Sunday 14th August 2016

CBN: Our Monetary Policies Best for Salvaging Economy at This Time Paul Obi in Abuja

The Central Bank of Nigeria (CBN) yesterday told critics of its monetary policies that its measures remained the best and most sustainable as they were designed to lift the economy out of the woods.

Kaduna State Governor, Ahmed El-Rufai, a prominent member of the ruling All Progressives Congress, had last week taken a swipe at the CBN, faulting its decision to hike the Monetary Policy Rate (MPR), the benchmark interest rate, to 14 per cent

from 12 per cent, which he pointed out, was causing massive job losses.

El-Rufai had warned that “unless the Central Bank and the banking system make a conscious decision to bring the interest rate down, one day we will legislate it,” dismissing

CBN’s perennial reasons for high interest rate, and used expletive to express his disgust.

But speaking at Redeemed Christian Church of God (RCCG), The Everlasting Arms Parish, Garki, Teens’ Career Conference, the Governor of CBN, Godwin Emefiele, said

the bank’s policies remained the best therapy and antidote to Nigeria’s sinking economy.

Represented by CBN Deputy Governor, Economic Policy, Dr Sarah Alade, the CBN governor said, “At this moment, what we are doing is what is best for the economy.”

“The concern even in this hall has been the slide in the naira. And I have told you, I did answer the question by saying that we also need to ensure that we diversify the economy, so that we can earn more dollar, we can have more Continued on page 8

Nigeria Beats Denmark 2-0, Qualifies for Olympics Semi-finals ...Page 8 Sunday 14 August, 2016 Vol 21. No 7781

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How I Married My Nigerian Gay Husband, by New York Photographer Outrage trails online display of wedding photos

Nseobong Okon-Ekong

Like wild fire in harmattan, the news of their marriage, which was intended not to be publicised, spread

on social media, drawing scathing views from online commentators. Eric Shoen, the New York basedphotographer, fund raiser and blogger, has now come

out with details of marriage to his Nigerian gay partner, David Umukoro Ukre, from Delta State.

Eric and David got married in a small wedding at TILT

nightclub in Rochester, New York on July 30.

Eric felt particularly dejected because their vigilance to keep the wedding a secret failed. “We

tried very carefully to make sure this wouldn’t happen.

Guests were instructed not to take photos during the ceremony. We were very particular about who was

invited. It was a sad added bonus that most of the guests from Nigeria cancelled just 24 hours before the ceremony.

I felt lost. I still get a terrible

Speaker Dogara: No Money was Misappropriated in Budget Process

Continued on page 11

Damilola Oyedele in Abuja Speaker of the House of Representatives, Hon. Yakubu Dogara, yesterday denied the allegations of fraud and abuse of office levelled against him by the erstwhile chairman of the House Committee on Appropriation, Hon. Jibrin Abdulmumini. It was his first direct response to the accusation that he supervised the padding of the 2016 budget with fraudulent projects on purpose to corruptly enrich himself and other accomplices. In a brief statement yesterday countering the claims by Abdulmumin, his former close ally, Dogara said no money was embezzled during the preparation of this year’s budget and he did not engage in any underhand dealings.

Dogara and Abdulmumin have been engaged in a confrontation since the latter’s removal as chairman of the appropriation

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JOY OF VICTORY

Aminu Usman celebrates with his teammates after scoring the second goal for Nigeria against Denmark in the quarter finals of the Continued on page 8 Men’s Olympic football competition in Salvador, Brazil ...yesterday

WEEKLY PULL-OUT

14.08.2016

PRINCESS CHINEKE

WHY SHE KEEPS COMING BACK TO NOLLYWOOD

PDP: North Abandons Sheriff, Set to Pick Nominees for P’Harcourt Convention ...Page 8

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PDP: North Abandons Sheriff, Set to Pick Nominees for Port Harcourt Convention Peace committee directs feuding parties to withdraw all court cases

Onyebuchi Ezigbo in Abuja The northern caucus of the Peoples Democratic Party yesterday set up a 16-member committee to screen and pick consensus candidates for offices zoned to the region ahead of the August 17 national convention of the party in Port Harcourt. The constitution of the committee headed by former Deputy Senate President Ibrahim Mantu signalled an intention by key politicians from Sheriff’s native region and core political base to go along with the Senator Ahmed Makarfiled national caretaker committee. It was also an apparent abandonment of Sheriff, whose opposition to the caretaker committee formed at the party’s controversial convention on May 21 in Port Harcourt lies at the root of the current leadership crisis in PDP. The PDP National Working Committee that Sheriff led had been dissolved by the May convention, which appointed the national caretaker committee to oversee the affairs of the party until the election of substantive national officers at a future convention.

Meanwhile, the peace committee set up by the PDP Board of Trustees to solve the conflict in the party has asked aggrieved parties to withdraw all court cases on the matter as a first step towards rec-

onciliation. Chairman of the committee, Professor Jerry Gana, disclosed this yesterday in Abuja after a closed-door meeting of the BoT, where he submitted the report of his committee. He said withdrawal of the cases was one of the main recommendations of the report, stressing that its recommendations contain measures that would pacify and persuade Sheriff and other aggrieved members to drop their agitations.

PDP leaders had made spirited efforts at various levels to convince the aggrieved former national chairman to back down, before the decision to form the Mantu committee and move on with arrangements for the August 17 convention. Sheriff was still giving tough conditions for reconciliation as at Friday night, making the reconciliation bid by the Gana committee a frustrating and difficult exercise. The former Borno State governor insisted that the national convention should not hold as planned in Port Harcourt.

THISDAY gathered that Sheriff, among others, demanded that the convention venue should be moved to Abuja and that he should be made to chair the convention. But this did not go down well with the major stakeholders, especially the governors.

Nonetheless, it was learnt that the reconciliation committee recom-

mended that Sheriff should co-chair the convention along with Makarfi. The committee, however, refused to shift the venue of the convention out of Port Harcourt, which might imply postponing it. The argument of those who opposed changing the convention plan was that the timeline for the caretaker committee to conclude its work would end by August 21.

Failure to conclude the committee’s assignment and ensure the emergence of substantive national officers for the PDP may cause another round of constitutional problem, they say.

Speaking after submitting the report of the reconciliation committee to the chairman of the BoT, Senator Walid Jibrin, at his residence in Asokoro, Abuja, Gana said he was confidence that the recommendations will go a long way in resolving the leadership crisis in the party.

He said besides holding talks with the aggrieved parties, the committee also consulted widely among critical stakeholders of the party before arriving at its recommendations.

The former information minister said, “We have the support of all the organs of our party and party members, the governors’ forum, and the National Assembly caucus. We have tremendous respect for some of our members who are still aggrieved, hence this com-

mittee.

“We have recommended how they, too, can be made to feel at home so that we can welcome them at the convention. But it will be irresponsible of me to divulge, because the BoT will have to consider and rectify that aspect. We have given very weighty recommendations that, if approved, we will be waiting at the convention to receive these our aggrieved members.”

Gana said the peace committee had agreed that the convention should hold as scheduled, explaining that a new national leadership of PDP would be elected at the meeting.

While deliberating on the convention plan yesterday, the northern leaders agreed to proceed with the national convention on August 17 in Port Harcourt, saying it has their full blessing. Mantu, who read out the position of the leaders during the meeting, said after due consideration over the issues at stake, and given assurances by Rivers State Governor Nyesom Wike that the exercise would be transparent, the northern caucus had resolved that the convention should go ahead as planned.

Those who attended the PDP northern caucus meeting yesterday included former governors Ibrahim Idris, Shehu Shema, Attahiru Bafarawa, Mahmud Shinkafi, James Bala Ngilari, Umaru Fin-

SPEAKER DOGARA: NO MONEY WAS MISAPPROPRIATED IN BUDGET PROCESS committee on July 20 owing to alleged abuse of the budget process. Seemingly employing a scorched earth policy, after his ouster, Abdulmumin accused Dogara, Deputy Speaker Yussuff Lasun, Chief Whip Alhassan Doguwa, and Minority Leader Leo Ogor of allocating N40 billion to themselves out of the N100 billion appropriated for the National Assembly, and making “senseless insertions into the 2016 budget”.

The Kano-born lawmaker, whose removal as head of the appropriation committee was, allegedly, hinged on an unlawful insertion of constituency projects worth over N4 billion into the 2016 budget, also petitioned the Economic and Financial Crimes Commission, the Independent Corrupt Practices and Other Related Offences Commission, and the Nigeria Police. He demanded the arrest and prosecution of the speaker, the three principal officers, and 10 committee chairmen for alleged corruption and abuse of office.

Dogara had at different fora in the last two weeks largely parried questions about the budget padding

allegations and refrained from making any categorical statement denying the charges.

But in a statement yesterday by his special adviser on media and public affairs, Mr. Turaki Hassan, Dogara said there was no act of corruption by him during and after the preparation of the 2016 budget.

The statement said the speaker wished to “reiterate and assure all Nigerians that no kobo belonging to Nigeria has been misappropriated, stolen or lost in this budget saga.

“Hon. Yakubu Dogara further wishes to deny all other allegations of a personal nature heaped on him by Hon. Jibrin as they are fictional and scandalous untruths and falsehoods which will be dealt with at the appropriate fora and time.”

Dogara also urged Nigerians to be vigilant with respect to the implementation of this year’s budget to ensure that they were not short-changed. He noted that his statements regarding the scandal had been misconstrued to mean arrogance, insensitivity, and being above the law.

Dogara had, among oth-

er insinuations, been alleged to have said budget padding was not a crime, and that the anti-graft agencies could not investigate or prosecute lawmakers for doing their job.

However, the statement clarified, “The Speaker's assertion was and remains that nothing untoward had been done by the House and, indeed, the National Assembly with respect to the 2016 budget.

He did not say or mean that he is above the laws of the land or that he is shielded by the law or has immunity for any infractions of the law.

“We wish to appeal to the public for patience as the truth, which will vindicate the innocent in this unfortunate saga, will unfold sooner than later.”

Meanwhile Abdulmumin has refused to comment on reports that the EFCC has resuscitated a money laundering case against him, leading him to seek court protection to prevent his arrest.

Abdulmumin and his firm, Green Forest Investment Ltd, a former governor of Nassarawa State, Mr. Aliyu Akwe Doma, and seven others had been charged with the launder-

ing of stolen state funds totalling over N15 billion in October 2011. But in December 2012, the EFCC removed his name from its amended charges.

THISDAY sought his reaction to the fraud case, but he was silent on the issue. He, however, released a statement in which he called on Dogara to step aside and allow for internal and external investigations. Abdulmumin said this was necessary to ensure “various reforms by the new Speaker can commence to restore the battered image of the House.”

Abdulmumin also urged Dogara to explain his role in “the fraudulent multi-billion naira cars contract by his fronts as chairman, House Services Committee (in the seventh assembly).” He alleged that the Speaker had been involved in fraudulent contracts and money laundering in the House of Representatives since 2007.

“With the massive amount being moved from the House accounts on Dogara's instruction, I hope he will be arrested before he steals everything,” Abdulmumini stated.

tiri, Abubakadir Kure, Babangida Aliyu, and Sule Lamido. Others were Senator Philip Aduda, Aminu Wali, AVM Dan Suleiman, Dr. Haliru Bello Mohammed, and Solomon Ewuga.

However, there were misgivings among the northern leaders over the inclusiveness of the process for recommending nominees to the convention. Protesting the composition of the screening committee, former Niger State Governor Babangida Aliyu, said, “I must say that I am not happy that I was not consulted when my name was included and also when it was removed. But now that the chairman has explained to me, I have no problem with that. But some other persons who were not consulted are not happy with that.”

Aliyu observed that some persons, who were apparently not happy

with the arrangement, had staged a walk out. "For instance, our zonal chairman has just walked out of the meeting. We should find out why. I would like to know because when we start doing things like this we will run into a lot of problems,” he said.

A member from Kaduna State also protested against the choice of nominees to the screen committee, saying a situation where the two persons representing his state are all from the southern part of the state is not fair.

Positions zoned to the North are Deputy National Chairman, National Secretary, National Financial Secretary, National Publicity Secretary, National Auditor, National Woman Leader, Deputy National Treasurer, Deputy National Organising Secretary, Deputy National Youth Leader, Deputy National Legal Adviser, and Deputy National Secretary.

CBN: OUR MONETARY POLICIES BEST FOR SALVAGING ECONOMY AT THIS TIME export,” he added.

Emefiele explained that the apex bank remained supportive of government’s efforts at finding practical solutions to the lingering economic crisis, stressing that, the priority now at the bank was how to sail Nigeria out of the economic crisis.

“And this, we are also supporting the efforts of the government, once we are able to do this, we would then be able to earn the interest rate that people want. At this particular time, to be able to get out of the situation, we are in, we need to have the decisions we have taken at the right time.”

On whether the CBN’s Quantitative Easing (QE), an interventionist policy by the apex bank to rescue the economy from total collapse has been effective, Alade stated that, “the Monetary Policy Committee (MPC) considers all these factors before we take decisions and we will do what is right for the economy. Whatever policies we need to take to ensure that the economy comes out stronger, we do it and at the right time.”

Speaking further, the CBN boss advised the teens to stay focus on their dreams for greatness, stressing that, hard work, focus and commitment remained the key to success.

Assuring them that the bank took the growth and development of youths in the country seriously, he added that, “one thing that keeps me awake at night is how to create an enabling environment for our youths to grow.

“One of my concerns at the CBN is how to ensure that our youths get access to finance.

We recognised this fact and we want to reduce this obstacle

to access to finance for the youths,” he said.

Director General of National Pension Commission (PENCOM), Chinelo Anohu-Amazu, said under her watch the Nigerian pension sub-sector has grown to the tune of about N5.7 trillion with about 7.1 million subscribers.

Anohu-Amazu urged the youths to ensure that the virtues of discipline, focus, honesty remain cardinal in the day-to-day life as they pursue their various dreams.

The PENCOM DG decried the quality of manpower in the Nigeria at the moment, stating that, more than 80 per cent of applicants looking for jobs were unemployable, as proven by the poor quality of the resumes and applications.

She charged the youths to imbibe the spirit of saving and investment, as a way of preparing for a better future ahead.

Also, former Chairman of the Federal Inland Revenue Service (FIRS), Ifueko OmoiguiOkauru, encouraged the youths not to mortgage their souls in the course of wanting to be great in life.

Omoigui-Okauru implored them to rather pay attention to putting extra efforts in the pursuit of their goals in life.

Also, Nigerian Comedian, Atunyota Akporobomerere, popularly known as Ali Baba made a presentation at the session, urging the youth to follow their respective dreams with all rigour and confidence, which, he said, are the bedrock of success.

The conference was organised by the Chairman, THISDAY Editorial Board, Mr Olusegun Adeniyi, and Pastor & Mrs. Eval Azodoh of the Everlasting Arms Parish, among others.

Okah Brothers Slam N5b Suit on Jonathan ...See story on www.thisdaylive.com

T H I S D AY SUNDAY AUGUST 14, 2016

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AUGUST 14, 2016 • T H I S D AY, T H E S U N D AY N E W S PA P E R

SUNDAY COMMENT

Editor, Editorial Page PETER ISHAKA Email peter.ishaka@thisdaylive.com

TRAFFICKING AND THE PROSTITUTION RING

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The authorities must adopt stern measures to contain the unsettling crisis which undermines the country’s image

he name of our country recently came up for another inglorious mention in the United Kingdom following the sentence to 22 years in prison of a woman who was using the threat of witchcraft to exert control over women and girls trafficked from Nigeria to Europe for sex work. Prosecutor David Davies said Ms Franca Asemota, 38, targeted girls from poor backgrounds who were then promised legitimate jobs in Europe. “Only when they were far away from their homes were they told the truth – that they would have to work as prostitutes,” Davies said in a statement. “The girls were told that if they disobeyed their captors or tried to escape, the curse would cause them injury, infertility or There is a need even death.” for a sustained Unfortunately, that sensitisation tragic episode came of Nigerians, at the same period the especially those in International Office Migration (IOM) rural areas, to the for released a report that dangers posed by about 3,600 Nigerian ‘good Samaritans’ women arrived by boat who offer better into Italy in the first six lives for children months of this year, 80 away from the per cent of them going prostitution. “What watchful eyes of into we have seen this year is their parents and a crisis, it is absolutely guardians unprecedented and is the most significant increase in the number of Nigerian women arriving in Italy for 10 years,” said Simona Moscarelli, antitrafficking expert at the IOM. “Our indicators are the majority of these women are being deliberately brought in for sexual exploitation purposes. There has been a big enhancement of criminal gangs and trafficking networks engaging in the sexual exploitation of younger and younger Nigerian girls.”

The authorities in Nigeria must find a way to bring to an end the activities of these prostitution cartels that send our women and girls not only into modern slavery but also into lives of misery and death. In March this year, the Kano Zonal Command of National Agency for the Prohibition

Letters to the Editor

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s it is today, Ali Modu Sheriff needs to lie low and do proper stock taking of his political career. He left the All Progressives Congresses (APC) over irreconcilable differences with the leaders. At a point, he almost engaged Bola Tinubu in a physical combat just because he would not be allowed to produce candidate for the position of national chairman and secretary respectively. Since joining the PDP, he has continued in the same manner clashing with the governors elected on the party’s platform. He has made enough enemies in his eight-year rule as Borno governor and the Boko Haram controversy. He cannot afford to make more as his shoulders are not broad enough to carry the burden.

There is a popular Hausa proverb that applies here, “Da mugun rawa, gaara kin tashi,’’ meaning instead

of Trafficking in Persons and other Related Matters (NAPTIP) said it had rescued no fewer than 50 victims of human trafficking within a period of two months. And last May, a Nigerian human trafficking victim by name Abigael who claimed to have aborted about 300 pregnancies for girls died shortly after she was rescued from a Libya-based Nigerian prostitution cartel. Her harrowing story, published in a national newspaper before she died, testifies to how entrenched the prostitution ring has become in our country today.

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S U N DAY N E W S PA P E R EDITOR TOKUNBO ADEDOJA DEPUTY EDITOR VINCENT OBIA MANAGING DIRECTOR ENIOLA BELLO DEPUTY MANAGING DIRECTOR KAYODE KOMOLAFE CHAIRMAN EDITORIAL BOARD OLUSEGUN ADENIYI EDITOR NATION’S CAPITAL IYOBOSA UWUGIAREN

T H I S DAY N E W S PA P E R S L I M I T E D EDITOR-IN-CHIEF/CHAIRMAN NDUKA OBAIGBENA GROUP EXECUTIVE DIRECTORS ENIOLA BELLO, KAYODE KOMOLAFE, ISRAEL IWEGBU, EMMANUEL EFENI, IJEOMA NWOGWUGWU GROUP FINANCE DIRECTOR OLUFEMI ABOROWA DIVISIONAL DIRECTORS PETER IWEGBU, FIDELIS ELEMA, MBAYILAN ANDOAKA, ANTHONY OGEDENGBE DEPUTY DIVISIONAL DIRECTOR OJOGUN VICTOR DANBOYI SNR. ASSOCIATE DIRECTORS ERIC OJEH ASSOCIATE DIRECTORS HENRY NWACHOKOR, SAHEED ADEYEMO CONTROLLERS ABIMBOLA TAIWO, UCHENNA DIBIAGWU, NDUKA MOSERI GENERAL MANAGER PATRICK EIMIUHI GROUP HEAD FEMI TOLUFASHE ART DIRECTOR OCHI OGBUAKU II DIRECTOR, PRINTING PRODUCTION CHUKS ONWUDINJO TO SEND EMAIL: first name.surname@thisdaylive.com

t is indeed very sad that there seems to be no end to the humiliating act of human trafficking in Nigeria. If anything, several criminal gangs have taken into the illicit trade. The Attorney-General of the Federation and Minister of Justice, Mallam Abubakar Malami (SAN) last week identified terrorism and corruption as a major factor fuelling human trafficking in our country. Reducing every problem in Nigeria to corruption is unhelpful. Besides, what we need from the authorities are strategies to address the problem.

To the extent that human trafficking has become one of the biggest money making businesses after drug trafficking today, it is worrisome that Nigeria is regarded not only as a transit route but also a source as well as a destination. It is even more disturbing that children and young adults, especially of the womenfolk, are now becoming mere merchandise. In what is clearly an organised crime involving international syndicates, the traffickers usually move their victims to Europe through North Africa by caravan, most often forcing their victims to cross the desert on foot. In the process, many die even as the survivors are subjected to all forms of indignity, in the bid to repay the heavy debts owed their “benefactors” by way of travel expenses.

While we condemn human trafficking, we are also of the strong belief that a demonstration of political will to diligently prosecute offenders would serve as deterrent to those engaged in the nefarious trade.

There is also a need for a sustained sensitisation of Nigerians, especially those in rural areas, to the dangers posed by ‘good Samaritans’ who offer better lives for children away from the watchful eyes of their parents and guardians.

TO OUR READERS Letters in response to specific publications in THISDAY should be brief (150-200 words) and straight to the point. Interested readers may send such letters along with their contact details to opinion@thisdaylive.com. We also welcome comments and opinions on topical local, national and international issues provided they are well-written and should also not be longer than (950- 1000 words). They should be sent to opinion@thisdaylive.com along with the email address and phone numbers of the writer.

ALI SHERIFF’S EXCESS LUGGAGE of a bad dance, it is better one does not get up at all. For how long will he continue to accumulate excess luggage for a political career marred by controversies?

Sheriff, despite his stupendous wealth, cannot win the chairmanship of his hometown, Ngala, today, not to talk of becoming a senator in Borno central with eight local government areas. He should stop deceiving himself if people are deceiving him that he is a presidential material. According to a Malawian proverb “he who thinks he is leading and no one is following him is only taking a walk.’’

I wonder how his family feels when they read stories in the newspapers posted on social media and the kind of nasty comments that follow. Ali Sheriff by any standard, either before he became governor or after, is not a poor

man. He comes from one of the richest families in Borno. Politically, providence has smiled on him as the first son of Dikwa emirate to be elected governor twice; was elected to the Senate thrice, though inaugurated twice as the third one was truncated by the military and reduced Borno PDP to spectators for eight years despite having the government at the centre. Hence, he does not need to be active politics to eat. Then, why all this trouble?

Today, no matter how biased a historian may be, the story of Nigeria’s democratic experience in the last 16 years cannot be written without mentioning the name of Ali Sheriff. In the case of Borno, the story will be incomplete without a chapter being dedicated to him.

What else does he want?

His insistence on treading the same path can deny his other siblings the opportunity of attain-

ing prominence in national politics.

The former governor must realise his current actions can rubbish the hard work of his father, Galadima Dikwa, Modu Sheriff. Galadima Dikwa is one Borno businessman I respect so much, regardless of what others may think of him. Despite his little education and humble beginning as a local perfume seller, he achieved what the likes of late Ahmed Mai Deribe could not achieve despite being close to the corridors of power. Every Borno man knows what happened to Deribe’s eldest son, Zanna, at the Nigerian Ports Authority (NPA) despite his father’s stupendous wealth. It is better to allow sleeping dogs lie. He needs to learn from this and tread softly because power makes and destroys people.

No matter how many court judgments he gets, the PDP governors who are the heartbeat of the party

are not likely to accept him. He has inflicted enough damage on the party. He has also put the “inconclusive’’ Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC) in a bigger dilemma on how to proceed with the Edo elections.

Ali Sheriff must realise that his desperate attempt to lead the party is an exercise in futility. This is because the PDP is a sinking ship and the forces against him are far more mischievous than him. But true to his praise epithet, he will continue to punch holes in the umbrella until everyone in the party is drenched. He will also take the undignifying responsibility of being the undertaker for the party.

Excess luggage in politics comes with so much pain that it buries both the owner and his luggage.

––Abdulrafiu Lawal, rafla2002pl@yahoo.com

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SUNDAY, AUGUST 14, 2016 • T H I S D AY T H E S U N D AY N E W S PA P E R

HOW I MARRIED MY NIGERIAN GAY HUSBAND, NEW YORK PHOTOGRAPHER

The groomsmen take a stroll before the reception feeling in my stomach just a week and a half later. I hate being helpless.”

Having failed to conceal the union and just smarting from the witheringly scornful reactions to the solemnisation of their union, he decided to give details of the ceremony and what followed to the Huffington Post.

“We had a small ceremony under the leaves of some great old trees on the lawn of an adorable little restaurant. My family and our closest friends joined us. Our vow exchange was only 30 minutes long. What followed was a day of love, laughter, joy, eating, sore feet, kids running circles around the yard, and family and friends celebrating our day together. We posted only a few photos to our Facebook pages and asked guests to not post photos or mention our marriage.

“That night, we went out dancing to a club with friends who stayed over. The next morning, we decided to take some friends with us on the first day of our honeymoon to see Niagara Falls. We were still enjoying every moment of calling each other husband, taking photos kissing in front of the falls, getting sprayed at the Cave of the Winds, and accepting well-wishing texts from family and friends.”

Eric painted a miserable picture of what happened when he woke up on Monday morning after the wedding to return the rental car used for the occasion. “When I returned, my husband was pacing and crying, distraught, pointing to his phone.

Somehow, someone had either sold or given photos from our wedding and first dance to one of Nigeria’s notorious gossip bloggers, Linda Ikeji who chose to publish them on her blog. Whether to out David and make a mockery or to somehow use it as advocacy, no one knows. What we do know is that she had no permission from either of us to use our photos or story.

“My husband calls me “the fixer” for a reason. I felt like I might be able to fix this before it got out of control. I called my sister who is an attorney for advice. Given that the information was posted on an international site, there was little we could do. My friends at Google and Blog-spot, and attorneys who are friends of mine gave me the same unfortunate news,” he said Noting the fruitless steps he took to get the blogger to pull down the report and the photographs, he said: “I did contact the

blogger directly via email and asked that the photos of our wedding, of our trip with my family, photos of our groomsmen, and direct quotes from my Facebook page be removed. I quickly locked down the security on my Facebook which had been relatively open so that I could use it for advertising and sales. I never heard back from her.”

The news of his marriage to the Warri, Delta State-born Nigerian broke the internet.

The reaction from the public was immediate and largely negative. “How could our tiny, personal wedding in Rochester mean so much to hateful people on the other side of the planet that they would find us on the internet so they could harass us?”, he wondered.

He noted that much of the disgust came from Eric’s home country, Nigeria, which neither recognises same-sex marriages nor civil unions for same-sex couples.

“Homosexuality can land men up to 14 years in prison in Southern Nigeria and capital punishment for men in areas under Sharia Islamic Law. On January 18, 2007 the Federal Executive Council approved a law, Same Sex Marriage (Prohibition) Act 2006, prohibiting same sex marriages,” Eric said.

Recounting how frenetic he became over the publication of the wedding, Eric told the Huffington Post, “I worked as fast as I could asking bloggers to remove our photos and mention of us, but only one complied.

By the end of the day, more than 150 sites had blogged about us. They were not saying anything overtly mean for the most part. The comments, on the other hand, mentioned the ‘end of times,’ beheading us if we came to Nigeria, asking God to rain down evil upon us, suggesting that we get anal cancer and die, calling us devils, and threatening us in various other vulgar ways. Some people commented positively, but they were in the minority.”

Seeing that nothing could be done to halt the spread of the news of their wedding on the internet, he had no other option than to tell David that at this point, there was little he could do. “At the same time, his phone and my phone started to heat up with Facebook messages from strangers condemning us for being gay. His phone started to ring continuously from unknown Nigerian phone numbers. I felt lost. I still

Groomsmen pose for a selfie before we head back to the reception

Continued on page 1

Photos: Luke Reynolds Photography/Huffington Post

David with groomsmen at the wedding get a terrible feeling in my stomach just a week and a half later. I hate being helpless.”

Their groomsmen were also not spared.

They were accused of being gay. “One of them felt compelled to come out via social media after the pressure.

David’s family was harassed by neighbors and local hooligans. He hadn’t told his family we were getting married.

They were not even aware he was gay.

David’s sister called to make sure we knew that she knew and she supported us. She relayed that his mom was not admitting anything and continued to defend David to anyone who bothered her. His other siblings also messaged us to say that they were being harassed via telephone, in person, and social media.”

On why he decided to share their story, Eric said: “You see, I fell in love with an amazing Nigerian man. I knew it was illegal for him to be gay in his country. I knew it was illegal for his family to know he was gay and not report him. I never thought that my tiny little wedding in Rochester, New York to this man would go any further than between our close friends who were invited and maybe some of their friends.

“David was afraid to come out of the closet to his family for so many reasons, some of which I recognize in my own coming out story. Telling my parents was very frightening, painful and tough, but

Eric and David hold hands after the ceremony, showing off their new wedding rings

they support me now. I grew up here, where letting someone know you are gay was tough, not illegal. Some of David’s reasoning can only be understood by someone who grew up in Nigeria or a similar country where it is illegal to be gay.

“Why would this be such big news in Nigeria? I believe it is because the press still wants to vilify gay men and women. They want to show that the USA is a place that corrupts the morals of children and is a den of sin and iniquity. The current political election probably isn’t helping change that impression much. The mere thought of two men getting married is enough to incite vitriol from all corners of Nigeria, and other parts of the world still today.”

Prior to the wedding, Eric had shared the news on their Facebook pages. He wrote on his timeline: “I am struggling to focus on work as I think about seeing all of my friends and family joining us at the small wedding or that evening at Tilt nightclub.

I’m feeling loved when I need it with all the crazy emotions from the current state of our country and world.”

On the morning of their wedding, an excited Eric also shared this: “How to start your wedding day: 1. Forget to grab a towel before showering and leave slippery wet footprints all over the house (made me giggle and good thing I’m the only one here) 2. Try on your tux and realize that you have your fiancés pants that will definitely not fit you. 3. Drive to hotel to switch pants and forget breakfast is in the oven. Return to house with crispy but edible breakfast.

Embracing it all with love and laughter.

Today will be amazing. I get to marry the most amazing man” To demonstrate their commitment, they took each other’s surnames. David is now known as ‘David Shoen-Ukre’, while Eric has officially become ‘Eric Shoen-Ukre’.

Before the latest spotlight on Eric and David, the Nigerian LGBT community was championed by Bisi Alimi, a gay rights activist, public speaker, blog writer and HIV/LGBT advocate who gained international attention when he became the first Nigerian to come out of the closet on television.

He was followed by Nigerian brand expert and founder of the Orange Academy, Kenny Badmus, who first stunned the world by openly stating his HIV Positive status and later declaring that he is gay.

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T H I S D AY, T H E S U N D AY N E W S PA P E R • AUGUST 14, 2016

SUNDAYNEWS

News Editor Abimbola Akosile E-mail: abimbola.akosile@thisdaylive.com, 08023117639 (sms only)

UNICEF: Nigeria’s New Polio Cases Underline Risks for Children in Conflict Paul Obi and Marvellous Okeke in Abuja

PLEASURE OUTLET L-R: Former acting National Chairman of PDP, Prince Uche Secondus; Rivers State Governor, Nyesom Wike, and Special Adviser to the Governor on Special Projects, Mr. Cyril Dum Wite, during an inspection of the Port Harcourt Pleasure Park…yesterday

Floods Kill 18 Persons in Kano Ibrahim Shuaibu in Kano

Just a week after it issued a warning, the National Emergency Management Agency (NEMA) has disclosed that 18 persons lost their lives in floods, which affected 22 local government areas (LGAs) of the state. The agency also said properties worth millions of naira were destroyed by the floods.

According to a statement made available to THISDAY yesterday, NEMA North-west Zonal Coordinator, Musa Ilallah, revealed that the massive

floods had ravaged the 22 LGAs in the last two weeks.

According to him, properties including houses and farmlands worth more than N700 million were also lost by about 1,000 victims lost to the floods. “The worst affected local government areas are Shanono, Bagwai, Kiru with 749 victims and N347 million worth of properties damaged.

The statement revealed that, “the other LGAs affected are Rano, Kibiya, Bunkure, Gabasawa, Dawakin Tofa, Kano Municipal, Danbatta, Takai, Dawakin Kudu, Ka-

raye, Rogo, Kura, Wudil, Bichi, Sumaila, Garun Mallam, Ungogo, Bebeji and Warawa.”

NEMA advised the communities along the river Niger to evacuate immediately to safer ground over the likelihood of floods that may occur at any moment.

The Director General of NEMA, Muhammad Sani Sidi, had received alerts of the flood from information given by the authorities in the Republic of Niger that the present water level in the river had reached a point that might result in the flood that

could be compared with the unfortunate experience of 2012.

The NEMA zonal coordinator said a final phase of the multi-stakeholders’ team of assessors comprising officials from SEMA, NEMA, Red Cross, NSCDC and officials of the affected LGAs will visit the worst ravaged 3 LGAs of Kiru, Shanono, Bagwai this week. He commiserated with the government and people of Kano state over the loss of lives and also sympathised with those who lost their properties in the floods.

Airforce Begins Aerial Surveillance in FCT, Neighbouring States Senator Iroegbu inAbuja

In response to emerging security threats around the country, especially within the North Central and North West zones, the Nigerian Air Force (NAF) has launched aerial patrol and surveillance to monitor security situation in the Federal Capital Territory (FCT) and neighbouring states.

The Chief of Air Staff (CAS), Air Marshal Sadique Abubakar, disclosed this during a chat with journalists at the Nnamdi Azikiwe International Airport Abuja after flagging off of NAF Aerial patrol around FCT

yesterday.

Speaking at the event, Abubakar, who was represented by the Air Officer Commanding, Training Command Kaduna, Air Vice Marshal (AVM) Nuruddeen Balogun, said, “with all the security issues that are bedeviling the North East, North West and also the Federal Capital”, he said a directive has been issued that “we should combine the ongoing operations in those areas and ensure that the FCT is covered”.

This, he said, is a combination of Operation Yaki, Operation Sharan Daji and the joint operations taking place in Abuja.

“As you can see, there are three light utility helicopters that are capable of kinetic action, what we are suppose to do is coordinate the activities of the ground force with what we see air borne and make sure we bring effective fire and action to bear on whosoever it is that has intention of breaching security,” he added.

The Air chief listed the area of operations to include FCT, the Abuja-Kaduna highway, Birnin Gwari-Kaduna highway, the Falgore forest area, Minna general area, the Kano-Kaduna highway.

Expatiating on the target of

the surveillance, he said, “We are looking at kidnappers, we are looking at armed robbers, we are looking at cattle rustlers mainly.

Noting that there is no timeframe for the security measure, the air officer said, “we would continue to do it until it subsides completely.

I am sure Nigerians understand the situation we find ourselves now, anybody who is innocent has nothing to fear, only people with criminal intent should be worried, there is no problem, it’s a normal routine activity, we will make sure we identify and confirm before any action is taken.”

FG to Unveil 4-Year Roadmap on Agric as Private Sector, DPs Commit $1.7bn to Sector James Emejo and Chukwuemeka MaduagwunainAbuja

Operatives of the Nigerian Navy Ship (NNS Delta) Warri have recorded a major breakthrough in curtailing bombing of oil facilities with the arrest of two active members of the Niger Delta Avengers (NDA).

The two suspects, Felix Miyenminiya, aged 53 years and Stanley Jongha aged 35 were arrested last Thursday in Sapele, Delta State

by the Navy in conjunction with other security agencies after intensive surveillance on the suspects.

Parading the suspects at NNS Delta, Warri, the Commander, Commodore Joseph Dzunye disclosed that the suspects were behind attacks on some Chevron Nigerian Limited (CNL) facilities in the Warri North Local Government area of Delta State between the months of May and July. Dzunve, who indicated the Navy’s precision in its arrest of

the suspects, said the suspects had provided useful information that would help in the operations, adding that those arrested were deeply involved in various forms of crimes, including pipeline vandalism and sea robberies.

The Navy boss said the suspects were arrested last week, following intelligence tip-offs, adding that they were arrested within the Sapele general area.

He disclosed that the two suspects, Toghan and Miyenminiye,

were not the only ones involved in the attacks on the facilities in the Warri North area, assuring listeners that others who were still at large would soon be apprehended.

“Today, I am pleased to inform you that after persistent efforts, the Nigerian Navy Ship Delta, being part of the maritime component of the Operation Delta Safe, has arrested two suspects responsible for the attack on Chevron facilities, witnessed between May and July 2016, around Warri North axis of Delta state.

Following the worrisome confirmation of two cases of Polio Virus inBornoState,UNICEFyesterday said the two new cases of polio in Nigeria underline the prevailing risks children encountered in conflict zones.

UNICEF Polio Eradication Director Reza Hossaini said news about the two cases was devastating to the whole efforts to completely eradicate polio from Nigeria.

He said: The sobering news that two children have been paralysedbywildpoliovirusinNortheastern Nigeria underscores the urgency of eradicating the disease in conflict-affected areas.

The Government of Nigeria and the World Health Organisation have confirmed an outbreak of

wild poliovirus in conflict-ridden Borno state, where children are already facing dangerously high levels of malnutrition.”

According to Hossaini, “”the two cases were discovered in parts of Borno that have recently become accessible, but large areas of the state remain unreachable.

Nigeria - and the continent - had its last confirmed polio case two years ago and was within a year of being certified polio-free, thanks to a massive mobilisation by the government, partners and local health providers.

“We cannot deny the connection between conflict and the continued threat of polio. The two new cases mean children across the Lake Chad region are now at particular risk. With our partners, we will not stop until we reach every child with polio vaccination,” he said.

Troops Move against Rustlers in Katsina State, Recover 49 Cattle, 29 Sheep Senator Iroegbu in Abuja

The troops of 35 Battalion, 1 Brigade Nigerian Army in a joint patrol with elements of Nigeria Security and Civil Defence Corps (NSCDC), Katsina State, under the auspices of Operation Sharan Daji, on Friday, carried out joint operations along Tsambe-Fafare road, Jibia Local Government Area of Katsina State.

The Director of Army Public Relations (DAPR), Col. Sani Usman, in a statement yesterday, said the operation was predicated on information received by well-meaning citizens that three gunmen were sighted on motorcycles.

According to Usman, the team swung into action and pursued the suspected armed banditstowardsDumburuforest in Zamfara State. He said during an encounter, the team killed one of the suspected cattle rustlers and armed bandits, while the

other two escaped with gunshot wounds.

“They however recovered an AK-47 rifle with registration number 1985PS6288, additional AK-47 rifle magazine and three rounds of 7.62mm (Special) ammunition,” he stated.

Usman said another combined team also carried out special raids operations along Faskari-Sheme-Mairuwa road, Katsina State.

“Itwasinthatprocessthatthey arrested a notorious cattle rustler and armed bandit, Abubakar Mohammed (AKA Gora) alongside his boys and accomplices; Anas Gora and Bello Sani. The team recovered 49 cattle and 25 sheep from them,” he said.

He said the suspects were handed over to the police while the recovered animals have been handed over to Faskari Local Government Area Council Secretary for handing over to the rightful owners.

Presidency Confirms Death of SSA to President on Economic Matters Tobi Soniyi in Abuja

The Presidency has confirmed the death of the Senior Special Assistant to the President on Economic Matters, Mr. Ayoleke O. Adu. He was aged 44.

A statement issued yesterday by the Senior Special Assistant to the Vice President, Mr. Laolu Akande described Adu as a diligent economic professional and Certified Financial Analyst (CFA) who

passed on after a period of illness.

The statement said: ”Vice President Yemi Osinbajo, SAN, on behalf of the President and himself condoles with his wife, children, mother and the entire family. He prays that God will grant them the fortitude to bear the loss.” Before he joined the Buhari presidency last year, Adu was the Chief Executive Officer of Morgan Capital Securities Ltd, an investment firm with headquarters in Lagos.

Lawmaker Lifts 130 Youths

A lawmaker representing Epe Federal Constituency, Hon. Wale Raji, has empowered almost 130 youths in vocational training, which was done in partnership with the management of the Lagos State Technical and Vocational Education Board (LASTVEB). While addressing the press at the beginning of the training, the lawmaker urged all political office holders to always give back to the society. He also appealed to politicians to have attitudinal change by fulfilling every promise made during campaign so as to sustain democracy in the country. He commended the management of the board for collaborating with him to train the youths and craftsmen in different fields.

T H I S D AY SUNDAY AUGUST 14, 2016

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AUGUST 14, 2016 • THISDAY, THE SUNDAY NEWSPAPER

OPINION AMCON and Building Investor Confidence Richard Owolabi argues that AMCON’s interventions have assured depositors as well as investors in government’s determination to protect their investments

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hese interventions have indeed assured depositors and shareholders/ investors of the federal government’s determination to save their deposits and protect their investments.

Last week President Muhammadu Buhari convened the meeting of his economic think- tank, the Economic Management Team (EMT), chaired

by Vice-President Yemi Osinbajo. Top on the team’s agenda was how to reflate the economy, bring it out of recession and restore growth.

Some of the key suggestions made by the body of experts included massive infrastructural spending, with active participation of the private sector and increase in supply of foreign exchange (Forex) to the market.

The massive participation of the private sector in infrastructural development ultimately means more borrowing from banks and other financial institutions to finance the capital projects. On the other hand, supplying of more Forex will attract more foreign investments.

In both cases, Nigeria needs to prove that it has the requisite institutions and frameworks to safeguard investors’ funds. In other words, we need to make the point that Nigeria is a place to invest in. In searching for ways to breed such investor confidence, Nigeria is looking in the directions of two institutions and their operational frameworks -the Debt Management Office (DMO) and the Asset Management Corporation of Nigeria (AMCON). The two have offered innovative ideas to the federal government on how to address its debt profile.

With the establishment of the DMO in 2000, government’s public debt management functions have been streamlined into a single, semi-autonomous agency with responsibilities of keeping accurate record of the public debt, servicing it and advising government on new borrowing, among others.

On the other hand, AMCON was created in 2010 to be a stabilising and re-vitalising tool to revive the financial system suffering from the loan risk exposure of some of our banks. AMCON’s acquisition of about 13,774 non-performing loans (NPLs) worth N3.6 trillion from 22 commercial banks saved our banks from systemic collapse, while its provision of financial accommodation of N 2.2billion protected about N 4.7trillion of depositors’ funds and interbank takings as well as saved approximately 14,000 jobs.

These interventions have indeed assured depositors and shareholders/ investors of the federal government’s determination to save their deposits and protect their investments.

AMCON is trying to build confidence in investors that in Nigeria, no one will work into bank, take loan and just walk away without repaying. The point is that some people invested their money through taking share of the banks to pool the resources that are available for

borrowing by those in need of capital financing.

Overcoming Nigeria’s economic malady requires measures that will stimulate growth once again. Stimulating growth means reversing the consistent negative growth of the Gross Domestic Product (GDP). It means reducing the level of non-performing loans (NPLs) among the banks. All of these will only happen if we are able to attract investors back into the country. And for investors to come back they need assurances expressed not by word of mouth but by clearer and sustained policies, robust institutions and frameworks that are there to guarantee their investment.

Investors are still interested in bountiful return on investment once the enabling environment improves. One investment manager has this to say about Nigeria’s market: “Where else do you get a population and habit of people who spend? Nigerians naturally spend even in scarcity and will not require government incentive to spend.”

What AMCON is doing is quite reassuring to investors. It is debt management in action. And good debt management is essential, in modern times, to economic development. Some of the milestones that AMCON has achieved in building investor confidence include bond issuance and redemption, takeover/management of bridged banks and full divestment from two of the banks (Enterprise and Mainstreet).

Others are value enhanced exit strategy through seeking partnerships with investors to revive failing companies within AMCON’s portfolio, including the AMCON/Duet Equity partnership for a USD$600million fund for financing FMCG companies in Nigeria.

Similarly, AMCON’s intervention in Peugeot Automobile Nigeria (PAN), a leading automobile manufacturer in the country, also saved a lot of jobs and guaranteed business continuity. AMCON also stabilised

What AMCON is doing is quite reassuring to investors. It is debt management in action. And good debt management is essential, in modern times, to economic development.

Some of the milestones that AMCON has achieved in building investor confidence include bond issuance and redemption, takeover/management of bridged banks and full divestment from two of the banks

the aviation sector through key strategic interventions in some of them that were experiencing distress. These measures are what build investor confidence in a country. AMCON is not only building investor confidence in our economy it is also demonstrating further that the idea of AMCON is working. We can discern this from its ability to repay coupon on Central Bank of Nigeria (CBN) totalling N241.7 billion ($1.2 billion) and also repaid interest on CBN debenture totalling N15billion ($76.3 million).

All these achievements are happening under the management of its MD/CEO, Ahmed Kuru. The humility he brought to bear on the conduct of his business of debt recovery endears him to both the obligors and the people working with him to bring about these fantastic results. Debtors who come forward to negotiate their terms of settlement can attest to this singular act of respect and courteous disposition. This is not surprising for a chief executive who believes he is there to support businesses to succeed so that they can be able to meet their obligations.

He is guided by the notion that AMCON was neither set up to make profit within a 10-year lifespan, nor to kill businesses, but to deliver a social benefit of saving the economy and businesses from bad debts.

Only recently, Mr. Kuru revealed that AMCON has successfully settled over 56 per cent of the total N3.7 trillion (about N2.072 trillion) bad debts it had to manage from various individuals, groups and organisations in the country. He further revealed that the agency also succeeded in recovering over N644 billion. Even though the MD clarified that the settled cases did not translate into actual money in the government’s purse, it was sufficient pointer that AMCON was already on its way to meeting its objective of protecting the country’s economy and removing bad debts in the financial system.

Beyond Nigeria, AMCON is on its way to becoming a role model for other African nations with similar problems of NPLs. AMCON, in the last few years, has demonstrated fiscal discipline and expertise in debt accounting and loan auditing, the kind of skills needed to manage debt profile that many African countries can leverage.

While AMCON is striving to demonstrate vigilance on debt recovery, Ahmed Kuru and his team must not lose sight of the fact that that debt recovery takes time, especially in the context of a weak and debilitating economic environment, such as Nigeria is currently passing through.

