Sunday 16th October 2016

Food, Energy Prices Push Inflation Further to 17.9% Germany earmarks € 18bn for Lake Chad

Tobi Soniyi and James Emejo in Abuja The Consumer Price Index (CPI), which measures inflation, maintained its upward streak at the weekend as it increased to 17.9 per cent

in September from 17.6 per cent it stood in the previous month.

The National Bureau of Statistics (NBS), which released the CPI figures yesterday, noted that the 0.24 per cent rise in headline index was attributed mainly to in-

creases in the sub food index as well as energy prices.

According to NBS, for the September CPI, increases were recorded in all the divisions which contribute to inflation.

However, communication and restaurants and Hotels

were reported to have recorded the lowest rates of increase of the 12 divisions, growing by 5.6 per cent and 9.6 per cent respectively.

The food sub index increased by 16.6 per cent (year-on-year) in September, up by 0.19 per cent points

from rate recorded in August (16.4 per cent), the NBS noted.

Urban inflation rose by 19.5 per cent (year-on-year) in September from 19.3 per cent recorded in August while the rural index increased by 16.4 per cent in September from

16.1 per cent in August. On a month on month basis, both the urban and rural index eased, increasing by 0.8 per cent a piece.

Core inflation, which excludes the prices of volatile Continued on page 8

Recession: Saraki Writes Buhari, Asks President to Pick Date to Address Parliament ...Page 11 Sunday 16 October, 2016 Vol 21. No 7842

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Ondo 2016: Uncertainty Mounts over PDP’s Candidate as Party, INEC Differ Onyebuchi Ezigbo in Abuja and James Sowole in Akure There was considerable uncertainty at the weekend about the governorship candidate of the Peoples

Democratic Party for the forthcoming election in Ondo State. This followed differing positions held by officials of the ruling party in the state and the Independent National Electoral Commission regarding the

authentic candidate of the party.

A Federal High Court in Abuja presided over by Justice Okon Abang had on Friday ordered INEC to accept Jimoh Ibrahim, the nominee of a faction of PDP

led by Senator Ali Modu Sheriff, as the party’s candidate. Abang gave the order while ruling on an application for the enforcement of his earlier judgement delivered on June 29.

Friday’s ruling came af-

ter INEC had accepted the nominee of the Ahmed Makarfi-led PDP national caretaker committee, Mr. Eyitayo Jegede, SAN, as the party’s candidate for the November 26 governorship election in the state.

But chief press secretary to the chairman of INEC, Professor Mahmood Yakubu, Mr. Rotimi Oyekamni, said yesterday that the commission would abide Continued on page 8

Justice AdeniyiAdemola: I Signed Confessional Statement at Gunpoint

Accuses AGF of masterminding arrest as payback for ordering his (Malami's) detention for alleged professional misconduct in Kano Tobi Soniyi in Abuja Justice Adeniyi Ademola has declared that his arrest penultimate weekend during a raid on his Abuja house by operatives of the Department of State Services was a personal vendetta against him masterminded by the Attorney General of the Federation and Minister of Justice, Mr. Abubakar Malami, SAN. In a letter to the Chief Justice of Nigeria, Justice Mahmud Mohammed, Ademola said Malami was trying to get back at him because while serving as federal judge in Kano he once ordered the minister’s arrest and detention for alleged misconduct.

The judge of the Federal High Court, Abuja, also narrated his ordeal at the hand of the security operatives, saying they held guns to his head to sign a document detailing items, allegedly, found in his house and confessional statements he made during the raid.

Continued on page 8

IN SOLIDARITY!

President Muhammadu Buhari in a group photograph with members of the Nigerian community in Berlin, Germany, during his official visit to the country...last week

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SUNDAY, OCTOBER 16, 2016 • T H I S D AY T H E S U N D AY N E W S PA P E R

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114 Chibok Girls Feared Dead, Married off or Radicalised, Sources Claim Only 83 will be negotiated for in next round of talks Anayo Okolie with agency report Of the roughly 197 kidnapped Chibok schoolgirls who still are unaccounted for after Boko Haram militants kidnapped them in Borno State two years ago, about 114 have either died, been married off, or become radicalised and don't

want to leave their Boko Haram kidnappers, sources have said. Only 83 will be negotiated for when the the Nigerian government resumes talks next week for their release, two sources with direct knowledge of the negotiations told CNN. Negotiations between Boko Haram and the Nigerian government over the captives are expected

to resume Monday, four days after the militant group handed over 21 former Chibok schoolgirls to authorities in northeastern Nigeria.

Boko Haram kidnapped 276 girls and women, ages 16 to 18, in the middle of the night at a boarding school in Chibok, Nigeria, in April 2014, drawing global outrage.

As many as 57 girls escaped almost immediately in 2014, and one was found months ago.

If the sources are correct about the number of dead or otherwise unavailable, that would mean more than 40 per cent of those who were kidnapped in 2014 stand no chance of being brought home alive or no obvious immediate chance

JUSTICE ADENIYI ADEMOLA: I SIGNED CONFESSIONAL STATEMENT AT GUNPOINT Ademola was one of the four judges arrested by the DSS penultimate Saturday after an unprecedented sting operation launched almost simultaneously in different states and Abuja.

The secret police organ said it recovered over N362 million during the operation targeted at judicial officers accused of involvement in corrupt practices. Though, the raid, which involved the arrest of two Supreme Court justices, Sylvester Ngwuta and Inyang Okoro, and two judges of the Federal High Court, Ademola (Abuja Division) and Muazu Pindiga (Gombe Division), was widely criticised.

But in the letter dated October 11, 2016, Ademola accused Malami of pursuing a vendetta against him using the DSS. According to the judge, “Contrary to media report being circulated, I have never confessed to any crime or implicated anybody, including judges, in my statement obtained from me by the DSS. “What is more intriguing in this whole episode is that I see it as a vendetta/

revenge from the Hon. Attorney General of the Federation, Abubakar Mallami, SAN, (who) whilst I was in Kano between 2004 and 2008 as a Federal High Court judge was involved in a professional misconduct necessitating his arrest and detention by my order.

However, with the intervention of the Nigerian Bar Association, Kano Branch, the allegation of misconduct was later withdrawn by me.

“Consequently, the National Judicial Council referred Abubakar Mallami to the NBA Disciplinary Committee for disciplinary action. It was a result of this he was denied the rank of SAN by the Legal Practitioners Privileges Committee for the period of four years, until when he produced a fake letter of apology, purportedly, addressed to me. It was then he was conferred with the rank. Since the above incident, Abubakar Mallami has threatened to revenge and swore to do anything to bring me down.”

Ademola sought the permission of the CJN to sue the DSS. “My Lord, with this

infringement of my fundamental right, I seek for the leave to commence an action against the DSS to encore my right that was breached,” he stated.

Ademola also alleged that he was arrested by the DSS because he granted the former National Security Adviser, Sambo Dasuki, who is facing trial for corruption, bail and freed the leader of the Indigenous People of Biafra, Nnamdi Kanu.

The judge said he was held for over 24 hours before he was told the reason he was brought to the DSS office. He said the operatives threatened and ordered him to sign a document purported to be inventory of what they allegedly found in his house.

He said, “For and interest of my life, and unknown persons with mask on their faces, I collected the written items and signed the document.

“Upon signing the document, they told me that I am under arrest and ordered me with guns still pointed at me to move outside. As I was going, they told me they were taking me to their

office, Department of State Services office, without showing any warrant of arrest.

“I obeyed them and about six o’clock in the morning, I was whisked away from my residence to the DSS office without any warrant of arrest or reason for my arrest.

From the time of my arrival at the DSS office, at about 6:45am on 8/10/2016, I was not told what my crime was for over 24 hours till the evening of 9/10/2016.

“A DSS official finally informed me that the search of my house and arrest were based on these three allegations: petition of Hon. Jenkins Duvie dated 4th of April 2016 to the National Judicial Council; granting bail to Col. Sambo Dasuki and the unconditional release of Nnamdi Kanu; and using my office to secure my wife’s appointment as the head of civil service through Senator Bola Tinubu.”

Efforts to get Malami's reaction to the allegation were unsuccessful, as he neither picked his calls nor replied our SMS.

FOOD, ENERGY PRICES PUSH INFLATION FURTHER TO 17.9%

agricultural produce increased by 17.7 per cent during the month, 0.5 per cent from 17.2 per cent in August as all key divisions, which contributes to the index increased.

According to the statistical agency,"The Food Sub Index increased by 16.6 per cent (year-on-year) in September, up by 0.19 per cent points from rate recorded in August (16.4 per cent). A number of groups within the food index recorded falls in the rate of price increases, including Fish, which had previously been a key driver, as well as Oils and Fats, and Fruits.

"Price movements recorded by the All Items less farm produce or Core sub-index increased by 17.7 per cent (year-on-year) in September, up by 0.5 per cent points from rates recorded in August (17.2 per cent). During the month, the highest increases were seen in clothing materials, other articles of clothing and clothing accessories, garments, shoes and other footwear, Books and stationeries, jewellery, clocks and watches, and Motorcycles."

According to the bureau, “Energy and energy related prices continue to be the largest increases reflected in

the core sub-index. In September, the core sub-index increased by 17.7 per cent during the month, up by 0.5 per cent points from rates recorded in August (17.2 per cent). During the month, the highest increases were seen in the electricity, liquid Fuel (kerosene), solid fuels, and fuels and lubricants for personal transport equipment groups."

In another development, Germany has earmarked €18 billion to prevent Lake Chad from extinction.

German Chancellor, Angela Merkel, who announced this in Berlin, Germany during the visit of President Muhammadu Buhari, said her country set aside the €18 billion for re-charging the Lake Chad through the diversion of rivers in the Congo Basin to empty their waters into the lake.

This disclosure was contained in a statement issued by the Senior Special Assistant to the President on Media and Publicity, Mr Garba Shehu. According to the statement, Merkel made this announcement at a joint press conference with President Muhammadu Buhari following bilateral talks on Friday in Berlin Shehu said both the Ger-

man leader and Buhari said they had marked this project as one their priorities.

He said Buhari, who made a strong pitch for the recharging of the Lake in bilateral talks with the German leader in, said that the drying up of the lake has put the 30 million people in the Lake Chad basin area in danger of being forced to leave.

Buhari linked the emergence and spread of the Boko Haram terrorism as well as the increasing number of illegal migrations to Europe from Africa to joblessness, starvation and poverty party arising from climate change as manifested by the drying up of the lake.

Speaking at the press cconference, the German leader said that "The Lake Chad region is a great priority to us, Nigeria is part and parcel of that. In terms of cooperation we said we will earmark 18 billion euros for Lake Chad region area and 50 billion euros for the overall areas."

Buhari welcomed the German offer of skills and vocational training of Nigeria's teeming unemployed and provision of equipment and intelligence to combat criminality and terrorism in the North-east, vandalisation of oil infrastructure in the Niger

Delta region and frequent clashes between herdsmen and farmers.

The president , also acknowledged the more than the 100 German firms in the Nigerian economy and thanked Chancellor Merkel for her encouragement of more of such firms to invest in Nigeria.

The German leader commended the progress Nigeria had made in fighting crime, terrorism and corruption and promised continued consultation and closer bilateral cooperation.

Merkel expressed concern that the annual illegal migration of 20,000 Nigerians to Germany had become a major issue that needed to be addressed, especially given the fact the emigrants were mostly unqualified for asylum under their own laws.

"We also talked about the migration partnership with the European Union, the EU want to negotiate migration with Nigeria, my point in this is that we need to see to it that human traffickers are out or business, we have to strengthen legal migration to also create jobs in Nigeria, jobs possibilities for vocational training, possibilities in education,” the Chancellor said.

of being retrieved through negotiation.

While the Nigerian government has said Boko Haram released the 21 as a result of negotiations brokered by the Swiss government and the International Committee of the Red Cross, it hasn't said what the militant group may have received in return.

According to CNN, two sources close to the negotiations disclosed that that

Boko Haram received money as part of the deal. The sources did not disclose the amount. THISDAY had exclusively reported shortly after the 21 girls were released that their freedom was secured after after an undisclosed amount of money was paid to the Boko Haram leaders.

The Nigerian government has not publicly and specifically addressed the issue of money.

ONDO 2016: UNCERTAINTY MOUNTS OVER PDP’S CANDIDATE AS PARTY, INEC DIFFER by the order to accept Ibrahim when served with the valid court judgement, and if there was no overriding ruling from a superior court. Oyekamni said INEC, as a creation of the law, would obey any order validly made by a court of competent jurisdiction.

He told THISDAY, “If, indeed, the court has asked us to replace the PDP candidate, we have no option than to obey. That is the tradition, if the court order comes and we get the judgement, then we will substitute because that is a court order. But I am not sure that we have received that judgement. If we have, definitely, we will obey.

“Again, if there is another court order that is superior to the earlier one, we will also reverse our action.

As you can see in similar cases, we normally put the prefix, 'court order' beside the candidate’s name to indicate its status. I want to assure you that if there is valid court judgement on any issue, INEC will obey.”

In the June 29 ruling, Abang had ordered INEC to accept only the names of candidates sent by the faction of the Ondo State Executive Committee of PDP led by Biyi Poroye and Ademola Genty, which has the backing of the Sheriff-led National Working Committee.

Poroye and Genty, who applied to the court for themselves and on behalf of the Ondo State chapter of the PDP, said the postjudgement application was informed by INEC’s refusal to accept their candidate, as directed by the court.

However, the PDP national caretaker committee said Jegede remained the party's candidate for the forthcoming election, stressing that the issue of candidacy is not a matter in the case in question. The Makarfi leadership may also be relying on the position that INEC adopted in a similar dispute in the just concluded Edo State governorship election, where the commission recognised its candidate, Pastor Ize Iyamu, rather than the can-

didate nominated by the Sheriff faction.

In a statement issued by its spokesman, Prince Dayo Adeyeye, on Friday night, the caretaker committee said Abang's ruling had no effect on Jegede’s candidacy.

Adeyeye stated, “The ruling of Justice Okon Abang of the Federal High Court, Abuja, today, Friday, does not in any way affect the matter of the PDP candidacy in the forthcoming Ondo State governorship election. The issue of Ondo governorship was not the matter before Justice Abang in the suit. The matter before his Lordship was in relation to the 2019 general elections.

“For the avoidance of doubt, Hon. Eyitayo Jegede remains the flag bearer of the Peoples Democratic Party in the Saturday, November 26, 2016 Ondo State governorship election. We, therefore, call on all our members, teeming supporters and the electorate in Ondo State not to allow this ruling to distract them; but should continue with the guber campaigns to ensure the victory of our flag bearer, Hon. Eyitayo Jegede, in the election.”

The Ondo State chapter of PDP also said yesterday that the ruling by Abang could not stand, insisting that Jegede, a former Attorney General and Commissioner for Justice in the state, is the PDP candidate.

The state chairman of PDP, Mr Clement Faboyede, who addressed a news conference yesterday in Akure, said Jegede was not a party in the case on which the judge ruled.

“It should be noted that the Ondo State governorship election scheduled for 26 November 2016 was not part of the plaintiffs claim and no reference was made to it in the claim,” he said.

“The case was concluded on 29th of June, 2016 and the reliefs that had to do with election referred to, and were tied to 2019 general election. There is no nexus between the suit and 2016 Ondo State governorship election.”

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OCTOBER 16, 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

BEYOND THE CHIBOK SCHOOLGIRLS Governmentshouldexploitthismomentousopeningtopursueacomprehensivepeaceprocessacrossthecountry

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igerians and, indeed, the entire world have welcomed with some relief the release of 21 of the now famous “Chibok Girls”. Since their violent abduction by Boko Haram terrorists in April 2014, the plight of these girls has remained a major global concern.

And in the last two and a half years, options in the effort to rescue them had ranged from outright military action to negotiations and swap deals. Not until this latest development has there been a significant breakthrough.

Twenty one out of the 217 girls in Boko Haram’s captivity may not be a significant percentage.

But in the battle for human life, even a single girl amounts to a great deal. More importantly, the families of the freed girls and, indeed, Nigerians now experience a spell of joy that the efforts of government have started yielding fruit.

We join in congratulating the functionaries of the Nigerian government, the Swiss government and the International Red Cross for the synergy of efforts that led to the release of these girls. We praise the various civil society groups, especially the Bring Back Our Girls (BBOG) movement, for their persistent pressure on the federal government and the international community on the plight of the girls.

This outcome indicates that the authorities are mastering the right mix of force and negotiations the situation requires to end the bloody insurgency.

Undoubtedly, the determined effort of the President Muhammadu Buhari administration, with considerable assistance from the neighbouring countries, has in recent months put immense pressure and degraded the capacity of Boko Haram. There has also been significant input by major international partners in the effort to defeat the insurgents and free the Chibok schoolgirls. Under that level of pressure, Boko Haram, perhaps, had no choice

than to begin to negotiate its way out of a difficult situation.

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The challenge of the moment is to deepen the engagement process in order to secure the total freedom of the rest of the girls and all the other hostages of Boko Haram

Letters to the Editor

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he recent “arrest” of judges in a “sting operation” by the “Directorate of Security Services” has generated an uproar and sharply divided Nigerians, pitting the pro-arrest group against the anti-arrest group.

The debates surrounding the “arrests” have witnessed the populist commendation of the “sting operation” by some Nigerians, who in their desire for a corruption-free Nigeria are unconcerned with the niceties: the legality or lack thereof of the “sting operation” that culminated in the “arrest” of the judges. They are neither concerned with its implications for Nigeria’s still “nascent democracy”, they simply want to see the corrupt big men and

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

herefore, we see the release of the 21 girls as a good omen for the federal government in its determined effort to end the brutal and costly insurgency. The challenge of the moment is to deepen the engagement process in order to secure the total freedom of the rest of the girls and all the other hostages of Boko Haram.

But the peace and victory which Nigerians seek today is a comprehensive one and on all fronts.

That is why the Buhari administration must leverage on the success of the on-going process to pursue a compressive peace and resolve all other conflicts around the country.

In order to advance the national goals and begin to resolve the myriad economic and social issues that currently besiege the country, we need peace in our country. There are too many divisive forces at play in the nation today. In the Niger Delta, in the South-east, and the urban and semi-urban areas of the nation, militant forces and separatist pressures have continued to multiply and put the nation at unease. When all these are combined with the scourge of the Boko Haram sectarian upheaval in the North-east, the picture is that of a nation at war with itself.

We call on the government to quicken the pace of its resolution of the Boko Haram scourge through the on-going military campaigns and negotiations.

While proven cases of outright treason on the part of individual combatants should be visited through the laws of the land, the broad majority of misguided Boko Haram elements could benefit from a comprehensive amnesty programme that should reintegrate them back into the society once they demonstrably renounce terrorism.

It is our hope that the federal government will exploit this opening to pursue a comprehensive peace process all over the country. Dialogue and relevant amnesty where necessary will help to blunt the swords of war and heal the various wounds that afflict the nation. We need an inclusive solution to the divisive tendencies plaguing the nation in order that all Nigerians can join hands to pursue peaceful and orderly development.

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.

THE JUDICIARY VS THE DSS women (who have afflicted Nigeria) hanged.

On the other hand are another set of Nigerians who are greatly disturbed by the purported ultra vires nay “illegal nature” of the “sting operation” conducted by the DSS - whose agents purportedly ‘stormed’ the bedrooms of men who were at sleep with their spouses, breaking down their bedroom doors in the wee hours of the morning in a bid to forcibly effect their arrest for an alleged crime which has been said to be outside the statutory purview of the DSS. It is submitted that the division, anger and furore generated by the seemingly well-intentioned “arrests” of revered members of the third arm of government by agents of the executive arm, and the

ugly questions raised about the current administration’s commitment and regard for democratic norms, only underscores the need for a more systematic, legal and efficient approach in the current administration’s war on corruption.

It is pertinent to note that every successful anti-corruption effort requires the buy-in of the people, and whilst Nigerians desire an effective war on corruption, they are also equally concerned about the manner such a war is waged. Nigerians are not in the slightest bit prepared to have their liberties and hard-fought for democratic experience scuttled on the altar of a seemingly flawed anticorruption war.

Thus, the current administration is enjoined to ensure that in its bid to deal corrup-

tion a mortal blow, the rule of law, which is the foundation of every free and democratic society is protected, and not assaulted or even perceived to be assaulted. There is an urgent need for the development of a system that enables the effective delivery of death blows to corruption, whilst simultaneously upholding the rule of law; to that extent commando “sting operations” by para-military agencies at ungodly hours of the night may not cut it.

It is humbly suggested that the nation’s statutory anticorruption agencies should be strengthened and empowered with the requisite political leverage and resources to effectively and efficiently discharge their mandate and duties. Furthermore, the Na-

tional Judicial Council (NJC) must also be “encouraged” to become more alive to its disciplinary duties and leverage on its working relationship with anti-graft agencies in order to root out corruption from the judiciary.

It is submitted that a synergy between these agencies, would see to the reduction/elimination of corruption from the judiciary, whilst upholding the rule of law, and safeguarding our democracy. Such a system would also permit the DSS the opportunity to fully concentrate on its noble mandate of securing Nigeria’s internal security via effective intelligence-gathering, “surgical operations and commando sting operations”.

––Ugochukwu Amasike, Lagos

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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 • OCTOBER 16, 2016

SUNDAYNEWS

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

2 Kenyans Emerge Overall Winners of CNN MultiChoice African Journalist Awards 2016

HIGH-LEVEL VISIT L-R: The Registrar, Covenant University Nigeria, Pastor Olamide Olusegun; CEO, Virgin Outdoor, Dr. Kunle Hamilton; Vice-Chancellor, Covenant

University, Prof AAA Atayero; Vice President, International Engagement, Canada Executive Management Professional (CEMP) Centre, Dr. Yomi Oyekoya, and the Director, Financial Services, Covenant University, Pastor Bayo Oladehinbo. Standing L-R, Webmaster, Covenant University, Mr. Akinwale Samuel; HOD Mass Comm, Dr. Lanre Amodu; Administrative Officer, VC’s Office, Mrs. Tobi Davies; Creative Manager CEMP, Mr. Owodunni Otunuga; Deputy Director, Media and Corporate Affairs, Covenant University, Mr. Emmanuel Igban; and Senior Information Officer, Covenant University, Mr. Babalola Okubanjo, during a CEMP courtesy visit to the new Vice Chancellor, in Ota, Ogun State…recently

Recession: Saraki Writes Buhari, Asks President to Pick Date to Address Parliament Anayo Okolie

In line with the resolution of the Senate and House of Representatives inviting President Muhammadu Buhari to address a joint session of the National Assembly and explain what government was doing to get the nation out of the current economic recession, Senate President Bukola Saraki has written a letter to the President to pick a date he would address the parliament, THISDAY has learnt.

The letter, which was written by the Senate President in his capacity as the chairman of the National Assembly, was sent to the State House last Thursday.

The House of Representatives had last month resolved to constitute a special ad-hoc committee to liaise with the Senate

with a view to inviting President Buhari to brief a joint session of the National Assembly on the current economic downturn.

The resolution was passed following a motion sponsored by Hon.MukailaOlayiwolaKazzim, an All Progressives Congress (APC) lawmaker from Ogun State, in which about 30 members contributed to the debate.

Apart from inviting the President to brief the National Assembly on the state of the economy, the House also urged the executive arm to mandate the governor of Central Bank of Nigeria, Ministry of Finance and the National Planning Commission to review the existing monetary policy with a view to developing sustainable lending rates and the right environment that would foster real sector growth to enhance

economic development.

The Senate later unanimously passed a motion in concurrence with the House of Representatives to invite the President to brief a joint session of the National Assembly.

The lawmakers had also asked President Buhari to forward an economic stimulus bill to the National Assembly on how to lead the nation out of the recession. A source told THISDAY at the weekend that as a mark of respect for the President, in the Senate President’s letter, he was asked to pick a day of his choice to address a joint session of the National Assembly in line with the resolution of the parliament.

THISDAY could however not confirm at the time of going to press whether the letter had been received by the President.

Should Buhari honour the invitation, that would be the third time he will be visiting the National Assembly, since he assumed office. Buhari had last December addressed a joint session of the National Assembly, where he spoke on the content of the 2016 budget proposal. In the first quarter of 2016, he also addressed the legislature briefly during the visit of South African President Jacob Zuma to the National Assembly.

The state of the economy had attracted the focus of the parliament since indication emerged that Nigeria was heading for recession. Key federal government officials had appeared before the parliament to brief lawmakers on efforts being made to navigate the nation’s economic ship out of recession.

Abubakar: Unity, Collective Action, Solutions to Nigeria’s Challenges • Cautions political leaders on frivolous promises Abimbola Akosile with agency reports

Former Head of State, Gen. Abdulsalami Abubakar, yesterday identified unity as the solution to Nigeria’s challenges, calling on the entire citizenry to unite and collectively evolve solution to the problems.

Abubakar stated this at the 8th Convocation of Crescent University, Abeokuta. He cautioned political leaders to avoid making frivolous promises to the people in the face of prevailing difficulties, and for the credibility of the nation’s fledgling democracy.

He remarked that fulfilling promises made by political leaders enhanced the credibility of leadership and raised the integrity of leaders, according to a News Agency of Nigeria (NAN) report.

The former head of state maintained that in times of difficulty, leaders would be measured by the promises kept.

He admonished the people to be moderate in their expecta-

tions, saying that there could be no quick fixes to all national challenges.

He explained that challenges were not strange to the country and recalled that collective resolutions to such challenges had seen the nation through in previous times.

“We must accept that Nigeria has always had social, economic and political problems and it will continue to have them to varying degrees of intensity.

The real joy lies for us in our determination to pursue them and solve them as brothers,” he said.

Abubakar stressed the need for government at all levels to institute monitoring teams on higher institutions in the country in a bid to discourage education tourism of Nigerian students. He explained that the step would also enable Nigeria to return to its lost glory among the comity of nations in the area of education. He called for continued monitoring of academic performances of all tertiary institutions, especially the private ones, in order to im-

prove the quality of education in the country.

Abubakar, who bagged Doctor of Science degree (Honoris Causa) in Public Administration of the university, described the award as one he and his family would cherish forever.

Similarly, the Alaafin of Oyo, Oba Lamidi Adeyemi, who was invested as the Chancellor of the university, was also honoured with Doctor of Science (Honoris Causa) in Public Administration. In his acceptance speech, Adeyemi expressed gratitude to the management of the university for the honour.

The monarch recalled how he, as the former Pro-Chancellor of the Uthman Dan Fodio University, Sokoto, helped to build the institution from scratch.

He, however, promised to try everything at his disposal to position Crescent University to an enviable height.

He commended the proprietor of the school, Chief Bola Ajibola (SAN), for his contribution to the development of education in Nigeria by investing his as-

sets in the establishment of the university.

In his remarks, Gov. Ibikunle Amosun of Ogun, said involvement of the private sector was the only way to improve the nation’s economy, with education inclusive.

Amosun reaffirmed that his administration would not relent in ensuring that the sector remained accessible and affordable in the state.

Announcing automatic employment for the first-class graduating students, the governor advised them to strive to become self-reliant and avoid over-dependence on white collar jobs. Earlier, the Vice Chancellor of the school, Prof. Ibraheem Gbajabiamila, had charged the graduates to be good ambassadors of the university and use their training to contribute to the growth and development of the society.

The convocation, which produced 28 First Class graduates from the 435 graduating students, saw Miss Rasheedat Modupeola of Accounting Department emerge as the overall best graduating student.

Asha Ahmed Nwilu and Rashid Idi of Kenya Television Network, Kenya have emerged the overall winners of the CNN MultiChoice African Journalist Awards 2016.

They were awarded the top prize for their report ‘Terror Crossing’ aired on the Kenya Television Network. Their entry tops the list of 1000 entries and they clinched the top prize among 38 finalists from 15 countries across Africa.

The two Kenyans were presented with the award at a ceremony at the Gallagher Convention Centre, Johannesburg, South Africa on Saturday night.

Winners of other award categories were also announced.

GE Energy & Infrastructure award was won by Jay Caboz of Forbes Africa, South Africa. Sport Reporting Award was jointly won by Yemisi Akingbola, Ogechi Ekeanyanwu and Paul Bradshaw of the IQ4News for Premium Times. The Dow Technology and Innovation Award was won by Chika Oduah, a Nigerian Freelancer for African Media Initiative, Kenya.

Bidossessi Appolinaire Agoinon, Office de Radiodiffusion et Television du Benin, won the Francophone General News Award (Electronic), while Faten Hayes won in the Print category.

Ecobank Economic and Business Award was jointly won

by Diana Neille, Richard Poplak, Shaun Swingler and Sumeya Gasa of the Daily Maverick Chronicle, South Africa. Mia Malan of the Mail and Guardian, South Africa won the Features Award category. In the Health and Medical category, Veronica Narkwor Kwabla of TV3 Network, Ghana emerged winner of the award.

For the Mohammed Amin Photography Award, James Oatway of the Sunday Times, South Africa emerged winner of the award. Bob Rugurika from Burundi won the Press Freedom Award. The Environment Award, News Impact Award and Culture Award were won by John Grobler from Namibia and Fiona Macleod; Asha Ahmed Nwilu and Rashid Idi of Kenya Television Network, Kenya; and Ati Metwaly of the Al Ahram Weekly, Egypt respectively.

For the Portugues Language General News Award (Electronic), Fidelto Emidio Bata of STV Mozambique emerged winner while Bento Venancio of the Journal Domingo, Mozambique won the Print category.

The Maggie Wales Young Journalist Award was won by Ancillar Mangena of Forbes Africa, South Africa.

NCC Increases Int’l Termination Rate to N24.40 The Nigerian Communications Commission (NCC) has said that the International Termination Rate (ITR) has been reviewed to N24.40 per minute. In a statement issued in Lagos yesterday, the telecommunications regulator said the review of the interconnect charges was for inbound traffic.

“The Nigerian Communications Commission, on September 16, 2016 reviewed the termination rate for international inbound traffic from 3.90/min to 24.40/min.

The interim rate will subsist pending the conclusion of the study of the Determination of Cost Based Pricing for Mobile Voice Termination Rates,” the commission said.

The News Agency of Nigeria (NAN) reportsthatincreaseintheITRcan be traced to a recommendation in a publication prepared by NCC’s Policy, Competition & Economic Analysis Department in 2015.

The recommendation was based on the premise that telecommunications service providers and government might prefer higher rates that bring in hard currency and can fund investment; expand domestic network; fund innovation; and improve quality of service.

The department said international termination rate had no impact on the domestic subscribers, hence, the need to review it.

“It would be in the interest of the economy to allow international trafficterminationratetobesettled through negotiation and commercial agreement between the domestic service providers and international traffic carriers,” the department recommended.

The reviewed ITR may be NCC’s response to help domestic service providers increase their revenue.

Troops Intercept, Kill Suicide Bomber in Adamawa Troops of Operation Lafiya Dole yesterday intercepted a suspected male suicide bomber in Madagali, Adamawa. The army spokesman, Col. Sani Usman, said this in a statement in Maiduguri.

He said: “Vigilant troops of Operation Lafiya Dole intercepted and neutralised a male suicide bomber at Madagali, Adamawa State. The

suicide bomber was spotted by a vigilant duty sentry attempting to infiltrate troops forward defensive line along MadagaliLimankara road,” he said.

He added that the suspect was gunned down by the vigilant sentry as he failed to stop when halted. “The accurate shot also detonated the Improvised Explosive Device vest and was blown into pieces,” Usman said.

Lagos NUJ Holds Colloquium

The Nigeria Union of Journalists (NUJ), Lagos State Council, is to mark the 30th anniversary of the assassination of renowned journalist, Mr. Dele Giwa, with a colloquium in Lagos on Wednesday, October 19. Dele Giwa, pioneer Editor-in-Chief of NewsWatch magazine, was killed via a parcel bomb at his Ikeja, Lagos residence on Sunday, October 19, 1986.

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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 • OCTOBER 16, 2016

SUNDAYNEWS

EXECUTIVE COURTESY L-R: Lagos State Commissioner for Science and Technology, Olufemi Odubiyi; Chief Supply Chain

Officer, Unilever, Marc Engel; Special Adviser to the Lagos State Governor on Overseas Affairs & Investment, Prof. Ademola Abass, and Managing Director, Unilever Nigeria Plc. Yaw Nsarkoh during a courtesy visit to the Special Adviser at Alausa, Ikeja, Lagos…recently

EMINENT PANELLISTS L-R: DGMD Coscharis Group, Mr. Okey Nwuke; Prof. Fabian Ajogwu SAN; Chief Chris Okunowo, and Dr.

Kubianga Udofia, in a plenary session at the international conference of the Business Recovery and Insolvency Practitioners Association of Nigeria (BRIPAN) held in Lagos...recently

Military Expresses Support for Political Decision on Chibok Girls • Debunks any misgivings Senator Iroegbu in Abuja

The Defence Headquarters (DHQ) has expressed support for the authorities and political decisions in handling the processes leading to the negotiated release of some of the Chibok girls.

Reports emerged that members of the Armed Forces were not pleased with the manner in which they were relegated to the background in the whole process leading to the freedom of 21 out of over 200 female students of Government Secondary School (GSS) Chibok, Borno State that were abducted two years ago by Boko Haram terrorists.

The Director of Defence Information (DDI), Brig-Gen. Rabe Abubakar, in a statement yesterday, debunked the insinu-

ating that there are mixed feelings among Nigerian military ranks and files as a result of the recent release of some Chibok girls.

Abubakar stated: “The military wishes to state unequivocally that the Armed Forces will continue to work closely with all our sister security agencies to achieve more feat in this direction.

“The military also want to debunk the baseless and unfounded story that there is disquiet in the military over the condition of release of the girls.

The Nigerian Armed Forces and other security agencies are one working together to finish the war on terror and other criminalities which can be done covertly or overtly.

“The most important thing is achieving our strategic objective.

The DHQ has said before that negotiation with the terrorists or any other group rests purely on our respected political leaders.

The military operations to rid our land of terrorists continue.”

He noted that “not all information are meant for public consumption due to processes which is purely political.”

The Defence Spokesman said the ongoing military operation is making unprecedented progress with rescue of many captives held by the terrorists. He urged members of the public to discountenance what he described as “baseless and misleading story”.

Abubakar stressed that while the Armed Forces holds the media as a veritable partner, it urges the media to be mindful and clarify with the military when reporting security and defence issues bothering on sensitive

national matters of this nature.

Meanwhile, the Office of the National Security Adviser (ONSA) has stated that effective and systemic use of strategic communication in all Ministries, Departments and Agencies (MDAs) is key to counter-terrorism and overall national security operations.

The Coordinator, CounterTerrorism Centre (CTC), ONSA, Commodore Yem Musa, stated this yesterday, at a one-day ‘strategic communication analytical technique exercise’ in Abuja.

Musa said the nature of asymmetric warfare and the liberalisation of information access through the social media has made it imperative for any state actors serious about its national security to develop efficient and effective use of Strategic Communication.

Despite Recession, Business is Good in Nigeria, Says US Firm Onyebuchi Ezigbo in Abuja

An emerging high-tech mobile phone manufacturing giant, Akyumen Technologies Corporation has given the Nigerian business environment a clean bill of health inspite of the current economic challenges facing the country.

The United States-based company which is at present exploring ways to establish base in the country, disagreed with the notion that foreign firms are scared of coming to invest in Nigeria due

to the economic down-turn.

Rather, the 32-year old Chief Executive described those pulling out or those who are afraid to operate in the country as not being fair or probably may have been in the business of shortchanging Nigerians.

Speaking on the company’s plan to introduce various ranges of telecommunication products into the country’s market, the Chief Executive of the firm, Aasim Saied said some of the devices can be used to improve learning and to empower the young ones

with useful skills.

“We want to create jobs in any country that we go and we also want to train personnel in the highest possible customer service expertise so that they can be at home with the technology we offer.”

He said the firm will introduce 50 per cent subsidy for students in selected primary and secondary schools in the country as part of its social responsibility to support education which they benefited from.

He said currently Akyumen

Technologies is partnering 25 universities and colleges all over the world in the use of its innovative devices for academic exploits.

Akyumen Technologies started up in the state of California, United States of America.

“We are a company with great commitment to our social responsibility. In addition to creation of jobs, we will also want to encourage a lot of start-up businesses.

One of the things that we intend to do is to install our computers in educational institutions in the country.”

Saraki Writes New UN Scribe, Hails His Emergence Omololu Ogunmade in Abuja

Senate President, Dr. Abubakar Bukola Saraki, yesterday congratulated the newly elected Secretary-General of the United Nations (UN), Antonio Guetteres, describing him as a global citizen and statesman.

Saraki in a personal letter addressed to the new UN scribe, expressed optimism that his tenure would foster greater collaboration and partnership between Nigeria’s National Assembly and the world body.

He also told the SecretaryGeneral to count on the support of the Senate in particular and the

National Assembly in general as a global partner for development.

The letter read in part: “On behalf of the National Assembly of the Federal Republic of Nigeria, I am writing to convey my warm congratulations on your election as the Secretary General of the United Nations.

“Over the years, as a fellow member of the Leadership Council of the Global Alliance for Clean Cookstoves, I have followed your work as a prominent advocate for increasing access to cleaner energy around the world, and for the widespread adoption of clean cookstoves and fuels for households around the world.

Buhari Visits Hospitalised General in Berlin Hospital Tobi Soniyi in Abuja President Muhammadu Buhari has visited a senior Nigerian military officer currently receiving treatment in a Berlin hospital in Germany.

A statement issued by the Senior Special Assistant to the President on Media and Publicity, Garba Shehu said the president decided to visit the officer before returning to Nigeria after he had concluded his state visit to Germany.

The statement gave the name of the hospitalised officer as Brigadier-General Mohammed Sani Aliyu, the Acting Commander of the 3rd Division of the Nigerian Army, Jos, Plateau State.

He was said to have miraculously survived a ghastly road accident in the course of a duty tour in the North-east.

The head of Training and Operations of the Nigerian Army, Major-General Yusha’u Abubakar, who was in the same vehicle, was not so lucky as he died in the auto crash on Maiduguri-Damaturu road. The statement said: “Buhari, accompanied by the Governors of Borno and Imo, the National Security Adviser, NSA, the Minister of Interior and that of Foreign Affairs congratulated General Aliyu for the progress he has made in his treatment in the last six months in the hospital.”

The president and his delegation wished him a quick recovery and an early return to his family and duties in Nigeria.

The president was said to have given a further assurance that his administration would continue to accord priority to the health and well-being of service personnel in the country.

NTNU to Offer 50% Discount to Deported Nigerian Students

Police Kick as Shiites, Youths Clash Again

Abimbola Akosile

The Kaduna State Police Command yesterday warned that it would deal with those taking the law into their hands. The warning was contained in a statement issued by the Command’s Public Relations Officer, ASP Aliyu Usman, in Kaduna.

The statement said the command observed that some members of the public had become lawless and acted in manners detrimental to law and order and in total disregard to rights of other citizens.

The Nigerian Turkish Nile University has expressed readiness to offer admission with 50 per cent discount tuition fees to any Nigerian student affected by the crisis in Turkey.

The Director of Nigerian Turkish International Colleges Foundation, Behlul Fatih-Basaran, said this when a delegation from the university visited the Senior Special Assistant to the President on Diaspora and Foreign Affairs,

Hon. Abike Dabiri-Erewa, in Abuja recently.

Fatih-Basaran, who said the NTIC was ready to help any student who was ready to study at the university, noted that NTNU had already absorbed 29 students that returned from Turkey.

Some Nigerian students at various universities in Turkey suffered persecutions ranging from arrest to deportation over alleged link with the country’s failed coup.

The director explained that out

of 54 students on different foundations scholarship in Turkey, 29 had returned to the country and were absorbed by NTNU on full scholarship. He stressed that the remaining 25 would also enjoy scholarship with a monthly token.

Fatih-Basaran said: “The 25 students offered scholarship in Turkey will still enjoy their full scholarship by the NTIC Foundation, this is separate. Other than that, there are other Nigerian students who are going through hardships because of the develop-

ment in Turkey.

“Some of them have been moved to other universities where they face various hardships ranging from faculty difficulties and language barrier, among others.

“The students were simply forced to go back to their country; some of them were even deported and now the Nile University under the umbrella of NTIC Foundation decided to help these students. If they decide to accept to study at NTNU, they will have 50 per cent of their tuition fee cut.”

The Commissioner of Police, Sanusi Lemu, said the maintenance of law and order would not be compromised and anybody found committing acts detrimental to the peace of the society would face the music.

“The public are also warned to desist from taking laws into their hands as any attempt to commit unruly behaviour would be visited with the full wrath of the law”, according to a News Agency of Nigeria (NAN) report

T H I S D AY, T H E S U N D AY N E W S PA P E R • OCTOBER 16, 2016

13

SUNDAYNEWS

HEALTH FORUM L-R: Line Manager, Phillips West Africa PLC, Mr. Imo Umo; Business Development Manager, PhilPROMOTING HYGIENE lips Nigeria, Dr. George Uduku; Business Line Manager, Phillips West Africa PLC, Dr. Osayomore L-R: General Manager, RB West Africa, Mr. Rahaul Murgal, and Education Secretary, Apapa Local GovOssouetta, and Business Development Manager, Health System, Phillips West Africa PLC, Daniel Korenkey, at the Medic West Africa exhibition held at Eko Hotel, Lagos…recently

ernment Education Authority, Hon. Dosumu Olabanji, with pupils of United Christian Nursery/ Primary, Apapa, at the 2016 Dettol global hand-washing day in Apapa, Lagos…yesterday PHOTO: ETOP UKUTT

Militants Blast Another NPDC Trunkline in Delta

Tee Mac, Dokubo, Monalisa Storm Owerri for 2016 N’Delta Devt

Sylvester Idowu in Warri

Owerri, the Imo State capital is set to play host to Tee Mac, Hilda Dokubo and Monalisa Chinda as the trio attend the 5th Edition of the Niger Delta Development Forum (NDDF) slated for October 19 and 20.

The 2016 NDDF sponsored by the Foundation for Partnership Initiatives in the Niger Delta (PIND), in collaboration with the Imo State Government and Market Development for the Niger Delta (DAI-MADE) is themed ‘Towards Self-Sustaining Development in the Niger Delta: Narrating and Showcasing a ReImagined Niger Delta’.

As Niger Deltans, the trio have contributed immensely to the development of the region and have been instrumental in highlighting the challenges faced by the inhabitants of the region.

Tee Mac, Nigeria’s multitalented maestro Concert Flutist with cross-cultural Itsekiri and Swiss roots, has for years, been deeply involved in promoting

Less than 24 hours after it claimed the bombing of a pipeline, Urhobo/Isoko militant group, Niger Delta Greenland Justice Mandate (NDGJM) last night claimed it blasted OviriOgor delivery line to the Quality Control Centre (QCC) operated

by Nigerian Petroleum Development Company (NPDC) in Delta State.

The group, in a statement signed by its Spokesman, Aldo Agabalaja claimed its Akuma Strike Team bombed the delivery line in Ughelli, Ughelli South Local Government at about 11p.m on Friday night.

It said “In further execution of the Operation Hammurabi Code, the Akuma Strike Team,

at about 2300hour of Friday, October 14, 2016, bombed the Oviri-Ogor Delivery line to the QCC in Ughelli.”

Acting Spokesman of Joint Task Force (JTF) code-named Operation Delta Sate, Lieutenant Commander Thomas Otuji however told THISDAY last night that the affected pipeline was disused and had been breached earlier.

“There was an attack on an old pipeline earlier vandalised.

No product running in it. Troops on the trail to ascertain the identity of the criminals”, he said.

Commander Otuji disclosed to THISDAY that four suspects believed to be returning from the scene were arrested and undergoing interrogation.

The attack came less than 24

Gowon: ‘Nigeria Currently Walking in the Wilderness’ PaulObiinAbuja Former Head of State, Gen Yakubu Gowon yesterday said Nigeria is currently walking in the wilderness and requires God’s intervention given that His promise is that joy is in the offing.

Gowon stated this during the thanksgiving service to mark 20th anniversary of Nigeria Prays yesterday in Abuja, where he urged Nigerians to continue to pray for Nigeria He said, “When you ask what prayers has God been answering, you think of all the problems and crisis that we have had in the country and the way the good Lord has been able to ensure that they all are peacefully resolved until we create another problem for ourselves.

“We cannot stop praying for

Nigeria especially in the light of mounting challenges that have continually caused citizens to question their identity and the survival of the nation’s democratic structure.”

Gowon noted that the first rally by the Nigeria Prays held at the International Conference Centre Abuja on Oct 1st 1996 when the ship of the Nigerian State was experiencing great turbulence for which the nation needed effervescent prayers of righteous souls to move God’s right hand to calm the storm.

He said: “We knew God was at work for Nigeria because of the manner in which He made it possible for Nigerians of diverse religious persuasions to embrace the idea of a national prayer Ministry that was not affiliated to any denomination in Christendom. ”

hours after the militant group claimed it breached Iwhremaro delivery line also operated by the Nigerian Petroleum Development Company (NPDC).

Shortly after, the troops from 222 Battalion based in Ughelli effected arrest of four militants, action believed in security circle might have angered the militant group into embarking on another attack.

It said in its statement that the latest attack was not for the Shoreline and NPDC but to all owners of oil facilities in the upland.

“This is a message to, not just Shoreline and NPDC, the cooperators of this facility, but to all of you who own facilities in the upland area of our land and are still believing in the arms of flesh.

“This shall be the state of affairs until all of you adjust to taking our land and the lives of our people seriously. The Niger Delta Greenland Justice Mandate is not kidding with anybody and anybody should not think this is just one of those coming around to beg for a morsel of bread. Start a real and genuine engagement of real grassroots leaders from the region, not the divide-and-rule pattern, and this campaign shall cease,” it added.

The militant group warned the military not to use the attack as another opportunity to go after innocent people, adding “If you come in contact with us, it will not be a case of arrest, but a test of arms strength; such an encounter will undoubtedly result to a fight, so be warned.”

Medbridge Consortium, Ministry of Health, Announce First Healthcare Simulation Conference in Nigeria

The use of human for medical research and experiment may soon be a thing of the past in Nigeria, as the Federal Ministry of Health in collaboration with Medbridge Consortium embarks on first medical simulation conference.

Medical Simulation, which is an advanced learning tool for healthcare providers offers alternative to the use of natural human organs for laboratory experiment.

