzat; Patron of the event, Wife of the Lagos State Governor, Dr. Mrs. Ibijoke Sanwo-Olu, and Chairman, Orunsi Board and Chief Medical Director, Lagos State Teaching Hospital (LASUTH), Prof. Adetokunbo Fabamwo, during the pre - launch of Orunsi Wellcare Foundation, at Campus Memorial Stadium in Lagos on May 10, 2022.

L-R: Marketing Manager Nigerian Breweries, Elohor Olumide Aweh; CEO, DSTV Media Sales, Fahmeeda CassimSurtee; Executive Head, Content and West Africa Channels, MultiChoice Nigeria, Dr. Busola Tejumola; General Manager, Marketing, Seven-Up Bottling Company, Segun Ogunleye, and Executive Head, DSTV Media Sales, Doris Ohonugo, during the 8th edition of Africa Magic Viewers Choice Awards Gala Night, in Lekki, Lagos on May 7, 2022.

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MAY 15 - MAY 21, 2022 MAY 15 - MAY 21, 2022 T H E W I L L N E W S P A P E R • www.thewillnigeria.com THEWILL NEWSPAPER • www.thewillnigeria.com

BIMBO ADEMOYE Keeping Her Eyes On The Ball

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Nollywood actress and influencer, Bimbo Ademoye speaks with Shade Wesley-Metibogun about life as a thespian, her love for family and sundry issues. Excerpts:

I ALWAYS WANTED TO BE AN ACTRESS – BIMBO ADEMOYE H

ave you always wanted to be an actress?

Yes. I have always wanted to be an actress since I was seven years-old. I was my own judge during an audition conducted by me. I would act in front of the mirror and correct myself, inject one or two things as I displayed my skills. It was fun for me while growing up. I thank God that the dream has come to pass now.

What was your family’s reaction when you told them that you were going into acting?

They were supportive. My dad came for my first audition and waited for six hours. I wasn’t that young then, although I had just finished school. My dad is someone who will support whatever his children want to do. My sister studied Accounting and Economics at two different universities. Today, she is an event planner. My brother studied Bio-Chemistry and had his Masters in Chemical Engineering.

He is a soldier today. My dad is our biggest support system. He is always there for his children.

What are some of the challenges you have encountered in your acting career?

For me, everything started on a positive note. I can say that I have been very lucky. I came into the industry through an amazing woman, Uduak Isong Oguamanam. I didn’t have to sleep with film producers to get roles. She was more like a mother to me when I started out. She took me under her wings and was very protective. So the journey has really been a smooth one for me.

You are flawless when acting comic roles. Did you start as a comic actor?

To be honest with you, everybody wanted me to play the sexy secretary or the actress that snatched someone’s husband or the one that snatched the other person’s boyfriend. But it was Uduak who took a chance on me. She gave me a role different from what I was used to and since then, it has been amazing. People started calling me to come and act this comedy role for them, come and feature in this and that. It has really been very wonderful since then. I can say I owe that woman a lot for the opportunity she gave me.

Which are you most comfortable with, the comic roles or the very serious roles you play Comic roles. I like to make people laugh. It’s something that comes natural to me. I really enjoy making people laugh a lot. But it is more important to prove that I am more than a comedian, I am also an actress. That is why I try to take up serious roles sometimes too.

How does it feel to be nominated for the Africa Magic Viewers Choice Award?

It feels so good. I am super excited. It feels good to be nominated three consecutive times in the same category. I am really looking forward to clinching the award. Everyone wants to win, but if it does not happen, it’s still okay by me. Every single person in the category is my person. Nancy Isime is my girl, Bisola Aiyeola is my sister, my best friend, Funke Akindele-Bello is an idol and I love Sarah Hassan from Kenya. I am fine with whoever wins in that category, but it wouldn’t be bad snatching it from them. If it doesn’t happen, I am okay with it as well.

A lot of actors cross over from the English movie genre to the Yoruba genre. Are you also looking at acting in some Yoruba movies, too?

When I started out, it was in the English movie genre, but I have appeared in two Yoruba movies. One was strictly a Yoruba movie, the second one is by the legendary and amazing Kunle Afolayan.

I can’t wait for people to see the movie. It is titled Anikulapo. It’s coming out very soon. I haven’t really done a lot of Yoruba movies, not because I don’t want to but because I am not ready to go in that direction,. When I am ready, trust me, I will go there and take over.

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You are also a movie producer. Would you say your investment in movies has been worth the while?

Let me be honest with you, I haven’t started recouping all the money I invested in those movies. I am just doing it because I want to learn more as a filmmaker. I believe the time will come to recoup whatever it is I might have invested and I believe that I will do well in it too. I am just doing my best to make good movies, whether I make the money or not. It’s just the love and passion that keeps driving me. One of my movies is called Lola’s Gift, it will start airing very soon. I am also one of the executive producers of the most talked about movie, Gangs of Lagos by Jade Osiberu, it is coming very soon, too. Ademoye I am also one of the producers of the soon to be made Sugar What are the things you look out for when playing romantic Rush II. I was an actor in part one of Sugar Rush and I have just roles? finished a movie I co-produced, it is called The Landlord. We are Please don’t give me an actor that has mouth odour. I am just joking. already at post production.

Just give me an actor who has the same level of energy as I do. If you can pretend like you love me, I too can pretend like I love you, too.

As a filmmaker, what are you most grateful for?

But if you are acting as if you cannot stand me, I will also pretend as A lot of people thought I started earlier than some of my colleagues. if I cannot stand you. Someone that is supposed to be my husband I am super grateful for my talent, I am super grateful for everybody must share the same energy with me. who watches my movies. I appreciate every one of them, there is no me without them. It is not possible to film myself and be watching Which actor have you worked with that brought out the best in and give myself millions of streams. I can’t turn on the television set you? and be watching myself. I am super grateful for every single person Uzor Arukwe is an amazing actor and he has an amazing personality. who has appreciated my craft and I don’t take it for granted.

He is everything. If you are shooting till 2 am and you are complaining that you are tired, Uzor is one of the few that will look Can you compare Asaba Nollywood to what applies in Lagos, for means to make you comfortable. He will do all within him to which is the hub of entertainment? keep you moving. He is one of the people to have in your corner.

Well, I haven’t done anything in Asaba before. I started in Lagos here, but I don’t believe in segregation. We all have our markets.

On social media, you get people rolling on the ground with I will gladly go to Enugu State and shoot a film if the opportunity laughter. Are you considering starting skits, too? comes. I will gladly go to Asaba and make a film if I am given the I am not a comedian really. I do it for the money, let me be very chance. I am all about my craft, I really don’t care how big or small honest with you. There is a lot of money on You Tube and I am also the place is or how big or small the movie is. I will put in the same moving towards that direction. Content creation that would look like amount of energy that I would give a movie produced on a N100 a skit is fine by me. Content creators make large sums of money in million budget and that of a lesser budget. You never can tell which dollars in a week. one will be recognised. My first film back in the days was shot with about N2 Million and in that same year, I played a role in a movie You have one of the most amazing body figures in the industry. that was shot on a N50 Million budget, which wasn’t recognised. So, How do you do it? you never can tell which one will shoot you into the limelight that is I have to be very honest with you, I have gained a lot of weight right why I don’t segregate. It’s the same industry. now, but a waist trainer helps to maintain my figure.

What do you think are the qualities of a good movie?

A good storyline and perfect casting are the qualities of a good movie. Like I said earlier, I don’t care how much your budget is.

Just give me an amazing actor that will give me the same amount of energy that I will give to him or her. Make sure your storyline is top notch and you must follow your story line. Don’t give me a script and when we get to the movie location, you are saying something else entirely. As long as you can follow your storyline, I will look at the village setting and the city setting, then, I am good to go.

What are some of the things you would consider before accepting a character?

I have been very choosy about the role I play nowadays. It is because I need something that is very challenging. Everybody knows that I am funny at this point. So, I am tired of funny scripts. People can tell what they will see from me. That is why I need something different, let me show you that I can make you cry or keep you surprised. I am not saying that I am tired of comedy but let me slowdown on that path a little bit.

Now that you are fishing for a more challenging role, if you are offered a role where you are required to go naked, will you take it?

Never! My dad is watching. I can’t play such roles.

Do you have a phobia for anything?

Yes I do, I have a phobia for heights. I can never seat by the window in a plane. If I am by the window, it’s either you cover it or you change my seat, I don’t want to see anything strange.

You display your family with so much love on social media, especially your dad and your nephew. You must be very close to them I come from a very loving family. It makes me happy when people notice because I do it effortlessly. They all mean a lot to me. My sister is my world. Everyone knows that I am obsessed with my nephew. I call my dad my soul mate. I talk to my dad every day, maybe like ten times in a day and I talk about my family every day, too. You can’t be in this occupation forever. Sometimes things may not go so well in life and your family will always be there to stand by you. I am really big on family.

What advice do you have for up-and-coming actresses, as regards sex for roles in movies?

Nobody should give sex or money just to appear in a movie. Just do your thing. It is difficult to tell them what to do because what works for me may not work for them. I will just say put in your best and follow your passion. Let life unfold by itself in your journey.

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MAY 15 - MAY 21, 2022 T H E W I L L N E W S P A P E R • www.thewillnigeria.com

STORIES BY IVORY UKONU

Hosa Okunbo’s Family Bicker Over Sale of Banana Island Property T

MALAMI’S CRONIES SUFFER SETBACK AFTER COURT ORDER ON ASSETS RECOVERY, SALE

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or Port Harcourt-based private estate surveyors and valuers, Gerry Ikputu & Partners and M. E. Sheriff & Co, a law firm, the pain of losing out completely in a plum but questionable deal with the AttorneyGeneral of the Federation, Abubakar Malami, is better imagined than felt.

The cookie crumbled for both firms after a recent court judgement nullified Malami’s order on the recovery and disposal of assets under the Asset Tracing, Recovery and Management Regulations.

The judgement, passed on Monday, May 9, 2022 by Justice Ambrose Lewis-Allagoa of the Federal High Court, Lagos, in suit FHC/L/ CS/40/2021, established that the regulations conflicted with the roles of the Economic and Financial Crimes Commission (EFCC) Act, Trafficking in Persons (Prohibition) Enforcement and Administrative Act, 2015, National Drug Law Enforcement Agency (NDLEA) Act, 2004 and Independent Corrupt Practices Commission Act (ICPC), 2000, among others, on the matter of disposal of final forfeited assets.

It would be recalled that in 2020, Malami inaugurated an intermnisterial committee on the disposal of assets forfeited to the Federal Government, which was headed by his ministry. The minister had claimed that it was in accordance with President Muhammadu Buhari’s directive issued in October 2018, following the recommendations of the Presidential Audit Committee on Recovery and Management of Stolen Assets and a need for efficient management of the assets.

However, it turned out that the Ministry of Justice under Malami wasn’t transparent in performing the role it usurped from the three agencies. This lack of transparency

allegedly began when in October 2021, Malami secretly awarded a multi-billion-naira assets recovery contract to Gerry Ikputu & Partners who further engaged M. E. Sheriff & Co, as its agent.