The race for debt recovery must be seen as a marathon not sprint dash. Complete success on debt recovery will be achieved faster and with fewer hassles when government introduces policies that support growth and measures that reflate the economy, including those that improve the value of our local currency and address inflationary trends.

Owolabi wrote from Lagos

Economy for The Common Good

The ECG is an alternative economic system built on values that promote the needs of the people, writes Ilaria Chessa

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n 2008, economists had predicted a temporary economic crisis.

Today we know that there is nothing short-term about the economic slowdown. Our socio-economic system based on unlimited wealth accumulation has worked, and continue to do so, fantastically well for just a few, while hurting the large majority of citizens with poverty, widening inequality and little to no effective democratic participation. Income and wealth inequality has become the defining challenge of our times with the gap between the rich and poor at its highest level in decades.

Inequality in wealth distribution hinders the basic survival for billions of people and is a threat to democracy; it limits political freedom and access to power, with billionaires buying political votes and prominent public positions. Income and wealth inequality has been compounded by corruption and the siphoning out of public coffers of huge sums of money from less scrutinised economies, resources that are then deposited into the financial systems of western nations making the fortune of their bankers, investment brokers and real estate tycoons.

It is therefore no surprise that since the world crisis started, we have witnessed mass protests across the globe; from Venezuela’s economic crisis, marked by rampant inflation, chronic shortages of subsidised goods, and food riots; to the suspension from office for President Rousseff of Brazil pending an impeachment trial over accusations of corruption in manipulating public accounts; and on the other side of the Atlantic, Greece’s unsustainable debt crisis which led to the collapse of the economy and to civic unrest.

Nigeria is familiar with the mechanism of wealth accumulation through power; corruption made a few Nigerians phenomenally rich at the expense of millions. And a year after the start of the fifth democratic dispensation under the leadership of President Muhammadu Buhari, people’s hopes for better living standards remain unmet. Some argue that corruption has declined but so has public sector procurement.

At the current oil price, the country’s public coffers are nearly empty in the face of a huge recurrent bill for a bloated public sector, a large

infrastructure gap to bridge, an unaffordable public debt service to revenue ratio, a depreciating currency that increases the cost of living and a fragmented and mostly informal non-oil economy.

As Albert Einstein put it, men cannot resolve problems with the same mind-set that produced them. Our political representatives, just like our socio-economic problems, are children of the same eroded value system. To become part of the solution and re-shape values and goals, we must first recognise that we are part of the problem, as silent or as active stakeholders, as investors, producers, consumers, parents, educators and policymakers. Looking at the bright side, the good news is that the alternative to the current system already exists: the economy for the common good (ECG).

The ECG is an alternative economic system built on values that promote the fulfilment of the needs of the entire population and a tool for economic, political and social change for a better future.

The ECG was formalised in 2010 with the publication of ‘Change Everything: the Economy for the Common Good’ by Christian Felber. The essence of the model is the resolution of the contradiction between negative market values - selfishness, greed and irresponsibility - and the values that enable human and ecological relations to flourish; as well as the universal values that anchor our constitutions: dignity, solidarity, justice and democracy. Current economic values are not constitutional.

The ECG resolves this contradiction by replacing the two key rules that guide economic behaviour - profit motive and competitiveness – with two alternative rules: common welfare contribution and cooperation. In this model, economic success is not measured in monetary indicators (money is only the means), but by considering the common good objective. Gross Domestic Product (GDP) is replaced by the Common Good Product (CGP) at national economic level; and financial balance by the Common Good balance sheet at business level.

The more cooperative, caring, ecological and democratic corporate actions are the more success firms will be. Ethical companies will be supported by public policies, with incentives like less taxes, free trade

and preference in public procurement; by implication, market laws and government policies will finally align with society values.

Institutionally, the Economy for the Common Good was endorsed in 2015 as a sustainable and viable model by the European Economic and Social Committee (CESE), a 350-member consultative body of the European Union. While in 2014, the regional parliament of Bolzen in northern Italy passed a law stating that only companies and municipalities with positive common good impact can be granted access to public procurement and financing.

The Economy for the Common Good is therefore not only a model; it is already a reality. And it is also a global movement.

Founded in 2010 by a dozen of Austrian pioneer companies with the desire to act ethically without losing competitiveness, in just five years, the movement counts over 10,000 active members in over 30 countries; 2,100 companies that adhered to the common good values, 350 of which published audited common good balance sheet, including a few public enterprises.

The movement is active in Europe but sparks are lighting up all over the world including in Colombia, Chile, Peru, Argentina, and the United States of America. About 100 universities collaborate with movement in research projects; the University of Vienna (Austria) and Valencia (Spain) instituted a faculty of Economics for the Common Good and a UNESCO faculty for the common good is under approval in Spain.

The Universities of Flensburg e Kiel are working with three corporations listed on the Frankfurt Stock Exchange to evaluate the applicability of the ECG balance sheet by large companies.

New research could improve the ECG matrix that currently counts 17 indicators and 52 sub-criteria and covers values such as human dignity, solidarity, justice, sustainability, transparency and democracy.

––Ms Chessa, a development economist, has over 20 years of working experience (mostly in Nigeria) (See concluding part on www.thisdaylive.com)

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T H I S D AY, T H E S U N D AY N E W S PA P E R • AUGUST 14, 2016

LETTERS

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CURTAILING THE MENACE OF CHILD ABUSE

he spate of child abuse in the country sadly captures societal disregard and disrespect for the rights of the Nigerian child. It is sad to observe that the Nigerian child is not safe as he is exposed to danger, sexual abuse, exploitation, stigmatisation, domestic abuse and lots more.

Unfortunately, these children are abused by their parents and family members, who are meant to be the first line of protection for them. Child abuse is the physical, mental or sexual assault of a child by the parents or any other adult. It is the violation of the right of the child.

Recently, there has been a rise in the degree of mental and physical abuse of children. A father with the connivance of his wife allegedly chained his nine years old son in a room for more than a month, for allegedly stealing meat from the family’s pot of soup. The boy was left to starve without food or

Dalong, Minister for Youths and Culture

water; by the time he was discovered by government officials he had become extremely weak.

Similarly, another father allegedly beat his 13 years old son and in the process, ruptured his intestine. The medical report showed that the boy suffered generalised body pains with abdominal swelling and hyperemia, following the

beating. A comprehensive assessment of the abuse with the aid of abdominal ultrasound scan revealed free peritoneal fluid ascites and punctured viscus. These are injuries medically proven to be life threatening, ironically inflicted by a father on his son. In the same vein, the private parts of an 11 years old girl was burnt with hot pressing iron by

her mother for coming home late from school, in Ikorodu area of Lagos.

These are signs of a dysfunctional society where homes are no longer a safe haven of love, protection and care.

A situation where people can no longer differentiate between punishment, correction and total disregard for a child’s right. It is sad to note that the rate of these forms of abuse is increasing on a daily.

Corporal punishment, which is described as “punishment of a physical nature such as canning”, is another form of child abuse that is rampant in our society. Though the term mainly relates to children being punished at school, it also refers to children being punished at home.

There is a need to draw a line of distinction between abuse and corporal punishment as thousands of children are abused daily under the guise of punishment.

Some children have lost their lives in the process

APC AND THE GATHERING STORM IN ONDO

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ow that the dust on the political imbroglio of who would fly the APC flag to continue Gov. Adam Oshiomhole’s accomplishments since the past eight years in Edo State has settled with the overwhelming votes of the delegates for Godwin Obaseki in the just concluded primary, focus is now being rightly shifted to Ondo State in the hope that the APC will reverse the destructive trajectory upon which Gov. Olusegun Mimiko has set the state during the same period if the party should take over the governance of the state in the next political dispensation. And there are reasons for the party and its leadership to be extremely concerned. The two states are not only contiguous, wherefore the re-emergence of PDP in Edo and the continuation of probably the most profligate party in the world in Ondo would be a throwback to the years of locusts that Nigerians are struggling very hard to forget, but a disgraceful blight on the party in the states whose cores has always been progressive political ideology.

It has been reported that no fewer than 50 aspirants are ostensibly holding the broom and are poised for the primary election in Ondo State. While there’s a significant school of thought that sees this motley crowd of aspirants to the state’s highest political office as one of the beauties of democracy which also exemplifies the fact that the APC stocks are astronomically high-which in turn may create the complacency, if not the illusion

that it’s the party to beat-it also fundamentally speaks to the levity with which our so-called politicians treat the business of governance in our clime. Our society is pathetically configured in such a way that someone will suddenly start to envision himself in a leadership position that requires the highest degree of preparation, not to talk of the moral and intellectual presence of mind just because he has been paying some children’s school fees other than his own; or he had procured big cows to some communities around his locale during some festive periods. These undertakings are too far from being the determinants that makes a leader in any civilised clime.

However, one can also see the gravitational pull of all manners of people to this exalted political office because all a governor pretty much does is go to Abuja with his collection basket every month for the federal allocation with which more than 80 per cent-on good times-of this monetary collection goes into paying the salaries of state employees that he cannot even down size when times are rough and hard. It is time that this all comers approach to governance is discouraged now that there’s a paradigm shift in the mono-economic template that had undergirded the country that must also, and of necessity, change the country’s governance architecture.

How the governorship elections will turn out in these two states will be pointers to the overall strength of the ruling APC in the centre in the country’s southern

region, most especially the South West zone. While it’s a given that a significant number of the delegates will always see their participation in the election process as their meal tickets every four years-when aspirants are to be ‘milked’-those delegates with the sense of history as well as eyes on a greater future of the people of their state should have the greatest amounts of introspection and circumspection before choosing the party’s standard bearer. This is especially important now that the old, unthinking, ineffectual and lethargic ways of governing must give way to thinking outside the box because of the new socio-economic reality that has come to stay. While it cannot be argued that not a few of the aspirants are-on their face value qualified to clinch the exalted seat-there should be no pretence by the delegates that the onus is on them to indicate to most of these aspirants to collapse whatever structures they may have before the Decision-day for the sake of party cohesion as well as to demonstrate their loyalty to the overall cause of obliterating the PDP from the state.

Out of this awful lot of aspirants, names such as Mrs. Jumoke Anifowoshe, Olusola Oke, Tayo Alasoadura, Rotimi Akeredolu, Segun Abraham and Robert Ajayi Boroffice keeps surfacing in the state’s political discourse like recurring decimals.

While other aspirants may also be qualified to contest the governorship seat, the aforementioned political gladiators possess the requisite political credentials that will make them to be formidable

in the governorship election if anyone of them is elected in the primary. In this primary election process, one should also be cognisant of the principle of rotation (although played down by the party), which is still the safest way to prevent perceived sense of political alienation of sub-ethnic groups in a woolly political environment such as we have in Nigeria. And Ondo state is not an exception. It’s therefore a safe bet that the party’s flag bearer is more likely to come from the Ondo North Senatorial district from where the aforementioned aspirants are issued except Olusola Oke and Tayo Alasoadura.

In a mature socio-political environment in which the people are guided by history rather than base instincts and some value-depleting primordial considerations, the odds would have by now been glaringly in favour of Mrs. Anifowoshe as the party’s standard bearer, having been sired by Pa Adekunle Ajasin whose contribution to the growth of the state is still a reference point up till today.

Mrs. Anifowoshe’s impeccable political lineage would have been enough to convince not only the majority of the delegates but the electorate at large that there’s probably a strong and dominant family gene that will always compel any member of the Ajasin family to do good by the people whenever anyone of them becomes a ‘shepherd of the flock.’

But this may likely not happen because of a society so pathetically patriarchal even for its own good.

––Femi Odere, femiodere@gmail.com

while some have been maimed for life. Any punishment or correction that threatens the life, health or wellbeing of a child is an abuse. These forms of punishments are unacceptable, illegal and punishable under the law. Punishment that inflicts pain, emotional and mental torture as well as physical abuse is criminal.

Hence, it is pertinent to observe that there are no strong guidelines or laid down policies, regarding corporal punishment and children, like it is done in developed countries, thus, the flagrant abuse of children in African traditional societies.

It is also important to note that this form of abuse has become widespread in schools, primary and secondary schools especially. It is, indeed, disheartening, because it is happening in an informed environment where it is believed that, as educationists, they should know better.

A situation where a child was slapped several times by different teachers in the spate of minutes for an altercation with other students is an abnormally. To compound

the case, the child was reportedly beaten up by teachers with marks all over her body.

Often, teachers don’t only violate pupils’ right but also encourage senior students to prey on younger and weaker students, victimising them in the process, thereby building and encouraging the culture of violence as senior students are empowered to get physical and discipline their junior ones by engaging in corporal punishment.

These weird and vindictive punishments meted out by parents, guardians and teachers on children are outrageous and need urgent attention by all tiers of governments, religious organisations, child rights activists and other stakeholders. It has been argued that hitting at children in the bid to correct them is counterproductive in the long run as such punishments do not have to be physical before they become correctional.

The Child Rights Act clearly forbids battery, physical assault and abuse in any form.

––Temilade Aruya, Ministry of Information & Strategy, Alausa, Lagos

MENTALLY CHALLENGED PERSONS ON THE HIGHWAY

I

have travelled wide but Nigeria remains one of the few countries where mentally challenged people are allowed to roam our major roads. In view of this, the driver is faced with the dilemma of ‘navigating’ our ever present potholes and the mad people who work freely along the kerbs of our highways. These mad people can cross the road anytime; hence, the onus lies on the driver to apply brake suddenly even if that will have some deleterious effects on both the driver and his passengers.

Travelling from Port Harcourt to Umuahia through the EnuguPort Harcourt highway every day, one can count at least 30 mentally challenged people walking freely on the kerbs of our deep-potholed-stricken federal highway. I still wonder if there is a special psychiatry school that teaches these mad people on how to walk on the kerbs of our highways.

I now ask: who are the relatives of these mad people?

This question is important because an Igbo adage says that one does not know that a mad man has relatives until the mad man is knocked down by a vehicle. I trust my people because if any driver falls into this trap set with these mad people, then the driver will be made to understand that the mad man has at least four children he is training in the university, among other developmental projects the dead mad man was carrying out before he was knocked down by the

innocent driver. Expectedly, the driver will pay through his nose if he does not want to be prosecuted.

Indeed, the law enforcement agents will charge driver for murder and our press will turn the incidents into juicy headlines on the national dailies. It will take series of court adjournments and legal battles for the driver’s lawyer to commute the charge to manslaughter.

Come to think of it, what is the role of our social service in the Ministry of Women Development/Affairs both at the state and federal levels?

Are they not supposed to ensure that these mad people are cleared off our highways and sent to where they can be taken care of medically and socially? Who feeds on the money earmarked for such a programme in our budgets? I still wonder what these mad people are doing on the kerbs of our highways. Some of them equally walk freely on the centre of our highways.

The presence of these mentally challenged people on our highways should equally be a source of concern for our law enforcement agents in this period of security challenges. What if some criminal elements cash in on the ubiquity of mad people on our roads to perpetrate their crimes?

The case of Clifford Orji and his ilk is still fresh in my memory.

––Dr Paul John, Port Harcourt, Rivers State

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SUNDAY AUGUST 14, 2016 T H I S D AY

T H I S D AY SUNDAY AUGUST 14, 2016

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THISDAY, THE SUNDAY NEWSPAPER • AUGUST 14, 2016

INTERNATIONAL

Perspectives on Erdogan’s Allegations against Gulen in Nigeria and the Challenge of Strategic Insecurity

T

he Vie Internationale of last week Sunday focused on the ‘Coup in Turkey, Turkish Schools in Nigeria, and Implications for Nigeria’s National Security.’

Emphasis was placed on the allegation of the Turkish President, Recep Tayyip Erdogan, against the 77-year old Fethullah Gulen that he owned the Turkish schools in Nigeria, which allegedly, were used as accessories to the July 15, 2016 failed coup in Turkey.

Consequently, President Erdogan formally requested the Federal Government for the closure of the 17 schools and colleges, as well as hospitals owned by the Turkish in Nigeria.

Two critical points are noteworthy in the request for our further reflection here: alleged use of Turkish schools for terrorism and the level or status of relationship (reported strategic partnership) between Nigeria and Turkey. These are the main rationales for the request for closure of the schools. On a closer look at the two rationales, it can be rightly argued that they are also good dynamics of or pointers to future insecurity in Nigeria. They are likely to be a major source of strategic insecurity in the very near future for two considerations.

Let us admit a first hypothetical scenario that the allegations against the Turkish institutions are not true. Is the same untruth also valid for other foreign institutions and hospitals in Nigeria? For instance, United States, Britain, France, Germany, Russia, Japan, etc have cultural training institutions in Nigeria. To what extent are they under security surveillance? To what extent is special attention being paid to the use of soft power by foreigners in Nigeria? Some of the institutions are directly under diplomatic missions, hence they fall under the rule of ex-territoriality, and therefore they do not fall under Nigerian law and control. Those institutions that are not under diplomatic protection, are they really free from being used for terrorism? This is one question indirectly posed by the Turkish request that should be addressed.

If we also admit a second hypothetical scenario that the allegations are valid, how do we explain the fact that there are several security agencies in Nigeria, and yet none of the agencies could not access the information for decision-taking in Nigeria? The United Bank for Africa was reported to have been the correspondent bank in the movement of funds for the coup plotters in Turkey. The bank said it would soon make a statement on the allegation which is being awaited. While still awaiting, why is the level of security consciousness unnecessarily too low in the country?

On the issue of strategic partnership between Nigeria and Turkey, what is its place in the overall foreign relations of Nigeria? Without doubt, strategic partnership is a concept that came into general use following the end of the Cold War in the late 1980s. Most African countries were aligned either with the West or with the East. When the Cold War rivalry came to an end, the aligned countries had to seek new forms of relationship: special, privileged, partnership, special partnership, strategic partnership, essential, etc.

What is particularly noteworthy is that, from 1810 to the 2000s, only eleven entries can be found in the Corpus of Historical American English and the British National Corpus for the use of the expression ‘strategic partnership.’ As noted by Luis Blanco of the Bielefeld University, only 5 entries could be found in the 1990s, relating to the bilateral ties between the United States and some other partners, and the first entry as from 1992 was the US-Turkey strategic partnership.

This is to suggest that Turkey might have been in the business of strategic relationships for a longer time than Nigeria.

Besides, The Hindu of January 17, 2012 has it that ‘nations define their relations with other countries variously...but when two countries describe their relations as strategic, their ties are deemed to have risen to a new level.’ In the context of Turkey-Nigeria strategic partnership, it theoretically means that both countries have agreed to relate by way of mutual consultation and cooperation with one another on the basis of sovereign equality in different areas of development for the purposes of attainment of a long-term common goal. But what is this goal and what does Nigeria-Turkey strategic partnership really imply in terms of national security? In fact, what is security?

President Alassane Ouattara of the Côte d’Ivoire has it that ‘in French, when we use the word “security” we tend to think of the police and other related internal security services. But national security, as you know, entail far more than purely military or traditional security interests. The holistic concept of national security relates to the identification of all threats to the range of national interests...’ President Ouattara cannot be more correct. The truth is that the quest for national security has not been taken as the business of every Nigerian without exception. In fact, the people of Nigeria do not take national security as a serious burden for them, hence the outbreak of increasing threats to national security in Nigeria. If Turkey has accused the Gulenists in Nigeria, there must have been an arrière-pensée for it, but what is it?

Competent Nigerian Perspectives

Security expert and President of the Association of Industrial Security and Safety Operators of Nigeria (AISSON), Dr. Ona Ekhomu, does not believe in any conspiratorial theory and therefore does not see any goodness in the quest for closure of the schools. As he sees it, the Turkish government does not have the authority to request for the closure of the schools in the absence of proofs. Even if there are proofs, especially in terms of involvement of the proprietors of the schools, the accused must still have the right to self-defence, meaning that, legally speaking, they are still presumed innocent until the contrary is proved in the law court. More significantly, on the role of Nigeria’s security agencies, he argued that it is not the responsibility of Nigeria’s security agencies to monitor the threats to the national security of Turkey in Nigeria, especially in the absence of preliminary Key Intelligence

VIE INTERNATIONALE with

Bola A. Akinterinwa Telephone : 0807-688-2846

e-mail: bolyttag@yahoo.com

Gulen Question (KIQ) and that the request for closure is nothing more than an implacable witch hunting.

The immediate past President of the Association of Retired Career Ambassadors of Nigeria and one of the First Eleven Pioneer Diplomats ever produced by Nigeria, Ambassador Omotayo Ogunsulire, posited that there is no proof of any involvement of the schools in the attempted coup and that the schools were registered under Nigerian law. More importantly, he argued that it is a case of ‘quid quid planta tur, solo solo cedit.’ that is, ‘whatever is attached to the land belongs to the land.’ The schools are Nigerian therefore.

For former Director General of the NIIAand former Nigeria’s Ambassador to Israel and United States, Professor George Obiozor, establishment of schools is an important instrument in the promotion of diplomatic entente in international relations. He recalled the efforts made by Ataturk in the period from 1919 to 1939 in ensuring the entrenchment of democratic values as a model to be emulated from Turkish schools in Nigeria. He therefore argued against the closure of the schools.

Ambassador Dapo Fafowora, an Oxonian and academic diplomat, considered that there is need to put foreign influence under check even though he agreed that Turkish schools are doing well. He considered that Muslims are even divided on the need for existence of such schools in Nigeria, and therefore advised Government to seize the opportunity of the moment to objectively assess the issues and close them, if need be.

The perspective of another plenipotentiary to Namibia, Japan and France, Ambassador Edward Abiodun Aina, is interrogative: why did the Turkish ambassador wait until now to know that the schools bearing Turkish names are being used as platforms for terrorism? Why should the Turkish mission keep silent or look the other way round regarding the activities of the schools in Nigeria? In other words, why did it take so long a time to know that the schools are not governmental and have been using ‘Turkish’ as an official name? In the thinking of Ambassador Aina, there is nothing to suggest that the Turkish ambassador to Nigeria had not been condoning the schools as instruments of terrorism, and therefore, consciously undermining Nigeria’s national security.

The perspective of Dr. Istifanus Zabadi, Provost of the Centre for Strategic Research and Studies at the National Defence College and visiting Professor of International Relations at the Bingham University, is not different. He argued that since the Turkish literature has claimed that Turkish influence or empire once extended to Borno Empire in Nigeria, there is the need to be suspicious of whatever Turkish activities and intentions in Nigeria. He advised that there should be more emphasis in articulating the implications of the use of soft power in Nigeria’s international relations.

Professor Victor Ariole of the University of Lagos posits that if a country is threatened, such a country should be entitled to the right of legitimate self-defence. In this regard, such threats cannot be said to exist at the level of Nigeriano-Turkish relations. In his eyes, Gulen is a businessman and Nigeria is under a civil dispensation. Government should learn from the experience of the Chagouris who were declared non grata under General Sani Abacha regime but later allowed to

return to the country. More significantly, the Turkish schools and hospitals are investments. They are properly registered and do pay their taxes. There is therefore need for caution.

Additionally, from this same perspective of security consciousness, Professor Michael Obiboha Maduagwu of the Nigerian Institute for Policy and Strategic Studies, asked how would a foreign country know more of happenings than the people in Nigeria, especially the security outfits. He observed that if the Turkish schools were all properly registered in Nigeria, there cannot be any good basis for any country to dictate to Nigeria what to do about its own institutions. His suggested answer to the request for closure of the schools is simple: ‘thank you, we will investigate.’

And true enough, the Minister of State for Foreign Affairs, Khadija Ibrahim, has said that Turkey’s request ‘is a diplomatic issue and would be handled diplomatically’ (The Punch, July 30, 2016, p.54), meaning that greater emphasis would be placed on negotiation. But on what issues would the negotiations be? Will there be joint investigations on the allegations? Does the cooperation under the strategic partnership between the countries cover this?

Without doubt, on Wednesday, March 2, 2016 Nigeria and Turkey signed a Memorandum of Understanding on trade and economic partnership. As understood by Nigeria’s Minister of Industry, Trade and Investment, Mr Okechukwu Enelamah, ‘the relationship between Turkey and Nigeria is an opportunity we won’t waste. Our trade volume currently stands at $2.3 billion. We have already advanced our discussions with them, at the diplomatic level. Currently, government is facilitating discussion with up to 150 Turkish businessmen and key representatives of the private sector in Nigeria to explore more areas of investments.’

More significantly, Mr. Enelamah noted further that ‘we are open for business and we must find multiple ways of collaborating with Turkey. Every obstacle in this partnership, we must address using all the machinery while carrying the private sector along. We are looking forward to investment that would diversify our economy in key areas of agriculture, solid minerals, and defence industries.’

And perhaps most importantly, President Muhammadu Buhari added: ‘looking at the population of Nigeria and Turkey, we are talking about 260 million people and this is a very important market.

Our total trade volume is currently at $1,145 billion, our export is $314 million. As you can see, the result is to the favour of Nigeria.’

From the perspective of Turkey, Mr. Omer Cihad Varen, the Foreign Economic Relations Board of Turkey President, ‘we looked toward strategic partnership and cooperation in the health sector, aviation and air transport. Nigeria’s 170 million populace and Turkey’s 80 million are an advantage to us. Nigeria is strategic in Africa. we must keep improving relationships of both countries and preparing ground for the business and chamber of both countries to deepen such relationships.’

From the foregoing, emphasis in the partnership is placed on the business aspects. There is little or nothing on the security sector, the implication of which is the vacuum created. Nigeria is currently located at a junction of confusion and indecision: if the allegations against the Turkish schools in Nigeria are true, can the quest for strategic partnership hold? If government maintains a policy of silence or inaction, will Nigeria not also be seen as having aided and abetted the coup in Turkey? If the allegations are found to be valid and if the schools are sanctioned in Nigeria, will the coupists, also referred to as terrorists, not come back to take their own pound of flesh? Can the closure of the schools really put an end to Gulenist activities in Nigeria now and in the future? What about the challenge of strategic insecurity?

The Challenge of Strategic Insecurity

Strategic insecurity is about adoption of strategies of containment of diagnosed and expected insecurity in the long run. Consciously or otherwise, situations of insecurity are created in such a way as to recreate a new situation of strategic insecurity. The expected strategic insecurity is possible dismantlement of Nigeria. In these threats of dismantlement, there are three principal actors: southerners who want restructuring, northerners who are opposed to it, and international observers with vested interests on both sides.

The Niger Delta militants are wrapped up in the glory of their alleged ‘international support.’ True or false, many countries have favoured the disintegration of Nigeria. If any opportunity is therefore given by the militants, there is no reason not to believe that advantage would be taken of it internationally.

Consequently, prompt efforts should be taken to raise the level of security consciousness in the country, especially through public enlightenment in the primary and secondary schools to begin with.

The directive given by former President Olusegun Obasanjo that the Nigeria Immigration Service and the Nigeria Security and Civil Defence Corps should establish offices in all the 774 Local Government capitals should be urgently implemented.

The implementation of the ECOWAS Protocol on Free Movement of Persons and of Goods allows all the Community Citizens the right of establishment after 90 days of stay without visa. In this regard, many foreigners reside in the interior and there is no effective monitoring of their activities. There is the need to reinforce the presence of all the security agencies in the hinterland in particular and the urban areas in general if the problem of strategic insecurity is to be meaningfully contained on a permanent basis. In this regard, the challenge will not only be to identify the use of soft power by foreign powers in Nigeria but also to prevent untoward activities through public education.

Uncontrolled increasing number of militant groups is a pointer to strategic insecurity in the foreseeable future.

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T H I S D AY, T H E S U N D AY N E W S PA P E R ˾ AUGUST 14, 2016

BUSINESS QUICK TAKES Aviation Debt

TheMinisterofStateforAviation,Sena≠ tor Hadi Sirika, has directed aviation agenciestorecoverthehugedebtowed them by airlines and terminal facility operatorsbeforetheendofSeptember.

Sirika, who gave the directive, stated thatthegovernmentneededthemoney forthedevelopmentoftheindustryand remittancetofederationaccount.Agen≠ ciesarerequiredtoremit25percentof theirearningstothefederalgovernment account to enable the government meet its obligations to the people.

Sequel to the directive, the agencies such as the Federal Airports Author≠ ity of Nigeria (FAAN) and the Nigeria AirspaceManagementAgency(NAMA), hadintensifiedtheirdebtcollectiondrive and have forced airlines to abort their operations. It was also gathered that someoftheairlineshavestartedpaying up the debt while some have met the agencies to reconcile their debt and work out repayment plan.

Also, the pay as you go policies of NAMAandFAANhavebeenreinforced to ensure that henceforth airlines do not owe the agencies. A source at NAMA disclosed to THISDAY that the agency is owed N8.08 billion; the NigeriaCivilAviationAuthority(NCAA) isowedN12billion,whileFAANisowed N20billion as at the time of filing this report.

Capital Projects

Traders at a popular market in Lagos waiting for customers

!"#$%&'()&*$+*,$-(+.*&/$&01$20*031$*1$ 45)&+*61$7&''(10$8+","/9:$79$4,*.9101 Kunle Aderinokun Based on the data released by the International Monetary Fund (IMF), Nigeria has been displaced by South Africa as the biggest economy in Africa. By the latest development, South Africa has reclaimed the topmost position it lost to Nigeria in 2014, when the later rebased its gross domestic product (GDP), to increase the size of its economy to $510 billion, using 2010 as the base year to replace 1990 previously used. The GDP is the total value of a country’s goods and services over a period of time.

According to reports, the appreciation of South Africa’s rand, placed the country ahead of Nigeria, which had the naira, its national currency, devalued following the introduction of a flexible foreign exchange regime in June. Specifically, in the wake of the flexible foreign exchange regime, the naira was devalued 30 per cent, wiping off about $150 billion of its GDP, which enabled South Africa to be in the second position, overtaking Egypt and moved closer to Nigeria.

Even though the South African economy shrank as the rand weakened , Nigerian economy also witnessed serious challenges, which narrowed the gap between the two economies.

But South African economy gained traction following the appreciation of rand, while the Nigerian economy continued to be depressed.

Using GDP at the end of 2015 published by IMF , Bloomberg reported that the size of South Africa’s economy was $301 billion at the rand’s current exchange rate, while Nigeria’s GDP

ECONOMY was put at $296 billion.

Bloomberg noted that the rand has gained more than 16 per cent against the US currency since the start of 2016, while in contrast, Nigeria’s naira has lost more than a third of its value. Only last Wednesday, the rand firmed by more than a per cent against the dollar, to R13.29.

Notwithstanding the change of position, Nigeria and South Africa face the risk of recession, having contracted in the first quarter of the year, according to Bloomberg.

While Nigerian economy contracted by 0.4 per cent, South African GDP shrank by 0.2 per cent. Nigeria has suffered amid low oil prices, while South Africa is sensitive to shifts in the commodity cycle.

In their reaction, economic analysts have expressed divergent views on the latest development. While some faulted the indices for ranking the economies and also wondered the rationale behind the use of GDP as the measure of the progress of nation, the others did not see any big deal in the ranking. Nevertheless, they proffered the way forward for the economy.

Managing Director and Chief Economist, Africa, Global Research, Standard Chartered Bank, Razia Khan, argued that “the obsession with being the ‘biggest’ economy in Africa, based on FX valuations is extremely flawed.”

According to her, “Economists prefer purchasing power parity measures of GDP, simply because they avoid

the problem of FX volatility having an outsized impact on the measurement of GDP. Ultimately, Khan pointed out, it is countries with more flexible FX regimes that are better able to absorb external shocks.

“Over time, it is these countries that should see better growth, other things being equal. From this perspective, it is even more erroneous to base GDP comparisons on FX moves alone,” she stressed.

Khan advised Nigeria to focus on “the long-term drivers needed to foster an improved (and more diversified) There are other useful indicators capturing the wellbeing of citizens than growth in GDP and/or growth in GDP per capita...

Consequently, the issue is not whether a country in Africa is number 1 or 2

growth environment.”

“It needs to do this for its own sake, and not because it is trying to regain the number 1 position in Africa. A more rapidly growing South Africa does not take away from the growth opportunity in Nigeria, and vice versa.

“If we measure economic welfare (and this is where the emphasis should lie), being biggest in the region has no bearing on this,” she noted.

Similarly, Managing Director, Global Analytics Consulting, Tope Fasua, contended that “GDP is a very weak measure of national progress and wellbeing”, stressing that, “by extension GDP growth is an almost meaningless measure in the league of

thinkers as to what a people have to do to achieve socioeconomic progress.”

“But we are stuck with it. Therefore for now, the country whose GDP is highest has bragging rights. Nigeria utilised its bragging rights when it rebased its GDP in 2014. GDP the world over is measured and reported in dollars, so if between then and now, the Naira has officially devalued by 50 per cent, its GDP has fallen by half, “ he noted.

Fasua therefore advised the authorities to ensure that all the indices are handled properly if Nigeria desire to be in the league of countries with high GDP, expressing the need to build sustainable economy.

“If Nigeria is serious about being in the league of countries with high GDPs it has to be mindful of the indices. Naira has to be strong vis a vis the Dollar, but more importantly, we need to commence building a sustainable economy. Perhaps the fact that South Africa has overtaken us will remove the delusion, and force us to stop bragging around while we have such a flimsy economy. Perhaps it will put the Buhari government under pressure to do the needful because we cannot keep complaining about the past.”

To the Director-General, West Africa Institute of Financial and Economic Management (WAIFEM), Prof. Akpan Ekpo, “Nigeria as the largest economy in Africa was not really a big deal.”

He noted : “The GDP was recalculated with a new base year of 2010 after 24 years. Definitely, the GDP

Contí d on Pg. 21

TheFederalGovernmenthasdisclosed planstoreleaseN100billionforcapital projectsinafewdaysí time,havingearlier released N322billion for the same purpose.VicePresidentYemiOsinbajo disclosed this during a Presidential Policy Dialogue session organised by the Lagos Chamber of Commerce and Industry(LCCI)inLagos,duringtheweek.

Hesaid:ì Wehavealsopledgedtokeep capitalbudgetspendingtoaminimum of 30 per cent.We have already made capitalreleasesofN332billionwhichis morethan theentireamount released lastyear,withanotherN100billionset to be released in the next few days. ì Thefundsareforpower,works,housing, transportation,defenceandagriculture. ì Osinbajosaidthegovernmenthadbeen abletosaveclosetoN1.4trillioninfuel subsidypaymentsinceMaywhenitde≠ regulatedthedownstreampetroleum sector and pegged the pump price of petrol at N145 per litre. He said: ì The deregulationofthedownstreampetro≠ leumsectorwasanimportantdecision of this government. This has reduced the daily demand for fuel from 1,600 trucks to 850 trucks, and resulted in savingsofaboutN1.4trilliononsubsidy payment.

Naira Appreciates

The naira pared some of its previous dayí slossontheinterbankforexmarket asitappreciatedtoN314.75tothedol≠ laronThursday,strongerthantheN317 to the dollar it closed on Wednesday.

The positive momentum displayed by thenationí scurrencywasattributedto an intervention by the Central Bank of Nigeria(CBN),whichsolddollarstoboost liquidityandhelpthenairatostrengthen against the greenback.

The central bank asked some traders to bid for $1.5 million each, Reuters reported,addingthatthebankhadbeen selling hard currency since this week.

Atotalof$6.27milliontradedonThurs≠ day. However, on the parallel market, the naira climbed marginally to N395 to the dollar, up from the N394 to the dollar it closed the previous day.

Thecentralbankhadintervenedinthe interbank forex market onTuesday to helpsupportthenairaafterithitanall≠ time low of N350 to the dollar in thin volume on that day.

T H I S D AY, T H E S U N D AY N E W S PA P E R • AUGUST 14, 2016

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BUSINESS/MONEY

Is Mergers & Acquisitions Imminent in Banking Sector?

As the headwinds in the economy continue to take their toll on different sectors, questions are being raised on whether mergers & acquisition (M&A) is imminent in the banking sector, writes Olaseni Durojaiye

A

s the country’s economic challenges, headlined by shortage of foreign exchange (FX) and a ‘technical recession’, continue to take their toll on the banking sector, there are suggestions of merger and acquisition (M&A) in the sector. The Central Bank of Nigeria (CBN) has however assured that no bank in the country is in distress or likely to enter into the distress mode.

The latest discourse on possible merger and acquisition in the nation’s banking sector is not new. It was first mooted earlier in the year in the wake of the currency challenge that birthed the debate on whether or not to devalue the naira. At the time, the concern was largely premised on the FX challenge and huge exposure of the sector to the energy sector, which it granted loans to in previous years.

Globally, M&A has always resulted in a more efficient banking system. The benefits of M&A are manifold and could include increased value generation, increase in cost efficiency and increase in market share.

The benefits of M & A are the main reasons for which the companies enter into these deals. M & A may generate tax gains, could increase revenue and reduce the cost of capital.

No doubt an efficient banking system is known to contribute extensively to higher growth in the economy. In Nigeria, indices including confidence level, capitalisation and solvency level show that Nigeria benefitted tremendously from the consolidation that took place in the sector in 2005 after the apex bank mandated all banks to raise their capital base.

But while the last consolidation exercise in the sector that saw to the mergers of some banks and acquisition of others were regulatory driven, the looming M&A in the sector would be market driven as some of the banks may be forced to adopt the strategy as a survival measure in the face of the economic headwinds that the country is experiencing.

It will be recalled that during the consolidation exercise, the number of money deposit banks (MDBs) in the country came down to 23.

Today, the headwinds that prompted the prediction of another round of M&A in the banking sector earlier in the year have not significantly abated. Rather, banks are faced with one or two fresh issues that appear to be forcing the M&A option in their gaze.

Current Economic Headwinds A few financial sector insiders had stated in February that if the naira loses another 20 per cent in value against the USD it would trigger a wave of merger in the country’s banking sector. Interestingly, the naira has lost double that figure against the USD since devaluation in July, according to a Reuters report.

The banking sector is also faced with potentially problematic issue of huge USD denominated exposures which is 42 per cent of total loans granted by the banks.

The current FX shortage and a widely held view in the sector that if the naira weakens further the loans are likely to become a problem for the banks then leads to the fact that a further significant fall of the naira would force the banks to recapitalise in order to remain within the financial

Broad Street, Lagos... Nigeria’s financial hub

regulatory limits.

However, the current low valuation of banking stocks makes the option of recapitalisation not very attractive leaving the banks with the options of mergers and outright acquisition. In what signpost this shift, investors have been selling off banking stocks even as many banking stocks have been trading at far below the prices they used to command.

This is besides that the banks also have the issue of Non-performing loans to contend with. Non-performing loans are expected to rise to 12.5 per cent of the total exposure of the sector in 2016, above the CBN target level of five per cent last year, according to Nigeria’s main rating agency Agusto & Co. All of these point to tough times for the banks.

Investors, especially foreign investors, are also mindful of the prediction of a 1.8 per cent contraction in the Nigerian economy by the International Monetary Fund (IMF). This is another source of concerns that may make recapitalisation a tough call among banks when the need to shore up liquidity becomes imminent.

In reaction to the tough operating environment, some banks have begun to adopt various cost cutting measures. Against the urging of the National Assembly not to lay off staff, some of the banks have been reported to have downsized their workforce, shut down branches and slashed earnings forecasts in a bid to remain in business.

It will also be recalled that the CBN had stated in the past that it was monitoring a couple of banks without naming the said banks.

Analysts React Speaking with THISDAY, Executive

Director, Corporate Finance, BGL Capital, Olufemi Ademola, explained that M & A is part of a normal business practice and argued that it offers economies of scale and increases profitability. He also noted that even though M&A in Nigeria’s financial services sector are regulatory driven as against market driven, the sector is likely to witness both regulatory and market driven M&A in the financial services sector.

Economist and research analysts, Rotimi Oyelere, agreed with Ademola as he argued that M&A fosters efficiency and reduces regulatory risks.

“The tough operating environment and the increasing competition in the sector would drive the need for M&A. In addition, the need to keep a dynamic, lean and highly skilled workforce may also lead to market driven M&A. “With the current developments in the banking sector, there is a huge potential for M&A considering the low valuation of banking stocks and the requirements for some of them to enhance capital requirements. However this time, it is likely to be more of market driven than regulatory.

We are likely to see the elements of both, though,” he stated.

Oyelere argued: “I think we need to understand the fact that mergers and acquisitions is not a bad thing. It could foster efficiency and reduce regulator risk. The only alternative to mergers and acquisition in time of crisis is bailout by the government, that is if the current economic crisis persists.

“The economic headwind is the key factor that may perpetuate natural consolidation in Nigeria’s banking sector. Year 2016 has been very turbulent for the financial sector in general with rising non-performing loans,

erosion of public funds from banks’ vaults as a result of quasi implementation of TSA. Cost-cutting strategies are very tempting in this period and banks may explore this option to reduce operational cost.

“With the current outlook, mergers and acquisitions is very imminent. The drop in liquidity level in the banking system is worrisome and this may escalate to solvency crisis.”

But Chief Executive Officer (CEO) of Cowry Asset Limited, Johnson Chukwu, contended that M & A in the financial services sector is more likely to be between a foreign bank intended to enter into the market newly as against between Nigerian banks.

He stated that while the banks were faced with the same challenges, the foreign banks have fared better under the tough operating environment than the Nigerian-owned banks.

He added that there was still room for new entrants into the sector even with the current challenges, which he noted will not be there forever.

According to him, “The issue of mergers and acquisitions as I see it will be between foreign banks who is making a fresh entry into the country as against between Nigerian banks. All the banks are faced with the same challenges but the foreign banks have weathered the storm better than the Nigerian banks. The reason why mergers and acquisitions take place is for complimentarily reason that does not exist between local banks.

“The likelihood is high. The opportunities in the sector have not marginally diminished. Challenges are there, yes, but they won’t be there forever; they will fade away,” he stated.

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T H I S D AY, T H E S U N D AY N E W S PA P E R • AUGUST 14, 2016

BUSINESS/AVIATION/ECONOMY

NAHCO: Threading the Rough Path to Success Kunle Aderinokun

cost for deliberations.

With all these measures put in place, board expenses reduced by 40 percent in 2015. A further reduction is expected by the end of the current financial year.

T

he story of Nigerian Aviation Handling Company Plc (NAHCO) has been described as that of hard work and resilience, little wonder all the performance indices are looking up. For a company that ranked the best among the Federal Government privatised companies, stakeholders and analysts believe, there is something it must be doing right. The rating agencies, in their assessment of companies, know what they are looking for and as such, they don’t just assign points. That was when in 2015 Agusto & Co, did its due diligence on the leading aviation handling company, it found NAHCO worthy to be rated Bond 1 - A+, Bond 2 - A+; CGR - A- .

Evidently, in the company’s financial results as at full year ended December 31, 2015, it posted improved revenue of N8.5billion, representing about 5 per cent increase over the figure for the same period in 2014. It was on the basis of this result that the board proposed a dividend of N324.8million to shareholders.

Generally seen by several analysts as a very difficult year, the FY 2015 results of NAHCO, was in itself, a testimony of a kind as regards the resilience of the company especially in an election year where even big corporates failed.

As at June 2014, the company realised its number of staff was very high, compared to the productivity and the board whose duty it was to provide strategic direction believed something should be done to save the future of the company.

Realising the consequence of restructuring, the company approached it in a very strategic and businesslike fashion. Because it desired minimum disruption to operations as it carries out the restructuring programme, the company’s top management had a consultative meeting with union representatives when it sought to keep them abreast of its proposed far- reaching move.

The idea behind the restructuring was to make NAHCO a more efficient and profitable organization.

The specific objectives of the first phase of the programme were to: reduce the cost of payroll, and change organisational structure from top heavy to bottom heavy. This should naturally lead to reduction in cost of payroll.

The success of this phase of the restructuring exercise was attested to by the high savings made in the running cost of the company. The company posted gross annual savings in the region of N141.5 million. It also achieved a leaner and firmer structure, which is opposite to what it used to be.

Before the restructuring, full managers in the company were 36. However, after the restructuring, the number was reduced to 15. Despite this reduction, sources within the company, told

Enugu Warehouse As part of its business development drive, NAHCO took the challenge of driving cargo development in the South-east where it commissioned two warehouses at the Akanu Ibiam International Airport. The objective of this, according to sources, was to increase cargo penetration in the South-east, increase cargo volumes and make Enugu the gateway in terms of cargo into the eastern hinterland. The commissioning of the warehouse at the airport, the only one of its kind in the entire South-east, had forced the authorities of the Nigerian Customs Service to realign its resources and retool for higher business volumes at the airport.

MD, NAHCO, Norbert Bielderman

THISDAY that the job had not suffered. “What this means in practical terms is that there is now better and efficient staff utilization in the company as opposed to what it was prior-restructuring,” the source revealed to THISDAY. GSE Management Another area that got a touch of restructuring is equipment. Generally referred to as Ground Support Equipment (GSE), this is the support equipment the company uses in servicing airlines at the 10 airports where it operates in Nigeria.

THISDAY gathered that the replacement of the GSEs had actually been done piecemeal in the period preceding 2011. Thereafter, it was hastened as many of the inherited GSEs from old NAHCO breaks down every now and then thereby affecting service delivery. From June 2012, however, with a new board in place, there was a greater urgency to replace the equipment.

The new strategy paid off when NAHCO became the ground handlers to which other handlers rushed for help. The sheer size and modernity of the fleet received several commendations from the Nigeria Civil Aviation Authority (NCAA)

and international airline inspectors.

The acquisition of the GSEs also deepened the existing MoUs between NAHCO and several European and American Original Equipment Manufacturers (OEMs) and vendors who became attached to NAHCO on the basis of huge investment in equipment and training of the company’s staff.

In the course of training by staff, some form of knowledge transfer took place which caused the technicians to be able to add a lot more local content into the fabrication and repairs of GSEs. This is another cost – saving measure which the company greatly benefited from.

Board/ Management Strategies Realising the increasing challenges facing the Nigerian economy and the need to manage costs, THISDAY learnt that the board in 2016 shifted all its strategies sessions to Nigeria. The use of foreign locations for such sessions was suspended so as to preserve company’s funds.