A release issued by Dr. Bamidele Moyo-Angel, Project Manager of Medbridge Consortium, a US-based medical services provider announced in Abuja that the planned conference would gather together over 600 stakeholders that would receive the first training on medical

simulation.

According to Moyo-Angel, the process “bridges theory to practice in a safe and interactive learning environment. With computer-controlled simulation technology, healthcare simulation enables healthcare providers to develop the cognitive and psychomotor skills essential to safe and effective healthcare practice.

At the same time, gain competence and trust in their ability to safely perform clinical skills with live patients.

“A simulation environment allows the learners to practice and repeat procedures as often as necessary in order to correct mistakes and fine-tune their skills until they achieve favourable clinical outcomes.”

UN Scribe Hails Release of 21 Abducted Chibok Girls Chiamaka Ozulumba The outgoing United Nations Secretary-General, Mr. Ban Kimoon has welcomed the reported release of 21 Chibok schoolgirls, following more than two years of

captivity.

The scribe, in a statement attributable to the Spokesman of the Secretary-General on the release of 21 abducted schoolgirls, however remains deeply concerned about the safety and well-being

of the remaining schoolgirls and other victims of abduction by Boko Haram, who are still in captivity.

“The Secretary-General urges the international community to continue supporting the govern-

ment of Nigeria in its efforts to secure their release, rehabilitation and reintegration. He calls for increased efforts to ensure additional humanitarian access in the north-east of Nigeria, and reiterates the continued commit.

Ernest ChinwoinPortHarcourt

dialogue in the Niger delta. His efforts culminated in his being awarded the Member of the Federal Republic (MFR) national honor by President Umar Musa Yar’Adua in 2009 for his vital role in brokering peace with the Niger Delta militants and fighting for their rehabilitation.

Hilda Dokubo is an award winning Nigerian Actress, a Filmmaker, Activist, Entrepreneur, life coach and Executive Director - Centre for Creative Arts Education (CREATE), a one-stop support centre for women and youths, based in Port Harcourt.

She coordinated the Southsouth people assembly youth directorate Capacity Building programmes for youth activists and groups to engage in conflict transformation in the Niger Delta from 2005-2006. She was the co-coordinator of the GAG team who set up the only IDP camp for the Gbaramatu displaced women and children (2009), affected by the activities of the joint military task force (JTF) and militants.

Nigeria Entrepreneurs Award to Hold Nov 18 The prestigious Nigeria Entrepreneurs Award will take place on November 18, at the Ladi Kwali Hall, Sheraton Hotel in Abuja.

The Nigeria Entrepreneurs Award, with the theme: ‘Promoting Nigeria’s Non-Oil Sector and stimulating SMEs for Inclusive Growth’, is charged with the responsibility of recognising corporate organizations and individuals who have contributed immensely to the entrepreneurial growth and development either through policy making, actual practice or CSR programmes.

The Nominees were however, verified and screened by an independent auditors after a national call for nomination was conducted within the month of April and June 2016 and published on National dailies.

The Award is one of the highly respected business awards in Nigeria that also seeks to showcase exemplary

entrepreneurs, business executives & corporate organisations in Nigeria.

This is however, the 3rd edition of the Nigeria Entrepreneurs Award and has celebrated more than 30 top entrepreneurs, business leaders and corporate organisations from around Nigeria have been recognised for their vital contributions to the economy through the Nigeria Entrepreneurs Award platform.

Some of the personalities honoured with the prestigious award include: Mrs. Adenike Ogunlesi (Founder & CRO, Ruff n Tumble) Halogen Security Ltd, Mr. Nnamdi Ezeigbo (Founder & CEO, Slot Nig Ltd), INTELS Nigeria Ltd, Mrs. Uche Pedro (Founder, Bella Naija), MTN Communications Ltd, Standard Chartered Bank, Lagos State, Propertymart Real Estate Investment Ltd, Nisa Premier Hospital, Prof. Charles K. Ayo (Former, VC Covenant University).

14

OCTOBER 16, 2016 • THISDAY, THE SUNDAY NEWSPAPER

OPINION

Folly of A Talk-Show Commission

The role of mediating election debates belongs to the media and civil society, argues Emmanuel Ojeifo

T

he news that the Nigerian Senate is proposing the establishment of a ‘Nigerian Political Debates Commission’ came to me with rude shock. Senator Abdulfatai Buhari (APC, Oyo North) is the sponsor of the bill. The bill proposes legislative backing for the establishment of a commission saddled with the responsibility of organising and conducting debates for all candidates cleared by the Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC) to participate in election into the offices of president, vice-president, governor and deputy governor.

At a time when talk about cutting the cost of governance has almost become a national anthem, it is lack of good judgment for the Nigerian Senate to be preoccupied with thinking about establishing a brand new government bureaucratic machinery for managing political debates during elections, which take place every four years. What then happens to the commission at the end of the election season? We wait for another four years before the commission gets busy again, right? And the staff of the commission, what will they be doing? Taking salaries at the end of every month for a work that is done quadrenially?

I believe that the idea of such a commission is not only backward but also laughable. It betrays a seminal lack of clear legislative thinking plus intellectual laziness. One is left to imagine that the 8th Senate has run out of good ideas. Every good student of politics and society knows that the health of a democracy depends on two crucial mediating institutions: the media and civil society. The media plays a crucial role in shaping a healthy democracy. It has variously been referred to as ‘the fourth estate,’ the ‘backbone of democracy,’ the ‘watchdog of society’ and ‘the conscience of a nation,’ all in the bid to emphasise its critical role in the public space. The role of the media in a democratic society revolves around informing the public on what is going on and informing democratic choices through the clarification of complex issues, particularly in an age when information is the driving force of economic development, and international events impact on people’s daily lives as never before.

The media provokes public debates leading to greater public participation in important decisions. It uncovers abuses by public officeholders and mounts pressure for their rectification.

The media alerts and mobilises public opinion to crucial issues and allows political pluralism to express itself by advertising different views and ideological approaches to issues. The media also keeps politicians attuned to public opinion while offering

politicians a medium to explain policies and decisions to the public and build the necessary consensus and support. It is like a mirror, which shows us the bare truth. It is also through the media that politicians are reminded about their unfulfilled promises at the time of elections.

The excessive coverage by radio and television news channels during election helps the citizens to make informed political decisions, in electing the right person. This reminder compels politicians to abide by their promises in order to remain in power.

The media also exposes the loopholes in the democratic system, which ultimately helps to make the system more accountable, responsive and citizen-friendly. A democracy without media is like a vehicle without wheels.

During election campaigns, the media’s minimum is to give publicity access to all political parties and candidates, and to set the political agenda without trivialising or sensationalising the issues.

The role of the media is never to blindly or uncritically support a given political party or cause. That not only undermines the

At a time when talk about cutting the cost of governance has almost become a national anthem, it is lack of good judgment for the Nigerian Senate to be preoccupied with thinking about establishing a brand new government bureaucratic machinery for managing political debates during elections, which take place every four years

credibility of the media (which becomes simply a propaganda machine); it also undermines the political party or cause as no institution can thrive and adapt to change without regular, constructive criticism. If the media is to do its job seriously, politicians must treat the media seriously.

Those of us who have access to cable TV have been particularly impressed with the American presidential election political debates anchored by CNN, between the two leading contenders, Mr Donald Trump (Republican Party) and Mrs Hillary Clinton (Democratic Party). We have seen how the American media has helped to deepen the content, context and culture of political discourse on defining issues in the American society. Herein also lies the role of civil society. In a democracy, civil society can help to promote political participation. NGOs can do this by educating people about their rights and obligations as democratic citizens, and encouraging them to listen to election campaigns and vote in elections. Civil society also helps to inform the public about important public issues. This is not only the role of the mass media, but of NGOs which provide forums for debating public policies and disseminating information about issues that affect the interests of society at large.

The Nigerian Electoral Act 2010, in addition to the powers conferred on INEC by the 1999 Constitution, lists among the functions of INEC the power to conduct voter and civic education and to promote knowledge of sound democratic election processes. Even within the framework of election campaign, INEC has powers to mediate and midwife political debates, through the instrumental cooperation of the media and civil society. Careful reading of the constitution and the Electoral Act should have tempered the thinking of the sponsor(s) of the bill seeking to establish a ‘Nigerian Political Debates Commission’ in the Senate.

In other words, if those who inhabit the Nigerian Senate are interested in deepening the culture of intelligent political conversation in our nation, they should make laws that strengthen and protect the media and civil society in a democracy, rather than preoccupy themselves with a frivolous legislative bill. They should look over to the American horizon and learn important lessons from the ongoing election campaigns about how political discourse, midwifed by the media and an active citizenry, can be conducted in a civil, decent, and violence-free manner, while also focusing on the essential issues.

––Ojeifo is a Catholic priest of the Archdiocese of Abuja.

Democratic Discontent and Lessons From Afar

D

Oseloka H. Obaze demands inspirational leadership from those at the helm of affairs

iscontent is a hardcore of Nigeria’s partisan politics mosaic. Today, major Nigerian political parties - APC, PDP, APGA and LP - are all beset by crises fostered by discontent. Resultant party realignments are not necessarily in the public interest. Had President Ibrahim Babangida’s two-party experiment worked, such realignments would make sense, as a means of mainstreaming

common cause.

Presently when the ruling APC should be settling down to delivering services, democratic dividends and other leadership accomplishments, the party is struggling badly. It is without any record of policy accomplishments. On its watch, Nigeria’s laggardly economy it inherited has tanked. Remedial measures relative to reducing the cost of governance, fiscal reform, improving power supply, growing the non-oil sector, generating wealth and growth and jump-starting the economy are bogged down.

In their place, public discontent is rising. The arising crisis of confidence has prompted another electoral reform effort.

President Muhammadu Buhari has inadvertently fallen into the crevasse that leaders and governing parties customarily plunge into during difficult economic times. Ironically, his ruling APC party has not helped him. Members of his party are still buffeted by crises within the legislative branch; be it forgery charges against Senate President Bukola Saraki or the budget padding allegations pitting Hon. Abdulmumin Jibrin against the House Speaker Yakubu Dogara. Taken together, these party dissonances are distractive and retard political progress and economic development.

The forgery case against the Senate leaders was inexplicably dropped. Sen. Saraki may be right in stating that “much time has been wasted in pursuing this needless case and we hope that the same treatment will be extended to other politically-motivated cases.” Still his views are not necessarily exculpatory. Dropping the case is hardly a vindication, if indeed there was forgery. Arising question is whether the prosecution was compromised or if APC is resorting to PDP’s use of it’s “a family affairs” shibboleth to cover illegalities. Still the unfolding Tinubu-Oyegun spat speaks to a deeper crisis.

Nigeria is also suffering due to the leadership crisis rocking PDP. As the main opposition party, PDP is distracted and unable to mount concerted opposition or play that role fully. In that

vein, PDP has also failed as a key party in rallying bipartisan consensus on critical national interest issues, notably, salvaging Nigeria’s flailing economy.

Political parties are vital in sustaining any truly democratic government. Yet when parties shirk their statutory functions, they become divisive and contribute to political and developmental retrogression. Such disposition gives rise to and legitimises public discontent. Last week, the All Progressive Grand Alliance (APGA), the third and only other party controlling a state government, was rocked by internal crisis, resulting reportedly in the suspension of its National Chairman, Dr. Victor Ike Oye and some key party officers. Discontent played a role in that still unfolding saga. Meanwhile, third party role in a democracy, which is focusing attention on issues and ideas, thus forcing the ruling party to align policies properly, remains unattended.

Perhaps, Nigerian leaders should borrow a leaf from British Prime Minister Teresa May’s speech at her Conservative Party’s annual convention. PM May’s exhortatory and uplifting speech was akin to President Lyndon Johnson’s 1964 “Great Society” speech in which President Johnson enunciated the following: “The catalogue of ills is long: there is the decay of the centres and the despoiling of the suburbs. There is not enough housing for our people or transportation for our traffic.

Open land is vanishing and old landmarks are violated. Worst of all expansion is eroding the precious and time honored values of community with neighbors and communion with nature. The loss of these values breeds loneliness and boredom and indifference. Our society will never be great until our cities are great. Today the frontier of imagination and innovation is inside those cities and not beyond their borders.” What President Johnson said in 1964 America can apply to 2016 Nigeria.

Further to her promise that her government “will be driven not by the interest of a privileged few, but by the interest of ordinary, working-class families,” Teresa May enunciated her vision, philosophy and approach, meant to advance Britain despite prevailing realities. To recreate and reenergise a post-Brexit Britain, she perceptively called for the creation of a “Great Meritocracy”; a country “built on the values of fairness and opportunity, where everyone plays by the same rules and where every single person -- regardless of their background or

that of their parents -- is given the chance to be all they want to be.” Can there be a similar Nigerian quest? Definitely, if there is vision, honesty and sincerity of purpose.

Whenever America is challenged, its leaders respond introspectively. Think of John F. Kennedy’s “ask not what your country can do for you” speech. Contextually, in order to find the true essence of democracy in a post-Brexit Britain, Teresa May proclaimed, that it ought not matter “where you were born, who your parents are, where you went to school, what your accent sounds like, what god you worship, whether you’re a man or a woman, or black or white.” These are values that divide and should be eschewed; but these are also values we accentuate in Nigeria, including which party one belongs to. Thus Nigerian parties control our politics, with crass rascality that promotes hubris in place of ideology.

President Johnson envisioned the “Great Society”, with a promise: “We are going to assemble the best thought and the broadest knowledge from all over the world to find those answers for America.” He did not say the assemblage will be Democrats only. His vision, response and search parameters were nonpartisan, which was what the national challenge called for.

As yet, no Nigerian leader has exhorted Nigerians compellingly to rise collectively to the challenges of nation-building.

Rather, our diversity, which ought to be strength, is used as a divisive tool to snuff out any residual optimism about the well-being and potential of the commonweal. The only time Nigerians heard such a call, was Murtala Mohammed’s “Africa Has Come of Age” declaration -- a compelling doctrine inserted into his speech to the Organisation for African Unity (OAU) by Amb. Olu Adeniji, which resonated beyond our frontiers.

It’s a dodge to think of Nigeria’s problem as mostly fiscal and economic. We lack inspirational leadership at all levels.

And painfully, Nigerians now accept that elected officials are in politics for themselves. Such cynicism is so deep-seated that purposeful politics is endangered; and the consequential discontent will always give rise to dissidents and intra-party and national rebellion. Our leaders may do well to draw on lessons from afar, on how to manage and uplift a nation in times of crises and economic and emotional depression.

Obaze is MD/CEO of Selonnes Consult Ltd.

15

T H I S D AY, T H E S U N D AY N E W S PA P E R • OCTOBER 16, 2016

LETTERS

I

ESSENCE OF BUHARI’S TRIP TO GERMANY

n furtherance of President Muhammadu Buhari’s commitment towards expanding the frontiers of Nigeria’s diplomacy, he has once more embarked on a three-day official trip to Germany.

The trip will afford him the opportunity to interact with the German Chancellor Angela Markel and President Joachim Gauck. It is expected that issues that border on security, the humanitarian situation of internally displaced persons, rehabilitation of the North-east, trade and economic relations between both countries will be tabled.

In this era of economic recession, the necessity for global diplomatic engagements will play a pivotal role in attracting foreign direct investments and winning international goodwill for Nigeria.

It is pertinent to recognise that President Buhari’s sincerity of purpose and zeal to promote transparency in governance have endeared him and by extension the entire country to the international community.

Since no country is an island and interdependence among countries has always been the norm, it is remarkable that Nigeria continues to assert herself in the global arena. Of course with the several policy initiatives of the Buhari administration, Nigeria

T

Buhari with Merkel is well positioned to explore the world.

On the issue of war against Boko Haram and rehabilitation of internally displaced persons, Nigeria stands to gain a lot from Germany. In trying to find a lasting solution to the problems in the North-east Nigeria has to explore all avenues and the trip to Germany will definitely bode well for the country.

Germany is also home for many Diaspora Nigerians and the visit will offer an opportunity for the president to interface with them. The other side of it is that the Nigerian community in Germany will also have the opportunity to

exchange views about Nigeria with Mr President.

While President Buhari will use the trip to solicit for Germany’s help in rebuilding the war-ravaged North-east and combating Boko Haram, he will equally showcase the investment potential of the country to the German business community.

With the several policy initiatives of this administration, it is in his place as the number one citizen to lead in trumpeting the many benefits awaiting foreign investments in Nigeria.

In various sectors of the economy such as solid minerals and mining, agriculture, oil

and gas, science and technology, the federal government is providing incentives for wouldbe investors and the message ought to be pronounced loud and to the target audience.

Since his assumption of office, President Buhari has adopted a multilateral approach in fostering Nigeria’s relations with the rest of the world, and this has endeared him to world leaders such as President Barack Obama of the United States.

His foresight, vision and patriotism have once more positioned Nigeria as a global player from the African continent that cannot be ignored.

In effect, it can be said that President Buhari has restored Nigeria’s preeminent position as the continent’s leader.

On trade and economics, it needs to be noted that Germany has remained a major source of imports for various goods and services into Nigeria. The trade volume between both countries stood at 5.4 billion Euros in 2014 but decreased to 2.9 billion Euros in 2015.

Nigeria has remained Germany’s second most important economic partner in Africa and President Buhari’s visit has the potential to strengthen both countries’ relations, and promote trade and economic cooperation.

Both countries open market policy also helps to facilitate

WHO IS AFRAID OF OBIANO?

here is only one conclusion to be drawn by any discerning mind on the prolonged media operation to cast Governor Willie Obiano in the garments of falsehood. Some people are rattled by Obiano’s solid achievements and rising profile. When opposition activism, high profile and low profile, merely boils down to campaign of calumny against the governor; when social media appraisal of government’s performance consists of fabrications and abuse; when issues of governance are routinely trivialised to mislead ordinary folks in the streets, you can be sure that someone somewhere is consumed by a nagging fear: With a series of development initiatives being rolled out every day, this man will before long transform Anambra State into a great estate. That will diminish us. That will expose the shallowness of our own outing and place the bar too high for our current ambitions. His programmes are already endearing him to the people. What to do? Pull him down before his tenure becomes a phenomenon.

It does not matter if the execution of this plot hurts Ndi Anambra. It does not matter if the implementation of this scheme sends wrong signals to prospective investors and others wishing to key into the present conducive business climate in the state. It does not matter to the

sponsors of this political ruse if their actions pose danger to the peace and wellbeing of society. That is morality for you. It is not the concern of our activists. Their preoccupation is to indulge their ego.

It is about feathering their business and political nests.

Some of these riot squads are simply on vengeance mission for what they regard as denied opportunities and unrewarded services.

There is so much detestable about adults, supposedly informed and distinguished citizens, trying to reduce the serious business of governance to the level of gimmickry. Those who have made a pastime of orchestrating the Obiano - champagne gossip should be pitied. They advertise their vacuity with this strange obsession. The fixation with this caricature not only demonstrates gullibility, it also exposes the hypocritical bent of mind that slyly lay claim to sainthood.

And what about it if Obiano enjoys the champagne! Some Catholic monasteries have historically been involved with wine production.

Thomas Jefferson, one of the authors of the American Declaration of Independence, and third President of the United States celebrated his love of fine spirit. The Prescot Courier, July 4, 1976, quoted the statesman: ‘Good wine is a necessity of life for me.’

Wole Soyinka the sage is a reputed wine connoisseur.

The same Obiano who is purported to spend hours

at the bottle is restless with development activities and ahead of most state governors in achievements.

So who is a prisoner of what? The characters who have been chewing the cud of champagne since the inception of the Obiano regime in 2014 deserve our pity. At the very least, the penchant to suck on this subject even in the face of national economic emergency should be considered a strong indication of inability to discuss serious issues.

Another undertaking of the amorphous media forces ranged against the Willie Obiano regime is to continually describe the three imposing flyovers at Awka as ‘walls of Jericho.’ The simplistic way this assertion is made, you would think that the invaluable infrastructure is standing in anyone’s palace compound. However, this dismissal of a very laudable project only became fashionable after frantic attempts at magnifying the cost of the work in the public consciousness failed.

At other times the offensive was mounting the smear campaign that the landmark projects would never be completed; that the governor would soon run out of steam and the venture turn out a white elephant. Thus, you witness a consistent and systematic plan to subvert the development initiatives of an administration. Nothing but a ruthless resolve to undermine, frustrate

and if possible dismantle the programmes being executed by the present state government can produce this degree of adversarial attitude.

And in prosecuting this base, vindictive and vainglorious campaign, nothing is sacred or distinct as not to be thrown into the bargain.

And so even the governor’s humanitarian testament as reflected in the economic stimulus package of September 2016 is to be politicised and made mockery of. Following the national economic recession of the past several months, Governor Obiano announced a four pronged intervention programme to reduce the impact of the recession on the citizenry. These were in the broad areas of tax review; support to micro, small and medium enterprises; relief for low income households and job creation. For our immediate purposes however, the governor suspended the sale of consolidated emblems, hawkers’ daily permit, and wheel barrow tax as well as abolished levies in public primary and secondary schools. A cursory glance at the list is enough to tell that these are measures carefully selected to benefit the poor and low income earners. To this charitable and commendable initiative, the stragglers and laggards on the road of Anambra’s politics have only scorn to offer.

––Ifeanyi Afuba, Awka, Anambra State

trade among their citizens and this is to the mutual advantage of both countries.

Germany as a technologically advanced country is in a position to assist in the area of maritime security and safeguarding of our waterways.

The diversification programme of the Buhari administration offers German companies a leeway to penetrate into the Nigerian market.

At this critical period in our history, we must concentrate on ensuring that we continue to widen the frontiers of our business and diplomatic engagements. Already the Buhari administration has created the enabling environment for businesses, both local and foreign to thrive in Nigeria, and it is hoped that German investors will take full advantage of the opportunities.

Similarly, the major drawbacks to foreign direct

investments like corruption and insecurity are being addressed by the administration.

Definitely, the cleansing going on will restore the confidence of foreign investors in Nigeria and pave way for businesses to thrive.

Boosting trade and investments between Nigeria and Germany will help provide employment opportunities, improve security, education and infrastructural development. The renewed diplomatic move by President Buhari has the potential to jumpstart Nigeria’s economy, and increase the trade volume between both countries.

Germany as a knowledgebased economy is also in a position to transfer technology to Nigeria by sharing knowledge in the various sectors.

––Chukwudi Enekwechi, Abuja.

DONALD TRUMP’S PENITENCE

W

hen Donald Trump announced his candidacy last year, many political pundits dismissed it with the wave of the hand as this was not the first time he had been linked to the ambition of sitting in the White House. Since 1988, he has deftly used his public relations stunts to put his name forward and then a loud silence follows afterwards as he never took up the gauntlet.

This time around, he was in for good with analysts opining that he was just there to make up the numbers as he stood no chance in hell against the establishment politicians. His being the front runner was still not convincing enough as it was only a matter of time for the steam to cool off.

His gaffes which were increasing by the day gave some hope to the pundits that he won’t go far. How wrong were they as he eventually clinched the ticket and greatly upset the apple cart!

There was palpable anger from within the ranks of the GOP as this loud and brash New Yorker had beaten them at their own game.

Fear suddenly began creeping in as his harsh anti-immigration stance and the threat of the building of a wall was a clear target against Mexico as they constituted the majority of the over 11 million illegal immigrants. Nigerians, the largest foreign minority in Uncle Sam were also not spared as he railed against their presence there and wondered why they didn’t return home rather than taking up jobs there. African -Americans, Muslims, Hispanics – everyone wasn’t spared his caustic tongue.

He even made fun of terminally ill people by urging them to hang on till November 8 so that they could cast their vote for him. He was waging a war against everyone and was portraying the image of a crude isolationist.

His attack against women in a country that places a high premium on women’s rights and with his rival as a woman as well was a Locus Classicus of the theatre of the absurd. He took this to a ridiculous extreme by releasing a video released by the Washington Post where he used vulgar language about groping

and kissing women with impunity.

This is a far cry from what is expected of a presidential candidate as he showed utter contempt and disregard for women, likening them to mere sexual objects to be used and dumped at will. He has blasted Bill Clinton repeatedly for his acts of sexual indiscretion while in office with Hillary as an accomplice. How does this make him any better?

Many fellow Republicans have disassociated themselves from him by refusing to endorse his candidacy. Congressman Jason Chaffetz told Fox that ‘I can no longer in good conscience endorse this person for President.’ Congress woman Barbara Comstock, Congressman Mike Coffman and former Governor of Utah, Jon Huntsman demanded his exit from the race. The most prominent was erstwhile President George Bush Sr who openly canvassed for Hillary Clinton. Trump seems to have a thick skin as the opposition from his party members seems to have unfazed him. He keeps trudging on like a soldier spewing more poison as the days roll by and making a caricature of a future occupant of the White House.

It was something akin to the nine wonders of the world when he made a public apology for the video that was released. In his words ‘I have said and done things I regret. Anyone who knows me knows these words don’t reflect who I am. I was wrong and I apologise. I have never said I am a perfect person, nor pretended to be someone I am not. I pledge to be a better man tomorrow.’

This is the first apology of his which is still a shocker. He has probably realised the strategic importance of women as a voting bloc and figured out that it won’t be in his best interest to alienate himself from them. Are the African-Americans, Hispanics, Muslims now less important?

Don’t they also deserve an apology as well? The three minutes video made in 2005 is going to make Trump have a herculean challenge in making inroads into the women power base which Hillary may use to her advantage as she has issued a statement condemning his lewd language.

––Tony Ademiluyi, Lagos.

16

THISDAY, THE SUNDAY NEWSPAPER • OCTOBER 16, 2016

INTERNATIONAL

Objective Vs Means: Case of PMB’s Containment of Corruption and Foreign Policy Implications

I

nternational relations, as a discipline or relationships, is essentially about diplomacy at the level of government-togovernment and about international life with the inclusion of non-governmental actors, and particularly when factoring in citizen diplomacy. Actors in international relations are variously described as weak, strong, developed, developing, First World or Second or Third World, powerful or not powerful, etc. Even among the powerful and the developed countries, distinctions among them are still made: super powers, great powers, middle powers, small powers, etc.

What is important about the classification of actors in international relations is that it is largely determined by objective pursued and means applied. In other words, when a country is considered great, it is the means available to it in the attainment efforts of the country that is in question. When it is said that all member states of the international community have sovereign equality, this is true only at the level of political rhetorics but never true in practice as countries have more means than one another. Even at the level of all countries which qualify to be called developed, their means are not equal. This is why the concepts of development assistance or aid, grants, donations, international humanitarian aid, etc, do exist.

Consequently, if international relations is generally characterised by crises and conflicts, order and counter order amounting to disorder, and the world of today is gradually renewing the post-World War II Cold War politics, it is the failure of good management of objectives and their means that is generally responsible for the resultant effect: deepening of threats to global peace and security. In other words, the objective of neutralising corruption and the new method of addressing it in Nigeria is what is generating unnecessary controversies in Nigeria of today.

At the level of objective, President Muhammadu Buhari (PMB) wants to make history by seeking a permanent solution to the hydra-headed problem of endemic corruption in Nigeria.

Corruption was recognised as the bane of the Nigerian society in 1967 and no solution to it has been found since then. In fact, corruption has been institutionalised, it has become systemic and has also been identified as a major dynamic of development setbacks.

However, determined to take the bull by the horn, PMB opted to climb a new step on the anti-corruption ladder in an attempt to move beyond simply doing battle to declaration of a total war on corruption and indiscipline in Nigeria. Until now, the battle has involved, in the main, the non-use of force to deal with not just suspects but also the people known to be creating or constituting obstacles to the corruption containment effort of Government.

True, on Saturday, 8th October, 2016, agents of the Department of State Security (DSS), raided and arrested in a sting operation some notable judges in different parts of the country allegedly for involvement in very corrupt practices. Two Supreme Court Justices, Sylvester Ngwuta and Inyang Okoro were arrested.

Two judges of the Federal High Court Adeniyi Ademola (Abuja Division) and Muazu Pindiga (Gombe Division) were also arrested. Another judge, Justice Nnamdi Dimgba of the Federal High Court, Abuja, was raided but not arrested. THISDAY reports have it that two judges who had been dismissed a week earlier, Justice I.A, Umezulike, Chief Judge of Enugu State, and Justice Kabiru Auta, a judge of Kano State High Court, were raided in Enugu and Kano respectively. Justice Mohammed Tsamiya of the Court of Appeal, Ilorin, was similarly arrested.

The Acts of arrest reportedly took place between 12 midnight and 1 am. The corruption suspects were granted bail on the basis of self-recognition the following day.

Reactions to the arrest of the judges have more implications at the foreign, than at the internal, level because, speaking grosso modo, the factor of externality has always taken precedence in interactional relations. Every individual or given stratum of society always factors the perception of others about them, especially in relating to them. Everyone wants a positive selfprojection. Put differently, when Nigerians begin to condemn the action of the DSS, what informs the condemnation? To what extent is the external consideration of the content of the condemnation?

For instance, as noted earlier, the DSS raid has generated much interest and controversy as regards the timing and the manner of the arrest. A dominant school of thought strongly condemns the use of military tactic in dealing with people seen as belonging to the hors classe and also considered to be the last

VIE INTERNATIONALE with

Bola A. Akinterinwa Telephone : 0807-688-2846

e-mail: bolyttag@yahoo.com

Buhari

hope of the common man. In other words, justices are seen to be untouchables and should not be treated like ordinary citizens.

The main rationale of this school is that the war on corruption is right but it must follow the logic of rule and spirit of law.

The Controversial Debate

Rivers State Governor, Nyeson Wike, sees the operation as an undemocratic illegality perpetrated against the judiciary. Chief Maxi Okwu, legal practitioner, said ‘we are not talking about the individual judges and what they did or may not have done.

The issue is that the issue of institution of judiciary is the arbiter, that means it should be revered and not trivialised or disgraced.’

More significantly, he argued that the appropriate procedure is to ‘remove the judges first. A judge of the High Court or a superior court cannot appear in the dock, it would rubbish the judiciary forever.’

Justice Ebenezer Adebajo, retired judge of the High Court of Lagos, has noted that ‘the way and manner the DSS has gone about the arrest of the judges has shown an intention to destroy the judiciary. It is an attack on the judiciary itself. Not just on these judges, but an attack on the judiciary and the NJC is the party to blame...What we are seeing now is the attack of the dogs of hell.

How can such a thing happen to a judge? What is the respectfulness for an institution of a state?’’ In the thinking of Justice Adebajo, ‘it is stated in the Constitution that the first port of call for any complaint against a judge is the National Judicial Council (NJC)’ (The Nation, October 10, p.6).

Many seasoned lawyers also hold the view that it is the NJC that has responsibility to discipline any erring judge, and therefore argues that the DSS has erred in its action and that the DSS does not really have the power to engage in financial matters but only in security and intelligence matters. In fact, Barrister Olisa Agbakoba, former President of the NBA, asked whether the DSS is still the same thing as the former SSS. He believed that the DSS cannot engage in any ‘sting operation’ generally reserved for the hardest criminals.

The Senate condemned the act of breaking into the house of serving judges, using hammer and chisel and therefore set up an ad hoc committee to inquire into laws so far promulgated and dealing with invasion of properties and to report back within 4 weeks.

In its first reactions, the Federal Government explained on 9th October that it was not the judiciary that was targeted in the operation but corruption. As explained by Mr. Shehu Garba,

The difficulty in nipping corruption in the bud is largely due to the many loopholes in the law. The judicial officers know all the twists and turns of the law and have simply been taking advantage of their knowledge of it in engaging in corrupt practices. Consequently, it is not by arguments of legality or illegality of method or means that can resolve the problem of corruption in Nigeria. If the DSS is wrong in its method of arrest, the judges cannot be right for consciously abusing the law and public trust reposed on them

the Special Assistant, Media and Publicity, to PMB, ‘the recent surgical operation against some judicial officers is specifically targeted at corruption and not at the judiciary as an institution...

To suggest that the Government is acting outside the law in a dictatorial manner is to breach the interest of the State,’ mainly because the DSS obtained ‘all due processes of the law, including the possession of search and arrest warrants’ before the operation (Daily Sun, October 10, 2016, p.6).

Consistent with the government’s position, another school, while not necessarily disagreeing with the need to respect the rule of law, supported the manu militari approach of Government. It posits that there cannot be one law for one group of Nigerians and another for other groups of Nigerians. Put differently, there should be equality of every citizen before the law.

More important, Professor Itsay Sagay, Chairman of the Presidential Committee on Anti-corruption, argued on October 11 that corruption has become an epidemic in Nigeria, and therefore the NJC, which can only deal with normal situations, is not in any position to deal with corruption as an epidemic. In fact, he said the Nigerian Bar Association, corporately or individually speaking, does not have any moral right to speak and criticise or condemn the DSS for its action because it is precisely the lawyers, particularly the senior lawyers, who used to carry millions of dollars to the judges. As he put it, it should be ‘sad, very sad in their mouth’ to come into the open to condemn what they had been aiding and abetting secretly.

Apart from the President and his vice, the Governor and his deputy, no other citizen of Nigeria has any immunity from criminal processes on the basis of Nigeria’s 1999 Constitution as amended. Besides, he posited that democracy should not be allowed to be shut down as people who contest and win election and have their hopes dashed because of corruption are not likely to be tolerant. The situation can precipitate a war. (Exclusive interview with Channels Television, October 11, 2016).

Also noteworthy are the arguments of Barrister Femi Falana, SAN. He reminded that judges that had committed grave criminal offences were simply retired and never prosecuted. He mentioned the case of two Senior Advocates of Nigeria standing trial in the Lagos High Court allegedly for bribing a judge who has not been charged to court. He also recalled that ‘about two years ago, an anti-graft agency found N2 billion in the account of a High Court judge. As soon as the judge was invited for questioning she reported, made a statement and was granted bail. But as she could not defend the lodgement in her bank account, she obtained an interlocutory injunction from one of the judges in the custody of the SSS.’ In the same vein, ‘when both the Independent Corrupt Practices and other Offences Commission (ICPC) and the Economic and Financial Crimes Commission (EFCC) sent invitation letters to judges suspected of corruption they (judges) rushed to the Federal High Court to obtain interlocutory injunctions to prevent their arrest, investigation and prosecution.’ (The Nation, October 10, p.6).

The essence of the foregoing is to underscore three points: those who are required to nip corruption in the bud are precisely the first catalytic operatives of corruption who ‘unrule’ or bastardise the law. Secondly, the rule of law cannot but be misplaced in the face of judges’ interlocutory injunctions, if the anti-corruption war is to be taken seriously. Thirdly, the controversial debate and the DSS arrest raise the challenge of purpose and method, which has serious implications for Nigeria’s foreign policy. Our intention here is to examine how the issues involved affect foreign policy.

The Foreign Policy Dimensions

First, on Monday, 10th October, judicial activities were grounded at the Federal High Court, Abuja even though some cases had already been listed to be prosecuted (DailySun, October, 11, p.6).

As reported by Godwin Tsa, ‘sources said it was to show solidarity to their brother justices now in detention.’ In whichever way the arrest of any judge may be taken, why should some judges create situations of inconvenience for others? How do foreign countries look at the attitudinal disposition to the dispensation of justice in Nigeria? Is solidarity or adjournment of cases in consonance with the rule of law? If it is, how is this helpful to the containment of corruption? How do potential investors view this development? Can there be any iota of respect for the judiciary in Nigeria?

Secondly, there is the issue of immunity from arrest and prosecution which is believed to be applicable to the President, the governors, and their deputies. Let us assume that the immunity clause even applies to the judges, does it, or should it, cover acts of indiscipline and corruption? This question is important: the principle of immunity in both international relations and international law only covers acts embarked upon in official capacity. In the second case, in what capacity have the judges acted, official, officious, or unofficial? If it is neither official nor officious, why should the immunity clause apply in order to delay prosecution or protect corrupt practices, when it is generally considered that corruption is the bane of the Nigerian society? Should there even be any need for immunity if political governance has been predicated on honesty and objectivity of purpose?

(See concluding part on www.thisdaylive.com)

17

T H I S D AY, T H E S U N D AY N E W S PA P E R • OCTOBER 16, 2016

BUSINESS QUICK TAKES MDA

The Minister of Finance, Mrs. Kemi Adeosun, has disclosed that the Federal Government would soon issue a new template on approved expensesforstate-ownedenterprises as part of efforts to control recurrent expenditure. The minister gave the hint at a workshop on cost management on overhead expenditure for permanent secretaries and chief executive officers of Federal Government’s departments and agencies in Abuja, which was organised by the Efficiency Unit of her ministry.

Adeosun pointed out that the Federal Government needed to create a headroom to be able to invest in capital projects. According to her, there is a need to control recurrent expenditure, especially overheads, a drivethatnecessitatedthecreationof the Efficiency Unit by the Presidency in 2015. The minister said government was determined to plug all loopholes currently encouraging revenue losses, explaining that in a bid to make state-owned enterprises productive and accountable, the office of the Accountant General of the Federation was working on a newtemplatetodeterminewhatwere allowed or disallowed expenses for state-owned enterprises.

Power A local market in Lagos

In Line with Analysts’ Projections, Pace of Inflation Increase Further Reduced in September

Kunle Aderinokun

Following yesterday’s release of the data for Consumer Price Index (CPI) by the National Bureau of Statistics, which put the figures at 17.9 per cent (year-on-year), representing 0.24 percentage points higher than 17.6 per cent in August 2016, the pace of increase in inflation has further reduced.

This has confirmed the projections of analysts, who forecast the further narrowing of the gap of increase in CPI, which measures inflation, in the review month.

Earlier, analysts, in their estimations, had projected a slower pace of increase in the CPI in September. The projections were contained in the analyses done by Dunn Loren Merrifield Asset Management and Research Company Ltd (DLM) and Financial Derivatives Company Ltd (FDC), which was obtained by THISDAY. For Dunn Loren Merrifield, CPI would increase to 17.93 per cent (year-on-year) in September 2016, representing an increase by 32 basis points from 17.61 per cent in the previous months, while FDC put the headline inflation for the review month at 18 per cent, an increase of 40 basis points.

In fact, FDC has regarded the 18 per cent inflation rate as the highest in 11 years.

ECONOMY At 17.61 per cent, inflation for August had risen by 48 basis points from 17.13 per cent in July. When compared with the expected pace of increase in September, it is projected that the gap of increase would reduce.

According to DLM, “We estimate an increase in headline inflation to 17.93 percent yearon-year in September 2016; up by 32bps from 17.61 percent recorded in the preceding month.”

This in our view, DLM analysts explained, will be primarily driven by a faster rise in the food index. “Our model shows a movement in the food sub-index captured by “farm produce and processed foods” to 212.2 points in September 2016 up from 181.8 points in the corresponding period of the previous year. In addition, we expect a movement in the core sub-index to 204.0points up from 173.7points in September 2015. Hence, this translates into a food and core inflation of approximately 16.73 percent and 17.47 percent respectively in September 2016.”

They recalled that the increase in inflation in August was “supported by the rise in prices recorded in all classes of the

Classification of Individual Consumption According to Purpose (COICOP) which contribute to the index.”

“In particular, the divisions which recorded higher inflationary pressures during the month include: housing, water, electricity, gas and other fuel, education and transportation services.

However, on a month-on-month basis, the pace of price increases slowed marginally to 1.00 percent from 1.30 percent in July 2016,” At 17.61 per cent, inflation for August had risen by 48 basis points from 17.13 per cent in July. When compared with the expected pace of increase in September, it is projected that the gap of increase would reduce

they added.

The analysts also noted that food inflation up by 63bps even as core inflation increased for the seventh consecutive month. “The food index was higher by 16.43 percent up from 15.80 percent recorded in the previous month.

This was despite the slower rise in prices recorded in the fruits, potatoes, yam and other tubers as well as oils and fats classes which weighed considerably on the overall sub-index.

“On a month-on-month basis, the food sub-index remained

relatively flat at 1.20 percent during the month.

Similarly, the core inflation index rose by 17.21 percent from 16.93 percent in July 2016 with the highest increases seen in solid fuels, vehicles parts, books & stationeries, clothing and other articles of clothing.

On a month-on-month basis, the core sub-index rose marginally to 0.90 percent from 1.20 per cent in the previous month.”

Nevertheless, FDC analysts, in giving their own position, noted that, “If the estimates of our model are accurate, it will be the highest level in 11 years,” but added that, “a change of 0.4 per cent indicates that the rate of increase is slowing.” As such, they submitted that, “If this trend continues, the direction of inflation is likely to reverse.”

On factors that are responsible for pressure on inflation, FDC said: “Diesel prices eased in September to an average of N190/ ltr from August’s average of N193.53/ltr partly due to heavy rains and reduced attacks in the Niger Delta due to a ceasefire agreement. However, on the 24th of September the NDA defied the cease-fire agreement with an attack on the Bonny crude export line. PMS prices maintained an average of N143/ltr with some filling stations selling as low as N140/ltr.”

The Nigerian Electricity Regulatory Commission has said the challenge bedevilingthenation’spowersectoris lack of access to liquidity to promote investment in the sector.

The Acting Chairman of NERC, Dr. AnthonyAkah,said,“Thereisnodoubt that every country has challenges and thepowersectorinNigeriahasitsown challenges, and one of the challenges that we have is the issue of funding.”

He said that investment in the power sector requires huge amount of fund, noting that the non-availability of adequate fund constituted a hurdle to speedy development of the sector.

He said that in a bid to enforce standard in the industry, NERC was ensuring that all players stick to the specified rules and regulation governing the sector in Nigeria. He said, “We need to make sure that we rightly price tariff and also make sure that there is market discipline, that the companies play according to the rules. “We need to make sure that we increase monitoring mechanism to ensure that all the players adhere, or we have them sanctioned.” He said that NERC was guiding against the abuse of market power by stakeholders in the value chain.

Rice

Rice worth over $3 billion meant for the Nigerian markets are said to be stuck in various warehouses in Benin Republic due to the federal government’s policy banning importation of the commodity through land borders and fierce customs anti-smuggling drive.The annual routine of importing rice into the neighbouring countries from July to December to make massive sales in Nigeria during yuletide has hit a brickwall as the Comptroller General of the Nigerian Customs Service (NCS), Col. Hameed Ali (rtd) has insisted that his men tighten the borders. Nigeria shares major borders with Benin Republic at Seme Border (Lagos), Idiroko (Ogun State), Shaki (Oyo State),Chikanda (Kwara State) and other smaller openings.

Prominent among them is Seme where the highest volume of trade and largest smuggling opportunity exists because of its easier access to Lagos, Nigeria’s commercial capital city.

T H I S D AY, T H E S U N D AY N E W S PA P E R • OCTOBER 16, 2016

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BUSINESS/ECONOMY

High Hopes on CBN’s Planned Fine-tuning of Forex Policy Following the disclosure by the Central Bank of Nigeria(CBN) that it would continue to fine tune the foreign exchange policy, expectations are high, given the challenges that had beset the forex system and attendant effects on the economy, write Kunle Aderinokun and Olaseni Durojaiye

A

s the country continues to grapple with shortage of foreign exchange, particularly the United States dollars, it has emerged that the nation’s FX policy would continue to be fine tuned by the Central Bank of Nigeria. Governor of the Central Bank of Nigeria (CBN), Godwin Emefiele, dropped the hint during the just-concluded annual meetings of International Monetary Fund-World Bank, which held in Washington DC, United States.

Indeed, the FX shortage in the system and the negative impact on the economy require no reiteration. Arguably, the worst hit is the real sector. The protracted situation has rendered the sector prostrate as many manufacturing businesses have either closed shop or downsize capacity because they are unable to procure the requisite USD to either import raw materials or spare parts required in their production lines. This has resulted in sharp increase in unemployment rate in the country.

The new thinking to review some aspects of the current FX policy, introduced in June includes: to boost availability of FX in the system and ease access to it by manufacturers and other end users. Analysts contended that these were the same core objectives that promoters of the current regime articulated when it was introduced.

One analyst, speaking on condition of anonymity insisted that,“But that has not been the case as the challenges persists.”

Announcing plans to continue to fine tune aspects of the current policy, Emefiele, stated that, “We heard the IMF Managing Director, Christine Lagarde, saying there was need to consider further liberalisation of the Naira, but like I have always said, the flexible exchange rate regime document that we have in place is a very sound document and truly speaking, I have not seen one person that has criticised it. But what we only have to talk about is fine-tuning few aspects of it, in terms of the implementation of the content of that document. That is why I said, we would, from time to time, continue to look at it. As we are looking at it, I repeat, we would see how we would continue to fine tune it, to the extent that whatever we are putting in place would be such that would benefit Nigerians, and improve their lives as well as the country.”

He explained further that, “We held meetings with some groups of foreign investors who have shown interest in coming into Nigeria, but that they had few issues with some of our policies which they want us to address. They liked the fact that we adopted the flexible exchange rate regime, but there are some areas they want us to change, and like I always say, these policies are not cast on stones. We can always go back and look at them but what is most important in our mind as we are trying to look into these policies is that we will make sure that they are policies that have been done in the interest of Nigeria and Nigerians. What is important at this stage is how we protect Nigerians. We are committed to ensuring that we reduce the level of unemployment and what we can do to ensure that manufacturers continue to improve their industrial capacities, as well as how to make it possible for them to get foreign exchange to run their factory.”

Reactions Fundamentally, the FX policy was expected to facilitate FX inflow; on the contrary, foreign investors appear to be wary of the current economy outlook and are apprehensive that the new FX policy is not totally immune from incessant interventions by the CBN. As a result, the naira has not truly appreciated against major

Emefiele

currency at both interbank and parallel market segment since supply has failed to meet demand.

Besides, analysts contend that the interventions by the CBN negate the spirit and letters of a market-driven FX Policy and encourage the practice of price fixing at the interbank market adding that it had not allowed the naira finds its actual true value against any major currency.

In his analysis, an economist and Chief Executive Officer, Global Analytics Consulting Ltd, Tope Fasua, welcomed the proposed review, saying “I think it will be a step in the right direction.”

“Especially if it is about reviewing the 41 items that were placed on embargo from even the interbank forex market, that would be a most needed elixir by now,” he pointed out.

Fasua lamented that, “The recent FX policy would have probably not turned out so choppy if we didn’t have that embargo, for that created a loophole for legitimate importers to continue accessing and fuelling the black market.”

Aside from this, he, however, added, “It is proper for the CBN to continue tweaking its policy. That is dynamism. Every progressive agency must be dynamic in its policy making.