Malami had charged the firms to recover identified large expanses of land and buildings said to belong to the Federal Government in 10 states and the Federal Capital Territory.

Not only will the firms be entitled to three per cent of the worth of every successful recovery, Malami’s letter awarding them the contract allegedly had a secrecy clause that bars them from making the details of the work public. The contractors would only be paid their share of the proceeds after the disposal of the recovered assets.

The firm was given six months to get the job done.

According to the terms of engagement, the law firm was expected to hand over the recovered assets to the AGF for further action and directives. The law firm was also charged by the AGF to work as a Project Team in collaboration with the Asset Recovery and Management Unit of the ministry of justice, headed

by Ladidi Bara’atu Mohammed, in carrying out their duty.

While the law firm and the estate valuer were already counting their chickens before they were hatched, not a few people felt that Malami’s move was nothing but sheer abuse of power. They expressed grave concern about the assets recovery contracts being shrouded in secrecy, devoid of competitive bidding and not in line with established procurement processes.

Like Justice Lewis-Allagoa’s judgement, these critics argued that the EFCC, the ICPC and the NDLEA

Malami were the only agencies empowered to recover stolen public assets and not the AGF’s office. They decried a situation where the AGF prefers giving jobs meant for government agencies to his friends and cronies, making public transactions to be shrouded in secrecy. They maintained that the AGF has no business hiring a third party to do the job.

Malami carried on till early this year when a petition written to the EFCC forced it to launch an investigation into an alleged case of diversion of public funds in the ministry of justice.

THEWILL had exclusively reported that Mohammed alongside Ojuekaiye Solomon, Grace Tizhe Ibrahim, Mohammed Ibrahim, Okon Eyo-Okon, Kingsley Iheanacho, Monek and Smart Taire, all staff of the ministry of justice – were grilled for their alleged connivance with Malami.

While EFCC was hard at work and ended up unable to establish a case of fraud against the staff, HEDA Resource Centre decided to drag Malami to court challenging the AGF’s power to set up the committee. HEDA sought nine reliefs, including the nullification of all disposals of assets by the AGF’s Committee. In its judgment, the court dismissed the AGF’s preliminary objection and granted all of HEDA’s reliefs as prayed on the motion paper.

Now that the winds beneath the wings of the real estate and law firms have been cut off, perhaps, if and when Malami’s ambition to rule Kebbi State comes to pass, he just might be in a position to reward them for their efforts in the short period they carried out his bidding.

he last has obviously not been heard about the crisis that has befallen the family of late Captain Idahosa Wells Okunbo over the sale of some of his prized property. THEWILL had exclusively reported that barely two weeks after he passed on, the issue of how his numerous assets scattered across the country would be managed became a dilemma. A decision to put up his Abuja based luxury multi-billionnaira hotel, The Wells Carlton Hotel and Apartments, for sale came to the front burner. Some close relatives of the deceased, including his hitherto estranged second wife, Nosa, whom he parted ways with in very controversial circumstances and reconciled with before his passing, had unanimously decided to sell the hotel.

While the family was quick to debunk news of the sale, a close family source told THEWILL that the late Okunbo had, indeed, planned to dispose of the hotel and he mandated another member of his family to look for investors who would take over the hotel.

This close relative had succeeded in getting investors, but what they were supposedly offering for the hotel was not in tandem with what the late businessman had wanted.

As a result, he decided to suspend the sale.

Unfortunately, he did not succeed

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the contaminated milk product and possible recall of the contaminated batch of milk from markets and distributors, the General Manager of the agency, Afolabi Solebo, forced FrieslandCampina to embark on an independent forensic investigation of the product to ascertain whether the batch number of the said milk originated from them or emanated from another source and mandated it to turn in the results of the investigation. The agency on its own equally carried out a forensic test on the

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products in an accredited laboratory in Lagos.

At a stakeholders meeting held at the head office of LASCOPA in Ikeja which had in attendance representatives of FrieslandCampina Plc, the Nigeria Police Force, Glad Global Concepts and the complainants who raised the alarm over contaminated milk products, Solebo, reiterated LASCOPA’s duty to protect Lagosians and shield them from any form of hazardous products that may likely have a negative health impact, regardless of whose ox is gored.

Okunbo the one who hatched the plan to sell the building. And, in an ironic twist of fate, Nosa who many thought would be the one to broach the idea to sell the building, considering her extravagant lifestyle, which she may want to fund with proceeds from the sale of the house, is the one putting her foot down to prevent the sale.

Okunbo died at the age of 63 on August 8, 2021, in a London hospital after a one-year battle with pancreatic cancer.

Interpol Probes Fintech CEOs For Laundering N128bn in Kenya

Demuren & Nehikhare

FrieslandCampina Endangers Consumers’ T Health With Contaminated Milk he Nigerian market would have been saturated with contaminated milk from FrieslandCampina Nigeria Plc, makers of Peak Milk, but for the timely intervention of the Lagos State Consumer Protection Agency (LASCOPA).

A few weeks ago, there were reported sales of contaminated milk products injurious to humans in various open markets in Lagos State. This prompted the closure of a warehouse in the Isheri area of Lagos State by LASCOPA. To unravel the source of

in selling the hotel before he died. Just when everyone thought that the matter had been resolved amicably within the family and an agreement reached on how to properly manage his assets, some members of the family are already eyeing another multi-billionnaira investment with plans to sell it off to the highest bidder.

The building, a 20-bedroom mansion located in Banana Island, Ikoyi, Lagos is now a subject of dispute. But Nosa, who has since reverted to her maiden name, has warned the unsuspecting public not to purchase the building, which may be offered as a distress sale.

To this end, a caveat was promptly lodged at the probate Registry High Court of Lagos State, Ikeja Division for prohibition of grant of probate in respect of the building. Findings by THEWILL reveal that one of the late businessman’s children is allegedly

he recurrent disturbing news straight out of the financial technology industry calls for great concern. From stories about bullying, intimidation, sabotaging work opportunities to insider trading, fraud, impersonation, inappropriate behaviour in the workplace, the latest infraction is by Eghosasere Nehikhare, founder of Boltpay and CEO OF Multigate limited and Bukunmi Olufemi Demuren, founder and board chairman of Multigate Limited.

The Fintech tycoons who both allegedly have a history of using tax havens to avoid taxes are at the centre of investigations by the Assets Recovery Agency, Kenya and Interpol for a string of suspicious transfers of $221 million (N128 billion) from Nigeria in local currency, which is worth Kenya Sh25 billion. Interpol is seeking to unravel the puzzle behind the laundered money which was wired into Kenya from Nigeria between October and November 2020.

For over two months, the Kenyan

authorities have been investigating a string of cash transfers from Nigeria without realizing that they may hold the key to unlocking the whereabouts of Sh25 billion at the centre of local and international money laundering rings. Nehikhare and Demuren who allegedly enjoy the backing of a powerful Kenyan politician and two other prominent Kenyans, wired the cash in US dollars and Euros to Kenyan banks through multiple companies registered locally with shared ownership and suspect addresses.

On April 5, ARA obtained court orders freezing Sh5.6 billion in six bank accounts, unaware that the network of firms and individuals had moved another Sh20 billion through local lenders in one month in 2020. The network of six firms involved in this deal are OIT Africa, Avalon Offshore Logistics, RemX Capital Ltd, RemX Ltd, RemX Investment Partners and Multigate Ltd. They moved the money from Nigeria to Kenya before wiring some of the funds to countries in Europe and Asia. Mutligate

and RemX are among companies registered in Kenya, Dubai and Nigeria and which are at the heart of the money transfers. Avalon Offshore Logistics Limited, Oit Africa Limited and RemX Capital Limited are the owners of the accounts deposited with the money and investigators have so far frozen the accounts of the three firms.

Two bank accounts belonging to Avalon Offshore Logistics Limited held at Equity Bank are holding $374,630 (Sh43,408,490) and €3,824.66 (Sh472,809), suspected to be proceeds of crime. OIT Africa’s three bank accounts held at Equity and United Bank for Africa (UBA) are holding a total of $41,715,444 (Sh4,833,568,496), while Remix’s account at UBA is holding $6,648,838 (Sh770,400,859).

A court order by Kenyan Justice, Esther Maina has barred the three firms, Avalon Offshore Logistics Limited, OIT Africa and Remix and their employees, agents, servants or any other persons acting on their behalf from transacting, withdrawing, transferring or dealing in any manner howsoever with any profits or benefits derived or accrued from the funds. While the directors of RemX Capital are John Kisilu Kamusina and Evalyne Wawira Gachoki, of Kenyan origin, the directors of Avalon Offshore are Nigerians; Jeffrey Nnaoma Michaels and Uduma Okoro Christopher Kalu. OIT Africa directors are Vionnah Akoth Odongo and Kenneth Odongo Raminya while Multigate Limited directors are Olubunmi Akinbanjo Akinyemiju, Nehikhare Eghosasere and Demuren Olufemi Olukunmi.

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STORIES BY IVORY UKONU

US Accused Of Romancing Nigerian Businessman With Criminal Record

A TALE OF TWO EX-CONVICTS GUNNING FOR POLITICAL OFFICES

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Abudu

Waya

Odunze hey may likely not know each other but they both have two things in common: both are convicted fraudsters and both are gunning to hold political offices in 2023. While Uche Ben Odunze is contesting for a seat in the House of Representatives to represent Orlu/Osu/Oru/Imo East Federal Constituency on the platform of the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP), Inuwa Ibrahim Waya has his eyes set on taking over from Governor Abdullahi Ganduje of Kano State on the platform of the ruling All Progressives Congress.

While Waya, who was the Managing Director of Duke Oil Services, the commodity trading subsidiary of the Nigerian National Petroleum Corporation (NNPC), has been nursing a political ambition even as a civil servant, Odunze bide his time before testing the political waters, having acquainted himself with the constitutional provisions that allow convicted criminals to run for office in Nigeria after 10 years of their conviction. By February 25, 2023, when the National

Assembly election will take place, according to the timetable released by the Independent National Electoral Commission, Odunze’s post-conviction would have been a little over 10 years. Odunze, who claims to be 41 years-old, was sentenced to prison on January 17, 2013, under the name Uche Ben Odunzeh for defrauding the American Centre for Medicare and Medicaid System (CMS). He lied to the US Government to claim remuneration for supplying sophisticated high-end wheelchairs but his company, Emerald Medical, only provided cheap and basic wheelchairs to beneficiaries of the Medicaid health programme. He was paid $6,157 per wheelchair, almost twice the price of the basic chairs he supplied, earning himself a whopping $232,470 more than the actual cost of the equipment delivered.

In addition, he swindled the US Government to the tune of $44,913 for adult incontinence items that he did not deliver to Medicaid beneficiaries. Guilty of the one-count charge of defrauding

the foreign government, Odunze opted for a plea deal that reduced his sentence to 19 months, forfeiture of $277,383 to the US government and deportation for living illegally in the US before his arrest and conviction. He was also slammed with three years of supervisory release.