To further ensure cost containment, some board meetings were held through circulation. This eliminated the need to come together at added

How Nigeria can Reclaim its Status as Africa’s Biggest Economy, By Analysts would be large with several implications. One was that it placed Nigeria as a middle income country thus making it difficult for the country to obtain IDA loans on concessionary terms.

The GDP per capita is an average measure.”

Stating that, “The number one gets does not translate to millions of Nigeria having such money in their pockets,” Ekpo argued that Nigeria was the largest economy with nothing to show for it.

“Yes, the largest economy in Africa with decayed infrastructure, rising poverty (about 70 per cent), rising and embarrassing rates of unemployment and underemployment and rising inflation (17 per cent). The real sector is dead and cannot be revamped with an average interest rate of almost 28 per cent. The agricultural sector remains at the peasantry level; power supply is epileptic and a near collapse of basic social services such as education, health, housing, running water, poor sanitation, among others,” he lamented, pointing out that, “there are other useful indicators capturing the wellbeing of citizens than growth in GDP and/or growth in GDP per capita.”

According to him, “Even when South Africa

was in second position, her infrastructure is first world by all standards; the economy of South Africa is semi-industrialized thus foreign exchange flows in from various sources. Her currency, the Rand, is very strong and relatively convertible. Her currency is quoted in most emerging markets. The Naira is not.

“Consequently, the issue is not whether a country in Africa is number 1 or 2, the challenge is for our policy-makers and leadership to deal with the present recession in Nigeria by implementing robust fiscal policy that will ensure economic recovery.”

This, he said, “entails spending on hard infrastructure such as power, roads, railways etc.” He added that, it also mean, “Putting in place the right policy to reduce dependence on the export of crude oil and curtail the craze of Nigerians for imported goods and services; implementing an aggressive monetary policy that would reduce lending rates in order to revamp the real sector.”

“It is not important to play a catch-up race with South Africa. If the Nigerian economy becomes strong, modern and knowledge-based then the world would not ignore Nigeria.

Diversification The diversification initiative of NAHCO had been on the agenda long before now. That explained why the NAHCO Free Trade Zone (NFZ) was established and a lot of progress had been made in this regard. NFZ, which has secured its operating licence from the Federal Government in 2014, already has its take-off head office in place at the Murtala Mohammed International Airport, Lagos. Besides, memorandum of understanding (MoU) with technical partners has been signed and the company is ready for full placement/ initial public offer (IPO).

Also, as part of its diversification strategy and positioning of NAHCO as a one-stop - cargo handling and logistics company, the Mainland Cargo Options (MCO) was established. With a licence from Nigerian Customs Service (NCS) as clearing and forwarding service provider and General Service Agents (GSA), the addition of MCO into the NAHCO Family means that the Company could now take charge of an importer’s cargo right from the aircraft to his very home/ warehouse.

MCO which became operational late 2014, broke even in its first full year of operations Besides, the NAHCO Agrizone project is also on course. The company already had a formative MoU with Dube Trade Port of South Africa to serve as technical partner.

Conclusion At the 35th AGM of NAHCO which held in Abuja on July 26 this year, shareholders took turn to commend the effort of board and management in repositioning the company for growth. It is therefore clear to observers why there was such a resounding vote of confidence on the board and management.

Cont’d from Pg. 19

Singapore is not large in population and size but the achievements she has recorded over a short period make her a reference point in the calculus of development. Nigeria’s economy should at some point be a positive reference for others to cite. To be the largest economy is, therefore, not the issue,” he also stated.

Speaking along the same line of thought, Executive Director, Corporate Finance, BGL Capital, believed that, “apart from the pride in being the largest economy in Africa, there is no direct effect on the economy.”

“This is because the loss of the first position was due to the shrinking of the economy. It was due to exchange volatilities, which means that in local currency, the economic size is the same.”

In order to take the leading role again, Ademola therefore noted, “we need to deploy all possible to ensure that the economy grows at an average rate of 6-7 per cent again.”

“Secondly, we need to improve domestic production to ease the pressure on the exchange rate. A strengthening of the Naira could help us to get back to the top. In addition, another rebasing of the economy which is due in another 8 years could make us the biggest economy

in Africa again,” he added.

“Although it is not clear what exchange rate was used to determine the new value for Nigerian GDP, it is apparent that the economic value will decline based on the exchange rate depreciation. However, it is just a matter of statistics for comparison purposes, it doesn’t have any direct effect on the citizens.”

Going forward, an analyst, who is also an investment manager, Adetola Odukoya, advised that, “in addition to other complementary measures, I believe the monetary authorities should lower interest rates to single-digit levels so that capital and investments can be re-directed to the appropriate sectors of the economy that can drive GDP growth.”

For example, he pointed out, “SMEs should be able to access long term capital at sustainable interest rates in order to thrive. The current interest rate levels cannot support business growth.”

“Meanwhile, fiscal authorities can support this by removing or reducing instances of double taxation for businesses, especially SMEs, whilst equally improving the ease of doing business within the economy,” he added.

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T H I S D AY, T H E S U N D AY N E W S PA P E R • AUGUST 14, 2016

BUSINESS/TELECOMS

As Regulatory Fine Hits MTN’s Profitability…

Statistics from the half year financial results of MTN have revealed how the fine imposed

by Nigerian Communications Commission (NCC) impacted on its profitability, writes Kunle Aderinokun

M The Numbers

TN Group last week published its consolidated interim financial results for the half year ended 30 June 2016, which showed that it raked in revenue of R79.115 billion ($5.934 billion), representing 14.2 per cent increase over R69.304 billion ($5.198 billion) posted in the corresponding period of last year.

The results, which revealed MTN also generated R367 million ($27.525 million) other income, disclosed that the company reported R18.882 billion ($1.416 billion) earnings before interest, tax, depreciation and amortisation and impairment of goodwill (EBITDA).

However, further analysis revealed that the telecoms giant group declared a loss after tax of R6.253 billion ($468.975 million) when depreciation and amortisation and impairment of goodwill as well as regulatory fine were deducted. Unprecedented in the history of MTN, the loss after tax was significantly as a result of R10.499 billion ($787.425 million) fine by the Nigerian Communications Commission, the telecoms industry regulatory authority, levied against its Nigerian operation, MTN Nigeria, which seriously weighed in on its profit from operations of R5.191 billion ($389.325 million) realised as at half year and a R8.632 billion ($647.4 million) negative impact on the group’s reported headline losses (attributable loss), which stood at R5.489 billion ($411.675 million) .

Besides the regulatory fine, the depreciation of local currencies against the United States, dollar also had substantial impact on the group’s results.

MTN Speaks Lamenting that, it “continued to operate in a challenging environment for the six months ended 30 June 2016,” MTN stated that, “The financial performance for the period reflects the confluence of a number of material issues, which created the “perfect storm”.” It, however, added that, “the Group has made strides towards resolving these challenges although many of these factors fall outside of its control.”

According to the company, “The Group’s reported results were significantly impacted by the Nigerian regulatory fine. On 10 June MTN Nigeria resolved this matter with the Federal Government of Nigeria (FGN) and agreed to pay the FGN a total cash amount of 330 billion Nigerian naira (US$1.671 billion, using the exchange rate prevailing at the time) over three years in a full and final settlement. This was agreed in addition to complying with certain other regulatory conditions imposed as part of the settlement reached. The 50 billion naira (US$250 million) paid in good faith and without prejudice by MTN Nigeria on 24 February 2016 forms part of the monetary component of the settlement, leaving a balance of 280 billion naira (US$1.418 billion, using the exchange rate prevailing at the time) outstanding. In June 2016 the first scheduled payment of 30 billion naira (US$124 million) was made. The remaining cash payable at 30 June 2016 amounted to 250 billion naira (US$882 million).

“The Group has accrued the present value of 280 billion naira (US$1.418 billion, using the exchange rate prevailing at the time), which in total had a negative impact of R10 499 million on reported earnings before interest, tax, depreciation and amortisation and impairment of goodwill (EBITDA) and a R8.632 billion negative impact on the Group’s reported headline losses, or 474 cents on

One of MTN outlets in Lagos

latest mobile broadband technology, which is expected to drive broadband penetration in the country from under 10 per cent presently to the targeted 30 per cent by 2018, in line with the Federal Government’s broadband plan and target.

With this in place, there is therefore the need for the company to explore mobile money as the emerging platform to drive revenue and grow the industry.

reported headline losses per share. The reported impact on the Group’s statement of cash flow for the period amounted to R5. 870 billion, which equates to the 80 billion naira paid during the period.

“During the period, R1.324 billion costs were incurred on a range of professional services relating to the negotiations that led to a reduction of R34 billion in the Nigerian regulatory fine to 330 billion naira (US$1.671 billion, using the exchange rate prevailing at the time). The board has exercised its judgement and approved the quantum of the professional fees incurred taking into account global benchmarks and the value delivered culminating in the final settlement of the Nigerian fine.”

Regulatory Action NCC had late last year imposed a fine of a whopping N1.04 trillion ($5.2 billion) fine on MTN Nigeria for not disconnecting 5.2 million subscribers with unregistered and incomplete subscriber identification modules (SIM) cards within the stipulated time.

The commission claimed it issued the telecoms giant such a huge fine “for allegedly undermining efforts by the Nigerian government to tackle security challenges and the war on terror and allied crimes, as the telecoms operator has allegedly refused to deactivate unregistered mobile phone lines on its network”. After engagement with NCC and out-of-court settlement, the fine was reduced to N330 billion.

Looking into the Future Not daunted by the fine and the consequent loss in its half year results, MTN has put the issues behind it and moved on. This is evident in its massive investment in telecoms infrastructure, which the company has highlighted in its group results. According to the results, capital expenditure (CAPEX) increased by 26.9 per cent to R13. 772 billion ($1.033 billion) Industry analysts are of the opinion that MTN Nigeria has the prospect of even growing bigger following its new business

Challenge for MTN Because of its position in the telecoms industry and its strategic role in the economy, MTN Nigeria must not falter. That is why the management led by its new MTN CEO, Ferdi Moolman, must revamp and engage more strategically to manage in the short term the revenue dip and in the long-term, stabilise the operations cum revenue drive.

MD, MTN Nigeria, Ferdi Moolman

frontiers with the 2.6 GHz licence it got from NCC to stream TV contents. The MTN TV service, a digital pay TV, which pilot launch has already been done, is expected to converge telecommunications, broadcasting and media.

They said with its new business model, it could recoup monies lost to fines within the shortest time possible.

MTN has also rolled out Fourth Generation Long Term Evolution (4G LTE) across its market, exploring the possibilities of the technology to serve as revenue base and also impact/contribution to economic growth across board.

Already Visafone, MTN Nigeria’s subsidiary, has begun to test-run the 4G LTE internet technology service for smart phone users.

The launch of 4G LTE services by the merged entity of MTN and Visafone will roll out superior high-speed internet services in major cities, empowering Nigerians with the

Way Forward Following the manner MTN’s case was handled, stakeholders and watchers are wondering what will become the fate of the telecoms operators and the industry at large. Many of them have posited that in the face of economic recession, which has led to drought in many sectors, information and communications technology, notably telecoms, is one key sector that could lift the economy out of the woods . This, has therefore, necessitated their spirited call for responsible regulations on the operators that have been described as the geese that lay the golden eggs, so as not to wipe off the economic gains that had been recorded over the years.

Going forward, they advocated for progressive regulatory environment that acknowledges the importance of IT as a major contributor to economic growth and a major alternative to oil revenue. According to them, poor regulatory environment has grave consequence for attraction and sustenance of foreign direct investments (FDIs).

Furthermore, they expressed the need for a National policy on the security of IT infrastructure.

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T H I S D AY, T H E S U N D AY N E W S PA P E R • AUGUST 14, 2016

BUSINESS/ENERGY

Revisiting FG’s Plan to Import Crude Oil from Niger, Chad

Following the decision of the Federal Government to import crude oil from Niger and Chad because of security challenges in the Niger Delta, Chineme Okafor finds out if such venture is viable

N

igeria does not produce a lot of heavy crude oil from her fields, it rather produces more of sweet light crude, but one of its four unprofitable refineries, the 110,000 barrels per day (bpd) capacity Kaduna Refinery needs heavy crude as one of the feed stocks it distils.

Reports have it that the refinery has on its table, two options it is considering to keep crude flowing into it. One of them is the importation of crude oil, including heavy crude from Niger and Chad.

While this is not entirely a new development because either way, heavy crude for the refinery is often reportedly imported into the country for it, experts in the country’s oil and gas industry however feel that the refinery which has largely operated at a loss must come with a very tight commercial term on which this would work.

A recent investigation by THISDAY revealed that the Nigerian National Petroleum Corporation (NNPC) is already considering importing crude oil from Chad and Niger Republic as an alternative supply source for Kaduna refinery.

The investigation noted that this was part of the corporation’s efforts to address frequent disruptions to the supply of crude oil to the refinery from the Delta. The refinery is, though, undergoing refitting of its units like the other three in Warri and Port Harcourt and has largely remained unprofitable.

The June 2016 financial reports of NNPC which was released some days back confirmed that the Kaduna and the other refineries were on sub-optimal operational levels. It also said that they are contributing hugely to the corporation’s overall operational deficits.

However, THISDAY through its investigation learnt that the NNPC had put on the table for consideration, the option to import crude oil from Niger and Chad alongside using railway transportation to move crude from the Niger Delta to the refinery complex. The supplies will include both light and heavy crude which the refinery uses but there are no known plans as to the commercial viability of this.

THISDAY had gathered that if the option to import from Niger or Chad sails through, the corporation might refit the Kaduna refinery to be able to process crude oil grades that will come from there. Industry experts however queried if the corporation had done its economics and the numbers confirmed good enough to proceed with the plan.

At the moment, all the oil produced from Niger’s Agadem field is shipped through 426.5 kilometres underground pipeline to its 20,000bpd Zinder refinery, while Chad with about 180,000bpd production from Badila, Mangara and Grand Baobab deposits, refines for the local market at a refinery in N’Djamena and still export via a pipeline to the Douala port in neighboring Cameroon.

But NNPC sources indicated that Kaduna was originally designed to process Nigerian crude and foreign heavy crude at the ratio of about 70:30, and as such importation of heavy crude was not out of place.

This position was also buttressed by Dr. Tim Okon, a former senior official of the corporation and head of an international energy think-tank, the International Institute for Petroleum Energy, Law and Policy (IIPELP), who, however, queried the commercial viability of the latest plan.

The Kaduna refinery, it was stated, has the capacity to process paraffinic-based crude oil from Venezuela, Kuwait or Saudi Arabia. “So apart from having the capacity to refine Bonny Light, the plant can also process heavy crude oil from Kuwait, Lagomar crude from Venezuela, Arabian Light from Saudi Arabia and Urals from Russia.

A refinery

“But for it to refine crude from Chad or Niger, the plant requires some form of refitting so that it can use crude specification from those countries as well. The refitting does not involve complex technology,”the NNPC source explained to THISDAY. Confirming the plan to THISDAY, Kaduna refinery’s public affairs manager, Idris Abdullahi, noted that the options were actually on the table.

He said:“We will choose from the two options but it depends on the financial viability. The refinery had rail lines right from inception. The rail lines were used to bring in materials and equipment during its construction.

“They have never been used to transport crude to the refineries. We get crude from Warri through the pipelines. But we are now thinking of using the lines to bring in crude from the Niger Delta because of the vandalism of the pipelines.”

“The second option being considered is importation from Niger and Chad. We are considering the two options and the option we will choose will depend on the viability,” Abdullahi explained.

Are the Numbers Right?

Experts who spoke with THISDAY, said the plan was not a bad one provided the numbers are right. They however feel that given the longstanding operational deficits recorded

by NNPC’s refineries including Kaduna, the beneficiary of the plan, it would be almost uneconomical to go with the plan.

They explained that even though Kaduna was planned to process two different grades of crude oil, sourcing heavy crude from anywhere for it should be based on a profitable commercial framework, which they alleged it does not have at the moment.

They also noted that the current business condition in Kaduna refinery speaks for their

judgement of the plan as uneconomical.

One of them, Okon, specifically said: “Supply security is just one of the issues that affect our refineries, but there are other issues to be considered. There is power supply in the refineries, proper management of the refineries, commercial models and evacuation plans. They all have to be considered.”

“These are tough decisions. Nigeria does not produce a lot of heavy crude, whether you are importing from Niger or anywhere, which is normal and nothing new about it, it has to be run commercially.

“My preference is that it is not a business NNPC should run because the refineries are not profitable as we speak and I won’t compel them to put public money in it.”

Okon also explained that,“when the refineries were to be privatised, the Chinese proposal for Kaduna had to do with building a pipeline from Kaduna to Niger and that is why they offered $106 million for the refinery.

These are tough decisions.

Nigeria does not produce a lot of heavy crude, whether you are importing from Niger or anywhere, which is normal and nothing new about it, it has to be run commercially

“They knew they needed to build a pipeline for an alternative crude source to Kaduna if they had to run it and the heavy crude of Chad will enable them augment the crude from Warri.

“Kaduna has two crude distillation units, one is for heavy crude and the other for light sweet crude, but the key to it is that privatising the refinery is essential because if you continue to run it in the suboptimal way we are running it, it will never be profitable.”

He said rather than advancing claims of security of crude supply, the NNPC should develop a profitability plan for the refineries that will guarantee good economics for the refinery.

Even if the importation plan sails through, Nigeria would have to also contend with the challenges of getting supplies from Chad and Niger as both neighbouring countries have security challenges from the Boko Haram insurgency along their borders with Nigeria.

Okon added that this was a very critical issue that must not be overlooked by Nigeria in its plan.

Still Poor Outing for Nigeria’s Refineries Notwithstanding the plan for Kaduna, the June 2016 financial report of NNPC indicated that the country’s four refineries are still far from the profitability threshold.

The report showed that inadequate maintenance and vandalism of crude oil pipelines have led to the sub-optimal performance of the 445,000bpd capacity refineries.

Their poor productivity had continued despite the re-commissioning the 46-km Escravos-Warri pipeline repaired by Ocean Marine Solution in April this year by the Minister of State for Petroleum Resources, Ibe Kachikwu.

The line was to restore crude oil supply to Warri and Kaduna refineries, but militants in the Delta had broken into it again in renewed vandalism.

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T H I S D AY, T H E S U N D AY N E W S PA P E R • AUGUST 14, 2016

INTERVIEW

Echebiri: Knowledge Gap Prompted Establishment of Centre for Financial Journalism

Ray Echebiri is the chief executive of Centre for Financial Journalism (CFJ). A consummate financial journalist, author and development economist, Echebiri, in this interview with Olaseni Durojaiye, speaks on capacity deficit among financial journalists and how the centre can help bridge that gap, among other issues. Excerpts:

W

hat informed the decision to set up Centre for Financial Journalism?

plan to bother owners of media organizations but at some point they will have to foot the expense if we have to conduct in-house training for their staff members, where it will be exclusive to staff members of a particular organization. We will also be having sponsored programmes in which case we will write to media houses to nominate some of their reporters or correspondents to participate in our programmes. So we don’t really expect the journalists or the media houses they work for to pay for the trainings.

The establishment of Centre for Financial Journalism (CFJ Nigeria) was informed by what I will term the slow advancement of Financial Journalism in the country, especially when compared to what obtains in many other countries of the world. The financial journalists in Nigeria, yes they are doing their best but when compared with their counterparts in other climes you find that they are not really doing well. And I really cannot blame them for that because there is really a dearth of capacity building programmes for them. Another factor is that they all come from different backgrounds. Some are graduates of Mass Communication, Journalism, English, Political Science and many other disciplines, and they are deployed to the Business Desk to cover, for instance, the Capital Market, Money Market.

Nobody trains them, they are simply told to go out there and get the story. I noticed that there is a knowledge gap and this needs to be addressed.

I feel there is need to train financial journalists, to arm them with the necessary knowledge and skills so that they can churn out better stories, articles and analyses that can help their readers to take those life-changing decisions. Essentially, that was the prompting for the establishment of the Centre for Financial Journalism.

You organized a lecture in March; what was the response like and was it part of the build up to setting up the centre?

The response was overwhelming. And it was covered by all the major newspapers, radio and television stations and online publications in the country. The lecture flagged off the activities of the centre. As a matter of fact, we believe that was the day that the centre actually took off.

To run the centre will definitely require funds, how do you plan to raise the funds?

The initial funds to put the facilities that will be needed and get the whole place running has been provided by the Directors of the Centre. After that we will seek support for the activities of the centre because what we will be doing is not for us to make profits from it and put the money in our pockets. What we are pursuing is an altruistic cause. We will be training financial journalists to report and write for the benefit of everybody. So we will seek support from individuals, corporate organizations and international organizations as well. That said; we will not be going to them to ask for money that we will put in our bank accounts or pockets. No. What we plan to do is to design programmes that individuals, corporate organizations and international organisations can sponsor. They don’t even need to give us the money. It could be by endowing chairs or taking full sponsorship of particular programmes.

It could also be a situation when we want to host a programme that requires bringing facilitators from abroad, a sponsor could decide to pay the bills – like the flight ticket, lodging and all the logistics. So they don’t even need to give us the cash. What is important to us is to get the centre running and get journalists – not just financial journalists, any journalists - to benefit from the centre’s training and in turn impact the society. As a matter of fact, every journalist irrespective of the beat he covers should be interested in, and should understand what is happening in the financial sector and the economy at large. This is the reason why we will not limit our training to only financial journalists.

Who will the faculty members of the centre be?

The faculty will be peopled by different professionals with different backgrounds. The faculty will be broad because when we say financial

Will objective reporting not be compromised with the arrangement of depending on corporate organizations to fund some of the training programmes?

Echebiri

journalism, it is not restricted to the Capital Market and the Money Market alone; it also includes Energy, Branding and Marketing, Maritime; in fact, financial journalism touches almost all aspects of journalism. So what it then means is that we will be having bankers, economists, lawyers; we will also be having those who specialize in financial journalism, communication, English language, etc.

How about specific names that we know of?

We have people like Ayo Arowolo, Ijeoma Nwaogwugwu, Stanley Egbochukwu, who are ace financial journalists. We also have financial experts like Femi Awoyemi, Tilewa Adebajo and Boniface Chizea. Other experts who are members of the faculty are Martin Oluba, Christian Udechukwu, Angela Agoawike, Funke Egbemode, Harry Willie, Jamilah Tangaza, John Wesey and Garba Deen Muhammad.

What are the short, medium and long term objectives of the center?

The short term objective is to upscale the skills set of Financial Journalists through training programmes and cutting edge research. But, we will not be training just financial journalists; we will be training all journalists in financial journalism. For instance, we want an Editor who edits a newspaper or a Controller in a radio or television station to understand what is happening in the economy; we want him/her to be well skilled in financial journalism so that when the financial journalists bring their stories to him/her he will be able to understand and appreciate what they have written. In the medium term, we want to be able to run programmes that will last for about a week. Then in the long term, we want to grow the centre to an extent that it will be affiliated to reputable institutions both outside and within the country; and then offer diploma and even degree programmes in financial journalism. This already obtains abroad; many journalists are specializing in financial journalism. It is a big thing abroad, but I don’t know of any institution that offers financial journalism either at degree level or post graduate level in Nigeria but it is there outside the country.

Is the centre modeled after any training institution?

CFG Nigeria is not modeled after any institution in the country. Again, what we will be doing will be different from what similar institutions abroad are doing. For instance, even if we are mounting a programme on Capital Market Reporting, we will incorporate writing skill, reporting skill, ethics, etc. into the programme. We will be running trainings on financial journalism all through the year and for different cadres of journalists. Our scope is quite wide; we are also targeting members of Editorial Boards and title Editors, etc. and to expose them to financial journalism.

That sounds like what obtains at the Pan Atlantic University’s School of Media and Communication?

Not really. What we’re trying to do at CFJ Nigeria is that we will be bringing in people who are either practising financial journalism, or who have distinguished themselves in financial journalism practice or those who are currently doing their thing in other areas that we think we need to build capacity for financial journalists. It’s not about just bringing people; we want to bring people that have practical, hands-on experience in financial journalism to train the journalist and even mentor some.

What will the cost implication be for the journalists who want to benefit from what the centre offers?

I have worked in some media houses and I can tell you that at no point was I sent on any kind of training by any of the media organizations.

Most times, institutions from outside of the media did. At the beginning of my career, the United State Information Service (now Public Affairs Section) of the United States Embassy was the major institution that took up the challenge of training journalists in financial journalism. And I benefited from such trainings. So I am not expecting the media houses, be they newspapers, radio or television stations, to pay for their staff members who want to train at the centre, and like I mentioned earlier, journalists write for the benefit of the whole society, so it will be a payback for organizations to identify a journalist or some journalists and sponsor them for a training programme at the centre to help upscale their writing, reportorial and analytical skills. We don’t

There won’t be any conflict of interest. If any company is sponsoring any of our programmes it should be seen as part of the company’s corporate social responsibility. If they expect any kind of benefit it will be in the improvement in the financial reporting standard that the journalists will display after they must have benefitted from the training programme. Besides, it is not all the time that we will reveal the identity of sponsors to participants, so they may not even know who the sponsors are; it is only when they need to know that they should know. And even if they know, it doesn’t stop them from writing their stories if that organization is not doing the right things; that does not cage them at all. More so, in all our programmes, we will have an aspect that touches on ethics - objectivity, truth and trust, because as a journalist the position you hold is that of public trust and you need to use it and use it very well.

What are your thoughts on the belief that journalists rarely make good business managers?

I won’t say it is totally true or totally false; but the fact is that journalists are trained to write stories especially as a reporter or correspondent. Many media organizations don’t bother to expose their editorial staff to trainings in the area of management or leadership. When it concerns reporters, we may not dwell so much on management and all that but when we begin to get to the level of Editors we will be interested in building capacity for them in the area of management and leadership because at that level they should also be thinking about how to manage the resources of their organizations efficiently. For instance, line Editors have people working under them, so the challenge of human resource management comes in; so also with the title Editors.

At that level they should be thinking as business persons, always having at the back of their mind the survival and growth of their media organisations. This cadre of journalists should be exposed to management and leadership trainings.

So I think it is because we’ve been focusing on stories too much that we forget that there are other things that contribute to making the media organization work.

Who are the directors of the center?

The board is made up of very eminent Nigerians who have acquitted themselves creditably in their chosen professions. Like our Chairman, a former deputy governor of the Central Bank of Nigeria, Ernest Ebi; Dr. Oladimeji Alo, who took Financial Institutions Training Centre (FITC) from nothing to something that everybody talks about when it comes to capacity building for the financial services sector; Professor Akpan Ekpo, former Vice Chancellor of University of Uyo and currently the Director General of West African Institute for Financial and Economic Management; Dr. Uju Ogubunka, former Registrar of the Chartered Institute of Bankers of Nigeria; and Bukola Onifade, a Fellow of the Institute of Chartered Accountants of Nigeria. These are people who are committed to the mission and vision of the Centre.

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T H I S D AY, T H E S U N D AY N E W S PA P E R • AUGUST 14, 2016

BUSINESS/MARITIME

Stakeholders Canvass Benchmarking of Customs Duty Assessment Rate

Shippers and customs brokers are seeking a possible benchmarking of forex rate for customs duty assessment, reports Francis Ugwoke

Piles of containers at a Lagos port

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he foreign exchange challenge in the economy is far-reaching. The excruciating effect is not sparing anyone, from small businesses to big businesses and of course from the low income earners to the rich. Even the federal government is not left out as its revenue target in various sectors of the national economy is far from being met. When it became clear that oil revenue was on the downside, many had looked on to the maritime sector as the only hope. But the situation in the sector has dashed this expectation of the government and indeed stakeholders, who had said as much as N7 trillion could be realised from the sector annually. Perhaps, it was as a result of this that the Minister of Transportation, Rotimi Amaechi, had months after his appointment given the Nigerian Ports Authority (NPA) and the Nigerian Maritime Administration and Safety Agency (NIMASA), an annual revenue target of N500 billion each. The Comptroller-General of the Nigeria Customs Service, Col. Hameed Ali (rtd), had also set a revenue target of N1.2 trillion this year for the service. So far, both Amaechi and Ali may have realised that their targets could not be achieved under the current economic crisis in which sourcing foreign exchange to import goods has become a herculean task.

Customs and Forex Regime The reaction of the federal government to the fluctuation of the foreign exchange has made international trade very difficult. The government had directed the Customs Service to calculate import duty on the prevailing exchange rate. The rate at which the importer sourced the foreign exchange to buy his goods may not matter. The circular which was signed by the Deputy Comptroller-General, Tariff and Trade, Nigeria Customs Service,

A. Adewuyi, read: “In consonance with the provisions of CEMA on the evaluation and clearing of imported goods into the country, Mr. President has approved the use of the exchange rate at the time of making entry as provided in CEMA, Customs and Excise Notice No.13 on the value of imported goods.

Where the value of an imported good is shown in foreign currency, such value is to be converted to the equivalent Nigerian currency as at the rate at the time of making entry.

The current rates of exchange are published at the Customs House.”

Before the new policy, the duties were calculated at the exchange rate of N197 per dollar and later at N282. But now, importers whose goods are in the ports will have them calculated at the prevailing rate. The sad side of this development is that many importers, particularly those affected by the CBN position on the 41 items list, who source their foreign exchange from the parallel market, are on their own. This is one of the reasons why trade has become difficult with the attendant result of high prices of goods in the market.

While it could be argued that the fluctuation may favour some importers at a stage, it is not all smiles, because a trader who pays for his goods at any prevailing rate of the dollar may be hit when the rate goes down. His competitor may buy the same goods cheaper and therefore sell cheaper.

That has been the problem affecting many, who are into importation. This was the fear of many importers who had at a stage put a hold on importation.

An importer of trade goods, Uche Mba, who spoke to THISDAY said that fluctuation in exchange rate affects importers as they become uncertain what the market rate would be next. “If the rate comes down when the importer had sourced forex at high rate, it will be a loss for him as it will be difficult for him to sell such goods and

make profit based on the exchange rate”, he said. According to him, every international trader is usually careful not to import when there is uncertainty of what the exchange rate would be.

Protest by Customs Brokers Following the increase in import duty occasioned by the foreign exchange rate, customs brokers and freight forwarders have threatened to shut down the ports. Those who made the move were members of the Association of Nigerian Licensed Customs Agents (ANLCA). But the Nigerian Shippers’ Council (NSC) intervened by stopping the customs brokers from shutting the ports.

Such action by the customs brokers or freight forwarders would not be the best for the national economy, the Council said. It was gathered that the Executive Secretary, NSC, Mr. Hassan Bello, who held series of meetings with the customs brokers and freight forwarders associations to stop them from shutting the ports may be meeting relevant authorities on benchmarking of forex for import duty assessment by the Customs. Reacting to the development, the President of ANLCA, Olayiwola Shittu, said that it was not for the customs brokers to protest but the importers.

Shittu was quoted saying that as far as he was concerned, customs brokers were simply intermediary. He, instead, called on importers to organise themselves and protest to the federal government.

Pointing out that the new rate at which Customs will calculate duty will affect importers, Shittu appealed to the Customs leadership to adopt a holistic approach in the evaluation of duty. In his view, Customs should be able to let importers know what exchange rate they will be using as benchmark for duty payment.

According to him, a situation whereby

after paying for duties, importers are stopped at the point of release on the excuse that another rate of duty was released, would not be acceptable.

A maritime lawyer and trade expert, Emma Ofomata, while reacting to the foreign exchange issue said it had hit everybody in Nigeria. Ofomata said it did not matter what one does, the effect was being felt by everyone because of the economic hardship it had brought to the country. According to him, it has reduced the volume of trade into the country.“Those who used to import as much as 40 containers in a month can no longer do so. At best, they bring in 20 because of the rate of exchange”, he said.

Ofomata pointed out that manufacturers were the ones affected more than the importers of finished goods, explaining that while the manufacturer suffers the effect of forex regime, he also has to battle with the problem of power as he has to buy diesel at probably N200 per litre. He said at the end, the consumer would be the one who will take the whole shock as the importer or manufacturer has to recover all the cost to be in the market.

Way Forward As part of the solution to the problem, the Publicity Secretary of NAGAFF, Stanley Ezenga, said the CBN and the Finance Ministry should consider benchmarking the exchange rate for import duty for the interest of Nigerians. He said this will save the importers the nightmare they have been suffering as a result of the fluctuation of exchange rate.

According to him,“we indeed advise that the Minister of Finance in consultation with the CBN Governor can benchmark the exchange rate for Customs duty purposes. It is legal and legitimate in favour of trade and the society in Nigeria.”

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T H I S D AY, T H E S U N D AY N E W S PA P E R • AUGUST 14, 2016

BUSINESS/MARITIME

Ocean going vessesl

Identifying Threats to Maximising Potential in Maritime Sector

Mulling diversification of the nation’s economy, maritime industry operators insist the industry is capable of fetching the country huge foreign exchange and identified challenges that could scupper the realisation of the potential, writes Olaseni Durojaiye

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ith declining foreign exchange receipts due to the volatility of the oil sector, the country’s economic mainstay, both in the international market and locally, public affairs analysts and economists have continued to consider alternative source of foreign exchange receipts for the country to shore up the nation’s revenue base. Their efforts to identify other sectors with huge revenue generation potential align with the policy shift of the federal government to diversify into other equally lucrative sectors, particularly where the country is perceived to have comparative advantage. Among the options they have identified are agriculture, solid minerals as well as the maritime sector.

The maritime sector is particularly viewed as strategic and the reasons for the conclusion are because it is international in nature with potential to generate foreign exchange, besides being considered a low hanging fruits with relatively quick harvest period.

Experts hold that the maritime sector is synonymous with shipping just as shipping is regarded as perhaps the most international of all of the world’s great industries and one fraught with huge risks.

Operators in the sector, while agreeing that it holds huge potential for the nation’s economic wellbeing, also noted that compliance with regulatory measures need to be accorded great importance for the country’s maritime profile to get to the level of Singapore and reap the inherent fortunes.

They opined that some of the challenges facing the maritime industry border on safety of life at sea (SOLAS), piracy and capacity building among others. They also noted the unrelenting efforts of the foremost global maritime regulatory body, the International Maritime Organisation (IMO), and the International Association of Classification Societies (IACS) to put in place policies to mitigate the huge dangers that the industry is faced with.

International Association of Classification Societies online check revealed “The International Association of Classification Societies (IACS) is a technically based organisation consisting of twelve marine classification societies headquartered in London. Marine classification is a system for promoting the safety of life, property and the environment primarily through the establishment

and verification of compliance with technical and engineering standards for the design, construction and life-cycle maintenance of ships, offshore units and other marine-related facilities. These standards are contained in rules established by each Society.

IACS provides a forum within which the member societies can discuss, research and adopt technical criteria that enhance maritime safety.

“IACS is a non-governmental organisation; it also plays a role in the IMO, for which it provides technical support and guidance and develops unified interpretations of the international statutory regulations developed by the member states of IMO. Once adopted, these interpretations are applied by each IACS member society, when certifying compliance with the statutory regulations on behalf of authorising flag state.”

Operators’ Thoughts THISDAY findings among safety of life at sea practitioners in the country revealed worrisome concerns to include activities of quacks, piracy as well as capacity building among others. These, industry stakeholders insist needs be addressed if the country must optimally harness potential inherent in the sector even as they demonstrate confidence in the nation’s foremost maritime sector regulator, Nigeria Maritime Safety Agency ((NIMASA).

Maritime industry operators, who spoke with THISDAY, agreed that safety of life at sea, piracy and regulatory compliance could make or mar the country’s ability to harness its potential in the industry even as some of them stated that the nation’s flag state has improved in its statutory functions in recent months. The operators include players from different sectors that make up the maritime industry including safety at sea practitioners, freight forwarders, channel dredgers and vessel operators, According to the immediate past Managing Director and Chief Executive Officer of Bonny Channel Company (BCC), Joost Van Hecken, “Bonny area is known to be volatile. Piracy has been a big challenge in that area especially on the offshore channel to the LNLG terminal, so for this reasons our vessels are almost a floating fortresses; whatever work we have to do whether dredging or salvage works, we always have security vessels accompany us and our equipment, we also ensure to have adequate security on-board,”

he told THISDAY in an interview.

Also speaking with THISDAY, Managing Director of Solas Marine, Samson Okotete, disclosed that quacks undermine safety of life at sea because they either lack certification or do not possess the required capacity to carry out assessment of safety equipment on board vessels. According to him, because they are not certified by any recognised member of the International Association of Classification Societies (IACS), the apex regulatory body for practitioners of safety of life at sea, they do not adhere to the standards set by the body.

“Activities of quack practitioners are a major concern in the sector. Besides that they are not well trained and certified by any classification

Bonny area is known to be volatile. Piracy has been a big challenge in that area especially on the offshore channel to the LNLG terminal, so for this reasons our vessels are almost a floating fortresses; whatever work we have to do whether dredging or salvage works, we always have security vessels accompany us and our equipment, we also ensure to have adequate security on-board

member to carry out the services of safety of life at sea, they also use substandard equipment; their practices endanger lives and goods on the high sea.

“They forge certificates showing that they are certified whereas their names are not on the list of companies that are certified to carry out vessels inspection and importation of safety items; but somehow still, they found their way into the sector and they are getting jobs especially from clients who want to cut cost,” Okotete stated.

Speaking further, he said, “Another problem is due to government’s efforts to ensure that only those that are legally permitted to import safety and technical equipment do so. The requirements are rather too strict and it is becoming counter-productive. Good as the initiative is, it has become a challenge because very few that import safety tools cannot adequately service the industry, there is the fear that this may lead to shortage of top grade tools and equipment; mindful of the fact that top grade equipment is integral to delivering a professional service and if we fail to deliver international standard service the country may suffer loss of confidence in the international maritime industry.”

Pass Mark for NIMASA While Okotete argued that improved sanity has begun to be noticeable in the sector owing to the resolve by the new management of NIMASA, which is the nation’s flag agency to sanitise the sector and combat piracy, another operator, who preferred not to be named noted that the improvement is not fast-paced enough.

According to him, “Agreed, we are beginning to witness some level of professionalism on the part of NIMASA, I think the pace is slow. On fighting piracy, I commend NIMASA.” “However, it shouldn’t take forever to completely wipe out quacks who practice safety of life at sea or to compel ship owners to only certified practitioners,” he added.

But Okotete pointed out that, “there has been a remarkable improvement in the activities of NIMASA in recent time.” “What you have before is way below what can be described as professional regulatory services. They have been more professional in the discharge of their duties; they go on board every vessel and tanker for inspection, unlike before.”

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T H I S D AY, T H E S U N D AY N E W S PA P E R • AUGUST 14, 2016

BUSINESS/ MONEY/ REPORT

What Nigerian Bank Customers Want

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Where We Are Coming From 015 is a year that many Nigerians would like to quickly forget, as far as the economy is concerned.

The severe fall in global oil prices from a high of $116 to $32 per barrel led to a major decrease in government spending and decline in economic activities, which further caused a sharp descent in the GDP growth rate from 6% to 3%.

The Nigerian banking industry is trying to stand strong despite the rocky socioeconomic landscape. Retail banks have been forced to twist and turn in order to adapt to the various market shocks and policy variations that hit the economy in 2015. From the monetary policy changes to the recent directive from the federal government to all federal ministries, departments and agencies (MDAs) to remit all their earnings into a Treasury Single Account (TSA), banks have been left spiraling due to significant changes in their liquidity. Needless to say, novelty and flexibility have become necessary for any prospect at longevity in the industry.

Even as some banks are being forced to downsize due to these changes, it is vital that banks remember the cardinal rule- the customer is King. Banks must operate on customer centric policies that keep existing customers happy while simultaneously attracting new ones. It is important to note that 39.8 million people are excluded from financial services in Nigeria, hence banks need to tap into this market by understanding what these unbanked customers want and why they have no bank account.

The balancing act of running a viable business while keeping customer satisfaction levels high is no mean feat considering the gloomy economic outlook in Nigeria. Nevertheless, the apex regulatory, the Central Bank of Nigeria (CBN) has promoted cashless transactions with the goal of increasing efficiency, curtailing costs and increasing transparency. The spread of Internet enabled mobile phones as well as growing broadband dissemination means that banks have the prospect of a wider customer reach at cheaper costs. This development became more popular in 2015 with the increased prominence of e-commerce and e-banking platforms such as Konga, Jumia, Paga and Quickteller, to name a few.

Due to these developments, customers have been able to carry out their transactions more conveniently, with a faster turnover time while banks have utilized the budding electronic platforms as a means of generating additional revenue for their operations. This seems to have arrived just in time, especially with the 1st January 2016 deadline of the zero COT charge.

The availability of these electronic resources in 2015 have caused banks to think outside of the box – from exciting new bank products and services such as virtual debit and credit cards to innovative mobile money channels such as PayAttitude and PayByCapture – in order to distinguish themselves from competitors. There has also been an increase in the number of SME credit schemes available by CBN, banks and other financial institutions.

This nature of the Nigerian banking landscape has made flexibility as customer acquisition and retention pivotal for profitability, banks need to understand their customers’ lifestyles and preferences and seek effective ways to utilize their enormous customer data assets. Differentiation becomes imperative in such an economic environment as it makes it easier for customers to identify banks that stand out.

Evolving Needs of Nigeria’s Retail Bank Customers CBN has been promoting cashless transactions with the goal of increasing efficiency, curtailing costs and increasing transparency.

The attainment of these goals have been supported by the increase in affordable mobile phones that are Internet enabled as well as growing broadband penetration, making electronic resources available to more people including those in the lower middle class and mass market. This has resulted in the growth and development of electronic banking and ecommerce in Nigeria.

The expanding middle class has stimulated the growth of online based transactions in Nigeria totaling over $2 million worth of transactions a week and about $8.125 billion a month according to a Philips Consulting survey on the growth of e-commerce in Nigeria.

The increasingly dynamic nature of the banking landscape in Nigeria has made innovation, flexibility, adaptability, and risk management fundamental pre-requisites for survival in the industry.

In order to retain existing customers and also acquire new ones, banks must pay close attention to the preferences and behavior of their clients. Consumer intelligence is now crucial for banks to obtain maximum levels of customer satisfaction, which is the main goal of any service provider. The needs and lifestyles of the Nigerian population is evolving and becoming more sophisticated. For example, Nigerians are now more visually stimulated, so banks have to increase their aesthetic appeal to connect with their target customers. Bank customers are now demanding more convenient customer service platforms, innovative payment channels and quicker response times, all at the lowest possible cost.

Banks have to be at least one step ahead of the progressing needs of their customers and even further ahead of their competitors in order to survive the rocky socioeconomic landscape in Nigeria.

Banks that understand the needs of their customer and are able to adequately meet these needs will retain their current customers and also attract new ones from other banks that are not adequately meeting the needs of their customers. Insights from Ciuci Consulting’s 2015 banking report shows that the Average Potential Churn Rate (APCR) of the banking industry

Figure 1: Propensity to Switch Banks

Figure 2: Reasons Why Customers Retain Their Banks

Figure 3: Willingness to Bank

Figure 4: Banking Needs by Income Levels

is 14%, which means out of 100 customers, 14 are willing to change banks. Although this is lower than the 2014 figure which was 20% – meaning more customers are more inclined to stick with their banks in 2015 than they were in 2014, it still shows that a substantial number of customers are still will be switch banks in search for satisfactory service.

The report also shows that service reliability, financial stability, customer service and transaction channel access are the main reasons why 85% of customers would not switch banks. Quality of customer service is the key factor when choosing a primary bank, while service reliability is the main reason retail customers retain their bank.

Nigerian Banks must therefore gain greater insights into their customer needs and behaviour, and design their operations and processes with the goal of achieving maximum customer satisfaction, not just raising their bottom-line.

Case Examples 1.Banking the Unbanked

Financial exclusion is a long-standing issue that is crucial and has plagued developing nations such as Nigeria for decades. A vast majority of the population do not have access to a broad range of quality financial products.

The 2 main reasons for high levels of financial exclusion in developing nations such as Nigeria are poverty and illiteracy.

This exclusion impedes capital accumulation, revenue generation and ultimately economic growth, thereby perpetuating the cycle of poverty in the country.

Majority of those that are financially excluded yearn for financial products and services but do not receive any due to their low level of income and or inadequate supply of financial services in their area. Illiteracy and or ignorance of the benefits are also causes of financial exclusion. A third excluded group is those who previously had bank accounts but have left the banking system due to bad experiences.

CBN has repeatedly stated its commitment to reducing the country’s unbanked population by at least 20% by 2020 as a part of its financial inclusion strategy. Adequate measures need to be taken towards the realization of this goal, especially in terms of rapid expansion of the financial sector specifically in retail and microfinance banking. It is important that banks expand and modify their service offerings in order to appeal to these groups so as to enable socioeconomic progress and development.

Insights from the banking report shows that, 70% of the unbanked are willing to get bank accounts soon while 28% are not willing. The remaining 2% of respondents are indifferent.

The study relieved that regardless of the number of years that individuals have been unbanked, they are still willing to open bank accounts.

2. Understanding The Banking Needs of Women The principle of financial inclusion is seen as a major driver of economic development in Nigeria. However, access to financial services by individuals and SMEs is still limited across the nation. Gender plays an important role, as women are a lot more financially excluded than men. There are a number of opportunities for improving women’s financial inclusion and these are often linked to a nation’s developmental goals.

In the past, financial institutions have undertaken schemes that primarily focus on women but have however had limited regional or national outreach. Giving access to the millions of women in Nigeria who are presently excluded from financial services would provide the possibilities for the creation of a large depository of savings and investable funds that therefore lead to wealth generation.

A recent study by EFInA showed that 42.7% of Nigerian women are financially excluded. Notably, a substantial portion of these women are traders or business owners who require money to either start or expand their businesses. An overwhelming 90% of women still lack access to business funding because of limited financial knowledge they need to grow and expand their business. Banks can empower and support female retail customers and female owned SMEs by providing solutions to their unique lifestyle and need. By doing this banks can facilitate huge opportunities for job and wealth creation, poverty eradication and most importantly socioeconomic development.