“We look forward to the policy review even though the best situation is if they ensure noninterference and preferences and only intervene as market players through the banks.”

Likewise, an analyst and investment manager, Adetola Odukoya, is of the expectation that, “a positive review will be favourable.”

According to him, “It is a very well-known norm in finance that capital controls -such as being currently implemented in Nigeria- and FDIs or FPIs do not mix. Therefore, I’m anticipating a review that will engender an environment that will encourage greater fluidity in financial flows.”

In an interview with THISDAY, Partner at Exotix Partners, Esili Esiegbe, opined that the new plan by the CBN might be due to discovery of non-compliance or low compliance by FX dealers to sell 60 per cent of their FX to the real sector adding that the new plan may be

Jacobs

geared in that direction even as he noted that such interventions may not augur well for the market.

According to Esiegbe, “It is rather early to predict what aspects of the current FX policy will be reviewed. However, the planned review may be another form of subsidy unless the CBN opts for a direct intervention in the FX market. This could be by looking at how to make the policy of 60 per cent FX sales to the manufacturing sector more effective.

“CBN shouldn’t be intervening in the FX market as it currently does. The directive to sell 60 per cent FX to the real sector is too much intervention in itself even though one acknowledges the importance of the sector to the economy. Doing so will besending wrong signals to investors and traders and other stakeholders.

Buyers should be allowed to determine at what price it sells or buy FX given the prevailing market fundamentals,” he stated.

It will be recalled that the policy was roundly welcomed by operators in the sector especially the Manufacturers Association of Nigeria (MAN), and Nigerian Chamber of Commerce, Industry and Agriculture (NACCIMA) when it was introduced in August.

MAN President, Dr. Frank Jacobs, had told THISDAY Newspaper at the time that, “The directive will help give fillip to the efforts of government to reflate the economy. You would recall that MAN has been in the forefront of advocating for a special consideration and allocation of foreign exchange to the manufacturing sector of the economy. This is in view of its contribution to the development of the economy; job creation, and most importantly the much needed diversification of the economy, which is one of the priorities of the present administration. The new circular is therefore a welcome development and would give fillip to efforts of the government aimed at reflating the economy.”

Interestingly, while speaking with this newspaper in an interview during the week, Jacobs reiter-

ated the needs of the association including a reduction in lending rate to five per cent and noted that the directive bordering on 60 per cent FX to be reserved for the sector is yet to be implemented and called for the inclusion of MAN in the implementation in order to ensure that it is not compromised.

He also stated that while MAN had forwarded a list of items contained in the list of 41 items banned from accessing FX in the official market, which are actually raw materials and which the association wants removed; it has come to its notice that some banks have been selling FX to importers of some of the items included in the list which translates to undermining the CBN policy.

“We want more per cent of FX to be reserved for manufacturers. The 60 per cent FX that is meant to be reserved for manufacturers has not been implemented. It has not impacted any of our members; we want it to be implemented and we want MAN to be involved in the implementation so that we can identify true manufacturers.

“We expect a review of the 41 items banned from accessing FX at the official market. Some of the items contained in the list are not finished products; they are raw materials for production, we have forwarded the list to the CBN and they are aware of it. We’re also aware that some banks have been selling FX to importers of some of the items contained in the list, like fish and fish heads, this amounts to undermining the CBN,” he stated.

However, Managing and Chief Economist, Global Research, Africa, Standard Chartered Bank, Razia Khan, said it was “difficult to know exactly what the CBN plans to do.”

“Foreign investors have made clear that they would like to see a clearly market-determined FX rate, and the possibility of exit from Nigeria that will only come from improved USD liquidity, before they are likely to commit to Nigerian asset markets (whether equities or bonds) in a more meaningful way,” she noted.

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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 • OCTOBER 16, 2016

BUSINESS/EECONOMY

From Nigerian Economic Summit, a Path to Development

The need to revamp Nigerian economy towards achieving growth and development was the focus of the 22nd Nigerian Economic Summit, writes Emma Okonji

T

he 22nd Nigerian Economic Summit (NES #22), organised by the Nigerian Economic Summit Group, in collaboration with the Ministry of Budget and National Planning, last week in Abuja, brought together, policy makers, investors, government functionaries and industry stakeholders to deliberate on the state of the Nigerian economy. This was with a view to facilitating stakeholders’ agreements on practical issues, opportunities, policies and regulations needed to achieve self-sufficiency and value-addition capacities for several products and services in the shortest possible time.

With the theme: ‘Made in Nigeria’ the three days summit was designed to conceptualise ‘Made In Nigeria’ as an economic growth and development strategy for short, medium and long-term development that would boost self-sufficiency and increase exports for foreign exchange earnings for Nigeria.

The essence of the summit was to reshape the thinking of government from over-dependence on crude oil, to a more diversified economy with several sources of income that would boost the country’s foreign exchange earnings.

Most economies that depend on commodities, especially crude oil for their national income, are going through major decline in their external earnings.

But Nigeria has some peculiarities, given its import dependency and its huge consumption economy.

This has led to negative economic growth, dwindling foreign reserves and mounting pressure on local currency exchange rate relative to major currencies.

The resulting social challenges include increasing unemployment, reducing income, pervasive poverty and a decline in funding public and social projects that would have benefitted the masses.

In order to address these challenges, the NES #22, discussed in details, issues that would put Nigeria on the right path of economic growth and development.

Some of the measures reached at the summit, include promoting production and consumption of ‘Made in Nigeria’ goods and services, while maintaining a trade balance between imports and exports and recognising the realities of globalisation.

The summit believed that these would reinvigorate moribund industries and services that had shown potentials in the past and curtail the growing demand for foreign exchange for consumption rather than capital products and equipment.

Past Nigerian Economic Summits have made recommendations on self-sufficiency in local production and an export-driven economy, which were re-echoed at this year’s summit. These include macroeconomic environment issues like the ease of doing business; access to finance; infrastructure; quality and standards; technology and innovation; as well as job creation, skills acquisition and youth employment. All these were designed by the Nigerian Economic Summit Group to revamp the dwindling state of the Nigerian economy, which is currently passing through recession.

State of the Nigerian economy Speaking on the state of the economy in his keynote presentation at the summit, Chairman, Nigerian Economic Summit Group (NESG) Board Committee on Research and Publication, Dr. Adedoyin Salami, said the current state of the Nigerian economy was in bad shape, but that it could be resuscitated if there was full support and patronage for Made in Nigeria goods and services, which was carefully selected as the theme of this year’s summit.

He went further to state that the ‘Made in Nigeria’ call was a call to create a productive and sustainable economy, and that the Nigerian economy needed to be productive, globally competitive, inclusive and must be able to add value to its citizens.

According to him, “Our economy is far from ideal but offers us opportunity to revitalise. The economy has shrunk in size, capital flows have been poor and generally, the Nigerian economy has been negatively impacted by the external environment, mainly the price of crude oil. On

A mechanised farming in progress the domestic side, there have been absence of a development plan for strategic framework, low global competitiveness and poor ease of doing business.”

Current earnings statistics of the Nigerian economy are not ideal, as export earning was $97 billion in 2013, but this year, Nigeria will be lucky to earn $40 billion. This scenario presents an opportunity for us to revitalise the economy, Salami said.

He said more than 50 per cent of young people in Nigeria between 15 and 25 years were either unemployed or under-employed, which he said, was not good for economic growth.

Presidential Position Declaring the 22nd Nigerian Economic Summit open, President Muhammadu Buhari reassured Nigerians of government’s commitment to diversify the economy, in order to make Nigeria less dependent on oil. “As I have said in the past, we need to diversify the economy so that we will never again have to rely on one commodity to survive as a country. So that we can produce the food we eat, make our own textiles, produce most of the things we use and create the right environment for our young to be able to benefit and create jobs through technology. This has been the commitment and mandate of this administration and I have remained focus on it since the assumption of this administration,” Buhari said.

The President added that there was clearly no better way to achieve this without building on economic foundation of ‘Made in Nigeria’ goods and services. Fortunately, we have champions of ‘Made in Nigeria’ goods and services that have defied the odds over the years to produce locally developed products and contribute to our economy, Buhari added.

“Initiative and incentives that will enhance ‘Made in Nigeria’ are already being put in place by this administration, and I encourage more local production, to improve the ease of doing business in our environment, transfer our technology and innovation capabilities, improve quality and standards, promote export and change our old attitude and behaviour,” Buhari said.

My greatest desire is to see Nigeria move from import dependence to self-sufficiency in local production and become an export-led economy in goods and services, the president said.

Vice President Yemi Osinbajo raised the hope of Nigerians, assuring them that the federal government was determined to revamp the economy through

its policy implementation, designed to diversify the economy.

Osinbajo who spoke at the Policy Dialogue Forum on the state of the Nigerian economy, said there was need for government to inject more money into circulation to cushion the effect of the current recession, and that one of the ways through which government could achieve it, was to inject the expected N350 billion that was looted by past governments into the economy to fund budget planning and implementation.

“A good percentage of the stoen monies has been recovered, and we are still expecting about $400 million from the US and about $300 million from Switzerland. By the time all these monies are recovered, we will surely inject them into circulation to support budget funding,” Osinbajo said.

Disturbing Issues The summit raised several issues militating against the growth of the Nigerian economy, among which, are the unfriendly business environment, high rate of unemployment, high interest rate on importation of equipment by investors, weak implementation of government policies, and the difficulties in accessing land by willing investors.

Stakeholders, especially investors who were present at the summit, complained of unfriendly business environment in Nigeria and called for quick government intervention.

Senate President Bukola Saraki noted that the enhancement of ease of doing business is very crucial.

He talked about the initiative of the Senate known as the National Assembly Business Environment Roundtable (NASSBER) document, which seeks to address 11 key areas where laws governing business activities may need to be reviewed as a result of the country’s harsh business environment.

The Minister of Mines and Steel Development, Dr. Kayode Fayemi, who also spoke at the policy dialogue forum of the 22 Nigerian Economic Summit, revealed why Nigeria had not been successful in the areas of solid minerals and mining. According to him, the country has good policies for the mining sector, but lacks proper implementation of those policies that should drive the economy. While faulting the legal and regulatory environment of the mining sector, Fayemi said several people were involved in illegal mining in the country, noting that they see nothing wrong in it, since the mineral resources are located within their farmlands.

Although the summit identified some critical

factors that impeded job creation in the past such as high interest rates, uneven distribution of fertilisers and lack of full implementation of some government policies, some investors like Aliko Dangote of Dangote Group and Jay Ireland of GE Africa, were however of the view that investment in agriculture, infrastructure and power were key factors that would open up job opportunities and job creation for the country.

According to Dangote, government must invest in agriculture, mining and manufacturing, including training, in order to give Nigerians the opportunity to acquire relevant skills that would make them employable. He said Dangote Group had set aside N15 billion for training of Nigerians in cement manufacturing, but expressed worries on the issue of land acquisition for business expansion.

Ogun State Governor, Ibikunke Amosun, said it was in the interest of government to create jobs for its citizens.

He said agriculture was the best option for Nigeria to engage its citizens in the area of job creation, and that the private sector must be involved in all of these. He said in Ogun State, government released N500 million, while banks released another N500 million to finance agriculture in the state.

Kebbi State Governor, Abubarka Atiku Bagudu, said the economic recession that Nigeria was passing through was an eye opener for government to diversify the economy and create more jobs for the people, instead of depending on oil.

Giving investment details in other regions, Dangote said in Algeria, investors have zero interest rate, zero taxation and in addition to that, the government of Algeria provides subsidies for investors that import necessary equipment for local production.

Osinbajo however said Nigeria had policies for duty waiver on agriculture and tax holidays for some sectors, but explained that the full implementation of the policies may be an issue for the country, which he said must be addressed without delay.

The Remedy Suggesting possible ways to address Nigeria’s challenges, Salami said there was need to improve on the country’s economy and make it internally coherent. For the Made in Nigeria initiative to be successful, it is important to recognise global trends, identify the ones that are advantageous and disadvantageous and we must do away with the ones that are not beneficial, Salami added. (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 • OCTOBER 16, 2016

BUSINESS/ECONOMY

Accountability as Recipe for Economic Development

James Emejo examines the relevance of accountability, chosen as theme of the justconcluded 2016 annual accountants’ conference, to the country’s development aspirations

I

n its simplest term, accountability refers to the act of taking responsibility for one’s action or inaction or being accountable for the role one had undertaken to play and this applies to all spheres of human endeavour.

According to the United Nations, accountability “represents the obligation of the organisation and its staff members to be answerable for delivering specific results that have been determined through a clear and transparent assignment of responsibility, subject to the availability of resources and the constraints posed by external factors.

“Accountability includes achievement of objectives and results in response to mandates, fair and accurate reporting on performance results, stewardship of funds, and all aspects of performance in accordance with regulations, rules and standards, including a clearly defined system of rewards and sanctions.”

In other words, the concept of accountability has to do with delivering results and performance and being held liable for failure to deliver on targeted objectives.

In Nigeria, over the years, the concept of accountability, as important as it is, had only been appreciated in theory while leaders and public officials-and to an extent, their private sector counterparts had often paid lip serve to the term.

It is argued that the deliberate non-adherence to accountability principles had caused great drawbacks to the country’s development aspirations-a dire situation, which had compelled the Institute of Chartered Accountants’ of Nigeria (ICAN) to make accountability the main focus of its conference this year.

In one accord, stakeholders and participants listed the costs of relegating accountability to the background over the years.

President Muhammadu Buhari was quick to have associated every of the country’s predicaments with the lack of accountability, explaining that the difficulty in getting things done was partly “because public officials are hardly held to account for their stewardship.”

Buhari, who was represented at the occasion

by Vice President Yemi Osinbajo further held that holding public officers to account for what they do will be key in “ensuring that we are able to bring the development that we promised to bring.”

Specifically, he argued that the administration of justice in the country was exceptionally slow largely because judges and lawyers are often not held accountable for unnecessarily prolonged court cases-a situation that had negatively impacted the ease of doing business which government had been trying to improve upon to serve as incentive for foreign investors.

According to him,“If you look at the environment, sometimes, the administration of justice, processing cases is so slow. A lot of people in the local and international business community complain that we can’t resolve a case within a reasonable time, it goes on and on; and the problem with that is that it slows business and discourages investments because you can hold up major decisions because the court has not made a pronouncement.”

Buhari said the administration of justice was a public resource and judges and lawyers should be held to account for processing cases out of a reasonable time, stressing that delayed cases had made it impossible for the administration of justice to deliver the results that are required for everybody’s use.

Meanwhile, the accounting profession was not also spared as the president urged them to raise the bar of accountability adding that major audit firms had collapsed partly because of the actions or inactions of accountants.

He said if things were to be well scrutinised in details,“many times, accountants will be found wanting in not being careful enough in their

Osinabjo

financial judgment.”

“We need to hold ourselves to account a great deal more. Our standard of accountability has to rise,” he charged them.

He further urged public officials and professional bodies in the country to raise their standard of accountability in order to “get things done.”

According to Buhari,”Everyone depends on financial advice and advice of professionals. I want to be able to look at financial statement of a company and say well, because an accountant has said this, for that reason, we should be able to go ahead.”

Gombe State Governor, Ibrahim Hassan Dankwambo said the issue of accountability had been overflowed over the years without action in that direction.

His Ogun State counterpart, Ibikunle Amosun, said the role of accountants could not be overemphasised in the country’s development aspirations-and as struggles to exit the current recession, adding that how quick it gets out of the recession depended on the cooperation of the accounting profession. He added that the issue of accountability should be all-encompassing.

ICAN President, Deacon Titus Soetan, said this year’s theme stemmed from the realisation that globally, governments were entrusted with the management of public resources which were mainly derived from taxation, created wealth and other endowed natural resources.

He pointed out that the public expected government to effectively manage such resources to deliver a wide range of services.

Accountability, he stated, is one of the cardinal pillars of good governance.

“Government can only manage resources effectively and achieve the type of results intended with effective and accountable institutions and systems. An effective government is one that establishes an enabling environment for the delivery of high-quality and cost effective public services and the eradication of poverty in a manner that involves accountability to its citizens through both core state functions and processes,”he explained.

Furthermore, Soetan noted: “Let me state for

Soetan

emphasis that accountability, being one of the cornerstones of good governance, places on the government, its agencies and officials an obligation to provide information about their decisions and to justify that government initiatives meet their stated objectives and respond to the needs of the community they are meant to benefit.

Accountability is an obligation to be answerable for actions taken at all times to members of the public and be able to justify these actions at the level of moral and ethical standards.

“Indeed, accountability is a fundamental requirement for proper management of resources for development, increased efficiency and effectiveness of government performance in any nation. Lack of accountability and transparency in government has created wide distortions in income distribution throughout the society, thereby militating against national development.

“The perception of failure of leadership and the huge deficit in the delivery of public goods to Nigerians have culminated in a certain loss of faith in the country.

Hence, there is no better time than now to discuss ‘accountability’. In the midst of the current economic situation and insecurities besetting the country, there is relentless quest for those values that define honourable people and those ideals that nudge or place them on the platform of humanity with its embedded dignity.”

Continuing, the ICAN President said:“Not being accountable destroys the entire labour and value system that our heroes past have laid; it destroys the foundation; it destroys the framework; it destroys our social, political and economic values and endowment; it in fact destroys our future.

“We cannot continue to passively look on in the face of public knowledge about funds that should have been used to provide security of lives and property being diverted, National treasuries being looted; It is high time we told ourselves the truth; we must go back to the basics.

“Without upholding the principles of accountability and transparency, it may be difficult to nurture and sustain good governance. To realise

good governance therefore, there is the need to address lack of accountability and transparency.

It is pertinent for agencies with the duty of ensuring accountability and transparency in governance to live up to expectation.

Meanwhile, Managing Director/Chief Executive, Heritage Bank Plc, Mr. Ifie Sekibo, recommended that agencies with duplicated roles be streamlined into a single entity so they could easily be held to account for their actions or inactions.

Speaking at a roundtable session on“Strengthening Institutions for Accountability” at the ICAN confab, he said scenarios of resource abundance without corresponding infrastructural development, increased vulnerability to economic shocks and social injustice and the ability of technology to accelerate income inequality had further necessitated the desire to strengthen institutions for accountability.

Also, KPMG Partner, Ayo Othihiwa, said the country had weak leaders who don’t want to be held accountable, leading to several instances of abuse of office.

He argued that if not addressed, the country’s future could be made worse by leaders who enjoyed immunity and don’t want to be corrected.

However, he was quick to observe that leaders who must be held accountable for services they rendered should also have been provided with adequate resources to support their jobs.

Moreover, Chief Executive, Integrated Capital Services Limited, India, Mr. Sajeve Deora, said the concept of accountability would involve listing the un-measurable and encouraging discussion and debate of performance indicators.

Generally, it was argued that the accounting profession particularly has a role to play in aiding the economic development of the country to enable it exit the current recession by raising the bar of accountability and instituting transparency in its practice.

This is also because accountants, by virtue of their job, have access to privilege records that if made public could strengthen the campaign on increased accountability in all areas of public and private dealings.

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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 • OCTOBER 16, 2016

BUSINESS/ ENERGY

Nigeria’s Oil Production Fluctuates as Global Price Rises On Monday, global oil price benchmark, Brent, jumped to a one-year high, after Russia indicated its willingness to join the Organisation of Petroleum Exporting Countries (OPEC) to curb crude production volumes and steady price. Chineme Okafor examines the effect of this marginal price rise on Nigeria, whose production volumes still fluctuates

Oil workers busy at a rig

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ithin the week, oil price rose from the $45 per barrel level it was on September 28 when member countries of OPEC announced their decision to cut output for the first time in eight years in a bid to steady the price slide, to more than $50 per barrel.

According to reports, Brent on which half of the world’s oil is priced had within this period hit its highest level since October 12, 2015, reaching $53.73 per barrel, and then cut back to trade at $53.18 by 7.10pm Nigerian time on Monday.

The price rise was in response to the remarks by Russian President, Vladimir Putin, that an output freeze or even a production cut was likely the only right decision to maintain energy sector stability, as well as moves by Russia to team up with OPEC to cut back production volumes.

Putin had said at an energy congress in Istanbul, Turkey that: “Russia is ready to join the joint measures to cap production and is calling on other oil exporters to join.”

That remarks according to experts meant that Russia, one of the world’s largest oil producer and non-OPEC member may be falling in line with OPEC, which had called on it and other non-members to join it in halting the price crash.

Putin’s declaration of Russia’s thoughts also followed with OPEC’s aims to agree on cutting about 700,000 barrels per day (bpd) to bring down its output to 32.5mbpd from 33.24mbpd by the time

it meets in Vienna for its policy meeting on November 30.

Nigeria is expected to be exempted from the production cut deal along with Iran and Libya for peculiar reasons.

The sudden price rise sort of continued and by Wednesday of the same week, Brent crude closed trading at above $52/b for the first time since June.

This was further supported by data showing a fifth straight weekly decline in the United States crude inventories, yet Goldman Sachs Group Incorporated said after perhaps analysing the development that the price rally would stall at $55/b as the shale drillers in the US got back to work and a ‘wall of supply’ from investments made over the past decade hit the market.

Based on this, the Head of Commodities Research at Goldman Sachs, Jeff Currie, said in a report from Bloomberg that global oil markets were set to remain ‘oversupplied’ in 2017 amid the return of disrupted output in Nigeria and Libya.

Currie also stated that a resilient US shale production and the start of major projects inaugurated over the past 10 years would ensure that the price rally is halted at a point.

Notwithstanding Currie’s prediction on volumes from Nigeria returning back to the market, it does not really look like volumes from the country would likely increase as much as predicted because of the government’s laidback approach to resolving the security challenges that have impacted on production volumes from the Delta.

Minister of Petroleum Resources, Dr. Ibe

Kachikwu, had stated that the country would end 2016 with about 2mbpd production level on the back of a resolution of the militancy challenges. Production data from OPEC’s monthly oil market reports for the month of October however stated that both from secondary and direction communications, daily production hovered around 1.524mbpd and 1.385mbpd in the month of September.

Impact of Price Rise on Nigeria But for the continued production fluctuations, Nigeria would have recorded significant benefits from the price rise.

Production from the country is still within the bandwidth of 1.7mbpd. Also, crude export from Brass River, Forcados and Qua Iboa, which are major export terminals for the country have reportedly remained shut or uncertain.

Speaking with THISDAY on this development, the Chief Executive Officer of the International Institute for Petroleum, Energy Law and Policy (IIPELP), Dr. Tim Okon, said the impact of the price rise on Nigeria’s finances could only become meaningful when certain actions are taken by the government.

Okon said though it was quite marginal and unpredictable, the development could be significant to Nigeria if the government for example retains its stance on petroleum products prices liberalisation, which in other words means continuing with its policy of deregulation and not bringing back subsidy on petroleum products.

He explained that in addition to keeping subsidy off its radar because it constituted a huge leak in government’s finances, it

should also advance its efforts at ensuring stability of production and ramping up of volumes to maximise some appreciable gains in the price rise.

“The marginal increase in oil price arose from a statement of intent between Russia and Saudi Arabia. There has been a series of moves towards trying to moderate supply increases to stabilise the price.

“The meeting that was held in Algiers with OPEC agreed on some levels and Saudi Arabia has now reached some tentative agreement with Russia and so the rise immediately follows this statement of intent,” said Okon.

He further explained: “Oil prices are a function of many things and there are some fundamental things that oil prices reflect, some of them are inventories and if there is no reduction of inventories, we might go right back to lower oil prices.

“The second is sometimes exchange rate, the dollar has been strong against say the pounds and that usually exerts on crude oil price which are sold in dollar because a strengthened dollar can lead to a downward pressure on oil prices.

There are other fundamentals that come into play anyway.”

“Whether it is a positive move for Nigeria will be dependent on two things - the continuation of price liberatisation and hoping that we do not have a return of subsidy or something like that no longer applies, in which case what accrues to the federation account will be higher.

“If that is what will happen, there is a marginal benefit because oil price at $50/b versus $45/b means a marginal benefit to government revenue, which is a good thing, but then you have to weigh that against continued militant activities and production volume since revenue is volume multiplied by the price,” he added.

Similarly, an energy business expert, Dan Kunle said the price rise might mean very little to Nigeria in terms of revenue flows because the country has a lot of internal structural adjustments to make in the operations of its oil and gas industry.

He said even if the price rise was sustainable, Nigeria’s peculiar challenges would mean that its benefits from it would be marginal.

“Is it sustainable? Because the fundamentals that led to the crash have not been addressed and Nigeria particularly have not finalised its internal structural adjustments to address the shock we had when the price went low.

“Even if the price is rising today, it is marginal and what is our volume as a nation that we are pushing out. The entire production of say 1.9mbpd does not belong to the country in total because we have an average of 55 per cent of that plus the petroleum profit tax,” said Kunle.

He added that the country’s import bills alone would make such marginal gains from price rise insignificant.

“Our import bills for food and others are still high and that makes it difficult because our earning from oil will still be low.

There is nothing spectacular about the increase because it does not look sustainable and even if it is, we have not increased production volumes to enable us benefit from the marginal increase in price. We must address the structural problems first,” he stated.

22

T H I S D AY, T H E S U N D AY N E W S PA P E R • OCTOBER 16, 2016

BUSINESS/AVIATION

Exterior of Murtala Muhmammed 2 Airport, Lagos

As FAAN’s Political Appointees Come Under Ministerial Axe…

Chinedu Eze

W

hen it became obvious that the Minister of State, Aviation, Senator Hadi Sirika, would be fully in charge of the sector, report spread, indicating that the new minister would not want to work with over-bloated workforce in the Federal Airports Authority of Nigeria (FAAN).

Sirika was quoted as saying that he would not work with about 43 general managers in the agency, which is struggling to pay salaries and not meeting the targeted revenue and encumbered with top-heavy personnel.

The report that the minister would sack workers was shortly followed by rumour of shortlist of those that would be laid off, but the expectation of the purge had almost faded by last Wednesday when FAAN sacked about 22 top officials, including assistant general managers, deputy general managers, general managers and directors.

When the information made its way to the workers, there was a mixture of sadness and joy. Sadness for those that lost their jobs and their sympathisers, and happiness to the old staff and the unions, who believed that those sacked came in midstream, as political appointees.

The unions had at several times excoriated the situation whereby ministers employ medium and high-cadre manpower from outside the agency and the aviation sector and with such inexperience occupy managerial position to decide and take critical actions that determine and define the destiny of the organisation.

Besides that, when such top officials are appointed from outside, it aborts the progression of those who started on level 8 as university graduates, rising from the ranks and garnering experience to become the managers of the agency in future.

For the above people, the minister who was behind the sack made their day and ignited them with high hopes as it has been confirmed

at various quarters that the sack would continue in order to realise the restructuring process for a more productive FAAN. THISDAY learnt that the agency sacked over 22 senior officials, who were engaged about four years ago and demoted others on what the agency referred to as “proper placement.”

THISDAY also learnt that most of the directors, general managers, assistant general managers and deputy general managers employed under Senator Stella Oduah when she was the Minister of Aviation were sacked.

Some of those, who were demoted, did not have any choice than to resign in order to avoid the disgrace of working under former junior officer, but those who were demoted by one level or two may have considered continuing with the job, as there are no jobs anywhere these days.

A top official from another aviation agency, who is influential to the minister, had once told THISDAY that the post of directorship is a political appointment and when the minister, who appoints the directors is removed, the directors should go with him or her.

The official noted therefore that it was a misnomer for the appointed directors and other top officials to outstay the minister that appointed them.

Among those removed were three acting directors and three substantive directors. One acting director was demoted and two substantive directors were also demoted, but the director of human resources was retained, but there were indications that more staff from the top echelon, especially those who were politically appointed would be relieved of their duties in the shorted possible time.

A staff of FAAN who is an executive member of Air Transport Senior Staff Association (ATSSSAN) told THISDAY that,“Two directors were appointed and they had started work and these were director of finance and accounts and director of commercial and business development.”

Although the purge was expected, it shook a lot of feathers and there is palpable fear in aviation sector because there are strong feelings

Sirika that while more people would be sacked in FAAN, it might be extended to other agencies in the industry, including the Nigeria Airspace Management Agency (NAMA), the Nigeria Civil Aviation Authority (NCAA) and the Accident Investigation Bureau (AIB).

FAAN personnel, who spoke to THISDAY, said government should go the whole hog in relieving the politically-employed workers from the system because they deflate the enthusiasm of the workers, who rose from the ranks from dedicating themselves to the job.

“The ultimate ambition of a career civil servant in parastatals like ours is to rise to a general manager and possibly a director, but this unwelcomed tradition whereby a minister when appointed brings inexperienced people from outside affects the dedication of the old workers because they feel they may never rise

to become a general manager, not even to talk of becoming a director and while in the course of his duties such positions would be taken over by outsiders.

THISDAY on Thursday observed that there was apathy at most offices at the headquarters of FAAN as some of the affected workers still reported for duties, but the agency was yet to officially speak on the issue. Aviation unions say they would not relax in ensuring that proper placement was carried out in other aviation agencies, as a major shakeup was expected in other agencies before next week.

Sirika was quoted to have said that he would make FAAN and other agencies smarter, more productive and more nimble, adding that the agencies would no more be weighed down by over-bloated workforce.

But THISDAY learnt that there were no clear-cut criteria for people, who were designated to be sacked or demoted because each of those so considered had similar baggage.

Some officials of the agency also disclosed that what while the minister was giving out with his left hand; he was collecting with the right one.

“Despite the outcry that FAAN was burdened with high personnel, the minister allegedly employed people into the some positions against the latest thinking that there should be a reduction in the workforce. Some months ago, about 400 people or more were employed in FAAN with such enviable fiat. This was done in all the agencies. What this means is that while these older workers have been asked to go with their counterparts they have already been replaced by those employed by this administration without any advertisement. So it is a case of robbing Peter to pay Paul. These new workers were also employed through questionable ways that were devoid of federal character,” he said.

Some workers are therefore agitating that there should be a legislation that would stop appointed minister from jolting the system through arbitrary employment into parastatals, besides the appointment of directors, which by law is at their behest.

T H I S D AY, T H E S U N D AY N E W S PA P E R • OCTOBER 16, 2016

23

BUSINESS/INTERVIEW /PERSPECTIVE

Onwujiobi: Recession Will Not Last for Long Ejike Onwujiobi is the Managing Director of Jidak Standard International Company Limited. In this interview with Anayo Okolie, Onwujiobi speaks on Nigeria at 56 years, how the new financial policy by the President Muhammadu Buhari -led administration is affecting business in Nigeria and among other issues

N

igeria will be 56 tomorrow, how would you rate the country so far?

their gains, which is probably one or two ways they have figured out to benefit from this period.

So, if government can look into other sectors other than oil, use their ideas to acquire the needed technical knowhow and bring people who know what it takes to make things function properly, then, we will not be facing recession.

Considering the present situation in country, Nigeria is nursing a myopic view, considering how vast a country like Nigeria is, we should be the economic giant and controllers of strength and weakness of currencies in Africa. Naira should be used like dollar all over Africa if we had good leaders. It’s painstaking that at 56 we can’t boast of steady power supply, good road network, and good schools for the common man. What is the hope for the common man? It’s quite disheartening that people we grew up knowing as our leaders are still in power. How will there be transformation? At 56, I weep for my country. We should be mourning and not celebrating.

The recession obviously has made sales drop, so how do you balance the drop and operating maximally?

You do your business with foreign currency.

How is the new financial policy affecting business in Nigeria?

Over time we have been encountering problems in business, but I don’t think there has been anyone like the one we are facing now. The situation now is crazy and alarming. We bought dollar N230 as at this time last year; but as I speak with you now, dollar sells for N425 in the black market. There are also some policies that the banks have brought in, like when they tell you letter of credit and bill of collection.

We used to do all these things, not until at the official rate dollar sky-rocketed from N197 that we used to procure it, to N335; so I don’t think any business man will tell you that this is a mouthwatering time in business, I don’t also think that the government is looking into it to be able to bring out measures to curtail the harsh situation that we business men are facing.

Some time ago, I was talking to a friend and telling him that production would be a more ideal procedure in this our line of business; but when you look at the prevailing factors for you to produce these doors locally, you find out that you have issues here and there, starting from power supply to sourcing for the technical know how to make these doors look beautiful when finished; so there are many things to be considered before going into production, hence if the government have made it easy for new entrants to go into production of these doors and maybe provided avenues for loans, I don’t think we will be sourcing for these

Onwujiobi

doors outside this country, as we have the needed wood here in Ogun, Ondo and Edo States. So if we have an enabling environment, we could as well source for the wood and go into production here in Nigeria.

How do you think we can salvage this situation especially now that the country is in recession?

Before now, we had programmed ourselves such that we would make doors that are of high quality; with this recession, people do not go for such products, they would rather go for the cheaper ones that can stand the test of time. And if by the grace of God they get more money in the future, they would change.

With this, we now go for American panel doors, doors that you can buy for N15,000 to N N20,000; while before now, people could cough out N50,000 to N60,000 to buy doors that they will fix in their rooms. I am not saying this present condition will continue, but if the government of the day uses what it has; the ideas and the professionals on ground, I don’t think this recession would last more than it has already, and in due course business will turn out to be better.

As someone, who has been into business for up to 10 years, is there any policy you think the government can introduce to help salvage the situation?

I used to tell people, we have stunted ideas in Nigeria. This is because, if we can harness what we have in this country, I don’t think we would be facing all these problems we are having here and there. The government of the day is concentrating only on oil, which is not supposed to be so. There are so many countries that do not have oil, yet they have a better economy than we have here in Nigeria.

We have lots of other natural resources that can be harnessed to gain ground on the foreign market and revamp our economy; thus allowing investors to come in and make this country a better place.

When you say recession, I think it is just a word; when you take a look at Nigeria, you will discover that this recession is not applicable to every sector of business. There are so many people that are enjoying this period and are laughing to the bank; they would wish for this period to continue to count

The problem is when you tell all banks to channel these monies into a single account, that is where they got it all wrong and that is where the problem started from. My advice to the government is, when you want to cut off something, create an enabling environment for other things to be functioning in place of what you want to cut off. If this is done, you won’t even notice that something has been cut off.

For instance, there are so many places where rice is being farmed locally; now since the government is bent on stopping the importation of rice, what have they done to improve on the locally produced one, so as to meet the already establish demand for rice consumption in the country? If what we import is 40,000 trucks of rice, and government can say places that formerly produce 5,000 trucks, what do you need to produce 50,000 to 100,000 trucks? By so doing, government will not only be promoting locally produced product, they

authorities at all levels of governance and other non-formal organizations towards poverty reduction in the country; this problem has continued to mitigate women from living happily and contributing their own quota to national growth and development. Thus women become a wasted potential to national growth.

Many women are denying themselves to ensure that their children are fed. These women are already suffering the effects of severe malnutrition, which inevitably will be their children’s fate as well. And if no cogent action is taken, the impact of this crisis will be with us for many years.

Studies have also shown that when women are supported and empowered, all of society benefits.

Their families are healthier, more children go to school, agricultural productivity improves and incomes increase. In short, communities become more resilient.

It is against this background that the Dangote Foundation, a multi-purposegrant-making vehicle which supports interventions in critical sectors such as education, health, population and community giving decided to intervene to bring the helpless women out of the dingy life of animal existence.

Endowed by the Africa’s richest man and foremost entrepreneur, Aliko Dangote, the Foundation few years ago, designed a multi-billion naira micro-grants programme to assist the vulnerable women across the 774 local governments in Nigeria conjunction with the state governments.

It is expected that at the end of the exercise, a sum of N10 billion would have been injected to revive the economy of some one million women.

Already, the grant has been disbursed in seven states among which are Kano, Yobe, Adamawa, Jigawa, Borno, and Kogi. Presently, the foundation

is disbursing in local governments in Lagos state.

Explaining the rationale behind the Foundation’s decision to help women with the grants to do petty business, Alhaji Dangote said the Foundation believes that empowering women to be key change agents is an essential element to achieving the end of hunger and poverty.

According to him, “we thought of a response to the widespread poverty in Nigeria and how can we help in our own way and in 2011, we came up with this idea. So we instituted the cash transfer intervention. We call it the Dangote Foundation Micro-grants Programme, to provide cash transfers to select poor and vulnerable women and youths.

The grant is to enable beneficiaries meet immediate family and livelihood needs by providing a one-time fund to start up enterprises that will boost their economic and consumption activities. He explained that the cash transfer intervention focused on women who bear the greatest brunt of poverty.

Said he “Our Programme provides a one-off grant that enables recipients to grow or start an enterprise, invest in product assets, improve the health of their families, and/or take on new activities that reduce their vulnerability and enhance their economic standing. It has successfully assisted women and their families in the states where we have made disbursement.

“I have always believed that one of the surest ways of alleviating poverty is through job creation and that the kind of jobs that the masses in Nigeria need could be created through such grants. We need this kind of empowerment especially for our women because when companies are established jobs would be created but not on a large scale again because the machines are automated and would only require few hands.

“It’s only in agriculture that the opportunities

would as well be surpassing the import quantity as well as be bettering the lot of Nigerians. So if the government can look into all these sectors, I think we will be better for it.

What we are currently facing has led to an increase in crime rate, what is your reaction to that?

The economic situation is affecting both the poor and the rich alike. I was reading this morning, about 200 plus workers were retrenched in one of the banks in Nigeria; this is a vivid resultant factor of economic recession. Here in Africa, if you are earning a good salary, so many people look up to you; now what becomes of those people who are looking up to you in this case of retrenchment?

On the streets now, the rate of robbery is on the increase. People are afraid to walk with money on them; sometimes they even approach and walk you up to the ATM machine armed, and ask you to bring out the money in your account.

There are so many damages that this recession and economic situation has caused; people that used to buy household products that would last for at least one week, now buy that which will be enough to last them for one day. The poverty level has really affected us; I pray in due course we will come out of this situation and look back with gratitude to God.

You recently unveiled a new product, what are the features of the product?

Currently, we have stocks from Turkey, Spain as well as China; and this time we have products with improved technologies. The doors we had before now had two locks, but with this new technology we can get four and six locks respectively; thus boosting security. With the two lock doors, anyone could dismantle them to get into your property; but with these new doors, the locks plunges into the wall of the house.

These new doors are also weather and water proof, because over time we have encountered situations were clients tell us that their doors get spoilt as a result of dampness; at the end of the day, when water splashes on these new doors, it repels it. The products we have now, we have beautified them more than they used to be, so when you see them in houses it gives you a resemblance of the types you see in houses abroad; those are the type of houses we are trying to make doors to match with.

Dangote Foundation Multi-billion Naira Micro Grants Target 1m Vulnerable Women Cynthia Okoro

T

here is no other issue in Nigeria that reflects federal character in almost equal proportion other than poverty.

Even at the peak of her economic buoyance occasioned by the high price of the crude oil in the international market, years ago, there has not been any commensurable change in Nigerians’ lives for the past decades,.

Nigeria’s situation appears to be a paradox and her citizens’ living condition strange in that while the country was getting richer, her people become poorer. For a country with massive wealth and a huge population to support commerce, the level of poverty remains unacceptable. Despite being one of the three biggest economies in Africa, Nigeria ranks around 160th out of 177 countries on the scale of the Human Development Index (HDI).

Nigeria is reputed to hold the disgusting record of having about 80 per cent of her population living in abject poverty. And of this, 60 per cent are said to be women. Irrespective of where they live, whether rural or urban, poverty among women has remains alarming. Yet women bear almost all responsibility for meeting basic needs of the family. The vast majority of the world’s poor are women. Two-thirds of the world’s illiterates are female. Of the millions of school age children not in school, the majority are girls.

Though poverty cuts across Nigeria landscape, the women have been the most engendered specie.

In a country where the level of poverty has taken a nosedive over the years, women, continue to face daunting and debilitating challenges.

In fact, despite every effort made by the Nigerian

are massive”, adding that this was the reason he is investing in sugar plantation and refinery where thousands of people can work and earn living.

He said agriculture is the solution.”

Explaining the partnerships with State governments, he said, “This is in keeping with Dangote Foundation’s belief in working through partnerships for effectiveness, scale and impact in tackling the challenges that we face as a nation. This is a key feature of the Programme which aims to support and compliment state governments’ poverty reduction efforts.”

The state governors have taken turn to commend Dangote foundation’s initiative to complement the poverty alleviating efforts of the states describing the gesture as godly and unprecedented.

The Kogi state government while expressing its appreciation to the Foundation recalled the intervention extended to the state during the deadly flooding across some states for which the state was given money relief items to cushion the effects on the victims.

Acknowledging the Dangote Foundation’s philanthropic gesture across the country and even internationally, the Kogi government enjoined other rich Nigerians to emulate Dangote and share part of their wealth with the masses.

In his own comment, Lagos state government said Alhaji Dangote’s decision to share his wealth with the people is an indication of his love for the people and should be emulated. “He has decided to support our programme of regeneration in Lagos state, we are grateful to Dangote Foundation. “This empowerment programme will cover all deserving in the 20 LG and 37 Development Areas in the state.

–Okoro works with Dangote Group.

(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 • OCTOBER 16, 2016

NIGERIA’S TOP 50 STOCKS BASED ON MARKET FUNDAMENTALS

CUSTODIAN AND ALLIED PLC: Rise in key financial markers despite prevailing macro-economic conditions

C

ustodian and Allied Plc (Custodian) recently released its financial statement for period ended, 30th June, 2016 which shows an impressive growth in gross revenue and profitability for the period.

Custodian delights its investors by consistently paying dividend every year; usually paid at the end of the financial year. For the full year ended, December 2015, Custodian paid a total dividend per share (DPS) of N1.18 billion (on the basis of N0.20 per share) for every 50 kobo share.

Custodian and Allied Plc is the ultimate holding company that resulted from the successful merger of Custodian and Allied Insurance Plc and Crusader (Nigeria) Plc in 2012. Custodian and Allied Plc was incorporated in 1991 as a Private Limited Liability Company under the name, Accident and General Insurance Company Limited which was changed to Custodian and Allied Insurance Limited in 1993, and later converted to a Public Limited Liability Company (PLC) in 2006. Again, by a Special Resolution the Company’s name was now changed to Custodian and Allied Plc, approved by the Corporate Affairs Commission (CAC) on March 20, 2013.

Significant growths in gross revenue and operational costs For the period ended, June 30th 2016, Custodian grew gross revenue by an impressive 26.54% to N17.13 billion from N13.53 billion in the corresponding period of 2015. The rise in revenue was largely on the back of significant increase of 27.99% rise in gross premium income to N13.47 billion from N10.52 billion recorded in the preceding period ended, June 2015. Gross revenue also reflects massive rise of 225.03% rise in other operating income to N797m from N245m over the same period; as well as investment income and fees and commission which grew by 4.43% to N1.61 billion from N1.54 billion and by 2.21% to N1.25 billion from N1.23 billion respectively during the period under review.

The company’s strict adherence to prudent underwriting guidelines led to successful bolstered relationships with existing and new clients which drove the growth in premium income over the period. The insurance company continues to leverage on its trusted brand, responsive service to clients, and development of mutually beneficial partnerships to deliver quality insurance services to clients.

The Company’s earnings was further buoyed by an extraordinary increase

WE EXPECT THAT CUSTODIAN AND ALLIED PLC AS A HOLDING COMPANY HAS AN OPPORTUNITY TO DELIVER HIGH LEVEL OF PRODUCT INNOVATIONS, OPERATIONAL EXCELLENCE AND CREATE AN OPPORTUNITY FOR EXPANSION TO DEEPEN ITS MARKET WHICH WOULD SIGNIFICANTLY BOOST PERFORMANCE BEYOND CURRENT RESULTS

of 9079.54% in net realised gain from financial assets which climbed on the backed of positive changes in fair value of quoted investments. However, loss realised on the disposal of equity securities stood extensively at N25m compared to the corresponding period of 2015.

With respect to insurance benefits and claims paid out, the reinsurer’s insurance claims, net claims and underwriting expenses for the period form the operating expenses which increased by 38.34% to N11.16 billion from N8.07 billion reported in the corresponding period of 2015. Further insight into the company’s financial statement reveals that net insurance claims grew considerably by 168.14% to N5.79 billion in June 2016 from N2.16 billion in June 2015. Consequently, underwriting expenses increased by 23.99% to N1.47 billion from N1.18 billion. Contrariwise reinsurance expenses declines by 17.38% to N3.90 billion from N4.72 billion over the period.

Profitability surges despite debilitating factors

Finance cost for the period ended, June 2016 increased by 8.72% to N71m from N65m recorded in the corresponding period of 2015.

Impressive growth in gross earnings and other assets over general cost upsurge led to rise in the Company’s profitability as pre-tax profit rose by 8.87% to N3.63 billion in June 2016 from N3.34 billion in June 2015. Income tax deduction for the period ended rose moderately by 3.72%, to N744m from N717m in the corresponding period of 2015. Hence, a spike in net income as it records 10.27% growth to N2.89 billion from N2.62 billion over the same period.

Asset quality reflects profitability growth The Company’s balance sheet shows sizable positive changes in total assets, net assets and total liabilities as at June 2016, when compared to year ended December 2015. Total assets grew by 9.29% to N62.27 billion from N56.98 billion in December 2015.

The key drivers of the Company’s total assets includes a 59.07% increase in deferred acquisition costs to N600m from N377m; 90.34% increase in financial assets to N27.17 billion from N14.27 billion and a 10.59% rise in reinsurance assets to N6.64 billion from N6.00 billion as at December 2015.

In terms of obligations, the Company’s total liabilities recorded a notable growth of 11.33% to N34.41 billion for the period ended, June 2016 from N30.91 billion as at December 2015.

Liabilities key drivers entails insurance contract liabilities which increased by 24.19% to N23.37 billion from N18.81 billion; trades payable which rose by a significant 19.99% to N3.11 billion from N2.59 and a 27.96% rise in other payables to N1.81 billion from N1.41 as at December 2015. Expectedly, the company’s net assets grew by moderately 6.86% to N27.86 billion from N26.07 billion during the peiod under review.

Moreover, with respect to returns, the company’s return on average equity (ROAE) stood at 10.36% from 10.04% as at December 2015 while return on average assets (ROAA) followed suit as it rose slightly to 4.64% from 4.59% in December 2015.