As for Waya, who has vowed to challenge the incumbent deputy governor of the state, Nasiru Gawuna, as Ganduje’s anointed candidate, he was allegedly arrested by the National Crime Agency in the United Kingdom for over invoicing fuel imports under the former Group Managing Director of NNPC, Maikanti Baru.

This made the NNPC to close down the operations of Duke Oil in London. If by any means, §§these two individuals both manage to win the elections, like a serving South-West governor who is battling to secure a second term in office over a previous conviction in the US, it will simply speak volumes about the calibre of people Nigerians prefer to elect into political offices.

Brother Battles Terry Waya’s Ex-Wife For Benue Govt House

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illionaire businessman, Terry Waya is in a current state of dilemma over who to support between his ex-wife, Susan Waya whom he is still great friends with and his brother, Joseph Waya, as they both battle each other for a pride of place in the government house of Benue State. Although Susan was the first to declare her intentions back in August 2021, with Joseph only declaring his ambition last week, there are indications that it will be a tough and fierce battle between the two who have no intention to step down for the other.

Susan who plans to actualise her ambition on the platform of the Peoples Democratic Party currently resides in the United Kingdom as a business analyst but has been coming home more frequently to ensure that

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her dream doesn’t fizzle out. Her ex-brother-inlaw on the other hand, a veteran journalist and ex-publisher of Accord Newspaper, is optimistic that he will win the race on the platform of the All Progressive Grand Alliance.

While Susan is yet to roll out her manifesto, Joseph already dreams about how he will effectively tackle insecurity, give attention to the educational sector by encouraging technical and vocational education, infrastructural development, industrialization and setting up of cottage industries.

Perhaps the older Waya should split his loyalty and support them with as much financial wherewithal as his account balance can muster and allow the best man win the race. That way, he is not accused of supporting one against the other.

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MO ABUDU FINALLY ENDS RELATIONSHIP WITH SERVING SOUTH-WEST GOVERNOR

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he once chummy relationship between movie producer and boss of EbonyLife and Films, Mosunmola Abudu and a serving South-West governor is officially over.

At the height of their relationship, this governor always attended events and parties hosted by Mo as she is fondly called. As expected, he was always given preferential treatment at such soirees. But after an expose on her by those gunning to tear down her reputation, alleging that she is guilty of committing several infractions with two governors (a former and a serving one) for contracts and outright refusal to execute the contracts, even after receiving payment up front etc, this serving governor decided to keep her at an arm’s length. The last known event the governor was sighted at with her in attendance, was a fashion, music and food festival. The governor was compelled to be there with his wife because the event, a brainchild of Mo, was organised in collaboration with the state government. Besides, the deal had been signed and sealed long before the expose.

Attempts by the mother of two and grandmother of one to interact with the governor during the event backfired as she was promptly prevented from getting anywhere near him. That turned out to be the beginning of the end of their relationship.

This fact became even more pronounced recently when the movie producer hosted a cross-section of public figures to the premiere of her Netflix movie, Blood Sisters. The governor was clearly missing from the crowd. Although the event turned out to be a success, his presence perhaps would have given it an added boost.

Now that it is certain that they are both two poles apart, one wonders what eventually becomes of the other initiatives she partnered with the state government.

he United States Government has been accused of being in cahoots with one of Nigeria’s wealthiest men with criminal records, Gilbert Chagoury, a Nigerian-Lebanese developer. It would be recalled that in May 2019, the US Mission in Nigeria revealed that it had acquired 50,000 square feet of land at the Eko Atlantic, the four-square miles of land in Lagos reclaimed from the Atlantic Ocean and features residential and commercial properties, to build the largest consulate in the world. Last month, it laid the foundation of the consulate.

The US mission revealed that it will spend more than half a billion dollars on the gigantic building which was designed by Ennead, a New York architectural firm. It also added that at completion, it will employ 2,500 Nigerian citizens in various roles.

What is more interesting about the consulate is the fact that its location is owned and funded

by Chagoury who is well known for being associated with money laundering, fraud etc. Like his Nigerian counterpart, President Muhammadu Buhari, whose mantra, upon assuming office, was war against corruption, which is now being called to question, the relationship between the US and Chagoury has now raised concerns about President Joe Biden’s pledge or lack thereof, to tackle international corruption.

Born in Nigeria to Lebanese immigrants, Chagoury co-founded the Chagoury Group in Lagos in 1971 with tentacles spread in some of the most viable sectors of the economy. Chagoury owns the Eko Hotel & Suites, HITECH Construction Company and ITB Construction Ltd among several others.

The 76-year-old has spent the past 40 years building political connections both in the US and Nigeria. He flourished in the 1990s through his close association with the late Sani Abacha. In 2000, he was convicted by a Swiss court for laundering some of the funds Abacha looted from Nigeria. He

agreed to pay a fine of about 1 million Swiss francs (about $600,000) at that time to get his Swiss conviction expunged and handed back $66 million to the Nigerian government but denied knowing the funds were stolen.

Since the 1990s, Chagoury cultivated a friendship with the Clinton family, in part by writing big checks, including an estimated $5 million to the Clinton Foundation, this is despite being a non-citizen forbidden by law to make donations to the campaigns of US politicians.

But Chagoury flouted that law with his numerous donations. By the time Hillary Clinton became secretary of State, the relationship was strong enough for one of Bill Clinton’s closest aides to push for Chagoury to get access to top diplomats and thus began the US exploring a deal to build a consulate at the Eko Atlantic city. Between 2012 and 2016, he sought to help fund election campaigns of some US politicians. He donated to the Republicans and was listed as a sponsor for a 2014 art exhibit at the George W Bush Presidential Center. One other campaign he funded which recently came to light was that of Jeff Fortenberry, a US lawmaker, in 2016. Fortenberry was last month convicted of concealing information and making false statements to US federal authorities who were investigating illegal contributions made by Chagoury, a foreign national, to his re-election campaign. Fortenberry resigned from office after his conviction. But in 2019, Chagoury reportedly paid $1.8 million in fines to resolve the investigation when it began.

Chagoury currently lives in Paris.

He initially made the US his abode, while his younger brother, Ronald held forte in Nigeria. He then shuttled between London, Beirut and Dubai until he finally settled for Paris as his new base after he allegedly fell out of favor with the President Muhammadu Buhari led government after having allegedly, bankrolled the election campaign of then President Goodluck Jonathan who lost the election.

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MAY 15 - MAY 21, 2022 T H E W I L L N E W S P A P E R • www.thewillnigeria.com

STORIES BY SHADE WESLEY-METIBOGUN

Why Sola Allyson-Obaniyi Cannot Forget NYSC Anthem Composer, Dr Oluwole Adetiran D

VENO MARIOGHAE VS AIRTEL: NCC COMMENCES INVESTIGATION

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he Nigerian Copyright Commission has commenced investigation into the on-going copyright infringement war between singer Veno Marioghae-Mbanefo and Airtel Network Limited.

The commission decided to investigate the matter after Airtel denied the singer’s claim that it infringed her copyright.

The telecommunication company said it did not receive any letter from Veno’s lawyers. It also emphatically denied promoting its TV App with her musical work, while claiming that the singer failed to prove that Airtel used the musical work on its TV App. Accusing Veno of damaging its reputation through some statements published online, Airtel threatened to drag her to court, if she fails to retract the statements and apologise within seven days from the receipt of the letter that it sent to her.

Meanwhile, Marioghae-Mbanefo denied ever defaming the telco’s reputation as alleged. She also insisted that Airtel infringed her musical copyright through their unsolicited telemarketing. Her lawyers, Felix Igelige and Associates, also claimed that a letter dated

April 14, 2022 was dispatched through NIPOST Speed Post to Airtel’s Head Office and her press statement was issued on April 20, 2022 as opposed to the telco’s claim that it didn’t receive any letter from her.

THEWILL investigation shows that Airtel Network Limited made a jingle in which Veno’s hit song, Nigeria go survive, was played for about eight seconds and accompanied with the following words: “Dear customer, free download is here, you can now call all network to Nigeria with 12 kobo per seconds from the very first minute.

Yes, 12kobo per seconds to all networks in Nigeria, just dial *152# Airtel cares.”

THE WILL spoke with, the Zonal Head of the Nigeria Copyright Commission, Lagos State, Mathew Ojo, he corroborated our findings that the commission has commenced its investigation.

“The investigation is still ongoing, we

have not established anything yet until we conclude our investigation.

The other party (Airtel) has also visited the office and requested for some time to come back with their evidence to show that the offence was not committed by them,” he said.

Recall that Veno Marioghae-Mbanefo released the hit song, Nigeria go survive in the 1980s, amid an economic crisis in the country, to encourage citizens that there was still hope for the country. The singer later claimed that her song was used by Airtel for its telemarketing and also to promote a reality singing show, The Voice Nigeria. She slammed a copyright infringement suit against the company and demanded the sum of N50 million as compensation for using her musical work unlawfully.

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Uju Ebeze Kennedy-Ohanenye is a legal practitioner and businesswoman based in Abuja.

She is the Managing Director of Kenuj 02 Mall located in a highbrow area of the Federal Capital Territory and Owerri in Imo State.

The businesswoman turned politician is happily married with four children. A native of Awka in Anambra State, the presidential aspirant is also a philanthropist.

She is passionate about the welfare of the less privileged and persons living with disability.

Some of those who have benefitted from her kindness and generosity are students, widows and the wretched of society.

Kennedy-Ohanenye has built and equipped numerous health centres in rural communities in Kogi, Kaduna, Kano, Imo and Anambra States. She has also donated skill acquisition centres in some rural areas in some of those states. The legal practitioner might be an

accomplished business woman and philanthropist, she is however a novice in the political terrain.

She has never occupied a political position or taken a government contract. But she has been a card carrying member of the APC for a few years. She has supported her party on several occasions by giving out her mall in Owerri and Abuja as political campaign offices, donating T-shirts, banners, flyers, face caps to hundreds of thousands of people.

Her desire to be the number one citizen of Nigeria is born out of the passion for humanity.

Kennedy-Ohanenye believes the country needs a mother to effect the change the country desires and she is ready to address the problem of poverty from the grassroots level.

However, she is afraid of the party’s primary election because she feels the men can muscle her out of the race, they might want to push her over but she has promised not to be intimidated as she has been emboldened. Since she made her intention known, she has gone to see Beta Edu, the national APC women leader and other notable elders of the party who can make her dream of ruling the country come to pass.

Marioghae

Meet APC’s Only Female Presidential Aspirant, Uju Ohanenye

hen Uju Ebeze Kennedy Ohanenye bought the Expression of Interest and Nomination forms as a presidential aspirant of the All Progressive Congress (APC), female members of the political party were happy that a woman had finally joined the race for the presidency in the 2023 general election under the platform of the governing party.

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r Oluwole Adetiran, who composed the anthem of the National Youth Service Corps, may be long gone, but one of the people most hit by his demise, aside his biological children and the Celestial Church of Christ, CCC, Lagos where he was the central choir music director, is gospel singer, Sola AllysonObaniyi.