Insights from the banking report shows that the most favoured product/service offering women would like to receive from their bank are solution for children and solutions for businesses – 24% of the women indicated the former while 18% indicated the latter.

The study also revealed that the need for retirement solutions increases with increase in income level.

This is an excerpt from Ciuci Consulting’s 2015 banking report, titled ‘What Nigerian Retail Banking Customers Want’.

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T H I S D AY, T H E S U N D AY N E W S PA P E R • AUGUST 14, 2016

BUSINESS/ MEDIA

Riding on Award to Position the ICT Sector Stories by Raheem Akingbolu

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eyond celebrating the contribution of individuals and organisations to the growth recorded in the Information and Communications Technology (ICT) sector, stakeholders, including top government functionaries and traditional rulers have pointed out that the organisers of the Nigeria Telecom Awards have endorsed the platform as a rebranding tool for Nigeria and the ICT sector in particular. It has also been established that the rewarding scheme has taken award to an international standard.

At the 2016 edition of the award, held in Lagos recently, Minister of Communication, Adebayo Shittu and the Ooni of Ife, Enitan Ogunwusi, both established that the event was a good tool for positioning. Adebayo, who said the Nigerian telecoms industry is now valued at over $38billion in investment profile, attributed the growth to contribution of individuals, who have been steadfast in their support for the industry.

Ooni of Ife received accolades from guests and industry players, who saw his presence with scores of Yoruba leaders and traditional rulers, as unprecedented. Managing Director, Absolute PR, a Public Relations firm, Akonte Ekine described the presence of the foremost traditional ruler as huge endorsement for the award. “To me, this year’s edition of the award and the winners are special. Aside the fact that government was well represented, the presence of Olu-Aye Oodua, Oba Enitan Ogunwusi was symbolical. It simply means that the award has been endorsed by all stakeholders,” Earlier, the supervising minister of the industry had stated that the sector’s huge contribution to the economy and the combining efforts of stakeholders to encourage participation is impacting the image of the country positively.

He attributed key drivers of the evolution and development of the industry to proactive and responsive policies and therefore tasked stakeholders to work harder to attract more foreign direct investments. According to the minister, the award has encouraged telecoms companies to up their game and give consumers the best.

The minister therefore tasked the awardees not to rest on their oars. “This should be an

L-R: Shittu, Ajiboye and Oba Ogunwusi

incentive to invest in the industry and also invest in the discovery and utilisation of the new skill and talents at all level.

He further said that the digital revolution is under way, can and must be harnessed to create development revolution. “We can do this together through stronger partnership and enhance cooperation with all stakeholders to fully integrate the leverage ICTs and broadband for sustainable development of our country.”

Shittu admitted that ICT had provided unprecedented facility and opportunities for

Nigerian in other to leapfrog into the knowledgedriven global economy and enjoy the benefits of socio-economic development offered by the post information age.

In his comment, the Managing Director of Logical Media Group, the organiser of the award, Otunba Biodun Ajiboye said his team has been able to organise the award for 14 years because of the support being given by industry stakeholders. To this end, he commended the minister and Ooni of Ife as well as top management team of various organisations,

UACN, HS Media, Launch Reality Show

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fter months of build-up campaigns to prepare television audience for the UAC Unscripted, the reality show has finally been unveiled.

UAC Unscripted is the brainchild of the United Africa Company of Nigeria (UACN) in conjunction with its agency, HS Media Group, a global sports conglomerate television outfit.

The 30 minutes family game show, which airs on the Nigeria Television Authority (NTA) every Monday night, has comedian Okey Bakassi as host.

The first episode, which was previewed for the press at the official launch recently, features stand-up comedian, Owen Gee, and his wife, Moyo; as well as Goje Africa presenter couple, Isaac and Nneka Moses, competing against each other in a friendly atmosphere. For lovers of fun and comedy, this is certainly an exciting time.

As part of the format of UAC Unscripted, the show anchor and comedian Okey Bakassi, is saddled with the responsibility to drill the couples on issues bordering on marriage and home management, where they are expected to gain points for any correct answer. However, guests

were not left out in the game show, as they also participated in a quiz and a game that involved a puzzle to game to fix Gala packs.

According to the producers, other notable stars and showbiz practitioners have been penciled down to participate in subsequent editions of the game show.

The list includes the likes of Tunde and Wunmi Obe; Segun Arinze and his wife, Julie; as well as Gbenro and Osas Ajibade and others.

Addressing the media at the unveiling, UACN Executive Director (Corporate Services), Joseph Dada said the need to have a family game show is to identify strategies that are broad enough to meet the varying communication needs of the business units, despite their diversified nature of their target audience.

“Being leaders in the various sectors where they operate, the business units need to supremely identify with their customers in a manner that makes them stand out and yet easily identifiable as members of the UACN family. It is time to talk family and an attempt to meet their communication needs led us to identifying comedy as a veritable platform.”

Alongside its TV content providers,

H S Media Group, UACN has in the past created a number of programmes, including The Real Nigerian show, a quiz programme on the history, geography and general knowledge of Nigeria for undergraduate of Nigerian Universities and Polytechnics.

“UAC Unscripted is a story preceded by a long line of antecedents that include the Teju Babyface Show, TEE A, Holy Malam and McAbbey’s UAC La1/2 Hour and others. Laughter, comedy, teamwork, which creates bonding in the family and society, are key focus in the show.”

On the idea behind the show, Dada explained that, “two things inform the creation of this show. One is that we are trying to build on where we are coming from; variety is the spice of life. You want to build on your past successes so, this family reality show is built on our previous efforts. But now, we are focusing more on families because when you look at our brands, they are for families. So, we are trying to connect to our target public through this medium,” he said.

According to the host of the show, Okey Bakassi: “The whole show is unscripted; both the host and guest, everything is real, no Hollywood performance.”

who threw their weight behind the event.

“While I commend members of my team for the journey and the quality of the award, I must confess that we have gone this far because stakeholders in the industry believe in us. I hereby promise that next year would be bigger and stronger in terms of quality and representation. This year, I think it will be laxity on my part if I fail to commend the contribution of our minister, the Ooni of Ife, the Executive Secretary of NCC and operators who stood by us,” he said.

Chivita 100% Wins ‘Outstanding Juice’ Awards

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t was an evening of celebrating iconic brands, corporate institutions and outstanding individuals who have distinguished themselves at the recently held Marketing Edge Brands and Advertising Excellence awards in Lagos. The event which was witnessed by industry leaders in Marketing Communication across Nigeria saw Chivita 100% fruit juice recognised as the “Most Outstanding Juice Brand in the Country”.

Chivita 100% fruit juice from the stable of Chi Limited was adjudged the most outstanding juice brand in the country due to its consistency in the market, creativity and value as well as the top quality packaging of the juice that allows for the best delivery. The fruit juice also won the award because it was said to be the only wholly fruit juice available in Nigeria.

Initiated by Marketing Edge, the Award has over the years

become recognized as a viable and respected platform in the Brands and marketing communication sector due to its in-depth understanding and unbiased role in critical analysis of the sector.

Responding on behalf of Chi Limited, the company’s Managing Director, Mr.Deepanjan Roy, expressed gratitude to the organisers of the event for creating an excellent platform to recognize outstanding brands which have remained consistent in satisfying consumers need.

He added that the award only reaffirms the brand’s position as the leader in the fruit juice category in terms of consumer preference.

T H I S D AY, T H E S U N D AY N E W S PA P E R • AUGUST 14, 2016

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TRAVEL

Edited by Demola Ojo Email demola.ojo@thisdaylive.com

New Super Priority Visa makes UK Only European Country to offer 24-hour Visa Decision in Nigeria Demola Ojo

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he UK has launched the Super Priority Visa Service in Nigeria to allow prospective visitors to Britain to process their applications within 24 hours. The British High Commission, on its website, said the new service was targeted at meeting the needs of those who require urgent service to travel.

The High Commission said the introduction of the service allowed customers greater flexibility to choose from a number of visa products to meet their needs.

It will be offered alongside the current Priority Visa (front of queue processing five to seven-day) and standard (15-day) services.

The UK is the only European country to offer a visa decision in 24 hours.

The Super Priority Visa service is aimed largely at key business customers and those needing to travel urgently by providing a visa decision for collection at the Visa Application Centre the working day following submission.

The British High Commissioner, Mr. Paul Arkwright, expressed delight at the introduction of the 24-hour visa service in Nigeria.

“I am pleased to see the Super Priority Visa service being launched in Nigeria. This comes with an additional cost but is designed to give greater flexibility to our customers and underlines our strong commitment to make improvements to the visa services we offer.

“We expect this new service to be particularly useful for business. We understand that business opportunities and urgent requirements can arise at very short notice.

We recognise this and want to facilitate such travel to the UK with this new super-fast service,”Arkwright said.

It said the service costs 750 pounds sterling in addition to the visa fee and would be available to eligible customers applying in the Abuja and Lagos Visa Application Centres.

The High Commission said those applying

Nigerians with urgent business in the UK can now get visas within 24 hours in the “Visitors”or “Points Based System Tier 4”are eligible to use the Super Priority Service.

It said appointments are available from

Annual SA Tourism Roadshow Arrives Nigeria Tomorrow

Mondays to Thursday from 8.30 a.m. to 10 a.m. and Fridays from 8.30 a.m. to 9 a.m. at the Abuja and Lagos centres only.

“Extending the Super Priority Visa service

to Nigeria is another example of how the UK is leading the world in the provision of premium visa services for those coming to the UK to visit, do business or study.”

New Software for Frequent Flyers

Many of us stick with one airline, and one alliance, when earning miles. For most trips, we’ve a fair idea of what miles and tier points / status miles we will pick up for a flight in a particular class, and if we have any doubts about it, the airline’s website most likely will tell us at the time of booking.

Airlines have become very sophisticated in encouraging us to upgrade the flexibility of our tickets in return for extra miles (and extra money for them). By and large, the more you spend, the more you earn. It’s the way most programmes are going.

That said, promotions are always out there, it’s just knowing about them at the time of booking.

You could spend your waking hours trawling blogs on the subject, or you could rely on software to keep you updated. That was the idea behind 30K – a plug-in which works with your browser (admittedly only Google Chrome at the moment).

It shows how many miles and tier points you’ll

earn if you book a flight through the big online travel agents such as Expedia.

The software can handle over 65 frequent flyer programmes across StarAlliance, OneWorld and SkyTeam. By default, award miles are shown, but you can also delve more deeply to see status miles, status segments and status points whenever applicable.

You can use the software simply to give you details of miles available if you book a flight, but if you create an account and add your frequent flyer memberships into it, then the software automatically retrieves information on your current status level, miles balances and expiration dates and so can add any tier bonuses you earn for flights to give you the right figure on the miles earned.

The software has some fun things – like tracking your progress towards the next status level, and also shows you which fares can be upgraded with miles.

Kerzner International Holdings (KIH), leading international developer and operator of destination resorts, ultra-luxury hotels and residences, has announced the appointment of Jean-Gabriel Pérès as its new President and Chief Executive Officer.

As the outgoing CEO of Mövenpick Hotels & Resorts, Jean-Gabriel has overseen the daily operations of the 16,000-staff hotel management company for 17 years. His role was instrumental in driving the global expansion of the company into Europe, Africa, the Middle East, and Asia.

“Jean-Gabriel joins us at a very opportune moment in our journey as we embark on an accelerated growth and expansion plan to take Kerzner to new places around the world, from China to Mexico and beyond,” says His Excellency Mohammed Al Shaibani, Executive Director and CEO of Investment Corporation of Dubai, and

Chairman of Kerzner International.

Jean-Gabriel possesses an international work experience that spans more than 30 years in the upscale hospitality and luxury retail industries, with deep knowledge of the Middle East and Asia. Prior to joining Mövenpick, he spent 11 years with Le Méridien Hotels & Resorts, following his tenure with engineering firm Matra/Lagardere Group, now known as EADS, where he led strategic partnerships in the United States and the Middle East.

“Throughout his career, Jean-Gabriel has carved his expertise in building exemplary corporate cultures, achieving customer satisfaction, and driving superior returns for the companies he worked at,”Al Shaibani added.“I look forward to seeing KIH prosper and grow its global footprint under his stewardship.”

Kerzner Appoints New CEO SA Tourism Regional Manager for West Africa, Lehlohonolo Pitso The 2016 Annual South African Tourism West Africa Roadshow which kicked off in Kumasi, Ghana, last week will commence its Nigerian leg tomorrow in Lagos. The roadshow - which also passed through Accra in Ghana – will be held at the Federal Palace Hotels and Casino, Victoria Island, and will later proceed to Port Harcourt and Abuja during the week.

South African Tourism hosts travel and tourism trade workshops annually where West African Trade (Travel Agents) engages with SA product owners to promote South Africa as a preferred holiday destination.

The aim of the workshop is to equip the West Africa Travel and Tourism Trade to effectively sell holiday travel packages to

South Africa. The workshops are hosted in partnership with the TOUGHA, GATTA and GHATOF in Ghana and NANTA & NATOP in Nigeria.

The South African delegation also embarks on city excursions in the different cities where the trade workshops will be hosted. The delegation is already looking forward to experiencing the delights of Nigeria’s commercial capital which is also regarded as the entertainment capital of Africa. This will be a follow up to the tours in Ghana which included a visit to the Palace of the Ashanti King.

The tours are part of an important cultural exchange initiative designed to encourage Intra-Africa travel and tourism.

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UNWTO to Help Boost Tourism in Nigeria Stories by Demola Ojo

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he UN World Tourism Organization (UNWTO) has rolled out a number of measures, including technical assistance, capacity building and the revision of the country’s Tourism Master Plan, as part of efforts to ensure the development of tourism in the country.

The UN Agency announced the measures, which also include the organization of international conferences in Nigeria and the certification of tourism courses, at the end of a two-day meeting between the Minister of Information and Culture, Alhaji Lai Mohammed, and the global tourism agency in Madrid, Spain, on Wednesday.

At the meeting, held at the headquarters of the UNWTO, Nigeria also expressed interest in hosting the 60th meeting of the global Agency’s Commission for Africa in 2018 in order to attract global attention to tourism in the country.

In addition, the global agency is widening access to its e-library for Nigerian tourism officials and offering support for relevant tourism institutions and agencies in Nigeria.

Under the UNWTO’s technical assistance programme, Nigeria will be assisted in the area of data collection for the elaboration of tourism statistics, rural tourism development, hotel classification and in designing programmes to create awareness for tourism.

In the area of capacity building, the focus will be on the empowerment of women in tourism through the centres being planned

UN World Tourism Organization, led by its Secretary-General, Mr. Taleb Rifai, during a meeting with the Nigerian delegation led

by Minister of Information Culture and Tourism, Lai Mohammed, in Madrid, Spain last week for the six geo-political zones and the training of festival managers, among others.

UNWTO Secretary-General Taleb Rifai, who led the agency’s strong delegation to the meeting, said the implementation of the programmes would start immediately and continue for the next two years.

He commended the Minister for his ‘’great intelligence and big vision’’ for tourism in Nigeria, adding that the ‘’good chemistry’’

between him and the Minister must be used for the good of Nigeria.

For his part, the Minister, who led the Nigerian delegation to the meeting, described it as ‘’most useful’’ and beneficial to the country. ‘’I want to express the appreciation of the Government and people of Nigeria to the UNWTO for their support. You have been passionate in your collaboration and you

have helped us in more ways than we could imagine,’’ Alhaji Mohammed said.

The meeting, which marked the return of Nigeria to the centre stage of the organization it joined in 1975, was held at the instance of the UNWTO Secretary-General, who invited the Minister to the Agency’s headquarters after the two met at the 58th UNWTO CAF Meeting in Abidjan, Cote d’Ivoire, last April.

Visa on Arrival Trumps Symbolic AU Passport

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bout two weeks ago, the African Union (AU) launched a new electronic African passport which should allow visa-free travel for African citizens of the 54 member countries. In a statement announcing the launch, the AU said, “The scene seems to be set to realize the dream of visa-free travel for African citizens within their own continent by 2020.”

The idea behind the initiative is that the free movement of people will help create jobs and stimulate economic activity. This, in turn, would increase intra-African trade, boosting economic growth. The organisation’s intention is that by 2018 the passport will be distributed to all African citizens.

The concept has been strongly backed by a number countries, such as the Seychelles, Mauritius, Senegal and Rwanda. All have eased or lifted visa requirements for people travelling from other African countries.

Movement toward this goal has already begun: Chadian President Idriss Déby and Rwandan leader Paul Kagame were presented with the first passports at the 27th African Union Summit in Kigali, Rwanda. The passport features inscriptions in five languages—English, French, Arabic,

Portuguese, and Swahili. (Initially, the document will be available only to diplomats and state and government officials.)

As of now, Africans must have visas to visit more than half of the countries on the continent; there are only 13 African countries that allow African travelers to enter without a visa. Meanwhile, Americans can visit 20 countries within Africa without need for a visa.

However, the excitement generated by the launch of the AU passport needs to be tempered with a dose of reality, if the opinions of experts are considered. For example, Nigeria’s Minister of Foreign Affairs, Mr. Geoffrey Onyeama, has said that the passport may not achieve the desired result if it does not have legal framework to support it. Onyeama said that lack of a legal framework might impede the aim of the passport because member states of the AU would not be bound to allow free movement into their countries without visas.

Using the example of ECOWAS, he said, “The ECOWAS passport is hinged on a treaty that recognises free movement of peoples and each country has ratified that so the issuance of passport is just to give effect to what has been agreed by the countries.

“In the case of the AU, there has been no

Jovago Becomes Jumia Travels

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frica Internet Group, has consolidated its various online trading platforms into one new brand to be known as Jumia, as it aims to become Africa’s number one online destination.

Following this development, which was revealed recently, all it existing platforms have been rebranded as Jumia.

Jovago, which is a dedicated platform for hotel bookings is now Jumia Travel; Kaymu, for fashion and electronics is now Jumia Market; Hellofood is now now Jumia Food; Vendito is now Jumia Deals; Lamudi now Jumia House; Everjobs now Jumia Jobs and Carmudi

now Jumia Cars. With a new vision of ‘expand your horizons,’ Jumia now offers access to products and services from its leading platforms.

Speaking on this new move, the Managing Director of Jovago Nigeria now Jumia Travel, Kushal Dutta, described it as a new vista and leap for the company.

He said: “This is a big leap forward for us as a group. We have worked really hard to build our brands and this synergy will open more doors of opportunity for us as a company.

With this move, we can assure those who book on Jumia Travel world class services at the most affordable prices every single time.”

Kushal Duttal

treaties ratified by the member states accepting the concept of a continental free movement of peoples so if you are issuing this AU passport it has no legal base to it,” Onyeama said.

He noted that declarations by Heads of States of AU countries do not have legal effect in the countries because every country has a rule and mechanism for giving effect.

“We (Nigeria) have a national assembly that has to domesticate and ratify such a treaty and it has to be signed before allowing anyone that has this passport to come into the country.’’

Against this backdrop, TeamAfrica, a Pan-African Travel Association for players in African travel, tourism and hospitality, has said that visa on arrival for all Africans is the way to go rather than the symbolic AU Passport.

TeamAfrica pointed out the difficulty in implementing the Yammousokro Decision to open African skies for aviation which has not been implemented since 1999.

Members of TeamAfrica who discussed the issue exhaustively agreed that the launch of the AU document is noteworthy but symbolic as it has no real value as at now. They contend that the immediate implementation of visa on arrival for all Africans is easier to Implement and adopt.

Ghana recently joined Rwanda and Seychelles

in implementing visa on arrival for all Africans to great success. They recommend the same route as a faster way of integrating Africa while discussions on the modality of how implementation of the AU Passport is being worked out between member nations.

The ECOWAS region was the first to launch free movement protocol among its15 member countries with little or no negative impact despite the huge population within the region. Recently regional blocs in the East and South of Africa have all implemented free movement protocol for regional citizens. Some regions have also implemented joint visa for the regions like the EAC tourism Visa for three countries in East Africa.

The next linkage may be free movement protocol between the regions. ECOWAS and the EAC group can sign an MOU and bring this about long before the targeted date of 2018 for AU Passport launch for citizens.

TeamAfrica is a body desirous of faster integration between African countries. It aims to grow travel within Africa by jointly promoting events within Africa and pressure governments to adopt policies that encourage intra-African travel. Its landmark project is the expected launch of the search for the 21 wonders of Africa.

Virgin ‘s Exclusive Cocktails at Heathrow

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irgin Atlantic has launched a range of exclusive cocktails for guests at its Heathrow Clubhouse. The“travel inspired, botanical” cocktails have been created by Mr Lyan, bartender of the Dandelyan bar at the Mondrian London.

They include the ‘Diamond Daisy’ (pictured) containing Barcardi Carta Blanca, Riesling, pandan, cavolo nero and lime. As part of the collaboration the Dandelyan team will take up a week’s residency at Virgin’s Heathrow T3 Clubhouse, as part of a “Five Up”

season that will see bars from around the globe delivering bespoke cocktail menus in the mezzanine area of the Clubhouse. First up will be Hong Kong’s Quinary between August 1 and 7, followed by LA’s Hinoki and the Bird from August 8 to 14, then Dandelyan between August 15 and 21, New York’s Employees Only from August 22 to 28, and finally San Francisco’s Bourbon and Branch from August 29 to September 4.

Several of the bars have also created bespoke cocktail menus for the Virgin Atlantic Clubhouses in their corresponding cities.

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WEEKLY PULL-OUT

PRINCESS CHINEKE

WHY SHE KEEPS COMING BACK TO NOLLYWOOD

14.08.2016

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Chineke

PRINCESS CHINEKE

WHY SHE KEEPS COMING BACK TO NOLLYWOOD Long before people began to complement her pretty face and the fact that she had a body many men could die for, Nollywood actress, Princess Chineke, had adopted the attitudes of popular artistes from her teenage years. Oladipupo Awojobi engaged the young lady who had been going back and forth in the industry, but returned to pursue her passion, when she decided to take responsibility for her actions

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alented Nollywood actress, Princess Chineke is not only delectable; she evinces joy each time she speaks about the industry she is passionate about. The seasoned thespian revealed recently that she started showing traces of acting right from her secondary days and later metamorphosed into a professional actress several years later.

Princess, who hails from Imo State, is a Computer Science graduate of the University of Benin. According to the dashing actress, “I later went to do some training in the arts. I was at the training school of the Federal Radio Corporation of Nigeria (FRCN) and I have also done some business courses. My growing up was fantastic. I was a big fan of television and mimicked some artistes. My mother told me later in life that she knew I would eventually go into entertainment. I copied

the attitudes of the popular artistes of the, behaving like a model. Most of my mates in secondary school are not surprised at what I am doing today. They saw the pointer, as I used to sing in my secondary school days, especially gospel songs.”

One would have expected that the seasoned actress would face some resistance from her family based on some negative insinuations about the industry, surprisingly, they were supportive and gave her the necessary motivation.

“My family members supported me all through. I remember, when I wanted to go into modeling, a lady just told me that she liked my smile, and she encouraged me to go into modeling. When I was still in secondary school, each time I went home on holidays, I always did one modeling job or the other.

“Also, when I got to the university, I took part in some beauty pageants, and I won some of them. However, my parents

always told me to face my studies. After finishing university, I followed a friend for an audition. I thought it was a modeling job, when I got there, I discovered that it was for acting,” she stated with nostalgia, adding that this was how she started moving from one location to another.

Indeed the sky has been the limit for Princess as she has been part of several Nollywood box office films.

She told this reporter that she started with ‘Tarima,’ a television soap opera in 2007, which was her first job and the beginning of what she sees as a rewarding career.

“I later took part in another film, ‘Strong Men at Work.’ I did a couple of films after which I traveled to South Africa, where I got involved in some modeling jobs and I later went to Germany, London and the United States of America before I came back to Nigeria.

I decided that it was better to continue

acting,” she said.

Her other works include ‘Last Flight To Abuja,’ ‘Caught In The Middle,’ ‘Side Chics,’ ‘Give It Up,’ ‘Emerald,’ ‘Tomorrow In Now,’ Wale Adenuga Productions, ‘Afriwood,’ ‘Royal Maid,’ Ada Mbano,’ ‘Rainy Season,’ ‘Behind The Smile,’ ‘Everyday People’ amongst several others.

When probed about her experiences in the industry, the make-believe act replied that the industry is big, and that the first thing for anyone to note is that in any industry one finds himself, the person must be determined and have goals on how far he or she wants to go.

She said: “It is just like a river, the same water that can boil an egg is the same water that can still consume, so it depends on what you want out of the water. If you come into the industry and you are not focused, you will get lost,

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COVER

On set of ‘Emerald’

which is where your values come to play.

“You must know what you want to do.

Some people could come in as costume persons and they would later say they could do more than that and go into production.”

Princess didn’t really start with acting, she tried her hands on some white collar jobs, and once worked as a sales executive for a magazine, and Lekki Gardens Limited before she capitulated and went back to what she regarded as her first love; acting.

There was no way the beautiful actress would not be questioned about sexual harassment in the industry, and her reaction was as straightforward as they come; “sexual harassment is everywhere, it is not just in the movie industry. If a marriage should break in the banking industry, even if it is up to 50, nobody would complain. But once there is one in Nollywood, people would talk about it.”

She maintained that sexual harassment is not a problem because, according to her, people see an actress on the screen and they want to judge and monitor what she does, and that “the good thing is that you still have to decide what you want. If someone harasses you, you can leave his film and go elsewhere. I have not actually been harassed sexually, not that people would not come to you for a date, one has a choice to say no,” she submitted.

One thing Princess was emphatic on is that kissing on set is not a problem. She also stressed her capacity to take on any role, no matter the challenge. However, she distanced herself from appearing naked, insisting that she could never act nude for a billion dollars.

The young lady had actually left the industry several times, but she always came back to pursue her passion.

“I have had some experiences on location. There was an occasion, when we went for audition for beauty pageant and some people, who were not at the audition came on board, contested and won. That was an embarrassing moment,” she said.

Princess would not tell anyone how much she earns now, but she readily revealed that her first fee for ‘Tamara,’ a television series was over N30,000 and that she was paid half of the money before she started. To her, the money was okay at the time, as she was a student. She added that they were on location for weeks then since it was a soap.

One experience the actress would not forget in a hurry was, when she went for the premier of ‘Last Flight To Abuja’

in London, a film produced by Obi Emelonye.

“They invited us to the stage one after the other and there were over 100 cameramen there with people hailing us all over the hall. I was taken aback as I wasn’t expecting it, it was a great feeling to be treated like that outside one’s country because we don’t even do that here. It was awesome.

“Moreso, there was a time we went to a location and we were trying to act a scene, where a guy would fall into a ditch and we would bring him out. We were trying to do this cleverly and we wanted to pull the guy out of the ditch, when suddenly we just heard a gunshot.

“That was somewhere in FESTAC Town, Lagos, we were all shocked, and when we looked round, we discovered that it was a security man that fired the shot. That incident made me reflect on the kind of risk we take in the industry.

“It was just God that saved us that night because that was enough for people to jump into the lagoon because the invaders could be armed robbers.

You know we just go from one location to another and your loved ones may not even know where you are. I compared to the amount of money we earn to the risk on the job, it was so very lopsided.

“We are still here because of the passion we have for the job. I have done a bit of white collar jobs, but I know that this is where I belong. While I was working in other places, I knew that something was missing in me. I felt I needed to be here. I came back into the industry fully in 2015,” she said retrospectively.

Though the much sought after actress has not settled down with any man, she prefers a Godly man, who must be hard working, intelligent and goal-oriented.

She believes that Nollywood marriages don’t last because, as she said, some people just want to take advantage of the actresses without loving them from the heart.

Her opinion is that it is about knowing what the person wants, while adding that if someone sees a wealthy man, she should ask herself if she would continue to love the man, if the wealth is taken from him.

Her words: “If money finishes, will you still love the man? If the beauty is not there, will you still love the woman, when she grows older? I may be looking beautiful now, will I still look like this in the next 30 or 40 years. A lot of people have this challenge, it is not just actors.

Most base their decisions on the moment,

forgetting that people change.”

Apart from acting, Princess is involved in modeling and managing of models.

One thing she would not compromise is keep the company of lying man. Or one is not loyal and filled with pride. “I left a man because he told me lies, and he claimed what he was not. I want you to be the way you are no matter how it is.

That is better than deceit,” she stressed.

One area Princess would not touch with a long pole is marrying a polygamist as she said that everything is not about money.

She declared that if she goes into it, her children would suffer, saying that they would only see their father once in a while as she said that he would have to go to his other wife or wives.

Nollywood, she enthused, is a huge industry, while revealing that each time she travels out of the country, people hail her, when they hear that she is a Nollywood actress.

“So, I wonder why our government is not doing much for us. They should invest

in the industry. They can give us grants.

Most times, people talk about Zee World, an Indian film channel on DSTV and someone told me recently that India is a poor country.

“They are doing well because their government supports them. I don’t believe in depending on just one thing. It is true we have oil, but we should develop other industries.

“The government can partner with producers to promote the industry. They once talked about a film village, but they are no longer talking about it,” she said.

On the monster called piracy, the actress enjoined the government to help the industry by putting things in place, and advised on adoption of stiff penalties and strict monitoring processes.

“They could employ people to work in a task force that could check piracy on a regular basis as they do with the Lagos State Traffic Management Authority (LASTMA) to control traffic in Lagos State,” she said.

SEXUAL HARASSMENT IS EVERYWHERE, IT IS NOT JUST IN THE MOVIE INDUSTRY. IF A MARRIAGE SHOULD BREAK IN THE BANKING INDUSTRY, EVEN IF IT IS UP TO 50, NOBODY WOULD COMPLAIN. BUT ONCE THERE IS ONE IN NOLLYWOOD, PEOPLE WOULD TALK ABOUT IT

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ENTERTAINMENT

wiTh nSeobonG okon-ekonG 08114495324, nseobong.okonekong@thisdaylive.com

Stella...with her chorus line

A Night of Nigerian Pop,

by Azania Band

Nseobong Okon-Ekong

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n many ways, Mathew Arewa, the drummer and percussionist for Stella Ada Monye’s, Azania Band, is a metaphor for Stella’s life.

Mathew was a young lad of 14 years when Stella discovered and gave him a chance. It was at that age also that Stella made her way into the entertainment industry. One could feel the understanding between Mathew and Stella when it was his turn to be introduced. Like Stella, Mathew has matured from being a drummer boy to a thoroughbred professional whose services are much sought after. And so has Stella who has carved a niche for herself, in her chosen trade of singing; so much that not many remember that she is a trained Thespian from the University of Ife. Lately, she started a course of study at the Lagos State University towards becoming a lawyer, a goal she is determined to achieve largely satisfy the wish of her late father.

Music has taken her to places she could not have imagined and opened doors for her to stand before kings and princes and not before mean men. In the course of her work, Stella discovered the milk of human kindness in her. This led her to partner with groups and organisations that serve the needy in our communities. As her capacity to serve grew, it was natural for her to channel her energy into a self-driven effort, thus was born WINAI Women Initiative Nigeria, a social entrepreneur vehicle through which she carried out programmes like ‘1000 Mics’ that featured 250 female singers drawn from the school, churches, the night club circuit, and a variety entertainment show called the ‘Huk’ Show among others.

Recently, Stella used the WINAI Women Initiative Nigeria to present an old ‘Schull’ Party to honour the memory of the late American multi-instrumentalist, songwriter and performer, Prince Rogers Nelson. In her opinion, she sought to celebrate Prince for his profound contribution to the creative career of many women. And Stella would not let the opportunity of his passage pass without celebrating him. The premium he placed on women could be noticed in his first band, The Revolution which had the female keyboardist Gayle Chapman. Till his death, Prince was supported by an all-female backing band, a trio called 3rdeyegirl. In between, there quite a number of notable women -- like Patrice Rushen, Vanity and Carmen Electra Vanessa Marcil, Sherilyn Fenn, Kim Basinger, drummer Sheila E, The Bangles’ Susanna Hoffs.

But Prince was not the only person on the WINAI Women Initiative Nigeria honours scroll.

Notable Nigerians like the wife of the governor of Lagos State, Bolanle Ambode and wife of the APC Chieftain, Asiwaju Bola Ahmed Tinubu, Senator Oluremi Tinubu took place of pride for championing women issues. Other awardees were owner of La Campagne Beach Resort, Otunba Wanle Akinboboye credited with discovery of the first female talking drummer, Ara. Also awarded was famous radio OAP, Dan

Tee Mac with Stella Foster. Three past presidents of the Performing Musicians Employers Association of Nigeria, PMAN, Charly Boy, Bolaji Rosiji and Femi Lasode were recognised for their contribution to the entertainment industry. Songstress, Yinka Davies got an award as well. Journalists were not left out of the honours list as memory of three men of the pen profession who have passed on were brought back to life through a recognition to Mcphillips Nwachukwu, Ogbonnaya Amadi and Cletus Nwachuckwu. This reporter, Nseobong Okon-Ekong was honoured as well for service to the entertainment industry.

The venue of the show, Bluesea Lounge on Akilo Road in Ogba was brought to live with stirring performances by an all-female Makossa dance troupe called, EC Concept. More dance entertainment was provided by Scott Jackson who mimicked the dance steps of the late Michael Jackson. Another dancer who brought the house down was Iyke. Fuji music’s first lady, Lady Mandela held her own on a night where her performance was warmly applauded. Upcoming singer, Tunmise showed a lot of confidence on stage, giving the audience her best.

Anchored by MC Lawrence of Classic FM, the show was attended by Charly Boy, Tee Mac, Ras Kimono and wife, Efe,, Femi Ojo of Celebrity Agecny, Yomi Peters, Barrster Silas Udoh, Bolaji Rosiji and the Kushi Indian Community and Funmi Tijani.

Stella and her band performed old school Nigerian pop to the delight of the crowd, but it could not assuage the hunger of those who longed to hear songs of Prince, the America music icon whose memory was being honoured.

The inability to perform Prince’s songs was a black spot on an otherwise successful show; even if many were willing to overlook the complete disregard for the prevailing ‘old schull’ costume. Stella herself failed to lead by example by downplaying the dress code.

ALI BABA, BIMBO AKINTOLA DATE A FAN Expectations are high today at the premiere of Celebrity Fan Date, a quasi reality entertainment show in which a fan’s dream comes true by spending some memorable time with a popular celebrity.

The maiden edition at Lagos Oriental Hotel features acclaimed king of comedy, Ali Baba and adorable actress, Bimbo Akintola. Both Stars will select a lucky winner respectively to keep them company for some hours. The lucky fan which can be of either gender will interact with them before a live audience.

At the Celebrity Fan Date series, the winner fan will put the Celebrity on hot seat for between 15 and 20 minutes, interact and dine with him/her on same table.

The high point will be a photo session of the Celebrity and Winner Fan which will be used on all social, electronic, print media and on billboards till the subsequent Celebrity/

Winner emerges. To compete in future series of Celebrity Fan Date, which is produced by Kemi Otegbade’s Hearlink Ventures, members of the public should download Celebrity Fan Date App from google store, register to vote their click favourite celebrity Celebrity Fan Date will also give back to the society by giving a percentage of inflow from the project per event to Heart of Gold Hospice, a motherless home for children with special needs.

Special Guests of Honour for the first show are Former Deputy Governor of Lagos State, Mrs. Sarah Sosan and Lagos State Hon. Commissioner for Information, Mr. Steve Ayorinde.

Moderators for the Celebrity-Fan interactive session and Red Carpet are Nollywood’s old school act, Paul Adams and New School act, Peggy Ovire. The Host of the event is popular comedian, Gbenga Adeyinka.

Ogunde… on stage as Oba Fiwajoye

Inimitable Herbert Ogunde through the Eyes of His Son Born to a village headmaster, pastor and church organist and the daughter of an Ifa priest; in a village called Ososa, a few kilometers from Ijebu Ode in Ogun State, Hubert Adedeji’s father was Mr. Jeremiah ‘Deinbo Ogundemuren. He was was a teacher at the St. John’s Primary school and the church organist of the St. John’s church, both in Ososa. As a teacher in those days, he was transferred very frequently, due mainly to the paucity of teachers. The effect of these transfers on his child, Hubert Adedeji, was to allow him to be with his pagan mother and his maternal grandfather, who was an Ifa priest.

The mother of Hubert Adedeji, Mama Owotusan was not only a pagan but an illiterate, at least in the new western education. She was a locust bean seller by trade, but very industrious. She supplemented the merger earnings of her husband with her business. Madam Owotusan was especially a very clean, generous and a good hearted human being. Her cleanliness was legendary.

The child born to Pa Jeremiah and Madam Owotusan on the 10th of July 1916 was Late Chief (Dr) Hubert Adedeji Ogunde. This is his actual date of birth, as given by Chief Ogunde himself, in his international passports. His schooling ended in Standard Six in 1933. He became a self taught man after that. He read widely and was comfortable with the Queen’s English.

A lot has been written about his works, from the opera to the theatre and finally to the celluloid. This piece will centre on the man himself. Who was Hubert Ogunde himself? What were his beliefs? What circumstances shaped his development?

How did he live his life? How did he cope with life’s vicissitudes?

Hubert Ogunde was a teetotaler, never drank alcohol or smoked. But he had a sweet tooth. He loved sweet things like sugar and honey. He would drink any soft drink but his favourite was Fanta! He was not ostentatious in his dressing and living.

He believed in moderation in all things

except his theatre.

Hubert Ogunde had many wives.

Throughout his lifetime he insisted that he had to marry many wives to keep his theatre going. He explained that in the 1940s no one wanted his daughter to marry an ‘Alarinjo’, who were considered to be never do well, lazy rascals. Truth is, all the leaders of the Yoruba travelling theatre up and until recently had many wives. So Ogunde was not unique in this. If you want to know how many wives Ogunde had, then you have to visit the Ogunde Living History Museum in Ososa.

He was therefore, a man who was comfortable with any and all religious beliefs. He was a traditionalist to the core. Although, he remained a Christian throughout his life, he was not uncomfortable with the Yoruba traditional religions and beliefs. He believed in God and that good will always triumph over evil.

He was particular about what is right and good. To him there were no gray areas between good and evil. This belief was his guiding principle in life and it runs throughout his plays. It is this belief which prompted him to produce such plays like, Tiger’s Empire ( against the colonial masters in 1945), Strike and Hunger ( in support of the unions which went on strike in 1945), Bread and Bullet (to protest the killing of 18 miners in the Enugu Colliery who were protesting for higher wages in 1949). Although these plays projected him to national limelight, he never meant them to be. He insisted he was only using his theatre for the good of the people. This view he expressed over and over to those around him. He used the popular ‘Yoruba Ronu’, which was commissioned by the Egbe Omo Olofin, the cultural arm of the N.N.D.P, the government in power in the Western Region of Nigeria in 1964, to express his view of right and wrong. It is important to note that the play was actually against those who commissioned it.

That is the depth of his belief in the rightness or wrongness of a cause, no

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ENTERTAINMENT

matter the consequences. He almost went bankrupt after he was banned from the Western Region, his main area for revenue generation. Even after this debacle Ogunde continued to express his views on any current political or social issues with his plays. Plays like Keep Nigeria One (During the civil war), Mama Eko (social commentary on materialism), Kehin S’okun (about rise of armed robbery and death by firing squad), Muritala Mohammed (killing of Nigeria’s head of state), Igba T’o De (social commentary about the abandoning of our culture and copying of foreign and ill digested ones) and so on and so forth.

He never ever kept a grudge. He forgave generously. One example will suffice here. One of his competitors, around the late 60’s, ‘snatched’ one of his wives. This particular wife was amongst Ogunde’s best dancers and entertainers at that time.

This competitor immediately put her talent OC UKEJE, ADESUA ETOMI STAR IN THE ARBITRATION AMVCA stars OC Ukeje and Adesua Etomi star in a new legal drama ‘The Arbitration’.

A production of Inkblot, the movie revolves round the two stars as they try to settle their differences through an arbiter.

Directed by Niyi Akinmolayan, The Arbitration takes us on a journey of love, betrayal, workplace politics, self-confidence and loyalty.

It highlights the different shades an extramarital and workplace affair can take when things go awry. From a rape accusation to a profitable business deal, the truth can only be revealed through an arbitration panel.

Etomi plays Dara Olujobi, an enterprising young woman and former mistress to OC who plays Gbenga Sanni, CEO of Iwuaju Limited, a technological company.

Dara who played a key part of the success of Iwuaju Limited sought the services of her long time friend Omawumi Horsfall (Somkele Iyamah) - a young inexperienced corporate lawyer to fight her case when the affair ended messily.

Written by Chinaza Onuzo, the film also stars notable names in Nollywood like Sola Fosudo who played the Arbitrator and Iretiola Doyle, who represented Gbenga Sanni in the panel. Other key cast members include Beverly Naya, Gregory Ojefua, and Lota Chukwu.

FUNKE AKINDELE BONDS WITH IROKOWORLD ON STARTIMES Popular movie actress and iROKOWorld TV ambassador, Funke Akindele aka Jenifa just

to use in his own theatre and prospered!

Ogunde not only forgave him but they later worked together to form the Association of Nigerian Theatre Practitioners. Hubert Ogunde forgave easily and permanently.

Another major belief he had was that the theatre was a mission from God and that all around him were there to make his mission successful. He was ready to give his all for the success of his theatre. He was ready to adapt and even change if necessary for the success of his theatre. All his wives were all in the theatre and the children were all at one point or the other a member of the troupe, even while still going to school.

He was particularly successful in making his wives believe in his mission, so much so, they all lived the mission. Let me give a little known story about the sacrifices his wives made. While performing on stage in the Glover Memorial Hall in the early 60’s, the sick child of one of the wives – Madam

Ibisomi - died in the dressing room. Still in shock and mourning of her child, she had to return to the stage to laugh and continue her role! She only collapsed after the play. That is the extent of the commitment that some of his wives who believed in his mission had to demonstrate.

We will skip the normal agonies and the unpredictability of a new venture in a society which holds firm to tradition and culture. Ogunde had to compose all the plays, write all the songs and accompanying music as well as choreograph all the dance steps. Up and until the late 60s he was called the ‘Composer’ by all his wives and artists.

He was everything and even the lorry driver, at least in the 1950s.

Professionally, he had many great challenges from competitors. The first one he never forgot was that challenge from Bobby Benson and Cassandra Show in 1949. Prior to this, the Ogunde theatre was mainly about the play, the songs and the music related to the play. However, when Bobby came with his ‘Congo – Samba to Jazz Variety show’ in 1949, a new dimension in theatre was introduced. Ogunde had to do something. He introduced the Opening Glee to all his plays. The Opening glee is essentially the latest dances from the western world accompanied with western music (with trumpets, western drums etc). He taught his wives to play the saxophones and to dance to samba or to any latest western craze. These changes were only additions to his usual plays, but it served him well.

His other major professional challenge was in the 70s when Nigerians started producing films. He agonized for a long time over this particular change. He never wanted to leave the theatre. He was eventually convinced by Late Ade Love to at least shoot a film and still continue with theatre.

His answer was his first film on celluloid, ‘Aiye’ in 1979. He, however still continued with the theatre. His last film, ‘Ayanmo’ was first put on stage before it went into celluloid! This shows clearly that his first love was the theatre while the celluloid was just another expression of the theatre to him.

Late Chief Hubert Ogunde had many personal challenges which would have blown many men off course. The first was from his father and mother who wanted more, at least from their view, for their son.

Remember, a pastor and a teacher whose son now wants to be an ‘Alarinjo’, as public entertainers were called in those days. It took the success of his plays and the fame they brought to the name of the family (especially when the ‘Lagos Newspapers’ of the late 1940’s were raving about Hubert Ogunde) before his father gave him his approval, albeit grudging at first. The next was the ban from the Western region, which was an economic disaster and it lasted for two good years (1964-1966). Remember, he

L-R: Lota Chukwu, Somkele Iyamah, Adesua Etomi ad O.C. Ukeje concluded a three-day tour across StarTimes business offices in Lagos where she met with scores of teeming fans and subscribers.

The multiple award winning movie star during the visits interacted with fans and subscribers, took pictures, signed autographed and rewarded the lucky subscribers with various gift items including one-month free Unique bouquet subscription tickets to enjoy the premium package on StarTimes digital TV. The free tickets gave opportunities for the lucky subscribers to access over 90 television channels including iROKOWorld TV. Kehinde Adetayo, one of the lucky winners expressed delight at the opportunity of meeting Funke Akindele in person for the first time.

An elated Kehinde said, “Funke Akindele is

a movie star I love to watch on the TV screens anytime. I have been watching her films since she starred in the popular I Need to Know series and for me; it was a great honour to have met her personally at StarTimes office. I have enjoyed many of her films like Jenifa, Apaadi, Maami and Married but Living Single. Thank you StarTimes for creating this opportunity for customers like me to meet our beloved actress.

For John Omene who met Akindele at the Victoria Island office, “It was a dream come true.”

John noted that “Since I watched her in Omo Ghetto, I have not stopped seeing her movies, both as actress and producer. She gives us very good stories and she’s one of the best actresses in Nollywood as far as I know. I am also happy for the free subscription ticket and I really enjoy

had many wives, children and artists to feed and pay. He later said that it was only through God’s mercies that he and his theatre survived.

Unfortunately a greater blow was to come. It came on the 2nd of September 1970 with the death of his wife Madam Adesewa (popularly called Mama Eko) from a motor accident, a few kilometres to Sagamu on their way to perform at Ilesha. She was at the time the manageress of the theatre company. The loss was sudden and brutal. As if to magnify the loss, it happened a few months after returning from a very successful tour of England and Italy in 1969 with the play ‘Oh Ogunde’ where this woman was the centre of the shows! Losing a wife and a key component of your theatre, all at once, was pure disaster. Everything from top to bottom had to be rearranged and reorganized! He opined, In June 1984, about 14 years after he lost a wife, Ogunde lost another wife! Madam Ibisomi who took over from Madam Adesewa as the Manageress of Ogunde Theater died after a brief illness. Again, this woman was the central character – Iya Dudu- in his play and film ‘Aiye’.