We place a BUY recommendation as potential remains vast We expect that Custodian and Allied Plc as a holding company has an opportunity to deliver high level of product innovations, operational excellence and create an opportunity for expansion to deepen its market which would significantly boost

Valuation Metrics 14-Oct-16 Recommendation

BUY

Target Price

4.56

Current Price (N)

4.00

Outstanding Shares (m)

5,881.86

Market Cap (N'm)

23,527.46

Rolling EPS (N)

0.76

Rolling PE Ratio

5.26x

Forward EPS

1.11

Forward PE Ratio

3.60x Source: BGL Research, NSE Data

Half-Year June 2016 Unaudited Results Turnover (N’m)

17,126

Profit Before Tax (N’m) Profit After Tax (N’m) Pre-tax Margin (%)

3,631 2,887 21.20%

Source: Company Data 2016, BGL Research

FYE December 2015 Audited Results Turnover (N’m)

29,793

Profit Before Tax (N’m) Profit After Tax (N’m) Pre-tax Margin (%)

5,732 4,200 19.24%

Source: Company Report 2015, BGL Research

Shareholding Information Shareholders

% Holding

Chief Michael Ade Ojo

18.01%

Mr Wole Oshin

15.75%

Mr Ravi Sharma

5.92%

Stanbic Nominees Nigeria Ltd Free Float

5.21% 55.11%

Source: Company Report 2015, BGL Research

performance beyond current results.

Also, the Company’s management must effectively manage its growing expenses to curtail such impact on further earnings towards a better shareholders return.

Based on our review of the Company’s financials, we revise both our projected gross earnings to N56.28 billion and net earnings to N6.14 billion for financial year end, December 2016. This leads to a forward EPS of N1.11. Using a relative Price to Earnings Valuation (PE) and Net Assets Valuation method, we arrive at a 6-month target price of N4.56. Since this represents an upside potential of 14.06% on the current price, we therefore place a BUY recommendation on the shares of Custodian and Allied Insurance Plc.

25

T H I S D AY, T H E S U N D AY N E W S PA P E R • OCTOBER 16, 2016

NIGERIA’S TOP 50 STOCKS BASED ON MARKET FUNDAMENTALS

FCMB Group PLC: Positive performance despite macro-economic headwind

F

irst City Monument Bank Plc (FCMB) in its reported half year, June 2016 financial result recorded a growth of 14.13% in top-line earnings to N88.28 billion from N77.35 billion in the corresponding period of 2015. However, bottom-line earnings rose substantially on the back of considerable increase in other income.

The Bank which listed on the Nigerian Stock Exchange in 2004 and issued her first public offering (IPO) in 2005 now has a record of 2 million customer base, over 270 branches in Nigeria and a licensed banking subsidiary in the United Kingdom (FCMB UK). First City Monument Bank Limited early this month announced the upgrade of its service delivery platform to Finacle Core Banking solution version 10 to enhance customer experience through innovation acceleration, enhancement of performance and security boosting.

Rise in top-line earnings despite turbulent business terrain Gross earnings grew by 14.13% to N88.27 billion in the half year of 2016 from N77.35 billion reported in the same period 2015. Gross earnings growth was impacted by a 110.34% upsurge in noninterest income to N27.73 billion from N13.77 billion recorded over the same period in 2015. The increase was mainly driven by an extra-ordinary 1115.02% increase in foreign exchange income to N16.73 billion from N1.38 billion during the period under review. Interest income on the other hand, dropped marginally by 4.76% to N60.55 billion in the half-year 2016 from N63.58 during the same period of 2015.

However, interest expense for the period was lower by a notable 17.63% to N24.01 billion from N29.14 billion reported in June 2015; hence, resulting in a remarkable 6.12% rise in net interest income to N36.54 billion from N34.44 billion over the period under review.

Fees and commission income grew by a significant 19.73% to N8.82 billion from N7.36 billion during the period under review, while fees and commission expense increased significantly by 41.90% to N1.77 billion from N1.24 billion over the same period. However, despite a higher percentage increase in fee and commission expense compared to fee and commission income, net fee and commission income increased to N7.05 billion in June 2016 from N6.12 billion in June 2015; reflecting a change of 15.22%.

Significant changes in total operating income and taxation impacts profitability Total operating expenses increased

BASED UPON THE BANK’S FLEXIBILITY TO THE CURRENT REGULATORY POLICIES AND THE MACROECONOMIC HEADWIND, WE BELIEVE THAT THE BANK’S MANAGEMENT IS EXECUTING ADJUSTMENT PLANS THAT FOCUS ITS EFFORT TOWARDS AN EFFICIENT PERFORMANCE WHICH STRENGTHENS EARNINGS, INCOME GENERATION CAPACITY AND GROWTH IN LIQUIDITY BASE

by 23.50% to N46.22 billion in June 2016 from N37.40 billion in June 2015 due to increased cost of operation and primarily due to a massive growth of 259.93% in net impairment loss on financial assets to N13.49 billion from N3.75 billion recorded in June 2015.

However, profitability rose on the back of total operating income grew significantly by 195.08% to N18.92 billion from N6.41 billion in June 2015.

Therefore, pre-tax profit for the period grew by a substantial 70.28% to N16.29 billion in June 2015 from N9.57 billion recorded in the half-year 2015 attributable to a substantial 217.05% increase in other income to N18.60 billion recorded in the half-year of 2016 from N5.87 billion in the corresponding period of 2015.

Expectedly, profit after tax followed suit with a massive 88.77% increment to N15.67 billion recorded in half-year of 2016 from N8.30 billion reported in the six-month period of 2015. The Bank’s impressive performance may be connected to the massive decline in total income tax expense by 50.96% to Strong asset quality The bank’s balance sheet reflects steady progress in the bank’s performance over the period. The Group’s total asset grew by 10.95% to

N1.29 trillion in June 2016 from N1.16 trillion from December 2015. The growth in total assets is attributable to the following: a massive rise of 463.67% in non-pledged trading assets to N11.24 billion from N1.99 billion, a rise of 26.21% in investment securities to N170.78 billion from 135.31 billion, a 33.97% in derivative assets held for risk management, and a 66.28% increase in other assets to N36.09 billion from N21.70 billion during the period under review.

Total liabilities on the other hand, rose by 11.21% to N1.11 trillion in June 2016 from N997.14 billion in December 2015. The rise in total liabilities is largely attributable to a massive rise of 667.21% in customer deposits to N41.90 billion in June 2016 from N5.46 billion in December 2015; retirements benefits obligations also grew by 141.69% to N122m from N50m over the same period.

However, shareholder’s equity increased by 9.36% to N177.60billion in June 2016 from N162.39 billion in December 2015 due to growths of 74.69% and 11.92% in retained earnings and other reserves respectively.

Capital and liquidity ratios still above regulatory requirements FCMB’s liquidity ratio stood at 35.9% as at June 30, 2016 which is well above the minimum regulatory requirement of 30% while capital adequacy ratio stood at 16.1% which also remained well above the minimum statutory requirement of 10% for non-systematically important banks where FCMB belongs to.

The Group’s Return on Equity (ROE) stood at 8.82% as at June 2016 while Return on Assets (ROA) is 1.22% over the same period.

The Group’s cost-to-income ratio declined to 40.3% compared to 74.2% recorded in the first quarter of 2016. Net interest margin (NIM) grew marginally to 9.2% in June 2016 from 8.8% in March 2016 while pre-tax profit margin and net income margin notably to 18.52% from 12.45% and to 17.81% from 10.81% respectively.

We Recommend a BUY The macro-economic headwinds of 2016 saw inflation rise to 16.48%, MPR at 14% and the further increase of CRR on all public sector deposits to 22.50% in June 2016 from 20% in February 2016. Nevertheless, FCMB delivered an impressive performance despite harsh business environment and unstable monetary policies.

Based upon the Bank’s flexibility to the current regulatory policies and the macro-economic headwind, we believe that the Bank’s management is executing adjustment plans that

Valuation Metrics 14-Oct-16 Recommendation

BUY

Target Price (N)

1.57

Current Price (N)

1.11

Market Cap (N'm)

21,981

Outstanding Shares (m)

19,803

Rolling EPS (N)

0.61

Rolling PE Ratio

1.83x

Forward EPS (N)

0.66

Forward PE

1.69x Source: NSE Data, BGL Research

Unaudited Half year 2016 Results Gross Earnings (N'm)

87,970

Profit Before Tax (N'm)

16,288

Profit After Tax (N'm)

15,668

Pre-tax Margin (%)

18.52

Source: Company Report 2016, BGL Research

FYE December 2015 Audited Results Gross Earnings (N'm) Profit Before Tax (N'm) Profit After Tax (N'm) Pre-tax Margin (%)

152,507 7,768 4,760 5.09

Source: Annual Report 2015, BGL Research

Shareholding Information Shareholders

% Holding

Capital IRG Trustees Ltd. Stanbic Nominees Ltd. AMCON Public Float

7.87 28.80 6.73 56.60

Source: Annual Report 2015, BGL Research

focus its effort towards an efficient performance which strengthens earnings, income generation capacity and growth in liquidity base.

Furthermore, in line with its ongoing target to translate foreign exchange differentials to bear positively on the Bank’s business, maintaining its current level of NII and NIR despite a challenging macro-economic environment that is easing up as well as a good record of expenses management.

Based on the company’s performance, we project gross earnings of N163.12 billion and net income of N12.13 billion at the end of the current financial year ending December 2016, leading to a forward EPS of N0.66. Using an industry price to earnings multiple (PE) of 3.59x, we arrive at a 3-month average target price of N1.57. Since this represents an upside potential of 41.72% on the current stock price of N1.11, we therefore recommend a BUY.

26

T H I S D AY, T H E S U N D AY N E W S PA P E R • OCTOBER 16, 2016

BUSINESS/ MEDIA

Madumere: Experiential Will Redefine the Marketing Communications Industry The Managing Director, Black Purist Media, Chidiadi Madumere, in this interview, speaks with Raheem Akingbolu on importance of experiential marketing to brand building, arguing that it is well placed to lead media communications

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and the feelings it evokes within us are vital to the ultimate perception we possess of it.

Experiential event agencies create a closer bond and lasting positive impact between the consumers and the brand by immersing the consumers into a fun, playful, interactive, engaging, highly-personal and memorable brand event.

If a brand event stirs genuine positive emotions within the people then they are more likely to associate those emotions with that brand, which is more effective than just showing them a Facebook ad hence the word marketing thrown in the mix.

Experiential event agencies are typically laden with onsite event management and production expertise and undoubtedly has the next generation of multidisciplinary experiential strategists, technologists and conceptual thinkers able to shape the next layer of integrated communications and physical environments.

n average man on the street sees event planning agencies and experiential event marketing agencies as being the same, can you spell out their differences and similarities?

An everyday event planner in Nigeria produces 4 to 5 lavish weddings and corporate conferences in a month whilst the experiential event marketers are successfully establishing themselves as leaders in the communication race, with distinct advantages over their counterparts.

The difference is that the experiential event planners/marketers are adopting multidisciplinary thinking, interaction, design and leading in ideas on how to configure interaction, personal responses and experiences: all crucial elements for communication and relationship building.

So, with the help of technology and smart materials, experiential event marketers are now taking various stylistic trajectories in lending personality and engagement to brand identities. They are now able to create fully ‘conditional and experiential realities’ using a fine blend of technology and integrating various communication channels such as design, PR, advertisement, branding and marketing.

At this very moment, the experiential event marketing industry is well placed to lead the future of media communications in Nigeria, Africa and the world.

Narrowing it down to experiential marketing, what exactly are they into?

First, you need to understand the word, experiential. I would define experiential as

Having been in practice for a while, please share your experiences on those events you can say have really impacted the brands they were meant to build?

Madumere

anything you can personally interact with. This rules out anything that sits purely online, on TV or in a newspaper.

There is a universal truth that stems from the most essential belief in psychology which is that we learn from experiences. And that same principle applies to experiential event marketing. It’s important to note that a large amount of experiential marketing is done through events. The way a brand functions

Over time, there have been many exciting experiential campaigns but for this discussion I will cite the Canon Gala Dinner & Product Launch that was done in conjunction with Black Purist Media. Canon set another significant milestone in its overall growth strategy with the launch of its operations in Nigeria with the goal of enhancing its business in the African continent and strengthening its in-country presence and focus.

Canon teamed up with Black Purist Media an integrated communications/experiential event marketing agency to create an incredible product

display experiential area right in the middle of the Oriental Hotel, Grand Ball Room.

The exhibition stand had an amazing display of delightful new products from Canon, inviting guests to experience and view them. It was very engaging especially as this was specifically targeting leading industry experts in professional imaging solutions and businesses.

What are the blurred lines you can think off in the industry?

For such an evolutionary industry, the rhetoric by which it chooses to define itself is curiously underdeveloped. Common words like ‘events’ or ‘experiences’ hold back the industry and do little to describe the power and purpose of its task which is pure integrated marketing/media communications, and merge communication channels in one physical environment to create a brand experience.

Defining and sharing new terms more suited to its purpose can seem artificial. But the event industry must attempt to keep up and match the aspirations of this new horizon.

There are no blurred lines; what we have in experiential event marketing is an integrated communications.

Event agencies will have to develop a new rhetoric, a common language, so that employees, from the C-suite to the project manager, focuses solely on the final product , which is using integrated communications to create brand experience in a physical environment.

Succinctly speaking, this new evolution in brand communication is a perfect storm. I say this because despite its challenges, the benefits of this revolution will mean an exciting time for the event industry, as this is the next level of experiential communications.

Pay TV: Much Ado about Subscription Rate

Following the furore generated by the argument that Nigerians pay the highest rate for Pay TV services in the African market, Raheem Akingbolu digs into the records available in some countries and reckons that proponents of the argument might have missed the point

A

s a result of the immediate acceptability enjoyed

by Pay TV platforms in Nigeria, it has consistently been in the news in the last two decades for various reasons. In many ways, the platform and its operators have redefined the entertainment industry.

However, its success has also been trailed by controversy, especially as a result of fallout from unhealthy competition among operators. Besides, the operators are also being criticised from time to time by some stakeholders for short-changing subscribers. This is so because it is believed in many quarters that Nigerians pay the highest subscription fees compared to some African markets.

Last week, reports emerged from a monitoring agency in Lagos that the fact that Nigerians pay more might not be true after all. The country- tocountry comparisons carried out by the agency revealed that Nigeria pays the second lowest of $42 to $44, despite unabated rise in exchange rate.

The $42 to $44 was based on N167 to N173 per $1 benchmark. A dollar at official market rate now goes for N315.25 and parallel market is about N460. Mozambique appears to pay lowest ($40 to $43) on its English bouquet because it is not an Anglophone country.

Uganda and Tanzania subscribers pay the highest rate of $80-$99. Findings also revealed that Ghana $80-$93, Kenya $76-$93, Zimbabwe $81 and Swaziland $43-$49 are some of the highest

markets in terms of subscription fees.

Investigations also carried out on two bouquetsCompact Plus and Compact - shows that Nigerian subscribers pay between N9, 300($28 to $30) and N6,000 ($18 to $19) respectively for the bouquets.

Ghana pays $54 to $67 for Compact plus and ($32 to $41) for Compact, Kenya pays $52 to $63 and $30 to $37 respectively. Tanzania and Uganda pay between $54 to $67 and Zimbabwe $55 for the Compact plus.

However, the Nigerian market is robust with a growing number of key players in the pay-tv space. This is not only great for competition, but it also provides real choice for consumers.

DStv is in a healthy competition with StarTimes, a Chinese TV company that formed partnership with the Nigerian Television Authority (NTA).

Other competitors are ACtv, DaarSat, FStv, which, for now, are running far behind competition.

Facts and Figures As at November last year, precisely November 17, 2015, Nigeria’s pay-TV market was rated as second largest in Africa with about 14.5 per cent domination according to the study done by telecom, TV and media business market research firm, Dataxis.

South Africa was rated number one in the continent pay-TV market with 35.8 per cent of the continent’s total market share dominated by a single, deep-rooted player, Multichoice, with its DStv offering.

The study showed that the total pay-TV subscriptions across Africa moved to 15.9 million as of

Q2 2015, an increase of 18 per cent over the 13.4 million recorded in the same period in 2014.

Dataxis tracked all pay-tv operators in all markets worldwide and where information is not publicly available, the firm provided market analysis based on primary or secondary research of operators, national regulators, government agencies and equipment vendors.

The top five pay-TV markets account for 65.4 per cent of total African pay-tv subscriptions, according to Dataxis, and these five marketers are South Africa (35.8 per cent), Nigeria (14.5 per cent), Angola (6.5 per cent), Tanzania (4.4 per cent), and Kenya (4 per cent).

Providing insights into the research methodology, Research Director at Dataxis, Gavin Patterson, said: “We compiled subscription numbers based on publicly available information from listed operators, national regulators, government agencies and equipment vendors”.

According to Naspers’ financial results in March 2015, DStv had 5.4 million subscribers in South Africa, while Nigeria’s subscriber based, though, not yet made public, was believed to be within the range of 4 million active subscribers nationwide.

Apart from DStv, there are other players such as StarTimes, ConSat, DaarSat, ACtv and few other fringe players. However, DStv has constantly been on the receiving end over some ‘unwholesome’ business decisions mostly considered inimical to subscribers as a result of changing business environment and government’s policies.

In March 2015, Multichoice, owners of DStv and GOtv, announced a 20 per cent price increase

for all its satellite pay TV bouquets in Nigeria, with effect from April 1, 2015.

The increase led to DStv premium rising to N13, 980 from N11, 650, a N2, 330 increase, while the DStv family bouquet rose from N3, 000 to N3, 600, a N600 increase. DStv compact plus subscribers pay N9, 420 instead of N7, 850, while DStv Compact users pay N6, 000 per month, up from N5, 000.

In the same vein, DStv access now costs N1,800 up from N1, 500, while DStv extra view subscribers no longer pay N1, 800 but N2, 100.

These have always resulted in customers’ lamentation, as people tend not to consider the prevailing business environment, which is enmeshed in local currency devaluation, inflation and other government policies, which impact negatively on overall operations. This notwithstanding, Multichoice has to continue in business, hence, the marginal increase.

Reacting to the controversy, a Pay TV promoter, Mr. Anietie Udoh, said some of the campaigns are being championed by some players, who thought a particular brand is taking a shine off them.

“To me, I think the issue can still be linked to ambush marketing being explored by some players to run others down. I have always been an advocate of healthy competition, rather than spreading rumours, operators, who feel they are not getting the needed attention in the market should re-strategise instead of de-marketing others.

Nigerian consumers should also avail themselves with facts instead of accepting everything thrown at them, hook, line, and sinker,” he stated.

27

T H I S D AY, T H E S U N D AY N E W S PA P E R • OCTOBER 16, 2016

MARKET NEWS

Filing Compliance Level by Quoted Companies Improves to 85% Goddy Egene Filing compliance by quoted companies has improved from less than 25 per cent in December 2011 to over 85 per cent as at 30th September 2016, the Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC) has said.

The capital market regulator noted that the implication of this development has been the significant improvement in the access and quality of information about quoted companies now available to the investing public to

make more informed investment decisions.

“All categories of investors (retail, domestic institutional and foreign investors alike) stand to benefit from this improved market behaviour. The SEC will continue to pursue policies that sustain this momentum,” the commission said in a statement obtained

by THISDAY. According to SEC, it will continue to live up to its responsibility of investor protection by sustaining market fairness and integrity.

“Sometimes this may entail

A Mutual fund (Unit Trust) is an investment vehicle managed by a SEC (Securities and Exchange Commission) registered Fund Manager.

Investors with similar objectives buy units of the Fund so that the Fund Manager can buy securities that willl generate their desired return.

An ETF (Exchange Traded Fund) is a type of fund which owns the assets (shares of stock, bonds, oil futures, gold bars, foreign currency, etc.) and divides ownership of those assets into shares. Investors can buy these ‘shares’ on the

applying strict sanctions as provided in the law against erring participants. In our considered opinion, maintaining a posture of zero tolerance has presented a credible deterrence that is already improving compliance levels across our market and reducing the number of infractions.

It is noteworthy that the fines and penalties applied by the commission has led to a massive improvement in filing compliance,” it said.

SEC recently restated its determination to protect investors

floor of the Nigerian Stock Exchange.

A REIT (Real Estate Investment Trust) is an investment vehicle that allows both small and large investors to part-own real estate ventures (eg.

Offices, Houses, Hospitals) in proportion to their investments. The assets are divided into shares that are traded on the Nigerian Stock Exchange.

GUIDE TO DATA: Date: All fund prices are quoted in Naira as at 13-Oct-2016, unless otherwise stated.

in the nation’s capital market, following the return of wonder banks. An official of SEC told THISDAY last Wednesday that the commission was aware of the gradual return of some wonder banks that are luring some gullible investors into parting with their money instead of investing in registered schemes or through licensed market operators.

“One of the major functions of SEC is investor protection and the commission is highly committed to doing this and has

put necessary strategies in place to ensure investors are protected in the market. We are aware of the losses investors have suffered in the past and we are doing everything to avoid its repeat,” the official said.

Following the emergence of a wonder bank, MMM Federal Republic of Nigeria, some stakeholders called on the SEC to collaborate with law enforcement agencies and other relevant bodies to stop the activities of online fraudsters who float unregistered fun

Although SEC had warned the investing public to stay away from against the MMM but the operators of the fund are still calling on unsuspecting investors for patronage. However, an investor, Mr. Moses Igbrude of Independent Shareholders Association of Nigeria (ISAN) told THISDAY that SEC should work with law enforcement agencies and the Nigerian Communication Commission (NCC) and track those behind the fund and bring them to book before gullible investor fall victim.

Offer price: The price at which units of a trust or ETF are bought by investors.

Bid Price: The price at which Investors redeem (sell) units of a trust or ETF. Yield/Total Return: Denotes the total return an investor would have earned on his investment. Money Market Funds report Yield while others report Year- to-date Total Return.

NAV: Is value per share of the real estate assets held by a REIT on a specific date.

DAILY PRICE LIST FOR MUTUAL FUNDS, REITS and ETFS MUTUAL FUNDS / UNIT TRUSTS AFRINVEST ASSET MANAGEMENT LTD Web: www.afrinvest.com; Tel: +234 1 270 1680 Fund Name Bid Price Afrinvest Equity Fund 123.94 Nigeria International Debt Fund 216.88 ALTERNATIVE CAPITAL PARTNERS LTD Web: www.acapng.com, Tel: +234 1 291 2406, +234 1 291 2868 Fund Name Bid Price ACAP Canary Growth Fund 0.67 AIICO CAPITAL LTD Web: www.aiicocapital.com, Tel: +234-1-2792974 Fund Name Bid Price AIICO Money Market Fund ARM INVESTMENT MANAGERS LTD Web: www.arm.com.ng; Tel: 0700 CALLARM (0700 225 5276) Fund Name ARM Aggressive Growth Fund ARM Discovery Fund ARM Ethical Fund ARM Money Market Fund AXA MANSARD INVESTMENTS LIMITED Web: www.axamansard.com; Tel: +2341-4488482 Fund Name AXA Mansard Equity Income Fund AXA Mansard Money Market Fund CHAPELHILL DENHAM MANAGEMENT LTD Web: www.chapelhilldenham.com, Tel: +234 461 0691 Fund Name Nigeria Global Investment Fund Paramount Equity Fund Women's Investment Fund FBN CAPITAL ASSET MANAGEMENT LTD Web: www.fbnquest.com; Tel: +234-81 0082 0082 Fund Name FBN Fixed Income Fund FBN Heritage Fund FBN Money Market Fund FBN Nigeria Eurobond (USD) Fund - Institutional FBN Nigeria Eurobond (USD) Fund - Retail FBN Nigeria Smart Beta Equity Fund FIRST CITY ASSET MANAGEMENT LTD Web: www.fcamltd.com; Tel: +234 1 462 2596 Fund Name Legacy Equity Fund Legacy Short Maturity (NGN) Fund FSDH ASSET MANAGEMENT LTD Web: www.fsdhaml.com; Tel: 01-270 4884-5; 01-280 9740-1 Fund Name Coral Growth Fund

100.00

aaml@afrinvest.com Offer Price Yield / T-Rtn 124.57 10.93% 217.74 8.34% info@acapng.com Offer Price Yield / T-Rtn 0.68 9.36% ammf@aiicocapital.com Offer Price

Yield / T-Rtn

100.00

15.07%

enquiries@arminvestmentcenter.com Bid Price 12.74 292.64 22.73

Offer Price 13.12 301.46 23.41

Yield / T-Rtn 4.51% 4.70% 3.08%

1.00

1.00

12.37%

investmentcare@axamansard.com Bid Price 100.76

Offer Price 101.39

Yield / T-Rtn 1.08%

1.00 1.00 11.22% investmentmanagement@chapelhilldenham.com Bid Price 2.09 9.36

Offer Price 2.14 9.60

Yield / T-Rtn 2.67% -5.01%

82.67

84.79

1.92%

invest@fbnquest.com Bid Price 1,065.59 114.49 100.00 $101.63 $101.53 111.98

Offer Price 1,066.57 114.99 100.00 $102.31 $102.21

Yield / T-Rtn -1.53% 5.28% 12.21% 1.97% 1.87%

113.50

12.74%

fcamhelpdesk@fcmb.com Bid Price 0.93 2.50

Offer Price Yield / T-Rtn 0.94 2.75% 2.50 7.62% coralfunds@fsdhgroup.com

Bid Price 2,219.97

Offer Price 2,246.85

Coral Income Fund 2,039.73 INVESTMENT ONE FUNDS MANAGEMENT LTD Web: www.investment-one.com; Tel: +234 812 992 1045,+234 1 448 8888 Fund Name Bid Price

Yield / T-Rtn 2.07%

2,039.73 7.83% enquiries@investment-one.com Offer Price

Yield / T-Rtn

Vantage Guaranteed Income Fund

1.00

1.00

11.15%

Vantage Balanced Fund

1.64

1.66

0.46%

LOTUS CAPITAL LTD fincon@lotuscapitallimited.com Web: www.lotuscapitallimited.com; Tel: +234 1-291 4626 / +234 1-291 4624 Fund Name Bid Price Offer Price Yield / T-Rtn Lotus Halal Investment Fund 0.99 1.01 11.59% Lotus Halal Fixed Income Fund 986.90 986.90 -1.31% MERISTEM WEALTH MANAGEMENT LTD info@meristemwealth.com Web: www.meristemwealth.com ; Tel: +234 1-4488260 Fund Name Bid Price Offer Price Yield / T-Rtn Meristem Equity Market Fund 9.81 9.90 0.31% Meristem Money Market Fund 10.00 10.00 13.41% PAC ASSET MANAGEMENT LTD info@pacassetmanagement.com Web: www.pacassetmanagement.com/mutualfunds; Tel: +234 1 271 8632 Fund Name Bid Price Offer Price Yield / T-Rtn PACAM Balanced Fund 1.02 1.04 4.08% SCM CAPITAL LIMITED info@scmcapitalng.com Web: www.scmcapitalng.com; Tel: +234 1-280 2226,+234 1- 280 2227 Fund Name Bid Price Offer Price Yield / T-Rtn SCM Capital Frontier Fund 106.03 106.77 4.08% SFS CAPITAL NIGERIA LTD investments@sfsnigeria.com Web: www.sfsnigeria.com, Tel: +234 (01) 2801400 Fund Name Bid Price Offer Price Yield / T-Rtn SFS Fixed Income Fund 1.22 1.22 7.86% STANBIC IBTC ASSET MANAGEMENT LTD assetmanagement@stanbicibtc.com Web: www.stanbicibtcassetmanagement.com; Tel: +234 1 280 1266; 0700 MUTUALFUNDS Fund Name Bid Price Offer Price Yield / T-Rtn Stanbic IBTC Balanced Fund 1,806.57 1,817.26 7.58% Stanbic IBTC Bond Fund 151.28 151.28 2.86% Stanbic IBTC Ethical Fund 0.79 0.80 6.00% Stanbic IBTC Guaranteed Investment Fund 179.85 179.85 5.99% Stanbic IBTC Iman Fund 136.03 137.63 0.49% Stanbic IBTC Money Market Fund 100.00 100.00 15.14% Stanbic IBTC Nigerian Equity Fund 7,715.44 7,818.45 7.35% UNITED CAPITAL ASSET MANAGEMENT LTD unitedcapitalplcgroup.com Web: www.unitedcapitalplcgroup.com; Tel: +234 803 306 2887 Fund Name Bid Price Offer Price Yield / T-Rtn United Capital Balanced Fund 1.15 1.17 7.44% United Capital Bond Fund 1.25 1.25 15.64% United Capital Equity Fund 0.70 0.72 -8.18% United Capital Money Market Fund 1.00 1.00 13.00% ZENITH ASSETS MANAGEMENT LTD info@zenith-funds.com Web: www.zenith-funds.com; Tel: +234 1-2784219 Fund Name Bid Price Offer Price Yield / T-Rtn Zenith Equity Fund 9.80 9.97 2.64% Zenith Ethical Fund 11.33 11.44 -1.14% Zenith Income Fund 16.54 16.54 3.10%

REITS

NAV Per Share

Yield / T-Rtn

11.43 122.22

2.69% 5.50%

Bid Price

Offer Price

Yield / T-Rtn

8.92 79.03

9.02 80.53

-6.85% -5.04%

Fund Name FSDH UPDC Real Estate Investment Fund SFS Skye Shelter Fund

EXCHANGE TRADED FUNDS

Fund Name Lotus Halal Equity Exchange Traded Fund Stanbic IBTC ETF 30 Fund

VETIVA FUND MANAGERS LTD Web: www.vetiva.com; Tel: +234 1 453 0697

Fund Name Vetiva Banking Exchange Traded Fund Vetiva Consumer Goods Exchange Traded Fund Vetiva Griffin 30 Exchange Traded Fund Vetiva Industrial Goods Exchange Traded Fund Vetiva S&P Nigeria Sovereign Bond Exchange Traded Fund

funds@vetiva.com Bid Price

Offer Price

Yield / T-Rtn

2.72 7.34 12.65 17.20 -

2.76 7.42 12.79 17.40 -

17.60% 14.77% 0.95% -10.41% -

The value of investments and the income from them may fall as well as rise. Past performance is a guide and not an indication of future returns. Fund prices published in this edition are also available on each fund manager’s website and FMAN’s website at www.fman.com.ng. Fund prices are supplied by the operator of the relevant fund and are published for information purposes only.

28

SUNDAY OCTOBER 16, 2016 T H I S D AY

A

WEEKLY PULL-OUT

YOMI AWOBOKUN

A HELPING HAND TO IDPs

16.10.2016

30

T H I S DAY, T H E S U N DAY N E W S PA P E R • OctOber 16, 2016

COVER

YOMI AWOBOKUN

A HELPING HAND TO IDPs In a fast-paced world where events of tremendous impact are taking place in split seconds, it is easy to be engrossed with current realities, forgetting that yesterday’s business had not been pursued to a logical conclusion.

This appears to be the case with the teaming, intimidating and scandalous population of Internally Displaced Persons, IDPs. Instead of feeling sorrowful over this unfortunate situation, Yomi Awobokun, a successful businessman left his privileged position to find a place in history along with those focused on returning dignity to these inopportune compatriots. Nseobong Okon-Ekong reports

Awobokun

H

e has no history of personal calamity that could have persuaded him to undertake this journey on a road called compassion.

Raised by affluent albeit humble parents, his father, a medical doctor still runs a thriving practice in Ibadan.

If anything, he recalls a childhood filled with happy and fond memories.

It was at this early stage of his life that the values of altruism were inculcated into Yomi Awobokun and his siblings.

Frequent visit to charities exposed

Photos: Sunday adigun

him to the pitiable plight of the less fortunate. It has since become a part of him to lend a helping hand and to offer his comforting shoulder to the needy.

Before now, he carried on his charity projects on a regular personal scale which was mostly limited to his family and friends. That was until he identified a catastrophe of national and international dimension which was begging for urgent intervention. As he focused on it, his thoughts became clearer and he decided to establish a structured involvement that will not only outlive him but run seamlessly on its own steam. This led to the birth of

TS20F, The September 20 Foundation. To be sure, September 20 is Yomi’s birthday and to remind him that his birth into this world should impact his generation positively, he anchored charitable efforts on this significant date which now means more than a personal memorial.

His history with selfless service has gone through quite some interesting curves. He explained. “I have always done one charity work or the other.

Many years ago, I was associated with my church working with victims who had used drugs, cocaine and Indian hemp creatively and had become addicts. I worked on that initiative for

I WAS ASSOCIATED WITH MY CHURCH WORKING WITH VICTIMS WHO HAD USED DRUGS, COCAINE AND INDIAN HEMP CREATIVELY AND HAD BECOME ADDICTS. I WORKED ON THAT INITIATIVE FOR A FEW YEARS, AFTER THAT I WORKED WITH AN ORGANISATION LOOKING TO REHABILITATE WOMEN WHO HAD BEEN ABUSED PHYSICALLY AND SEXUALLY … I WAS SHOCKED TO DISCOVER THAT SEVEN MILLION NIGERIANS ARE INTERNALLY DISPLACED. THERE ARE 2.1 MILLION NIGERIANS IN THE IDP CAMPS. THERE ARE ANOTHER FIVE MILLION PEOPLE DISPLACED BUT NOT IN CAMPS. THAT IS A MASSIVE CHALLENGE. THERE ARE COUNTRIES THAT HAVE ONLY FIVE MILLION INHABITANTS

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Yomi having a taste of the highly nutritious special potato variety after cooking demostration at the camp

a few years, after that I worked with an organisation looking to rehabilitate women who had been abused physically and sexually. I also worked with an NGO working to provide story books to children from less privileged homes-‘one book, one child’. At least, each child was entitled to one story book and they were taught to exchange.

There were no libraries around them so we gave them that orientation- ‘own a book, take care of it and then exchange’.

I have always done one charity or the other. It’s just the way we were taught by my parents- to give back. My wife is involved.”

Reeling out shocking figures of the humanitarian disaster which inspired him to do something that has been so surprisingly successful that even he can’t believe he did it. “I was shocked to discover that seven million Nigerians are internally displaced. There are 2.1 million Nigerians in the IDP camps.

There are another five million people displaced but not in camps. That is a massive challenge. There are countries that have only five million inhabitants.”

Scandalous as this statistics may appear, it immediately helped to identify the niche area of intervention he needed to make with the IDPs. While there are so many areas that existing groups and some individuals are already mediating, he discovered that lack of accurate information often led to overconcentration on one area of need neglecting other sectors that are as well critical. For instance, donors may supply mattress without taking into account the profile of persons who need the mattress-how many adults?

How many children? This is the kind of support TS20F hopes to provide. It is Awobokun’s hope that by providing a graphic and detailed picture of the situation in the IDP camps, potential donors will be armed with the right information to make constructive intervention in critical areas.

“You have several millions of people displaced and it doesn’t come up on social media, I am worried. Does it mean we have lost our humanity?

The goal here is to join the people who are already doing things. We should support the government and humanitarian agencies to improve the quality of the livelihood of people in the camps. We are not set up to give food. We do contribute food and household items but more importantly we do everything it takes to bring to the knowledge of Nigerians, the plight of residents at these camps. We work to humanise the people in these camps, so that Nigerians can know they exist.

We publish information about these people. Whatever we can appeal to organisations to help them with, we will. Interestingly, since our last trip to the camp, one of the big mattress manufacturers was really impressed with the report that we provided.

They told us they will contribute 1,000 mattresses, because some of the people there sleep on the floor. They had been contributing but didn’t know what the requirements were. They were specifically keen on giving us mattresses for kids. Our goal is just to continue to bring more information about these camps to the fore.”

To underscore the seriousness of TS20F, Awobokun headhunted a skilled and experienced lawyer, Ola Arowosaye who previously worked at the Lagos government owned charity, Office of the Public Defender. With her in-charge of the TS20F Secretariat, the organization is getting increasing recognition and invitation to collaborate with United Nations organs and international humanitarian organizations like the International Red Cross. Helping him to keep the flame of his vision burning are trustees of TS20F which includes his wife, Mrs. Sunmisola Awobokun, his father, Dr. Abimbola Awobokun, Mr Tunde Abiose and Temitayo Ogunbanjo.

Setting up a fully functional secretariat became necessary as the vision unfolded into bigger realms that demanded more time and engagement than Awobokun’s regular work as the chief executive of an Apapa-based oil and gas company allowed. He could only travel weekends and public holidays.

For three years, he visited the camps in his personal capacity. With each trip, he became more drawn into the suffering of the IDPs. “We took it a step further with volunteers and friends, colleagues from work, just to give everyone a sense of what is going on in those places.

I think it drives home the point that we are very fortunate because most of the people there have done nothing wrong. It is just that they come from a different part of the country which is unfortunately the part that has trouble with insurgency. Otherwise, they are not different between you and I. The goal is to continue to bring awareness to those camps, to Nigeria so that everybody can contribute something, from clothing to time. Children there have birthdays.

Nothing says we can’t celebrate their birthdays. There are so many things we can do. Saying that somebody cannot do something for those people is false.

There’s a lot to contribute.”

Working from a deep conviction that every member of the society, particularly leaders must grow with a consciousness to give back, Awobokun is honestly connected with the landmark communal and individual events in the Apapa community where his office is. “We came to Apapa, put up a world-class office here as you can see and everyday interact with the community. Did you see any mobile police downstairs? We work freely with the community, we attend their naming ceremonies, their sons are marrying our daughters and vice-versa. So there’s no tragedy that has happened to me that is requesting me to do this” It might be early in the day, but Awobokun does not foresee a future when there will be no IDPs. “There are IDPs all over the world. Look at what is happening in Europe. For the moment, there are massive migration issues. There are IDPs in France, Germany, Italy so some of these things are always going to be with us. The IDPs are not always caused by insurgency. Some are caused by natural disasters.”

Leaving his vantage position to interact with agencies of government

WE MET BORNO IDPs AND THE BAUCHI IDPS FIGHTING. ‘I HAD TO SAY TO THEM, WE’VE COME FROM LAGOS, WE ARE ALL NIGERIANS. HOW DOES SOMEBODY GIVE YOU AID AND YOU FROM BORNO SAY YOU WILL NOT SHARE WITH THE ONE FROM BAUCHI AND THE PERSON GIVING YOU AID IS FROM LAGOS AND OGUN. IT MAKES NO SENSE. THAT IS A POINT WE HAVE TO FIGHT. ALL OF US HAVE GOT TO STOP THIS STATE OF ORIGIN OR CULTURE BIAS, IT JUST TEARS THIS COUNTRY APART. I LEARNT FROM THAT EXPERIENCE THAT YOU DON’T HAVE TO EAT WELL TO DISCRIMINATE with the statutory responsibility to deal with the IDPs has been an eye opener for Awobokun. Now, he is better placed to assess the challenges these organizations are confronted with. “I think that we don’t commend NEMA enough. All the states have theirs like in Borno, there is BOSEMA who have done fantastic jobs with the resources under their control.

I think they too need to be supported, the government has done a good job setting up those agencies and if you read some of the things they’ve done, the most positive is that you can actually put people in the camp and at the right time successfully return them to their homes, villages and farms. I think that needs to be commended. In the circumstances, they have very difficult jobs and I think that they are doing their best. They may be better organised in some countries and less in others but again it is also directly proportional to the resources of the country. Sometimes, it is better organised in some countries because they are developed and have more resources.”

Thanks to good orientation from his parents, Awobokun has learnt to situate his charitable works in context and prioritise them on a need-to-do basis. But whatever he does, he is guided by the dogma that charity must begin from home. Although, there are no IDPs in his home state of Ogun, he has the presence of mind to identify challenged communities, particularly in his OgereRemo homestead where he supports the community with agricultural produce.

Guided by this philosophy to take care of his immediate environment, he ensured

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Yomi settling dispute between Bauchi and Borno IDP leaders

that impactful CSR projects are executed by his company. “We invested about N200 million to build the road leading to the this office. We invested another N400 million to build adjacent roads that have nothing to do with this office. Over the last two years, we invested in water and power for the community. Apart from blue collar workers, every year, we invest in artisans. We give a quota to the community after training we send them to proper mechanical institutions so they too can become employers. We recently started to invest in painters, not just skills that deal with our product directly, both male and female. We call this our home community. We invest significantly in infrastructure, improve livelihood in each community. And you know apart from the indigenes, we also have host communities. We have the armed forces, it’s a dynamic community.”

The host community where his business is located and his homestead may be challenged, but it is nothing compared to what he saw at the IDP camps. “The conditions at the IDP camp are significantly worse. This community has water but there is none in the IDP camp. The morale in this community is better. They are not inmates of a camp.

They live with their families. In one of the camps we visited, there were about 1500 people, 600 of which were men, 150 women and 300 children. Even the balance creates all sorts of issues because a lot of the men have lost their families, they were attacked so they fled. They don’t even know where their families are.”

One of the images that have haunted Awobokun since he started working with the IDPs was an unfortunate incident where the IDPs polarized themselves along very rigid fault lines that are manifest in the larger society.

But he could not have imagined that it would rear its ugly in a community of challenged persons. “We met Borno IDPs and the Bauchi IDPs fighting. ‘I had to say to them, we’ve come from Lagos, we are all Nigerians. How does somebody give you aid and you from Borno say you will not share with the one from Bauchi and the person giving you aid is from Lagos and Ogun. It makes no sense. That is a point we have to fight. All of us have got to stop this state of origin or culture bias, it just tears this country apart. I learnt from that experience that you don’t have to eat well to discriminate. These are people from the bottom of the pyramid, fighting themselves for aid. It is unbelievable.”

Conversely, on the positive side, Awobokun pointed out an example of dedication and commitment. “We

met a camp manager who had some educational background. He was there initially as a corper and has stayed there. He was essentially in charge of food distribution. He had a fairly honest system with which he ensure that everybody got food.

We met a leadership structure which we thought was positive. At least, there was organisation. There was a woman leader, a chairman- their own little government. We asked them how they resolved issues and there was a reasonable appreciation of law and order to the extent that they acknowledged that whenever there is an issue, the chairman thought was outside his capacity, they called the police. The conditions were not too good, but there were areas for sanitary activities, separate from areas of cooking and resting and sleeping. They have makeshift schools for the children, they agreed on uniforms so as to help the children orientation. Before we left, there was a little girl that fell ill. The whole community brought her to us and we ensured that she was sent to the hospital very quickly. I have been in touch with the coordinator and the girl is much better. She had suffered from typhoid. She is back to the camp with her parents. There were flashes of what makes us a great country. The men had gone out to look for work. Our men like to work. Of the 600 men, I think we met 10. All the men had gone out which is the way Nigerians are. Some of the women had also gone out while others looked after the children. There are enough positives to wish that we have more resources to help them all.”

It is this hope and deep-rooted conviction that he is doing a good thing that fires his ambition every day.

With each contribution, Awobokun is happier that he is inching towards the mark. “Our last contribution to the IDP camps, came from close to 1,000 people.

Some of these donations are very little sums. I think the highest donor was N1 million. People donate as little as N5,000, and that’s what we are trying to encourage. To live thinking and caring about other Nigerians. Don’t say that your situation is the worst, and so you cannot give back. So it gladdens my heart to find people donating N5000 and N10000. It is good news to hear the billions donated, but it is also big news to hear thousands and hundreds being donated. Our interest is in information management. We want to bring information about the inmates and persons in these camps to the public. We don’t think that enough Nigerians know that these conditions exist. We don’t think enough people understand that every little bit counts.”

Awobokun and wife, Sunmisola

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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 • OCTOBER 16, 2016

ON THE COUCH

ALHAJI YOMI BOLARINWA (EX-DG, NBC)

I’m a Muslim But I Have One Wife Interviewed by Funke Olaode What was your childhood like?

My parents were Egbas. I grew up in Ibadan. My father was a police officer. My mother traded in China wares. I was born in Queens Barracks in Mokola Area of Ibadan. We enjoyed communal life. If you went astray you would be disciplined irrespective of whose child you are. We lived in an environment where there was no religious or ethnic discrimination.

London. There was a line which said “if you want job satisfaction read engineering.” But if you want money go and read something else. I became convinced that I was toeing the right path.

How did you get into broadcasting?

I got into broadcasting when WNTV/WNBC came to interview students in 1975 at the Polytechnic.

I passed the interview and I was employed. Immediately after my examinations at the Polytechnic I resumed work. After my study at Ife, I came back to work. I switched job in 1993 when I sought for a job at the NBC. I was employed as assistant director and along the line I became a director and in 2007 I was promoted as director-general the position I held till I retired in 2013.

How was life growing up in the barracks?

It was a wonderful experience.

Incidentally when you look at that time, it would give you a glimpse of policemen of yesteryears and today. In those days, virtually everything in the house was provided by the police authorities: the bed sheets, the mattresses, rain-coat, torch light and even the battery to power it, blankets including their uniforms which had buttons that could be replaced every month. They provided leather boots for them with polish. And every month, whoever that was in charge of the police barracks would come on inspection. Mothers would have cleaned and scrubbed the floors and everybody would be out and only our fathers would attend to the inspector. And if the man finds a speck of dust there would be problems. In those days, police barracks were clean. It was a setting with different diversity. We were raised to behave properly.

Were you involved in your mother’s trade?

Apart from selling China wares, my mother was a woman of all seasons. When orange was in season, she would sell, during plantain season she would be involved and so on. She engaged in this before going to the market and as a child I had to help. I hawked oranges and when Premier Hotel was under construction I was selling oranges to the construction workers.

Why did you not enlist in the police force, having grown up in the barracks?

I never wanted to be a police officer. There are several things I

Are you fulfilled?

I couldn’t have wished for a better profession because getting to the top was fulfilling. I don’t think there is anything I want to change. God has been kind. I came back from the university and was promoted as Engineer One and rose to become the Chief Engineer.

I joined NBC as assistant director, became a full director and capped it as a DG.

never wanted to be. My childhood dream was to be an engineer. I had what it takes to study engineering because I came out with good grades from secondary school. I went to The Polytechnic Ibadan where I enrolled for Electrical/ Electronics Engineering. I was also at the University of Ife to study the same discipline. I later went to University of Lagos where I did an MBA in 1983.

What influenced you into

engineering?

I fiddled with a lot of things when I was young. I always found a way of powering a used battery to function again. I would put them in the sun, put them back in the torch light, look for a small wire and connect it with a small bulb.

And it would bring tiny electricity.

I went through the process and I was convinced that I wanted to be an engineer. After my secondary school I came across something in the brochure of The Polytechnic in

What lesson has life taught you?