The sonorous-voiced singer has remained inconsolable and devastated as a result of the demise of the man who passed on at the age of 74 on Friday, May 6, 2020 due to prolonged illness.

Adetiran might not be AllysonObaniyi’s biological father, but he played that role in the singer’s life since she met him in 1997.

He was instrumental to AllysonObaniyi’s success in the gospel music genre.

Although Sola came from a Muslim background, she always sneaked into churches to sing.

After her conversion to Christianity, she joined the Central Choir of CCC as a member. Adetiran noticed her talent and called her “a striker” which affirmed that she needed to boost her confidence as a professional singer and back-up singer to the likes of late Gbenga Adeboye, Yinka Ayefele, Daddy Showkey, Pasuma and Obesere.

Initially she was rejected because of the way her voice sounded, but Adetiran’s validation about her voice kept her going over the years. He built her confidence in the way she sings and often compared her with a football striker. Her voice became her unique selling point and has produced hit songs which later became anthems in the gospel music genre.

Adetiran took her as a protégé even when her biological parents rejected Allyson-Obaniyi her. He took her man when he was down with to every musical concert he was prostate cancer and diabetes, invited to as the choir leader of which contributed to his death. the Central Choir of CCC in Lagos She would often celebrate him on state. Through his influence, social media and she had to make she was able to secure musical performances that earned her a lot a public outcry when the news was agog that the great composer in terms of cash rewards. was hit by hard times and was The late composer was also dying a few years ago. She raised instrumental to Sola’s education money, though with the assistance and the course she chose to of his biological children and study, which was music, at The took him abroad for surgery and Polytechnic, Ibadan. This was medications. why she rallied round the great

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celebration at the La Madison Place, Lekki. The event was staged to celebrate the actress, who is fondly called brown sugar 40, her 20 years in Nollywood and the unveiling of GEMS, Girls Empowerment and Mentorship Scheme.

On the day of the grand celebration, Ini treated her friends and family to a sumptuous dinner.

Her entrance to the venue of the party was a grand one, befitting a queen. The backdrop on the stage parted into two, unveiling the beautiful actress while fireworks and light music heralded her entrance as she strolled majestically to the stage.

One of the highlights of the party was the presence of the celebrant’s mother, Mrs. Edo Ekim, who paid glowing tribute to her daughter

Triple Celebration For Ini Edo at 40

he entertainment industry was agog on Sunday, May 9 when Nollywood actress, Iniobong Edo Ekim, professionally known as Ini Edo, had a triple

Edo

while wishing her the good things of life that her heart longs for.

The event was well attended, with style icon, Uti Nwachukwu and Chioma Omeruah as the masters of ceremony. On the launch of Girls Empowerment Mentorship Scheme GEM which she unveiled at the party, Ini revealed that it was born out of her passion for the girl child. The actress believes when women are empowered, the nation is also empowered. As a strong advocate of women, most of the fundamental issues in the society are because the girl child is not well taken care of. If society pays close attention to her, she can help drive the change that is needed in the society, which is why the actress has been taking her advocacy and empowerment of the female gender very seriously.

Kayode Odunaro Installed as Majeobaje of Olu-IIaro

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uthor, journalist and renowned publicist, Kayode Odunaro, has been installed as the Majeobaje of Olu-IIaro. The media mogul was conferred with the title by the traditional ruler of Yewaland, Oba Kehinde Olugbenle on May, 7, 2022 in the ancient town of IIaro, Yewa South local government, Ogun State.

Odunaro was honored for his contribution to Yewaland,

most especially in the aspect of socio-economic development of Yewaland. The event was well attended by friends and family members of the media expert. This is the second traditional title the media expert will be holding in Ogun State. He is also the Baaroyin of Imalaland in Ogun State. Odunaro, who celebrated his 60th birthday recently, was the Special Adviser on Communication to

the former Speaker, Federal House of Representative, Rt Hon Dimeji Bankole.

He was also the former Chief Press Secretary to former Ogun State Governor, Aremo Olusegun Osoba. Odunaro was also a Chief Press Secretary to two military Governors, Kayode Olofinmoyin and Group Captain Sam Ewang Rtd. He is currently the media adviser to Senator Olamilekan Adeola Yayi.

Odunaro

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MAY 15 - MAY 21, 2022 T H E W I L L N E W S P A P E R • www.thewillnigeria.com

STORIES BY SHADE WESLEY-METIBOGUN

Folake Coker Opens Flagship Boutique

CONTROVERSY TRAILS OWU STOOL C risis seems to be brewing over the process that would lead to the emergence of a new traditional ruler in Owu kingdom, Abeokuta, Ogun State. The former royal father, Oba Adegboyega Dosunmu, a veteran television producer ascended to the throne in 2005, as the 13th Olowu of Owu transited to glory on December 12, 2021 after a brief illness.

Not long after his demise,

kingmakers began the process to choose the next king for the kingdom. It was gathered that one Prince Saka Matemilola was chosen for the stool. However, his emergence was greeted with criticism after two royal families rejected his candidacy. They went as far as writing a petition to the state governor, warning against the installation of Matemilola as the next king. He was opposed because he is not an indigene of the state hence not fit to become

Dosunmu

the traditional ruler of Oluwo of Owu. Matemilola was one of the princes screened by the Owu kingmakers after candidates were nominated by the Otileta ruling houses, the next in line to produce a new king. It was gathered that the kingmakers spent seven-hours on the selection process. At the end of the screening, the kingmaker forwarded their report to the state governor, Dapo Abiodun who will announce the new traditional ruler for Owu town.

The two petitions written are from Tajudeen Adelani and Amina Adesina who are both from royal families in the town.

The petition was submitted to the state governor and the Ministries of Justice, Local Government and Chieftaincy Affairs. They requested that the king makers should follow due process and accused the preferred candidate of not being a son of the soil. According to them, Matemilola is a native of Ibadan, in Ibadan North-East Local Government Area of Oyo State making ineligible to the throne. He had sworn an affidavit in 2000 at the High Court Registry in Port-Harcourt, Rivers State. He was said to be from Ile Soke in Oyo State where he alluded to be an Ibadan man.

It was revealed that crowning him will be a desecration of the customs and tradition in Owu kingdom.

Why Abiodun Abudu Balogun’s Political Ambition is Dead on Arrival

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onourable Abiodun Abudu Balogun, a former Commissioner of Employment in Ogun State, has picked the expression of interest and nomination form of the All Progressive Congress for the 2023 general election. He is seeking to represent Ogun Waterside, Ijebu East and Ijebu North Federal Constituency. However, many have predicted that his political ambition may just be dead on arrival. More so, some people have argued that he is not fit to occupy such a position. His political enemies have insisted that his past sin will be revisited and will serve as a hindrance to his future political post. Balogun was accused of assaulting an underage girl when he was the Commissioner for Employment in Ogun State. A 16- year old girl, Barakat Mayowa, accused him of sexually harassing her in Ita, Ogun State Waterside Local Government Area where he is presenting

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seeking to represent. He fondled Mayowa’s breast and muttered incantations after she was lured to his bedroom in his house by one of his aides. She was invited to his house under the guise that the commissioner needed a computer operator. The commissioner caressed her body while offering her money. She resisted the money and screamed before she was allowed to go. Balogun was suspended from office after so much uproar and angry reactions his action generated and he was later forced to resign. The case was investigated by the police and the report was handed over to the Department of Balogun

Public Prosecution. Many have advised him not to waste his resources as he will not be given a chance in any elected post because under-age girls will no longer be safe in his constituency.

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olake Coker, the ex-wife of the Director-General, Nigeria Tourism Development Corporation, Folorunsho Cooker, also known as Folly Coker has unveiled her flagship store in the highbrow area of Ikoyi, Lagos State. The gifted fashion designer who pioneered the ready-to-wear clothing through her Tiffany Amber label gathered fashion lovers to her new outlet last week.

The mother of three has put in over 20 years of hard-work in the fashion industry and she is the first African Fashion designer to showcase her collection at the New York Mercedes Fashion Week in two years in a row.

Though Folake has conquered the fashion and business world, she has not had it smooth at the home front. Her marriage to Folly Coker crashed many years ago and the designer Coker

Afolabi

has remained in the singles club. Born with a silver spoon to the late wealthy business tycoon, Chief Bode Akindele, the Parakoyi of Ibadanland and the owner of Mondondola Group of Companies, an indigenous conglomerate in Nigeria and Fairgate Group, a top International real estate company, Coker’s marriage was blessed with three beautiful children before it ended.

TAIWO AFOLABI TAKES OVER AS CHAIRMAN OF SIFAX GROUP’S Abeokuta APC Chairperson, BOARD Alhaja Faidat Akintunde, S Accused of Misuse of Power erial entrepreneur, DrTaiwo Afolabi, has taken over as Chairman of the Board of Directors of SIFAX Group. The businessman, who is also the founder of the company, was the Group Executive Vice Chairman of SIFAX Group before his appointment was confirmed by members of the Board. He replaces the former chairman of the company, Oba Adegboyega Dosunmu, the Olowu of Owu, who sadly passed on in December 2021.

Since the monarch’s demise, the position has been vacant and the company has been seeking the right candidate to fill it. His appointment is coming as a natural progression for a man who has worked so hard in the last 33 years to build and lead the company to become one of the leading conglomerates in the maritime industry and Nigeria at large.

THEWILL gathered that other members of the board had unanimously decided to appoint Afolabi as the chairman. The new chairman hit the ground running after his appointment and he is working on a five-year strategic growth plan of the organisation. SIFAX Group is a group of companies with interest in maritime, aviation, oil and gas, haulage and logistics, financial services and hospitality. The company came into existence in 1988 after starting as a freight forwarding agency in Lagos State.

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lhaja Faidat Akintunde, the chairperson for the All Progressive Congress (APC) in Abeokuta North has been accused of allegedly abusing the powers vested on her in the state. The chairperson, who was installed in October, 2021, after taking over from Alhaji Akeem Shobayo, was effective for a few months after taking over the mantle of leadership until she allegedly became biased and allegedly started making moves for her anointed candidates to occupy some political post in the forthcoming general election taking

Akintunde

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place in 2023.

Akintunde is allegedly rooting for one Babatunde Tella from Oke-Ogun for a position in the National Assembly and Hon Olumide Osoba for a seat in the House of Representatives in the forth-coming election. The act has been described as an abuse of office and misuse of power.

As the chairperson of the party, many believe Akintunde should be neutral and support anybody that indicates interest in running for any political postion in the state. However, she has been visiting other leaders in the party to solicit support for her anointed candidates.

She has allegedly started threatening local and ward executives so that they can all favour her candidate during the election. The party which was united before has allegedly started falling apart under her watch as a result of her attitude.

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MAY 15 - MAY 21, 2022 T H E W I L L N E W S P A P E R • www.thewillnigeria.com

TOURISM

Waka, Q-Life, HEI Charge Nigerians on Healthy Lifestyles

BY JANEFRANCES CHIBUZOR

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o improve the standard of healthy living, the Waka Community International Foundation, Q-Life Family Clinic and Health Emergency Initiative (HEI), in collaboration with the Nigerian Conservation Foundation (NCF), among other related health agencies, organised a road walk titled, ‘Let’s Waka With Q-life And Hei.’ Speaking at the event in Lagos recently, the Director of Waka Community International Foundation, Olisaeloka Mba, said that cooperation among relevant foundations would ultimately advance the wellness and health of Nigerians.