Another blow to his theatre and another re-ordering of things! This time because of the financial success of Ogunde’s films ‘Aiye’ and ‘Jaiyesimi’, the impact on the family was slightly less than the 1970 disaster. The loss though was not less painful in any way.

Almost exactly five years after the death of Madam Ibisomi, Ogunde lost yet another wife! Madam Risikat Ogunde died in March 1989. She was, also, one of his best actresses. She managed the rehearsals during the ‘Ososa Experiment’ with the group that later became the National Troupe of Nigeria. This was a woman who just played a leading role in Ogunde’s last film ‘Ayanmo’. A great actress, theater worker and a believer in her husband’s ‘mission’! Again, Ogunde did not allow this loss to dampen his belief in his mission. Luckily for him, he did not lose a wife after Madam Risi until he died in April, 1990.

The most difficult part to understand is that all the wives Ogunde lost were those who were particularly prominent in his theatre at the times of their death.

The deaths of his wives were his personal and most traumatic tests. Apparently, theatre was his mission in life. And there is no doubt he fulfilled his mission. As he believed, with all his heart and sang --“Iwa ni yio gbe o o, l’aiye l’orun’ (Good character will help/support you on earth and in the heavens).

•Sir Richard Ayodele Ogunde (Baba Oba of Ososa) and Son of Chief Hubert Ogunde.

Nigeria films and entertainment generally.

Now that my children are on holiday, they will definitely enjoy different programs on StarTimes with the free subscription I received.”

The Group Legal, iROKO Partners, Uloma Onuma said “iROKOWorld is excited to partner with StarTimes to connect Funke Akindele Jenifa with her teeming fans on Pay TV and further bring the ambassador closer to the viewers. “iROKOWorld is a Nollywood oriented TV channel, broadcasting Nigerian movies on 24/7 basis. Nollywoood is the world’s second largest movie industry, and at iROKOWorld we aim to showcase hours of this awesome content coming from Nigeria and Ghana to the delight of her viewers on TV,” she added.

The Head of Public Relations, StarTimes, , Israel Bolaji, said StarTimes will continue to offer subscribers the best in class of pay TV experience with world class channels for entertainment, drama, sports, kiddies, news and music. We are keen to connect viewers with their TV heroes and support them to live their dreams.

“As a digital TV company, StarTimes’ desire and commitment is to ensure Nigerians continue to enjoy the best of digital television entertainment and experience with very sharp and clear pictures and images at very pocket-friendly bouquet rates. On StarTimes, Nigerians can enjoy fantastic movie channels like irokoWorld, irokoPlay AMC Movies, ST Zone, Orisun, ST Yoruba, and Bollywood channels.”

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ENTERTAINMENT NEWS

Spice Girls Reunion: When Five Becomes Three Vanessa Obioha

A

ny plans to have all members of Spice Girls reunite for their 20th anniversary is ditched as the popular fives are now a trio. And Mel C is not happy about that. Unlike Victoria Beckham who modestly blessed the group and refused to be part of the reunion, Mel C seemed apparently ignored.

She expressed her fury recently when news about Emma Burton, Geri Horner and Mel B upcoming music and new group filtered in the air last month. While no clear reason is given on Mel C’s exclusion from the new group, the singer is said to be seeking legal advice against the trio.

A source told ‘The Sun’ that the aggrieved singer believes that there is no Spice Girls without her because she brought music credibility to the group. She threatens to sue other members if they go ahead with the group without her consent. Meanwhile, the trio is busy in the studio and also getting ready for their concerts.

Marvin Gaye MARVIN GAYE’S FAMILY ROPES IN ED SHEERAN IN ANOTHER LAWSUIT The Marvin Gaye family is back with another lawsuit. This time the victim is British singer Ed Sheeran. Ed Townsend, who composed and co-wrote Marvin Gaye’s popular hit ‘Let’s get it on’ accused Sheeran of copying elements for his Grammy award-winning song ‘Thinking Out Loud’.

“The defendants copied the ‘heart’ of ‘Let’s’ and repeated it continuously throughout Thinking. The melodic, harmonic, and rhythmic compositions of Thinking are substantially and/or strikingly similar to the drum composition of ‘Let’s.” said Ed Townsend according to

Rihanna

Spice Girls… then

Ed Sheeran Reuters.

Last year, the family won a $7.4m lawsuit against Robin Thicke and Pharell Williams over copyright infringement of their song ‘Blurred Lines.’

Sheeran too was recently sued by pop songwriters Martin Harrington and Thomas Leonard who claim Sheeran’s Photograph ‘note-for-note’ copies their 2009 song ‘Amazing’ by Matt Cardle, winner of the 2010 season of The X Factor.

Sheeran is yet to publicly make a statement.

RIHANNA JOINS OCEAN’S ELEVEN ALLFEMALE CAST The ‘work’ crooner’ will be joining Anna

Peter Andre and Emily MacDonagh Hathaway, Sandra Bullock, Cate Blanchett and Helena Bonham Carter for the all female spin-off of Ocean’s Eleven.

Titled Ocean’s Eight, the film already have seven members cast, leaving only one slot. Other confirmed stars are Mindy Kaling and rapper and actor Awkwafina.

There are rumours that Elizabeth Banks will fill in the remaining slot.

The decision to produce the movie is a defiant reaction to reports that the all-female Ghostbusters reboot will lose $70m (£54m), casting a gloom over similar future instalments.

The crime-comedy movie will be directed by The Hunger Games’ Gary Ross and produced by Steven Soderbergh who directed the 2001 remake of the 1960 original movie.

CRIMINAL MINDS’ STAR GETS SUSPENDED AFTER KICKING A WRITER CBS ‘Criminal Minds’ star Thomas Gibson will not feature in an episode of two following a recent altercation between him and a writer on set.

Gibson who played FBI Agent Aaron Hotchner will also have his contract reviewed.

Although, Gibson has expressed regret over his action, details of what led to the altercation is very scanty. A source quoted that the actor had kicked the writer Virgil Williams, who also has served as a coexecutive producer on the series.

Gibson is said to be a boxing fan and quoted in the past of attributing his best episodes in the law-enforcement series when he let go of his hands. He joined the series in 2011 and had written some

episodes of the series.

PETER ANDRE BUYS TOM CRUISE’S LUXURY MANSION Peter Andre is back in West Sussex but not in his £1.7m mansion home with ex-wife Katie Price. This time, he has reportedly moved into Tom Cruise’s luxury mansion with his pregnant wife Emily and children.

The ‘Mysterious Girl’ actor was said to have paid a £4.95million for the 14.2 acres of land property. Cruise brought the property according to The Sun for £3million in 2003.

The property is situated near the UK’s Church of Scientology headquarters-Saint Hill Manor and consists of a guest house with additional two bedrooms, a cinema, tennis court, dance studio and outdoor swimming pool.

MICHAEL WEATHERLY STARS IN DR PHIL’S MOVIE There will be no Agent Tony DiNozzo waiting in the elevator to ask another question in NCIS next season. The character played by Michael Weatherly will instead be featuring in Dr Phil McGraw’s movie ‘The Bull’.

Weatherly who spent 13 years on NCIS set plays Dr Jason Bull in the CBS legal drama. He is an attorney based loosely on the legal career of TV’s Dr. Phil McGraw.

“This is not autobiographical, this is not biographical,” said McGraw when the similarities between him and his fictional character were pointed out.

“I want everyone to know that this is fiction.”

The series is due this September.

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Onoshe

airtimeplus98@gmail.com

Nwabuikwu Skewed Olympics Reporting I’m watching TV and there comes news that some athlete from a random country has won a medal in some random event. And I’m asking: Who wants to know that an athlete from Team Great Britain, old colonial ties notwithstanding, won bronze of all things? Why is it news worth scrolling all day on a Nigerian TV channel? What about Team Nigeria? Uncoordinated as we may be, surely there’s news about Nigerian athletes in Rio that’s worth sharing?

NOTICE BOARD

2017 AMVCAs: Call for Entries Team Nigeria

Nigeria @ Rio Olympics and other Stories

W

e are back to sports today. Yay! I love sports, read football and regular readers of this column (also called Airtimers) know that I sometimes subject them through the ordeal of a sports/football talk, now and again.

My excuse used to be (and still is) that I have to write about (or air) what I watch on air. Yet, I’ve managed not to talk about sports for a while now, from the African Nations Cup to the fairly recent 2016 Euro championship which held in France. Now, the summer Olympic Games are here. Even if I didn’t want to talk about sports, you’ll agree with me, some interesting things have happened in Rio, no? #StrandedDreamTeam The Olympics Games happen every four years. Never mind that the people in charge of sports in Nigeria have behaved as if the Games happen every year or that their actual due date is top state secret. For this year’s Olympics taking place in the Brazilian city of Rio, they forget to register Nigerian athletes.

The ones they don’t forget are stranded!

The first sign that we were going to be having more than our usual fair share of disorganisation came from the male football team-the Dream Team. The female team didn’t qualify which was a shock because I was sure that as far as Africa was concerned, we had it covered.

Anyhow as you know, the Dream Team was stranded in Atlanta, USA due to issues of non-payment of flight tickets to Brazil. I say ‘issues of non-payment’ because whether it was that the payment hadn’t gone through or a case of ‘no network’ as we constantly experience in ‘cashless’ Nigeria, or even that the person carrying the bag of money got hit by a trailer, the Dream Team with their coach Samson Siasia got stuck and had to be bailed out by Delta Airlines. So, the Dream Team arrived Brazil with a few hours to their first match against Japan.

The Dream Team proceeded to beat Japan 5-4. And all was well in the land.

People went on the overdrive about the so-called Nigerian spirit. Some were quick to remind anyone who would listen that in (Atlanta) 1996, the year

Nigeria won gold through the original Dream Team, Nigeria had also arrived late.

Dalung of It...#UnitedStatesofNigeria

As if that wasn’t (celebration of mediocrity) enough, sports minister Solomon Dalung also jumped on the winning train. This is the same man reported to have said: “Our U-23 team suffering in the United States of Nigeria, what are (sic) there for? Because they are U-23 and they went to US and they are having problems, does that become our business?” With video evidence to boot.

Perhaps with skin as thick as can be, the red beret wearing Dalung who some have accused of being bereft of ideas saw nothing wrong in putting a whole national team through such a disgraceful and needless ordeal.

Mind you, Nigeria beating Japan in an age-related football match is not as out-of-this-world as many would have us believe. We also conveniently forget that in that match, Nigeria had been leading 5-2. And the final result was 5-4 which means Japan could have drawn level. So, let’s not forget to thank God for good luck too. Our second match against Sweden, we won 1-0. I left the match with a few minutes to go when it was looking like a stark choice between a heart attack or turning the TV off. And we lost our last match. As at the time of writing this, our quarter-final match against Denmark was yet to hold. True Nigerian that I am, I’m going to pray for victory for our boys. Even though if win, quite a few shameless administrators are bound to jump on the victory train, what else can I do?

Track Suits For Show And if you thought helping to trend #strandeddreamteam was as bad as it could get (some would argue that being stranded was to bring out the Nigerian spirit in our boys); welcome to the opening ceremony of the Rio Olympics.

Being someone from the old school, I love watching opening ceremonies even if I don’t watch anything else. You get to see the creativity of the host city/ country. Even much more interesting, you get to see your country at its finest.

We may never get on the medal table

but at least we can put ‘Naija for show’?

This year because of the time difference, the opening ceremony for the Rio Olympics started some time around 12 am, Nigerian time. I managed to get one of my three daughters, the one who didn’t run fast enough to sit with me, wondering why anyone would not want to watch the opening ceremony of such a grand event as the Olympics.

After being entertained with a creative history of Brazil, I wouldn’t have minded a little carnival-display, we got down to waiting for Nigeria to match past. Unfortunately, because the Rio Olympics organisers chose to follow their Portuguese versions, countries like Yemen spelled as Iemen came before Nigeria. On the bright side, Kenya spelled as Quenya came after Nigeria.

But it took about two hours to finally see Nigeria. And there we were, decked out in our bottom boxes-track suits! At the time, Nigeria appeared to be the only country who thought tracks were the best display of her fashion culture.

Someone later pointed out South Africa too went in their tracks. If only we would follow South Africa’s lead in the development of our infrastructure.

But turning out in tracks wasn’t pre-planned. The story is that our kits were left back home and had yet to arrive Rio as at the opening ceremony.

Which makes sense if you consider how long it took human beings in the form a complete football team to get to Rio. Who knows, we could convince the organisers to include a mid-ceremony where countries would showcase their fashion. Innovation or rather improvisation, is at the very heart of the Nigerian spirit after all.

Row, Row, Row…For Nigeria No discussion about the Rio Olympics can be complete without giving special mention to Nigeria’s first rower, Chieruka Ukogu. The US-based Ms Ukogu, who according to media reports is putting medical school on hold to compete at Rio is making Nigeria’s first appearance in rowing. And she is sponsoring herself. All things being equal, she will win her next event (semifinal), which would’ve held on Friday.

Now, this is a cause to pray about.

“Africa Magic, in association with Multichoice and sponsors Amstel Malta, is announcing the call to entry for the 2017 and the fifth edition of the Africa Magic Viewers’ Choice Awards (AMVCAs). It’s billed to hold on the 3rd and 4th of March, 2017.

Entries for the AMVCAs opened on the 1st of August and will close on the 15th of October, 2016.

According to Wangi MbaUzoukwu, Director for M-Net West Africa: “The African movie and television industry is brimming with exciting talent, and we contribute to the industry by not only giving these talents the platform to showcase their skills and passion, but by celebrating their achievements whilst also encouraging them to continue honing their craft.”

At the 2017 AMVCAs, a number of awards in different categories will be presented ranging from acting and directing to scriptwriting and cinematography.

In all, there are 27 categories, with 16 open to viewers and 11 decided by the AMVCA panel of judges.

John Ugbe, Managing Director, MultiChoice Nigeria, expressed his delight at the growing success of the Africa Magic Viewers’ Choice Awards, saying: “The improvements seen in the industry since the inception of the AMVCAs cannot be ignored or overstated for us…as the success of these awards further showcases our commitment to recognising the amazing skills that exist in this ever-growing industry.”

Entry for the AMVCAs is free and the closing date for submissions is the 15th of October 2016.”

For more information on entry requirements and submission procedures, please go to www. africamagic.tv.

NO COMMENT: This is a brand new section and it’s follow up on Come Again? The quotes here should leave the reader at a loss for words: “Minister of Labour, Chris Ngige meets Banks (Bank) CEOs, threatens to withdraw their licences over sack of workers.”

-AIT news headlines, Thursday August 11, 3. 26 pm-ish.

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ENCOUNTER

Kwakpovwe with microphone at the event

Drawn by His Compassion Nseobong Okon-Ekong and Vanessa Obioha record their impression of an electrifying faith conclave superintended by Bishop Chris Kwakpovwe

S

ince its inception in 2012, the Manna Miracle Mountain has become the go-to-place of sorts to believers seeking miracles or hungry for fresh anointing every July. Usually, there is a day set aside in the seventh month of the year for what has become known as the World Anointing Service, a gathering that climaxes a 14-day fast to fortify faithful in the run-off of the second half of the year.

There are two similar services in the Manna Mountain Ministries calendar; one in January, preceded by a 21-day fast; and the July conclave. Both attract a great pool of people from the continent and beyond who tap from the anointing of Bishop Chris Kwakpovwe.

The established tradition is that the January meeting holds at the Tafawa Balewa Square at Onikan in Lagos, while the July gathering takes place at the headquarters of the ministry at Ogudu also in Lagos. However, it may not be long before the increasing number of attendees at the July assembly forces a shift to a bigger venue. Although, the mountain’s main auditorium is constructed to accommodate an upper terrace to accommodate as many as possible, on a day like this, tents were erected within and outside the building to harbour the teeming congregation.

Smiling but firm ushers and protocol personnel insisted on orderly conduct to avoid mishap. Their firmness was for a good reason, having learnt from previous misfortune which dragged the reputation of the ministry and that of its leading light, Kwakpovwe into unnecessary mess. For instance, a lady who allegedly fell ‘under anointing’ and broke a tooth as the Bishop ministered at one of the meetings has sued the Man of God and the ministry for damages. Caught in this seeming precarious situation, Kwakpovwe has weighed many options, but he knows better than to obey his instinct or the summation of his intellect as a knowledgeable man who studied Pharmacy at the University of Ife.

“When I am under the prophetic unction, I am not myself. I do not know anyone at that time. I don’t even know my wife. People may take me to court, but I am just a tool in the hands of the Holy Spirit. Who should I obey? I will continue to obey God because He has never failed.

I do not want anything. I am the least qualified person for all the things that God has accomplished through me. When I hear these testimonies, I am encouraged to remain steadfast for the manifestation of the Glory of God.” True to his resolve to obey the leading of the Holy Spirit, every now and then, there will be a high-pitched scream or some mild commotion from someone who ‘fell under the ‘anointing’. The pastors and ushers were alert to these occurrences and would quickly rush there. Sometimes, Kwakpovwe would ask that the person be brought forward to the altar. At other times, he would just stretch his hand and command ‘peace’, ‘quiet’ and the excited person would experience immediate calm.

An immediate evidence of his obedience to divine instruction was the daunting task of personally laying his hand on everyone at the assembly.

Given the teeming crowd, it was a tiring assignment, but he had no choice than to obey the Holy Spirit. Those who watched via internet were asked to place their hands on their screening devices to connect with the anointing of the prophet.

Many were eager to be blessed, touched and healed by him. After rolling out series of prayers and prophecies, backed with the Word of God, not a few in the congregation proclaimed their healing. A woman whose menstrual period had ceased for many years said her cycle returned during the ministration.

Another who had waited for 10 years for a fellowship in America got a text during the prayer session. She was not only selected, she was made the leader of the team. It is her first travel out of Nigeria!

A man who had been coughing frequently before the assembly said, for over five hours that he was there, the

embarrassing cough had disappeared. The queue of persons who had one testimony or another was long. To save time, a good number of them were persuaded to relay their testimony to the media department who would document them.

Their bold acts of faith equally moved the Man of God with compassion.

He urged the sick, the afflicted, the heavy-laden to come to the throne of the Almighty God to seek His mercies.

Kwakpovwe who has also gone through turbulent times said he understood what people go through and believes that’s why God put him through the wilderness.

Despite a live telecast and streaming on the internet, the throng of worshippers who would rather be live at the venue, only those who are determined can be persuaded to remain in their locations.

However, a great deal exercised faith by congregating at designated centres in various Nigerian and African cities.

Manna Mountains were created in cities in the United States of America, the United Kingdom and other European and Asian cities. Indeed, Kwakpovwe’s reputation for excellence has gone global, largely on the strength of his connection to audiences worldwide through his best-selling daily faith devotional, Our Daily Manna.

As he ministered, there was a need to mention and acknowledge the sacrifice of leaders at the various Manna Mountains outside Lagos whose duty it was to coordinate activities at these venues.

For the thousands who thronged the Manna Mountain in Ogudu environs, Lagos, their quest was not different from the teeming crowd at the satellite venues.

Everyone was hungry for a testimonial of turn-around in circumstance; from a harrowing condition to a place of comfort.

This year’s theme was ‘That Delay is Over’.

Although the service is mainly for deliverance prayers, healing and testimonies, there was also an orchestra performance from the youths while the choir serenaded the congregation with praise and soul-lifting songs.

WHEN I AM UNDER THE PROPHETIC UNCTION, I AM NOT MYSELF. I DO NOT KNOW ANYONE AT THAT TIME. I DON’T EVEN KNOW MY WIFE. PEOPLE MAY TAKE ME TO COURT, BUT I AM JUST A TOOL IN THE HANDS OF THE HOLY SPIRIT. WHO SHOULD I OBEY? I WILL CONTINUE TO OBEY GOD BECAUSE HE HAS NEVER FAILED. I DO NOT WANT ANYTHING. I AM THE LEAST QUALIFIED PERSON FOR ALL THE THINGS THAT GOD HAS ACCOMPLISHED THROUGH ME. WHEN I HEAR THESE TESTIMONIES, I AM ENCOURAGED TO REMAIN STEADFAST FOR THE MANIFESTATION OF THE GLORY OF GOD

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focUS

The Last of the Custodians

Jibunoh with Idaiken of Benin

Tam Fiofori

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n the build-up to the Nigeria-hosted 2nd World Black and African Festival of Arts and Culture - FESTAC ’77, the then Director of the National Museum, Dr. Eyo Ekpo, set up a supplementary committee that included Francesca Emanuel, Wole Soyinka, Segun Olusola, Akin Euba, Christopher Kolade and Newton Jibunoh.

Their duties were to structure the modalities for the FESTAC Colloquium and to identify and find the original relics that told the ancient history of Nigeria and Africa as a whole.

This assignment was an uplifting and inspiring cultural exercise for Chief (Dr.) Jibunoh in particular; because during his student days in England in the sixties he was a regular visitor to the British Museum in London. “I found out,” he recalls, “that the best part of the Museum, with so much beauty, was the section for Nigerian Art with Benin, Ife and Nok antiquities and contemporary art. They told stories of our history I didn’t know about. Later, I found out that these great

works of art were produced and kept in palaces.”

When, after a trip to London the Eyo Ekpo committee failed to get back some of these relics - even on loan from the British Museum - especially the exquisite and elegant 16th century Ivory mask of Idia n’Iye Esegie (Iyoba) which had been chosen as the official symbol of FESTAC ’77, the committee turned to Oba Akenzua II of Benin for assistance.

Omo N’Oba N’Edo Akenzua II directed the committee to the then Obi Rufus Osamelea of Iseluku; a descendant of the Benin Kingdom, who had a replica of the ivory Iyoba mask in his palace.

Segun Olusola and Newton Jibunoh were the emissaries of the committee and, after traditional and official protocols were observed the Obi released the replica.

And so, the role of these and other traditional rulers as the original and true custodians of Nigerian arts and culture was permanently demonstrated and established in the psyche of Chief Jibunoh.

This reality nurtured and strengthened his desire to initiate long-standing relationships with traditional rulers in

his future efforts to establish Nigeria’s first certified private museum, the DiDi Museum, in 1985.

Earlier, on his return from England after his education as a Soil Engineer, Jibunoh became an avid collector of antiquities and art. He soon accumulated a storehouse of antiquities that were rightly classified as national treasures. He then started holding parlour exhibitions of these antiquities and art in his house.

These parlour exhibitions endeared him to the growing art community in Lagos and prompted the invitation to him to become a member of the Eyo Ekpo FESTAC ’77 committee. According to him, he “used the initial works I collected to learn and they led to my relationship with traditional rulers.”

Before the opening of DiDi Museum, he wrote letters to and sought audiences with prominent traditional rulers. “I sat down for days with the Emir of Kano, the Oni of Ife for days, the Oba of Benin for days. No one else can boast of these interactions, because these are the custodians,” he says.

It was no surprise then, that these

Ben Bruce, Kunle Afolayan to Attend Made-In-Nigeria Festival

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he acclaimed ‘common sense Senator,Ben Murray-Bruce, who has become popular for his advocacy for proudly Nigerian products and Award-winning Filmmaker Kunle Afolayan are billed to participate at the Made-In-Nigeria (MAIN)Festival, a seven-day event that will offer made-in-Nigeria solutions, highlight global novelties, identify potential partnerships and connect the world to Africa’s largest economy, Nigeria.

The event which is due to hold at the Eko Atlantic City, Victoria Island, Lagos will attract several high profile personalities in Nigeria as speakers.

The notable personalities will be led by His Excellency, the Vice- President of the Federal Republic of Nigeria, Professor Yemi Osinbajo (SAN) and Senate President, Dr. Bukola Saraki.

Other dignitaries expected to attend include the richest man in Nigeria, Mr Aliko Dangote, Governor of the Central Bank of Nigeria Mr Godwin Emefiele,

Honourable Minister of Power, Works & Housing Mr Babatunde Fashola, Ronald Chagoury, Chairman and The Chagoury Group among others.

Planned under the theme, ‘Innovate, Connect and Power the Future’, according to a statement on its site, www. mainfestival.com is expected to have in attendance over 100, 000 guests during the seven-day period.

The theme is centered on showcasing unique solutions to some of Nigeria’s problems especially in the areas of infrastructure, technology and power and at the same time connecting the world to the numerous investment opportunities available across the 36 states of the federation.

The ‘Made-In-Nigeria’ (MaIN) idea is a private sector-driven initiative that seeks to create a platform for the maximum expression of the true Nigerian spirit; the spirit of enterprise and industry; of commerce and community; of tenacity and resilience and; of creative ingenuity for the development of Nigeria.

prominent Nigerian traditional rulers Emir Ado Bayero of Kano, Oni Sijuade of Ife, Oba Erediauwa II of Benin and Obi Ofala Okagbue of Onitsha, graced the grand opening of DiDi Museum and brought with them priceless gifts of antiquities from their kingdoms.

Remembering the occasion Jibunoh rhetorically asks, “What else but art and culture could have brought these prominent traditional rulers together?”

It is therefore understandable that Chief Jibunoh has been deeply touched and saddened by the transition of these his mentors and custodians of culture and art; Emir Bayero, Obi Okagbue, Oni Sijuade and most recently Oba Erediauwa II. Their transition has raised a big question in Jibunoh’s mind as to whether it is still possible to continue the momentum initiated by these custodians and, if so, in what direction.

Fortunately, when he recently paid HRH Ambassador Crown Prince Eheneden Edaiken N’Uselu of the Benin Kingdom a condolence visit, the Edaiken N’Uselu told Chief Jibunoh to explore the possibility of establishing a modern-day Museum in Benin City!

assistant editor nseobong okon-ekong senior correspondent funke olaode correspondent vanessa obioha designer ibirogba ibidapo CONTRIBUTORS onoshe nwabuikwu, temilolu okeowo, kelechi nduka THISDAY ON SUNDAY editor adetokunbo adedoja deputy editor vincent obia STUDIO art director ochi ogbuaku jnr THISDAY NEWSPAPERS editor-in-chief & chairman nduka obaigbena managing director eniola bello

Afolayan

deputy managing director kayode komolafe

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rs. Oluremi Ayoka Winfunke recently marked her 90th birthday anniversary in Lagos. The ceremony was attended by family members and friends. Here are the personalities at the ceremony Photos: Sunday Adigun

Mrs. Funmi Komolafe, Mr. Kayode Komolafe and Mr. Toyin Akinosho

Chief (Mrs) Oluremi Ayoka Winfunke cutting her birthday cake

Bolaji and Ranti Ayodele

L-R: Alhaja Ramota Noibi with Mr. Abiodun Onanuga

Mrs. Olufunmilola Onanuga and Mrs. Abimbola Onanuga

Mrs. Jibike Etti- Williams and Mrs. Omobola Jolaosho

Mr. and Mrs. Taju Adekoya

Mrs. Omolola Jolaosho and Ms. Mopelola Jolaosho

ARTS & REVIEW A

PUBLICATION

THE RISE AND RISE OF NIGERIA’S NEW ONLINE VIDEO CELEBS… PAGE 69

14.08.2016

CROWN TROUPE’S CROWNING TOUCH A scene from Death and the King’s Horseman

EDITOR OKECHUKWU UWAEZUOKE/ okechukwu.uwaezuoke@thisdaylive.com

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CROWN TROUPE’S CROWNING Yinka Olatunbosun reports on CrownTroupe’s performance ofWole Soyinka’s Death and the King’s Horseman, directed by Segun Adefila, in commemoration of the theatre company’s two decades of showmanship

Scenes from the play

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ike the fillings in a sumptuous snack, the week marking the 20th anniversary of the theatre company, Crown Troupe of Africa was packed with a variety of rich cultural offerings- music, dance, poetry and other stage performances. In collaboration with other theatre groups such as Oxygen Productions, Kininso Concepts, One-Six Production, Renegade Theatre and others, the Eko Theatre Carnival presented a week-long non-stop nightlife entertainment for fun-seeking Lagosians who thronged to the Freedom Park on Lagos Island to enjoy movie screenings, art discussions and afro centric music in a park-like environment. The climax of them all was Crown Troupe’s performance of Wole Soyinka’s classic tragedy, Death and the King’s Horseman.

Calm is one thing that Sunday is known for in Lagos but for two hours, Segun Adefila, the founder of Crown Troupe, was allowed to disturb the otherwise straight-line frequency of the city with the fast-paced production of Soyinka’s play.

With lines soaked in proverbs and poetry, the technique of duality was deployed to portray the characters of Elesin and Iyalode. Cultureconflict remains the main thrust of the drama which is demonstrated through the characters of Simon Pilkings and the Yoruba community where the play is set.

Death and The King’s Horseman is based on the true story of Elesin, the King’s Horseman.

According to Yoruba tradition, the death of a chief or King must be followed by the ritual suicide of the chief’s horseman, because the horseman’s spirit is essential to helping the chief’s spirit ascend to the afterlife. If not, the chief’s spirit will roam the earth, bringing evil to the Yoruba people. The first half of the play shows the process of this ritual, with the potent, life-loving figure Elesin living out his final day in celebration before the ritual process begins.

He even takes for himself a new bride inspite of the warning by Iyalode. The local British colonial ruler, Simon Pilkings, intervenes, condemning the ritual suicide as barbaric and illegal. He arrested him to ensure he didn’t commit the suicide. Elesin’s son, Olunde, a medical student in England, has returned to perform the burial rites of his father but upon his discovery of his father’s arrest, he decidedly

committed the suicide in respect of the tradition to preserve his family name.

His father commits suicide when he was confronted with the body of his son not out of duty but shamefacedly. The drama is essentially a representation of the Yoruba worldview. In Yoruba cosmology, there are three worlds: the world of the living, the world of the dead, and the world of the unborn and are believed to be linked by the transition stage which is considered as the pathway on which members of the different worlds meet and interact.

There’s no better venue to reignite the colonial drama other than the Freedom Park which is a former colonial prison.

Memories of how African traditions are flagrantly disregarded were evoked and more importantly, the self-searching, thought-provoking dilemma of choosing to either be rational or cultural is revisited through the play based on a real-life incident.

The playwright, Soyinka, had arguably documented the play as a cultural reference point making it an interesting text for critics of African literature. But the

purpose of this review is not to validate the points already made by some of these critics but to make an informed assessment of the play in performance last Sunday. Adefila is not new to the theatre. He’s one of the first rate contemporary theatre directors in Nigeria who doesn’t seek media attention to project his artistry but had earned it through hard-work and a resilience spirit. Beginning with his days at the University of Lagos, where he studied Creative Arts, Adefila conceived the group as a theatre workshop to groom budding talents for a viable career in performing art. His performances are energetic; his productions are big turn-offs for many lazy feet.

It is no surprise that Adefila had grown from strength-to-strength; rehearsing in Bariga, National Theatre premises, open spaces, Terra Kulture and Freedom Park.

He’s probably the first to discover the park as a theatre venue following the crises that rocked the National theatre on the report of its sale and the protest marches that followed.

Adorned in dreadlocks and his rastafari cap, Adefila is a “dreadful entity’’ in Nigerian theatre space for his use of art as a strong

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G TOUCH weapon in fighting societal ills. He has integrated the Brechtian techniques of theatre production in his performances and the choreography became a signature at every production he directs. He gives life to the drama text, lights up the stage like a carefully wrapped Indian hemp while receiving applause that rise steadily like the incense from a burning cigarette butt.

No one expected anything less than a challenging play for the group’s 20th anniversary. Besides, Adefila is too daring to choose a play like Childe Internationale when he had once directed A Dance of the Forest in tribute to Soyinka at 80. It’s been argued that Soyinka’s plays are better read than staged but since Adefila started adding his contemporary touch to the Soyinka’s aesthetics, the plays become easier to comprehend and enjoy. So was the case of Death and the King’s Horseman. Some may argue that the actors tend to over-do this “modernity” that is added to the lines and delivery. Maybe they do.

But one thing any one cannot deny is that every character comes alive on Adefila’s stage.

Last Sunday’s performance was witnessed by an audience that was a variant of theatre students, actors, playwrights, theatre critics, journalists and artists who had acted several roles in the same play in past productions. It was only natural to expect a critical reception. The modest use of costumes was pardoned for that had been the nature of Crown Troupe’s minimalist approach to productions. But the diction for the white characters was certainly not palatable. Even the compere, Shuaibu Hassan, couldn’t help but tease the director for engaging an actor from Edo to deliver cockney accent. It was dead-on-arrival, turning the tragic play to comedy. Look at Pilkings and his wife.

They struggled to deliver American in lieu of British intonation to convince the audience that they are “British’’ and the ball scene was poorly executed with the poor use of costumes. Some directors have use the white plastic nose as a symbolic prop to depict a Caucasian and make up for the non-availability of funds to engage a white actor to play the role. The actors made a mockery of the distinguished roles with the lack of conviction in the characterisations. The Pilkings tried their best but a few instances of mother-tongue interference got in the way of a successful ride to finish.

What then was the need for having a double cast for Elesin on stage when the actual Elesin didn’t master his lines before the production? He made our hearts skip several beats every time he paused to catch his line and his prompter sometimes forgot he needed to turn off the microphone.

During some of the scene changes, many forgetful actors kept talking backstage into the microphones with the audience listening.

The Iyalode was also under-dressed in cheap Adire. Iyalode is a powerful Yoruba matriarch and the only female in the royal household that is part of the King’s think-tank. Her role in the drama has both historical and cultural significance and for the sake of the foreigners in the audience, Iyalode character should at least convey her status and societal magnitude.

Thankfully, Iyalode didn’t “dab” during the well-choreographed curtain call that featured shoki moves and the likes.

Another oversight for the director is the use of weave-on by one of the market women. Also, another one wore full braids with contemporary attachment in a play that was first staged in 1975. Asides these, the performance was neatly done, properly directed, well-timed and understandable.

It was also a reminder than contemporary theatre in Nigeria needs funding to achieve its full potential of contributing to the nation’s economy, producing exportable art and reducing unemployment rates.

The Inverted Pyramid; Story by Emeka Dike, Artist: by Abraham Oshoko

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FINDING SELF

Blessing Azubike

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hen you watch Nigerian-Canadian spoken word artist Titilope Sonuga perform, you would be captivated to say the least.

Even in the noisiest of places, with people networking over drinks and meals, the room goes quiet the instant she lets out the first line of her poem… and this has nothing to do with her possessing a commanding tone like a lot of orators do.

Actually, her tone is anything but forceful.

Rather it possesses some sort of warmth; a soothing quality that is both powerful and gentle at the same time. Her words are always so simple – no heavy vocabulary, just plain unpretentious everyday words, but with depth; so much depth, almost as though she is telling a personal story, pouring out her heart, sharing her secrets and drawing you into her world – all without the theatrical, sometimes aggressive movements typical of spoken word artists during performance. You get the same experience every time you watch Titilope perform – whether on stage in real life or as an actor in GTBank’s NdaniTv viral web series “Gidi up” where she replaces Oreka Godis playing the character “Eki”.

As she performs spoken word poetry in her calm demeanor, all you can think of is “…so much depth, surely there is a story here” and there is indeed.

Titilope, who is the last of four girls, was born in Lagos.

She says of her childhood “I lived a fairly sheltered childhood, my dad encouraged us to read a lot [so] when I wasn’t at school, I was at home playing with my sisters or reading a book. He was particular about academic excellence so needless to say, we were very serious kids.”

When she was 13, her family moved to Edmonton, Canada where they would go on to live for the next 17 years.

New to teenage and her environment – she was in the middle of negotiating race for the first time and without any prior warning, she was suddenly the black girl with an accent who couldn’t understand certain nuances of Canadian life.

“On an almost daily basis…” she recalls “I had to explain that I hadn’t lived in a hut, or village… that I hadn’t seen lions in the streets, and that I hadn’t just learnt how to speak English.”

To her, it all seemed ridiculous; suddenly, her understanding of her identity was shaken and she recalls feeling “small and embarrassed”.

“At 13 your desire to fit in and be cool is so great,” Titilope explains, “so being othered was tough to negotiate.”

Sonuga was in a new place trying to adjust

Sonuga to her new life and just about the same time found poetry; a channel to express her emotions and pour out words which otherwise would have been difficult. “Great poetry can alter the way we see ourselves. It can change the way we see the world,” says Robert Housden, author of poetry collections such as Ten Poems to Change Your Life, extraordinary poetry by some of the world’s most known poets. “You may never have read a poem in your life, and yet you can pick up a volume, open it to any page, and suddenly see your original face there…”

For Titilope, it became a way to unpack all of the feelings and wrestle the complex emotions of her formative years; with it, she didn’t have

an accent, and so could express herself without being judged.

“Poetry became my happy place and once I began to share it with other people, I realised the gift in being able to remind someone else that they are not alone, that we are all in this together.”

Finding poetry may have coincided with the happenings in her life at the time but Titilope argues she didn’t just stumble on poetry; in her words, she’d always carried it with her but hadn’t quite figured out how to express it.

She also explains that finding poetry gave her freedom but just ‘writing’ it was not enough.

“I started by writing poems and stories,” she says. “…But over time, I began to find the

Uzor’s Monochrome Pieces Lighten Up Rele Gallery

Conspiracy of Thoughts Yinka Olatunbosun Recently, at Rele Gallery, Ikoyi, Legacy Empire Management (LEM showcased monochrome drawings titled Visitors by Austin Uzor as part of its promotion of

visual artists worldwide. Uzor made his first major show at the Pan African Film and Arts Festival in Los Angeles, California, USA in February 2016. Born on August 28, 1991, Austin studied Fine and Applied Art at the University of Nigeria, Nsukka,

graduating in 2013 and since then, he has become a full studio artist.

Prior to this show, precisely in 2014, the promoters showed Olawunmi Banjo’s solo Mind Revolution at Nike Gallery, Lekki, for the appreciative art connoisseurs in the city. For this latest show, the Germany-based art management company featured portraits, depicting ladies fashion and beauty in a collection comprising of portraits such as “Dusty Clouds”, “Whispers of Destruction”, “Pool of Thoughts”, “Adorable Allergies”, “War Head” and “Anticipants”.

The artist, Uzor uses the head as the focal point where the energy that initiates any change is generated. Yes, the portraits could pass as illustrations for beauty products or services, but the intellectual depth in articulating the argument about individual versus societal norms is also loud in the ebullient of the images.

His subjects are examined spiritually in works such as “Patches of Light”, “Food is Ready”, “Mud Fences” and “Ashes and Rain”.

courage to use my voice [as] there’s power in the spoken word and I wanted to tap into that.”

After overcoming the awkwardness of those earlier teenage years and trying to fit into her new environment, Titilope studied engineering and went on to practise for about five years before her passion for writing and performing overtook her and she decided to focus on that and move back to Nigeria.

About three years ago, the name Titilope Sonuga may have been unfamiliar to some and the face unknown, but you could see her in her signature low cut hazel-tinted hair or waist-length braids, clad in Ankara shorts at intimate events around Lagos working hard to establish herself as a spoken word artist.

Unassuming and without airs, one would never have suspected that outside the shores of the country, Titilope was already something of a spoken word celeb, who had met with the late poet and activist, Maya Angelou, and shared a stage with renowned poets Yusef Komunyakaa, Sonia Sanchez, Jayne Cortez, and others at the first spoken word showcase of the Achebe Colloquium on Africa at Brown University. She was also winner of the 2011 Canadian Authors’ Association Emerging Writer Award for her first collection of poems, Down to Earth.

Fast forward to 2016; the days of trying to establish herself as a respected spoken word artist here in Nigeria are over. These days, the tinted-hair, braids and Ankara shorts have been replaced by a full kinky afro and a womanly aura and her résumé boasts of new entries like performances and presentations at local and international events, including the Lagos International Poetry Festival, Taruwa Festival of Performing Arts, and the prestigious Aké Arts and Book Festival. Most notable is her being the first poet to appear at a Nigerian presidential inauguration ceremony, performing at the May 2015 inauguration of President Muhammadu Buhari. Titilope, who very recently got married to her brand executive partner, is also Ambassador for the Intel She Will Connect programme, an initiative to bridge the online gender gap for women and girls through a combination of digital literacy training, an online peer network, and gender-relevant content.

Her growth is irrefutable and impressive, and though the almost tomboy look has been replaced by a more sophisticated appearance, her simplicity and peaceful aura remain; losing that would perhaps mean losing her core essence as even her debut poetry collection is titled “Down To Earth”.

Whether she is writing of her personal journey, as she did to powerful effect in her 2014 collection, Abscess, or on topics ranging from the vibrancy of Lagos to the difficulty of healing from communal trauma, Titilope presents a world of sublime, latent beauty struggling to come to terms with itself.

Finding her art is indeed synonymous to finding herself as meeting with Titilope Sonuga or experiencing her craft, you get no feel of that uncertain teenager she once was.

“Art saves lives,” Titilope says in a way that shows you she believes every inch of it. “It changes ideologies, it puts us face to face with an undeniable truth about who we are and who we wish to be, [and] a world without art isn’t one I want to live in.”

-Azubike ,currently Creative Director of TARUWA and Chief ARTvocate for the fast growing brand ‘ART for a Reason’, writes The artist, a native of Atta in Imo State, remarked that naturally, everyone was a free until society created a system and made people “live strictly by its standards.”

“In this transformation, we find ourselves walking around in pain and intermittently in unprecedented joy and controlled laughter as Fela aptly called it, ‘suffering and smiling’. We do this because society has provided roofs over our ailing heads. Our minds are therefore bound by beliefs which are formed of dust and so our true nature is forgotten as we have transcendentally become visitors in our own land. Our true selves are non- existent and our conscience wanders away and fades off at the dawn of realities like the morning mist that just got ambushed by the rising sun. Society is the new landlord and we are only but loyal tenants at his mercy. This analysis has taken a visual and illustrative dimension as every aspect of our everyday lives has been narrowed down to figurative expressions with ballpoint pen drawings body of work by me,” he declared in the artist statement.

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Nnani

Emmanuella

Donga

THE RISE AND RISE OF NIGERIA’S NEW ONLINE VIDEO CELEBS Ayodeji Rotinwa

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hey are everywhere now: on mobile phones, handheld devices, laptops and even your trusty old desktop. Videos have become an essential part of pop culture and for Generation Z- the kids born with the tech-gene, sharing videos of the things they love, hate or love to hate, has become almost as important as breathing. The result? The evolution of a new species of celebrities- influential and trendsetting non-hollywood types, whose appeal lies not in a notorious family name or the allure of a leaked sex tape, but in content that’s both fascinating and relevant.

Comedian and video producer, Felix Kjellberg is one example. A few years ago, his name rang no bells outside his native Sweden. By December 2015, however, his “Let’s Play” commentaries and vlogs on gaming channel PewDiePie had earned him over 44 million subscribers worldwide, making him the most subscribed user on YouTube. PewDiePie also appeared at the top of Forbes’ October 2015 list of the richest YouTube stars with a reported $12 million earned in 2015!

Not known for cooling its heels while the grass grows under its feet, Nigeria has cottoned on to the power of the YouTube “influencer”. Just like the global trend, the country has witnessed the rise of YouTube stars, with channels courted by brands, and viewed by a steadily growing number of loyal subscribers eager for more comedy and satire or just interested in the back story on someone else’s daily life.

Here’s a look at ten Nigerian YouTube stars and why they have become the nation’s sweethearts Emmanuella Samuel (MarkAngelComedy) Comedy is huge on YouTube, but there’s a young Nigerian comedienne who is taking the platform by storm.

Six year old Emmanuella is the star of MarkAngelComedy- one of Nigeria’s top-rankedYouTube users, with over 280 thousand subscribers and views regularly exceeding 3 million. Each MarkAngel video features Emmanuella doing or saying something utterly outrageous,

just like every child her age. Her witty comebacks have put the MarkAngel team’s skits firmly on the map, but her surprising acting talent, which includes her arsenal of interesting facial expressions, is the cherry on the cake.

When the script calls for a straight face, for example, Emmanuella puts up one like a poker player and when it’s time for a frown, Charles Dickens’ Scrooge has got nothing on the youngster.

Next is Toke Makinwa (Toke Moments). YouTube users with a strong point of view are making a big splash in the country. On-air personality andco-presenter of The Morning Drive on Rhythm 93.7fm, Toke Makinwa is one of a handful of TV/radio presenters who have successfully crossed over to YouTube stardom. It’s no holds barred with Toke as she dishes on relationship issues, love drama and celebrity chit chat on her channel, TokeMoments. Her no-nonsense approach, razor edged tongue and willingness to go where angels fear to tread have made her a firm favourite with her over 32 thousand subscribers.

Another rising satirist in Nigeria’s galaxy of YouTube channels is TV presenter Akah Nnani. Formerly a co-presenter of Entertainment Splash on TV Continental, Akah’s eponymous channel “Akah’s Bants” is famous for videos of his comments on social issues and uncanny impersonations. “I shall be Buff”- Nnani’s take on the mannerisms of a popular pastor garnered over 12,000 views.

Celebrity blogger, Yemisi Odusanya aka Sisi Yemmie also gives her 23 thousand subscribers a front seat view of her life as a wife, mother and Lagos resident. Her honest, unvarnished videos and commentary on her experiences as a new mother have endeared her to thousands of Nigerians.

Osagie Alonge (Facts only ) on Pulse TV is one of Nigeria’s top purveyors of gist online. Unlike Toke however, he only spills the beans on what’s going on behind the scenes in Nigeria’s entertainment industry. His hard- hitting, blunt and provocative take on the issues within the Nigerian entertainment industry have made Pulse TV the go to channel for objective reviews of events and issues in the industry.

Next is Adanna Ohakim Steinacker (AdannaDavid).

The rise of reality TV has apparently spilled over to YouTube, even in Nigeria. Perhaps it stems from our desire to

know what the lives of other people are like, or just a need to infuse a little more drama into boring daily routines.