The first lesson I learnt about life is that it is not the beginning that matters but the end that counts.

At the beginning you must trust God, believe in yourself and don’t use circumstances of others to rate or judge yourself. Sometimes you think others have gone ahead of you or better than you, don’t ever think that way because your end matters. I also learnt to be loving, caring, honest, and kind to people I meet on my way.

You are wearing a wedding band…

I am a Muslim of one man and one wife in the last 33 years.

But Islam permits you to marry more than one wife…

The injunction says if you can be fair to all of them, go ahead.

But you know it is not humanly possible; so you marry one.

EVENT

I

Foundation Fetes Students in Warri

t was five days of fun, excitement, learning and pleasure at the annual summer camp of Morgan Smart Development Foundation for MSDF scholars. The programme engaged 95 students meaningfully for a few days.

The activities kicked off with an opening ceremony attended by dignitaries including Dr. Evelyn Atsiangbe-Urhobo (President/ CEO MSDF), school principals, parents of students amongst other dignitaries.

Commending the efforts of the foundation; from giving scholarship to indigent brilliant students, to organising yearly summer camp activities for them, the invited guests also elaborated the benefits of engaging children positively during summer holidays,.

The children greatly enjoyed the camp activities which included a keynote address on the theme of this year ’s camp ‘Education, the key to self-actualisation’ by Mrs Jolomi Osandatuwa. There were

also career counselling sessions in medicine, law, engineering, teaching; talks on mentoring and role modelling, cultivating a reading culture, cultism, parenting and its challenges, domestic violence and child abuse, examination malpractice, teenage pregnancy, goal setting as teens and how to manage finances.

There was a special presentation on drug abuse by the Warri area command of the NDLEA; practical sessions on bead making and table etiquette, a movie show and an

excursion. The children were also given opportunities to display their natural talents in singing, comedy, dancing, poetry and presenting.

Admist the fun of the camp activities, the students made new friends and strengthened existing friendships built during previous summer camps. The summer camp continued with a trip to Lagos by the 14 top performing students.

The annual trip to Lagos was an added incentive to motivate students to work harder in their school work to qualify.

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entertainment

with nseObOng OkOn-ekOng 08114495324, nseobong.okonekong@thisdaylive.com

Mavins Crew, Iyanya, Funmi Iyanda, Jimmy Jatt Gather at the Temple Nseobong Okon-Ekong

B

oasting of a star-studded team that pools an impressive diversity of skilled professionals, the executive team of the Temple Management Company (TMC), which is now home to the Don Jazzy-led, Mavins Crew, Iyanya, Jimmy Jatt and television personality, Funmi Iyanda includes individuals who have worked with Nigeria’s leading law firm, Zenith Bank, Samsung, McDonalds, Nestle UK, Eurosport, the English Football Association, 234Next, the Lagos State Government and in the music industry, with LA Reid, Pharrell, Jamie Foxx and Sean ‘P Diddy’ Combs.

Founded by serial investor and art aficionado, Idris Olorunnimbe, TMC is primed to curate and tap into the rising global recognition and demand for the work of Nigerian creative talents. Setting up shop last March, the company set out with a mission ‘to continually improve on content, bridge the gulf between local talents and their foreign counterparts in line with international best practices’.

With a formidable team parading some of the brightest young professionals in entertainment, fashion, arts, finance, law and media, TMC is fully prepped to deliver its objective to raise the profile of local talents.

TMC will focus on the core functions of talent representation but will, allied with corporate organisations, also provide a wide range of financial and advisory services, manage endorsement portfolios, and package bespoke events for domestic and international markets.

The company has already signed management deals with some of Nigeria’s biggest talents, including Nigeria’s biggest record label Mavin Records, renowned disc jockey DJ Jimmy Jatt, award-winning visual artist and writer Victor Ehikhamenor, media personality Bunmi Davies, artist/jeweller Mode Aderinokun and the doyenne of Nigerian broadcast media, Funmi Iyanda who are all signed to exclusive management contracts with TMC. Explaining its niche entertainment content at a recent meeting at its Victoria Island office, Mark Redguard, Head of Entertainment said, “the company offers a bouquet of services including legal representation, financial services advisory and public relations, which guarantees more visibility and promotions for the artiste. It is our business if the client needs to be on radio or needs more press releases and SHAFER RECORDS CELEBRATES – Ikenna Bede Shafer Records, a newly found independently owned music record label had its official launch recently to reveal its artistes, highlight their unique form of artistry, and promote their presence in the music industry.

Founded by South-African based entrepreneur, Isaiah Oyibo (Shafer) in February, the outfit currently boasts of an array of talented recording artistes in its repertoire. Top on the list are Theory (Samuel Oyibo), Lugi (Utibe Ndah Mackenzie) and Eluku (Lameed Tamitayo Lukmon) The launch was accompanied with the unveiling of a buzz single, ‘The Shafer Anthem,’ an effort to kick off promotion for the label.

‘The Shafer anthem’ is a collaborative effort from the label’s three signed acts (Theory, Lugi and Eluku). The song, a mid-tempo soulful rap track, addresses issues as loyalty, hard work and perseverance.

All artistes on the label have so far released singles. Theory released the label’s first single titled ‘Changes.’ The other two acts, Lugi and Eluku have also recorded solo singles, ‘Yahwey’ and ‘My Body or Money’ respectively.

‘3 THRONES’ CONCERT COMES TO LAGOS Adeleke David; popularly known as Davido alongside wordsmith Phyno have been revealed to be the headliners at the highly anticipated upcoming concert ‘3 Thrones’ set to hold on October 23 at EKO Hotel Convention Centre, Lagos.

The announcement which came as posts on social media has since made the rounds with several fans of both artistes expressing their excitement.

Mavins Crew

feature articles. We also push music videos- the entire spectrum.”

Prior to joining TMC, Mark was Chief Executive Officer at 1960 Music Group. He is a creative marketing executive with over 15 years of experience building new markets, improving competitive market positions in the USA and

international markets such as Jamaica, Africa, Europe and Japan.

Mark has worked at Spinlet.com San Francisco as Chief Marketing Officer, helped guide Spinlet in leveraging relationships with local and international; artists to market, promote and monetise African artiste’s music globally.

The concert is revealed to have three headliners which are referred to as “kings” and they are prepared to occupy three thrones at the concert, hence the name ‘3 Thrones Concert’. DJ Jimmy Jatt and DJ Neptune have been unveiled as ‘The Guardians’ of the thrones. However, the third headliner hasn’t been revealed so far as fans continue to hanker for the third revelation.

Speaking on the choice of these artistes, one of the organizers, Adetoro Suleiman had this to say; “After careful consideration, Phyno and Davido were meticulously selected by the team owing to their undeniable eminence

and the impact they’ve made in the Nigerian music industry and Africa at large. These are individuals who are hard-working and have put Nigeria on a pedestal through their art over the years. So far; two of them have been revealed - the last king will be revealed in due time. This is a concert that will be talked about for years!”

‘3 Thrones Concert’ promises to be an unforgettable experience as it is said to be the biggest concert Nigeria will ever experience.

M-REAL DEBUTS WITH ‘TUSH’ Nigerian international multiple award win-

Miss Oluchi Madubuko flanked by other queens, after her installation as 2016 Miss Ambassador for Peace

Redguard

ning singer, George Gabriel Mgbe a.k.a MReal may have perfected all he needs to make a long lasting impression on the Nigerian music scene as he debuts with a single titled, Tush, on a newly introduced entertainment company, Expensive Music Gang (EMG).

The 27-year-old singer from Cross River State who had DJ Coublon produce his first single revealed he is returning big to take the music scene by storm with the help of his recording label, EMG with which he signed a five-year deal.

Meanwhile, founder of Expensive Music Gang, Ekene Jeff Nweke supported the new signee, saying the label is ready to take its first artist to greater heights.

Jeff started who started his entertainment and media services company in South Africa, opened the Nigerian offices two years ago.

NOLLYWOOD STARS BACK TO SCHOOL IN ABIA Some of Nigeria’s renowned actors are expected in Umuahia, the Abia State capital on October 24 for a reading and mentoring session with secondary school students.

In the stellar line up of celebrity readers are Segun Arinze, Daniel K Daniel, Queen Nwokoye, Belinda Effiah, Saheed Balogun and Okey Bakassi. Others are Bimbo Akintola, Junior Pope, Fathia Balogun and Kannywood finest, Ali Nuhu. This year’s BON Awards is hosted by the Dr. Okezie Ikpeazu led-Abia State government.

Aside the reading proper, to be led by the First Lady, Mrs. Nkechi Ikpeazu, the executive producer, BON awards, Seun Oloketuyi, said there would be inspirational talks, photo ops and an autograph-signing session.

“We look forward to an exciting time with the kids,” Oloketuyi quipped, adding, “As

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ENTERTAINMENT you well know, the celebrity reading session with secondary school students is the first of a variety of activities preceding the BON awards proper in December. The chosen celebrities are past winners and nominees of the BON awards. What we promise the lucky students is a life-changing opportunity to meet with their role models and favourite celebrities and hear directly from them time-tested success nuggets, tips they need to be better individuals.”

Continuing, Oloketuyi said, more than anything else, he is always thrilled and humbled when celebrities leave all they are doing to be a part of the mentoring and reading session.

SEARCH FOR ADA OGBUNIKE BEGINS All is set for the annual Ogbunike Cave Carnival. According to the Project Manager of the carnival, Adaeze Uzodoh, the three-day event, December 30 -January 1, 2017) will set the tone for a new era.

One of the prominent highlights of this year’s carnival is the Ada Ogbunike Beauty Pageant. Scheduled to hold on New Year Day, the event will see a beauty parade of Ogbunike ladies as they contest for the Ada Ogbunike crown.

Application is now open for contestants willing to be part of the beauty contest.

According to the Head Communications, Casmir Obiegbolu, all participants must be between the ages of 18 and 25 years old, be Ogbunike indigene, and must be of good health and character.

“She must not be married, mothers or pregnant and should be able to speak fluent English and Igbo. We are searching for young Ogbunike ladies across the globe (home and in diaspora) to be part of this great opportunity. This is an opportunity to become a cultural ambassador of Ogbunike and help promote our culture. Interested participants should visit www.ogbunike.ng or our facebook.com/ogbunikecavecarnival for more details,” he said.

The pageantry will be spiced with musical and comedy performances. The carnival will also witness the double celebration of the traditional ruler of Ogbunike Community, HRH, Igwe John Ositadimma Umenyiora (Ezedioramma 1 of Ogbunike).

The traditional ruler will mark his 75th birthday and 40 years on the throne of Ogbunike. The main celebration holds on December 26 with the Ofala Festival, where the people will have opportunity to pay homage to one of the longest serving traditional rulers in the state.

MISS AMBASSADOR FOR PEACE – King Akan A non-governmental organisation, Peace Ambassador Agency (PAA), has picked Miss Oluchi Madubuko, a 21 year-old undergraduate as the winner of its 2016 Miss Ambassador for Peace beauty pageant. She defeated 23 other contestants at the event held at Sheraton Hotels, Abuja.

PAA said the Abia state-born beauty queen will serve as Ambassador of Peace, preaching the message of peaceful and united Nigeria during her one-year reign as a peace ambassador. The first and second runners up were also crowned Miss Peace Ambassador Nigeria and Miss Peace Ambassador Africa respectively to work with the new queen in the peace advocacy of the organisation.

Miss Chiamaka Chukwura, who represented the FCT Won Miss Ambassador for Peace International, Ufondu Anastasia won Miss Ambassador for Peace Africa and Miss Oriunu Faith, representing Nasarawa State, became the Face of Peace Ambassador Agency.

In her remarks, Madubuko a 400-level Mass Communication student of Abia State University, pledged to make her reign a success.

Miss Ambassador for Peace/Peace Achievers Awards which started in 2012 is a flagship event of the organisation in its quest for promoting national peace and unity.

The Project Director Mr. Kingsley Amafibe, explained that the initiative was aimed at creating awareness on the need to promote peace as a veritable tool for national development.

UNVEILING THE AFRICAN DIVA REALITY TV SHOW – Funke Olaode Nollywood Diva, Chika Ike has announced that her previously rested reality television show, African Diva which was last held in 2013 is set to bounce back bigger and better.

Unveiling the 16-week show at Radisson Blu, Ike said she conceived the idea to impact in the society and her environment. According to her, it wasn’t an easy task when she started due to lack of sponsorship. With help from Bullet Energy Drink, Da Viva, AIT, Epe

Adetola (2nd left) with friends

Glitzy Moments with Adetola Juyitan Dumping her lucrative job as a banker was the easiest part of the career trajectory for Adetola Juyitan. It was not a decision she spent a long time brooding over.

Conversely, it was not a problem at all for her to decide on her next direction. There was only one choice, playing big in Nigeria’s rising events industry.

The recent birth of the Glitz Event Centre at Oniru was the culmination of her career aspirations and made her very happy. Often in high spirits, Adetola seeks not only to share the joy she carries but to monetise it as well. Sitting on two acres of land, Glitz Event Centre features two marquees which can host two events simultaneously. The Glitz Imperial Marquee offers a space for 1,200 guests for banquet style and 2,000 guests for theatre-style, while the Glitz Deluxe Marquee can similarly accommodate up to 300 guests, banquet style and 600 guests theatrestyle.

Talking about its unique features, Adetola emphasised that patrons do not “need to bring sound or light equipment.

We have partners that we work with to provide any and every kind of service, so you necessarily don’t need to do anything.

You can attend your event as a guest. We take care of everything from start to finish.”

The ample parking space which was Resorts Lagos and a host of others this time her passion is fulfilled. Nevertheless, she is proud of the first winner, Love Ebule who is currently fulfilling her dreams.

A Pan-African show, it was borne out her desire to give back and empower young African women who can be useful and contribute their quota to the economy. The show she said centres around so many things but the focus is acting. Another objective of the show is to expose the girls and to promote African culture and heritage which has been overshadowed by the western culture.

The selected young ladies between 18 and 35 years from five West African countries who exude confidence and originality will slug it out in the house where they have to compete to win a task to become an African Diva. Each week there will be an elimination.

expertly controlled by uniformed protocol personnel and Lagos State Government traffic management officials took care of the normal stress experienced at many event venues.

The bigger hall where the launch party held was neatly divided into a reception area featuring the meet-and-greet, red carpet and media board for photo opportunities. The larger part of the hall decorated with beautiful chandeliers, attractive table-cloths and gorgeous flowers had a stage at one end.

Earlier in the day, Adetola had a meeting with a variety of service providers where attractive discounts were announced to boost the working relationship with the events centre. The price cut which ranged between 15 and 20 per cent would cover all areas of services like wedding, halls and equipment for the next six months.

The event which attracted many valued celebrities, top executives in the banking, oil and gas sectors, humanitarian/service organisations featured a mini-concert with artistes like Jesse Jaggz and Ceekay from the Chocolate City label. Definitely, the headline act who was also most applauded was Jaywon. Comedians like Senator, Dan the Humorous, Funny Bone and Mimiko were on the bill as well and they left the audience in stitches.

“We give them task based on their African root and culture, hospitality, motherhood and entrepreneurship and how to pitch a brand to an investor. At the end of the day, one winner will emerge and it is a winner takes it all. The prize this year is a brand new car, $10,000 dollars and a one year acting contract under Chika Ike Film Production.

2BABA, GBENGA ADEYINKA, CALLY IKPE ENTER OONI OF IFE’S COURT In another move that was loudly applauded, Oba Adeyeye Enitan Ogunwusi, the Ooni of Ife who is fast gaining a reputation for good deeds, particularly promotion of peaceful co-existence, recently admitted popular musician, Innocent Idibia, better known as 2Baba, comedian, Gbenga Adeyinka and entertainment entrepreneur, Cally Ikpe into his court as

L-R Cally Ikpe, 2Baba and Genga Adeyinka being honoured by the Ooni of Ife

peace ambassadors.

The natural ruler who implored the recipients of the honour to take it seriously emphasized that it meant a lot to him. Since his ascension on the throne, Oba Ogunwusi has made peace astounding moves to fellow traditional rulers who were estranged to his predecessors- an act that has been widely commended by all and sundry.

Inducting an influential figure like 2Baba who has his own campaign themed, ‘Violence Free World’ and Cally Ikpe who has devoted the last couple of editions of his Nigeria Music Video Awards, NMVA to campaign for peace broadens the spectrum of the royal campaign for a peaceful world which will receive innovative activation in the coming days.

“I will urge you to strive harder to ensure you preach peace and unity everywhere you go and be ambassadors of the initiative. I believe youths have to combat acts of terror and violence in the world,” Oba Ogunwusi said.

2Baba who spoke on behalf of the honourees said, “the Ooni has just exemplified the true essence of the type of monarch we need at this point in Nigeria. His love for preaching and making peace has been the mantra of his reign and I’m glad to be part of that mantra.”

JONATHAN BUTLER, MI CASA AND A’RESE TO LIVE AT ‘A NIGHT AT THE KAZBAH’ CONCERT Smooth 98.1FM, the premier 24-hour music station and curators of contemporary African and Nigerian music brings to all music lovers the second instalment of A Night At The Kazbah. This year, the line up is bigger than ever headlined by South African singer songwriter and guitarist Jonathan Butler supported by soulful house trio Mi CASA and The Voice Nigeria reality TV winner, A’rese. The concert holds next Saturday, 22nd of October 2016 at The Federal Palace Hotel, Lagos.

Last year, ‘A Night At The Kazbah’ was a huge success raising the bar and reshaping live music on the Lagos scene with a pioneering blend of AfroSoul and AfroJazz featuring Ruby Gyang, Bez, Kunle Ayo & Brymo.

Anticipation for these performers has reached fever pitch on social media over recent weeks with each act taking to Instagram and Twitter to announcement their excitement to their Lagos fans. Soulful House Trio, Mi Casa took time out of their busy Africa Tour to let their Lagos fans know they will be in town in a fun Instagram Video. The ‘Jika’ performers took a leaf out of The Voice Nigeria winner, A’rese book who earlier announced via Instagtam that A Night At The Kazbah was infact her first live music concert since winning the coveted music prize.

The headliner, South African singer-songwriter and guitarist, Jonathan Butler earlier this week sent his video message promising to trill Lagosians with his electrifying truly authentic African sound.

‘A Night at the Kazbah’ is more than just music, it is a cultural exploration designed to bring good Nigerian, African and World music to the forefront of our consciousness and promote indigenous artistry.

For years, Smooth 98.1 FM has been delivering high quality music appealing to a wide audience of discerning listeners some of whom are made up of innovative thinkers, creative professionals and all those who love great music.

Love Music, Love Life by following the conversation on #ANightAtTheKazbah and on all our Social Media pages @ Smooth981FM, www.smooth981.fm/ anightatthekazbah or by tuning in everyday to 98.1 Smooth FM.

Butler

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ENTERTAINMENT NEWS

Bob Dylan’s Controversial Nobel Prize in Literature Vanessa Obioha A moment of glory is turned to a debate circuit for the 75 year-old Bob Dylan who was awarded the Nobel Prize in Literature recently. The renowned singer and songwriter-whose body of works was recently acquired by institutions in Tulsa, Oklahoma- emergence as the Nobel Prize winner came as a surprise to many, particularly the betting firm Ladbroke.

Since the Swedish Academy does not release a shortlist of winners until 50 years later, Ladbroke assumed the responsibility to publish literary scholars whose works may clinch the coveted prize. In its robust list of authors and poets, Dylan name was not mentioned, not even in the shadows.

Names like Kenyan Ngugi wa Thiong’o, Japanese novelist Haruki Murakami, Syrian poet Adonis and American novelist Philip Roth were heavily betted on. Thus, making the new winner a debatable subject.

The controversy is embedded in the premise of what works qualify for literature: genre or language? Indeed, Bob Dylan had penned down some prosaic lines that impressed the Swedish Academy but to give him the honourable award, literary critics argue was a slap to their faces. In the history of the award, a musician has never won the award. Last year’s winner was a Belarussian journalist Svetlana Alexievich.

Dylan is the first American to win the award since the novelist Toni Morrison in 1993.

Now, having a musician win the award for most people is reducing the integrity of the award. Already, there have been backlash on the lack of female winners in this year’s edition. Also the Academy had come under fire in past editions for celebrating obscure writers whose works promote political messages.

Nevertheless, reactions on social media

MICHAEL JACKSON MAKES HISTORIC MARK The late pop legend beats David Bowie, Prince and other late celebrities to emerge at the number one spot of Forbes topearning dead celebrities. The pop star who died in 2009 gave a wide berth to Charles Schulz ($48 million) who sits on the second position. Michael Jackson’s income according to the business bible is a staggering sum of $825 million. This figure beats any celebrity earnings both dead and alive.

Most of the earnings were attributed to the sale of his Sony/ATV music-publishing catalog in March, which fetched $750 million.

The late Prince who died in April occupied the fifth position with $25 million while Bob Marley followed suit with $21 million. David Bowie made the bottom of the list with $10.5 million. Other dead celebrities who made the Forbes list include Elvis Presley (, $27 million), John Lennon (, $12 million), and Albert Einstein ($11.5 million).

Dylan

and mainstream are somewhat divided but it is quite glaring that majority of the literary world are not happy with the result.

Dylan works; they argue does not measure up to the artistic value found in poetry and novels.

Renowned poet Billy Collins was quoted in New York Times saying ““Most song lyrics don’t really hold up without the music, and they aren’t supposed to. Bob Dylan is in the 2 percent club of songwriters whose lyrics are interesting on the page, even without the harmonica and the guitar and his very distinctive voice. I think he does qualify as poetry.”

eight years ago.

Chris hosted the 88th Annual Academy Awards earlier this year and his role contributed to the growing criticism of the Oscars for its lack of diversity in its nominations. His first show with Netflix will be filmed next year following a planned tour.

Some of Chris recent works include a guest role on Fox’s musical drama ‘Empire’, Bill Murray‘s Netflix special ‘A Very Murray Christmas’ and Amy Schumer‘s HBO stand-up special ‘Amy Schumer: Live at the Apollo,’ for which he received an Outstanding Director for a Variety Special nomination at this year’s Emmys.

CHRIS ROCK SCORES BIG WITH NETFLIX The comedian will be returning to standup comedy with two hit shows with the streaming network. The deal is estimated to fetch Chris Rock a whopping sum of $40 million whose last stunt in the field was

ELTON JOHN TO RELEASE FIRST AUTOBIOGRAPHY He is known for many things but not as a nostalgic person. So when he made the announcement to publish a memoir about his ‘crazy life’, not a few eyebrows were raised.

The book which will be published by Henry Holt & Company will chronicle the singer’s expansive career and personal life in a process he’s already described as ‘cathartic’.

In a recent statement, Elton described his life as a helluva rollercoaster ride and it’s still lumbering on. The memoir will be his first and only autobiography although there are talks that the big-screen

Chris Rock

Drake

However, Lebanese novelist Rabih Alameddine tweeted that “Bob Dylan winning a Nobel in Literature is like Mrs. Fields being awarded 3 Michelin stars.

This is almost as silly as Winston Churchill.

Basically if I wanted to give a Nobel Prize in literature to a poet, I will give it to a poet.”

He added later: “And I do think Dylan is a good song writer.”

In its defense, the Swedish Academy argued that Dylan deserved the honour for having created new poetic expressions within the great American song tradition and having a tremendous impact on popular music. “Dylan has the status of an

biopic featuring Tom Hardy which was announced in 2013 may still be in the works.

The memoir of the 69 year-old singer will be written with music journalist Alexis Petridis and will be released in 2019.

DRAKE RIPS MICHAEL JACKSON OFF HIS AMA RECORD The ‘Hotline Bling’ crooner made history recently in the American Music Awards.

He garnered a total of 13 nominations, smashing the late king of pop’s record of 11 nominations in a single year from 1984.

Michael Jackson ‘Thriller’ earned him the coveted spot but for the Canadian singer, his recent album ‘Views’ got the highest fans votes.

Meanwhile his recent ex-girlfriend Rihanna got seven nominations and Adele and Justin Bieber tied with five each. Beyoncé and the Chainsmokers each received four nominations.

Drake is also nominated alongside Adele, Beyoncé, Bieber, Selena Gomez, Ariana Grande, Rihanna, Twenty One Pilots, Carrie Underwood and the Weeknd for the Artiste of the Year. The 10 nominees will be cut in half by 14 November based on fan votes. Voting for this category will close on November 17.

Nominees for new artist of the year are Alessia Cara, the Chainsmokers, DNCE, Shawn Mendes and Zayn. There is no

Michael Jackson

icon. His influence on contemporary music is profound, and he is the object of a steady stream of secondary literature.”

Sara Danius, a literary scholar and the permanent secretary of the 18-member Swedish Academy, described Dylan as “a great poet in the English-speaking tradition whose works are comparable to that of Homer and Sappho. The times they are a-changing, perhaps,” she said referencing one of Mr. Dylan’s songs.

Some of his works lauded by the Academy include “Blonde on Blonde” (1966), “Blood on the Tracks” (1975), “Oh Mercy” (1989), “Time Out Of Mind” (1997), “Love and Theft” (2001) and “Modern Times” (2006).

The president of the United States Barack Obama also extolled the ‘Blowin in the Wind’ singer: “Today, everybody from Bruce Springsteen to U2 owes Bob a debt of gratitude. There is not a bigger giant in the history of American music. All these years later, he’s still chasing that sound, still searching for a little bit of truth. And I have to say that I am a really big fan.”

Meanwhile Dylan who played in the Chelsea Theatre, Las Vegas on same day he won the award made no mention of his new status to his enthusiastic crowd. He joins past winners like T. S. Eliot, Gabriel García Márquez and Samuel Beckett. The singer who hit the spotlight in 60s is known for being pilloried by critics despite his vast innovations and brilliant styles in the music industry. The Nobel comes with a prize of 8 million Swedish kronor and is given for a lifetime of writing rather than for a single work.

Dylan has also been a recipient of the Grammy, Academy and Golden Globe awards; and was inducted into the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame in 1988. In 2012, he was awarded the Presidential Medal of Freedom.

overall song of the year category this year; instead honors will be handed out for best song in the categories of pop/rock, country, rap/hip-hop and soul/R&B. Nominations are based on a metric that includes sales, airplay and social activity tracked by Billboard magazine and its partners. Winners are determined by fan votes on the show’s website or through Facebook and Twitter. The awards will hold on November 20 at the Microsoft Theater in Los Angeles on ABC. ARMENIA SUBMISSION IN THE OSCARS DISQUALIFIED The Academy has turned down Armenia’s submission in the best foreignlanguage film category, Zemletryaseniye (Earthquake).

The Academy through a spokesperson said the film did not meet up with the requirements and that there are too many Russians and an insufficient number of Armenians among the crew.

Earthquake, a $3 million disaster movie directed by Sarik Andreasyan, is a dramatized recreation of one of the Soviet Union’s most devastating natural disasters — the Spitak earthquake in northern Armenia in December 1988.

However, the Academy gives Armenia the opportunity to submit another film for consideration.

T H I S D AY SUNDAY OCTOBER 16, 2016

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fOCus

The Arbitration Blurs Truth Vanessa Obioha

I

f you are not in the legal field or familiar with its terminology, you may want to look up ‘The Arbitration’ in Google or your dictionary before watching the movie.

It is unlikely that your findings will prepare you for the mentally and emotional rollercoaster Niyi Akinmolayan infused in the legal drama. The Arbitration is not your everyday court case kind of drama, or is it woven to put truth in good light. Of course, truth prevails but in this peculiar case comes in different shades, depending on who is telling it.

On the surface, the Arbitration is just what it is - a process of resolving issues between two or more warring parties through an arbiter. Unlike a courtroom case where the formalities of a legal case are well executed, in an arbitration, it is just between the arbiter, his secretary, the disputing parties and their legal representatives.

However, the plot is layered with themes that explore our day-to-day activities and realities. From the intricacies of a work-place affair gone bad to a battle of truth embedded in thick layers of betrayal and greed.

Being his first attempt at legal drama production, Niyi needed more than a dictionary’s definition to bring to life the story written by Chinaza Onuzo.

Produced by Inkblot Productions, the outcome is a well-delivered narrative told with accurate precision. From the use of flashbacks, blurred background images for effect (and perhaps for censorship) to choice of cast. All these elements were beautifully combined and made the movie unpredictably perfect.

Starring AMVCA stars OC Ukeje and Adesua Etomi, the film has all the tell-tale signs of a complicated workplace affair.

Etomi is the young intelligent mistress of Ukeje, a CEO of a technological firm worth millions of naira Iwaju Limited.

Told in flashbacks, the film began with blurred images of two bodies locked in an erotic embrace on a couch, then to a hotel lobby where we get the first taste of sarcasm from Iretiola Doyle who played the legal representative of Ukeje, Funlayo Johnson.

A clearer picture of the lead actors are shown next. A nervous and worried Dara Olujobi (Etomi) whose inexperienced lawyer, Omawunmi (Somkele Iyamah) is trying to calm, while a cocky Gbenga Sanni (Ukeje) walks around the lobby with his phone glued to his ear in a business-like manner.

Adesua Etomi and OC Ukeje in The Arbitration

The drama continues in the Arbiter’s room where the Arbiter played by Sola Fosudo had to wait patiently for Gbenga to get off the phone before he introduced himself, the paralegal, Faridah (Lota Chukwu) who doubles as a secretary and only spoke twice in the nearly two hours film, and the modalities of the process.

The case is then introduced. Dara accused Gbenga of raping her and not remitting her 30 per cent share of the company which she helped him built.

It was only a matter of time before the two lawyers began to spark and spar.

Doyle dons her sassiness elegantly with a domineering leer. She does her best to tear apart Dara’s claim that Gbenga raped her.

But her unfortunate victim Somkele is not easily cowered.

Hiding her steelness behind transparent lens, Somkele exuded her naivety in loud silence, facial expressions and sometimes ignorant remarks, which were very adoring as they were misleading. With a measured calm demeanour, her veneer of naivety began to slip to reveal a determined and competitive lawyer. Even Doyle was in more than one occasion thrown off balance by her shrewdness.

The Nollywood star admits that her addiction to the American legal drama ‘Suits’ enabled her to view the role in different goggles.

The story began to unfold as the two

lawyers try to prove the veracity of their client’s side of the story.

Etomi on her part portrayed her character with beautiful deception. She inspires your sympathy then almost immediately, consternation at her demanding expectations of fidelity from her lover. On Ukeje’s part, there was no extra mile to be taken to deliver his character. From being a caring lover to a greedy businessman, he lights up the screen with his camouflages.

Credence must be given to Akinmolayan for the brilliant transition of the storyline. It is not chronological in any form. There seems to be a surprise at every turn. This form of engagement makes the viewer to appreciate his work more. He is in your head but you can barely peep what is going on in his head. He deliberately gives you an opportunity to see a flaw in his direction, only to claim his masterstroke later in the movie with more flashbacks.

His ingenuity is seen in the use of sounds. There are more doors slamming than gavel banging in the movie. Each time an intimate scene comes on, the viewer is censored by a door slamming. There is also the keyboard taps to indicate the nature of the business involved.

Other cast members Gregory Ojefua and Beverley Naya were later revealed in the movie. Ojefua brought his comedic quirkiness as an ambitious nerd in love

Vivian Kay Debuts Christian Novel

Q

uramo Publishing Limited recently announced the release of ‘Secret Places’, a Christian fiction novel by Nigerian author Vivian Kay. The multi-layered faith story brings to life themes of imperfection, divine encounters and redemption.

Kay explores her imaginary world as she takes the readers on a journey of faith and love with the ultimate revelation of the impossibility of hiding our problems from God. Read by few renowned authors, Secret Places is lauded for its compelling storyline and the undeniable message of love and grace.

Rhonda McKnight, author of award winning novel, ‘Unbreak My Heart’ describes Kay as an anointed storyteller. “Readers will not soon forget God’s message of forgiveness between the pages.”

Born and raised in Ibadan, Kay has always been fascinated by her childhood memories of her father ’s exploration of the world. From New Zealand to Australia, her father ’s travels magnified her imaginary world and she sought to explore the world too.

Her first trial at writing was a poem she wrote at 12.

Kay hopes that Secret Places will bring redemption to those who are lost in the lustful pleasures of the world.

with Dara, while Naya who played Gbenga’s wife threw stereotypes out of the window.

She is no teary-eyed housewife who blames her husband’s infidelity on her weight or childlessness. Rather we have a conniving wife who shuttles between London and Lagos, and more interested in her husband’s wealth than who he sleeps with. Of course, her possessive nature is subtly played when she first suspected the chemistry between her husband (who by the way gained the status out of fear of her military father and unplanned pregnancy) and his partner at a private dinner.

Although her suspicions were wrong, she however came prepared. Luring the naïve Dara to the ladies, she asked her thugs to give her the beating of her life.

When her husband lost the case, we see a Naya who is willing to make peace with her husband’s mistress.

One of the film’s weaknesses is the choice of veteran Nollywood actor Sola Fosudo as the arbiter. Apart from his suit and tie, he lacks the charisma to portray the character well. However, he was an excellent choice for Akinmolayan who has been craving for an opportunity to work with him.

The Arbitration brings to mind many real-life events. It mirrors the emotional pain mistresses subject themselves to. It leaves you with provocative questions.

For instance, you ponder on what constitutes rape, if love is ever enough, but more importantly what truth really is. The compelling manner it is told will make you want to drag a friend along to the cinema.

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 deputy managing director kayode komolafe

ARTS & REVIEW A

PUBLICATION

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NOT JUST ANOTHER ART HOUSE NEXT DOOR

A view of the FCMVA main office

EDITOR OKECHUKWU UWAEZUOKE/ okechukwu.uwaezuoke@thisdaylive.com

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ARTS & REVIEW\\VISUAL ARTS

NOT JUST ANOTHER A HOUSE NEXT DOOR Tucked away in a busier part of an upscale Lagos neighbourhood, the Foundation for Contemporary and Modern Visual Arts (called FCMVA) asserts its relevance in the talent-glutted art scene. Okechukwu Uwaezuoke reports

A

ground-floor flat of a tree-shaded building along Norman Williams Street, in the serene quasiresidential Southwest Ikoyi neighbourhood of Lagos, houses the Foundation for Contemporary and Modern Visual Arts. More conveniently known as FCMVA, this non-profit organisation, managed by its own trustees or directors, has been in existence since 2014.

From this operational base, its outreach efforts extend beyond Lagos to anywhere contemporary Nigerian artworks may be found – within or outside Nigeria.

Buoyed by the lofty intent of uplifting the contemporary Nigerian art discourse, FCMVA has since its inception initiated laudable artistic projects and programmes.

These projects and programmes align with the Foundation’s key goals and objectives, which include the documentation of contemporary and modern Nigerian artworks wherever they may be found, the identification and promotion of these visual arts as well as beaming the spotlight on promising and upcoming visual artists.

Before it opened shop here, it first operated from a location across the Five-Cowrie Creek along Sinari Damijo Street in the equally upscale Victoria Island neighbourhood. Suave even in shirtsleeves, Akinyemi Adetunji, the bespectacled slim ebony-complexioned curator cum general manager, guides the visitor past an ante-room, whose walls are suffused with paintings, to a much larger room, which could be a reception area and a shared office space.

Two other occupants are seated pecking away on their laptops’ keyboards.

Fidel, the black-clad fair-complexioned youth, is an intern. He is a mass communication student of the Pan Atlantic University, Lagos. The black-suited man at the other end of the room is Japheth.

Full names: Japheth Imhanzenobe. He is the accountant and database administrator and an alumnus of the Venture in Management programme as well as of the Young Talent Programme of the Lagos Business School. Besides being a member of the FCMVA’s documenting team, Japheth’s duties include both the management and updating of its database and website.

Now and then, the Foundation avails itself of the services of more interns, Akinyemi discloses, as he settles down for a discussion with the visitor in the conference room. Soon after Japheth joins the duo, he reels out the names the foundation’s helmsmen: Olayinka Fisher and Jess Castellote.

Both Fisher and Castellote are wellknown figures among the local art cognoscenti. Both, distinguished professionals by their own rights, are driven by their passion for the contemporary Nigerian visual arts. Hence their joining forces to actualise their visions for the visual arts on the FCMVA platform as directors.

Fisher has a long track-record as a frontline art collector and patron. This corporate Pooh-Bah’s name has fre-

Some of the FCMVA’s publications

The FCMVA executives (L-R): Adetunji, Fisher and Castellote quently popped up in close art circuit conversations. That is usually when it is about who owns what in the art collection fraternity.

Even an iconic artist like David Dale speaks about him in glowing terms.

Castellote, the Spanish-born architect, has been around in the Nigerian scene since 1984.

He has been a project manager for just as long and finds time to immerse himself into several non-profit organisations, known for promoting development and educational projects in Nigeria. His familiarity with the Nigerian art terrain has led to his landmark projects in the art industry, which included exhibitions, publications of art books and the launch of a virtual museum.

Akinyemi, who first graduated from the Obafemi Awolowo University in Ile-Ife, had met Castellote while doing a graduate programme in art curation for web and electronic (new) media at the Pan-Atlantic University, Lagos. His experience while working with Castellote and in the art scene in general sufficiently equipped him for his position at the FCMVA, where he has documented and curated approximately 5000 contemporary Nigerian art pieces.

When the foundation was initiated, Fisher and Castellote were clear about what they wanted, for which they set a primary goal.

And this is to contribute meaningfully to the documentation of Nigerian art.

“At the foundation, we are aware that a clear mission is not enough, for this reason, at the end of last year we formulated a strategic plan that defines our objectives and targets,” Castellote explains. “I am very glad to say that, though the results might seem still modest, in 2016 we are on course to achieve most of these objectives and targets.”

Fisher dreads what he calls the “N” factor, which he fears “will sooner than later kick-in.” This is given the cheery forays Nigerian artworks have made in the international scene and the respectable prices they have been sold for at international and local auctions.

“I hate to say that fakes would soon start creeping into Nigerian art market,” he says. “This phenomenon will not be peculiar to the Nigerian market; it is international; even though many in the art world would not admit this publicly.”

He cites a recent incident of a recall of a painting sold at an auction by Sotheby.

The painting, thought to be by a Dutch artist, Franc Hals, was discovered to be a fake. “A few years ago, I remember

an artist friend of mine in Lagos showed me a work that had been brought to him to authenticate,” Fisher recalls. “It was a fake [and] even his forged signature was excellently done.”

Thus, from its predominant mission, which is to document Nigerian art, the FCMV’s endeavours branch out into three main strategic directions. First, there is the creation of a database on modern and contemporary art; then, the production of documentary material on artworks and collections which are not easily available; and finally, the publications of books on Nigerian art. “To achieve them requires an uninterrupted work,” Castellote explains.

“There is always a danger of becoming dispersed in trying to achieve multiple objectives. For our long term success, it is important to remain focused on what defines our mission as a foundation: documentation.”

The creation of a serious database of modern and contemporary Nigerian visual art was the Foundation’s first impulse. “In the short period of time since we started the foundation, we have been able to locate, document and archive information on thousands of artworks. This is a source of

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ART great satisfaction for us. Despite the fact of having documented already more than 8,000 works, this database is still at an embryonic stage. We dream of the day when the database of the FCMVA will become a serious resource for art researchers and practitioners. The response from the collectors and artists we have approached so far has been very positive. They have opened their houses and stores to allow us document artworks that, otherwise, would have remained ‘hidden’ and unknown. We are not in a hurry; we know we are building for the future.”

Fisher, on his part, hopes that the database being put together by the Foundation database will become an important authentication facility in the future. “It would be a main source of provenance for Nigerian art. As you are aware, very scanty documentation exits about Nigerian artworks. It will therefore be in the best interest of every collector, auction house, museum, etc. to ensure that their collections are documented and included in the FMCVA’s database.”

Flip over to the Foundation’s next thrust, which is the development documentary material on Nigerian visual arts. “I am very proud of what we have achieved so far,” Castellote declares.

“In co-operation with Pan-Atlantic University, we have already produced three 30-minute documentaries, on Kolade Oshinowo, Yusuf Grillo and the art collection of Igwe [Nnaemeka Alfred] Achebe, the Obi of Onitsha. Before the end of the year, we hope to have two more. We think this is a significant contribution towards the spread of knowledge on the rich diversity and depth of modern and contemporary art in the country. The title of the series, ‘hidden treasures’, aptly captures our concern about the lack of visibility of wonderful art currently produced and collected in Nigeria. The production of a series of documentaries on artists and collections is a long-term project, but we are moving at a steady pace. Our target is to have 12 documentaries by the end of 2017.”

There is also the Spotlight Mini-series, which has so far featured such relatively more recent generation or younger artists like George Edozie, Philips Nzekwe, Olumide Onadipe, Dipo Doherty, Tega Akpokona and Duke Asidere.

The Foundation’s other strategic direction focuses on the production of books on Nigerian art. “The first one, a well-documented monograph on Kolade Oshinowo has already been published,” Castellote discloses. “The second is well on its way and will, hopefully, be available early next year.”

More precisely, among the other titles in the works are a Collection on Contemporary Wood Sculptures in Nigeria and a monograph on Duke Asidere.

Also, there is the Nigerian Art Market Report, which is one of the FCMVA’s insightful publications, whose aim is to provide aficionados and other stakeholders with sensitive information on recent and historic events in the Nigerian art market. It is produced thanks to Castellote’s collaboration with Tayo Fagbule.

Its 2016 edition not only surveys more than 150 persons directly involved in the Nigerian visual arts, but also nominates the most influential ones among them.

“We are very clear about the mission of the foundation,” Castellote adds. “Art is not only about the production of artistic objects. Without adequate documentation historians can’t study the evolution of art, without it, galleries, dealers and collectors can’t take appropriate decisions on the acquisition, promotion and distribution of art. I think part of our strength is that, after almost three years, we remain focused on that initial goal.”

ARTS & REVIEW\\VISUAL ARTS The Inverted Pyramid; Adapted from a novel by Emeka Dike

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ARTS & REVIEW\\EVENT

UNITED BY CREATIVITY

Yinka Olatunbosun gives an eye-witness account of the recent signing of the Memorandum of Understanding (MOU) between the Federal Ministry of Information and Culture and the Tony Elumelu Foundation in Lagos.

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he snaky road leading up to the Entrance A of the National Theatre, Iganmu was lined by an assortment of cars belonging to the various stakeholders in the creative sector, representatives of the United Bank of Africa, the Tony Elumelu Foundation and the media.

The gathering which took place on October 4 at the cultural ground was to make public their synergy in strengthening the culture sector of the economy. The event, trumpeted by the Ministry of Information is indeed a milestone for the government and the corporate sector in their shared responsibility of developing the creative industry.

Naturally, when you spot an entertainer at a public event, you’d instinctively think of him or her performing. But Dapo Oyebanjo popularly known as D’Banj, clad in blue blazer, didn’t arrive with a band or his famed harmonica. It was serious business as he was later invited to the podium to join the team of stakeholders who witnessed the signatories to the MOU as they perfected a new contract to advance the sector.

Before then, the Minister of Information, Alh. Lai Mohammed had expressed his delight at seeing the end to the months of laborious work on his part and the Elemelu Foundation. A meeting of culture stakeholders was subsequently called after the signing to keep the stakeholders abreast of the development. Back to the podium where he stood, the Minister disclosed that the deal began as a discussion in April.

“Let me thank the Chief Executive Officer of the Tony Elumelu Foundation. Ms. Parminder Vir, OBE, and her entire team for their tireless efforts in putting together this partnership agreement,’’ he began.

The Minister, who has been a frontline advocate of the creative industries since his assumption of office, had maintained repeatedly that the creative economy can contribute more substantially to the nation’s gross domestic product, become a huge foreign exchange earner and provide employment opportunities for the youths.

“Little wonder, then, that the creative industries have turned around the fortunes of California, Mumbai, Turkey, Brazil, Dubai, Australia and making them economic giants. We can replicate same here, with the support of partners like the Tony Elumelu Foundation. Our Nollywood is one of the three largest film industries in the world. Our music is fast becoming the most travelled music anywhere in the world. Our TV market with little or no formal production ecosystem is the largest on the continent.

Our over 170 million people, 24 million TV households and the fastest growing mobile data penetration on the African continent constitute huge advantages. As a matter of fact, the ongoing digitization of television in Nigeria, which we are also undertaking, can create at least one million jobs in three years,’’ he declared.

To this end, the Minister reached out to the Foundation and other cultural organisations to help the industry build capacity and attain its full potentials. The result is an interchange of business knowledge and technical expertise. One of such cultural organisations that has supported the government in this quest for nation building is the British Council. On August 24 this year, at Edinburg, Scotland, the minister signed an MOU with the cultural organisation.

“It is a delight to know that the Foundation has bent over backwards to accommodate the creative industries within the bigger Tony Elumelu Entrepreneurship Programme, which has the purpose of identifying, over 10 years, a total of 10,000 African start-ups and entrepreneurs with ideas that can generate at least 1,000,000 new jobs and

National Theatre Iganmu, Lagos

Lai Mohammed and Tony Elumelu contribute at least 10 billion dollars in new annual revenues across Africa. This is the kind of visionary enterprise we need to fuel sustainable development across the African continent, and we are happy to be working with this Foundation,’’ he stated.

For those who are curious to know the specific details of the MOU, it contains incentives for the creatives and access to funding alongside the provision of enabling business environment. According to the minister, a plan to convene a Creative Economy Task Force is in the pipeline as part of policy changes in the partnership.

Meanwhile, reactions had trailed the historic partnership. The stakeholders at the ceremony drummed for the support of the government in fighting piracy because they are aware that their output, even with the availability of funding from the corporate sector, is threatened by the cycle of impunity granted to the intellectual thieves who live

large at the expense of artists.

A veteran thespian, Joke Silva, in her brief remark, marveled at the negligence of the National Theatre, frowned on its under-usage or misuse and championed the clamour for a total revamp of the cultural space. This was followed by Nollywood producer and director, Zeb Ejiro’s comment on the need to tackle piracy headlong.

Aremo Tope Babayemi, the co-ordinator of the South-West chapter of the National Council for Arts and Culture and a cerebral artist, commended the minister and the Tony Elumelu foundation for the partnership but voiced concern on the political will of the federal government in building a strong creative sector.