According to Mba, the initiator of this collaboration, over 23,000 members in more than 30 countries and in many cities in Nigeria, are encouraged to walk for a minimum of 30 minutes daily and to eat healthy in controlled portions.

He said, “Walking is the oldest and safest form of physical exercise and is non-discriminatory on grounds of age, gender, level of physical fitness or location. Walking also has many benefits, such as helping to maintain a healthy weight and helping to lose unwanted and undesirable fat.

“Walking helps to prevent or manage various conditions, including heart disease, stroke, high blood pressure, cancer and type 2 diabetes. Walking also helps to improve cardiovascular fitness. Walking contributes to clearing the mind and it boosts our moods. We encourage folks to walk indoors or outdoors, depending on choice, safety or convenience. Walking is also inexpensive. One can walk bare feet indoors and on beaches.

To walk outdoors require nice fitting and affordable running shoes.

“We thank everyone who has come out here today and also the many who couldn’t be physically here today, but are walking remotely and in solidarity in over 30 countries around the world.”

Meanwhile, the highpoint of the event was a free first responders demonstration of Basic CaPR and First Aid by HEI. This will provide CPR and First Aid tips that can be vital during emergencies.

In addition, Mr Uchenna Achunine, NCF Director, Business Development and Communications, said, “There is a very strong connection between nature conservation and exercising for healthy living. NCF was excited to be among the partners.

We urged Nigerians to eat right, be close to nature and visit natural sites.”

Achunine added, “Today’s walk, health talks and the Cardio Pulmonary Resuscitation (CPR) and First Aid demonstrations by professional first responders is driven by our conviction that since a healthy Nigeria is a wealthy Nigeria, it is worthwhile to inform, educate and persuade Nigerians, as well as all residents of the country and indeed, the world, to take personal responsibility for their wellness by walking, eating right and getting enough quality sleep.”

Also the Co-founder and Medical Director of Q-Life Family Clinic Dr Adetokunbo Alakija noted, “We must commend our respective partners and sponsors for believing in the Vision and

for supporting today’s event in cash and in kind and equally important, for coming out in good numbers to waka today.

The Executive Director, HEI, Mr Paschal Achunine, said that the aim of the programme was to inform, educate, and sensitise Nigerians to take personal responsibility for their wellness and safety by walking and eating right.

Achunine said that HEI had been equipping Nigerians with critical life saving skills such as cardiopulmonary resuscitation (CPR), First Aid and capacity to handle heart attack, cardiac arrest, burns and other prehospital emergencies.

“HEI provides free medical interventions that ensure that the poorest member of society particularly children age 0 to five have access to basic healthcare in public hospitals at a cost usually not more than N30,000.

“We ensure timely emergency response for road crash victims

via initial payment to commence treatment and resuscitation aided by MOU we signed with the Federal Road Safety Commission (FRSC) and hospitals,” he said.

Also speaking, Mr Lorenz Mba, Founder, Waka Community International, said that Waka Community is all about changing lives by sharing the benefits of walking every day, eating right and good quality sleep.

“Today, we make good on that announcement by holding a road walk titled: Let’s WAKA with Q-life and HEI. We made a promise and we are delivering on that promise. We gave our word and we are keeping our word. Our organisation encourages members in over 30 countries to walk a minimum of 30 minutes daily and to eat healthy in controlled portions. We got sick and tired of hearing gone too soon and gone to sleep with the Lord at young age. Walking helps us maintain healthy weight and also helps us keep away a couple of cardiovascular diseases among others,” he said.

NANTA Appeals to FG to Wade Into AON Position

BY JANEFRANCES CHIBUZOR he President of the National Association of Nigeria Travel Agencies (NANTA), Mrs Susan Akporiaye, has called on the Federal Government to help resolve issues affecting domestic airline operations in Nigeria.

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“We cannot afford another COVID-19 pandemic look alike regime where Nigerians cannot move freely about simply because airlines cannot operate due to poor operational environment,” she appealed, adding that the government must quickly intervene beyond mere promises.

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day as travel agents and travellers from all over the world called to find out what happened to the industry and travel plans of most people within and around Nigeria, barely a few months of ease in local and global travel.

“We cannot continue like this and in a situation where we are not sure, our aviation architecture is up and doing, that we can go to the airport and get a flight where we cannot advise the travelling public and our clients that they can make it to any destination in Nigeria without hazels and to think of it, the mere announcement by airline operators of Nigeria that they are off the sky on Monday has sent panic around the

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globe as Nigerians returning home and those coming to do business in our country, have cancelled their flights to the country.

“NANTA’s appeal to the Minister of Aviation, Senator Hadi Sirika, to rally around support for AON members and to think that we are also in the heat of preparations for the 2023 general election when electoral materials and campaign trains will move from one end of the country to another, calls for serious measures. We cannot continue like this. It is damaging to our businesses and the image of this country,” Akporiaye said.

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ARTS

Meeting Tam Fiofori MICHAEL JIMOH

There’s something to be said for a teenager who, while awaiting results of his final exams, is employed as a teacher by his alma mater. Look at it this way: you’ve just sat for your WAEC. The results are not out yet and your school employs you as a teacher.

In December 1959, a certain student of King’s College Lagos wrote his final exams and probably felt that would be the end of it. No! The school authorities who were mostly British at the time didn’t let him go. By January 1960, they retained him as a teacher like one of them, teaching A-level and Form 4 students Botany and Biology respectively. From the principal down to other tutors, they must have noticed, as most observant and trained guardians are wont to, something peculiar about this chap who was not even 20 yet: a super bright student.

Nearly seven decades after, traces of that super brightness are still evident in that student though age may not have been kind to him physically. There are not many eighty-year-olds – particularly those prone to intermittent forgetfulness - who can recall quite clearly and chronologically what transpired in their school days.

But Tam Fiofori remembers it all, following his peripatetic parent, Emmanuel Fiofori, to Government Middle School, Owerri, which became Government Secondary School and then Owo where he was headmaster at Owo Primary School the same town where he met his wife, Gladys Owupele Fiofori.

Fiofori’s next location was Government Secondary School Benin opposite the Oba’s Market and then Edo College where he also taught.

Almost always on the road like some in the Civil Service at the time, teachers especially, Fiofori Senior next went to Ubiaja where Tam did his Common Entrance exams to King’s College Lagos. He was a little over 11 but a bright student who found a brighter future in an institution modelled after British public schools with the inspiring motto: “a sound mind in a sound body.”

With readily available teachers most of them British – graduates from Oxford or Cambridge thus the acronym Oxbridge - KC students were supposed to address their minds to rigorous academic work indoors just as they applied themselves to hard-tackle outdoor sports like cricket, hockey, rugby. Tam played hockey for the school, also cricket. But it was in athletics he excelled – triple jump in which he represented KC becoming Nigeria’s school boy champion and setting a national record as well.

Tall and possibly blessed with long Archilles tendon which enable marsupials that effortless spring into the air, Tam skipped his way to King’s College London where he was to study the three Ps – physiology, psychology and psychiatry, sort of preparing him for the ultimate course – medicine.

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Instead of browsing books by Bates, Skinner and theories on the brain and human motives for certain actions or inactions, Tam turned his attention to what has always fascinated him – writing and music. By this time, he had read most of the great African American writers of the time, James Baldwin, Ralph Ellison Langston Hughes, Leroy Jones (Amiri Baraka), Richard Wright and much more. He also got acquainted with African American music, Jazz particularly – Louis Armstrong, Count Basie, John Coltrane, Duke Ellington and those who came after them, Charles Mingus, Thelonius Monk, Sun Ra, etc.

When THEWILL got an invite from Tam Fiofori on Friday May 8 to be part of a house-warming party on Sunday May 8, it was impossible to say no. He had recently moved from his former crib in the same street to 20, James Robertson in Surulere, an impossibly quiet neighbourhood in an otherwise noisy suburb. For one, commercial motorcyclists are not allowed on the cobble-stoned street and when they do come around, they have to compulsorily turn off their ignition.

Such was the loud silence on the street that when the newspaper met and spoke with Tam Fiofori on Wednesday May 11, we heard fairly audible toots as if they were from a distant land. Good for us. Call Tam Fiofori a metropolitan sophisticate and you’re right on the beam. A product of two King’s Colleges, Lagos and London, manager of and great friends with two internationally acclaimed musicians – Sun Ra and Fela Anikulapo Kuti, But beyond all that is his protean interest – photography, writing, documentaries, teaching at KC and Nigeria Film Institute in Jos. To date, no one has captured the coronation ceremony of a Benin monarch more than Tam Fiofori.

Writing in Vanguard of April 21, 2011, for instance, Uzor Maxim Uzoatu, himself a senior journalist, poet and author, reflected thusly on the crowning ceremony in March 1979: “The book, A Benin Coronation: Oba Erediauwa by Tam Fiofori, paints a poetically enchanting picture of the March 1979 crowning ceremonies of Oba Erediauwa as the 38th Oba of the Benin Kingdom. Fiofori’s offering is essentially a print documentary and a photo book with explanatory notes.” The Iyase of Benin, Chief S.O.U. Igbe, who wrote the foreword to the book said: “Tam, or Sonny, as the small boy was called in those days, would fill a lot of us Benin people with a sense of inadequacy with this expression of his knowledge of Benin history and his seemingly endless but sincere current of love for the Benin culture.”

The high chief couldn’t be more correct. Dominating a wall of Tam Fiofori’s sitting room in his new residence is a photo of Benin royal drummers. If you didn’t know his origins, you would naturally conclude that Tam Fiofori is Edo by birth. He is not, as he told THEWILL in this interview. Excerpts:

ell us about yourself.

I come from Ijaw, Ijo stock. My father is from strictly fishermen profession whilst my mother is a trader. My father showed signs of brilliance as a kid. So, his mother who loved him a lot decided to give him the best possible education in those days. Eventually, he attended what was known as Bonny School. It was a precursor of Yaba College of Technology.

Interestingly like he made us realise, his classmates included Daddy Onyeama, father of the current Minister of Foreign Affairs Geoffrey Onyeama. After that he joined the Civil Service as a teacher. His main break came at a time when he started teaching at Government Middle School Owerri which eventually became Government College Owerri.

Both my parents were teachers so, forgive my arrogance but I think I was quite clever. I had a good stint at KC both in sports and academic.

From there he was transferred to Owo in Western Region then.

It was a journey of three days. That was in the early forties. He became headmaster of Owo Primary School from where he was transferred to go and teach in Edo College. My father met my mother whilst he was at Owo. Her father was a clerk in the then Resident’s Office. I remember my grandfather was transferred to Lagos to work in the Resident’s Office. By that time, I had started school in Benin, Government Primary School which was situated opposite the Oba’s Market. So, I had my primary school from Standard One to Standard Five in GPS, Benin. Then my father was transferred to Ubiaja. I did my Standard Five, Six in a Catholic School in Ubiaja from where I took the Entrance Exams to King’s College Lagos. I got into KC in 1953 at just over 11.