Whatever the case, channels such as AdannaDavid which follows the life of the bi-racial Dublin couple, have over 150 thousand subscribers, with the video on their wedding receiving over a million views.

Ikenna Azuike is famed for What’s Up Africa. Flying the green-white-green with pride, this Nigerian-British lawyer, Ikenna Azuike’s satirical, pop-culture channel “What’s up Africa” comes with its quirky, hilarious videos offering a unique take on Africa and Africans. Tapping into our love for comedy and deep appreciation of irony, Ikenna explores everything from explosive elections, to the ban on bleaching creams with irreverence and a delightful disregard for convention. With more than 16 thousand subscribers and average video views of over 10,000, What’s up Africa’s remarkable success has taken it mainstream, earning the programme a weekly slot on BBC’s Focus on Africa.

Patricia Bright Beauty is in the eye of whoever is looking, but with everyone becoming more image-conscious, demand has never been higher for beauty and style tricks, tips and hacks. What better place to get a quick, free lesson than a YouTube video? Fashion and beauty channel, Patricia Bright, (over 876,000 subscribers) offers all that and more, with a massive dose of charm.

Chidinma Umeh, branded, ThatIgboChic, also broke the internet. Over 2 million people have sought beauty advice from Dimma Ummeh through her tutorials on ThatIgboChick. It’s a one stop shop everything skincare, hair and makeup.

Frank Donga, otherwise known by his real name, Kunle Idowu, rose to fame on GTBank’s Ndani TV, starring in the online comedy series The Interview. When NdaniTV brought out the series about the hilarious job seeking character, it was a runaway hit. Frank Donga was nominated in the 2016 Africa Magic Viewer’s Choice Awards.

So what is it about Nigeria’s YouTube stars that has caught the heart of a country. It’s simple actually, whether in comedy or satire, fashion, beauty or reality, their protagonists are non-pretentious, never shy to express personal opinions, and always connect to the heart of Naija. For real.

EKO MOVIE PREMIERE FOR AUGUST 20

Inspired by the controversy surrounding the early narratives of Lagos, the 500-cast movie, EKO: Blessings of Olofin is set for premiere in Lagos on Saturday, August 20. Steeped in cultural ethos, the 90-minute movie features Yemi Blaq in the lead role as Olofin alongside Bukky Wright, Jide Kosoko, Adeleye Adesile amongst others. The movie screening is part of the activities marking the celebration of Lagos@50.

Subtitled in English, French and German, casting for the movie was strategically thought out by

the director, Femi Ade Eketunde, popularly known as Femi Bright.

“You have to pick the right person to get the right result,’’ he said.

“The consideration for Olofin was deliberate. It is someone who is not featured often in Yoruba movies but he is a very popular actor, someone with an imposing character who is gentle, good-looking.

So, Yemi Blaq came to mind. Actors like Yemi Blaq don’t come easy. We have to break the bank to pay him.

A lot of people will be surprised to see him speak in Yoruba.”

Asides from documenting the

history of Lagos in reel format, the director hopes that the movie will propel Yoruba indigenes to embrace the use of their indigenous language which is an essential part of culture.

“If we are not careful, in fifty years’ time, our languages would have gone extinct. My friends have accused me that my children do not speak Yoruba. When I observed it, I began to pay attention to it.

They don’t use the right intonation when they speak Yoruba. I started to reward them when they speak it correctly,’’ said the director.

Yemi Blaq as Olofin

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CICERO

Editor Vincent Obia Email vincent.obia@thisdaylive.com, SMS: 08054681757

IN THE ARENA

Nigeria’s Hollow Flood Alerts The authorities have issued flood warnings for areas around major rivers and told people living in such places to evacuate to safer grounds, but what about the plans to take care of the evacuees? Vincent Obia writes

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he Nigeria Hydrological Services Agency on Wednesday warned communities and people living around major rivers and tributaries in the country to “immediately relocate to safer and higher grounds.” NIHSA said the evacuation advice became necessary to enable residents of the affected places to escape danger from imminent flooding as a result of heavy rainfall and rise in water levels in Niger Republic and other countries within the Niger basin. Director-general of the agency, Moses Beckley, said the flood warning was based on information from the Niger Basin Authority, which has its headquarters in Niamey, Niger Republic, and local measurement of water levels.

That was less than one week after the National Emergency Management Agency issued a similar advice urging communities along the River Niger to evacuate immediately to safer ground over the huge likelihood of floods.

But the warnings sound too ordinary and boring to produce anything useful. They are largely devoid of purpose, initiative, and strategy. Such alerts ought to have, at least, advised the potentially endangered communities on where to go, how to go there, and plans to take care of their welfare for the period they would be away from their homes. Which is the standard in civilised societies.

Emergency warnings are meant essentially to save lives and livelihoods, as well as reduce the pain of the emergency situation on the affected population. They are not routinized doomy messages pitched to merely frighten people.

Yet, in a doom-laden forecast on Wednesday, Beckley told Nigerians, “This high level of water in Niger Republic is already spreading to Benin Republic, and invariably, to Nigeria.” He said the water levels had already surpassed the heights that caused the 2012 nationwide flood disaster, said to be the worst the country had seen in 50 years. “If the heavy rainfall continues in intensity and duration within these regions of the River Niger, it is imminent that flood situation similar to that of year 2012 may occur,” the NIHSA director-general stated.

Beckley said the forecasts were “sending a strong signal to dwellers within the flood plains to relocate immediately to safer and higher grounds.” He said the flooding would be experienced in many parts of the country, especially in areas around River Niger, River Benue, Kainji Dam, and the Lokoja Confluence.

In a similar vein, NEMA’s director-

general, Muhammad Sidi, was quoted as saying on August 6, “Niger Basin Authority notified Nigeria that rainy season, which started in the Middle Niger (Burkina Faso and Niger Republic) in June 2016, has led to a gradual rise of the level of River Niger in Niamey, Niger Republic. This high level of water in Niger Republic is already spreading to Benin Republic, and invariably, to Nigeria.”

Both messages contain little on contingency arrangements to look after the intended evacuees from the danger spots. There is hardly any information on emergency shelters, feeding, and medical services for the expected evacuees.

By the latest warnings, the authorities have shown yet again that, like in the 2012 disaster, they simply want to wobble over the flood issue and hope on luck, while jettisoning thoughts of a permanent solution.

This, unfortunately, is the wont of operators of many public institutions in the country.

It goes to show that the country has learnt nothing from the tragic experience of 2012, when in many of the 36 states of the federation whole communities were submerged by floodwater, with grave economic conse-

quences. Experts have highlighted the need for government at all levels to embark on flood prevention and mitigation measures, which include construction and maintenance of free-flowing drainage systems and hydraulic structures, like dams and reservoirs.

But it is doubtful if any tangible steps have been taken to put the measures in place, especially since the calamitous experience of 2012. Many believe if the authorities had taken enough safety precautions, the over 140 deaths recorded across the country in the 2012 floods and the accompanying catastrophic effect on economic activities could have been considerably reduced.

But the emergency and meteorological agencies have an opportunity to change the negative meme. They should come up with a comprehensive plan to take care of the welfare of those who would be leaving their homes, during the coming floods and in the immediate post-flood period.

And to avert future disasters, all the stakeholders should strive to develop permanent and effective solutions to the flood problem.

P O L I T I CA L N OT E S

The Whopping Expenditure on Imported Textiles

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Buhari

he disclosure by the Nigerian Textile Manufacturers Association that the country currently spent over $4 billion annually on the importation of textiles and ready-made clothing should give every Nigerian leader serious cause for concern.

Director-general of NTMA, Hamma Kwajaffa, who revealed this last week in Abuja, decried the painful decline of the erstwhile Nigeria’s foremost textile industry, which used to be the second largest employer of labour, after government, and

major user of indigenous raw materials, like cotton.

Nobody can gainsay the fact that the textile industry deserves strategic intervention from the federal and state governments to make a comeback because of its huge economic potential.

Changing the current awful narrative on the textile industry is, certainly, a worthy way to pursue the change agenda of the All Progressives Congress federal government. Perhaps, no other concern should be more pressing to the leadership.

– Vincent Obia

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Dickson: Oil Companies Shortchanging Bayelsa to the Tune of N3bn Monthly Bayelsa State Governor Henry Seriake Dickson, in a media chat, spoke on the financial challenges confronting the state, how oil companies are denying the state the necessary revenue through tax evasion, his recent victory in court over the last gubernatorial election and the proposed University of Africa. Anayo Okolie was there.

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here are reports that unknown gunmen attacked and killed three security personnel yesterday in Nembe, and there were fighter jets flying overhead. As chief security officer of the state what exactly would you say is going on?

The incident you mentioned in Nembe is one incident too many. You recall that sometime last year in the same location there was this sort of attack where soldiers were murdered in cold blood while protecting our waterways and communities.

I would like to use this opportunity to offer my condolences to the military commanders, colleagues and families of the soldiers who were murdered in cold blood in Nembe. I would be summoning the traditional rulers in the area and the chairman of the council and after that I hope to have a critical meeting with other players in that area to discuss the security developments. We condemn it in its totality and especially looking at it from the point of view that last year in the same location this kind of thing took place. We are very concerned about that.

Our duty is to work with the security forces to ensure that the perpetrators are followed up and hunted down. They must face justice, and maybe from this incident we might also get a clue as to what happened last year and some other incidents of security breaches. The military high command understands that this was an isolated calculated, cold blooded murder and it has nothing to do with the peace loving people of Ogbolomabiri in the Nembe Local Government Area and I want to thank the military commander on ground for that understanding. As soon as this incident occurred, I asked the Deputy Governor of the state who incidentally is from the area concerned to proceed there and his visit gave us further insight and proved to be helpful in dousing the tension and apprehension. The commander of Operation Delta Safe, Admiral Okojie was himself on ground and I want to thank him and his officers for the various steps they took to assure the law abiding people of their safety. I want to use this opportunity to call for calm in that area and ask the leaders at various levels to spend more time in their domain and communities so that they can be on top of this kind of development and to liaise with security agencies and government. Having said that I want to assure the people that Nembe remains peaceful, there are no major breaches. I call on all the citizens to be at peace and go about their normal lives. The innocent and law abiding people have nothing to fear.

Bayelsa State is relatively peaceful, and we do not play politics with the security of this state. Most of you were shocked when I appointed a chieftain of APC Gen. Afrikanus as the Chairman of the Waterways security committee. He and his team are carefully selected, they know the terrain and already their work is showing results which I cannot publicly say. I have always called on federal officials not to play politics with security when they come to Bayelsa. Political disagreements are normal, but one thing we must all agree on is security of lives and property, maintenance of law and order and working to ensure that our country does not suffer any security concerns in Bayelsa.

What was your reaction following your victory at the election petition tribunal? Secondly can you shed more light on the proposed University of Africa?

We are in a very pitiable situation because we have companies which have operated here for donkey years and destroyed our environment and do not pay tax whereas in neighbouring states they pay tax, going up to one billion naira a month, whereas they operate here more. I took it up with them up to the federal level and the presidency intervened and they were told to come and pay the taxes due Bayelsa state….

This state should ideally be getting a minimum of N3 to N4 billion tax revenue every month which we do not get, but they pay that to other states

Dickson

For my victory at the tribunal, like everything else, we give thanks to God and appreciate the support that the good people of the state have continued to show. My opponent in the last general elections never had any credible case. He lost the election clearly and incontrovertibly before the entire world. He would have earned more respect by calling to congratulate me like our former president did over his own election and it would have been a beautiful day for Bayelsa democracy. I won in seven local government areas; even in Brass I won yet they kept spreading propaganda and boasting that the villa will subvert justice, boasting about crime which is sad. When you take such case to the judiciary you are politicizing the judiciary. All their campaign was based on the use of federal might and they brought all he asked for but he did not have God and the people. He felt the Nigerian judiciary can be subverted and that is why he went to the tribunal.

The tribunal they themselves put together struck out his case on all the issues he raised. No point made sense to the tribunal.

He lost at the polls, lost at the tribunal. If he had advisers, he should have been advised to respect the people of the state. I want to use this opportunity to invite him and the few people on his side to join hands with us, we are brothers and friends. I am waiting to see what he will bring to the state from the federal level. They should bring the big contracts they claim the PDP government did not do. I am waiting to cooperate with them.

They should use the federal might to bring appointments. You all know that when I was campaigning and particularly in my inaugural address, I made it clear that we were going to invest massively in education. The results are showing already. Our performance at national exams keeps going up. We are building boarding schools and in spite of the dwindling resources we will continue and this year we are going to have about five to six thousand people put in boarding schools, preparing them for national and international exams. Already the test run has started.

If you go to the teachers training academy we have about 300 young boys and girls who for the past three months have been in boarding schools. For the first time in this state we now have students in a boarding environment and a government building boarding schools again. The last government that did that was Okilo and Spiff of old Rivers state. Now we have stepped up the game and we are building boarding schools and fixing those that had boarding but the hostels had collapsed. That is the kind of investment the government has to make for our future and with that kind of investment you need to expand the scope of tertiary education opportunities.There is a lot of propaganda about the NDU (Niger Delta University). Let me make it clear that NDU has been a badly managed state institution. As visitor to the NDU, I have read the visitation panel report, I have set

up other committees that have looked at various aspects be it the per capita cost of training or the recurrent cost of running NDU. Since I have been governor for over four years, we have been spending that amount on NDU every month and four years ago when I set up the governing council, I gave them a clear mandate. I said the way the Nigerian economy is going, unless we re-organize how we run our tertiary institution, this our only state owned university may not survive because it cannot depend only on government, I told the governing council chaired by Professor Turner Isoun to go and make it sustainable but four years down the line, we are still here and we kept paying and anytime I pay government salaries, university lecturers who claim they are autonomous will also expect me to pay them. Quite frankly, I am disappointed that governors before me did not review that and that is part of the historic burden we are trying to correct. The foundational issues we have is the high wage bill which is almost close to that of Lagos and Rivers State and most of your public servants are with all due respect ‘part time public servants’. This year we had a terrible shortfall and you know the talks and agreement we had with the NLC and TUC and I want to thank them for being reasonable. We proposed 50 per cent salary but the NDU workers disagreed and insisted that unless they were paid full salaries they would embark on a strike action. I was not around, they did not wait to consult me. They declared a strike and that has gone on for over four months and they are spreading propaganda and saying it is because of NDU we are establishing the University of Africa. This state needs more than one university because of the investment we are making in education. That institution will be fee paying just like NDU will be. I have not closed down the university, NDU will continue to be our state owned university.

The dream of NDU will not die. Just yesterday I approved over 20 medical doctors to begin training in NDU teaching hospital as resident doctors so we are supporting that university. People have to be reasonable and realistic. The new university is not taking the place of NDU. The university of Africa has come to stay, there is a bill establishing it, the NUC has given recognition but it is not going to start off immediately. The dream is a big dream so we will take time to construct it, our idea is for every faculty to be mentored by a leading faculty of its kind in a top university internationally. Discussions have started and let me report that preliminary outcome is very encouraging. That university is established by the authority of the state in order to fast track it; the actual running of the university will be private sector model and it will be fee paying.

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Abubakar: Let’sTinker with the Constitution and Give More Powers to States, LGs In a recent interactive session with journalists, Bauchi State Governor, Alhaji Mohammed Abubakar, provided perspectives on some national issues as well as sundry questions that shaped his administration since he assumed office May 29 last year. Ndubuisi Francis and Chineme Okafor provide excerpts

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What he met on ground

ven before taking over, Bauchi State was having a problem because civil servants were being owed salaries and labour was on strike and I had to invite labour to sit with us and discuss their problems. I promised them that immediately I take over, we would attempt to address their problems and that their continued strike would impede our ability to take over because so much information was required from the civil service and if they were on strike, there was no way we could get these vital information.

Labour was kind enough to call off their strike. When I took over on 29th of May, what was handed over to me was a state in which civil servants were owed four months salaries and with pensioners, they were owed N14.9 billion. Gratuities and other loans comprising commercial contractual liabilities amounted to over N100 billion and to worsen the situation, there was virtually nothing in the coffers of the government.

For the preceding three months before I took over, Federation Account Allocation meetings were held, Bauchi State participated; they got their own share of the Federation Account but somehow, these monies were frittered away in the name of security and salaries were unpaid and we were handed over that state of affairs. I took over at a time Ramadan was about to start and Bauchi State is predominantly Moslems but salaries were not paid.

Bauchi State is dependent on salaries, it is essentially a civil service state and not much of commercial activities go on. Even the markets go to sleep the moment salaries are not paid and for that reason I had to take a decision to pay one-month salary.

My problem was that the treasury was empty and I had to devise a means of obtaining a loan of N4 billion from the bank, and for which I utilised N2.6 billion to pay the salaries of May 2015, and then fertilisers had to be obtained because we are an agrarian state; about 85 per cent of the population of Bauchi State practice one form of agriculture or the other.

We are an agrarian state and I had to procure fertiliser because the previous government had deliberately forgotten about that. It is a very key component to farming and a touchy issue in Bauchi. If you go for a year without been able to provide fertiliser, I can assure you that such government is doomed, and so I had to look for money to buy fertiliser.

Part of that loan went into purchase of 10,000 metric tonnes of fertiliser and 5,000 metric tonnes of urea for the 2015 farming season, and we were able to take care of that and some measure of sanity was restored to the polity and we were able to calm frayed nerves.

Bailout

There was a meeting of the National Economic Council (NEC), in which governors came to the council with a lot of complaints about their inability to pay salaries and the condition in which we took over the affairs of our various states because it was the first meeting of the NEC. At that council meeting, the governors demanded that the Excess Crude Account should be shared amongst the three tiers of government but the Central Bank governor warned us that the Excess Crude Account is in dollars and part of our foreign reserves; that the moment we touch about $2 billion of the reserve, it would bring it to a level where our creditors abroad would lose confidence in us and we were advised not to touch the Excess Crude Account.

In the alternative, the CBN Governor was directed to source for the naira equivalent of the Excess Crude Account and convince commercial banks to give it out as loans to the states as bailout for salaries. And this, in a nutshell, is the story of the famous bailout which came in the form of loans. They are soft loans because the interest is one digit at 9 per cent and repayment period is 20 years.

States were asked to submit the amount of debt in terms of salaries that they were owing to civil servants and we were all given in various degrees this money.

Bauchi State took in N8.6 billion because that was what we were owing civil servants at that time.

Abubakar

The N8.6 billion was again injected into the economy of the state in terms of salary payments and related items. The story is now trending and a civil society organisation recently invited governors to account for how they spent the monies. I was the only governor that came up and was able to show them how we utilised our own receipt; we did not divert this money and it has gone a long way in reviving the state.

We went on paying salaries from that period as at when due until December 2015 when the local governments in Bauchi were unable to pay salaries and we provided a bailout of N480 million. I did it because I am the chief executive of the state, and I thought it was going to be a temporary problem.

In January 2016, they came back to me to request for N430 million and I told them I did not have that money and even if I did, I wasn’t ready to give them because it would be foolhardy for them to be borrowing to pay salaries, I told them we had to sit down and find out the distortion in our payrolls and address them. That gave birth to the verification in Bauchi State.

The true state of affairs as at today is that the state government is owing one month salary and local governments owe two months. This is the true state of situation in Bauchi State and I am sure there are many states that are not faring as well as Bauchi State on this.

Garnishee Order obtained by local government councillors The reason why we came short was because some 300 plus councillors who served the past regime of Bauchi State decided to go to the industrial court in Jos and they sued for their final severance allowances.

The suit commenced well before I took over but because the ministry of justice of that time was behaving true to type, the case was not well defended and in fact a default judgement was entered and somehow surprisingly they picked this period that we are grappling with verification of workers and payment of salaries to now levy execution on the accounts of the state government.

A garnishee order was given by that industrial court over all the accounts of government. I am a lawyer and should be the last person to criticise judges but I took exceptions in this case because councillors as their name or nomenclature suggest, cannot be staff of the state government and can at best be staff of the local governments. And so, the accounts of the state government should never have been garnisheed for the payment of severance packages of councillors but that was what transpired and a big gap was created on the resources of the government.

That now precluded the government to pay that one month salary that we are owing because they took away close to N1 billion from the accounts of Bauchi State to pay these councillors. That is why we have this gap up to this moment and I am doing all I can to close this gap.

On the issue of verification, I have addressed the state and assured them that verification is a human endeavour and mistakes were inevitable. I have apologised to them on behalf of the functionaries of the state government for all genuine mistakes and I also promised that deliberate mistakes that were made with a view to sabotage the efforts of the government we will not leave and we are proceeding against government officials who are found to have deliberately done these.

That is ongoing, we are also proceeding with the verification exercises until we get to the bottom of it all; the only difference is that we will not suspend the payment of salaries this time around. I have taken a while to dwell on this issue because it made news for all the wrong reasons. The story of Bauchi State is not all negative. Despite the fact that resources are dwindling which everybody knows about, we are still able to engender a regime that prohibits waste in the running of government and corruption, to along the way commence certain projects in the state. We have commenced the 90 kilometres rehabilitation of a road starting from a place called Bisau which is the third largest city in Bauchi,

Continued on Pg.73

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CICERO/REPORT • ‘LET’S TINKER WITH SOME ASPECTS OF CONSTITUTION AND GIVE MORE POWERS TO STATES, LGS’ • Continued from Pg. 72 running through towns to Kamawa, and along the road we have two major bridges.

The job was given to CGC and they are doing a swell job because everybody has attested to that.

That is in spite of the paucity of funds.

Within Bauchi town as well, there is a road we have commenced, starting from the Secretariat Roundabout to the Federal Low Cost and ending at the Railway Road. 80 per cent of that road, we are dualising, the other 20 per cent is already dualised but we are rehabilitating and work on this roads are ongoing and we are not owing the contractors anything.

There are two other major roads inside Bauchi city in a place called FADAMA Mada, it is almost completed and the contractors are not being owed anything.

Bauchi is one of the few states in the federation that in 2015 was able to put down its counterpart to attract the Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs) funds. A lot of states have not been able to attract the funds because they have not put down their counterpart but we have accessed the fund and right now in 20 different locations in Bauchi. We are constructing brand new primary healthcare centres, staff quarters for the primary health centres, VIP latrines for them and we are renovating 20 other primary healthcare centres.

We are constructing in 20 locations solarpowered boreholes and a lot of them have been completed. In addition, Bauchi is one of the few states that has put down its counterpart to attract UBEC fund for 2014, and 2015. There are only a few states in Nigeria that have done that now. Within the next two weeks, we are commencing the renovation of every primary school in Bauchi that has blown roofs and every primary school that does not have flooring and furniture as well as learning aids to the basic schools.

We have remained true to other projects that are funded by international agencies.

For example, we have continued with the polio project we inherited and which is funded by the trio of Bill and Melinda Gates Foundation; Dangote Foundation and Bauchi State. By the time we took over, Dangote had stopped its funding for the simple reason that Bauchi had stopped paying and immediately I took over, I made available N120 million, the portion that was expected from the state and Dangote resumed his.

state. I am always uncomfortable with churning out figures, but I can say that definitely, there will be heavy revelations because from what I have seen, for example, I know of a situation where in one day the sum of N1 billion was taken out of one of the accounts of the government by several N10 million cheques. But I will not be able to put a figure on the total recovery because the work of the committee is ongoing.

Insecurity

We must also appreciate the fact that the state is located within the north eastern region and for that reason, a lot of people think that states like Bauchi are a no-go areas, but we must thank God because we have been spared and Bauchi has never been at the epicentre of insurgency. From the time we took over till date, there has not been any incident of attack of insurgency in Bauchi and I always thank God and the resilience of the security agencies in Bauchi State. We have been supporting them as well.

Alhaji Mohammed Abubakar

We had a meeting of that project and Bauchi was commended and Dangote made a pledge to continue on the project.

I have been treating all other projects I inherited from the last government and these require a lot of money. We have advertised for major contracts in Bauchi state because we want to embark on urban revival in the state. We are selecting roads that are key in the three senatorial zones in the state, and we will continue with the process of award of major road contracts in the state.

On looted funds/govt assets

I have a committee that is investigating all major projects awarded between 2007 and 2015; the committee is doing a good job and have submitted to me their findings. I have just extended their lifespan because of the magnitude of job they have to do. As soon as they conclude, we will look at their recommendations and pass whatever needs to be passed to the agencies of government for prosecution, because as a government we have not been elected to investigate and prosecute but we will try as much as possible to recover all that was carted away from the

The Challenges of APC-led government

APC is a party that came to power recently from an opposition political party and I must confess that we are experiencing teething problems in APC and being in government is a new phenomenon for us and I cannot say that things are going on smoothly.

That is why we paid a visit to the president and we expressed the need for governors to be called upon to delve into the problems of the party with a view to reinvigorating the party so that it can continue performing the functions of a party in power.

We are trying to address these issues and Mr. President has graciously allowed us and we have in fact formed committees of the APC Governors’ Forum to address all the other issues bedevilling the ruling party.

At the state levels, there are problems, I must confess, particularly with our representatives at the centre, but what I always say is that the most beautiful form of government is constitutional democracy, especially when the constitution is written as in Nigeria. And the beauty is that every level of government has its functions and power written and if we are going to abide by the functions and powers

allocated to us in the constitution, there would not be any form of friction.

But because the APC is new to governance and it has come from many years in opposition to attain the position of a ruling party, we are having teething problems.

And I assure that we are addressing these problems because they are not insurmountable.

Restructuring of the country

The constitution allocates to each tier of governments certain responsibilities. In Nigeria, we are prone to using very strong words when we feel very strong about an issue. I agree that there is a need to look at the various legislative lists contained in the constitution of the Federal Republic of Nigeria with a view to tinkering them and redistributing the powers.

For example, agriculture; the federal government of Nigeria has no land anywhere.

The land belongs to the states and local governments and that is where agriculture takes place. So, it is obvious that the states and local governments must be given more responsibilities as far as agriculture is concerned and when you give them these responsibilities as an attendant incidence, funding structure of the federal government may necessarily change so that you transfer the bulk of the money to the tiers of government you have given responsibilities to and the moment you do this, I am sure that those agitating for restructuring will be calmed to an extent.

Mining for instance, all the powers reside in the federal government and the states where these minerals are located do not have powers as far as prospecting and mining for minerals are concerned and these are the kind of areas that when you look at, I believe the agitation for restructuring may mellow down. These are essentially my opinion.

Areas of APC governors’ intervention I assure you that we are not going to tamper with cases that are before the courts of tribunal and we are not going to delve into the current problem of the moment. We are only going to touch on the political issues pertaining to the National Assembly.

What is before the court, we will not touch because those of us who are lawyers know that the current issue is just coming up and is not politics. If any proof is found

• Dickson: oil companies shortchanging Bayelsa to the tune of n3Bn monthly • Continued from Pg. 71 This university is for us to work with institutions abroad, interested people who want to partake in spreading education. Because of our support, we will adopt a policy by which Bayelsa students will pay less. This is not something people should oppose. Very soon you will see the agreement that will be signed by the university and partnering universities.

It is the vision of this government to make Bayelsa the centre of learning.

When will the workers expect the remaining 50 per cent of their salaries and what is the government doing to offset the back log of pensioners’ entitlements?

I want to thank the civil servants for their understanding. Even the 50 per cent is very difficult for us to meet up but because I have given my word I will try to keep it up, I promise you there will be no delay in the payment of that 50 per cent during the period of recession.

Workers will get the balance anytime the economy improves. Do not forget that I spent four years here without owing salaries for one month. The problem is not that I have money and I am not paying. If we have challenges, people should understand. This state does not only belong to civil servants, we also have to run a government even though the mistake people make is as if Bayelsa is for only civil servants. I agree it is a civil service state but civil servants are not the only stakeholders. The people of this state are entitled to roads and schools and hospitals and security investments.

For the pensioners, that is a very unfortunate development, not just in Bayelsa. Our situation is not the worst in the country. We have started paying and I am sure all the pensioners must

have received or are in the process of receiving alerts. I do not know how regular those alerts would be because it depends on the federal allocation that comes month after month but I pray that we be in a position to meet our obligation to our retired people.

Now that the election tribunal has given its judgement thus ending a major distraction, what are your administration’s plans going forward?

My plan is to move forward and follow through with most of our policies. We are taking on very few fresh projects especially in the light of the dwindling revenue base, but we are taking the issue of diversifying our economy more seriously now. We are taking concrete steps, that is the advantage of having a second term government because most of the policies were laid out, we know what we have accomplished, we know the other issues we had while implementing some of them so we have a clear idea. For example there is a massive agriculture revolution going on now which I will dwell on in due course. A lot of work is going on in the industrial park to promote enterprise. You also know that the micro-finance programme is up and running, touching more lives. Most of the major infrastructure works have started picking up.

If you have a free education policy in Bayelsa State, why do the authorities of Isaac Jasper Boro College of Education still collect school fees?

To the best of my knowledge, that is a government funded school but I believe that those are fees that they must have imposed. I will seek further details and look at the amount

of levies we are talking about. I have been told that the standard of that school is quite high and if that is the case then there must be some levies to maintain the standard. For me that is what I want to see but I will look at it. There is free education in Bayelsa at the primary, secondary and to some extent the tertiary level because at the NDU, our students do not pay fees. I also have plans to establish the students loan board where every Bayelsan can get money to fund tertiary education and when you graduate and start work you now pay back. That is what is done abroad. Hopefully this week the Assembly will pass that bill.

But primarily, we do a lot of things, books, uniforms, and so on. At the secondary level we pay for WAEC and so on. It is largely free but I am aware that there are complaints about some principals charging levies but that does not mean that the education is not free.

Metrological agencies have placed some flood prone states on red alert, what steps has your administration taken to forestall a recurrence of the 2012 experience?

Secondly, there are rumours making the rounds that you are one of the sponsors of The Avengers. how do you react to this?

The alert from the meterological agency is quite alarming and agencies and officials have been directed to take steps to prepare the state. It is unfortunate that we do not have the resources to do that but we will try our best.

Let me use this opportunity to enlighten our people that it is a major challenge that may come our way between now and October, November, so for those areas that were affected the last time, the team will reach out and sensitize more, the affected local government

chairmen will also be called on board so that the state can begin our own preparation but we hope that the federal agencies and other individuals and organizations will also come to the rescue of our people.

It is a sad prediction but we are getting ready; the citizenry should also be prepared for it. As for the so-called Avengers, I do not want to dignify that nonsensical propaganda. Those who are in a position to know already know that I am not one person that can be associated with that. That is all I can say.

What is the role of government in the issue of taxation of the oil companies and the state government and what is the state government doing to make other companies comply with the development laws in the state?

As regards that, we are in a very pitiable situation because we have companies which have operated here for donkey years and destroyed our environment and do not pay tax whereas in neighbouring states they pay tax, going up to one billion naira a month, whereas they operate here more. I took it up with them up to the federal level and the presidency intervened and they were told to come and pay the taxes due Bayelsa state.

I have set up laws, a tribunal, and so forth.

I will be signing the revenue court law again.

I am setting up these institutions that should have been in this state long before now, we are starting and so we need support and encouragement because we are in a very delicate situation. This state should ideally be getting a minimum of N3 to N4 billion tax revenue every month which we do not get, but they pay that to other states.

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Makarfi

Ondo 2016: As PDP Goes Towards Controversial Primary The Ondo State chapter of Peoples Democratic Party may witness some hiccups in the forthcoming primary to choose its candidate for the November governorship election following the emergence of a factional chairman. James Sowole, in Akure, reports

“W

hen the head is rotten, the entire body will likely be affected,” is a popular statement to illustrate the likely impact that a stormy situation at the apex of a family, organisation or an institution may have on the rest of the group.

This saying can be used to describe the situation that is raging within the leadership of the Peoples Democratic Party. The party is bedevilled by crisis at the national level and this is already having a negative effect on the structure of the party in some states.

National Leadership Crisis

The crisis at the national level whereby two persons, Ahmed Makarfi and Ali Modu Sherrif, are laying claim to the national leadership of the party has split the hitherto most powerful political party in Nigeria into two factions. The two factions are laying claim to different legal instruments to support their positions.

Apart from the ugly impact that the crisis is having on the efforts of the party leaders to reposition it for future general elections, the situation now is already causing serious concern among leaders and members in the two states of Edo and Ondo that have governorship elections in September and November, respectively.

In Edo State, while the Makarfi faction held its primary on June 20 and elected Osagie Ize-Iyamu as its candidate for the September governorship poll, the Sherrif faction later claimed that its own candidate, Matthew Iduoriyekwemwen, was the authentic one.

The Sheriff faction claimed that Iduoriyekwemwen was the right candidate purportedly based on the judgement of Justice Okon Abang of the Federal High Court, Abuja, that said the Independent National Electoral Commission should accept governorship candidates from Edo and Ondo from its faction.

This situation prevailed until the INEC deputy director of voter education and publicity, Nick Dazang, made a clarification that the commission had accepted the Makarfi’s faction candidate, Ize-Iyamu, based on a court judgement and the fact that it was the primary that produced Ize-Iyamu that was monitored by INEC officials.

That pronouncement by INEC seemed to resolve the imbroglio and cause the matter to die a natural death.

But not in politics. The matter is not over until after the completion of the whole electoral processes, including the when issues emanating from the real election had been settled by the tribunal and other judicial institutions.

Like Edo, Like Ondo

The issues that dogged the Edo State PDP primary are already manifesting in Ondo State ahead of the November 26 governorship election. To the Ondo State governor, Dr Olusegun Mimiko, the leadership tussle in the party at the level of the state has been settled after the election of Hon Clement Faboyede as the party’s candidate at a congress witnessed and certified by INEC A fresh dust was, however, raised after a statement signed by one Biyi Poroye, who claimed to be the PDP chairman for the state from the Sherrif’s faction. In the statement, Poroye directed all the PDP governorship aspirants for the November 2016 election to pay an administrative charge of N500,000 to the party’s account.

He also directed all the aspirants and members to await further directives from Sheriff, whom he described as the party’s national chairman, on guidelines and timetable for the primary election.

Poroye stated, “We wish to implore our patriotic members to remain calm as PDP is one united family and our leaders are striving very hard to bring all members on board. PDP members must, please, remain law abiding and shun any act that is capable of causing disaffection or thwart the peaceful initiatives of our national leaders.”

Commenting on the situation, the PDP director of publicity, Mr Ayo Fadaka, described the statement of Poroye as a ranting that should not be taken seriously by the public, members of the party, and aspirants. Fadaka said, “PDP in Ondo State does not know any factionalisation.

Truly, we have aspirants some of who are complaining of one thing or the other. Individual aspiration is not the same thing as party’s aspiration.

“The major aspiration of the PDP in Ondo State is to win the forthcoming election by all legal means. Our aspirants are disciplined and none can do anything contrary to the position of the party. As far as I do know, there is no Modu Sherrif faction in Ondo State. We have only one PDP. If anyone parades himself as the chairman, apart from Hon Clement Faboyede that was popularly and legitimately chosen by all members, such person is on a picnic.

“When we held our congress that was supervised by INEC team led by the Resident Electoral Commissioner himself, we moved and elected our officers and those that were elected as our executive are by popular choice. So the basis for factionalisation does not exist.

“Everybody knew what happened at our congress, which was monitored and certified by INEC because it was witnessed by the REC himself.”

However, apparently acting on the statement of the factional PDP chairman, a businessman, Mr. Jimoh Ibrahim,

obtained a nomination form to contest the primary of the party under the platform of the Sherrif faction of PDP. It was learnt that Ibrahim wanted to take advantage of the rumbling in the Ondo PDP and complaints by aspirants over the insinuation that Mimiko had anointed the former Attorney General and Commissioner for Justice, Mr Eyitayo Jegede, as the party’s candidate.

Grievance

The main grudge against Jegede was that he is from Akure, the headquarters of the Ondo Central senatorial district that produced Mimiko, who is on the last lap of his eight years tenure as governor of the state.

However, the stats chairman of the PDP, Hon Clement Faboyede, had assured all aspirants that the party would conduct a free and fair primary to choose a candidate that is capable of winning the important election.

Apparently, to demonstrate their annoyance over the rumour that Mimiko had anointed a person for the ticket of the PDP, two former commissioners, who resigned from the cabinet only last month, obtained nomination forms from the Poroye, who is loyal to Sherrif. The two men that took the nomination forms were the former Commissioner for Environment , Chief Sola Ebiseni, and former Commissioner for Local Government and Chieftaincy Affairs, Mr Bamiduro Dada.

Speaking after he was presented with the form, Ebiseni said he had studied various court judgements and processes and found out that the Sheriff faction was where he should belong, as he is the authentic chairman of the party.

“As a lawyer, I had studied various judgements related to the national chairmanship tussle between Sheriff and Makarfi and had found out which one is authentic and I know it is Modu Sheriff. So there is no need to waste my time staying in the other faction,” Ebiseni said.

Ebiseni said Ondo State belonged to all citizens of the state and the PDP belonged to all members, but the situation whereby one person wanted to dominate everybody must not be allowed. “I have summoned the courage to take my destiny in my own hands and anybody that failed to take his own destiny in his own hands would be oppressed by his mate. I cannot allow myself to be oppressed by an indigene of the state like myself,” he said.

However, the believe of many people is that the Sheriff faction cannot go far because the electoral umpire, INEC, is not aware of any process that brought Poroye into office as the chairman of the party in the state.

Despite this, the unfolding controversy has revealed one thing, which is that all is not well with the PDP in Ondo State ahead of the November 26 governorship election.

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Ondo APC Readying for a Crucial Primary Two weeks to the governorship primary of All Progressives Congress in Ondo State, all the aspirants are in a last-minute scramble for the support of delegates. Although no fewer than 23 aspirants have been screened, the contest is effectively between Mr. Rotimi Akeredolu and Chief Olusegun Abraham, writes Oladipo Awojobi

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n November 26, the people of Ondo State will decide who will succeed the incumbent governor, Dr. Olusegun Mimiko. But the process through which the governorship candidates of the political parties will emerge is as critical as the election itself. Already, the two leading political parties – Peoples Democratic Party and All Progressives Congress – have kicked off the process.

In the PDP, Governor Olusegun Mimiko is alleged to be supporting the candidature of the Attorney-General and Commissioner for Justice, Mr. Eyitayo Jegede. Jegede’s candidature has already stoked consternation in the ranks of the PDP chieftains in the state. It has equally torn the state executive council apart. Consequently, the former Commissioner for Environment, Mr. Sole Ebiseni, and his local government counterpart, Mr. Bamiduro Dada, recently resigned their positions as commissioners to pursue their governorship aspiration on a factional PDP platform.

Ebiseni and Dada have obtained nomination forms from the Senator Ali Modu Sherriff-led PDP, while Jegede got his from the Senator Ahmed Makarfi national caretaker committee.

Geopolitics

The candidature of Jegede may hit the brick wall in the final election. The reason is what a public affairs analyst, Mr. Felix Ogunleye, ascribed to the tradition of rotating the governorship position on the basis of senatorial district.

Ogunleye argues that both Mimiko and Jegede “are from Ondo Central senatorial district. So, it is illogical, perhaps, untraditional for Ondo Central district to produce Mimiko’s successor.”

Ondo North had produced Chief Adebayo Adefarati, who governed between 1999 and 2003. Subsequently, Ondo South produced Dr. Olusegun Agagu, who was in charge between 2003 and 2009. However, Agagu’s re-election was disputed and he lost the electoral litigation, giving room to the emergence of Mimiko as governor in February 2009.

Mimiko’s second term will end in February 2017.

Jegede, an Akure indigene in Ondo Central, is said to be Mimiko’s anointed candidate. But technically, the people of Ondo State believe Ondo North should produce the next governor, which Ogunleye says, is founded on the principle of social justice and the tradition of rotation the state has been observing not just since the return to civil rule in 1999, but since the Second Republic.

All Eyes on APC

Another public affairs analyst, Olusola Akinkunmi, says the APC is the focus of the forthcoming election due to the increasing number of Mimiko’s allies and PDP chieftains at different levels of APC at the moment. No fewer than 50 aspirants have indicated their interest to pursue their governorship aspiration on the APC platform.

Of the 50 aspirants, only 23 have obtained nomination forms as at this weekend. Some of the aspirants have been screened. Ahead of the August 27 primary, the aspirants are already scrambling for the support of delegates across the local government areas. But the process through which the APC governorship nominee emerges would largely determine if it can eventually displace the PDP. Even though 23 aspirants have collected nomination forms, only five of them are widely believed to be strongly in the contest. The four leading aspirants are former president of the Nigeria Bar Association, Mr. Rotimi Akeredolu (SAN), former national legal adviser of the PDP, Mr. Olusola Oke, two serving senators, Professor Ajayi Boroffice and Mr. Tayo Alasoadura, and a business mogul, Chief Segun Abraham.

Odds

With the exception of Oke and Alasoadura, who respectively hails from Ondo South and Ondo Central, three other leading aspirants are from Ondo North, where consensually the APC has zoned the governorship slot.

All eyes had been on Akeredolu, possibly because he was the flagbearer of the defunct Action Congress of Nigeria in October 2012. He came third in the last governorship contest. But Akeredolu’s performance in the election has been his major albatross.

For the party loyalists, Akeredolu’s performance in the last contest should not be a parameter to measure his public rating or acceptability. Ogunleye provides two interrelated reasons to justify this position. First, according to him, the defunct ACN was replete with some regressive forces, who worked against its victory. He cites Alasoadura, who he says, failed to manage Akeredolu’s campaign effectively. Ogunleye alleges that Alasoadura worked at

Abraham

Akeredolu

cross-purposes to the party’s interest.

Ogunleye also links Akeredolu’s performance to the decision of the then PDP-led federal government to manipulate the process. He alleges that the entire process was manipulated against Akeredolu himself. Also, according to Ogunleye, PDP manipulated the process against its own candidate. It manipulated the process in favour of Labour Party, the platform on which Mimiko had then sought re-election.

To some extent, Boroffice’s aspiration has proved formidable, at least in his senatorial district. He was first elected senator in 2011 on the platform of Labour Party. He subsequently defected to the defunct ACN. The lawmaker contested for re-election on the APC platform in 2015 and won convincingly. Obviously, Boroffice’s re-election put him in good standing for the next governorship contest.

But Boroffice’s candidature might not really sail through for two reasons. First, some key political leaders are said to be opposed to him. They argue that the lawmaker had spent five years at the Senate with little or no impact on Ondo North. Second, while seeking re-election in 2015, Boroffice was said to have told the people of Owo/Ose that he would not contest the 2016 governorship election.

Also, Oke was the flagbearer of the PDP in the 2012 contest. Despite that the PDP national leadership, technically, adopted Mimiko then, Oke came second in the contest. Till date, his political allies believe he did not lose the election to Mimiko, but to his political party, which preferred to support the candidate of Labour Party.

Even though he lost, the election actually showcased his leadership potentials. Shortly after he lost the contest, Oke defected to the APC just before the 2015 general election.

But Oke’s aspiration might not earn him the APC ticket for two reasons. First, Oke hails from Ondo South and technically the governorship slot has been zoned to Ondo North.

Second, Oke is new in the APC and may find it difficult to get the required delegates that would swing the pendulum to his side.

support, not just in his senatorial district, but across the state. But he says he does not like bringing the activities of Abraham Foundation, a non-governmental organisation, into partisan politics. Explains his decision to keep the NGO out of politics, he said some people “see their NGO as a tool for them to be popular and publicise themselves.”

He adds, “In Christianity, when your right hand does something the left hand must not know. A lot of grassroots people are happy that I am coming out in this governorship race. It is not about giving alone but it has made others to see that you can serve your God through the poor people around you.”

Abraham is very prepared to take up the mantle of leadership in the state. Already, he has unveiled a plan to set up Government Demand Industry (GDI) and People Demand Industry (PDI). The former is designed to complement the major industry that will support the government policies and programmes, which he said, would generate 500,000 jobs in four years. The latter is structured to build small scale industries under the public-private partnership, which he initiated on a premise that 80 per cent of what the people of Ondo State “need are brought in from outside. We will provide part of the funding, training and good and services depot that will supply the populace at a much reduced rates so that they can have economic value on their income.”

Abraham has also unveiled a plan “to restore the state’s lost virtues and values. We will develop technological and managerial capability in order to harness our various resources, with little dependence on foreigners. We will develop organic food that is now the new paradigm shift in economic returns, apart from information technology so that Ondo State can become the hub for organic food globally.”

Abraham’s aspiration has gained acceptance across the state. Former chairman of APC in the state, Comrade Sola Iji, has endorsed the aspiration of the business mogul. He says Abraham excelled in all the parameters of consideration, stressing that his decision to support Abraham came after an assessment of all the aspirants on purpose “to produce a formidable candidate.”

Iji says, “The unanimous decision to adopt the candidacy of Abraham was finalised on March 30, after we confirmed from assessment that he is the only candidate that excelled in all the parameters of consideration. Among the aspirants, it took us some time to come to the carefully thought-out decision to support the aspiration of Olusegun Abraham to serve Ondo State.”

Likewise, the former chairman of the defunct ACN, Chief Adesola Adesoji, acknowledged that some enlightened political leaders in the state “have endorsed Abraham’s aspiration.” He added that the decision “to support Abraham was based on the conviction that he has the experience and ability to truly transform the state.

We have informed the party and also mandated them to identify with this decision.”

Strategic Challenge

Of all the aspirants, Abraham appears to be the best positioned to win the governorship ticket. His public rating rises by the day for different reasons. First, in 2012, Abraham was the first aspirant to step down for Akeredolu.

Abraham’s decision to step down for Akeredolu, some party loyalists say, was taken in the interest of peace and unity. That decision brought about relative order to the defunct ACN, though other aspirants did not follow his example.

Some party loyalists have argued that it would be more honourable for Akeredolu to reciprocate Abraham’s gesture by “stepping down” for him. But Akeredolu is neck-deep into the 2016 contest. Both Abraham and Akeredolu have become formidable forces and many believe either of them may clinch the APC governorship ticket.