“I think this is laudable and a step in the right direction. I need to see a political will from the highest echelon of government. I will give you an example. The budget that the minister is working with for the sector is 6

billion. Can you compare that to over 400 billion allocated to infrastructure? It says clearly where the art and culture industry is placed in the thinking of the federal government at the highest level. I admire the passion of the Minister and his drive. But after 35 years of practice as an artist across continents, I know that if actively in this country we stop promoting the begging bowl approach to developing the sector, that will be fantastic. There is an essential work to be done in capacity building to appropriately position practitioners as contributions to the economy and national development. “The current curriculum in our art institutions is defective. They don’t teach proposal writing and budgeting and all the areas that equip the artists with the requisite skills to compete with other professionals. We need to separate the line between the amateur and the professional. I’d rather we face those areas than emphasizing enterprise,’’ said Babayemi.

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THISDAY, THE SUNDAY NEWSPAPER • OCTOBER 16, 2016

ARTS & REVIEW\\DRAmA Racing for 2016 Etisalat Photography Prize Stories by Yinka Olatunbosun

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INSIDE OGUNTOKUN’S THEATRE REPUBLIC

A scene from the play Yinka Olatunbosun

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recent press preview of Wole Oguntokun’s The Waiting Room laid the basis for the discussion of new theatre spaces in Lagos. Before now, Wole Oguntokun, a trained lawyer and theatre advocate, had enjoyed the use of several cultural spaces that doubled as performance spaces for some of his works.

Precisely, his productions had been staged consistently as part of the Theatre@Terra series whereby theatre companies are granted free usage of the Terra Kulture Hall for various stage performances all-year round.

But as the need for cultural presence arises in different parts of the city, Theatre Republic, a new cultural hub, domiciled in Lekki Phase I has been conceived and executed by Wole Oguntokun to fill that need for theatre performances as well as book readings, performance poetry and more. The building behind the performance space serves as the administrative block for the theatre company.

Asides being the platform for indigenous theatre troupes to express their creativity through rehearsals and performances, Theatre Republic is also a home to visiting artists who have come into Lagos for performances or cultural exchange programmes.

Outside the building, a mini-size café for small chops and other kinds of refreshments has been constructed to cater for the culinary

needs of visitors and theatre-goers. Although the Asun Spot looked vacant as at the time of this reporter’s visit, the tell-tale charcoal furnace was a physical proof that nightlife at Theatre Republic is another desirable element of the cultural space. Of course, the building is still very much under construction but that didn’t stop Oguntokun from showing a handful of journalists at the press preview of The Waiting Room around the building.

As for the theatre, its wooden doors had been flung open to the public to enjoy plays on the staple of Renegade Theatre as well as other theatre production companies. Interestingly, plays are performed at the venue, at least twice a month. The freshly-cut wooden chairs can accommodate hundreds; but in terms of comfort, the rating is edging below the average. Blame it on the recession-Theatre Republic was meant to be a very conducive theatre hall but that hasn’t changed. Temporarily, the building will serve its primary purpose. And theatre audiences who can sit atop the backless chairs inside Bogobiri in Ikoyi will not mind the backrest at Theatre Republic. Besides, Lekki residents are not taken care of with this new theatre space that has come to town.

Written in 2013, The Waiting Room which adopts a play-with-a-play technique had been staged in London and was staged for the first time in Lekki when this reporter visited. It seemed to have a linear plot at its take-off but made detours into sub-plots. Four disparate characters namely, Flexy, Kera, Keshi and

Aduke have each received a letter summoning them to a meeting that its actual purpose wasn’t disclosed in the invite. The mysterious invitation and its source constituted the conflict of the drama. Aduke is a feisty woman who is anxious to catch her flight; Keshi is a banker, Flexy is a Lagos streetwise gunman while Kera is young seductress.

The initials at the bottom of the individual letters make up the word “Destiny” and the four characters are left to solve the riddle.

Through their individual role-playing, the possession of the gun places power in the hands of individual character locked in a room, in quick succession. Discerning the true narrative of all the four characters’ stories forms the conflict resolution. The playwright didn’t attempt to solve the riddle for the audience but provokes rational thinking.

Essentially, the play can be read as an existentialist play for sound reasons. One, it has the element of absurdism, that is, the idea that there is no meaning in the world except for the meaning we give it. Two, the play conveys dread and angst as well as despair from each character ,who is not in possession of the gun to the audience.

The playwright and director, Oguntokun is a Fellow of the International Society for the Performing Arts (ISPA). He emerged as a player on the Nigerian Theatre landscape between September and December 1998 with his productions of his satirical stage drama Who’s Afraid of Wole Soyinka?, which is a lampoon of the Nigerian military in governance.

a painting.

His paintings, at first glance, seem like high-resolution photography.

Preoccupied with mundane, everyday reality, Oresegun’s paintings evolved as a form of pop art with his use of lifelike imagery; finished in incredibly convincing detail.

But as it stands in Nigeria, budding artists who organise shows have economic concerns. Oresegun revealed how the economic recession had taken its toll on the artists’ materials.

“It is really affecting us badly in terms of getting materials. You know most of the materials we use are imported to the country. They are more expensive now.

On selling our paintings, our clients are reluctant to pay what we demand because of the economy recession,’’ he admitted.

Meanwhile, Oresegun argued that art collection is still a very profitable venture inspite of economic constraints. He applied the simple principle of demand and supply in evaluating the situation.

“Art collectors in Nigeria have a cause to smile because they will definitely earn what they deserve. When the demand is high, then the price will definitely go up.

Nigerian artists are gaining recognition all over the world so this will give them an edge,’’ he said.

Play Time

ForayintoFreshHyper-RealisticPaintings Yinka Olatunbosun

Olumide Oresegun may be a newkid-on-the-block but his technique of hyper-realism has existed as several artists’ choice in painting since early 70s.

The paintings are usually striking; strong in the semblance of reality. In his latest body of work at the Mydrim Gallery, Ikoyi, Oresegun captures emotional truth using aquatic landscapes and predominantly having children as his subjects.

“I will say they inspire me a lot. I see lots of children every day and that gave me the urge to see things through them. I love children,’’ he told this reporter.

For him, painting has been a gradual process. He imagined a painting that would command people’s attention and he found it in his technique, drawing inspiration from the works of established artists both in Nigeria and outside our shores.

“I started hyper realism in 2012 to start a new painting technique. Quite a few of my mentors use this technique. Picasso, Kolade Oshinowo, to mention a few are known artists who have used this technique. It is very demanding, I must confess. You must get the accuracy right; know where to apply more paint and so on. It takes up to a month for me to finish

fter weeks of submission of entries and voting by members of the public, Etisalat Nigeria has announced the “Top 100 Entries” for the 2016 edition of the annual Etisalat Photography Competition.

The entries were selected from no fewer than two thousand entries submitted by persons who are enthusiasts for photography, through the competition’s website. The competition commenced August 11 and ended September 11, 2016.

Speaking about the overwhelming enthusiasm for this year’s edition of theEtisalat Photography Competition, Director, Brands & Experience, Etisalat Nigeria, Elvis Ogiemwanye, said a total of 1,875 entries of creative photographs were received from which the public voted for their favorite images.

“After the public voting, top 50 images were selected from each of the two categories of the competition – Daily Routines and Celebratory. After a commendable voting exercise by the members of the public, these entries will be further reviewed by the jury to unveil a shortlist of top 10 (5 entries per category) from which the best 3 will be selected”, he said.

Ogiemwanye added that, “images from the shortlisted photographers will be featured at the 2016 LagosPhoto Festival organized by the African Artists’ Foundation (AAF) and the Top 10 photographers will be enrolled at the LagosPhoto Summer School”.

The Etisalat Photography Competition was created as a platform to engage and empower budding photographers using the power of digital media; online, social and mobile technology.

The winner of the Etisalat photography competition receives a Canon Camera; the first runner up receives an Iphone, while the second runner up will receive a Samsung phone.

Son of Nobody Art Exhibition Revvs…

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demola Adesina, a professional textile designer and self-trained painter presents a solo exhibition of paintings titled “The Son of Nobody” from October 29 till November 8, at Moor House Hotel, Ikoyi, Lagos. The artist had developed the theme for the show from a quotation he credited the late politician, Umar Dikko for.

“Nigeria will know no peace until the son of nobody can become somebody without knowing anybody”, he quoted.

For this artist, the aforementioned quotation possesses strong prophetic element in the face of current social realities worsened by financial misappropriations, cyber-crimes and money laundering.

Adeshina has been working ceaselessly to strike a balance between the abstract and other art forms. His foci include man, his thoughts, conducts, aspirations and his relationship with nature. As a textile designer, he has been experimenting with pointillism using African motifs.

A year ago in his last solo show titled “Void to Form’’, Adeshina’s style of painting re-transcended his usual play with African essence. The hallmark of Adeshina’s work is his strong colour composition and hues which he appropriates to create certain effects as well as to tickle and tease the viewers.

In this forth coming exhibition, his pen and ink pieces, acrylic, oil and mix media will convey his commentary on the journey of life and a metaphor for the current state of affairs in Nigeria.

It is noteworthy that Adeshina’s work brims and bustles with rich and vibrant pastel like palette arrest attention and provoke introspection.

T H I S D AY, T H E S U N D AY N E W S PA P E R • OCTOBER 16, 2016

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IMAGES

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is lmerial Majesty, Ooni of lle-lfe, Oba Adeyeye Enitan Ogunwusi, Ojaja ll on Thursday, 22, 2016 had a fellowship with Yoruba Elderstatesmen during the Olojo Festival Corporate Forum at Eko Hotel & Suites, Lagos. Here are the faces of some of the elders that graced the occasion.

Photos: Abiodun Ajala.

Otunba Adekunle Ojora and his wife Erelu Ojuolape

L-R: Chief Alex Duduyemi, Chief Adebutu Kessington and Chief Ayo Adebanjo

L-R: Prof. Banji Akintoye, Ambassador Omotayo Ogunsulure and Dr. Fredrick Faseun

L-R: Chief Mosa Omisore and Chief Olu Falae

L-R: Mr. Amos Akingba and General Alani Akinrinade

Ooni of lfe, Oba Adeyeye Enitan Ogunwusi, Ojaja 11 addressing the Elderstatesmen at the forum

L-R: Otunba Subomi Balogun and Chief Olanihun Ajayi

Chief ldowu Shofola (SAN)

L-R: Ambassador Adekuoye Adeugba and Prince Bola Ajibola

L-R; Prince Julius Adeluyi Adelusi and Alhaji Femi Okunnu (SAN)

L-R: Jaran of lfe, Chief Adekola Adeyeye and Editor-in-Chief, Vanguard Media, Mr. Gbenga Adefaye

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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 • OCTOBER 16, 2016

CICERO

Editor Vincent Obia Email vincent.obia@thisdaylive.com, SMS: 08054681757

IN THE ARENA

Lagos and the Special Status Question Lagos State deserves a special status in the comity of Nigerian states, writes Vincent Obia

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agos State may have lost its bid in the Senate to be given a special status but that has not stopped it from bearing those qualities that mark it out as distinct in the community of states in Nigeria. A bill for a law to designate the state as special in terms of allocation of development resources due to its socio-economic significance and peculiar challenges was thrown out by the Senate. The proposed law sought one per cent of federally generated revenues as special grant for Lagos State. It also sought to compel the federal government to officially recognise Lagos as the country’s commercial capital.

The bill sponsored by Senator Oluremi Tinubu, who is the senator for Lagos Central senatorial district, had sparked a controversy as some senators also put up arguments for special recognition of their states, while others opposed it outright. This culminated in the defeat of the proposal via a voice vote at its second reading. It was the second time in three years that such a proposal for Lagos would be rejected in the Senate. A similar bill had failed to scale the committee stage in the seventh Senate in 2013.

The rejection of the “Bill for an Act to make provision for federal grants to Lagos State in recognition of its strategic socio-economic significance and other connected purposes” does not take away the place of Lagos as one state where virtually every community in the country has considerable representation and accommodation. It is a city-state that mirrors Nigeria. A special status for Lagos will be great mark of civility and comity.

Lagos has clearly satisfied the conditions upon which the country should constitutionally recognise its special place. With the country’s premier seaport, busiest airport, and most commercially active land borders, Lagos is Nigeria’s – indeed, Africa’s – foremost global city and financial centre.

City Mayors Foundation, an international think tank dedicated to urban affairs, recognised Lagos as the world’s 20th largest city in a 2011 survey. The foundation, in a study of the growth rates of cities and urban areas for 2006 to 2020, classified Lagos as the seventh fastest growing city in the world, with the average annual growth rate of 4.44 per cent.

Among the fastest growing cities of the world, Lagos comes only after Beithai, China; Ghaziabad, India; Sana’a, Yemen; Surat, India; Kabul, Afghanistan; and Bamako, Mali.

Of these cities, Lagos is the only one without a constitutionally and nationally recognised special status in terms of development attention. To be sure, Beithai is designated as a Special Economic Zone and marine protected area by the Chinese government. Ghaziabad

ezeibe.aguwa@thisdaylive.com 08093842953

is a National Capital Region. Sana’a is the capital of Yemen, seat of governance, and the largest city in the country. Though, the seat of the internationally-recognised government moved to Aden, as the temporary capital, following the 2014/15 Yemeni coup.

Surat, India’s eighth most populous city with a population of six million, according to the 2016 census, is designated a smart city under Prime Minister Narendra Modi’s flagship Smart Cities Mission, an urban renewal and retrofitting programme funded by the Indian government. Kabul, the capital of Afghanistan, and Bamako, Mali’s capital, naturally have special statuses in terms of politics and economy.

In stark contrast to the privileges enjoyed by the above cities by virtue of their economic and political positions, Lagos has no special status, despite being a former capital of Nigeria and still the main commercial and industrial centre.

It is the largest city in the country, one of the fastest growing cities in Africa, and among the top 10 of the world’s fastest growing cities and urban areas. The population of the state is estimated to be over 21 million people, though the National Population Commission put the population around nine million in the 2006 census.

Lagos occupies a strategic place in the individual and collective lives of Nigerians.

There are very few Nigerians that do not have things to do with Lagos, from commerce to real estate, social and political activities. The resultant huge urban population puts enor-

mous pressure on amenities and services and pose peculiar challenges for the state.

Besides, Lagos State accounts for a large portion of the Value Added Tax collected by the federal government.

No one seems to be disputing those facts.

What appears to be disputed by those opposed to the conferment of a special status on Lagos is whether it is the only state qualified for such status. There are also arguments as to whether the country can afford the financial implications of such recognition, particularly with the dwindling government revenues occasioned by the sharp fall in the prices of crude oil.

Those were some of the issues that came clearly during the October 5 debate in the Senate on the bill for a special status for Lagos State.

But while it is true that Lagos is not the only state in Nigeria that requires special attention, it is hard to deny the note of urgency in the case of Lagos. The circumstances of the state are strikingly different, and giving the state special attention should be a matter of paramount importance to all. Besides, it is not possible to formally recognise all the states requiring a special status at the same time. Usually, more states and zones are added as society evolves and new development challenges emerge.

There is no doubt that Lagos deserves a special status as a matter of urgent national importance. It would be unfair to deny the state such position. The Senate – indeed, all Nigerians – should think again on this issue.

P O L I T I CA L N OT E S

Chibok Girls Release and Fayose’s Unfortunate Partisanship

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Fayose

overnor Ayo Fayose of Ekiti State has in recent times manifested a horrible trend towards crude partisanship, but no one expected him to descend to the level he did when he said Thursday’s return of some of the kidnapped Chibok schoolgirls was a sham intended to hoodwink Nigerians.

“Until proved otherwise, the story still appears like one of the diversionary tactics of the federal government,” Fayose was quoted as saying on Friday.

The unfortunate comment by the governor is another example of the pervasive lack of tact

among Nigerian politicians, particularly in relation to opinions on sensitive national issues. It is such insensitivity that has helped to complicate the anti-insurgency war.

Fayose was at liberty to crosscheck the names and photographs of the 21 released girls against those of the over 200 girls kidnapped by Boko Haram in 2014, which are in the public domain, to satisfy his curiosity.

But he chose to insult the sensibilities of the released girls, their parents, and, indeed, the entire civilised humanity that reacted happily to the news of the girls’ return.

– Vincent Obia

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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 • OCTOBER 16, 2016

CICERO/CHIBOK SCHOOLGIRLS RETURN

The Intrigues, to Freedom for Senator Iroegbu examines the processes leading to last week’s return of 21 of the over 200 schoolgirls kidnapped by Boko Haram in 2014

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Vice President Yemi Osinbajo and his wife greeting the released girls

n Thursday, Nigeria and the global community received the cheery news that 21 of the kidnapped Chibok schoolgirls had been released to the federal government as part of the deal brokered by the Swiss government and other actors that are yet to be named. The media assistant to the president, Mr. Garba Shehu, and Minister of Information, Mr. Lai Mohammed, who confirmed the news, informed the public that the girls had been handed over to the Department of State Service.

Shehu stressed that the 21 girls were the first batch to be released, as negotiation was still on-going to free the rest in what many considered part of the prisoner swap agreement with the Boko Haram terrorists group.

While the nation, Chibok community, and especially the girls subjected to two years of trauma, heave a sigh of relief, it would be worthwhile to recall the intrigues, twists and turns of the whole kidnap saga, which has many questions still unanswered.

Road to Freedom

The tragic story of about 276 girls of Government Secondary School, Chibok, in Borno State, began on April 14, 2014 when they were abducted

by Boko Haram terrorists, who have unleashed mayhem in several parts of North-east.

Reports had it that the terrorists group had led siege to the school on the night of 14–15 April 2014, abducting between 200-300 female students, who were taking their final Senior Secondary Certificate Examination. The terrorists were reported to have broken into the school, disguised as security guards, and ordered the students to come out for their safety. Oblivious of their plans, the students were said to have been taken away by the terrorists in trucks to Sambisa Forest and other undisclosed locations while destroying houses in Chibok in their way.

Initially, there were conflicting figures between the military, school authorities and Borno State government, until it was settled at 276 girls out of about 530 students from multiple villages that were reported to have registered for the SSCE. But based on the police, approximately 276 children were taken in the attack, parents claimed 234, while the military initially claimed 129 and other reports said 329 girls were kidnapped. However, the number of those in attendance during the night of the attack is still unknown.

Release Gaffe, Controversy and Crack in Confidence

The first indication of the controversy that would trail the Chibok girls issue came few days after their abduction, on the weekend of April 19-20, 2014, when the Defence Headquarters, acting on false tip-off, announced that more than 100 of 129 (their initial figure) girls had been

freed. This was however, quickly debunked by the GSSC Principal and Borno State government, forcing the military to cross-check their facts and consequently, retract their statement on April21.

This incidence polarised the rescue parties; with the military (that felt betrayed by the information allegedly provided by the then school principal) and federal government in Abuja on the one hand, and the GSSC principal and Borno State government on the one other.

Consequently, while the federal government accused the Borno State government of reopening the school it advised closed for four weeks prior to the attack due to the deteriorating security situation, the military accused the principal of misleading them and providing conflicting information.

The authorities questioned why students from multiple schools had been called in to take final exams in Physics when there was a directive to the contrary based on security information.

While the back-and-forth went on, with no concrete actions being mapped out on how to free the girls, hope came when 57 of the girls escaped from their abductors, reducing the number from the official police figure of 276 to 219 girls still in captivity.

Patience Jonathan, BBOG and International Outcry

Irked by what seemed to be lack of progress in resolving the missing Chibok girls issue, and

concerned that it was damaging the reputation of her husband’s administration, the then First Lady Patience Jonathan decided to intervene. Breaking protocols, she summoned the GSSC principal, Chibok community leaders and some key figures in Borno State government to seek clarifications and amicable solution to the missing girls’ conundrum.

Mrs. Jonathan was, however, disappointed that only the principal and few others heeded her call, necessitating one of the most popular tearful outburst: “Na only you waka come...”

While the action polarised opinion, it, however, raised the bar, changed the dynamics, bringing international dimension to the rescue of the girls.

The protracted case accentuated with seeming confusion on the part of government on how to rescue the girls, and a military more engaged with Boko Haram terrorism at its peak, created a vacuum for several stakeholders to volunteer intervention and criticism. This gave rise to the Bring Back Our Girls movement, which started as a “One Million Match for the Release of Abducted Chibok Girls” led by the current Director-general of Nigerian Ports Authority, Ms. Hadiza Bala Usman, with behind the scene backing of Borno State government and the then opposition party elements.

The movement metamorphosed to the BBOG with the entrance of former Minister of Education and World Bank Vice President, Africa, Mrs. Oby Ezekwisili, which gave the agitation international

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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 • OCTOBER 16, 2016

CICERO/CHIBOK SCHOOLGIRLS RETURN

Twists and Turns 21 Chibok Girls prominence, especially with the #BringBackOurGirls hash tag.

US, UK, Israel, Others Volunteer to Rescue Girls

On May 2, 2014 the then President Goodluck Jonathan announced that the government was making frantic efforts to rescue the missing girls and left the door open for any local and international assistance that could ensure that the girls were brought back. Jonathan’s assurances were countered by the Boko Haram video of May 12, 2014, with the eccentric leader of the terrorist group, Abubakar Shekau, showing over 130 of the kidnapped girls, each clad in a hijab and a long Islamic chador, and demanded a prisoner exchange.

Against this backdrop, journalist Ahmad Salkida was said to have brokered a deal to secure the release of the girls in exchange for 100 Boko Haram prisoners held in various prisons in Nigeria. This was, however, later abandoned after the federal government consulted with United States, Israeli, French, and British government in Paris, where a consensus was reached to use force instead of prisoner exchange.

Another attempt was made on June 26, 2014 to rescue the girls with the report that the Nigerian government had employed the services of Levick, a US based Public Relations firm, with “a contract worth more than $1.2 million on the international and local media narrative” surrounding the Chibok schoolgirls kidnapping. This was followed by an Australian negotiator, Stephen Davis, who contacted three Boko Haram commanders with a promise to release the Chibok schoolgirls. Davis reportedly failed in three attempts, when another group of Boko Haram terrorists abducted the girls with assurance that they could make money out of them and Davis left Nigeria. Left frustrated, the former Anglican Clergy accused some Nigerians of sponsoring Boko Haram but could not provide evidence, while claiming that it was not difficult to locate the five or six main Boko Haram camps as he could find them on Google Earth.

In the same vein, the expectations from Nigerians that they could get assistance from foreign allies were dashed when their entrance into the rescue efforts became futile as they all disappeared from the radar with no meaningful contribution to their mission.

In fact, Nigerian intelligence and security agencies accused their foreign counterparts of espionage, with the foreign allies countering that Nigeria failed to act on the intelligence they were given.

The last attempt to rescue or release the Chibok girls by the Jonathan administration was in May 2015, when the military reportedly reclaimed most of the areas previously controlled by the terrorists in the North-east including many of the camps in the Sambisa forest where it was suspected the Chibok girls had been kept. The success of the military then prompted the former National Security Adviser, Col. Sambo Dasuki (rtd), to express hope that the Chibok girls would be freed before the handover to President Muhammadu Buhari administration on May 29, 2015.

To the credit of the military, over 1000 women and girls were rescued from the recovered territories but none of them included the Chibok girls. Reports emerged that some of the girls had died, while some had been sold to slavery and others were married off to Boko Haram fighters scattered in different groups. However, Governor Kashim Shettima of Borno State later assured that the girls were being kept in underground bunkers.

Buhari, Period of Silence and Reopening of Channels

There was a long period of silence about the rescue of the Chibok girls after Buhari assumed office with the first major mention coming during

his maiden media chat in December 2015, where he disclosed that “there is no concrete intelligence about the Chibok girls”.

But in April this year, Boko Haram released a video said to have been taken in December 2015 (following the media chat) showing about 15 chubby looking and relaxed Chibok girls. In the same vein, one of the Chibok girls, Amina Ali Nkeki, found by the Civilian JTF in concert with the military, along with her baby and a certain Boko Haram suspect said to be her husband, Mohammad Hayyatu, in Borno State. That followed Operation Crackdown and bombardment of Boko Haram enclaves in Sambisa forest aimed at liberating the area from the terrorists and particularly, freeing the Chibok girls. Unfortunately, this operation ended without achieving any of these objectives.

Nevertheless, one Amir Muhammad Abdullahi, who claimed to be the Boko Haram second in command and spokesman for several senior militants, on May 21 offered to surrender with a guarantee that they would not be harmed. Abdullahi promised that in return they would release several hostages, including the Chibok girls, but noted “...frankly, just about a third of them remain, as the rest have been martyred.”

Boko Haram Splinter Group Offers Chibok Girls for Amnesty

One significant ray of hope for the rescue of the Chibok girls emerged around August when Islamic State (ISIS) announced a new Boko Haram leadership as Abu Musab Al-Banarwi, who it was gathered was favourable to negotiation to free the Chibok girls in exchange for some of their commanders. This was followed by a video showing about 50 Chibok girls, with some of them holding babies, and an armed masked spokesman who demanded for the release of jailed fighters in exchange for the girls’ freedom.

In the video, the masked gunman claimed that some of the Chibok girls had been killed by NAF bombardment with 40 others being married off.

The military, in response to the video, declared the trio of Ahmad Salkida, Aisha Wakil and Ahmed Bolori wanted over their connections with Boko Haram and information they had with

regard to the Chibok girls. Salkida is a renowned journalist with rare access to the leaders of the Boko Haram insurgents, but defines his relationship with them as a professional one. Wakil who is popularly referred to as Mama Boko Haram, is a lawyer and member of the Committee on Dialogue and Peaceful Resolution of Security Challenges in the North, with deep contact with key terrorist figures. Bolori is an activist and coordinator of the Fa’ash Foundation and the Partnership Against Violent Extremism (Pave) and a Peace Ambassador with some vital information that could be useful in the counter-terrorism efforts.

While Wakil and Bolori honoured the Army invitation, Salkida was arrested by the DSS at the Nnamdi Azikiwe airport and taken into custody where he was said to have also provided useful information that helped with the Chibok girls’ release.

Enter the DSS, Foreign Brokers

The ray of hope offered by the Boko Haram video was said to have sparked off series of behind the scenes negotiations that culminated in the release of over 3000 Boko Haram suspects under the Operation Safe Corridor mandate and subsequent release of the 21 Chibok girls and other hostages.

While the neutrality principle of the International Committee of the Red Cross stipulates that their role should not be publicised, the Swiss government as well as key US, UK and other local negotiations paved the way for the deal. The deal, according to THISDAY findings, either involved cash exchange for the girls or a swap deal with some Boko Haram commanders in jail.

A source told THISDAY, “I can confirm that five key Boko Haram terrorists were released for the 21 girls. However, the target is to get all the remaining girls as may be in their custody released but negotiations are still on.”

Sources also revealed that the 21 Chibok girls after their release were first taken to 44 Reference Hospital, Kaduna, before being transferred to the DSS custody in Abuja. According to the sources, the DSS facilitated the negotiation and release of the girls, while the Office of the National Security

Adviser coordinated the operations.

The source said, “It is an arranged prisoner exchange programme, and this is the first batch.

More of such exchanges are to follow while the girls are in the custody of the DSS. “On why the DSS is facilitating the exchange, truth is that ONSA is only playing supervisory role in the intelligence community. They really do not have the capabilities to directly carry out any serious operations as they still have to revert to the appropriate agencies for such missions. The DSS is better equipped. And for the military, they still need the intelligence input of the DSS to carry out a successful major operation.”

DSS Role, Sambisa Location Myth and Military Blackout

Many military insiders and observers in the whole Chibok girls saga were on Thursday left stunned by the manner in which the military were left in the cold over the Chibok girls release and negotiations. While the military authorities were comfortable that the issues and negotiation were being handled at the strategic level some expressed shock that DSS hijacked the process.

Not until the Presidency released a statement, military authorities were left in the dark about the negotiation. A statement credited to the DHQ even dismissed the initial reports that the girls had been released.

THISDAY findings revealed that the military were also snookered by the DSS over Ahmad Salkida interrogation as he was allegedly not handed over to them after his arrest by the secret police. Concerned security watchers had reasoned that since the military had made the most efforts and borne the brunt of the criticisms on Chibok girls’ saga, it should be accorded credit and recognition for the recent success.

The second issue is that the released Chibok girls were allegedly not held in Sambisa forest, where the military have expended most of their armoury with the hope of liberating the girls.

“It is obviously looking like the girls may not be in the Sambisa forest after all. My suspicion is they were either held in the neighbouring countries or a well secured home in the country,” a source said.

T H I S D AY, T H E S U N D AY N E W S PA P E R • OCTOBER 16, 2016

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As Ondo APC Primary Election Crisis Eases Onyebuchi Ezigbo reports on the attempts to resolve the disagreements arising from the Ondo State governorship primary

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he All Progressives Congress breathed a sigh of relief last week, when the efforts to resolve the controversy that followed the selection of its governorship candidate for the Ondo State election started to yield fruit. As APC inaugurated the campaign council for the Ondo State election last week, there were signs that the party’s national leadership might have decided to move on without those who lost out in the primary contest.

However, of the APC governors in the campaign council, only one attended the inauguration of the council. Apart from the chairman of the Ondo State National Campaign Council, Plateau State Governor Dalong, another notable figure present was Deputy Speaker of the House of Representatives Yusuf Lasun.

Challenging Task

Even as APC tried to gloss over the issues that led to the crisis in Ondo State, there were indications that all was not well with the party. Close associates of the APC national leader, Asiwaju Bola Tinubu, who were listed as members of the campaign council, were not present during the inauguration ceremony.

Apparently aware of the precarious state the party had found itself ahead of the election in Ondo State, the national chairman, Chief John Odigie-Oyegun, told the campaign council that their job was a challenging one. He said this was because of the challenges that followed the selection of the party’s governorship candidate.

“Part of the prime responsibilities of the council is to bring back unity,” Odigie-Oyegun stated, adding that the party’s leadership is already doing a lot to reconcile the aggrieved stakeholders so that together they can approach the Ondo State governorship election.

On his part, the embattled APC governorship candidate, Mr. Rotimi Akeredolu, SAN, said he was working round the clock to ensure that he reconciled with all aggrieved members so that the party could achieve victory at the November 26 governorship poll.

Tinubu versus Odigie-Oyegun

The disagreements over the Ondo State primary election had assumed a worrisome dimension last week, when the South-south leadership of the party engaged their South-west counterparts in a war of words. It appeared that the chieftains of the party from these zones were seeing the fight as directed at one of their own who should be protected at all costs. The exchanges came after Odigie-Oyegun openly replied Tinubu’s accusations.

In response to the allegations of malfeasance levelled against him by Tinubu, the APC national chairman described the accusation as false and reckless. Odigie-Oyegun regretted that the ripples from the controversy over the Ondo primary election had affected the party’s image. In a statement he issued regarding his role in the Ondo election crisis, Odigie-Oyegun gave a blow by blow account of the primary election processes and how the party’s leadership arrived at the verdict to uphold the candidacy of Akeredolu. He dismissed all the accusation levelled against him by Tinubu that he overruled the National Working Committee on the Ondo State primary election as a “figment of the imagination of those who fabricated them”.

The Odigie-Oyegun and Tinubu altercation elicited further reactions from stakeholders of the party. In fact, the quarrel over the handling of the Ondo primary election pitted the national vice chairman for South-south, Chief Hillard Ettah, against his counterpart from the South-west, Pius Akinyelure. While Ettah accused Akinyelure of lying over the decision taken by the NWC to disregard the report of the appeal committee on the outcome of the primary election, Akinyelure insisted that the decision was to temporarily set aside the appeal committee’s recommendations, not “throw out” the report as Eta claimed.

Speaking to journalists at the national secretariat of the APC in Abuja, against the background of an allegation by Akinyelure that the NWC voted to uphold the cancelation of the primary election result for Ondo State, Ettah said, “It was a very clear cut matter, we had read various newspaper report but I can tell you that no vote was taken. Before we met on the last day for the submission of name to INEC, we had met earlier. In that meeting, there were two reports before the NWC, that of the appeal committee was voted on.”

He accused Akinyelure of lying about the true state of things, adding that the South-west vice chairman was only making a U-turn.

But Akinyelure, in a statement, disagreed with Ettah. He named Odigie-Oyegun, the national secretary, Mai Mala Buni, and the national organising secretary, Senator Osita Izunaso, as the persons behind the act. Akinyelure, who claimed that his position enjoyed the support of six NWC members, accused the trio of over-stepping their bounds and unilaterally taking decisions that their offices did not give them the power to take.

Akinyelure alleged that Izunaso single-handedly removed, added or substituted names on the initial list circulated to the

Tinubu

Odigie-O

party’s 24 aspirants, leading to the emergence of a second list that was altered in favour of Akeredolu.

In his own reaction, the deputy national publicity secretary, Mr. Timi Frank, challenged Odigie-Oyegun to publish the original minutes of the meeting of the NWC where it was agreed to throw away the reports of the Ondo Primary Appeal Panel. The estranged APC spokesman also faulted the statements credited to Odigie-Oyegun against Tinubu, asking the chairman “why it took him two weeks to prepare lies as responses.”

In a statement issued last Sunday, Frank said the current crisis had gotten to a stage where Odigie-Oyegun must publish the undoctored minutes of the meeting if he did not have any skeleton in his cupboard.

Frank said, “Unknown to the national chairman, the last two NWC meetings were properly recorded and the record shows the contributions of each and every member of the NWC present at the meetings. Chief Oyegun should tell the world why he brushed aside the suggestion of the national youth leader, Hon. Dasuki Jalo, who suggested that the party should submit an interim name to the Independent National Electoral Commission pending the time a political solution will be found to the matter.”

on the side of upholding the result of the primary election said since the primary election substantially complied with the rules guiding the process, it would amount to injustice if the name of the winner was not submitted.

From the account of the proceedings as recorded in the minutes of the meeting, those for and against the submission of Akeredolu’s name stood their ground with each side marshalling good reasons why they should have their way.

Having reached a deadlock on the matter, the national chairman called for balloting through the open secret ballot. However, an interjection came from the Izunaso, who drew the attention of the meeting to its previous decision in which the report of the primary election was adopted while that of the appeal committee was set aside. He said the NWC had already voted to accept the result of the primary election and to submit the name of the winner unless, saying unless the NWC will have to reverse itself on the matter.

The minutes report quoted Odigie-Oyegun as having taken the decision to submit Akeredolu’s name at a point when it was obvious that the party had no option than to comply with the INEC deadline or risk being shut out from participating in the Ondo governorship election. According to the record of the minutes of the meeting, Odigie-Oyegun assured members of the NWC that there will be consultations with stakeholders before any final decision is taken.

The position of the APC leadership was also strengthened by the legal advice provided by the party’s national legal adviser, Dr. Muiz Banire, who after evaluating the appeal panel’s report opted for its outright rejection. Muiz in his advice said: “I have carefully gone through the report of the appeal committee on the petitions against the just concluded Ondo State governorship primary election. I have also taken into consideration the pieces of evidence relied upon by the committee in arriving at its recommendation that the election result be annulled and fresh election conducted.” He raised several posers, wondering whether there is any credible evidence unequivocally showing that such fake delegates actually participated in the primary election. He also raised questions as to whether the committee did verify that names of such fake delegates appeared on the register and how they were able to secure accreditation cards.

The legal adviser said the rule of the election was that once there was substantial compliance, the election must be upheld.

Another thing that might have also helped to weaken the appeal committee’s report was the minority report put together by the third member of the panel, Ms. Nikky Ejezie, in which she faulted his colleagues’ report. While rejecting the appeal committee’s report, Ejezie alleged that it “emanated from external source.”

Controversy Over Minutes

In its report submitted on September 14, the APC appeal committee on the governorship primary said in view of the observed irregularities and for the sake of equity and fair play, the result should be cancelled. It recommended that a re-run election should be ordered immediately in order to beat the INEC deadline.

With the claims and counter claims from both sides of the divide, pressure is mounting on the APC national leadership to jettison the secrecy that should normally surround minutes of the meetings on the Ondo governorship election. One account of the NWC meeting in the public domain said the body actually considered the report of the election appeal committee, observed some contradictions in it and rejected it. It reads: “The NWC after careful and exhaustive deliberations of the Appeal Committee’s report, resolved to reject the report as it was considered to be fundamentally flawed.”

The minutes further explained what transpired on the last day of the NWC meeting on the Ondo election crisis where the national chairman informed the meeting that he had had some level of consultations with stakeholders, even though not exhaustive, due to time constraints occasioned by the deadline for the submission of candidates’ names. On that day, the NWC members were said to have become polarised during deliberations on the matter with some supporting the option to submit a temporary candidate to the INEC pending a political resolution while the other group supported the decision to submit the name of the winner of the primary election. Those in support of submitting a provisional candidate argued that the arrangement should be put in place because credible and transparent accreditation was not done. They said that it will be wrong to state in good conscience that the right aspirant emerged as a winner of the exercise. On the other hand, those

Dissension

Just as the national leadership of the APC is battling with the crisis of confidence, some of its state chapters are also embroiled in tussle for control of party structures in their areas. The party appears to have so much on its hands to deal with. The leadership of the party says it is trying to resolve the disagreements, but some stakeholders are not happy with the pace of the intervention.

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CICERO/ONDO GOVERNORSHIP ELECTION

Ajayi

Daudu

Mafo

Ondo Poll: Parties Step Up Strategies with Choice of Running Mates The choice of running mates by candidates of the three dominant political parties in the Ondo State governorship election has been characterised by intrigues. James Sowole writes

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ut for the fact that conduct of primary election for the choice of deputy governorship candidates for political parties participating in an election is not clearly spelt out in the constitution, the choice of running mates for the candidates in the forthcoming governorship poll in Ondo State would have degenerated into another round of crisis within the major political parties. As it was the case with the process that led to the emergence of candidates of the three dominant parties ahead of the November 26 governorship election in the Sunshine State, the choice of running mates was not without intrigues. Stakeholders did all within their powers to secure votes.

Sequel to the quest by the three dominant parties to secure votes from the crucial parts of the state, apart from the areas where their governorship candidates come from, factors like senatorial district, local government, religion, popularity, commitment and past activities were made important considerations in the choice of running mates.

As the deadline set by the Independent National Electoral Commission for conclusion of all issues relating to governorship and deputy governorship candidates gradually came to an end, the three major parties struggled to submit names of their running mates to the commission.

Like it was in the 2012 election in the state, the November 2016 election is most likely to be a three horse race featuring two of the three major contenders in the 2012 exercise.

Candidates

While APC has fielded Mr Rotimi Akeredolu, SAN, who contested for the same position in 2012 under the platform of the Action Congress of Nigeria, the Peoples Democratic Party’s candidate in 2012, Chief Olusola Oke, would contest for the same position in November on the platform of the Alliance for Democracy. The new major entrant into the race, Mr Eyitayo Jegede SAN, would contest as the PDP candidate.

Interestingly, the three candidates represent the three senatorial districts of the state. Akeredolu is from the North, Jegede is from the Central, while Oke is from the Ondo South.

With this formation, it is naturally expected that their running mates would be from districts other than those of the flag bearers.

Running Mates

The first party to resolve the running mate issue was the AD, which chose a former member of the House of Representatives for Akoko North West/ Akoko North East Federal Constituency, Hon Gani Dauda, few hours after the defection of the party’s candidate, Oke, from the APC. Apart from the fact that Dauda, who is a former chairman of Akoko North West Local Government Area, is popular among the people of the federal constituency, being a Muslim, his faith would be an advantage for the party, as several Muslim groups have declared that they would not vote for any party with Christian/ Christian ticket. Also of advantage to the AD is that the choice of Oke’s running mate came before any issue could be raised, unlike the case of the two other major parties.

For the PDP, the choice of the deputy governorship candidate was not without politicking. But what could have resulted in crisis was quickly resolved with the intervention of the state leader, Dr Olusegun Mimiko, and others, who allowed superior arguments to prevail in the interest of the party.

Mimiko, certainly does not want any issue that would distract the party and following the manner that the issue of the governorship primary was handled, listened to various stakeholders, who eventually settled for the former Commissioner for Information in the state, Prince John Ola Mafo. Mafo is currently a Special Adviser and the Chairman of the State Football Agency.

Disagreement had almost erupted when it was rumoured that some people were clamouring for a prince of a prominent traditional ruler in the oil-rich Ilaje Local Government Area of the state so that the party could get some financial backing from the traditional ruler.

What contributed to the amicable resolution of the PDP deputy governorship issue was the decision of the party’s leaders to zone the position to the Ondo South and Ilaje Local Government Area where the AD candidate hails from. There is also the issue of the political consistency and commitment of Mafo to the PDP cause since 1999. This made his choice acceptable to many leaders and members of the party. While many of his peers had moved to more than two political parties, he remained in the party, despite challenges.

Justifying the choice of Mafo, the PDP publicity secretary, Banji Okunomo, said Mafo had many things that qualified him for the position. He said the decision to pick him was taken by the highest

decision making body of the party in the state.

Okunomo stated, “The party took this far reaching decision after considering all factors that would lead to its victory at the poll. The party weighed a number of options, including the credentials of Ola Mafo, which ranged from being a former chairman of Ilaje Local Government Area of Ondo State to former Commissioner for Information in Ondo State.

“Mafo is also a foundation member of the PDP and a veteran politician from the Southern Senatorial district, particularly Ilaje local government, a native of Zion Pepe. The choice of Mafo was based on equity and political balance.”

Like in the case of the APC governorship candidate, the choice of the party’s running mate generated controversy more than that of other political parties. Some party leaders and members kicked immediately the mention of Hon Agboola Ajayi was submitted by the party as deputy to Akeredolu.

Ajayi, an indigene of Ese-Odo Local Government Area, represented the Ilaje/ Ese Odo Federal Constituency at the National Assembly between 2007 and 2011.

Since the position was zoned to the Ondo South, like in the case of PDP, there were schemings among various interest groups and leaders in the six local governments and three federal constituencies that make up the district. The choice of Ajayi generated controversy because of the fact that he is an indigene of Kiribo, a town in Ese-Odo Local Government Area where the mother of the APC standard bearer, Akeredolu, hailed from.

Those that opposed his choice argued that choosing him as Akeredolu’s running mate made the matter a family affair. Ajayi’s opponents said in terms of voting figure, the party would be better for it if leaders could consider giving the slot to Ile-Oluji/Okeigbo/Odigbo Federal Constituency.

The party had, in order to assess the objections of Ajayi’s opponent, set up a committee to decide on the matter and assess interested members on their merits and political considerations. The decision of the party to throw the matter open led to expression of interests by some people, including Ajayi. The party eventually picked Ajayi whose name was submitted to INEC. Ajayi is not new in the politics of Ondo State. He is a former chairman of Ese-Odo Local Government Area before he won election into the House of Representatives in 2007 on the platform of the PDP. He lost his bid to return to the National Assembly in 2011 to the Hon Raphael Nomiye, who contested on the platform of the Labour Party.

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CICERO/ISSUE

As Reactions Continue on Judges’ Arrest Tobi Soniyi looks at the recent clampdown on judges alleged to be involved in corrupt practices

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it.

here is no shortage of opinions on the rationality, constitutionally and desirability of the arrest of judges and the raids on their houses by operatives of the Department of State Service. While some rationalise and justify the arrest, others think it was an overkill and a brazen illegality.

Some newspapers have even written editorials to support the arrest while others wrote against

However, there is a point that unites all the commentators: they were not against fighting corruption in the judiciary.

They tend to differ on the legality or otherwise of the approach adopted by the federal government.

For Professor Itse Sagay, SAN, who is chairman of the Presidential Advisory Committee on Corruption, there was nothing wrong with how the judges were arrested because they were not above the law. He is of the view that if the DSS had not operated the way it did, vital evidence would not have been obtained.

However, he said the whole thing might still turn out to be a fluke, point out that the judges are protected by the constitution and can sue if it turns out that they were unjustifiably arrested.

But for Dr Olisa Agbakoba, SAN, one of those who risked their lives for Nigeria to adopt democracy as a system of government, breaking into judges’ houses at midnight was unnecessary to fight corruption. That approach, he contended, should be reserved for hardened criminals.

Another activist and lawyer, Femi Falana, SAN, blamed the National Judicial Council for not doing enough to punish corrupt judicial officers. Falana called for the release of the judges but demanded their prosecution by the Attorney General of the Federation.

He said: “As the detained judges are presumed innocent until the contrary is proved by the state, they should be admitted to bail in self-recognizance. At the same time, the office of the Attorney-General of the Federation should ensure that the suspects are arraigned in court without any further delay.

“However, it is a matter of grave concern that the legal profession has allowed the denigration of the hallowed temple of justice because of the misconduct of a few corrupt judges. For several years, judges who committed grave criminal offences were not prosecuted but merely retired by the authorities on the recommendation of the National Judicial Council.”

However, another Senior Advocate of Nigeria, Chief Mike Ozekhome, differed. He described the attack as dangerous and against the very foundation of democracy. He alleged that intimidation by the current administration started long before this attack and that the silence of Nigerians created the room for what he described as the increase in the abuse of democracy.

Ozekhome stated, “It started with political opponents and opposition. Some of us cried out. Many gloated with éclat and a sense of victory at opponents’ horrific travails. Then, they moved against some very senior and well respected lawyers being rubbished. Some clapped. They said it was anti-corruption. We cried out. It extended quickly to the National Assembly, another different arm of government. Many hailed the government as tough, no-nonsense and anti-corruption- inclined. Some of us warned.

“Now, the Judiciary, up to the very apex court of the land, the Supreme Court, has been targeted and is now being intimidated, humiliated and annexed.”

Ozekhome warned that if the clampdown was allowed to continue, the media would be the next target of the SSS. To a U.S. based lawyer, Emanuel Ogebe, the action of the SSS represents the dictatorial style of President Muhammadu Buhari. In a statement, Ogebe said the attack on the judiciary was worse than any in the history of Nigeria’s dictatorship. The lwyer said, “Here is why the president goofed. In furtherance of the doctrine of separation of powers, the National Judicial Council is the body primarily charged with the discipline and appointment of judges, involving violations of the Code of Conduct of judges in S.292(1) of the Constitution. This peer review ombudsman agency serves as a bulwark to arbitrary and vindictive attacks on judges from the executive or legislative by conducting internal self-cleansing.”

The National Youth Council of Nigeria also condemned the attack and vowed to stage a nation-wide protest to register its concern. In a statement signed by its president, Ikenga Ugochinyere, the council described the attack as shameful and grossly undemocratic.

He said, “We totally condemn the arrests of these jurists as their arrests could have been done in civilised ways. Who says it is only under the cover of darkness that they can be arrested?