KC was patterned after the British public schools and the philosophy was “a sound mind in a sound body.” If you look at the British public school system, sports like Rugby came from public schools and most of our teachers were British. Not only were they British, they were Oxbridge – graduates from either Cambridge or Oxford. We were also the first school to have a Cadet Corp. Because at that time, they were trying to groom Nigerians to take over the Officer Corp of the Nigerian Army. I was a member of the Cadet Corp. And some of the nice memories I have of the record is that in 1956, we mounted a guard of honour for Queen Elizabeth 11 and in 1958, we mounted a guard of honour for Abubakar Tafawa Balewa. I think the photograph was published not too long ago.

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How do you mean, sports and academics?

Both in sports and academic. From Form 2 I got into the first Cricket 11. I also played hockey for the school. Then as from Lower Six, I got involved in athletics, triple jump and then I not only became Nigeria’s school boy champion, I set a national record, school boy record. It used to be called hop, stop and jump.

But is rare to have students perform excellently in academic and sports simultaneously.

But without guns anyway.

No! We had guns because we were given the whole gamut of military training.

What about the Nigerian Army then? Why did they choose KC? Back to the British philosophy. Their Officer Corp was made up of gentlemen mostly from their public school system. So, if you remember, after King’s College, other government schools like Government College Umuahia, Government College Ibadan also had Cadet Corps. At the risk of sounding pompous, I was quite clever or bright in the sense that I took my A-Level exams in December 1959 and by January before the results were out, I was employed as a teacher at King’s College.

The same school you just graduated from?

Yes. And guess what. I was teaching A-level students Botany and Form 4 Students Biology. Now those that I taught in Form 4 included Ola Balogun (filmmaker) JK Randle (businessman cum intellectual) the late Tunde Edu just to mention a few. They were very brilliant too.

I had other siblings, an older sister and myself from my mother.

Then I have an older half-brother, Ferdinand who is older than both of us.

Was Ferdinand born out of wedlock?

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ARTS Well, that’s interesting because in Ijaw/ Okrika culture, there are no such things as illegitimate children. In other words, children from girlfriends are not illegitimate so my half-brother is also part of the family. Very interestingly, he attended Baptist High School in Port Harcourt. He was a classmate of P Dele Cole. He went on to study French and Mass Communication. He has a PhD from the University of Wisconsin, Madison, in a discipline called Business in Communication.

drug addict. He wasn’t a closet homosexual. So, white American music press never deliberately wanted to appreciate him.

How long were you with Sun Ra? Six years.

What do you remember most about him?

Sun Ra personifies the adage that you shouldn’t just judge someone by his mien, by the way he behaves. Sun Ra is softspoken, from the old school that musicians have to be entertainers.

He came through that school where the Black man in America usually went through hard times. So, the entertainer was his relief and the entertainer knew that he had to lift them up.

I now went on to King’s College London where I studied the three Ps - physiology, psychology and psychiatry. The whole idea was that I would’ve gone on to study medicine. From there I went to the States. I went to the States to pursue my love in culture – writing, specifically, and involvement in music. Whilst I was still a student in London, I was very impressed by and interested in writings by African Americans – James Baldwin, Langston Hughes, Leroy Jones (Amiri Baraka) Ralph Ellison, Richard Wright. Langston Hughs, I believe, has not been given his rightful place in writing.

Even as a kid in Nigeria, I had always been fascinated by the lives and culture of Black Americans, and Black American music, especially, made me keep my sanity while I was a student in England.

How do you mean?

In the early sixties in England, that was the height of racism in the world. I remember when I met Soyinka in 2007 in France. There was this lady in South of France who celebrates Nobel laureates every year. She chose to celebrate/ host Soyinka in 2007. They organised a package to accompany Soyinka. I was chosen to be part of that package. And I went with a photography exhibition with George Oshodi. They invited Tony Allen from Paris to jam with Ara the lady drummer. This event usually holds at a place called Aix-en-Provence. Soyinka’s friend, Abiola Irele, professor of Romantic languages was also there. It was a great occasion, a whole week. That was my first encounter with Soyinka and I told him how his poem Telephone Conversation impacted on me. There you were as a student and you were looking for accommodation and you see a notice: “No Irish. No dogs. No Blacks.” We were right down the rung of the ladder, beneath the dogs even. So, “Telephone Conversation” is a great poem.

Soyinka told me that day that TC had been adopted into the school system.

I always told him about an incident that happened to me on the underground. I was very smartly dressed with my college scarf.

Nobody will come and sit by me except an old woman with her dog. She sat by me, brought out a bar of chocolate, bit it and gave the other half to her dog. I now flashed fback to 1983 when I was in Finland to cover the first World Athletics Championship.

I remember I went to the Games Village on the outskirts of Helsinki. On my way back and there I was at the Bus stop and there was this grandmother. She came with her grandson, a boy of about three or four, who kept looking at me. Apparently, he had never seen a black person before - in 1983! The woman then politely asked if the boy can tough me to see if my colour will rub off. I obliged him. After about the fourth try, he smiled, then brought out a piece of chocolate, broke it into two and gave me one. I am telling this story because, basically, kids are not racist, they are open. It is something that is bred into them. He was just curious and when his curiosity was satisfied, he smiled.

One thing that I found about America is that the African is more confident than Black Americans because I was able to move in circles that they couldn’t go to because they had this limitations, they didn’t have the confidence we have.

I had developed a liking for Jazz before I went to Britain. It was in Britain that I now became more enthusiastic and I found out that it was a solace for me. So, I now got more into Jazz, got to know more about the music and the musicians. So, by the time I got to America, I was very well versed in Jazz. It’s no accident that I got involved with Sun Ra. How did you meet Sun Ra? THEWILLNIGERIA

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Tam Fiofori in New York 1966

Why did you say that?

There is something about white America. They have this in-built arrogance that they must control or be experts on everything, including the culture of other people around the world. Langston Hughes does not fit into the kind of Black American they want to either love or attack. Unlike Richard Wright who they attack for “his communists views” or Baldwin for his views and possibly his sexuality (Baldwin was gay). That’s the problem with White America and that’s why sometimes they are a nuisance to the world, and we saw the epitome of that in a man called Donald Trump: arrogance in ignorance. Trump is always insulting other people, not only Africans. He was very badly brought up. And like one of the Bushes told him, you might insult your way into the White House, but insults will not help you become a good president.

What about your time with Fela? When was the first time you met him?

I think I should put it in perspective. Fela is older than I am. But when we were in England in the sixties, we all kind of bonded and Fela and a few others who were either in music schools, we used to get together in pick up bands. And the student union used to arrange dances (Independence Day, Christmas,) and we all gravitated towards them. That was my first time encounter with Fela. Then I left them and went to America.

I came back to Nigeria. I’ll say something for Fela: he had a very accommodating spirit. So, he remembered me from our young days in London. So, when I came back, I will always gravitate towards the Shrine and Fela is somebody I will give credit to: He values friendship. He cultivated that relationship and he also valued the wealth of experience I had gathered in America.

So, I became something of an unofficial consultant but in the background. He also noticed that, unlike a few other people, I wasn’t hanging around just to prey on his girls and all that.

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Tall and possibly blessed with long Archilles tendon which enable marsupials that effortless spring into the air, Tam skipped his way to King’s College London where he was to study the three Ps – physiology, psychology and psychiatry, sort of preparing him for the ultimate course – medicine

A musician that some consider to be then father of Avant garde jazz or new jazz, Ornette Coleman, the man who made records of the shape of jazz to come, toured Europe in 1965 and he had a concert in Fairfield Hall in London. I attended the concert, did a review of it for an American magazine. So, when I got to America it was obvious that I sought out these musicians. Apart from the mainstream musicians like John Coltrane, Charles Mingus, I gravitated towards those who were playing new jazz or Bee bop.

I had listened to Sun Ra before I got to America. Interestingly enough, one of my favourite writers was then known as Leroy Jones. I met this American I will call Henry Hank and we hit it up immediately. We both realized that were poets and also loved music. I hung out with him. He took me to see a play called the Black Mass written by Leroy Jones and the music was provided live on stage by Sun Ra’s orchestra. After the play, talking about the confidence of Africans, I walked up to Sun Ra and said this your music should be heard by more people in America and the rest of the world. He kind of looked at me and said: ‘what are you going to do about it? Can you help?’ I said yes. How? I will be your manager. I will organize and make sure that it happens.

I can manage you. He said, why not? He then said “It is very interesting, a lot of Black Americans, intellectuals, don’t seem to appreciate what I am dong. But here you are from Africa and you seem to understand and appreciate what I am doing. That’s how I started. And like some of the blurb of the book says, “More than anyone else Tam Fiofori made Sun Ra known internationally. I was able to succeed in not only improving Sun Ra’s image but got him a wider audience and took him on a tour of Europe where we played 30 concerts in eight countries and ended up in Egypt at the foot of the pyramids. So, that’s my Sun Ra’s story.

Again, there were so many firsts that Sun Ra achieved which people deliberately ignored because he didn’t fit their model.

One, he wasn’t trained in their schools. Two, he didn’t have the kind of profile they expect from Black musicians. He wasn’t a

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Fela was quite deep, he was a good leader of people and he made sure the people around him knew how he valued me. I remember in those days when I got to the house, ah, ore Fela ni o. They will give me some place to sit, made sure they treat me with respect because they saw how Fela treated me. Fela valued friendship and I always use this story to explain that. It was the 10th anniversary of FESPACO in Ouagadougou, Burkina Faso.

There I was seated in the courtyard of the Secretariat. Fela comes in with a throng of journalists. He sees me and he shouts: “Tam, motherfucker. I was in jail and you didn’t come to see me,” walking towards me and asking: “where is the smoke, where is the smoke?” Of course, I should have been embarrassed but I wasn’t. That was Fela’s way of showing friendship. He walked over and sat with me and the journalists were like “who is this guy?” We had a wonderful time in Oagadougou. Fela is not properly appreciated because I believe that if people will work as hard in their various professions as Fela did in his, we will have a better country. Fela was a consummate musician – his rehearsals were thorough; he made sure his band was in top gear. He strove for excellence and like I say, if others were equally as dedicated as Fela was, Nigeria will be a better place.

Can you tell us about how that number “I No be Gentleman” came about?

I obviously was a Fela fan so I got to know his schedule. My mother had gotten me a place in Surulere here on Ajao Road and Fela used to rehearse and play at Surulere Night Club. I knew he rehearsed on Tuesdays. There was a Tuesday I walked across and he was rehearsing and he played an instrumental. He turned and saw me and he said: “Tam, I want you to write lyrics.” Then I wrote some lyrics and he said: “ah, ah Tam this is too Oyinbo.” I was a bit taken aback and then an incident happened.