Abraham’s social intervention has also earned him much

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Claims, Counter Claims in the Aftermath of Military Invasion of Niger Communities As Kpaidna and the other four villages in Bosso Local Government Area of Niger State reel from the recent bloody invasion by the Nigerian Army, major characters in the incident have refused to accept responsibility for their actions. Laleye Dipo, in Minna, writes

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laims, counterclaims, and denials have dominated discussions in the aftermath of the recent military invasion of Kpaidna and four other villages in Bosso Local Government Area of Niger State. This is as both the Nigerian Army and the villagers have been counting their losses after the early morning attack on the villages and villagers.

Claims

The Nigerian Army claimed that the assault on the villages was legitimate because the villagers had turned their communities to a sort of armoury where sophisticated arms and ammunitions were hidden. But the villagers denied the charge. The army hinged its allegation and subsequent attack on the villagers on intelligence it, allegedly, got regarding the presence of arms in the communities.

The villagers, on their part, said the army was being used by some influential people to carryout genocide in order to appease some tribal jingoists.

According to the spokesmen for the villagers, Alhaji Abubakar M Bosso and Honorable Shehu Barwa Beji, “The police and vigilantes arrested one wounded soldier along the way who confessed that it was a Fulani man who gave them information about Legbe, that the Gbagys were having dangerous weapons in their custody, it was this same Fulani man that led them( soldiers) to Legbe village.”

The senator representing Niger East senatorial district, Senator David Umaru, corroborating the assertion of the spokesmen for the villagers, said the soldiers acted without verifying the claims by the Fulani herdsman.

Umaru said, “There was a deliberate attempt at ethnic cleansing in the affected villages and the soldiers allowed themselves to be used to achieve tribal interests for reasons best known to them.”

Side-lining the Police

Many have wondered why the Nigerian Army and the Nigeria Air Force did not involve the police and the chief security officers of the state and the local government area concerned in the invasion. The army claimed it did, but the state government, the Bosso local government area chairman and the state police command have denied being involved in the planning and execution of the operation.

“It was purely a military operation the police was not involved from the beginning,” the Commissioner of Police, Mr. Zubairu Muazu, said through the commands spokesman, DSP Bala Elikana. “We only got involved later when we received distress calls from the villagers that some people dressed in army uniform were attacking them. It was then that we moved in and the people were happy when they saw policemen.”

String of Attacks

The incident at Kpaidna village, which later spread to four other villages, Kopa, Bambe, Lunku and Legbe, was the second attack the people would suffer in a space of one month.

Just a month ago, suspected Fulani herdsmen dressed in military and wielding AK47 rifles and other dangerous weapons had invaded the villages in reprisal for an alleged attack on their fellow Fulani men in a community in Paikoro Local Government Area of the state.

During the attack, the villagers lost four men, while many houses and vehicles were burnt in addition to the destruction of several hectares of farmlands and some harvested food crops.

Not less than 450 Gbagys, mostly women and children, became internally displaced after the

GOC,1 Division, Nigerian Army, Major General Adeniyi Oyebade, addressing press

attack. They were camped at a primary school far from their homes.

The villagers had vowed never to be so caught napping by Fulani herdsmen in the future. So the arrival of soldiers in the middle of the night was said to have been treated as a revisit of the herdsmen attack. Both the young and the old mobilised to ensure they protected themselves and their communities.

Casualty

It can still not be fathomed why the casualty figure on both sides was so high. The army confirmed that 11 of their men, one of them a Second Lieutenant who was believed to be the commander of the operation, were killed while two others were declared missing.

The villagers on their part said they lost 14 people to the fracas, “with several others still missing.”

Muazu said at a press conference that seven rifles belonging to some soldiers that took part in the operation were recovered in several locations in the villages.

It was a gory sight, when the army displayed the pictures of the dead soldiers, most of whom had their heads sliced, apparently, with sharp objects like swords and machetes. The army also put on display weapons, allegedly, recovered from the villages. They were mostly locally made guns, bows and arrows, cutlasses and knives, as well as charms.

‘Senseless Invasion’

Reactions to the invasion of these villages and the killings that followed have been divergent. The senator representing the area, Umaru, while condemning the attack, described it as “a senseless and illegal invasion of a peaceful community.”

Umaru said, “The military has not given any reason for this crude invasion and brutality of my people. However, I am of the belief that the claim that the villagers had piled up arms in their homes upon which the armed soldiers hinged a seal off and search operation in the village is not tenable and totally unacceptable.

“For the avoidance of doubt, I would like to inform the public that this community was only about a month ago attacked by alleged Fulani herders during which many innocent people were killed and over 500 others displaced. Many of the victims of the heinous attack are still living in refugee camps in Minna and the military authorities in Niger State, I believe, are aware of this. The trauma and the

palpable fears that the said attack had instilled and inflicted in the community is still fresh in their minds.”

According to the senator, instead of the military to provide adequate protection to the helpless villagers, it has taken upon itself the onus of inflicting more pains on them in an unnecessary operation.

Denial

But the General Officer commanding 1 Division of the Nigerian Army, Major General Adeniyi Oyebade, reacting to the incident, said the army would continue to carry out its duty of protecting the territorial integrity of the country. He said the public should disregard the claims in some quarters that those arrested “are not bandits who hid arms and dangerous weapons in their villages.”

Oyebade disclosed that 50 suspects were arrested in connection with the incident while dangerous weapons were also recovered from the villages.

However, the elders of the communities said the sophisticated weapons recovered were not from the villages invaded. They said, “As for the recovered items, especially the sophisticated rifles, we want to state categorically that the Gbagyi peasants for centuries have stuck to their age old agricultural practices. They know next to nothing about the acquisition of sophisticated weapons. It has never been in their character.”

Condemnation

The Peoples Democratic Party has condemned the invasion of Kpaidna and the other villages. PDP described the action of the soldiers, who carried out the assault, as not only barbaric but a violation of the fundamental human rights of the villagers. In a statement by its Niger State chairman, Mr. Tanko Beji, the party said the claim by the soldiers that they were searching for arms allegedly kept by the villagers was totally untenable.

“In this era where scientific ways of investigating matters is the order of the day, men of the Nigerian Army should have found more civilised ways of carrying out its action, instead of embarking on genocide in the village,” Beji stated. The state government has also condemned the invasion. The Commissioner for Information, Mr. Jonathan Tsado Vatsa, said the administration of Governor Abubakar Sani Bello will leave no stone unturned to ensure that those involved were brought to book.

While asking the people to continue to keep the peace, the government directed all those that deserted the villages to return because government had put the necessary machinery in motion for their safety.

Inquest

The National Human Rights Commission has waded in to investigate the invasion of the villages and the killings that followed. Executive Secretary of NHRC, Professor Bem Angwe, has led a four-man fact-finding team to the state during which he met with officials of the Nigerian Army and the senator representing Niger East senatorial district, and also visited the troubled villages.

The commission has promised to present a report to Nigerians soon on the matter.

To get to the root of the matter, the state government has also set up a judicial commission of inquiry to look into the immediate and remote causes of the invasion of the villages.

The Commissioner for Justice said government would give the commission the instrument needed to perform its assignment and also assured that the recommendations of the commission would be implemented.

Tears, Sorrow

Tears flowed freely when the decomposing bodies of some of the villagers were removed from the mortuary of the Minna General hospital for burial last Friday. The deceased Muslims were handed over to Muslim clerics and they were said to have been given mass burial, while those who were Christians were taken away by the local chapter of the Christian Association of Nigeria.

The fate of over 57 people arrested by the military has yet to be determined. The police said they were handicapped on how to handle such a large number of suspects at the same time. The fear of the police stemmed from the large number of people who had thronged the premises of the Niger State high court in the hope that the suspects would be brought to court for trial. Taking them to court could further compound the security situation in the state, a senior police officer said. The suspects were still kept with the army pending when a decision would be taken.

In the meantime, only a few youths and some elderly people have returned to the villages as directed by the state government, an indication that many are still afraid to come back to their communities.

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PDP Walks Tight Rope to Peace Onyebuchi Ezigbo looks at PDPs difficult peace process

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he Peoples Democratic Party recently launched yet another effort at reconciliation of aggrieved members after previous failed attempts. The current effort is also aimed at winning back some of the party’s founding fathers. The fresh peace move was initiated under the auspices of the party’s Board of Trustees, who as elders of the party felt they could help restore genuine peace and cohesion among the members.

Obasanjo’s Negative Appraisal

The fresh efforts to resolve the leadership crisis in the PDP came just as former President Olusegun Obasanjo, a former member of the party, had cause to assess the goings-on in the party. Obasanjo had attended a function organised for farmers at the Shehu Musa Yar’Adua Centre in Abuja where the PDP was, incidentally, inaugurating its national convention planning committees. In a show of courtesy, the leadership of the PDP national caretaker committee, led by Senator Ahmed Makarfi, promptly went over to greet the former president and exchange pleasantries.

Obasanjo did not attend the PDP function, as he took his exit after his engagement. Not even the desperate effort of some anxious journalists could make him talk. He made his way to a waiting black Toyota SUV that drove off almost immediately. But his presence at the venue of the PDP meeting left tongues wagging, with some insinuating that he might have returned to the party.

The controversy generated by the reports in some media outfits caused Obasanjo to respond. In the response, he described his former party as “dying and gasping for breath”.

While reacting to the insinuation that he might be considering returning to his old party, which membership card he publicly tore last year, the former president said that there no way he could return to a party that was already torn apart, dying and gasping for breath.

New Reconciliation Move

Perhaps, the bashing from Obasanjo was all that was needed to get the BoT into action, as it constituted a new committee headed by Professor Jerry Gana to pursue full reconciliation of aggrieved forces within the party. Speaking during the inauguration of the 18-man peace committee at his residence in Asokoro, Abuja, the chairman of the BoT, Senator Walid Jibrin, urged all those predicting doom for the party to do a rethink, change their mind and come to join the party to rebuild and reposition it into a more formidable platform ahead of the 2019 general election.

Jibrin, himself also a founding member of the party, dismissed the statement by Obasnajo that PDP was gasping for breath, saying such an assessment exists only in the imagination of those making it.

He said regarding Obasanjo’s comments, “Leaders who are talking in newspapers that this party is not alive, the party is alive, it is only in the imagination of anyone that is saying that this party is dead and that it will not come back. Such people should change their minds. If he comes back to this party, we

are ready to receive him.”

While inaugurating the 18-member peace committee, the BoT chairman said that the party had decided to pursue a political solution as a means of resolving the faceoff with the former national chairman, Senator Ali Modu Sheriff.

He said, “We are gathered to inaugurate special committee of the BoT to reconcile our members. You are aware that the BoT have been meeting with some organs to review the situation in the party.

We have therefore decided to set up a special committee with a view to resolving the problem.

“With the calibre of the people we have chosen to represent the BoT, I am very optimistic that the end of this conflict has come and that we shall all come out smiling very soon, before our convention.” Jibrin assured that party will henceforth rely on its constitution, adding that the principle of party supremacy must be uppermost in the minds of members.

Based on the urgency of their task, the Gana committee has swung into action in a bid to achieve reconciliation ahead of the August 17 national convention of the party. Members of the BoT peace committed first began with a late night visit to former President Goodluck Jonathan at his Maitama residence in Abuja. Jibrin who led the delegation, told Jonathan that the BoT decided to pay him a courtesy call in recognition of his position as former president and to interface and inform him of the state of the party.

“PDP is undergoing a lot of difficulties and challenges, it is important that we give you briefing. You are aware of the resignation of Anenih as BoT chairman, followed by the appointment of Bello. The members elected him as chairman,” Jibrin told the former president.

According to Jibrin, Jonathan’s intervention is important for a way forward for the party. Jibing, who came with some members of the BoT representing various zone of the country, told the former president that they had great respect for him despite the fact that he had not been appearing in the activities of the party.

“We have visited Ciroma. We have embarked on programme of visit to our founding fathers, we have visited the National Assembly.

We are satisfied with the level of cooperation between PDP and other members in the National Assembly and they have played the opposition role very well. They have dwelt on politics of issues not on personalities.”

Responding, Jonathan acceded to the plea of the BoT to wade in to the leadership crisis rocking the party with a view to resolving it. Jonathan told them that the disagreement culd be resolved amicably, adding that he has already started talking to the individuals involved in the matter.

“I have been talking to individuals but not in a way that is exposed to the media,” Jonathan said, adding, “I believe I should do more. It is matter of regret that we have the conflicting court orders on this issue. Unfortunately, we have challenges but I think you should not be discouraged. This should not be beyond us but I believe, collectively, we can resolve it. Any sincere PDP member should know that PDP is bigger than any individual. Members have sacrificed their interest for the party”.

A member of the BoT and one of the aspirants for the PDP chairmanship position, Prof Tunde Adeniran, told journalists after the meeting with Jonathan, “He is in support of peace returning to the PDP family. All leaders of the party have been meeting.

The BoT has just held their meeting. We are interacting and the party is moving forward. I am very optimistic that the crisis will be resolved. PDP is a family and we will resolve the crisis. The convention will go on. You will witness the resolutions.”

Another leader of the party and chairmanship aspirant, Chief Bode George, spoke on the outcome of the discussions with Jonathan, saying that the former president has accepted to assist in

brokering peace between the aggrieved parties.

George said, “The meeting was perfect. I feel completely elated. When we were in power for 16 years, all these crisis would have been resolved by the Villa. Now there is no villa. It looks like a community where there is no headship. Suddenly the spirit of discussion and camaraderie that evolves gave me this personal happiness. In our party whoever is president is always the leader of the party.

“Now until another presidential candidate emerges, President Jonathan remains the leader of the party.”

The BoT member noted, “We are at a point where we cannot afford to allow the party to go under. And this is the most appropriate time as BoT to come to him to say, we want you to intervene. It was a very warm meeting and very encouraging.”

George confirmed that Jonathan had not only accepted to assist in making peace but had given his word to join in the process of resolving the crisis.

Unresolved Issues

But despite the inroads made to solicit Jonathan’s support, peace and reconciliation are still far from being achieved, especially with regard to the leadership crisis rocking the party. So far, the latest peace overtures initiated by the BoT peace committee to strike a settlement with Sheriff has failed to yield positive results. Sheriff, who was expected to back down on his demands and accept to reunite with his party, stuck to his position by Wednesday, insisting that the National Caretaker Committee is illegal and as such should be disbanded before peace can return to the PDP. At a meeting between the peace committee and Sheriff, held behind closed doors, which started on Tuesday night and lasted till Wednesday morning, the Gana committee agreed to go back for further consultations on possible concessions to be made to the former chairman.

Sheriff was insisting that as a condition to end his fight against the party, the PDP must postpone the August 17 national convention, reconstitute the convention planning committee, and ensure that a new venue, other than Port Harcourt, was chosen. Although the former chairman had agreed to make concessions and possibly end his struggle to hold on to office, he said this will only be possible if the process of easing him out of office is carried out in accordance with the PDP’s constitution.

Sheriff has since the last May 21 controversial national convention in Port Harcourt been disputing his removal from office, describing the vote at the convention dissolving his National Working Committee as illegal, null and void. He has followed his agitation with series of court actions which at a stage led to the Federal High Courts of coordinate jurisdiction issuing conflicting rulings and judgements on the leadership of the PDP. Speaking during the meeting with the Gana peace committee, Sheriff gave conditions which he said were the way for him to accept a peace plan. “I say no to the convention in Port Harcourt on the 17th.

The date and venue must be set by all stakeholders and approved by INEC”. Sheriff maintained that the governor of Rivers State, Mr. Nyesom Wike, must not be allowed to chair the convention planning committee, while also calling for the disbandment of the Makarfi-led caretaker committee. According to Sheriff, the caretaker committee is an illegal contraption unknown to the PDP constitution and must be disbanded.

He said, “All forms of impunity and lawlessness must stop. The ward, local government and state congresses already concluded and approved

by NEC must stand.”

An obviously disappointed Gana said the committee had taken serious note of the problems causing the crisis and would go back for consultations before scheduling another peace meeting with Sheriff.

“We are delighted that there has been a clear resolution on the determination and desire that the problems must be resolved, unity be re-established and for PDP to move forward,” he said.

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T H I S D AY, T H E S U N D AY N E W S PA P E R • AUGUST 14, 2016

PERSPECTIVE

RCCGConvention:AnOceanofHeadsandMiracles Bisi Daniels

T

he week-long 64th Annual Convention of the Redeemed Christian Church of God (RCCG) became an unusual miracle and the confirmation of the power of vision on Friday, August 7 at the new 3 kilometre-3 kilometre auditorium called The Arena.

The miracle was not any of the many miracles of healing and blessing which characterize Pastor Adeboye’s services and other events; it was not about the 89 babies, 53 boys and 36 girls and including a set of quadruplets, delivered at the Church’s maternity centre at the Redemption Camp during the Convention.

It was the sheer size of attendance observers put at millions of people who filled all the completed sections of the massive Arena. On completion it will have a seating capacity of 12 million people. The Arena on Friday was one big ocean of heads.

From the pulpit where the National President of the Christian Association of Nigeria, CAN, Rev. Samson Olasupo Ayokunle, spoke, he had a good view of the calm ocean of heads. And he said, “A first time visitor to the Redemption Camp would be amazed at the millions of people that have gathered for the programme.

“This is coming as an inspiration to Nigeria from the heart of God Himself and not from any man.”

Pastor Alex Okoh of the Olive Tree parish of RCCG on Banana Island, Lagos, texted this gleefully on the Monday after the Convention: “Some events last week truly opened my eyes to the power of possibilities. That dogged pursuit of vision always conquers.

“Last week, I saw the power of vision at work. A project of monumental proportion that would easily displace some of those listed as the Seven Wonders of the World.

And right here in Nigeria. Hmmmm! I wondered how many would have questioned this great vision at the onset.

“But dogged faith manifested the substance of what was hoped for. The largest gathering of people on the face of the earth and an edifice to contain that gathering is truly a wonder to behold…”

The Arena was the project in reference.

When the plan to build it was announced some years back, some people described it as a weird idea, inspired by inordinate ambition.

But Pastor Adeboye is not new to attackers of his divine vision. He knows where the church is going and has never yielded to pessimists. He tells an interesting story of one of such cases: “While praying one day, the Lord said to me, “Son, one day, presidents will come to this Camp to worship.’’

And I said, “Amen’’ as at that time there was no likelihood of this happening. I told my people what God said and the need to build a place for the presidents to stay when they visited. So we built a presidential lodge which was the largest building at the Redemption Camp at that time. Thereafter, we waited for the first three years but no president came.

Then one day, my senior pastors met and said they didn’t understand what I was saying. They said to themselves, “This man wants to live in a big house but does not want to tell us. Now he has completed the building, he does not know how to move in.”

So they came to me and said, “You are our president. Move into the house.’’

“No, it is not my house,” I said. “Presidents are coming.”

Today, God has fulfilled His word before our very eyes. Presidents visit and stay here.”

At the last count, the church has spread to over 188 countries, with over 32,000 parishes in Nigeria alone and at least 540 branches in the UK and Ireland. And so, millions of people from all over the world come for the church’s Conventions and the monthly Holy Ghost Congress at its Redemption Camp.

And with the numbers surging out of

At the Camp miracles have become so commonplace that sometimes the congregation has to be reminded of the need to praise God during testimony time available space, the Church had to go for the Arena. It is located on Simawa Road, a few kilometres from the current one-and-halfkilometre by one-kilometre auditorium.

In fact, the church has been changing auditoriums since the relatively small one was built close to the Lagos-Ibadan expressway in the Redemption Camp.

Pastor Adeboye said in one of his testimonies: “Some years ago, I came to the Camp to pray and the Holy Spirit said, “Son, I want to take you on a little journey.”

I said, “Yes, Lord.”

So He began to lead me in the direction he wanted me to go. He took me to the first auditorium and said, “When we built this one we thought it was big.”

I said, “Yes, Lord.”

He brought me to the second auditorium (wooden section) which we also thought was bigger. Then He brought me to the third auditorium (iron section) which we consider the biggest. But God said, “Son, one day this new thing you are calling big will be the children’s auditorium.”

This was too amazing for me to swallow.

But can I doubt the King of Kings? He has said it, and it shall come to pass.”

From Mushin to a new city The story of Pastor Adeboye is as interesting as it is inspiring. Before the Redemption Camp stories, he had been busy begging God for a house in Mushin, a Lagos suburb, only to get a humorous response.

His account: “Prior to becoming the

It was the sheer size of attendance observers put at millions of people who filled all the completed sections of the massive Arena.

On completion it will have a seating capacity of 12 million people. The Arena on Friday was one big ocean of heads

General Overseer of the Redeemed Christian Church of God, I was the head of Department of Mathematics at the University of Ilorin, Nigeria. I was living in a mansion with a two-bedroom guest quarters. I also had servants’ quarters with four bedrooms. All these were not part of the main house. But when I became the General Overseer, I had to live in a one-room apartment at Mushin (a relatively poor suburb in Lagos). I left my wife and children in Ilorin to be in Lagos to work in the church. Due to my difficult living conditions at that time, I had to tidy up things before my family could join me.

Before bringing them over, I went to God in prayers and explained the challenges I was facing to Him. I told God to build a house for me. Left to me I did not mind using the one-room apartment, but the thought of housing my entire family in one room posed a great challenge to me.

God’s response to me was, “Son, don’t ask for house because I have decided to build you a city.’’

That response was beyond what I could comprehend. After this encounter, I began to dream of a city where everybody would be a Christian; a city where there would be no molestation; a city where there would be no power failure or water shortages. God began to stretch my mind to see a city where His praises would fill every mouth.”

A miraculous addition is the Arena, where residential buildings are already sprouting out. As late as 2am on Saturday, agents of property firms were soliciting for customers with flyers to build in the area.

“Why are you awake at this time?” I asked one of them. She looked up at me, broke into a smile, and said, “It is well.”

The historic Friday On the historic Friday, when Pastor Adeboye declared, “This is the best Convention the Church has ever had,” both the old auditorium at the Redemption Camp and The Arena were mighty oceans of heads.

During the Deliverance service at the old auditorium on Thursday, he announced the Convention would move to the Arena to “accommodate the Friday crowd.” But people could stay back at the old auditorium and participate in the service through giant screens as would people in the many viewing centres around the world.

The exodus on Friday was not very evident as I left Lagos at about 1.30pm.

Traffic flow was bad and indeed thinned out at the outskirts of the city. But soon after I veered off the Expressway to the Arena, I notice the stream of people in cars, on motor cycles and on foot. From time to time the stream chocked obviously because of confluences ahead of us, particularly caused by the stream from the Redemption Camp

were many people had taken up accommodation, and also served as a route for people coming from neighbouring states. I also noticed heavy build up behind us.

Hours later, we eventually arrived the venue to be greeted by a sea of cars in many parking lots and by larger and unceasing streams of people from various directions pouring into the Arena, where I arrived about an hour later to behold an ocean of human heads. Never in my life had I seen such ceaseless flow of people pouring into an auditorium with capacity to make them comfortable.

Characteristic of all RCCG events everything was orderly and ushers and others ready to help. No chaotic scene; none of the madness at some Lagos events; and no incident or accident. It was a solemn atmosphere all around!

As a journalist I was privileged to sit at the media section in front and before the programme started, I decided to have a feel of the ocean. I had broken a bone in my foot early this year so I pampered it with a gentle walk towards the end of the auditorium from the Alter, and praying that the foot will eventually heal. Since that day, I have not taken any drugs for the pain, which has vanished.

For over 15 minutes, I walked a straight aisle through an ocean of heads. At every point of the walk I could see one end of the auditorium, but it was all a mirage. It was like seeing the horizon down a round with the impression that you could reach and even touch it.

Some more minutes later, I gave up and returned to my seat early enough before the Mass Choir of hundreds of choristers rendered their songs. They are a beauty to behold and luckily I was seated right in front of them with my colleagues.

Another evidence of the size of the convention was the 5 long hours it took me to car-exit the venue after the service at 2 am, even as about half of the cars decided to wait behind. It was a long stream on exit as was the entry.

On this Friday of streams, there was yet another stream when women the church had prayed for to have babies were invited to the Alter for prayers. For well over 30 minutes hundreds of women streamed happily into a lake of people which had formed around the Alter. At the Camp, miracles happen so easily and frequently they seem to be losing their awesomeness on the people. It is becoming what in journalism they call “dog bites man story” It is just natural for a dog to bite a man, so it no news. But the reverse is big news.

At the Camp miracles have become so commonplace that sometimes the congregation has to be reminded of the need to

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AUGUST 7, 2016 • THISDAY, THE SUNDAY NEWSPAPER

PERSPECTIVE

Professionalisng the Civil Service and Role of NAPAM

Tunji Olaopa

I

f the civil service must regain its professional status, then it will take the gut and commitment of civil servants who understand what is at stake. Professionalising the civil service is a courageous act, but it is what must really be done.

Thus, for Jayelle Cochran, “To be professional you need to be professional.”

In other words, it is professionalism that will reverse the increasingly diminishing status of the vocation of public service. We have all heard about the bureaucracy, and we hate its red tape with a passion! There is a bureaucratic version of the reputation that the civil service has, that to get a simple “No” in the civil service, you need to have gone through six offices. And some Nigerians, unlike what obtained in its glorious era, carry very negative perception of the public servant as arrogant, corrupt, lazy, aggressive, snobbish, and ignorant. But I have been a civil servant all my life; I was an insider and I know the steady but dogged efforts of colleagues, over the last decades, to redeem the profession they have dedicated their lives to. The issues is: how far in the reform direction has the service gone or is capable of getting?

“Anyone,” says Lawrence Lowell, “who sees in his own occupation merely a means of earning money degrades it; but he that sees in it a service to mankind ennobles both his labor and himself.” There is no doubt that in Nigeria today, when the civil service employment forms are advertised, most of those who apply do so for reasons less than the desire for professionalism. First, a civil service job, though most often the last on anyone’s preference list, would deliver the unemployed from certain frustration arising from the unemployment matrix in Nigeria. And second, the civil service provides an easy means of livelihood most importantly, career security. Within this frame and perception, the civil service is where you go to when you need ample time to pursue some other real and lucrative business during office hours, so goes popular narratives!

Thus, the vocation that began as an honourable specialization and prided itself on its professionalism has become degraded by the socioeconomic realities currently haunting Nigeria. It will therefore be strange to leave the transformation of the public service to chance or to the service leadership alone. Like all the life sciences, the significance of the civil service lies in its critical relations to the life of any nation.

The civil service, that is, stands at the heart of a nation’s development effort. If the civil service system is strangulated by its own complex tasks and challenges, then the nation dies a slow but painful death in development terms. It is professionalism therefore that will save the civil service system in Nigeria.

The onus of responsibility therefore falls on those critical mass of professionals—public servants, public administrators and especially the head of the service of the federation, as a central coordinatory figure, to jumpstart a reform dynamics that arrest the sabotage of the service, and restore its professionalism. It is in this sense that we can say leadership is a critical defensive mechanism; a bulwark that prevents a rising flood from becoming too overwhelming, especially against a profession that is struggling for relevance in a situation of terrible underdevelopment. And it is James Baldwin, the US writer, who hit the nail of the leadership responsibility right on the head: “The price one pays for pursuing any profession or calling is an intimate knowledge of its ugly side.” The significant insight here is that to be able to safeguard a profession’s ideals, there must be a readiness to inquire into its dark ugly side. And one such ugly side of the civil service profession in Nigeria is its neglect of an organisational platform organised around committed public administrators and public servants who form the critical mass of professionals agitated about the status and survival of the vocation of the civil service. I have in mind here the Nigerian Association of Public Administration and Management (NAPAM).

One of the definitive attribute of any profession is the availability of a professional gatekeeper, a coordinatory professional body that ensures that the ideals and objectives of the profession are always kept under constant vigilance. A professional body represents the delineation of the profession as a critical and responsible public entity with the willingness to demonstrate passion, commitment, accountability, fairness and moral integrity in its dealing with the society. The professional body therefore functions at all time to outline the difference between the professional and the unprofessional, as well as circumscribe any unbecoming professional conduct. With regards to public administration, a professional body has a very tough task: it must defend the vocation of public service that has been evolving for many centuries, and that has come face to face with critical task of development in a country like Nigeria that must deliver the gains of democratic governance to its citizens very fast.

The essence of an association of public administration and management, like the Nigerian Association of Public Administration and Management (NAPAM), is therefore to facilitate a continuing interchange, exchange and discourse on the state of the civil service and its relationship to the Nigerian national development. As a body of concerned experts and stakeholders, the association provides a critical platform where ideas, frameworks, models, dynamics and paradigms are articulated, rearticulated, and disseminated on variety of issues bordering on the profession, professionalism, capacity building, career management, and every other thing that affects the

Olaopa functioning of the profession. Like its continental counterpart, AAPAM, NAPAM would have the following objectives: (a) serve as a community of experience around which crucial experiential issues are disseminated and discussed; (b) it will constitute a reform hub on whatsoever ails the civil service; (c) provide a forum for scholars, public administrators, managers, students and teachers of administration to share and exchange ideas on the evolution and performance of the Nigerian public service; (d) ensure a constant conversation on the safeguarding of the professional vocation of the civil service; (e) promote continuing research on the significance of the civil service to the development challenge in Nigeria; and (f) service as the focal point for a comparative experience sharing with other administration and management bodies on a regional and global levels.

Unfortunately, while the African Association of Public Administration and Management (AAPAM) is alive, inspite of its many challenges, and well, its Nigerian counterpart is practically non-existent. For instance, there is no web presence whatsoever that could help elicit some tangible information about its organisational mission and objectives. And no wonder the task of reform has lacked a committed ownership especially around those who ought to know and fight for their profession. The absence of NAPAM not only undermines the status of the civil service as a professional vocation in Nigeria (and administrative realities already seem to confirm this), it also essentially frustrates genuine reform efforts. An explanation is apt in this regard. One of the critical issues of debate in civil service reform, especially in Africa, is to what extent reformers can be trusted with the reform of their own institution. Can a public servant be trusted to achieve an objective assessment and committed reform of a dysfunctional structure of which s/he is a significant part? The answer to this puzzle is neither here nor there. A genuinely

functional professional body like NAPAM could step into the breach in this regard. And its task, apart from others, would be to set the tone of administrative progress and efficiency in terms of relating global best practices with local realities through stringent comparative analysis.

In this sense, revitalizing NAPAM as a core organisational feature in civil service practice in Nigeria would be a major reform coup for anyone suitably placed to intervene in its comatose operations. And I have in mind all those still toiling within the hallowed administrative chamber of the civil service system. It will immediately arm the reformer with a distinct and unique platform to harness ideas and insights, from a core and critical group of professionals, about the current state of the civil service and how to move it beyond its present debilitating dysfunction. The reconstitution and reestablishment of NAPAM, as a community of service and experience, becomes a brilliant annexation of multiple minds to the rehabilitation of the civil service system in Nigeria. The civil service system in Nigeria, as is, urgently requires the resuscitation of NAPAM as a crucial ally in the reform challenge. As a watchdog, NAPAM would be better placed, together with the Office of the Head of the Civil Service of the Federation (OHCSF), Federal Civil Service Commission (FCSC), Bureau of Public Service Reforms (BPSR), et al, to rescue the terrible drain on civil service professionalism in Nigeria. A profession requires serious commitment that transcends mere lip service to who a public servant is.

Public service must be held up constantly to a higher ethical standard that speaks to any sharp practices like inefficiency, financial impropriety, corruption, etc. and NAPAM is the first order of professional business in this regard. Without NAPAM, the civil service professional status is grossly endangered.

Last question: Whose responsibility is it to activate NAPAM’s revitalization? My answer is simply that it is a collective responsibility of the community of those who have one stake or the other not only in the trajectory of public administration and management in Nigeria, but also in Nigeria’s national development possibilities. Civil servants, public administrators, managers, academics, and, if I am asked, the head of service of the federation—all these are critical stakeholders who are essential to transforming the present administration’s change agenda from a mere slogan to a real game changer.

––Dr. Olaopa is the Executive Vice Chairman, Ibadan School of Government and Public Policy (ISGPP),[tolaopa2003@ gmail.com; tolaopa2003@yahoo.com; tolaopa@isgpp.com.ng]

• RCCG Convention: An oCeAn of HeAds And MiRACles • Continued from Page 78 praise God during testimony time, unlike in some churches where so much song and dance is made of occasional miracles. There was a testimony galore at the Convention.

The Convention opened on August 1 with the ordination of a total of 8,151 persons to assist the mission to administer the fast growing church. The newly ordained 4,412

deacons and 3,739 deaconesses were admonished to give priority to the Word of God and pray in their individual lives and ministry to do exploits in their various calling.

Daily services called plenary sessions started on Tuesday and climaxed on Friday, followed by a Holy Communion Service on Saturday and closing on Sunday with an

Anointing Service.

Characteristically, the sermons were well-paced and richly illustrated with Bible passages and Pastor Adeboye’s testimonies he calls “stories.” For this Convention, he altered the order of service to have the alter call early to enable people who receive salvation to benefit from his prayers

L-R: Vice-President Yemi Osinbajo; Governor Akinwunmi Ambode (Lagos State); Governor Olusegun Mimiko (Ondo State); Governor Udom Emmanuel (Akwa Ibom State); Samuel Ioraer Ortom (Benue Governor); Mrs. Yetunde Onanuga, (Deputy Governor, Ogun State); Mrs Sarah Sosan (former Deputy Governor of Lagos State); Pastor Kola Oluwole (Speaker, Ekiti House of Assembly) and his wife, Yetunde

and blessings. Amen, the theme of the Convention meant all prayers there would be answered.

On the Friday of streams and ocean, the sermon was entitled, “The devil will flee.”

Delivering it Pastor Adeboye explained that there are two principal forces in the world – the light and darkness. The light being Jesus; and the darkness, the devil that is capable of destroying people by his antics without indwelling them.

In the Friday Ocean were also dignitaries like Professor Yemi Osinbajo, Vice President of the Federal Republic; Governor Akinwunmi Ambode of Lagos State; Governor Olusegun Mimiko of Ondo State; Akwa Ibom State Governor Udom Emmanuel; Benue Governor Samuel Ioraer Ortom; Chief (Mrs) Yetunde Onanuga, Deputy Governor, Ogun State; Mrs Sarah Sosan, former Deputy Governor of Lagos State; Pastor Kola Oluwole, Speaker, Ekiti House of Assembly, and his wife, Yetunde.

There was also a huge presence of traditional rulers. At the end of it all when Pastor Adeboye gave thanks to God and announced that next year’s Convention of RCCG will be bigger and better than this year’s I could imagine big rivers and mighty oceans of heads.

–– Daniels is a journalist and author

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T H I S D AY, T H E S U N D AY N E W S PA P E R • AUGUST 14, 2016

PERSPECTIVE

Ambode’s Inspiring Possibilities Kunle Fadahunsi

him in the state is of paramount significance to this amiable governor. Pensions are given undiluted prioritization in Lagos state to the admiration of all. Thanks to this humane governor that is doing everything to increase the revenue base of Lagos State.

Another passion that makes Ambode distinct is his unrelenting and unprecedented passion to bring in foreign investors into the state. And his realisation of the need to create a safe environment was responsible for his result-yielding repositioning and massive funding of operations of the security outfits in the state. This is meant to guarantee the safety of lives and property. Surprisingly too, his interventions in especially the area of roads construction and maintenance in record time have gone a long way in tackling obnoxious traffic gridlock in all parts of the state. This is commendable in view of the limited resources at his disposal. Ambode has gone far flung in reviving amongst others public primary education, public health services not to talk of his unwavering crusading for social justice issues most especially on domestic and sexual violence.

Indeed, the Ambode-led Lagos State government has shown the entire country how prudence and strategic thinking can bring about acceptable results in the face of daunting challenges.

But perhaps more marvelous and impressive than the adumbrated list of achievements above is the recent innovations embarked on by the governor at the Oworonsoki Bus-Stop end of the 3rd Mainland Bridge. The area that had become synonymous with traffic bottleneck, traffic-time robberies and intense stress has now become something joyous according pleasure drive- thanks to the out-of-the-box solution consisting of iron fencing and the relocation of the traffic-inducing bus-stop at a nearby purpose built facility.

The ingenuity in this is that, while a causal observer might be tempted to think that the

intervention at the Oworonsoki Bus-Stop was only traffic-centered, road users are now beginning to appreciate that the nature of the intervention was indeed designed to solve many problems at the same time in a most cost-efficient manner.

In the first place, average rate of fuel usage by motorists has been noticeably reduced. In a 2008 published research carried out in Germany, scientific exercise led to the conclusion that the fuel consumption of vehicular tra c on a given road section depends strongly on the velocity profiles of the vehicles and the researchers specifically found that tra c congestion typically leads to an increase of fuel consumption in the order of 80 per cent.

In this era of market-rate pump price of petrol, Lagosians are grateful. While the savings on fuel usage is laudable, one must also note that the savings have multiplier effects of their own: lower fuel usage will translate to more cash savings and, those cash savings, when banked and aggregated, could translate into funds available for lending for developmental purposes.

There is also the positive effect on the environment. The innovative intervention by Ambode at the Oworonsoki Bus Stop having reduced traffic congestion has also reduced the concentration of carbon dioxide emissions in that area and in all areas that have witnessed a reduction in traffic congestion consequent upon similar interventions by the governor. Of course, carbon dioxide has been shown to be the main pollutant warming our planet and the alarming negative effects of environmental warming are well documented.

Closely related to the above is the beneficial effect of the Oworonsoki Bus- Stop intervention on the health of road users. From saving road users from concentrated carbon dioxide inhalation to reducing the physical, mental and emotional stress associated with traffic congestion, this intervention has a pleasant effect on the health of Lagosians.

Repeated exposure to carbon dioxide has been identified as a possible cause of lung cancer while the inconvenience, physical discomfort and consistent sedentary posture forced by traffic build up could aid the lifestyle habits that have been proven to occasion strokes and heart attacks. Indeed, a professor of medicine and Chief of Cardiology at the University of California, San Francisco, David Waters, is reported to have observed that more Nigerians are dying and developing stroke because of the long hours they spend in traffic.

Now, Lagos State has always been and remains Nigeria’s economic focal point, generating a significant portion of the country’s Gross Domestic Product. Most commercial and financial business activities are carried out in the central business district situated on the island where most of the country’s commercial banks and financial institutions and major corporations are headquartered. It is thus clear as daylight that the intervention at the

with the robustness of the APC campaign, indicate that party holds all the aces in this race.

Specifically, the selling points identified to give the APC edge are but not limited to the following: the choice of its candidate, Obaseki’s vision, his experience, Oshiomhole’s performance, APC’s wide support base in the state and incumbency.

It is still considered that there couldn’t have been any better choice of successor than Obaseki, whose origin and disposition align with the people’s expectations. One thing we cannot take away from any governorship race in Edo is the Benin factor in addition to the fact that Edo South Senatorial District has numeric edge over others.

These identified selling points, would be overwhelmingly influential in the race to produce Oshiomhole’s successor. As an informed commentator and participant in Edo politics, Obaseki is poised to benefit from these factors.

On the incumbent’s performance index, every follower of Edo politics knows that it will be a key determinant feature in Obaseki’s victory.

Th reason for this prognosis could be found in the maxim that the performance of a political party, determines its longevity in power.

On performance, even the blind, deaf and dumb can see, hear and talk about the performance of Oshiomole. It is common knowledge that preceding Oshiomole’s emergence, Edo State was governed like a medieval kingdom of the dark ages.

There was pervasive disparagement in the land

and total lack of confidence in governments that served then. This was as government officials became more corrupt and insensitive to the plight of the Edo people, whose only offense was that they elected Lucky Igbenedion as their governor.

Like a reformer bursting with humongous zeal, Oshiomole began to address a number of issues affecting the people. Roads were attended to, schools were constructed and old ones rehabilitated. The health sector was given enormous attention as a large number of hospitals in the state were adequately staffed and equipped to meet the health outcomes of a modern society.

The urban renewal project which cut across the three senatorial districts with much focus on Benin City, Auchi, Ekpoma, Uromi and Abudu did have meaningful impact on the people of the state as it opened up these areas and facilitated the ease of transporting items, particularly food produce from the rural to the urban areas.

Water, which was largely a scarce commodity in a number of areas owing to the sorry state of its waterboard service became accessible to the people as Oshiomole revived the service by injecting a capable management as well as injecting fresh ideas into the service.

On the education frontier, Oshiomole bore the burden as his own cross. This saw the transformation of all public schools in the state from its dilapidated states into model colleges.

On taxes, the idea that some were above the law was also challenged and brought to a close

“Everyone is born with an instinct of success, and ability to make it, but only the ones who think out of the box succeed.” ––Unarine Ramaru

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he innovative voyage embarked upon by Governor Akinwunmi Ambode at the Oworonsoki bus stop has no doubt mitigated the debilitating traffic snarl and incidental crime of yore that transcends Lagos Island to the mainland. Curiously too, it has raised the question regarding whether a single innovation can give satisfactory answers to a myriad of multi-faceted traffic and incidental problems confronting Lagosians? With Ambode, an innovative administrator and manager whose career has been defined by the acclaimed ability to think outside the proverbial box at the helm of affairs, the answer is a resounding ‘yes’.

To start wit; when Ambode assumed office in 2015, quite a few impatient political watchers and inhabitants of Lagos State underestimated him. But with time, the amiable and self-effacing governor of Lagos State steadily showed that despite his slow and steady start, he might readily surpass the limit set by the state’s superlative governors since 1999. To the joy of many, he has, so far, exceeded expectations. Without doubt, he has proved his detractors wrong and has validated the confidence reposed in him by the citizens of Lagos State and the Lagos State Chapter of the All Progressives Congress (APC).

The exploit of the current henchman of the centre of excellence is legendary: From the repositioning of the state government’s policy to meet up with the pursuit of result-oriented governance; to eventual reordering of the huge debts he met on resumption and having purposeful grip on state finances; down to transformation of the emergency services that has now become efficiently responsive, akin only to others like it in developed climes. The current Lagos governor of compassion has times without number exhibited his milk of kindness to pensioners and staff in the employ of the state government. Apart from ensuring that the staff of the state government get salary by the 21st of every month at this excruciating period when most of the states across the federation are owed arrears of salary; he has gone further by not only assuring pensioners in the state of their pensions but making sure that a large chunk is provided to pay them at a time their counterparts in other states are not being paid at all. Indeed, the welfare of people around

Ambode

Why the Odds Favour Obaseki

Monday Ugonoba

I

rrespective of the campaign of calumny being executed by the Peoples Democratic Party, PDP, in Edo State against the peoples’ choice, Mr. Godwin Obaseki, things keep looking up.

This comes very astonishingly because rather than distracting the All Progressives Congress, APC, candidate, he gets more enabled by the war of attrition employed by the opposition.

Of note is the super-silence with which every political dart is met with, making it clearer that all that matter to Obaseki is how to finish strong.

Whereas everyone in a contest aims at coming tops of any competitive exercise, but the Edo State chapter of PDP is engrossed in making issues out of where there is none.

For Edo people, who crave for good governance, the deliberate disregard for issues as being displayed by the opposition is akin to a disservice.

Therefore, the growing consensus, that the PDP prefers the creation of imaginary enemies to engaging in an issue-based campaign that would afford the indigenes the opportunity to evaluate their would-be leaders.

Our findings in this regard, suggest that the opposition’s apathetic disposition to issues affecting the average Edo man seems to be deeming whatever chances the PDP think it possesses.

The mood of state when placed side by side

Oworonsoki Bus Stop will further fulfill Lagos State’s metamorphosis in to a dream mega-city.

The promotion of commerce and the ease of doing and transacting business is a legitimate expectation of taxpayers from the government of Lagos State. The innovative intervention by Governor Ambode at the Oworonsoki Bus Stop has met that expectation. Traffic time has been cut by almost half and the prospect of making multiple trips to the Island from the mainland is no longer dreadful.

One must appropriately note that the foregoing benefits would not have accrued if Ambode had followed the standard traffic congestion solution of deploying more and more traffic control officers to hotspots. That would have amounted to the ‘same old, same old’ approach that only resulted in corruption and inconsistent results at the bus stops.

For instance, by incorporating the construction of the metal fence to his innovative solution, the governor has reduced, if not stopped, the recurring incidences of traffic-time robberies.

With the fence in place, robbers will have to think more than twice before engaging in their nefarious acts because the chances of escape have been reduced to virtually nil.

In the same way, passengers of commercial buses no longer have a reason to pressurize drivers to stop at places not designated as bus stops because the fence has removed any mileage to be gained by so doing.

Thus, going back to my opening question here, could a single innovative solution give satisfactory answer to a number of multifaceted problems confronting Lagosians? In this case, the answer is a loud and incontrovertible “Yes.” Governor Ambode’s out-of-the-box approach to traffic management has proffered solutions to, and in some cases, ameliorated the effects of, some of the most annoying and worrisome problems that have confronted Lagosians for a long time: the rate of fuel usage has reduced, savings on fuel costs could translate to more funds being available for lending; the environment is saved from further pollution; the incidences of health conditions associated with a polluted environment and traffic congestion are vastly reduced. Also, the quantity and quality of time available for productive business transactions have been increased, and the incidences of robbery attacks greatly reduced.

It is for these reasons that one is compelled to extol the gratifying efforts of Ambode and what to expect from him in the future despite the prevailing economically challenging time.

May Ambode never get tired of moving Lagos forward.

-Dr. Fadahunsi, a sociologist, lives in Ogudu GRA, Lagos state.

by the Oshiomole administration. Oshiomole insisted that if the small man could pay taxes so also the big shot. Though this earned him the wrath of the tin gods, Oshiomole soldiered on, winning the battles of course.

While we commend the governor for these, it amounts to a disservice if we fail to credit the governor’s team which Obaseki is a primary member. His membership of such a remarkable team, makes his candidacy more endeared to people and as well increases public confidence about him. In an election where the electorate had made it obvious, that only issues could influence their voting pattern, these performances stand Obaseki out.