Was the onslaught by that time of the night an opportunity to do anything the Service will not want Nigerians to know about? Was it necessary to pull down the doors of the houses of non-violent judges to execute an arrest warrant?

“While we note that no one is above the law and that security agencies can arrest anyone who commits a crime, we wonder how such highly placed citizens who were not known to be violent could be arrested with a combined team of SSS and police and in such a Gestapo style.”

The Socio-Economic Rights and Accountability Project, asked

Mohammed

Buhari to order the immediate release of judges arrested by the DSS or face global legal action.

In a letter dated October 9 SERAP asked the president to order the release of the judges and an end to what it called the undue intimidation of the judiciary and Nigerians in general by the SSS. “If following the receipt and/or publication of this letter, your government fails or refuses to immediately and unconditionally release the judges as requested, SERAP would promptly consider appropriate legal options nationally and internationally to ensure the full and effective implementation of our requests,” it said.

Daura

against judges. The answer once again is ‘no’. There is a difference. When a judge is accused of professional misconduct is quite different from what is happening now. If you suspect anybody, including governors who have immunity, they are still subject to investigations.”

He said, “What the government is concerned and passionate about is to fight corruption. In the process of fighting corruption it’s not unusual that you step on some very sensitive toes but the question to ask and I think this has been adequately answered by the Attorney General is, one, do judges have immunity? The answer is ‘no’. Can judges be arrested? The answer is ‘yes’. Have judges that are serving been arrested in Nigeria? The answer is ‘yes’. Justice Okoli had been arrested and tried.

Justification “Now, the next question to ask is, what is the proper procedure When he was corned by journalists at an event in Abuja, the for arresting anybody, including judges? There must be properly Attorney General of the Federation and Minister for Justice, Abubakar Malami, SAN, said there was nothing wrong with the executed search warrant. Was such presented? The answer again actions of the DSS. According to him, what happened in relation is ‘yes’.

“People have tried to muddle the facts about when do you to the affected judges was a mere investigation of criminal search the person’s house, the truth of the matter is that under allegations. the new criminal justice law, you can search anybody, anywhere, He argued that no one was immune to investigation under anytime.” the Nigerian law, noting that once allegation of criminality was Mohammed went ahead to cite instances where judicial raised, it was the duty of the relevant investigating agencies to officers had been arrested for corrupt practices. carry out investigation.

“You were all witnesses in 2015 in Ghana here, 32 judges He said: “The fundamental consideration is whether there were caught on tape by journalists asking for bribe. Twenty is an allegation of the commission of a crime; whether there is two of them were dismissed in one day in Ghana,” he stated. the need for investigation, and whether the relevant provisions “Yes, it’s true that what is happening today has probably never of the law and indeed, all circumstances, as provided in the happened at this level before. But frankly speaking, and with all Administration of Criminal Justice Act (ACJA) are put into due respect, we do not intend to humiliate any judge; we have no consideration in our conduct as regard the fight against corrupintention to humiliate the judiciary but what we have done we tion.” have done within the ambit of the law.”

The Presidency had also commented on this burning issue, saying Buhari reserves his highest respect for the institution of the judiciary as the third arm of government. In a statement Suspicion by the Senior Special Assistant to the President on Media and A Warri-based lawyer, Emmanuel Jakpal, however, picked Publicity, Mr Garba Shehu, the presidency said Buhari would holes in the argument of the DSS, saying what the operatives not do anything to undermine its independence. did is not a sting operation. According to him, a sting operation Shehu said: “Buhari remains a committed democrat, in words is a form of entrapment. “You lure your suspect to compromise and in his actions, and will not take any action in violation of the himself with irrefutable evidence,” he added, citing what constitution. The recent surgical operation against some judicial happened in Ghana where Anas Aremayaw, an award winning officers is specifically targeted at corruption and not at the investigative journalist, ‘stinged’ more than 34 judges of the judiciary as an institution.

Ghanaian High Court when he went with offers of money to “In a robust democracy such as ours, there is bound to be a purchase judgements. Aremayaw argued that the judiciary was plurality of opinions on any given issue, but there is a convera sensitive organ and it was intended to be so. gence of views that the country has a corruption problem that He said: “This is why the symbol of the judiciary is a hand needs to be corrected. But reports by a section of the media are holding a pair of scales. Any slight pressure registers on the giving us cause for concern. scales. When a Justice Dimgba tells SSS on Friday you should not “In undertaking the task of reporting, the media should be come to his court again unless you produce a suspect or obey careful about the fault lines they open. It is wrong to present this an order of his court and you, the same SSS, knock on his door incident as a confrontation between the executive and judiciary.” on Saturday morning at 1am and harass his family unlawfully Unsurprisingly, the Minister for Information and Culture, Mr without a warrant, even after his protests, you are loading the Lai Mohammed, said that DSS operatives did not violate any law sales on one side. You are telling him and others like him that you when they raided houses of judges penultimate Friday. Moham- are able to deal with unpleasant judges, if not in the day, then at med said receipt of complaints against erring judges and their night. if not on real allegations then on fictitious ones. And that is discipline were not exclusive to the NJC. a dangerous sign.”

The information minister said: “I want to state clearly that this Then he asked, “Are you telling me that the SSS had placed government believes very much in separation of powers. This judges under surveillance but did not even know their adgovernment has a lot of respect for the judiciary and for obvious dresses?” reasons, not just because the constitution says so but I think probHe said it was worrisome for the presidency to rely on the SSS ably this is one cabinet that has the highest number of lawyers as (not the Attorney General of the Federation) for assurances that ministers.” due process was followed in attacking the Supreme Court.

Asked to react to insinuations that the executive had usurped “The so-called sting was no sting; it was a mere slap in the the powers of the NJC by ordering DSS to arrest the judges, face meant to disorientate the judiciary. That is what intelligence Mohammed said such claims were not correct. He said, “Again officers are trained to do – disorientate the victim in the hope that they have tried to muddle issues by trying to say that the NJC is something useful will fall from him. It was a fishing expedition,” the only authority that can attend to complaint and discipline he added.

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CICERO/REPORT

Nwabueze, Igbo Elders on Buhari and the State of the Nation Notable Igbo elders under the aegis of Igbo Leaders of Thought returned to familiar turf last week in Enugu as they took on the administration of President Muhammadu Buhari, warning that the country is on the edge of a precipice, and calling for urgent action. Christopher Isiguzo, in Enugu, reports

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Among those who attended the meeting, which took place at Zodiac Hotels, Enugu, were former governor of old Anambra State, Dr Chukwuemeka Ezeife; Senator Anyim Ude; former secretary general of Ohaneze Ndigbo, Chief Nduka Eya; Chief Enechi Onyia, constitutional lawyer, Professor Race Achara; Professor Elochukwu Amucheazi; Professor Chinweite Ejike; and former ESUT Vice Chancellor and deputy chairman of the South-east Leaders of Thought, Professor Ike Oluka. Others are leader of Igbo Women Assembly, Mrs. Marie Okwor; Prince Chukwuemeka Onyeso; renowned novelist and traditional ruler of Ndi Ikerionwu in Anambra State, HRH Chukwuemeka Ike; and retired Archbishop of the Anglican Communion, Most Rev. Maxwell Anikwenwa.

ers of Thought said though they were not against the fight, they were opposed to the manner the fight was being prosecuted, noting that the fight is highly skewed against perceived opponents of the party in government.

The group stated, “People are arrested and bank accounts frozen without due process. CNN announced that a serving minister has over $700 million in one account in the United States and the federal government has not tried to probe him. The current Chief of Army Staff is alleged to own business in Dubai and no efforts have been made to ascertain the true source of his wealth.

“Appointments to sensitive positions in the public service so far show a high degree of corruption.

Today, Aso Rock is controlled by cousins, nephews, brothers and blood relations of the president. It is pointed out that all the critical positions in the security services are held by the president’s kinsmen and tribesmen.

“Chief of Army Staff, Inspector General of Police, Minister of Defence, Minister of Internal Affairs, National Security Adviser, Director General, Department of State Service (DSS), Chief of Staff, ADC to the president, CSO to the President, Private Secretary to the president, Protocol to the president, Director General of Customs, DG of Prisons, DG of Immigration, the sensitive positions of the Minister of Petroleum and FCT are also in the same hands. The acting chairman of the Economic and Financial Crimes Commission is still in the seat thereby overstaying his tenure of six months in acting capacity.

“There are also observations that the recent purge of over 40 personnel in the army spanning ranks of Lt. Col. to Major Generals may have been motivated by considerations other than those of the public interest.

Is it mere coincidence that they are mainly from South-east and other southern states?”

Communiqué

‘Islamisation’

fter about one year of inactivity, Igbo Leaders of Thought, a body of eminent elder statesmen of Igbo extraction, with renowned constitutional, Professor Ben Nwabueze (SAN), as their leader, returned to the scene last week to review activities in the country’s political landscape since the emergence of President Muhammadu Buhari.

The elder statesmen who came from various parts of the five South-east states of Abia, Anambra, Enugu, Ebonyi, and Imo converged on Enugu to deliberate on the state of the nation. The group, prior to last year’s general election, was very vocal and took positions on several issues, most of which bothered on security, national unity, and the need for true federalism. However, for over a year, nothing was basically heard of the group. But an inside source had claimed that members of the ILT had taken out time to review events in the country.

Attendance

The group in their communiqué decried what they described as the extreme polarisation of the country along religious and ethnic lines as a result of political activities and agenda of the federal government, and a well-orchestrated invasion of the Middle Belt and southern states “by armed agents and Jihadists equipped with assault weapons (AK47, grenades etc) euphemistically and deceptively labelled herdsmen.”

It stated, “Islamisation obtains when the Quran is brought in as part of the law to regulate the lives of the people, as is the case in 12 northern states. These states have, thus, violated the religious character of the Nigerian state as provided in section 10 of the constitution. The statement by the Sultan of Sokoto recently that ‘nobody can Islamise Nigeria is intended to hoodwink us; the reality, as shown in the actions of the federal government is different.

“The activities of the armed Fulani herdsmen who kill, kidnap, rape, burn and destroy crops and land with impunity have continued without any constraints from the federal government. The herdsmen have been perceived as advanced foot-soldiers of the Fulani Jihadists. We call on the federal government to stop the Islamisation agenda being pursued in these brazen manners. Christians all over the country and the people of the southern states should be on alert over these developments.”

The elders also asked President Muhammadu Buhari to quickly devise strategies that would address the immediate causes of the present economic situation in the country and desist from blaming past administrations for driving the nation to recession.

They expressed dismay over the inability of the present administration to find its feet and address the challenges of governance after over one and half years in office, noting that rather than lead the nation to economic prosperity, the administration had engaged in actions that led the nation to its worst economic situation ever.

The four-point communiqué signed by Nwabueze observed that the activities of the Niger Delta Avengers who are avenging the injustices perpetrated against their area was a major contributory factor fuelling the recession, insisting that something urgent should be done to address the problem.

Nwabueze They stated, “The naira which stood at 50 kobo to $1 in the 1980s and in recent past N179 is now about N500 to $1. A bag of rice which sold recently at N9, 000 now sells at N25, 000, well beyond the minimum wage of the Nigerian workers. School enrolment has dropped drastically, many industries have closed down, banks have sacked thousands of workers, contractors are not paid and so with public servants in many states. Inflation rate hovers around 20 per cent.”

While asking the federal government to respect the laws of the land, the group noted that agitation for self-determination is not necessarily an agitation for secession and as such not a crime, more so when it is guaranteed by United Nation and African Charter. They therefore demanded the unconditional release of the detained leader of the Indigenous People of Biafra, Mr. Nnamdi Kanu, insisting that his continued incarceration is one of the major factors inflaming agitation in the country.

“Political agitations for self-determination are taking place in various parts of the world, in Europe, Asia, America, etc, and the agitators are not massacred with state-owned arms and ammunition but are brought to a round table for dialogue,” they explained, adding that the situation here should not be different, as dialogue remains the most appropriate approach to solving the challenges posed by the plethora of agitations. They also demanded the restructuring of the federation. According to them, the current agitations across the country have made the need for restructuring more imperative.

They added that with eminent northern statesmen, including Ango Abdulahi, Alhaji Atiku Abubakar, Adamu Ciroma as well as the leadership of Afenifre, South-south and Middle Belt political leaders giving their support to restructuring, the momentum could not be stopped any more.

On the current anti-corruption fight, the Igbo Lead-

Nwabueze had on the day of the meeting raised alarm that the federal government was pursuing an Islamisation agenda for the country, insisting that the current killings of innocent Nigerians across the country by rampaging herdsmen is part of the plot.

According to him, “This is a very crucial meeting for us because we have not met for more than a year.

And if you look at our agenda, such critical issues for discussion, issues like islamisation agenda and its impact on the unity of the country. Islamisation agenda is real, it’s not something that somebody has just conjured up, it’s there. And it’s been implemented gradually. Look at the security agencies; every aspect of security. They are methodical in the way they are going about its implementation. Look at Fulani herdsmen menace, it is part of it.”

He said apart from the activities of the herdsmen, the lopsided appointments of heads of security agencies, which “clearly favoured Muslims” was also part of the Islamisation plot in the country.

Biafra

On the agitation for Biafra, Nwabueze said the agitators should be tactful by demanding selfdetermination and not Biafra Republic.

He stated, “The agitation for Biafra, you will appreciate what is going on, to provoke the Igbo, to provoke them so that they will say, ah we are pulling out. And then they will launch the final solution to the Igbo problem. Our people must not play into their hands. All these agitations, I support the agitation, but define your objective. What do you want? Self-determination, okay; that is a vague thing, use it as a cover, don’t come out openly and say you are agitating because you want the sovereign state of Biafra. Sovereign state of Biafra within sovereign Nigeria? You have to be extremely careful.”

On the menace of herdsmen, he asked governors of the South-east states to immediately convene a meeting and take a common position.

“On the Fulani herdsmen, our governors should meet and say we don’t want this anymore, let them go somewhere, let them open somewhere else and give it whatever name they want. But not here, yes, these are the things we want,” he noted.

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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 • OCTOBER 16, 2016

PERSPECTIVE

Governor Wike Stands With the Rule of Law

Simeon Nwakaudu

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believe that most persons who support the undemocratic assault on the judiciary by the Department of State Services do so because they are not privy to the dirty conspiracy underlying these actions. Most Nigerians are not conversant with the sustained assault of the DSS against Rivers State and the mandate freely extended by Rivers people to Governor Nyesom Wike. This latest assault is simply another lawless attempt to whittle down the popularity of the People’s Governor in the country.

It is a deep-seated illegal onslaught on Rivers State premised on the lust for Rivers resources by leaders of the All Progressives Congress, who illegally benefitted from Rivers funds during the 2015 general election campaigns. Having tasted free funds from the immediate past administration, these APC officials are determined to go to any length to destabilise Rivers State.

The anti-democratic and anti-Rivers invasions by the DSS started in October last year at the height of the proceedings of the Rivers State Governorship Election Tribunal, which sat in Abuja. The DSS, Police and Army detailed security clowns to testify against the election of Wike.

These operatives under cross examination all faltered as they admitted that they did not directly participate in the election.

They admitted that their testimonies were based on rumours.

However, when Wike and PDP subpoenaed the senior security personnel, who directly provided security for the April 11, 2015 governorship election, armed DSS operatives stormed the venue of the Rivers State Governorship Election Tribunal in Abuja. Their objective was to stop these security personnel from mounting the witness box. They claimed they had orders to arrest the security witnesses.

Heavily armed DSS operatives stormed the tribunal to arrest a retired subpoenaed commander, Emmanuel Philips, who testified that the election was peaceful, credible and without cases of violence.

They could not arrest the retired commander as lawyers and journalists demanded for arrest warrant, which they failed to produce.

A day before, the same DSS made an attempt to arrest an Assistant Commissioner of Police, Mr Akuki Kenneth, who testified that the Rivers State governorship election was peaceful , but was resisted by lawyers.

Having failed to stop these security officers from testifying, the DSS used proAPC online and mainstream media outfits to circulate disparaging false allegations against Wike.

Following the failure that met the desperate attempt of the DSS to abduct a Federal High Court judge in Port Harcourt on October 8, the same organisation has approached her media associates to hatch and circulate false reports.

I read on Premium Times – later shared

by Sahara Reporters – the claim that the DSS wanted to arrest a judge of the Federal High Court in Port Harcourt because he allegedly gave a judgement that favoured the Ahmed Makarfi-led Peoples Democratic Party National Caretaker Committee. These online media outfits are quoting “competent security sources” as premise for whatever illogical falsehood they want to spin. However, each time you read these outlets, know that it is part of the desperate thinking of the APC. One fact is now out in the open, sacked former PDP national chairman received backing from the APC, hence the venomous reprisal by the DSS. This has been explained by the APC media brought in to do damage control for the party.

However, the fundamental aim of Wike as regards his timely intervention was to sustain the rule of law as far as Rivers

Wike (left) State is concerned. As the duly elected chief executive and chief security officer of the state, he had a responsibility to ensure that due process was followed.

The statement by the national chairman of APC, when he received the Rivers State APC governorship candidate, Dr. Dakuku Peterside, lays credence to the party’s desperation. Chief John Odigie-Oyegun said: “We have lost very important resource-rich states to the PDP. No matter how crude oil prices have fallen, it is still the most important revenue earner for the country.”

Since then, the APC leadership both at the federal and Rivers State levels have sponsored attacks on the judiciary, questioning the validation of the election of Wike by the Supreme Court.

Despite the sponsorship of destructive propaganda against Wike , he has continued to stand on the truth, promoting the principles of the rule of law and due process .

Upon assumption of duty as governor, Wike revived the state judiciary that was left comatose by the immediate past governor of Rivers State. The governor has also stabilised the judiciary by ensuring peaceful transition of the leadership of the state judiciary on the premise of the laid down succession rule. The Rivers State Judiciary now enjoys financial autonomy, with massive infrastructural development taking place in the courts.

Welfare of judicial officers has been given top priority, while the state government recently handed over the ultra-modern NBA Law Centre to the Port Harcourt branch of the NBA to improve research and the rule of law in the state. Wike’s promotion of the rule of law is known to all. His defence of due process is always in the interest of the state and the society. As Rivers State chief security officer, he has always worked hard to protect all residents of Rivers State.

Addressing the people of Rivers State last penultimate Saturday night during a special dinner for the management and players of Rivers United at the Government House, Port Harcourt, Wike said the weak blackmail of the DSS will not lessen the crime they have committed against the

Nigerian state by assaulting the judiciary.

He noted that nobody was deceived by the concocted figures being circulated by the DSS. He said: “Their blackmail stories will not move me. They will concoct all kinds of stories to justify this undemocratic illegality perpetrated against the judiciary.

It is really unfortunate that DSS would concoct a false defence that $2million (that is N900million) was found in the house of the judge. It is unfortunate that the DSS is coming up with flimsy excuses. “ It would be recalled that the governor and the DSS Operatives had their encounter outside the gate of the residence.

It is therefore ridiculous that the DSS remained outside to declare that N900 million was found in the residence.

The governor noted that while he did not condone corruption, he will never support any process targeted at ruining the nation’s judiciary. He stated that the National Judicial Council had the responsibility to discipline erring and corrupt judges, after which indicted judicial officers are handed over to the relevant law enforcement agencies for prosecution. The governor said the police, army and other paramilitary agencies had their respective processes for the discipline of erring and corrupt officers.

“In the police, erring and corrupt policemen are first given orderly room trial, sacked and then appropriately prosecuted.

For Judicial officers, the DSS has no role,” he said. Wike added: “This impunity must stop. I am not in support of any judicial officer being involved in corruption. What we are saying is that the right things must be done. We must not do things that will jeopardise our hard earned democracy.”

Many other well-meaning Nigerians and groups have insisted on the rule of law. The general agreement is that corruption must be fought within the ambit of the law.

NJC said after a marathon meeting that the council “expresses its grave concern on the recent invasion of the residences and arrest of some serving and suspended judicial officers by the Department of State

Services; and condemned the action in its entirety.

“Viewed the action as a threat to the independence of the judiciary, which portends great danger to our democracy; and also considered the action as a clear attempt by the DSS to humiliate, intimidate, denigrate and cow the judiciary.”

The NBA at the end of his second crisis management meeting on October 13 declared, “That the NBA reiterates in unmistakeable terms its commitment to the fight against corruption and commits itself to collaborate with the federal government in bringing culprits to justice, whether judges or ordinary people. However, we will only do this within the ambit of the law and in accordance with due process.”

It was the great act of courage by the Rivers State governor on Saturday, October 8, 2016 that saved the day for the nation’s judiciary. Otherwise, by now, operatives of the DSS would have hunted down all judicial officers believed to be impartial and not dancing to expected tunes. It was that singular act that brought the entire illegality to the national front burner. Otherwise, the Nigerian people would have been subjected to an overdose of media trial, which will eventually destroy one of the most important structures of democracy.

Those who know Wike well understand that he is not moved by falsehood and propaganda. The actions of the DSS will not stop the governor from defending the rule of law. He has the constitutional responsibility to promote and defend due process, rule of law and constitutional democracy. So far, he has lived up to the expectations of the people in this regard.

He has moved Rivers State away from the days of impunity.

The October 8 action of Wike disseminated one message unequivocally: “Never again will anyone, no matter his connection and wealth be allowed to drag Rivers State back to the days of impunity.”

––Nwakaudu is Special Assistant to the Rivers State Governor on Electronic Media.

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OCTOBER 16, 2016 • THISDAY, THE SUNDAY NEWSPAPER

PERSPECTIVE

Again, Ambode Deepens Community Spirit at Town Hall Meeting Banji Ojewale

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espected political economy theoretician and academic Professor Pat Utomi would not let go of a gathering of a Town Hall meeting hosted by a governor without observing the proceedings. So, on Tuesday October 11, 2016 he set aside his school duties at Pan-African University, Lekki and headed for the Molade Okoya-Thomas Indoor Sports Hall, Teslim Balogun Stadium, Surulere, Lagos to peep into the entrails of popular democracy and governance.

He wasn’t disappointed. He met a mammoth crowd approximating the size of the spectators who would troop to the stadium for the final of a top international football competition. There were individual as well as collective interests who converged to listen to a governor’s stewardship.

When I stumbled on the crowd, I was relieved that I hadn’t come all the way from my base in Ota, Ogun State on a wasted trip, just as a smiling Utomi would have thanked God he also made the journey.

My take on this intellectual politician is that he has always argued for a strong nexus between the governed and the government. He believes that one way by which the government can strengthen this link is to be accountable to the people it is governing. Like the ancient philosophers and thinkers before him, men like Socrates, Plato, Aristotle and Harold Laski in our age, he holds the view that those in power who are ruling must subject themselves to periodic stewardship through revealing how they are handling the mandate to rule. Without that, governance would be occultic and in the long run be a futile one way affair. Now this Town Hall meeting fulfilled the requirements for good governance as enunciated by the classical masters of the game.

The Lagos State Governor Mr. Akinwunmi Ambode flanked by members of his government including the Deputy Governor Dr. Idiat Oluranti Adebule along with top members of the ruling All-Progressives Congress (APC), faced the huge crowd to conduct the 3rd quarter 2016 Town Hall meeting. The fifth in the series, it opened up the affairs of the government in relation to its performance since Ambode’s administration came into office on May 29, 2015. Those who listened to him were drawn from all the 57 councils spread across Lagos. There were market women; there were school pupils; there were artisans; there were the physically challenged citizens; there were grassroots politicians; traditional rulers including Oba of Lagos Rilwan Akinolu were there; two senators Oluremi Tinubu (Lagos Central) and Ganiyu Solomon also showed up; representatives of the print and electronic media established their presence;in a word, virtually every segment of Lagos was represented.

Governor Ambode spoke of much water that had passed under the bridge. He alluded to challenges; but he also referred to gains. By his reckoning, government is all about overcoming difficulties and not one to be overwhelmed by problems.

Surveying the state in the period under review since the last Town Hall meeting at the City Hall,Ambode reeled out breath-taking achievements that included roads, streetlights, hospitals, environmental regeneration, urban developments, transportation, education, poverty alleviation, housing and youth and social development, employment, women empowerment and so on.

Obviously all these capture the essence of government and the responsibilities of the ruler to his people. Since government is the vehicle to drive all these areas of need, the governor decided to intimate those who gave him the mandate to rule of how far he has traveled.

On works and infrastructure during the period under review, the governor revealed that the State Government continued with its aggressive commitment towards infrastructure development to ease the movement of vehicles, pedestrians and commuters. So far, it has delivered on the following; . It completed the construction of Agbe Road in Ifako-Ijaiye Local Government Area, and Adisa Ajibulu Road with Bridge in Oshodi-Isolo.

In making safety of life a reality for pedestrians in pedestrian bridges at TREM Bus Stop, Anthony across Apapa-Oshodi-Gbagada Expressway, and Ojota, both of which are at an advanced stage of completion. It completed Ojodu-Berger Pedestrian Bridge. Awarded the construction of Ago-Palace Way-Jakande Estate Link Bridge, foot Bridges at ItogbesaIrewe and Okunudun-Erekun, Ojo LG. Presented a cheque of N4million to Mr Monday Imoni as compensation for his property that was within the Right of Way at 6 Fadahunsi Drive, Orelope in Alimosho LGA.

Ambode There was emergency repair of Apapa-Oworonshoki Expressway (Ilasamaja Segment). Awarded Ojota second Pedestrian Bridge; Arowojebe Link Bridge, Aboyi Road Phase 2and Ajoke Salako Street. It completed the building of 24 Court Rooms’ Magistrate Court in Ajegunle, and the Egan Igando Mixed Housing Scheme was also delivered. It completed the New Critical Care Unit a-4-storey building in LASUTH. The gathering also heard of impressive strides in wealth creation and employment. Here Ambode referred to the commencement of the training of the first batch of 100 youths in the Open Andela Training in ICT for a period of eleven weeks in software development culminating in applicants receiving Google and Microsoft Certification. He said government also organized an 8-week training on Capacity Building for 500 Tradesmenand Artisans at all the five Technical Colleges across the state namely Ikeja, Ado Soba, Ikorodu, Ikotun and Ekpe. In a similar vein, the government successfully registered 18 zonal bodies from the Trades Association, issuing 638 identity cards to artisans. Observers have taken note that this has led to a spiraling effect of self-employment leading to the alleviation of poverty in many homes and generally in the society.

Ambode noted that there has also been what he described as environmental regeneration in the period reviewed. For instance a great deal of effort was made to clean numerous collector drainsin scores of areas like Awolowo Road, Ikoyi, Ikotun Bus-stop, Alimosho and Ijegun Road, Amuwo Odofin among many others. The government also completed the construction of drain for effective free flow of water at places like Odomola Senior Secondary School, Epe and at Education District VI, Oshodi. In this regard the administration carried out landscaping and beautification of a strip of land at MobolajiJohnson Avenue. 104 trees were also tagged at Freedom Park, Lagos Island for record and identification purposes while more than six million treeshave been planted to dateto upgrade the face of Lagos.

Governor Ambode, dressed in casual jacket and shirt without a tie, was quite informal to reflect the informality of the tradition of Town Hall meetings,dating back to the system of colonial America. In those days such gatherings attracted citizens who would come to listen to the views of their political candidates and how they were faring in office. Hundreds of years down the line the order hasn’t changed as we witnessed in Lagos on Tuesday. On this day, Ambode disclosed that the government had spent N166.8 billion on capital projects in the last nine months of 2016.

He declared: “A review of the 2016 budget shows that our state generated total revenue of N97.3 billion in the last quarter and had a total expenditure of N110.2 billion considering the fact that our cash reserve has remained positive. We expended N55 billion on capital expenditures in the last quarter”. Ambode said the completion and handing over of 114 roads across the 57 local governments and local council development areas in the last quarter was a major achievement of his administration, disclosing that in the next three weeks his administration would commence the process of bid invitation for the construction of additional 114 roads across communities in the state. In addition, the governor had

more cheering news for the people. Governor Ambode said he was going to boost employment opportunities and security in the state by recruiting additional 5,000 neigbourhood watchers into its Neighbourhood Safety Agency. He said he would begin this in November.

Analysts believe that this move would scale up maintenance of law and order while depleting the labour market. “The government,” he said assuredly, “will pay them salaries and allowances that will attract graduates too to be recruited. We are hopeful that this move will reduce criminal activities such as incessant kidnapping, invasion of any part of the state by militants, ritual killings, gang war and domestic violence among others.”

Ambode put smiles on the faces of the citizens when he promised that his administration would work harder and support re-presentation of a bill that seeks a special status for Lagos State as the commercial capital of the country. It would be recalled that Senator Oluremi Tinubu on October 5, 2016 presented the bill to the upper legislative chamber. But the law makers turned down the request. Now hear what Ambode says: “The bill was suspended and not rejected. It means that we have another chance to work harder and re-activate the bill to ensure it succeeds for the overall interest of Nigerians.”

And speaking on the bill, the Oba of Lagos claimed that ex-president Olusegun Obasanjo was responsible for Lagos not being granted special status. Oba Akinolu said Obasanjo had the opportunity to have granted that privilege during his eight-year tenure. If Obasanjo had done so, the issue of the National Assembly turning down Oluremi Tinubu’s bill would not have arisen, the Oba argued.This was gladdening news to the gathering considering the fact that when it came to the stage of an interactive session, most of the questions posed by the citizens centered on the upgradethe state chiefly through good roads. Pastor Gbenga Oyebode of Surulere, Jimoh Olawale (Apapa Iganmu), Alhaji Saliu Ibrahim (Aguda) among others all sought the intervention of the governor concerning the state of the roads in their areas. One of them said the roads in his domain needed urgent rehabilitation to avoid fatal floods. For others like Mrs Bisola James (Ifako-Ijaiye), the concern was for attention to be given to the professional women in Lagos APC. A 74-year-old woman Alimotu Mudashiru (Ikate) who spoke in Yoruba said she needed personal assistance from the governor.

The gathering was moved with compassion when a visually challenged student of the Pacelli School for the Blind Master Kelechi presented his petition to Governor Ambode. He thanked the governor for his government’s support for the school. But like Oliver Twist he requested for more. He pleaded with Ambode to provide the school with a 32-seater Coaster bus. He also wants the state government to take care of the road where the school is located to prevent flooding during the rainy season.

Responding to their questions, Ambode said he would promptly handle the requests of the student of the Pacelli School. The government declared “We’ll deal with the flooding of the area as part of our structural support to the school.” This was met with thunderous applause.

The governor also said the woman who needed assistance would hear from him soon. There was room for some of the aides of the governor to address issues directly related to their portfolios. For instance the deputy governor spoke of new model schools in the offing. She disclosed that a secondary school would come up at Sari Iganmu. She said N10 billion had been set aside for the new model schools, adding that by November next month the projects would kick off. She described what was unveiling in the education sector in Lagos as a “New Dawn”. She concluded: “If your area is not captured now, you will be accommodated in 2017”.

As the program got to a close, the actor turned politician Mr Desmond Olusola Elliot (Surulere 1) offered the vote of thanks. He appreciated Governor Ambode and his cabinet for humbling themselves to meet the people. His presentation was short as he described the event as a wonderful Town Hall meeting in a wonderful state.

The attendees milled out, spilling into the streets with the scene again coming close to what you would expect after a big football match with supporters of winning and losing teams exchanging comments. This time, there was no vanquished side. All left hailing the Town Hall meeting as a fulfilling one that had not disappointed them. Those who spoke out what was going on in their minds said they looked forward to the next Town Hall meeting, even as some would be expected to monitor the promises of the governor on his vows to help an old woman, build model schools beginning from November 1, recruit neighbourhood security watchers and prevent flood where the Pacelli School for the Blind is located.

- Ojewale, a journalist lives in Ota, Ogun State.

A Governor’s Finest Hour

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Austin Tam-George

arely 24 hours after I described the Rivers State Governor, Nyesom Wike, as Nigeria’s ultimate “outdoor leader”, in a Facebook tribute to his impressive achievements in the State, the governor was out at 1:00 AM on the streets of Port Harcourt to stop the abduction of a federal high court judge, by hooded men of the Department of State Services (DSS).

The DSS men had arrived at the home of the judicial officer in a manner disturbingly similar to how Boko Haram marauders stormed the female hostels in Chibok in 2014. It is a tragic parallel to draw, but a thread of impunity runs through both incidents.

In both raids, the invaders acted outside the law, they had no court orders, no arrest warrants, no search warrants, and their victims

had committed no crimes.

After the 320 Chibok school girls were stolen by Boko Haram, Abubakar Shekau, Boko Haram’s blood-thirsty leader, released a sickening video in which he claimed to have acted on the exact orders of Allah.

When confronted by Governor Wike and other State leaders on the legality of the invasion of the judge’s home, the DSS simply justified their action by citing, not the law of the land, but “orders from above”.

The press statement released by the DSS following deafening public outcry on this unwarranted attack on the country’s judicial system, must rank as the most self-indicting statement ever made by a public institution in Nigeria.

The DSS has said its assault on the judiciary was part of a so-called anti-corruption crusade.

But are we to accept “anti-corruption” as our new national moniker for arrant impunity? Is a fight against corruption outside the rule of law not itself the grossest form of corruption?

After a series of Supreme Court judgements in favour of the opposition Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) earlier in the year, the ruling All Progressives Congress (APC) had launched a bitter and unprecedented campaign of calumny against the integrity of the justices of the court.

In a widely publicized media interview, Mr. John Oyegun the National Chairman of the APC, had castigated the nation’s judicial system, and declared that “Something is fundamentally wrong in the judiciary”.

Oyegun had also made the shocking suggestion that all oil-producing states of the Niger Delta region were prized assets to be acquired at all costs by the APC. “We have lost very important resource-rich states to the PDP. No matter how crude oil prices have fallen, it is still the most important revenue earner for the country”, Mr. Oyegun had said.

The illegal invasion of the homes of judges across the country must therefore be seen as a

full frontal reprisal attack launched by the APC against our evolving democratic culture, and the judicial institution that supports it.

I recommend that the public statement released by the DSS should be made a required reading in all schools in Nigeria, as the sorriest justification for executive lawlessness in a democratic dispensation.

I appeal to the international community to not look away as Nigeria’s fragile democratic order faces its gravest existential threat in nearly two decades. Governor Wike’s courageous insistence on the supremacy of the law, even as he was physically assaulted by men of the DSS, is his finest service to Nigeria.

The governor’s historic intervention reminds us of the sacrifice every Nigerian must now be prepared to make, as we challenge the tyranny and anarchy that loom over our nation.

–– Dr. Austin Tam-George is the Commissioner for Information and Communication, Rivers State.

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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 • OCTOBER 16, 2016

PERSPECTIVE

Why APC Big Shots are After Governor Abubakar Abdulrazaque Bello-Barkindo

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bout a month ago, a handful of Bauchi state political bigshots lodged a series of complaints against their governor, Alhaji Mohammed Abdullahi Abubakar, before President Muhammadu Buhari, after allegedly sponsoring several unsuccessful clandestine moves to oust him from office.

Governor Abubakar was accused of committing several impeachable offences including the non-utilization of the bailout funds received from the Federal Government, for the purpose for which the funds were meant, to insensitivity to the suffering of the people, profligacy, not adhering to the pact entered into between him and the state’s political elite to relinquish office after one term, and non-circulation of money in the state, among many other crimes.

Alhaji Yusuf Tuggar, a former member of the House of Reps and its one-time Chairman, House Committee on Appropriation, said in a newspaper interview, that all the contracts awarded by the governor had not passed due process, stating, “I know what appropriation is about”.

Before approaching the president, the group had also visited the national secretariat of the APC with the same complaint. But, so far, mum is the word from either quarter.

Those allegations could easily unseat anybody with a less than altruistic approach to governance. But a cause no matter how just, when wrongly fought is counter-productive. That is the fate of the aggrieved politicians regarding the governor they helped install, M.A Abubakar.

But as the attacks become more frequent, and because of the weight of the political juggernauts behind it, the governor has been putting up a spirited defence, himself. In an interview he granted one of the popular television networks, AIT, he spoke of his policy thrust, explaining why he was being antagonized by his own party men, telling why the state’s political elite are feeling like fish out of water in the new dispensation, narrating how the change that people voted for is more important than the change that politicians seek to collect from him and emphasizing why money is no longer given as patronage to party buffs, as before.

Governor M.A Abubakar spilt the beans, virtually. The politicians who lodged complaints against him, he said, had lost touch with reality. “Change”, he said, “is not removing the PDP, replacing them with the APC and then business continues as usual.” They are a

Abdullahi Abubakar product, he said, of days of yore, when salary was not paid while the money was shared among the political elite as patronage. “I have refused to do that, for which I have incurred the wrath of even my own party men”.

The money now goes into construction jobs in the fringes of the state, like Misau-Hardawa-Cinade-Bulkachuwa-Udubo-Gamawa road where some of the most economically viable infrastructure laid fallow and are being brought to life to cater for the neglected majority of the state’s population. Money is therefore circulating in the right places. For example, I had to pay a huge compensation for 600hectares of land to develop a Divisional Airforce base in Bauchi, where construction work is going on and many Bauchi state indigenes are employed. This had provided succor to the people more than the actions of a rapacious elite whose insatiable appetite for free money had impoverished the masses of the state, over a long period.

The governor did not mince words. He gave an account of his stewardship in office, explaining the disbursement of the bailout funds to the last Kobo. Of the N8.6bn he received, only N89m went

to a sector that was equally as critical as salaries, the rest of the money was utilized as authorized. He explains: “a group of former legislators had sued the government demanding their severance package and got judgment. As a lawyer I had no option but to respect the decision of the court. So I paid them.” The governor explained that he pays the legislature N150m monthly and pays another N50m to the judiciary, thus satisfying the statutory disbursements to all arms of government. Today, Bauchi state is, unlike many other states, only owing a month’s salary, the governor emphasized.

On his feud with Speaker Dogara, the governor said he continues to accord the Speaker every respect that is due to his office whenever he was in Bauchi and will continue to do so. He further said that they fell out when Speaker Dogara and his colleagues in the House decided to disobey the party’s orders, on the choice of principal officers in the National Assembly. The governor said as a loyal party man, he stood by the party’s decision and worked to see that its instructions were followed in the assembly but added that, once the NASS decided on its own what to do he had no option than to abide by their decisions.

One needs to review the interview, which is streamed on the website of the Nigeria Governors’ Forum www.nigeriagovernorsforum. com to get the full impact of what the governor has been trying to do in Bauchi State. It contains graphic explanations on some of the contentious issues and an almost palpable approach to the state’s intangible matters.

It is being whispered in several quarters that the governor had expressed disinterest in 2019 and a second term in office, because he would rather work for generations of Bauchi people yet unborn.

If this is true, the governor must be holding fast to the adage that statesmen think about the next generation, while politicians think about the next election.

This probably explains the difference between the two warring factions; while the governor is embellishing the critical sectors of the state’s economy like healthcare, tourism, infrastructure and education by investing heavily on them, building health centres, sinking boreholes, constructing roads and offsetting all examination fees and providing free feeding for school age children in the state, his opponents are fighting to dip their hands in the tills. That is why M A Abubakar is incurring the wrath of the bigshots of Bauchi politics.

––Abdulrazaque Bello-Barkindo is Head, Media & Public Affairs, Nigeria Governors’ Forum Secretariat

When Lawmakers Renewed Bond with Constituents Remi Adefulu

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or members of the 8th Lagos State. House of Assembly, Wednesday October 5, 2016 was another dream come true in furtherance of their promise to make the people the corner stone of government policies through regular interaction.

About the same time last year, they held the first-ever stakeholders summit initiated by its speaker Rt. Hon. Mudashiru Obasa across the length and breadth of the 40 constituencies in Lagos State to seek Lagosians input into the 2016 budget.

This was in line with the agenda of the speaker, who had at the inception of his leadership promised to use the platform to interact with the people annually to promote good governance and accountability.

It was therefore unsurprising that this year’s meeting witnessed far more than it witnessed in terms of attendance across the state.

Even before 10:00am when the event was billed to start, artisans, students, activists, Obas’ Chiefs etc had thronged the various centres to rub minds with their representatives.

One of the unique features of the event with the theme “Neighbourhood/Community Policing Starts With Me” was that Lagos Assembly had structured the event to hold simultaneously across the state.

It was leant that this was designed to get Lagosians more interested in the security of the state for safer living in view of current security challenges in the country.

Setting the tone for event in Agege, Speaker Obasa said “this Constituency stakeholders’ meeting is aimed at briefing you on the activities of the Assembly in the last one year, our response to the challenges in the state as well as to obtain information from you on the peculiar security system in our constituencies with suggestion on how

Obasa, Lagos State Assembly Speaker to combat same.

“I wish to state that it is in our determination to give meaning to good representation and good governance that we have come again with this second edition of the constituency stakeholders’ meeting which will enable us sit together to brief you on our activities in the last one year, to rub minds and obtain first-hand information concerning the state of affairs and assess the level of development and needs of our constituents.

“We submitted the collated complaints and request of our constituencies to His Excellency, the governor of Lagos State, Mr. Akinwumi Ambode, for Executive Action.

I am pleased to inform, that the report has been receiving the attention of the governor, and part of your requests and our recom-

mendations have been implemented across the state.

“Some of the complaints and requests that are being acted upon by the governor are, the pen Cinema overhead bridge at Agege, two roads in each of the Local Government Areas and Local Council Development Areas of the State, the Memorandum of Understanding on the fourth Mainland Bridge and very many other projects that are being executed across the state between the last constituency stakeholders meeting of Thursday, 12th November 2015 and today. “The Governor had through circular no. MEPB/B/2015/ 10 from the Ministry of Economic Planning and Budget with Ref. No: MEPB/B.2016/774/iv/7 dated 30th August, 2016 stated as follows: “In line with the policy of the state government of inclusive governance, the process leading to Y2017 budget commenced with the yearly budget consultative forum which provided an avenue for citizens and residents of the state in the three (3) Senatorial Districts to make inputs into the budget. MDAs are enjoined to incorporate these inputs into their budget proposal (Annexure 1). In addition, members of the Lagos State House of Assembly held Constituency Stakeholders’ meeting across the 40 Constituencies of our state and the reports are equally available as inputs into Y2017 budget.

“This is our testimony to you that your contributions during stakeholders meeting are valuable and that our governor listens.

It is our delight to note that since our last meeting, the first of its kind to hold simultaneously in the state, other agencies of government, both at the Federal and State level, have also held stakeholders meetings, engaging members of the public on policies and programmes of Government. This is a drive to bring governance closer to the people in order to facilitate participatory governance”.

Giving further account of his stewardship

to his people, he disclosed that six major roads had been constructed in the area, while five others are on-going. This is aside the on-going Abule Egba and pen Cinema fly over bridges as well as pedestrian bridges at Cement bus stop, Dopemu and Iyana Ipaja.

The All Progressives Congress (APC) chieftain however tasked Lagosians to take good care of government projects in their communities to enjoy their benefits for a long period of time.

From Ikeja to Kosofe, Ikorodu, Epe, Alimosho, Somolu, Mushin, Eti-osa, and others, the scenario was the same. To underscore the importance of exercise officials of the Assembly and the state Ministry of works were on hand to document the people’s demand for two days.

Those who could not speak during the event were assured that their memoranda would be looked into by the lawmakers.

One after the other, contributors at the events commended the Obasa-led Assembly for ensuring that some of their demands in 2015 had been executed. They however tasked the lawmakers to ensure that they continue in this light to ensure basic infrastructure were provided across the state.

Speaking on the exercise, the chairman, House committee on Information and strategy, Hon. Tunde Braimoh, assured Lagosians of the Lawmakers support. According to him, most of the requests made last year would be taken care in the Medium Term Expenditure Frame work (MTEF), which will last for three years.

He also paid glowing tributes to Governor Ambode for performing excellently well to the admiration of all so far. Braimoh who said the House had lived up to its billing as the foremost State Legislature in Nigeria, added that the pro-people bills passed by the House were aimed at safeguarding the lives of Lagosians and attracting investments.

-Adefulu is a Lagos based journalist

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Loosening the Burden of History:Transition and Installation of Ooni of Ife and the Claim of Oore of Otun-Ekiti Adekanmi Abayomi

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t is not my style to join issues with people on history, but I think I need to react to this particular piece about Odùduwà’s relationship with Oore of Otun-Ekiti, which was published by some national newspapers, not THISDAY. It is important to reply this unscrupulous write-up because some elements need to be checked and, perhaps, prevented from misleading the general public with their slothful sense of history. I am neither an ethnic chauvinist nor jingoist, but I only have special affinity for history and my interest is that I abhor history being distorted and concocted in the face of impeccable facts.

On the 30th day of July 2015, an article titled: “How Oòni of Ife’s Death Should Be Announced,” was published by a national newspaper and the said article claimed that the rightful and traditional person to announce the demise of the Oòni of Ilé-Ifè is Oore (King) of Otun-Ekiti (Mobaland) and that before a new Oòni can be installed, Oore of Otun-Ekiti has a special role to play. The history of Otun-Ekiti, on its website, further corroborated the facts in the above mentioned article and also said that after Odùduwà joined his ancestors, Oore (the first king and founder of Otun-Ekiti) was sent for and returned to Ilé-Ifè to perform all necessary rituals for the burial of Odùduwà and also played a leading role in the installation of Odùduwà’s successor. The above claims of the Otun-Ekiti and their promoters are not just laughable but vicious, fiendish, and shallow.

When I read this article together with the history of the Otun-Ekiti on its website, the first

question that came to my mind was: how old was Oore and where was Oore when Odùduwà reigned in Ilé-Ifè? At least, for them to be friends, as claimed by the history of Otun-Ekiti, they must have been contemporaries or existed at the same time.

According to Honsbira and St. Ifa 2008, J.E. Ireyefoju 2013, Odùduwà reigned in Ilé-Ifè around 30BC. While both oral tradition and written evidence acknowledged Oore as the founder of Otun-Ekiti and led his people out of Okun-Moba (Moba Sea) in the present coastal area of Lagos (Eko) around 1500CE. The people of Otun-Ekiti under the leadership of Oore settled in different places at different times, including Moba near Mushin in Lagos and passing through Ilé-Ifè before they finally settled at their present location. Some of the places they passed through after Ilé-Ifè include Akure, Oke Olodun and Ipole before moving to their present site over 400 years ago. Oral tradition directly traced the root of Otun-Ekiti to Lagos (Eko) not Ilé-Ifè.