One of my friend and Fela friend I will just call him Alex decided to send small boy Kolobo to go and buy him rice. My mom had this very interesting thing about inviting my friends to come and have lunch. She got to know some of my friends and she took interest in some of them like Naiwu Osahon, the writer – she used to engage them in conversation and she was very intelligent, she was the first or second lady to attend Queen’s College in the thirties from the entire Eastern region – so I would say in a sense I was fortunate to have parents who were very educated. So they gave me a good liberal education. But they did not play with discipline.

So, my mom had invited Alex and I to come and have lunch: she still had this Oyinbo thing about hosting people to lunch. After Alex sent the boy to buy rice, I joked that Alex when we get to mummy’s place you will chop small and say you belle full so that they will say you be gentleman.

Immediately Fela said “yes, yes, yes, that is it, that is the lyrics.”

That was how I No Be Gentleman took off we started developing it. I must confess that there were certain parts I had nothing to do with, that bit about Africa hot.

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FEATURE

BY CHRISTIANA BABAYO

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esidents of Tati Village in Takum Local Government Area of Taraba State will forever remember last Tuesday night as one that was laced with terror, following the killing of many security personnel in a terrorist attack on a military convoy and a bomb attack at the 6 Brigade Military Base in Jalingo.

About two months ago, a bomb explosion rocked Iware in Ardo Kola Local Government Area of the state causing the death of no fewer than six people. There was another blast nearby in the Nukkai area, which shares a border with Ardo Kola.

These bloody incidents may have succeeded in disrupting the relative peace that Taraba State has been enjoying for a long time now as the events left fear, anxiety and panic among the residents.

Although the attacks on the military base and Nukkai resulted in very few casualties, many residents are still panic-stricken and wondering what will happen next and where the terrorists will strike again.

Before the attacks, Governor Darius Ishaku had called on traditional rulers in the state to check the influx of foreigners in their respective localities to avoid strange occurrences as well as to keep the peace.

Residents who spoke to THEWILL expressed concern over the incessant attacks, lamenting that Taraba had all of a sudden transformed from a peaceful state to one ridden with violence.

A resident of the state, Ismail Illiyasu, blamed the Taraba State Government for not acting quickly to nip the violence in the bud.

“It is very unfortunate that we are in this situation. I think the state government neglected the signs of impending violence.

I am talking of signs in the form of attacks on nearby villages and the recurrence of such attacks, which showed that the

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It is not too late to do something about these unprovoked attacks. I would advise the state government to consider using the intel that it gets without fear or sentiment. We cannot always be on the defensive.

Let us be on the offensive, at least for once. Let us go after these people or the attacks will continue

attackers were closer to us than we thought. The government made no move to curtail or stop the attacks. Now it is happening inside the state capital, even inside a military base.

This shows how far these people have reached.

“It is not too late to do something about these unprovoked attacks. I would advise the state government to consider using the intel that it gets without fear or sentiment. We cannot always be on the defensive. Let us be on the offensive, at least for once. Let us go after these people or the attacks will continue.”

Another resident, who craved anonymity, told our correspondent that the measures taken by the security forces are not proactive, hence the reoccurrence of the attacks by terrorists who have found their ways into Taraba.

The source called on the appropriate authorities to begin proactive measures towards safeguarding people’s lives and livelihood.

For Mrs Rejoice Musa, most residents saw the terrorist attacks

A victim of one of the bombings receiving treatment

Taraba Nights of Terror

coming because there were red flags everywhere, especially after the Iware bomb explosion.

“All the attacks in the rural areas were not going to end there.

Since nothing was done to tackle the perpetrators from that piont, it was only a matter of time before they got here.

“We are no longer safe. We don’t even know what will happen tomorrow . We need the security agencies to do something different from what they have been doing to end this,” She said.

THEWILL also gathered that prior to the recent attacks, suspected terrorists had been on a rampage in some neighbouring local government areas, reaping a harvest of blood, killing and maiming innocent and law-abiding Nigerians. The attack in Baba Juli in Bali LGA during the Holy month of Ramadan, in which no fewer than three lives were lost, is one example among others.

Meanwhile, the Taraba State Government commiserating with the military and the relatives of those killed in the attacks, once again called on traditional rulers to check the movement of foreign elements within their localities.

Also, the Speaker of the Taraba State House of Assembly, Prof Joseph Albasu Kunini, who condemned the incessant attacks, said that it was not fair that residents had resorted to watching their backs in the state that has enjoyed relative peace for a long time.

Kunini stressed that such cannot be allowed to continue and it will not be accepted as the new normal, while calling on the security agencies to intensify efforts in ensuring the matter is tackled and the perpetrators brought to book.

But while the security agencies and the state government keep assuring Tarabans of additional efforts to calm the situation, anxiety still continues to thrive among residents.

Efforts are already being made, but more has to be done, proactive measures this time, to ensure the matter is laid to rest once and for all.

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SportsLive Nigerian Players in Europe Likely to Finish Football Season With Trophies

BY JUDE OBAFEMI

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For the Rangers trio, history also beckons. A first European final since 2008 had appeared to be hanging by a thread for Balogun, Bassey and Aribo, when they lost the first leg of their Europa League semi-final to RB Leipzig at the Red Bull Arena. It was as though all the struggles of Giovanni van Bronckhorst’s side to balance their local League performances, where they were defending champions but trailing arch-rivals Celtic, with strong displays in Europe’s second tier competition, was all in vain.

s the 2021/2022 football calendar approaches its final lap, the fortunes of a handful of Nigerian footballers in Europe have improved with no fewer than five footballers in contention to lift a major European trophy by the end of the season. The fact that it is spread across the male and female national team players, on the one hand, and all of the trophies available in Europe, on the other, makes it a promising prospect for a truly rewarding season if they all come out triumphant in their respective finals.

Celtic had edged ahead in the Scottish Premier League and were hell bent on not losing any ground to Gers. Their trophy consolation for the season was to make certain of a final berth in the Europa. Yet, after the incredible results obtained against a very determined Borussia Dortmund side, which they beat away 4-2 and drew against at home 2-2 and the strong comebacks in doubleheaders against FK Crvena Zvezda and Braga, their fleeting hope was in danger of being extinguished.

In the case of Oshoala, the striker has been at the heart of Barca’s continued domination of the female game at home in the Primera Ibedrola and on the continent, in the UWCL for more than two seasons now. Her goal-scoring prowess has been on display this season again such that even though she had been sidelined by lengthy injury spells on two occasions, she still leads the scoring charts in the free-scoring Barcelona squad with 20 goals.

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At the very top of the set of players ready to lift an European trophy this season is Nigeria’s former Super Falcons’ captain and Barcelona Femeni striker Asisat Oshoala, who, with her team, has scaled through their third semi-finals in three years to reach their second UEFA Women’s Champions League final in two years and this time, as defending champions. Next, there is the Glasgow Rangers Super Eagles’ trio of Leon Balogun, Calvin Bassey and Joe Aribo, who have qualified for the final of the UEFA Europa League and lastly, the Super Eagles’ Cyriel Dessers, who was largely instrumental to seeing his on-loan side, Feyenoord, reach the final of the maiden edition of the UEFA Europa Conference League, their first-ever European final appearance in 20 years. These players have all contributed to the successes of their respective clubs so far and they are poised to continue to do so. THEWILL takes a look at how they made it to these finals, their opponents and what victory might be for their careers.

In the Ibedrola, they have a fear-inducing haul of 157 goals across 29 matches, of which they are yet to draw or lose a single game, while conceding only 10. This comes to an average goalscoring range of about 5 or more goals a match.

The 20 goals Oshoala netted put her ahead of teammates including the FIFA Best Female Footballer Alexia Putellas (18 goals), Lieke Martens (17), Jennifer Hermoso (16) and Claudia Pina (15). Yet, her pair of injury layoffs, which came while Barca were prosecuting their UWCL campaign did not help her goal frequency this season, even if her impact on the team was never in question for the times when she was fit to contribute as a part of the starting XI or as a substitute.

She opened her account in this year’s UWCL when, together with her defending champions’ teammates, Barca welcomed her former side Arsenal Ladies to the Estadio Johann Cruyff in October for a Group C, Round 1 fixture. The Super Falcons’ forward scored two minutes after the second half started to take Barca up 3-0, following first half goals from Mariona Caldentey and Putellas. Oshoala was substituted in the 71st minute with her side leading 3-0. The match finished 4-1 as Barca signalled their intentions to keep the high bar they had raised the previous season when they beat Chelsea 4-0 in the final that made Oshoala the first ever African to win the biggest prize in women’s European football. They followed that victory with an away win against leading Danish side HB Koge, where Oshoala featured for only 19 minutes and, though she did not score, she did enough to preserve their 2-0 advantage to the end. That same contribution was evident against TSG 1899 Hoffenheim at home, where she played for just over an hour as Barca triumphed 4-0.

After that third round fixture, injuries conspired to keep her away from the team’s progress in the League and through other rounds of the UWCL in Europe for two months. She was only able to return to the lineup at the semi-finals stage, where she was eased back into active football with a 17-minute appearance in the first leg of the Barca versus Wolfsburg semi-final in April.

The home game at Camp Nou, with a record setting attendance of almost 92,000 fans, finished with another Masterclass Barca display that began with an opener in as early as the third minute and did not let up until the 38th minute, why which time Barcelona was already four goals up with Aitana Bonmati, Caroline Graham Hansen, Hermoso and Putellas putting Wolfsburg to the sword.

A fitter Oshoala could have started this tie and added to the misery of the German ladies but the cautious technical bench thought it wise to not rush her recovery and risk another lengthy spell on the sidelines for the talented Nigerian. Oshoala was introduced for THEWILLNIGERIA

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However, van Bronckhorst’s side dug deep into the tenacity that has become a feature of his side so far in Europe. Away against Zvezda, goalkeeper Allan McGregor performed creditably, aided by the incredible James Tavernier and the pair of Balogun and Bassey providing cover in defense. It may not have been Aribo’s best feature but, in the 68 minutes he played, he showed enough grit to see the team through the difficult Zvezda side. It was not the only time their strength of character helped to overcome an adverse situation in Europe as they did the same thing against Braga after overcoming an away first leg 1-nil deficit to scale over the Braga challenge with a hardfought 3-1 win after extra time. The imperial Tavernier came up with a tidy brace and Kemar Roofe refused to be denied after his first goal was struck out after a VAR review. Aribo notched up two assists, Bassey was immense at the centre of defense and Balogun came in as a late substitute to hold to their lead.

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The 27-year-old forward scored a brace against Ligue 1 side, Olympique Marseille, in the first leg of their Conference League semi-finals to help them reach the club’s first European final in two decades. His spectacular match-winning performance earned him the UEFA Conference League Player of the Week award to add to his growing accolades. His double made him the first player in the newly formed Conference League to score 10 goals

goal-scorer Hermoso in the 73rd minute before a Putellas penalty made it 5-1, and so it finished.