On the other hand, Obaseki’s manifesto dwarfs the Ize-Iyamu’s widely criticised Simple Agenda.

With agriculture, development of industries, job creation, infrastructure expansion and tax reforms topping his agenda, one is encouraged to mobilise support for the APC. An excerpt from the manifesto which encapsulates this doubtless commitment to the greatness of Edo State reads: ‘’Through the provision of Micro, Small and Medium Enterprise Loans at single digit interest rates, we will encourage micro and small businesses to grow, medium enterprises will become large companies in the long run.

This will create over 50,000 jobs as we intend to support over 20,000 MSMEs in the next 4 years.’’

––Ugonoba, a former students’ union leader, writes from Afuze

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PERSPECTIVE

In Port Harcourt, Editors Endorse Wike’s Performance Simeon Nwakaudu

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s Nigeria’s best performing governor in the current dispensation, Rivers State Governor Nyesom Wike has never shied away from any opportunity to expose any false propaganda by the opposition All Progressives Congress in the state. The governor’s pro-people projects spread across the state are testimonies to deliberate planning and judicious application of scarce resources.

Those who are transparent and accountable to their people are always ready to showcase their accomplishments to encourage other leaders to deliver good governance to their respective states.

Wike’s 14 months in office have been a turning point in the contemporary history of Rivers State, making the state a destination of interest to lovers of development.

This explains why the state has witnessed an influx of professionals and guests from across the country.

The leadership and members of the Nigerian Guild of Editors were in the state for the 12th edition of the All Nigeria Editors’ Conference that held from August 3 to 7. The president and other executives of the guild had visited the state in the last week of July. The National Standing Committee of the Guild led by its president, Mrs Funke Egbemode, met with Wike during a breakfast meeting on July 30.

The Nigerian Guild of Editors joined a long list of groups that have witnessed first-hand the superlative performance of Wike in transforming the lives of the people of the state. In the last few weeks, the outgoing president of the Nigerian Bar Association, Augustine Alegeh (SAN), former Senate President David Mark, PDP National Caretaker Committee chairman, Senator Ahmed Makarfi, and Deputy Senate President, Senator Ike Ekweremadu, have been impressed by Wike’s delivery of projects and good governance.

Despite the propaganda being funded by the leaders of the Rivers APC, the reports of the superlative projects delivery of the Rivers State governor have been in the public domain, nationally. The 12th All Nigeria Editors Conference afforded the ultimate gate-keepers the opportunity to see the reality of the creation of a new Rivers State. They saw for themselves the unfolding development of an amazing Rivers State where the resources of the people work for them.

Wike’s tour of projects with the members of the Nigerian Guild of Editors on Saturday, August 6 signalled a paradigm shift in the perception of the development process in Rivers State. The editors were pleasantly surprised at the level of projects delivery in the state and the quality of work done so far by the Rivers State government under the leadership of Wike.

The editors were happy with the governor for his impressive performance which most of them declared must be sustained to further advance the living condition of the people of the state. The tour of projects led the editors to 24 projects sites spread across seven local government areas of the state, namely, Port Harcourt, Obio/ Akpor, Ikwerre, Eleme, Khana, Gokana and Etche local government areas.

To achieve maximum exposure of the selected projects, the tour was divided into two teams; Wike led a team, while the Commissioner for Housing, Mr Emma Okah, led the second team.

The projects visited included the Law Centre, Civic Centre, Federal High Court being constructed by the Rivers State Government, Garrison-Akpajo-East

L-R: Rivers State Governor Nyesom Wike; President, Nigerian Guild of Editors, Mrs. Funke Egbemode; Publicity Secretary of the Guild, Mr. Ken Ugbechie; Secretary, Victoria Ibanga, and other unidentified persons during an inspection of renovation work at Brick House (Government House), Port Harcourt West Road, Second Nkpogu Bridge, Dr Peter Odili Road, Abuluoma-Woji Road, Woji-Akpajo Road, Elelenwo-Akpajo Road, Sakpenwa-Bori Road, Rumukwurusi-Eneka Road, Igwuruta-Okehi Road, Rukpokwu-Eneka and Oroigwe Road.

Other projects visited were Industry Road, Njamanze Road (Diobu), Eagle Island Bridge –Agip, RumuepirikomRumuolumeni Road, RumuolumeniElioparanwo-Ogbogoro-Ozuoba Road, Ozuoba-Rumoosi Road, AlakahiaRumualogu Road, Nkpolu-RumuigboRumuaholu-Obiri Ikwere Road and Aluu-Rukpokwu Road.

Nigerian editors experienced in reality Wike’s street credibility. Everywhere the governor and the editors went to inspect projects, the people trooped out in their numbers to sing the praises of the governor. The popularity and acceptance of Wike by the people of Rivers State played out before the editors. They understood the political strength of the governor and why it would be impossible for the APC to win election in the state.

From the Civic Centre, to the Law Centre, through to Elelenwo-Akpajo road down to Igwuruta-Okehi road, the people in one accord through their loud voices passed a vote of confidence on Wike. The lies of the Rivers APC evaporated into thin air. The governor led his editorial guests on long walks on the streets of Rivers State in carnival-like processions. Beyond the acceptance and popularity of Wike, the editors also experienced the unending energy of the chief executive of Rivers State to work for the people of the state.

For three days running, he was at their beck and call to account for his development projects.

Flowing from the street credibility Wike exhibited during the tour of projects with the editors is the issue of security and safety of Rivers State. The president of the Nigerian Guild of Editors and other leaders of the guild were in the state for days without security details before they had a breakfast meeting with Wike on Saturday, July 30. They saw for themselves the security architecture being funded and organised by the Rivers State Government for the people of the state.

Between August 3 and 7, over 300 front-

line editors from all mainstream and online media organisations across Nigeria stayed in several hostels in Port Harcourt without experiencing the false reports of insecurity being circulated by the opposition party in the state. These editors enjoyed the revived night-life in Port Harcourt, the warmth of the people, the friendship and humanity of Rivers people, the beauty of the Garden City, and the serenity of the Treasure Base of the Nation.

Throughout their stay, there was no untoward incident. Nigerian editors had the privilege of appreciating the security that oil companies, schools, expatriate staff and other professionals enjoy in Rivers State that make them to want to return to the state at every opportunity. As the saying goes, “Seeing is believing.”

Through critical security initiatives, Wike was able to resolve the security challenges that affected a few local government areas far away from Port Harcourt, restored the confidence of the people and set the entire state for greater development.

Of course, the Nigerian editors who visited six local government areas in Rivers State inspecting projects alongside the Rivers State governor and top government officials were appreciative of the governor’s efforts. They never minced words.

They celebrated his development efforts.

President of the Nigerian Guild of Editors, Mrs Funke Egbemode, praised Wike for working to revive Rivers State through the execution of high quality projects.

Other leading editors like Mr Lawal Ado, Editor-in-Chief of News Agency of Nigeria, Mr Steve Nwosu, Deputy Managing Director of Sun Newspapers, and Juliet Njiohwor, Director of Publication of Tide Newspapers, commended Wike for his judicious application ofresources to promote development in the state.

By every definition, the 12th All Nigeria Editors Conference in Port Harcourt was a resounding success. The theme of the conference, “Economic Diversification: Agriculture as Option for a Prosperous Nigeria,” was exhaustively discussed by the editors, a collection of mainstream farmers, agribusiness financiers, policy-makers and captains of industry.

Prominent participants at the conference included Osun State Governor, Ogbeni

Rauf Aregbesola; Minister of Information, Alhaji Lai Mohammed; representatives of the governors of Bayelsa, Niger, Plateau and Bauchi states; veteran editor, Ray Ekpu; former Ogun State Governor, Chief Segun Osoba; president of the Nigerian Union of Journalists, Mr Waheed Odusile; and the representative of Newspapers Proprietors Association of Nigeria, Comfort Obi. All the stakeholders agreed that developing the agricultural sector was the best way to rebuild the Nigerian economy and empower the people. This also formed the premise of the communiqué at the end of the conference.

The All Nigeria Editors Conference provided stakeholders the opportunity to discuss various aspects of the country’s political development as they relate to Rivers State. Wike explained that contrary to the views being circulated by the Independent National Electoral Commission and the Rivers APC, the state remained safe for the conclusion of the outstanding rerun elections in constituencies cancelled by INEC. The governor also warned against the declaration of results in constituencies completely cancelled by INEC on March 19.

The fundamental takeaway from the 12th All Nigeria Editors Conference, certainly, is that there is a limit to which falsehood can be deployed against a people. No matter how well scripted, falsehood will fail in the presence of the truth. That is the situation of Rivers State.

The impressive performance of Wike has led to a nationwide appreciation of his adherence to the tenets of good governance. People from all walks of life are now gravitating towards Rivers State, one of the few oases of development in the present-day desert of stagnation.

Rivers is the state with a new life, a community that serves as a tonic to others as they seek ways to escape from today’s reality. It is obvious that Wike is ever ready to share experiences with other leaders as a means of setting the country on the path of growth.

–Nwakaudu, Special Assistant to the Rivers State Governor on Electronic Media, writes from Port Harcourt.

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NEWSXTRA

ROYAL COURTESY WEDDING BLISS L-R: His Imperial Majesty, Oba Adeyeye Enitan Ogunwusi, Ojaja II, L-R: Father of the bride, Mr. Augustine Ojezele; Groom’s mother, Mrs. Korede Adenaike; newly-weds, Babtunde and Rebecca; former Editor-in-Chief of the Nigerian Tribune and father of the groom, Mr. Felix Adenaike, and Mother of the bride, Mrs. Mary Ojezele at the couple’s wedding in Lagos…yesterday

Ooni of Ife, and an APC Gubernatorial Aspirant in Ondo State, Mr. Akinboye Taiwo Oyewumi, during the latter’s courtesy visit to the monarch in his palace in Ife, Osun State...recently

Navy Busts Two Active Members of Niger Delta Avengers in Warri

CDHR Frowns on FG Forex Subsidy for Pilgrims

Sylvester Idowu in Warri

The Committee for the Defence of Human Rights (CDHR) frowned on the Federal Government’s continued action in subsidising foreign exchange (forex) needs of pilgrims in spite of the earlier promises of the present administration to discontinue with it.

The committee’s stance was contained in a release issued and signed by Dr. Bode Fasade for President, CDHR, Mr. Malachy Ugwummadu, titled ‘Forex Subsidy for Pilgrimage; An Illegal and Insensitive Venture of a “Change” Government’.

According to the group, “In the first instance, it is important to reiterate the fact that Nigeria is a heterogeneous society with a multi-religious population in which the State is expressly debarred by Section 10 of

Operatives of the Nigerian Navy Ship (NNS Delta) Warri have recorded a major breakthrough in curtailing bombing of oil facilities with the arrest of two active members of the Niger Delta Avengers (NDA).

The two suspects, Felix Miyenminiya, aged 53 years and Stanley Jongha aged 35 were arrested last Thursday in Sapele, Delta State by the Navy in conjunction with other security agencies after intensive surveillance on the suspects.

Parading the suspects at NNS Delta, Warri, the Commander, Commodore Joseph Dzunye disclosed that the suspects were behind attacks on some Chevron Nigerian Limited (CNL) facilities in the Warri North Local Government area of Delta State between the months of May

and July.

Dzunve, who indicated the Navy’s precision in its arrest of the suspects, said the suspects had provided useful information that would help in the operations, adding that those arrested were deeply involved in various forms of crimes, including pipeline vandalism and sea robberies.

The Navy boss said the suspects were arrested last week, following intelligence tip-offs, adding that they were arrested within the Sapele general area.

He disclosed that the two suspects, Toghan and Miyenminiye, were not the only ones involved in the attacks on the facilities in the Warri North area, assuring listeners that others who were still at large would soon be apprehended.

“Today, I am pleased to inform you that after persistent efforts, the Nigerian Navy

Ship Delta, being part of the maritime component of the Operation Delta Safe, has arrested two suspects responsible for the attack on Chevron facilities, witnessed between May and July 2016, around Warri North axis of Delta state.

“It is important to mention that the suspects are also deeply involved in pipelines vandalism and sea robbery along the waterways in Warri North axis. The suspects have provided useful information and I assure you that the Nigerian Navy and other security agencies remain committed to apprehending those behind all forms of criminal activities in the Nigerian maritime domain”, Dzunve said.

Fielding questions from newsmen, one of the suspects, Miyenminiya denied knowledge of the allegation while his partner Tongha insisted that Felix who is his uncle is neck

deep in the illegal business.

“My Uncle (Felix) always send us to the river with dynamite and bomb to do the damage to oil facilities and perpetrate other nefarious act”, said Stanley of Felix.

On Operation Delta Safe, the special security outfit put in place to checkmate insurgency and other criminal activities along the waterways, Commodore Dzunye assured listeners that it is on course.

“It is worthy to note that the Nigerian Navy and other security agencies have been doing their best to curtail attacks on oil facilities as well as reducing to the barest minimum act of criminalities in the Niger Delta Area”, Dzunve further said.

He warned that the Nigerian Navy will not fold her hands and watch the unscrupulous elements destroying the nation’s economy.

Enelamah: We’re Reforming Nigeria’s Business and Investment Environment Ugo Aliogo

The Minister of Industry, Trade and Investment, Okechukwu Enelamah, has said Nigeria’s ongoing economic challenges offer an unprecedented opportunity to restructure and diversify the economy.

Enelamah, who spoke recently on Channels Television’s Sunrise Programme, said, “I believe that depending on what we do with this crisis we’re facing, it could actually be the impetus for this diversification.

It’s extremely important that we

make the most of what we’re going through.”

The minister highlighted the Ministry’s commitment to implementing the Nigeria Industrial Revolution Plan (NIRP) as a tool for diversifying the Nigerian economy. “That Plan identifies sectors where Nigeria should be doing more, but for reasons that are well understood, we haven’t.

Our responsibility as a ministry is to make sure that plan is implemented; from agro-processing to the automotive industry; cotton, textile and garments; and petrochemicals – the sectors around

which we have a comparative advantage.”

On other reform efforts, Enelamah highlighted the Ministry’s Ease of Doing Business Initiative. According to him, “The President has directed that we set up a Council, the Presidential Enabling Business Environment Council (PEBEC), chaired by the VicePresident,andthatisfocused majorly on making Nigeria more attractive for investment. A lot of work has gone on behind closed doors.

“The Nigeria Investment Promotion Commission (NIPC)

is going to be the Secretariat.

We’ve said that in the first year we want to move at least 20 spots ahead on the World Bank’s Ease of Doing Business rankings. We have identified a private sector Lead, who will be announced soon, who is going to be the head of this Ease of Doing Business Forum. We’ve also identified private sector firms that are experts in it, and we’ve identified someone who led it in another country – Georgia – he’s a former Prime Minister, who’s come to help us. I’m confident we’ll get results.”

Key into PenCom and Avoid Pension Liabilities, DG Advises North-eastern States Segun Awofadejo in Gombe

The six states of the North-east sub-region have been advised to ensure prompt implementation of the Contributory Pension Scheme (CPS) in order to provide economic support and prevent future liabilities of their employees.

The Director-General of

the National Pension Commission (NPC), Mrs. Chinelo Anohu Amazu gave the advice yesterday in Gombe during a sensitisation conference and official unveiling of the Northeast Zonal Office of the Commission.

According to her, through the pension funds, services, and investment across financial

and real sectors of the Nigerian economy, individuals and all Nigerian workers should be encouraged to develop saving culture for their economic improvement to also better th0eir livelihoods, reduce poverty and other social vices.

She said, “The need for efficiency in managing finances can never be greater than now

as a result of the lean resources of the federal government occasioned by fall in global oil prices and the attendant revenue decline; the adoption of the Contributory Pension Scheme by states would serve as one effective tool for managing finances through regular monthly pension contributions.”

Abimbola Akosile

the Constitution of the Federal Republic of Nigeria 1999 as Amended to adopt, sponsor or facilitate certain religious activities in preference to the others.

To that extent, Nigeria remains a secular country and cannot continue to deploy the collective resources of this country in sponsoring and supporting the religious activities of the Christians and Muslims.

“Secondly, the federal government is gradually displaying its clueless plans in tackling the woeful economic challenges facing the country by appealing to the sentiments of the suffering masses through religious activities. It is no longer in doubt as recently admitted by the Minister of Finance that the Nigerian economy has entered into recession compounding the plight of the Nigerian masses.

Treat Muslims Fairly, Sultan of Sokoto Urges Govts Adibe Emenyonu in Benin City

The Sultan of Sokoto, Alhaji Abubakar Sa’ad III CFR, has called on governments at all levels to treat Muslims fairly, adding that what is due to Muslims must be given to them as their right and not as a favour.

According to him, “we hold on to the Constitution of the Federal Republic of Nigeria that guarantees freedom of worship. That is why we don’t disturb anybody who wants to go and worship the way he wants.

The Sultan who is also the President General, Nigeria

Supreme Council for Islamic Affairs (NSCIA) stated this yesterday at the Delegates Conference of the General/ Executive of NSCIA, held in Benin City, capital of Edo state.

“As Muslims, we want nothing but a very peaceful and stable Nigeria. As Muslims, we believe we must stay together as one big family as so desire by the Almighty Allah who put Nigeria together.

As Muslims, we want to treat people equally, fairly and justly, equal justice to all of us.

We are not asking for preference or special treatment for anybody”, the spiritual leader added.

‘Navy Did Not Lose Any Officer in Delta’

Nigerian Navy Ship (NNS Delta) Warri yesterday said it did not lose any of its officers in any form of accident penultimate week.

The Base Information Officer, Lieutenant Lamu gave the clarification in an interview with THISDAY in reaction to a Sunday publication in which it was reported that the Navy lost an officer in an accident. THISDAY had exclusively reported that a Naval Officer attached to the NNS Delta Warri lost his life penultimate Thursday night at the Navy base.

RETRACTION

In the July 31, 2016 edition of THISDAY, we published a report under the headline “Sour Grapes … Intrigues As Muhammed Indimi’s Daughter, Rahma, Bewails Failed Marriage To Muhammed Babangida.” We hereby retract the insinuation contained in the report. Editor

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SUNDAYSPORTS

Edited by Demola Ojo Email demola.ojo@thisdaylive.com

Aminu Umar heade in the second goal yesterday

Nigeria Beats Denmark 2-0, Qualifies for Olympics Semi-finals

N

igeria’s men’s football team at the Rio Olympics inched closer to winning a medal after a masterful display overwhelmed Denmark yesterday in Salvador, Brazil. Nigeria’s victory earns them a semi-final matchup against Germany who were 4-0 winners of Portugal yesterday.

John Obi Mikel was a major actor in Nigeria’s progress as the Chelsea man, one of two overaged players in the Nigeria Under-23 team, scored the opening goal and assisted Aminu Umar with the second.

Nigeria started the game without Oghenekaro Etebo, who suffered a knock in their last group game against Colombia. Just 52 seconds into the game, Usman Mohammed’s sidefooted effort is claimed by the Danish goalkeeper, Jeppe Hojbjerg.

The Danes then produced one frightening moment earlier in the game when Casper Nielsen showed great ball control before aiming a looping attempt at goal which grazed the woodwork with Nigeria goalkeeper Emmanuel Daniel rooted to the spot.

On the quarter of an hour into the

match, Nigeria captain, Mikel, opened scoring. Imoh Ezekiel popped up on the left channel and beat his marker for pace before squaring low into the Danish box for the Chelsea man to sweep home.

On 20 minutes, Ezekiel turned and twisted inside of Danish right-back Desler Puggaard to set himself up for the kill, but the 22-year-old disappointingly blazed over from close range when he could have doubled the lead for his team.

After finding it difficult to go through the Nigerian backline through any sort of passing style, they adopted route-one and on two occasions, the Africans were

found wanting but Daniel produced two saves from Frederik Borsting.

Just after the half hour, the Europeans enjoyed a flurry of activities inside their opponents territory but had to deal with many men behind the ball.

In the final 10 minutes to the break, Nigeria resumed normal service and Mikel swept in a wicked cross in the Danish area which simply flashed across goal without no teammates to connect.

Within seconds, Stanley Amuzie ventured out of his left-back position to smash a fierce effort at goal which was deflected out for a corner.

Buhari Hails Football Team for Reaching Olympic Semis Tobi Soniyi in Abuja

P

resident Muhammadu Buhari yesterday night praised the indomitable spirit of the Nigerian soccer team to the Olympics Games, which saw them flying over Denmark 2-0 to qualify for the semi-finals.

A statement issued by the Special Adviser to the President on Media and Publicity, Mr Femi Adesina said Buhari was very elated by the performance of the team.

Buhari said: “Again and again, the unconquerable Nigerian spirit has come to the fore, showing that where there is a will, there’s always

a way. This was a team that was not given much chance, but which has now advanced into the semi-finals.

Go for it. Go for the gold, and let the Nigerian banner be held proudly aloft once again on the global stage. We are almost there. Let’s go.”

Buhari urged the Nigerian nation to pray and support the Nigerian

contingent to the Olympics, especially the soccer team, so that the rest of the world will know that even in the face of economic adversity, the Nigerian spirit remains resolute and lifted high.

“And this, we shall demonstrate in every sphere of our national life,” the President added.

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T H I S D AY, T H E S U N D AY N E W S PA P E R • AUGUST 14, 2016

SUNDAYSPORTS

Resurgent Del Potro to Play Murray for Olympic Gold

J

uan Martin del Potro will take on Andy Murray in today’s gold-medal match at the Rio Olympics after the Argentine beat Spain’s Rafael Nadal. Del Potro, ranked 141st in the world, overcame Nadal 5-7 6-4 7-6 (7-5).

Meanwhile, Britain’s Murray is gunning for back-to-back Olympic tennis gold medals after beating Japanese fourth seed Kei Nishikori in the semi-finals. World number two Murray, 29, is attempting to become the first player to win two Olympic singles titles. He won his second Wimbledon - and third Grand Slam - last month.

“It’s obviously not an easy thing to do, that’s why it’s never been done before,” said Murray about the prospect of another gold medal. “I’m going to give my best effort and I’m happy I’m guaranteed the medal, but the goal is obviously the gold.”

After coming through two gruelling matches to reach the last four, Murray dominated against Nishikori, breaking his opponent twice to win the first set in 30 minutes.

The Briton was unhappy to receive a code violation in the second set as he argued with umpire Carlos Ramos, but he remained in control of the action on court.

Nishikori appeared to wilt in the Rio heat as he dropped serve midway through

the second set with a dreadful game.

Murray served his way to an unexpectedly simple victory, winning arguably the point of the tournament, a 23-shot rally, to set up a third match point.

While the first semi-final was a pretty straightforward affair, the second was anything but as a tremendous match unfolded in front of a packed and raucous stadium. Nadal, who won gold in the men’s doubles with Marc Lopez on Friday, took the first set before Del Potro levelled.

Both players played superbly in the decider, with Nadal breaking back at 5-4 down with some wonderful shots - but it was eventually in vain as the Argentine won the decider 7-5 in the tie-break.

Del Potro, 27, who collapsed to the ground in celebration and kissed the Olympic emblem, won bronze at London 2012.

Arsenal Short of Defenders for Premiership Opener against Liverpool Arsene Wenger faces a defensive shortage when Arsenal start their Premier League season at home to Liverpool on Super Sunday at the Emirates Stadium.

Per Mertesacker (knee) and Gabriel (ankle) are missing while Laurent Koscielny has not played in pre-season after reaching the final of Euro 2016 with France.

Guardiola

Del Potro

Ibrahimovic

Emir Sanusi

T H I S D AY, T H E S U N D AY N E W S PA P E R • AUGUST 14, 2016

High Life

Daisy Danjuma

T

85 wiTh LANRE ALFRED 08076885752

...Amazing lifestyles of Nigeria’s rich and famous

Bola Shagaya

Folorunsho Alakija

Revealed! Nigerian Alpha Women Who Own Private Jets

he needs of a female billionaire are unusually legion: from high-priced art, diamonds and platinum to gold jewels, filthy rich women like their male counterparts, don’t mind splurging a fortune and more on expensive toys. Add a private island and coastal estate to the mix and you have a stereotypical staple for the pleasure of the superrich alpha female. However, if there is one distinctive marker of class or status symbol amongst the Nigerian alpha female, the filthy rich in particular, it is ownership of an expensive private

Walter Wagbatsoma

£12 MILLION NHS TRUSTS FRAUD: WALTER WAGBATSOMA GETS ADMINISTRATIVE BAIL •WHY OIL MAGNATE WILL NOT COME TO NIGERIA ANYTIME SOON “If you want to know who your friends are, get yourself a jail sentence,” said Charles Bukowski, German-born U.S.

jet. At the last count, just few women boast ownership of the statusenhancing aircraft and they include: Folorunsho Alakija, the richest black woman in the world, Hajia Bola Shagaya, oil magnate and politician, and Daisy Danjuma, wife of Gen. Theophilus Danjuma – who bought her the private jet as a gift on her 60th birthday years ago. Ownership of a private airplane has undeniably given rise to a culture of acquisition that has become central to the forging of a new personal identity and independent tradition that is tirelessly endorsed by the contemporary alpha female

and coveted by the middle-class of this social divide. More importantly, ownership of the high-end jets guarantees easier access for this influential women between their homes and business domains.

Besides guaranteeing easier access to important business and political engagements, the private jets enable Alakija, Danjuma, and Shagaya hassle-free travel to and fro their favourite exclusive beach Eldorado and other guilty pleasures that catch their fancy. Of course, not every alpha female owns an island, but for these extraordinary women, the

writer. Walter Wagbatsoma probably knows who his friends are now. That due to his ignorance in Forex transactions, the oil magnate landed himself in troubled waters is no longer hot-button news. At this moment the relatives and friends of Walter are extremely happy that his incarceration was not a tale of another long walk to freedom. As you read, the Managing Director (MD) of Ontario Oil and Gas Ltd, who was caught on the barbed end of justice has been given a bail in the UK. But Walter is not coming to Nigeria anytime soon. It so unfortunate that an erroneous decision he made in the past has mutated to haunt him like an explosion of virulent cells.

You couldn’t have forgotten so soon when Walter was charged in the United Kingdom (UK) by the Economic Crime

Unit of Lincolnshire Police, in connection with a £12 million NHS trusts fraud.

Findings revealed that Walter may have unknowingly purchased “dirty” foreign exchange from an anonymous source through an intermediary in Dubai, United Arab Emirates without proper due diligence on the source of the funds before it was wired into his company’s offshore trading account.

Unknown to him, the Forex was part of the NHS trusts fund being investigated in the UK. The fund was later traced to his account as the investigation continued, according to a source.

Walter was allegedly contacted about the investigation by the British authorities few months ago.

Although he was initially shaken by the development, the Ontario Oil head honcho

private jet metamorphoses into an island of sort in the perpetuation of the peculiar indulgences.

But while the alpha women bask in the privileges and elevated status accruable from their ownership of the private planes, it is unclear if they will upgrade anytime soon, like the few privileged corporate titans and high net worth entrepreneurs that have upgraded to bigger planes – leather seats, plush bedrooms and opulent boardrooms – in apparent defiance of economic recession characteristic of several economies of the world.

had been cooperating with investigators and even hired attorneys to represent him in the matter. At the beginning of his travail, Walter was reportedly detained in Germany on a red notice by Interpol on the matter. The multi-millionaire businessman was detained in Germany on Monday June 6, 2016, following the issue of a European Arrest Warrant

by Lincolnshire Police and was extradited to the UK on Thursday 30th June where he was charged with conspiracy to launder money and appeared at Lincoln Magistrates Court on Friday, July 1. The investigation, named Operation Tarlac, commenced in September 2011 following a report of fraud and money laundering in excess of £12m involving Lincolnshire Partnership NHS Foundation Trust.

T H I S D AY, T H E S U N D AY N E W S PA P E R • AUGUST 14, 2016

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HIGHLIFE

Disappearing Acts! The Curious Case of Raymond Dokpesi ‘s Wife, Moji Dokpesi

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eauty, like gold coins, grows dear the less it is seen. That perhaps explains why Moji Dokpesi, the ravishing wife of Chief Raymond Dokpesi, causes heads to turn like a revolving wheel every time she makes an appearance in public.

Moji, a longstanding socialite, is the eldest sister of the Ogungbe siblings and she has been elusive from the social scene for some time now; when she has to appear for an occasion, she puts up a cameo appearance that it

Temidayo Abudu

MO ABUDU’S DAUGHTER ‘BREAKS’ THE INTERNET Whisper this quietly; media entrepreneur and founder, Ebony Life TV, Mo Abudu’s daughter, Temidayo, has come of age. When she stepped out with her beautiful and enterprising mother at a wedding last year, the young lady occasioned many double takes and inspired lustful gawks and inadvertent drool until Mo was forced to introduce her severally as her daughter, not just a single, younger friend of hers. The reception that greeted her at another high profile event recently did not differ from her first major outing with her mum. Like Mo, who has been fondly hailed as Nigeria’s Oprah Winfrey, Temidayo is smart as a whip and as beautiful and fashionable as they come. By Jove, the young lady also inherited her mum’s smile-wide grin and sharp intellect that has seen her conquer the otherwise difficult Nigerian media terrain in less than a decade of her entry. Mo has really done

becomes impossible to see her few minutes after she graces the event with her impressive presence. But while she is around, Moji dazzles everyone with her infectious smiles and endearing glint in her eyes. It would be recalled that Moji adopted this elusive attitude months after her husband’s encounter with anti graft agency.

These days, she dedicates her time fully to her office and business headquarters in Apapa.

Wole Omoboriowo

well for herself, rising from a tentative, scarcely trained talk-show hostess to a prima donna TV gal interviewing national and global leaders on her widely syndicated Moments With Mo. Also a successful businesswoman with different thriving companies under her belt, Mo’s magnum opus remains her daring foray into satellite television ownership with Ebony Life TV, which went live in 2013 on Digital Satellite Television, DSTV. Perhaps to drive home the point that the apple, truly, doesn’t fall far from the tree, Temidayo, an avid writer with by-lines on several online journals and OK! Magazine, has Masters degree in Material and Visual Culture from the University College, London, Temidayo and Adekoyejo are the products of Mo’s marriage.

KOLA ALUKO’S FORMER PARTNER, WOLE OMOBORIOWO, AT DAGGERS DRAWN WITH BANANA ISLAND RESIDENTS It has been a while

Moji Dokpesi

since we heard about Wole Omoboriowo, the former partner and best friend of the much-talked about billionaire oil mogul, Kola Aluko. Tall and very good looking, articulate and embodying the best of western education and exposure, Wole lived the life back in his boom time.

Money meant nothing to him; it ran errands for him.

Wole, the son of late Akin Omoboriowo, lawyer and politician, who was deputy governor of Ondo State during the Second Republic, was one of those guys that could make the Lagos and Abuja social scenes bend to his will, whims and caprices. Not even his marriage tempered his rollercoaster life. Gradually, however, Wole is striding back to the forefront of the social scene. He was in the news recently. Omoborowo is having a serious issue with the residents of the billionaire’s haven, Banana Island, Ikoyi, Lagos, over power supply. As the story goes, “The construction of the power plant, scalable to 15MW, was fully funded

by GELMARK Power solutions Limited promoted

by Akinwole Omoboriowo, following an agreement with the management of Banana Island Property Owners & Residents Association (BIPORAL) Lagos, who negotiated and signed the contract on behalf of the residents. According to contract documents seen

by BusinessDay, in 2013, GELMARK agreed and

undertook to build a plant to generate and distribute electric power for the exclusive use of BIPORAL, for 15 years under a Build, Own, Operate and Transfer, (BOOT) investment structure, which means ownership of the plant will revert to the residents after 15 years.

Everything seemed to have gone well until the project was completed and then the shocker came when in a surprise repudiation of the agreement it entered into, the resident association leadership declared the contract illegal”.

DOES EVERY TOP CELEBRITY HAVE A LOVE-CHILD? The man who deserts a woman with a love-child feeds a lioness at home and broods a nest of sorrows.

He will grow up to discover with great horror that one does not sire and desert a love-child just because one is capable of doing so, there is need to love them and develop friendship with them while raising them.

But this inalienable truth is lost on some Nigerian men. Raised in a culture that permits a man to marry more than one wife, many a Nigerian man has seized the opportunity to sow wild oats in the womb of their first loves and concubines, often deserting the latter to ‘take care’ of the unwanted pregnancies that result from their sexual escapades. The question on the lips of many is: what manner of future is bequeathed on these

T H I S D AY, T H e S u n D AY n e w S pA p e r • AUGUST 14, 2016

87

HIGHLIFE

The Daggers in their Smiles!

Willie Obiano and Peter Obi Bury the Hatchet

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ppearances are deceptive; there were daggers in their smiles. The day was enshrouded deep in doubt; Willie Obiano, the executive governor of Anambra State, and former governor, Peter Obi, two storm riders, estranged associates, political foes, in one grand public ceremony, certainly cut a torrid portrait of gossip and intrigues for the high society rumour mill. But contrary to widespread fears of a possible blowout between them, the two top politicians made a public show of sheathing their swords to fraternise at the burial of late Very Rev. Fr. Chukwuemeka Nichola Tagbo at the Christ The King College Onitsha. Nobody knows if there was a sneer hidden in the smile that they exchanged with each other at the behest of Willie, but everybody knows that for the sake of the late Reverend Father, they swallowed their

Remi Makanjuola

luckless children and what ought to be the responsible and humane position on the issue, on the part of parents? Next week, Society Happenings will reveal the names of top celebs including foremost politicians, bankers, and other high net-worth socialites that have love children outside their muchcelebrated nuclear marriages.

Yours truly will also oblige you the gritty details of how these poor children are struggling to survive and gain acceptance in a world where the unwanted lovechild is automatically labeled a ‘bastard.’

Obiano

Obi

scorn for each other to exchange pleasantries and idle banter.

Since Willie’s victory at the last gubernatorial polls in Anambra, they both nurtured a frosty relationship. Both men ditched the comforting camaraderie they fostered touring the length

and breadth of the state while they canvassed for votes for their party, to engage in a wily, no-holds-barred test of political will and might. Interestingly, however, according to a report, Gov Obiano apologised to Peter Obi after he delivered his long

speech and Obi got up from his seat and embraced him.

Yes, they kissed and made up.

However, whether the pleasant exchange between them was indeed real or fashioned for the camera will be known in a couple of days.

WHY CAVERTON BOSS, REMI MAKANJUOLA, IS DEJECTED Remi Majekodunmi has gotten to that threshold in a man’s life when brooding tragedy and its dark shadows can only be lightened by recalling great moments of the past. His company, Caverton Offshore Support Group, recently reported a N2.422 billion loss which was not unconnected with the devaluation of the naira.

It is for this sad reason that he is down. The impact of Naira devaluation against the US dollar is no doubt devastating on him thus he is despondent, unsure and wary of what lies ahead. Remi, like the proverbial yo-yo, is manipulable and subject to the whim of gravity and the arbitrary string of fate.

Caverton, provider of marine, aviation and logistics services to local and international oil and gas companies in Nigeria, last week reported a loss of N2.422 billion for the half year ended June 30, 2016, compared with a profit of N1.093billion in the corresponding period. The company had sent a profit warning saying it would

report lower earnings for the H1 of 2016. More mischievous elements in the industry are spreading malicious gossip that the Caverton boss might be unable to recover from his current fiscal catastrophe anytime soon. But sources loyal to Remi have dismissed their insinuations as arrant nonsense. According to them, Remi will bounce back and recover his loss in due time.

of who are indebted to them, a respite at all. So bad as the situation degenerated that top marketers in the country are selling off their properties to offset bank loans and other such facilities.

While some are fighting tooth and nail to weather the present economic storms, other are smartly cutting corners with their private jets.

Owners of these expensive toys of status symbol are flouting the aviation sector’s rules and regulations by deploying these jets for commercial purpose against exclusively private use for which they were originally acquired.

Many rich men have converted their jets to a commercial venture, trying to shore up their fast depleting oil fortunes, occasioned by the steep in global oil prices.

Aside the distressing state of Nigerian economy which has humbled even the wealthiest, luxury goods like private jets incur more charges in form of taxes and they cost a fortune to maintain. Stay glued for the list of rich men who have turned their jets to commercial planes.

AS NIGERIAN RICH MEN CONVERT PRIVATE JETS TO COMMERCIAL USE...

Beneath the oily faces and deep pockets of many oil marketers these days, now lies an excruciating pain that is threatening to conflagrate and run them under unless a miracle happens, and very fast too.

In fact, these are really troublous times for oil marketers, no thanks to, in recent times, the slide of the naira in the Forex market, global economic recession that has affected the price of crude oil and most importantly, the high lending rate. In even more severe cases, banks are not giving oil marketers, majority

Sunday August 14, 2016

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& RE A S O

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Price: N400

MISSILE

Oshiomhole to Governors

Governors claim that they need maximum security (notwithstanding) the cost, but it is not realistic to pay workers. Non-payment of wages is a criminal breach of law of contract, whether in recession or in prosperity.

– Edo State Governor Adams Oshiomhole berating his colleagues’ failure to pay salaries of workers in their states.

SIMONKOLAWOLE SIMONKOLAWOLELIVE!

simon.kolawole@thisdaylive.com, sms: 0805 500 1961

Four Elections, Petitions and Distractions And Other Things...

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oughly 20 months after Dr. Okezie Ikpeazu was nominated as the governorship candidate of the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) in Abia state, a court case on his candidature is still in court. Nearly 15 months after he won the governorship election proper, the case is still alive. And 14 months after he was sworn in, the matter is still breathing easy. The case is now at the appeal court.

When the appeal court eventually makes its pronouncement on the matter, there is only one thing you can say with certainty: the case will end up at the Supreme Court. They say justice hurried is justice buried, but it is also said that hope deferred makes the heart sick.

It seems peculiar to Nigeria that election litigations go on and on and on. I’m still researching into this. Mr. Peter Obi challenged the election of Dr. Chris Ngige in the 2003 governorship election in Anambra state; the case was not decided until March 2006 — three solid years later. Currently, in Kogi, the new governor, Alhaji Yahaya Bello, has done virtually nothing but meet with lawyers since his controversial election; the case is moving from one court to the other. The previous governor, Capt. Wada Idris, spent the whole of his tenure having breakfast, lunch and dinner with lawyers and trekking between courtrooms. In Abia, a 2014 case is still on the table.

I want to be well understood: I have nothing, absolutely nothing, against seeking justice in a court of law when you believe you have been unfairly allocated the shorter end of the stick.

We would not need the judiciary if the world were full of justice and fair play. Rule of law is the oxygen of democracy — and the avenue to seek redress forms part of the definition of any modern human society. If you feel party officials cheated you, or the electoral umpire shortchanged you, or your opponent used unfair means to defeat you, seeking redress is logical. The court is the last bus stop, and if the judiciary denies you justice, you know you’ve tried your best, at least.

On Tuesday, the court of appeal sitting in Abuja reserved judgment in the case between Okezie and his challenger, Uche Ogah. The high court in Abuja had ruled that Okezie presented false information with the tax clearance he submitted to the PDP during the screening of governorship aspirants in 2014.

The clearance carries a weekend date, which makes it questionable. The court subsequently annulled his candidature and declared Ogah, who came second in the primary election, as the validly nominated candidate of the PDP, and automatically the governor-elect — going by the legal logic that it is the party, not the individual, that contests in Nigerian elections.

I did not keenly follow the Abia case all along.

It took me by surprise. I thought Mr. Alex Otti, the candidate of the All Progressives Grand Alliance (APGA), was the main litigant and when his case was exhausted at the Supreme Court, I moved on to other matters. But then headlines suddenly popped up on June 17 that an Abuja high court had removed Ikpeazu as governor and declared that Ogah be issued with the certificate of return by INEC (and, of course, sworn in immediately). My initial reaction

Ikpeazu was to dismiss it as one of “those verdicts”.

Not providing any room for appeal looked too harsh to me. Look at the confusion it ending up creating.

I have listened to the arguments of both sides on the matter. I think it is an intriguing case that hopefully will set a few precedents. On the Ogah side, the argument is that Ikpeazu did not pay his taxes and was therefore not fit to run for office. They argued that Ogah, who polled the second highest number of votes in the PDP primary, should be declared the candidate of the party in the April 2015 gubernatorial election. The case was still on when the election was held and Ikpeazu, or PDP, won. Justice Okon Abang ruled in Ogah’s favour and then declared that since PDP won the election, and Ogah should have been the candidate, then Ogah is the elected governor.

On the Ikpeazu side, the argument is two-fold: one legal, the other political. The legal aspect is that Ikpeazu was an appointee of the Abia state government between 2011 and 2014. He resigned in October 2014 to contest the governorship election. He can, therefore, not be accused of tax evasion since, by law, it is the employer that deducts the employee’s tax and remits to the internal revenue board. Government employees cannot evade tax, logically. The judge did not dispute this, but noted that the tax clearance has a weekend date. He therefore considered this to be false information and nullified Ikpeazu’s candidature. He consequentially declared Ogah

It seems peculiar to Nigeria that election litigations go on and on and on. Mr. Peter Obi challenged the election of Dr. Chris Ngige in the 2003 governorship election in Anambra state; the case was not decided until March 2006 — three solid years later

as the winner.

The political argument of Ikpeazu’s supporters is that Abia, for the purpose of politics, is divided into three senatorial districts — like every other state. They have Abia north, Abia central and Abia south. Abia north produced Orji Uzo Kalu as governor between 1999-2007, Abia central produced Theodore Orji from 2007-2015, and they think Abia south should naturally be allowed to do its turn, for the sake of “equity”. Ikpeazu is from Abia south while Ogah is from Abia north. Also, Abia has two historical divisions: Old Bende and Ukwa Ngwa. Kalu, Orji and Ogah are from Old Bende while Ikpeazu is from Ukwa Ngwa. Ikpeazu’s supporters are particular about this balancing.

What do I think? On the legal angle, PAYE is deducted at source. That is an employer’s responsibility. It is the employer that can be accused of tax evasion, not the employee.

However, the bone of contention is actually the tax clearance — it carries a weekend date. Was it forged? Who can answer the question? If I submit a B.Sc. certificate in mass communication from the University of Lagos and it carries a weekend date, I think the university authorities should be asked to confirm the authenticity of my claim. There is no evidence the trial court asked the Abia state internal revenue board any questions. That is very harsh The political argument looks very interesting to me. I am one of those Nigerians who believe in integration, equity, balancing and fairness in a diverse society. I believe in federal character.

On top of it all, I believe in merit. I believe federal character and merit are not mutually exclusive. There is no zone or ethnic group or region in Nigeria that does not have qualified and competent people, and everybody must be given a sense of belonging in the interest of harmony, peace and unity. That is my belief which I have regularly expressed on this page, and for which I have lost many readers, especially from southern Nigeria.

I am therefore amused that my friends from Abia who are against federal character in Abuja are preaching “state character” back home. I thought it shouldn’t matter? I thought everything in this world should be on merit only? I love the Delta example where despite being in the majority, the Urhobo have supported the election of an Itsekiri and an Igbo as governors. That is fairness. There are many states in the north where minorities will never be supported to become governors by the same people preaching power rotation at the federal level. I will never give up my belief that diversity must be reflected in the politics of a diverse society. Never.

My soft spot for “political balancing” notwithstanding, it is not tenable in court in the Abia case. If Ogah can prove in court that Ikpeazu is not qualified to be governor, no amount of Ukwa Ngwa sentiments will sway the judges.

I would advise Ikpeazu’s supporters to focus their energies on proving that the governor did not evade tax. Let the board of internal revenue explain if it works at the weekend or if it was a clerical error. Tax evasion can be easily proved. It is common sense. Most importantly, let the court do justice in time so that Abia can move on. Unending litigations are a terrible distraction to governance and development.

VISA-FREE UK I can start a rumour today that I am the new Queen of England and some Nigerians will believe it. Some comedian recently said Commonwealth citizens, Nigerians inclusive, have been granted visa-free access to the UK. See the frenzy in the cyberspace!

UK just voted to leave EU primarily to control immigration. Theresa May has spent her whole life contriving to stop as many Nigerians as possible from schooling in the UK. Suddenly, the country, under her watch, would open its doors to 180m Nigerians, 191m Pakistanis and 1.2bn Indians!!! In any case, the UK has just announced that Nigerians can now process their visas in 24 hours. Understood?

KOGI KIDNAPPERS If you’ve been monitoring news in recent times, you must have discovered that Kogi state is the new capital of kidnappers in Nigeria. It used to be a Niger Delta phenomenon, later hijacked by the south-east. But Kogi Kidnappers are proving to everyone that they are no pushovers. They are masters of the game. There is yet no sign that the state government or the security agencies are up to the task as the residents live in perpetual fear, but this must be considered as part of the general insecurity nationwide. It seems our sole definition of security is Boko Haram and our flanks are now wide open to avengers, herders, rustlers and kidnappers. Terrifying.

RIO RANCOUR We are at it again — Nigeria is involved in a major international sporting engagement; the players and officials are yet to be paid; and there is a threat of boycott. These things sound too familiar. Nigeria’s U-23 team almost boycotted the Denmark game yesterday over unpaid allowances. It has become part of our national character. We care little for the human beings who put their lives on the line for national service.

Stephen Keshi, a legend who represented Nigeria for decades, was recently buried without federal presence or support, and so the youngsters are watching and seeing what awaits them in the end. And we tell them to serve Nigeria with heart and might.

Patriotism?

DONALD TRUMPED Seriously, does anyone think Donald Trump is mentally fit to be US president? His only selling point is hate. He says horrible things about Muslims, blacks, Hispanics and women and gets applauded by like minds.

He picks fights so easily with anybody — including kids. He insults his critics with enthusiasm. God save the world if this guy gets his fingers on the nuclear button. We now know that Melania, the potential first lady, was a model during the day and a soft porn star at night — in addition to her copyand-paste skills. Empires rise and empires fall. A Trump presidency may just mark the beginning of the end of the American empire. Disaster.

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