History only links Oore to Ilé-Ifè when Oore with his people had a stopover in Ilé-Ifè around 1500CE and Odùduwà was no more alive at that period. History never told us that Oore was one of the sons or grandsons or great grandsons of Odùduwà. Evidently, the above said article and the history of Otun-Ekiti only claimed that Oore and Odùduwà were brothers and best of friends, respectively. Though, these are not only conflicting but a thing of mere imagination.

On who is responsible for the announcement of an Oòni’s demise, Ilé-Ifè. Traditional Council has numerous duties, some of which are to announce the demise of an Oòni, select and install a new Oòni in conjunction with the isoro chiefs. Ilé-Ifè Traditional Council is made up of

16 kingmakers and they are divided into two groups: the eight traditional chiefs on the right are known as Ihare or Agba Ife and headed by Obalufe of Iremo, Ilé-Ifè, while another eight traditional chiefs on the left are known as Modewa, and headed by Lowa of Ilé-Ifè.

Isoro chiefs, headed by Obadio, are the custodians of all other deities in Ilé-Ifè. They are in charge of dialect and languages of gods and goddesses of the land. Isoro, as a group, is a powerful deity in Ilé-Ifè kingdom. As tradition demands, isoro chiefs are deeply involved in traditional burial of an Oòni. The pre-burial rites and the burial will be moderated only by members of the isoro. Oòni of Ilé-Ifè and Obalufe of Iremo, Ilé-Ifè, are also part of the isoro. According to the Araba of Osogbo-land, Chief Yemi Elebuibon, when an Oòni joins his ancestors, his body becomes that of the town. The Isoro group will take over his body. The Isoro chiefs are the ones who worship the Oro deity, appease the deities when a new Oòni is crowned, and also inform the various deities when an Oòni joins his ancestors. It is a rite. After the needful traditional rites and necessary consultations might have been done by the traditional chiefs and isoro chiefs, the children of Odùduwà and the Governor of Osun State will be accordingly briefed by Ilé-Ifè Traditional Council before it becomes public consumption.

According to traditional practice of Ilé-Ifè, the Traditional Council, led by Obalufe and Lowa, is the rightful traditional authority to announce such incident. This council has been doing this from time immemorial. We should not forget that the stool of Obalufe is as ancient as the city of Ilé-Ifè itself. Apart from the fact that Obalufe is the King (Orunto Obalufe) of Iremo, Ilé-Ifè, he is also the Prime Minister of Ilé-Ifè and second in

Percentage of Metered Customers: 52%

Total Number of Customers: 6,164,775

rank to the Oòni of Ilé-Ifè.

In 1980, Ilé-Ifè Traditional Council challenged late Chief Bola Ige, the then Governor of the old Oyo State, for announcing the demise of late Oòni Adesoji Tadeniawo Aderemi on the floor of the old Oyo State House of Assembly without being briefed first by the Ilé-Ifè Traditional Council. The council considered the ex-governor’s action as an act of encroachment and an insult to Ilé-Ifè’s long standing tradition. Ige was widely condemned for assuming the responsibility of Ilé-Ifè Traditional Council.

On the 12th day of August 2015, Obalufe of Iremo, Ilé-Ifè, late Oba Solomon Folorunso Omisakin, led the Ilé-Ifè Traditional Council to the Osun State Government House, Osogbo, where the Governor of Osun State, Ogbeni Rauf Aregbesola, was formally informed by late Oba Omisakin that the 50th Oòni of Ilé-Ifè, Oba Okunade Sijuwade Olubuse II Akitikori, Ebitikimopiri, had joined his ancestors.

Omisakin stressed that the announcement of Oòni’s demise was delayed because such announcement must be done in accordance with the tradition and custom.

From the above, Oore of Otun-Ekiti is neither an Obalufe nor Lowa nor a member of Ilé-Ifè Traditional Council nor a member of Isoro. Therefore, Oore is totally irrelevant to either the announcement of the demise of an Oòni or selection, installation and coronation of an Oòni. Oore and Otun-Ekiti’s claims are not only embarrassing but highly fictitious, unbelievable, products of distortion and generally amount to cheap popularity.

––Abayomi is an Ilé-Ifè Prince, maritime lawyer, and shipbroker.

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GAVEL TO GAVEL

Edited by Vincent Obia Email vincent.obia@thisdaylive.com

A dilapidated jetty at the training school in Onne

A Revealing Tour of Naval Formations The House of Representatives Committee on Nigerian Navy (NN) recently toured several naval formations in Calabar, Lagos and Port Harcourt. Damilola Oyedele who was part of the tourwritesthatthechallengescausedbygrossunder-fundingthreaten theNavy’scapabilities to execute its mandate of maritime security

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head of the presentation of the 2017 budget, members of the House of Representatives Committee on Nigerian Navy, led by the Chairman, Hon. Abdussamad Dasuki, embarked on an inspection tour of naval formations and facilities in Calabar, Lagos and Port Harcourt. The exercise is crucial to providing the committee, as critical stakeholders, with first hand experience of the available resources of the force.

The Nigerian Navy is considered one of the largest on the African continent. It is charged with the responsibility of maritime security in its territorial waters. This has become critical in protecting the country’s economic zone particularly in recent times with issues of illegal oil bunkering and militancyin the creeks and the high seas.

Obvious challenges caused by under-funding In the last four to five years, the level of release of funds to the navy has been considered deplorable. According to former Chief of Naval Staff, Rear Admiral Usman Jibrin, the navy’s 2014 proposed capital estimate was slashed from N174.1billion to N7.9billion, sadly at a time when the force needed huge expenditure in infrastructure.

This has however been the trend for a long time, manifesting in decaying infrastructure including jetties, obsolete equipment and training materials, lack of maintenance of ships resulting in some being un-usable, lack of funds to properly maintain naval

bases, etc.

At the Eastern Naval Command, the lawmakers were conducted round the premises of the base by the Flag Officer Commanding (FOC), Rear Admiral James O. Oluwole, who showed them several spots where erosion continues to threaten the structure of the base. At a point, gully erosion had practically cut off a road. The FOC noted that major reconstruction and preventive work had to be executed at the site to stop part of the base from collapse.

One of the major jetties at the base is also no longer usable as corrosion has eroded the irons and steel used in its construction. The lawmakers also observed several broken down gun boats.

The FOC harped on the need for more accommodation for officers and ratings, for more platforms and for more boats for the command to effectively police the waters.

At the naval bases in Lagos, the situation was the same. At the Headquarters Western Naval Command, the FOC, Rear Admiral Ferguson D. Bobai led the committee members round the premises. He highlighted the challenges being experienced by the command, particularly in the area of funding, The lawmakers encountered one of Nigeria’s largest ships, NNS Aradu, which was commissioned in 1982 by the Shehu Shagari administration. The ship requires 33,000 litres of diesel to operate at full speed.

Regaling the committee with exploits of the ship, the FOC however lamented that she had been docked for over seven years, and would require millions to be put back to use.

The lawmakers were scheduled to visit Onne, base of the Navy Basic Training School by navy boats. On the way, three of the boats conveying the committee members broke down while in the creeks, and the passengers were transferred to the other three boats. The three boats were fixed by the technicians on board, and later joined the others at Onne. On the way back to Port Harcourt, one of the two engines on a boat failed, slowing down the entourage, and dragging a 45 minutes journey into two and half hours

The committee visited the Naval Dockyard, Victoria Island, which is the only integrated dockyard in the West African coast, and has arsenal and electrical workshops. It was however clear that the potential of the dockyard which has been fully commercialised is not being harnessed. The Dockyard Apprentice School for training technicians has been out of operation, and is just in the process of being rehabilitated.

The FOC, Rear Admiral Abdullah Danladi, disclosed that the dockyard was grappling with shortage of skilled manpower, lack of fenders along its jetties, ageing equipment, defective cranes, collapsing jetties and other challenges, all of which are caused by under funding.

He added that the monthly bills from the electricity distribution company runs into an average of N4 million monthly.

Hon. Dickson Tarkighir (Benue APC) however noted that the dockyard needed to harness its potentials by advertising its ability to merchant ships in the maritime sector.

He also urged them to explore alternative sources of energy.

At NNS Pathfinder in Port-Harcourt, lawmakers were also presented with the challenges of the unit in the face of fighting militancy, piracy and oil theft.

The lawmakers were scheduled to visit Onne, base of the Navy Basic Training School by navy boats. On the way, three of the boats conveying the committee members broke down while in the creeks, and the passengers were transferred to the other three boats. The three boats were fixed by the technicians on board, and later joined

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Cont’d from Pg.82

the others at Onne. On the way back to Port Harcourt, one of the two engines on a boat failed, slowing down the entourage, and dragging a 45 minutes journey into two and half hours. Disembarking at NNS Pathfinder at about 8.25pm, torchlights were used to illuminate the ladder path for the lawmakers, as the generating set could not power the floodlights at the dock.

At all the bases visited, the Chairman and committee members assured of commitments to ensure that the navy gets better funding, particularly for welfare and infrastructure.

An officer, who pleaded not to be named told THISDAY that while the spirit of the ratings generally remains high, they were also aware that their equipment and facilities were not standard.

“For instance, the Special Boat Service (SBS) receive very good training, they are special forces, they are tough, they know it and they are proud of themselves because to be in SBS is purely on merit. They can board any ship, even when there is some resistance. They can swim under water, fully kitted for long. But they are not well equipped,” the officer said.

“For instance, if we sight a vessel in our waters and we are not aware of its business, before even communicating with them, we can find out electronically from our patrol boat, the name of the vessel and origin. But the equipment for doing that is broken down in most of our boats, so we have to radio the ship to identify herself,” a rating said.

Not All Sour News At the Western Naval Command NN Ugbu, a tugboat built in Nigeria, and named after an officer who died in the hands of militants during the Niger Delta crises, was presented to the lawmakers. She is awaiting commissioning alongside NNS Unity which is being expected from China in less than two months.

The command is currently working to get NN Ugbu and other indigenous boats registered with the International Maritime Organisation, so that they can be exhibited and showcased as proof of Nigeria’s ability to build boats.

“Why go abroad to spend $40,000 when we can do it for $10,000,” he queried.

At the Naval Training Command (NAVTRAC) also in Apapa, which the FOC, Rear Admiral Ifeola Mohammed described as the ‘engine room of the Nigerian Navy,” the lawmakers also toured the facilities. They encountered ratings and officers learning difference languages such as Spanish, Arabic and Chinese.

The lawmakers paid an unscheduled visit to the Navy Barracks, Mobil Road in Apapa, and were received by Surgeon Commodore G.S Ugwuadu at the medical centre.

The centre seemed well equipped, and is primarily used by navy personnel and their families. It however also entertains patients from sister forces with their barracks nearby.

The committee was particularly impressed with the facilities at Onne: Navy Basic Training School and the Nigerian Naval College.

Massive renovations were ongoing as at when the committee visited.

The Committee’s Position Speaking with THISDAY in an interview at the end of the five-day inspection tour, Dasuki lauded the zeal, patriotism and commitment of the officers and ratings of the Nigerian Navy, and also praised the efforts of the commanding officers at keeping their men motivated.

The committee chairman however harped on the need for the country to do better for its naval force in terms of welfare.

“These are people sacrificing their lives to ensure the safety of our exclusive economic zone, the overall maritime domain, and we are here giving them inadequate equipment, that is very unfair to the nation itself,” Dasuki said.

Weighing in on the discourse on the need for the establishment of an outfit similar to the United States coast Guard, the lawmaker emphasised that the country does not need another outfit to police its waters, as it is already part of the duties of the Nigerian Navy.

“We have an existing structure which covers that, we have not empowered them, yet we are trying to create another problem.

Eastern Naval Command FCO, Rear Admiral JO Oluwole (middle) showing the commitee chairman, Hon. Abdussamad Dasuki (2nd right) and other member spots where erosion threatens the base

NNS Ekun and NNS Siri being refitted at the Naval Dockyard

We should not even have that in mind, so anyone thinking that way is not doing justice to the Navy. If it is being considered as a means to empower people through employment, it has already been stated that the Navy needs more personnel. Considering

At the Western Naval Command NN Ugbu, a tugboat built in Nigeria, and named after an officer who died in the hands of militants during the Niger Delta crises, was presented to the lawmakers. She is awaiting commissioning alongside NNS Unity which is being expected from China in less than two months

the size of our waterways, they need more ” he said.

It all however boils down to funding, the lawmaker from Sokoto noted, adding that proper funding of the Navy would lead to an increase in personnel which would come hand in hand with accommodation and equipment demand.

Still on funding, the House Committee chairman lamented that there has been gross underfunding of the Navy over the years which is now manifest in obsolete equipment, deteriorating ships, jetties on the verge of collapse and other signs of neglect.

“Every ship is supposed to get at least 30 percent of its total cost of purchase to maintain it annually, this is the standard practice. So if you make just five percent, it means you are just waiting for the doomsday,” Dasuki said.

He added that a Trust Fund was being considered through legislation to entitle the Navy to a certain percentage of what is being generated from the maritime sector.

This would assist in maintenance of ships and procuring equipment.

Despite the challenges, Dasuki expressed pride in the Navy, Chief of Naval Staff, Rear Admiral Ibot- Eke Ekwe Ibas, the FOCs, officers and ratings. “…irrespective of the situation, they are giving their very best to the country. There is discipline and with the meagre resources and welfare, they are in high spirits. So we need to commend them for their service to

the motherland,” the committee chairman said.

Hon. Diri Donye (Bayelsa APC) also weighed in on the ‘coast guard’ conversation, insisting there is no need for such outfit.

“If you bring in a coast guard, would they not suffer the same fate? Then the second question is, can the Navy effectively police the whole waterways, do they have the personnel,” he said in an interview.

Any gaps which require such outfit, can be filled by the NN, if there is adequate funding, he said.

“Under-funding is a cause for worry, and that is why we have criminality in the waterways. Yes, the terrain is difficult, but again if the navy is adequately funded, and the federal government lives up to its expectations in the area, criminality would be reduced. In fact the criminality has a direct relationship with under-development of the area,” Donye added.

Another member, Hon. Henry Nwawuba (Imo PDP) also noted that he was impressed with the Nigerian Navy, despite the challenges being experienced.

He however noted that the inherent danger of under-funding the navy was that it may not be able to prosecute a war, should there be war, in addition to defending the economic zone.

“It is important that we prepare, even when we do not need it, because if the situation arises where we need it, we may have to face which one we think is more important,” he said.

He also harped on the need to holistically treat all issues affecting the navy, including welfare for the ratings and officers who risk their lives on a daily basis in service to the country.

Conclusion The current state of the Nigerian Navy gives cause for worry, at a time the nation needs all the proceeds from its natural resources to assist it get out of economic recession.

The Nigeria Extractive Industries Transparency Initiative (NEITI) noted that $11 billion worth of crude was stolen between 2009 and 2011 while $5.9 billion was lost to oil theft in 2013. According to Nigerian National Petroleum Corporation (NNPC), Nigeria lost N12.56 billion to oil theft and vandalism in March 2016 alone.

Considering the scale of these losses caused by the theft of crude usually transported through the waters, it is therefore pertinent that the navy’s capabilities be strengthened to better police the maritime domain.

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SUNDAYSPORTS

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

Mikel, Musa, Iheanacho Battle Mahrez, Slimani, others for CAF African Footballer Award

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igeria stars Kelechi Iheanacho, Mikel Obi and Ahmed Musa are among 30 players nominated by the Confederation of African Football (CAF) for the African Footballer of the Year 2016 award.

This is Iheanacho’s first-ever nomination for the continent’s top individual accolade after he enjoyed a breakthrough season with Manchester City in the English Premier League. The 20-year-old striker has also established himself at full international level after he has represented Nigeria at U17 and U20 levels.

Chelsea midfielder Mikel inspired Nigeria to win bronze at the recent Rio Olympics, while Ahmed Musa has shone at Russian champions CSKA Moscow before his big-money move to Leicester City.

One of the favourites for the award is Algerian playmaker Riyad Mahrez, who was voted the best player of the last Premier League season by his fellow professionals.

His fellow Algerian and teammate at Premiership champions Leicester City, Islam Slimani was also nominated. In all, three Algerians were nominated, just like Nigeria.

Coted ‘Ivoire are the other country with three nominees.

Former winner, Cameroonian Samuel Eto’o has also been nominated along with the current holder, Pierre Emerick Aubemeyang of Gabon and Borussia Dortmund.

Surprisingly, there is no nomination for

four-time winner Yaya Toure of Cote d’Ivoire and Manchester City.

Other notable names include Sadio Mane who plays for Senegal and Liverpool, and Egypt international, Mohammed Salah who plies his trade with Roma.

The full list of nominees include: 1. Riyad Mahrez (Algeria & Leicester City) 2. El Arabi Hillel Soudani (Algeria & Dinamo Zagreb) 3. Islam Slimani (Algeria & Leicester City) 4. Samuel Eto’o (Cameroon & Antalyaspor) 5. Benjamin Mounkandjo (Cameroon & Lorient) 6.

Serge Aurier (Cote d’Ivoire & PSG) 7. Eric Bailly (Cote d’Ivoire & Manchester United) 8. Yao Kouasi Gervais ‘Gervinho’ (Cote d’Ivoire & Hebei Fortune) 9. Mohamed Salah (Egypt & Roma) 10. Mohamed El Neny (Egypt & Arsenal) 11. Pierre-Emerick Aubameyang (Gabon & Dortmund) 12.

Andre Ayew (Ghana & West Ham) 13.

Victor Wanyama (Kenya & Tottenham) 14.

William Jebor (Liberia & Wydad Athletic Club) 15. Mehdi Benatia (Morocco & Juventus) 16. Hakim Ziyech (Morocco & Ajax) 17. John Mikel Obi (Nigeria & Chelsea) 18.

Kelechi Iheanacho (Nigeria & Manchester City) 19. Ahmed Musa (Nigeria & Leicester City) 20. Cedric Bakambu (DR Congo & Villareal) 21. Yannick Bolasie (DR Congo & Everton) 22. Sadio Mane (Senegal & Liverpool) 23. Kalidou Koulibaly (Senegal & Napoli) 24. Keegan Dolly (South Africa & Mamelodi Sundowns) 25. Itumeleng Khune (South Africa & Kaizer Chiefs) 26.

Mikel (left) and Mohamed Elneny are both on the CAF shortlist for African Footballer of the Year

Mbwana Samatta (Tanzania & Genk) 27.

Aymen Abdennour Tunisia & Valencia) 28.

Wahbi Khazri (Tunisia & Sunderland) 29.

Dennis Onyango (Uganda & Mamelodi Sundowns) 30. Khama Billiat (Zimbabwe & Mamelodi Sundowns).

Premier League: City, Spurs Stumble; Arsenal Win Conte Praises Moses after Chelsea Thump RESULTS Leicester

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C

helsea manager Antonio Conte has again praised Victor Moses after he scored from his new wing-back position in a convincing 3-0 home win over Leicester. Moses scored in the 80th minute before he was replaced by fellow Nigerian Olaoluwa Aina two minutes later.

“When I arrived at Chelsea I told the club I wanted to see Victor in preseason because I knew him very well and I knew about his great potential.

He played well as a winger when we were playing with a 4-2-4,” Conte said after the game.

“He’s a very good player, now he’s playing as a wing-back and it’s fantastic because he pays great attention in defence and can go one against one in attack. Alonso always played this role but Moses is a winger. His education is fantastic. I’m pleased for him.

“If someone shows they deserve to play I have no problem, I don’t care about the surname.”

Murray

anchester City twice missed penalties in a 1-1 draw with Everton yesterday as 10-man Arsenal went level with them on points at the top of the Premier League table after seeing off Swansea 3-2. Arsenal leapfrogged Tottenham Hotspur into second place after their arch north London rivals also dropped points in a 1-1 draw away to West BromwichAlbion.

Following fouls by Phil Jagielka, Everton goalkeeper Maarten Stekelenburg saved penalties from Kevin de Bruyne and Sergio Aguero – his second spot-kick failure this week after he was off target in Argentina’s World Cup qualifying defeat by Paraguay.

Romelu Lukaku then fired the visitors ahead in the 64th minute at Eastlands before substitute Aguero’s miss.

But City, who’ve now gone three games without a win in all competitions, equalised in the 72nd minute when Nolito headed in Silva’s cross as former Barcelona teammates turned managers Pep Guardiola (City) and Ronald Koeman (Everton) had to settle for a point apiece.

“We did absolutely everything – Everton create just one chance which was a goal,” said Guardiola.

“The players have all the qualities to score penalties but we miss a lot. Hopefully we will score more of them in future.”

At the Emirates, Theo Walcott scored twice as Arsenal defeated Swansea for a sixth straight win in all competitions. Walcott struck in the 27th minute after Jordi Amat failed to clear Hector Bellerin’s headed cross.

The England international doubled the Gunners’ lead seven minutes later following Hull’s failure to clear a corner.

Swansea, in former United States manager Bob Bradley’s first game in charge, saw Gylfi Sigurdsson equalise in his 100th appearance for the Welsh club with a 38th-minute curling shot But Mesut Ozil marked his 28th birthday by restoring Arsenal’s two-goal advantage with a 57th minute-volley.

Swansea saw Borja Baston pull a goal back and Arsenal had to play the final 20 minutes a man down after Granit Xhaka received a straight red card for a challenge on Modou Barrow.

“We could never capitalise on the two-goal cushion but at least we got the three points,” said Arsene Wenger, the Arsenal manager.

Tottenham dominated possession at The Hawthorns only for former Spurs star Nacer Chadli to put the Baggies ahead eight minutes from time.

But Dele Alli’s 89th-minute equaliser preserved Spurs’ unbeaten league record.

Tottenham manager Mauricio Pochettino said: “We missed the opportunity to achieve three points but in the same way it was a difficult game.”

Liverpool will go level with the top two if they beat bitter rivals Manchester United tomorrow.

Chelsea hammered champions Leicester City 3-0 at Stamford Bridge thanks to goals from Diego Costa, Eden Hazard and Victor Moses.

Defeat meant the Foxes had won just two of their eight league games this season and manager Claudio Ranieri, a former Chelsea boss, said: “Our approach to the match was not good.”

The result gave Antonio Conte, Ranieri’s fellow Italian, a much-needed win after speculation he

was about to be sacked as Chelsea manager.

“From the start I asked them to play well with intensity and to try to do what we are doing in training,” said Conte. “This is the best game for us.”

Chelsea Bournemouth Arsenal Man City Stoke City Napoli Juventus Leganes Barcelona Atl Madird Real Betis

3–0 6–1 3–2 1–1 2–0 1–3 2–1 2–3 4–0 7–1 1–6

Leicester City Hull City Swansea City Everton Sunderland Roma Udinese Sevilla Deportivo Granada Real Madrid

Murray in Shanghai Masters Final, Djokovic Crashes Out

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ndy Murray is through to the Shanghai Masters final and will play Roberto Bautista Agut, after Novak Djokovic smashed his racquet and tore his shirt as he lost to the Spaniard. The world number one, 29, lost 6-4 6-4 to world number 19 Bautista Agut.

Murray reached his 10th final of the year with a determined 6-4 6-3 semi-final win over France’s Gilles Simon. The 29-year-old Briton, seeking his sixth title of the year, saw off world number 32 Simon in a confident display.

If Murray wins today’s final he will be just 915 points behind Djokovic in the annual rankings points, increasing his chances of finishing as the year-end world number one.

Having ripped his shirt open in frustration, Djokovic was further incensed at receiving a time violation when changing into a new one, raising the point forcefully with umpire Carlos Bernardes at the end of the match.

“He was the star of the show,” Djokovic said of the official. “That’s what he wanted to be today.

But there are definitely things that I need to regain

Murray

from the emotional, mental point of view.”

Djokovic, who has won the event three times and was also aiming to reach his 10th final of the season, said exhaustion may have played a part in his mood during the match. “I had to experience this sooner or later,” he said. “I knew I could not go on playing at the highest level for so many years all the time.”

T H I S D AY, T H E S U N D AY N E W S PA P E R • OCTOBER 16, 2016

High Life

85 wiTh LANRE ALFRED 08076885752

...Amazing lifestyles of Nigeria’s rich and famous

Mixed Blessings...Bola Tinubu Absent as Estranged Godson, Muiz Banire, Titillates Lagos at 50

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uiz Banire rocks. The dashing politician tickled Lagos from the base to the rafters, like a Victorian Lord, tickling the fancy of the Queen and a fawning nobility. There is no gainsaying Banire won the heart and applause of Lagos’ high society as he clocked the golden age of 50, last week.

Echoes of the classy shindig reverberates through the nooks and cranny of Lagos even as you read.

Banire, a threetime commissioner of Lagos, threw a colourful birthday party at the Eko Hotel & Suites, where he hosted top politicians, business moguls, corporate players and legal luminaries.

In attendance were, Governor Ibikunle Amosun and his wife, former Ekiti State

Governor, Kayode Fayemi and others were seen celebrating with him.

Predictably, Banire’s political benefactor and national leader of the All Progressives Congress (APC), Bola Ahmed Tinubu, and some other top politicians were absent at the party.

Tinubu made Muiz, no doubt. They used to be very close and inseparable, but in politics, there are no permanent friends, or enemies. All there is, are permanent interests.

It is however, saddening to see how politics has destroyed the relationship between Banire and his estranged godfather, Tinubu.

Their relationship has deteriorated.

Politics has indeed, rent asunder, the erstwhile rosy relationship between Banire and his political godfather.

Erastus Akingbola

SILENCE OF THE WOLVES...AS ERASTUS AKINGBOLA TURNS 66 Silence troubles Erastus Akingbola. It haunts him and twists his mind’s best strings into strains of discord and a nonmelodic chime.

In the silence, Akingbola senses a ghost of impressions of his true worth. It’s a nightmare for the former bank chief who got booted from office in a haze

of scandal and legal prosecution.

The former Managing Director of Intercontinental Bank would be 66 years old in few days but unlike the past when newspapers would be awash with birthday greetings and advertorials from cronies, business associates and hangerson, he’s not even sure if such will happen this year. This arouses insinuations that most of the former bank chief’s friends and associates were wolves in sheep’s clothing. Many of them milled around Akingbola and worshipped him simply because of the benefits they could enjoy by their association with him, argued a source close to the former banking juggernaut.

The former bank chief understands that he has simply become inconsequential in the estimation and schemes of men and women who lived to worship him back when he was a towering bank boss.

Akingbola went low profile in 2009 when the Sanusi Lamido Sanusi tsunami swept through the banking industry and swept off Akingbola. He sought refuge in London until he returned to the country to face charges of monumental sleaze and fraud levelled against him and other top bankers. Even though he was granted bail by the court after being remanded in EFCC

Muiz BAnire

custody for weeks, he still living a low profile life and adjusting to life without the exaggerated obsequiousness and panoplies of power.

SHOCKER! HERE ARE THOSE WHO DON’T WANT JAMES IBORI BACK Like the neurotic catfish that lies on the bed of the river, precariously settled in the mud, waiting to be speared, some aides, families and business associates of James Ibori, former Delta State governor are somewhat paranoid.

They live in dread of the day James Ibori will finally emerge from prison, as a free man. A close source to the ex-governor revealed that following reports that Ibori will complete his jail term in few weeks, families and close allies that he left in charge of his businesses and assets in Nigeria have started running helter-skelter to revive the mostly moribund businesses.

In frantic effort to salvage what’s left of the former governor’s businesses and assets, family and friends left in charge of his estate while he served his jail term, are seriously planning to resuscitate his dying business empire.

It would be recalled that in 2012, Ibori was convicted by the South Crown Court in London, United Kingdom (UK)

and consequently, sentenced to 13 years imprisonment. Since his incarceration, close allies and relations have reportedly mismanaged most of the properties and businesses and some have even diverted the gains from the businesses into personal use while some have changed the names of Ibori’s organisations to their own.

The latter certainly has a lot of things to be fearful of.

James Ibori

T H I S D AY, T H E S U N D AY N E W S PA P E R • OCTOBER 16, 2016

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HIGHLIFE

Vintage Bola Shagaya...At 57, Billionaire Magnate and Powerbroker Tows a Quiet Path

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s a starryeyed teen with dreams of bliss, she mustered her puny will to excite the tallest of dreams. Spurred by an innate confidence and determination that belied her frame, she found the wherewithal to turn her gaze finally outward even as she summoned her strength from inwards.

Hajia Bola Shagaya is 57!

Curiously, however, to the surprise of her loved ones and high society, she ditched renown and other accoutrement of affluence, to host a modest celebration as she turned 57 recently. Many who had thought that the businesswoman would tune up the music and blast to no end in celebration of her birthday were in for a surprise as there was no sign of partying, either in

her Abuja or Lagos homes. But to their surprise, she simply called for prayers as she attained another year. Shagaya is surely one woman who has carved a niche for herself in virtually all the challenging but profitable business ventures one can think of and at 57, she has shown no sign of slowing down her roll in expanding her horizon. She is a philanthropist too. Unarguably one of the richest businesswomen in Nigeria, Bola currently enjoys the status of a powerbroker and queen of luxury.

Shagaya has interests in oil, banking, communications and photography. Recently, she made remarkable forays into the real estate sector by building hundreds of town houses for which renters pay $180,000 per year.

KING OF LUXURY...THE AMAZING WORLD OF JULIAN OSULA

•SOPHISTICATION MEETS CLASS IN THE BOSS OF JULIAN’S LUXURY

Julian Osula understands the language of success. He speaks it remarkably well. Thus Osula is an inspiration to all; he paved his road to acclaim like the proverbial fortune hunter that dared the odds and braved through storms to create eternity from a moment. Osula’s wealth bears the sweet, dazzling glow of infinity; pundits would say it’s because he worked for it.

Even his detractors would acknowledge that he toiled really hard to chance on affluence.

Thus his acceptance as a worthy king of luxury.

Osula has been around for a long time. It would be recalled that he was one of late Gen. Sani Abacha’s loyalists back when the military dictator was in power.

His ability to earn the trust

of the ruling class owes to his infectious sociability and sophistication, according to a very close source to the luxury king. Osula, besides his gift of amiability, exudes a dashing and inspiring taste for quality and the good life. For instance, his love for luxury cars is legendary.

Osula loves expensive cars.

Checkout his garage in the Victoria Garden City (VGC), and you will be accosted with a sight for sore eyes. Osula’s flaunts in his garage the most expensive cars from Brabus Mercedez to Lamboughini. Perhaps this explains the ladies’ love for him and his male peers mounting adoration of him. Osula is easily the darling of every billionaire magnate and socialite in the country. From former Petroleum Minister, Diezani Alison-Madueke, to Africa’s richest billionaire mogul, Aliko Dangote, Osula is the darling of everyone. It is also a known fact that his influence extends to the presidency; few people will forget in a hurry that he was a great acquaintance of former President Goodluck Jonathan back when he was in power.

Osula is also the representative of Richard Mille, the prominent designer, in Nigeria. Osula’s firm, Julian’s Luxury, is undoubtedly Nigeria’s premier high end luxury and lifestyle brand which has a distinctive and elegant presence at the prestigious, boutique hotel, The Wheatbaker, Ikoyi, Lagos.

TO HELL WITH MISCHIEF! GODWIN EMEFIELE AND KEMI ADEOSUN ARE NO ENEMIES

Julian Osula

•CBN GOVERNOR REFUTES RUMOURS OF BEEF WITH FINANCE MINISTER

There’s a certain beauty in discord for the mischievous.

Bola Shagaya

Godwin Emefiele

The melody of strife and infinite loathing bespeak a dark, wild lust for conflict. This explains the recurrent strife afflicting men and women in high offices, whenever they catch the fancy of minstrels of hate and conflict.

As you read, makers of mischief are sowing seeds of discord between Godwin Emefiele and Kemi Adeosun. The Governor, Central Bank of Nigeria (CBN) and Nigeria’s Finance Minister respectively, are caught in the web of men and women who would love to see them engage in a war of will and frantic ego.

To counter their devious exploits Emefiele and Adeosun would not engage in a desperate dance to the gallery. Contrary to reports of alleged conflict between them, Emefiele recently said there was no discord between him and Adeosun.

It would be recalled that Adeosun in September, said

Kemi Adeosun

the fiscal authorities were in need of low interest rates, to reduce the cost of borrowing.

However, contrary to Adeosun’s request, the Monetary Policy Committee (MPC) of the CBN held interest rates at 14 percent, thus indicating disunity between fiscal and monetary authorities.

But in a swift response to rumours of strife between them, Adeosun and Emefiele said there was no such disharmony and that their offices were working to achieve the same goal of driving growth.

PARTY AND POLITICS...

ADEBUTUS TURN KIDS’ BIRTHDAY PARTY TO CAMPAIGN GROUND

•LOTTO KING’S SON CAMPAIGN FOR VOTES AT THREE-YEAR-OLDS’ BIRTHDAY

Politics mixes with pleasure on the playground of the filthy rich. Little wonder merriment and high politics engaged

T H I S D AY, T H e S u n D AY n e w S pA p e r • OCTOBER 16, 2016

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HIGHLIFE

Two of a Kind...Infinite Brilliance and Modesty of Banking Czarinas, Bola Adesola and Sola Borha

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es, Bola Adesola and Sola David Borha are remarkably different. The Managing Directors (MDs) of Standard Chartered Bank and Stanbic IBTC respectively cut brilliant portraits of genius and modesty. Unlike too many of their male and female counterparts in positions of power in the banking sector and other industries, Adesola and Borha are never haughty or guilty of false modesty. They are no painted faces, chained to false personas by a common yearning to exploit and defraud. Neither do they play pretend in a dark industrial Ponzi scheme in which all the characters are perceived frauds. Adesola and Borha rather epitomise the finest of Nigeria’s league of extraordinary leading ladies.

The fact that each woman presides and calls the shots atop two of Nigeria’s most successful foreign-owned business enterprises, confirms their brilliance and inspiring exploits in the nation’s banking industry, according to pundits.

The two women are so disciplined. They affect a cultured, modest professional work ethic thus they are not given to frivolities or extravagance of any kind. They do not dress obscenely neither are they obsessed with vulgar and expensive jewelry. They are very simple in outlook and character and their banks are doing pretty well. This can hardly be said of their peers, many of whom are fixated with material pursuits and other worldly vanities.

The desperately seek to live like rock stars and emperors.

Ladi Adebutu

in entangled tango at the mansion of Chief Kessington Adebutu, like two Cuban dancers daubing the waltz in exotic steps. It was all blissful and fun for the family of the lotto king as he celebrated his twin children’s third birthday recently.

The party which was a Disney-themed party had in attendance, top dignitaries and socialites. Music artiste, Reekado Banxx, performed at the event. Though the recently installed Asojuoba of Lagos and his wife went all the way to make the occasion a memorable one for the kids and guests

Sola Borha

in attendance, it was also an avenue created for the aspiring Ogun State governorship candidate, Ladi Adebutu, son of Chief Kessington, to campaign for the 2019 election. Although we are still in 2016, the quest for the 2019 general elections has already begun as politicians and men with ambition are secretly and openly declaring their intentions. Ladi is one of such men. Ladi intends to contest the governorship election in Ogun state come 2019. Already, Ladi has a contender for the post in Senator Kashamu Buruji. The two lawmakers representing Ogun state at the National Assembly intend to govern the state come 2019.

Even though they belong to the same party and they both hail from the same area in the Ijebu axis of the state, Ladi and Kashamu are not ready to back down for each other. While Kashamu is banking on his wide influence in the politics of the state, Ladi is banking on the wealth of his father as well as the support of former governor of the state, Otunba Gbenga Daniel, who is a strong associate of Chief Kensington Adebutu.

Bola Adesola

his sins. And Orji Uzor Kalu, would proudly tell all and sundry that failure is neither a part of his genetic code nor the albatross of his beautiful daughter, Neya. Orji Kalu is ecstatic over his daughter’s wedding. The former governor of Abia State is happy over the upcoming wedding of his daughter Neya on December 26, 2016. The billionaire’s daughter is set to tie the knot

FORMER ABIA GOVERNOR, ORJI UZOR KALU, ECSTATIC OVER DAUGHTER, NEYA’S MARRIAGE •WHY HE IS THRILLED OVER HER DECISION TO MARRY NOW

It is not a tragedy written in

Neya Orji Kalu

with her fiancé, Lawrence Iyere, a successful businessman. Both families are really excited as plans for the big day kicksoff. However, the billionaire business man and father to the bride is ready to throw his delectable daughter a wedding that will remain the talk of Abia and neighbouring states as he plans to leave no stone unturned to make her day a memorable one.

ON THE TRAIL OF OVUNDAH AKOROLO… Yes, every generation parades its bracket of peashooters desperate enough to shoot at Gibraltar. Often times they fail, not because they lack the guts to do so but because their context of forces often serves as mere battle aids.

Ovundah Akarolo is remarkably different. Unlike his peers, he is patient and he slings no random pea shots at Gibraltar.

The most impressive aspect of his ascendancy to the top is the manner in which he seeks and attains self-actualisation - like a champion. It’s quite extraordinary. However, our attention has been drawn to a factual inconsistency in our last report where we erroneously referred to Ovundah Akarolo as the boss of MoniPulo. We have since been reliably informed that Ovundah is not the boss of Moni Pulo.. The error is regretted.

Sunday October 16, 2016

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& RE A S O

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Price: N400

MISSILE

Buhari to Wife

“I don’t know which party my wife belongs to, but she belongs to my kitchen and my living room and the other room.”

– President Muhammadu Buhari responding to a remark by his wife, Aisha, that his government has been hijacked by a cabal

SIMONKOLAWOLE SIMONKOLAWOLELIVE!

simon.kolawole@thisdaylive.com, sms: 0805 500 1961

Like a Thief in the Night

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nprecedented. Dictatorial. Needful.

Nigerians have deployed different adjectives to describe the overnight search of the homes of “corrupt” judges, including Supreme Court justices, by the Department of State Services (DSS). The DSS, on its part, said it was a “sting operation” — even when no suspect was caught in the act. DSS was obviously taught Use of English by the Nigerian army which recently said Boko Haram leader Abubakar Shekau was “fatally wounded” — but did not die! Well, if no death is involved, then it is not fatal. Simple. One man recently said he had a “domestic accident” on Lagos-Ibadan expressway. After all, English is not our language!

Unprecedented. Never in the history of Nigeria have homes of judges, including serving Supreme Court justices, been searched to obtain evidence of corruption. Never have Supreme Court justices been arrested on the allegations of corruption. Also unprecedented is the alleged discovery of millions of raw dollars and naira in the homes of judges.

So many unprecedented things are happening in our country these days. How would the judges be tried? That is also unprecedented: taking serving Supreme Court justices to a magistrate or high court. The justices are livid with rage.

They clearly never thought this could happen to them too. It used to happen to mere mortals.

Dictatorial. The centre point of the argument of many of those opposed to the DSS action is that President Muhammadu Buhari is becoming a full-blown dictator and is using state agencies to implement intimidation. There are fears that Nigeria is lapsing into a police state where security agencies are freely used to scare the hell out of everybody. In a democracy, many argue, civil institutions such as the police force, EFCC and ICPC should be allowed to engage directly with citizens when laws are broken.

Involving the military, as we saw in the Zaria massacre of December 2015, will never end well.

Unleashing the DSS, many have said, will also not end well.

I’m aware that many are pushing the “rule of law” argument out of ulterior motives — but I agree with them, in toto, that we are in real danger of dictatorship when DSS begins to take the centre stage in matters that could have been handled by EFCC or ICPC. (I do not trust the police with corruption cases, so I have left them out of the equation so that they can focus on armed robbery.) The DSS has the tendency to overdo things. Its operatives believe they are above the law and can do anything they like.

A DSS operative once pulled the gun on my wife and myself for jogging on the road in front of their office at Shangisha, Lagos. We were a few seconds from premature death.

Nevertheless, those making the “separation of powers” argument are missing the point completely. I heard someone complain that there is “separation of powers in democracy” and, therefore, the executive should allow the judiciary to deal with its own cases of corruption.

To start with, separation of powers means the three arms of government have their distinct functions: the legislature makes the law, the executive implements the law and the judiciary punishes those who break the law. Therefore, the legislature does not convict offenders, the

Mahmud Mohammed, CJN judiciary does arrest lawbreakers, and the executive does not make laws.

Of course, roles overlap on occasion: the executive issues “executive orders” that tend to be laws on their own; cases settled at the Supreme Court which are not covered by existing legislations are essentially laws (“case laws”), although lawmakers can formally turn them to laws or make new laws to cover the loopholes; and the legislature is empowered to issue bench warrants for the arrest of public officers who refuse to honour its invitations — but it is still the executive, as represented by the police, that will carry out the arrest. That is the doctrine of separation of powers: no arm of government should do the job of the other.

It must also be noted that this is purely a presidential democracy concept. In the parliamentary system of government, the Westminster type practised in the UK which Nigeria inherited in 1960 before discarding in 1979, the legislature and executive are fused: ministers are picked from the parliament. Also, the House of Lords — the upper legislative chamber — was the final court of appeal in the British judicial system until the establishment of the Supreme Court in 2009. To equate separation of powers with democracy is, thus, a complete misconception. We don’t stand to lose anything by making our arguments within the facts.

As for those saying the National Judicial Council (NJC) should be the only body punishing the judges and anything else is a violation of the rule of law, I disagree. NJC deals with issues of ethics in the judiciary but the state can prosecute crimes committed by judges. The medical and dental council deals with ethics in the medical profession, but does that mean the police cannot arrest a doctor for murder? Does having a press council mean the police cannot arrest a journalist for blackmail and extortion? And, by the way, where are those who applauded the DSS for withdrawing operatives from Speaker Aminu Tambuwal after defecting to APC in 2014?

Needful. Many who support the DSS action have argued that the end justifies the means.

They don’t mind if the rule of law is tampered

with as long as the motive is to fight corruption.

It is said that when Nigerians are committing the crime, they don’t remember the rule of law, but as soon as they are called to serve the time, they begin to wave the constitution in our face.

Actually, many people who have been involved in court cases, especially election petitions, are unable to describe the extent of corruption in the judiciary. Some prominent lawyers specialise in bribing judges. Only God knows how many heartless billionaire judges and lawyers we have produced since 1999.

You see judges of equal jurisdiction granting opposing injunctions, even when we, non-lawyers, can tell that this is completely out of order. You see judges issuing perpetual injunctions that a former governor should not be quizzed or arrested over corruption allegations. Can you imagine that a governor has immunity from prosecution while in office, and the immunity continues after he has left office? Where was NJC? That is the perfidy that has been perpetrated by Nigerian judges. And what has the NJC done, if I may ask, apart from reprimand or retire rouge judges — while their loot remains intact and they walk free and become consultants? Is this the definition of justice?

Finally, can DSS dabble into corruption cases?

The National Security Agencies Act of 1986 says in section 3(a) that the agency shall be charged with responsibility for the prevention and detection within Nigeria of any crime against “internal security”. So is corruption a matter of “internal security”? I would think DSS is duplicating the duties of EFCC and ICPC. But section 3(c) of the Act allows the National Assembly and the president to determine what constitutes “internal security”. To be clear, it was under former President Goodluck Jonathan that the DSS set up its anti-graft unit. Remember the case of ex-Jigawa governor Sule Lamido and his sons? Good.

Now to my takes on these arguments. One, judges, lawyers, priests and anybody else except governors, deputy governors, president and vice-president can be arrested for corruption, according to our laws. Two, it is not only the NJC that can or should punish erring judges.

A disciplinary body cannot replace the courts — although the NJC itself is insisting on being the sole authority. Three, while tradition was broken by the DSS search, no law was violated since they reportedly secured search warrants from a court of law. Four, henceforth, the DSS should focus its attention on “internal security” and give whatever corruption evidence it has to EFCC and ICPC. I would conclude by warning that the DSS must be restrained in its conduct. Invading citizens’ homes at midnight and breaking down walls and doors will only make sense if the DSS is dealing with terrorists, drug lords and other dangerous criminals. The DSS could have achieved the same result by simply going to the judges’ homes at 9am, knocking on the door, serving them court warrants and carting away the “evidence”. The resort to excessive use of force and violence is an overzealous display of power which traumatised us in the days of military rule. We must resist any attempt to normalise these Gestapo-inspired operations in a democracy. Draconian.

And Four Other Things...

AISHA’S STUNNER Are you as shocked as I am over the BBC interview with the first lady, Mrs Aisha Buhari, in which she effectively described her husband as weak and the APC government as rudderless? I have never heard any first lady launch such a politically explicit tirade.

Her words were weighty and direct: clearly an indication that things are falling apart in President Buhari’s political family. I can’t read her mind, but it would appear she has chosen to take the bull by the horns by openly attacking members of Buhari’s inner circle. I am really confused. I am not convinced by most of the interpretations in the public. We have not heard the last about the intrigues inside Aso Rock. More!

‘THE OTHER ROOM’ Responding to his wife’s claims that his government has been hijacked, President Buhari cracked one of the most expensive jokes ever: “I don’t know which party my wife belongs to, but she belongs to my kitchen and my living room and the other room.”

Although he laughed while saying it, he was touching a raw nerve on the archaic mindset about the role of women in the society. He reinforced stereotypes at a time significant gains are being made in gender promotion.

Already, his failure to appoint a significant number of women as ministers has been seen as a big reversal for gender gains, and his latest utterance is just too damaging.

Unfortunate.

CHIBOK GIRLS Thank Goodness 21 Chibok girls have regained their freedom. We would love to have all of them back as soon as possible, but at least this raises hopes that many of them are still alive. The sight of malnourished and traumatised girls troubled my soul and deeply saddened me. I’m happy that the Bring Back Our Girls movement did not give up the fight; it appears we would have completely forgotten about these teenagers if the campaign had been abandoned all along. I am happy for the parents of the released girls but I can feel the pain and anxiety of the others who are hoping that their wards are also alive and would return someday. How do I describe that feeling? Mixed.

TRUMP CARD It’s interesting, isn’t it, that whenever we think Republican candidate Donald Trump is down and out and should therefore shut up, he never gives up on himself. His recently exposed demeaning statements on women, which many men make but are lucky enough that they go unrecorded, should ordinarily make him accept that the game is over.

However, his supporters are not abandoning him and he may have fans who are just quiet but would rather talk with their votes on November 8. Some are thoroughly disgusted by Trump but are not convinced

by Senator Hillary Clinton either. That may just be Trump’s biggest card. Scary.

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