In the return fixture at the AOK Stadion, the fact that Barca accumulated five goals in the home tie was to their advantage as Wolfsburg put in a conservative and tight shift to stifle their freescoring opponents and expose the uncharitable Barca defense. The leading German side scored two second half goals to narrow the average over both legs to 5-3 before the final whistle. Oshoala, still being introduced cautiously, was a 59th minute substitute, with Wolfsburg leading by a lone goal. Her 31-minute game time did not produce a goal but she had the defense and goalkeeper busy with the strength of her football and the consistent threat she posed every time Barca advanced with the ball towards their post.

It was the first and only time she played a game, either starting or as a substitute, that Barca failed to score. But, they had done enough to reach the final, where they will meet another fantastic European female side Olympique Lyonnais on May 21 at the Allianz Stadium in Turin. A more fit Oshoala will likely star and continue to ink her name, and the prestige of the club, in the annals of Nigerian football history.

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It was the confidence of this form that saw them buoyed in their home second leg semi-final against Leipzig and it paid dividends. There were mixed fortunes for the Nigerian delegation in the game as Aribo was substituted due to a knock he suffered in the final minutes of the first half while Balogun came on as a substitute in the 59th minute but Bassey held his own in the defense throughout. All their contributions were important all the same as three Scottish side defeated the German club 3-1 for a 3-2 aggregate victory that ensured their progress to the Europa League final. They will contend for the trophy against Eintracht Frankfurt in Seville on May 18. Van Bronckhorst will be counting on his Super Eagles’ trio to continue their inspired displays and Tavernier to deliver goals and defend against goals as he has done in Scotland and in Europe.

Dessers also has a date with history after rediscovering his scoring boots, especially in Europe, with Feyenoord. With that rediscovery has come acclaim and record-setting. Currently, he has scored 10 goals in 11 matches to take Feyenoord to the final of the Europa Conference League. These 10 goals also shot him into Feyenoord’s record books, as no striker has ever scored that many for the Dutch side in any European competition. Ever. For a club boasting a historical pedigree of some of Europe’s excellent strikers as Pierre van Hooijdonk, who had the previous record of nine, Dirk Kuijt, Harry Bild, and Robin van Persie, it is extra significant what Dessers has accomplished.

The 27-year-old forward scored a brace against Ligue 1 side, Olympique Marseille, in the first leg of their Conference League semi-finals to help them reach the club’s first European final in two decades. His spectacular match-winning performance earned him the UEFA Conference League Player of the Week award to add to his growing accolades. His double made him the first player in the newly formed Conference League to score 10 goals.

Dessers is also the competition’s all-time leading scorer, having previously shared the lead with AS Roma’s Tammy Abraham, who has scored nine goals and both leading strikers will clash in the finals at the National Arena in Tirana, Albania. Dessers is favoured to win the Conference League Player of the Tournament at the end of the season. It will crown a glorious season as it will be deserving of the player, who also was voted Player of the Month for November and took him the prize for Goal of the month for the same month. All these could make Dessers one of the most soughtafter players when the next transfer window opens in July.

However these European finals featuring these worthy Nigerians, what is most certain is that they have thoroughly deserved what accomplishments they have garnered for themselves and their teams. Now, it is left for them to write their names in gold by clinching the respective trophies and finish the 2021/2022 season with a flourish.

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www.thewillnigeria.com • May 15 - May 21, 2022

Ending Incessant Conflicts Between ASUU And FG B etween 1992 and 1993, I was a victim of two strikes, which were called by the Academic Staff Union of Universities over a pay structure dispute with the military regime of General Ibrahim Badamasi Babangida and for the purpose of restoring the cancelled results of the June 12, 1993 presidential election won by Chief Moshood Abiola Between 1992 and 1993, I was a victim of two strikes, which were called by the Academic Staff Union of Universities over a pay structure dispute with the military regime of General Ibrahim Badamasi Babangida and for the purpose of restoring the cancelled results of the June 12, 1993 presidential election won by Chief Moshood Abiola.

The Babangida government clamped down on the Union for its militant advocacy and resilient opposition to limitations of personal and collective freedom under boot and force of military rule. By military fiat, which ASUU was fighting against, the Union was proscribed for a twoyear period with attendant knock-on effects on academic activities during that period.

I was meant to commence tertiary education at the time, but when Babangida picked a fight with the Union, I lost a year and some months sitting out the confrontation between the academia and the government of the day.

Most universities scrapped their 1993/1994 academic sessions because of the strike. You would hardly find a matriculation number beginning with 93 or 94 in the Nigerian university system. It was my first direct experience of being the proverbial grass caught in the conflict of mega-sized elephants, as far as ASUU’s relationship with the government was concerned. Yet, it was by far not the last. There was another strike in 1996 under the regime of General Sani Abacha.

After 26 years, 23 of which have been part of the longest continuous civilian rule since independence, we still have not worked out the crises bedevilling the education subsector of the economy.

On Monday, May 9, ASUU publicly announced a 12-week extension of the ongoing strike action that will continue the perverse annual ritual of forcing students home from academic institutions, thus truncating the smooth running of the academic calendars and stretching the regular term of their educational programmes while worsening the overall situation of microeconomic activities that are tied to the tertiary institutions, which also operate alongside the school calendar.

This is coming at a time when many institutions were just beginning to get back to a semblance of their regular schedules disrupted by the global shutdowns occasioned by the need to mitigate the rapid spread of the COVID-19 pandemic.

It is also unfortunate that a government, which doled out $8.5m for the evacuation of Nigerian students caught in the invasion of Ukraine by Russia, has been slow to invest a fraction of that amount to assuage the protesting academic staff, address their concerns and improve the sector to avoid the need for Nigerians to seek better academic fortunes abroad.

This blight on our educational system has gone on for far too long. At every time, it is mostly the students that are caught in the crossfire. They are the ones who end up as the casualties in the shoot-out between stubborn government authorities and a resilient union determined not to take “No” for an answer.

From the past administrations of Olusegun Obasanjo, Umaru Musa Yar’Adua, Goodluck Ebele Jonathan all through to Buhari, the strikes have been incessant with several lost months and years, which the hapless students will never get back. The result has been a sustained brain drain and capital flight to African countries and overseas and to “saner climes” as the cliché goes.

The best and most intelligent students and academic staff have taken flight to avoid the stunted educational future awaiting them with intermittent strike actions at home.

The less fortunate ones are left to their fate with their educational progress dependent on ad-hoc adjustments to their programmes to make up for time lost sitting out another period of strikes, while they hope they will have made progress before the next strike is called.

As with the latest action, the basis for these perennial strikes are mostly a lack of congruence in what the academic staff of universities are demanding and what the government is ready to provide for the sake of the educational fortunes of the country. Those who were at the forefront of the initial ASUU formation often trace the crises in the sector to the military regime of Obasanjo, when he abolished the payment of school fees in tertiary institutions, placing the burden of financing these institutions squarely on the shoulders of the government.

At a time when oil wealth was plentiful, the surplus comfortably served the academic needs of the schools in existence and was attractive enough to draw researchers from across the globe, all of whom benefited from the largesse made available from the common purse. This remained the case until the ill-fated Structural Adjustment Programme (SAP) of the Babangida junta. Suddenly, the funds required for financing necessary research and running the administration of tertiary institutions in the country dried up, forcing academic institutions to begin to require alternative sources of revenue, such as charging a subsidised amount as fees and other administrative charges.

Today, students, who ought to be in school studying, in partial fulfillment of their respective degrees, are struggling to find options to keep from idling away productive time as their plan to finish their studies and get on with the remainder of their lives will have to be readjusted once again. Some will see it as another indication that they too will have to find a way to seek “greener pastures” elsewhere and this has the potential to persist well into next year and beyond as politicians turn their attention to the frills and thrills of the electioneering season, which is just getting into full swing.

In fact, ASUU’s reason for extending the current strike by 12 weeks was that the Nimi Briggs-led renegotiation committee set up by the Federal Government to mediate with the Union over their demands was yet to arrange a sit-down this far into the strike, apart from their first initial meeting. They were even more miffed that at the said meeting, the committee demonstrated an acute lack of understanding, preparation and clarity to engage in the bargaining the negotiation called for.

What the foregoing points to is an educational sector in desperate need of a change in the status quo of engagement. The way the government engages with ASUU has to change and vice versa, for the sake of moving forward with cycles of academic calendar unaffected by incessant calls to industrial action.

On the part of the Federal Government, there is a perception that it is dishonest about its dealings with the Union and this must be dispelled for any meaningful progress in their relationship towards avoiding incessant strikes.

The government’s refusal to conclude the draft Memorandum of Understanding (MOU) reached in May 2021, while refusing to accept their 2009 deal, is particularly seen by ASUU as a point of divergence and until both sides can go converge on a way forward, there will be little to no difference in the status quo. This is not helped by the approval of $8.5m for Nigerian students in Ukraine, while those at home are not given a similar consideration as they idled away at home due to the strike.

Furthermore, the poor timing of Chukwuemeka Nwajiuba, the Minister of State for Education’s announcement of his presidential bid and his payment of N100 million for the APC’s nomination forms plays into the hands of the Union, with its claim that there is enough money in the system to meet its demands but those involved are simply self-serving and need to be strong-armed to do the right thing.

Yet, there are faults on both sides. In the 23 years of unbroken civilian rule, Nigeria is yet to reach the United Nations Educational Scientific and Cultural Organizations (UNESCO) recommendation that developing nations should allocate up to 15-20 per cent of their annual budget to public education. In the 2022 budget of N17 trillion, only 7.2 per cent was allocated to education, even with the proliferation of universities. It means education will be stifled in trying to fulfill its role of increasing economic efficiency and social consistency to the point of helping to raise the poor from poverty and it will continue to suffer funding shortages that will limit running costs, truncate research advancements, result in lack of infrastructural development, encourage further brain drain and capital flight, prevent institutions from operating laboratories, running electricity, maintaining staff offices, libraries, students’ hostels, administrative blocks, recreation centres, good road network and undoubtedly lead to more strikes, in the long run.

The striking lecturers will have to accept the fact that the rot of many years will never be repaired by the bulk allocation of billions of naira overnight. As a result, there is a need for a comprehensive outline of developmental stages worked out by all stakeholders and composed into a realistic and actionable plan to which the government and ASUU will agree as binding. This will involve all their requests, such as funding for the revitalisation of public universities by the Federal Government, payment of Earned Academic Allowances, signing of the re-negotiated 2009 agreement and deployment of the University Transparency and Accountability Solution (UTAS), but spread out over a range of 10 to 20 years with measurable milestones and monetary allocations for every stage.

Progress will be monitored by a committee made up of leaders of the National Assembly, Judiciary, Executive, the NBA and NGOs, which will adjudicate, should any party fail in its responsibilities, while the National Assembly will play its allocatory roles to ensure the milestones are met all through to completion. Putting this in place and faithfully adhering to the terms and conditions will raise the bar of government-ASUU relationships, bring some trust into their parleys and restore confidence in the process of university governance and financing.

Today, students, who ought to be in school studying, in partial fulfillment of their respective degrees, are struggling to find options to keep from idling away productive time as their plan to finish their studies and get on with the remainder of their lives will have to be readjusted once again PAGE 32

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