Sunday 19th March 2017

Fiscal, Monetary Authorities Meet Ahead of MPC Parley Monday Kunle Aderinokun Preparatory to the meeting of the Monetary Policy Committee of the Central Bank of Nigeria (CBN), which commences tomorrow, a retreat was held on Friday and Saturday for fiscal and monetary authorities, which included Minister of Finance,

Kemi Adeosun; Minister of Budget and National Planning, Senator Udoma Udo Udoma; and Minister of Industries, Trade and Investment, Dr. Okey Enelamah. The retreat also had in attendance members of the academia, which included professors of economics, senior bankers, and MPC members.

The purpose of the meeting was to widen the consultation of MPC on monetary policy initiatives and ensure harmonisation between the fiscal and monetary authorities.

Their meeting, which started on Friday and continued on Saturday, will now inform what would be discussed at

the MPC meeting tomorrow.

Meanwhile, when the MPC begins its two-day meeting tomorrow, analysts believe that adjustment to the policy rates is not likely to be on the card. This is because, while the current macroeconomic indicators are favourable, it is necessary to monitor the

trend in the coming months before taking a policy decision.

Analysts, who pointed out that the reduced inflation rate and improvement in foreign exchange situation, (which has impacted the naira favourably), have helped in stabilising the markets and reducing pressures in the economy, advised the

MPC to tread cautiously and not be too hasty in making new monetary policy pronouncement.

For the first time in 15 months, the consumer price index (CPI), which gauges inflation, reversed the rising Continued on page 8

Supreme Court Hears PDP Chairmanship Case Thursday ...Page 10 Sunday 19 March, 2017 Vol 22. No 8004

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Onyema: ‘Tiny Minority’ of Nigerians Affected by Xenophobic Attacks in S'Africa Says joint body of both countries imminent to address ‘trust deficit’

Damilola Oyedele and Kasim Sumaina in Abuja

Foreign Affairs Minister Geoffrey Onyema yesterday said only a

few Nigerians were affected by the racist attacks on foreigners, especially Africans, in South Africa, which is becoming a frequent occurrence in the former

apartheid country. Onyema, who spoke in Abuja when he appeared on Arise TV, a sister company to THISDAY, said the vast majority of Nigerians

Saraki: Attacks reveal lack of integration

in South Africa were living in peace and doing well in the country. His comments were a surprise to all who expected a more proactive response to the

incessant xenophobic attacks by South Africans that have often targeted Nigerians.

Onyema identified communication gap between

Nigerians living in South Africa and that country’s authorities as a major damper on cordial Continued on page 8

Senate Forecloses Reconsideration of Ibrahim Magu as EFCC Boss Saraki writes president on his rejection

Omololu Ogunmade and Damilola Oyedele in Abuja Based on extant Senate rules, the upper legislative chamber will not reconsider Mr. Ibrahim Magu as the substantive Chairman of Economic and Financial Crimes Commission (EFCC) should he be renominated.

Citing Senate Rules, Order 131, Senator Dino Melaye (Kogi West) said President Muhammadu Buhari could not validly re-nominate Magu for the job again as the provision would not allow members consider his nomination, having been rejected at a senate session.

Order 131 of the Senate Rules states that, ”nominations neither confirmed nor rejected during the session or within 21 working days in the case of ministerial nominees shall be returned by the Clerk to the National

See THISDAY Style Inside…

Assembly to the President of the Federal Republic of Nigeria and shall not again be made to the Senate by the President of the Federal Republic of Nigeria".

Magu was rejected by the Senate after he was screened on Wednesday – exactly three months after the parliament first rejected him at its December 15, 2016 closed-door session, citing damning corruption allegations against him by the Department of State Services (DSS).

Buhari had on January 24, 2017, represented Magu for confirmation, noting he had been cleared of the allegations of corruption leveled against him.

Magu was however considered for screening the second time because he had not been rejected at an open session.

His rejection of December 15, 2016 was done at an executive session, a move which generated criticisms and apparently prompted Senate's decision Continued on page 8

UNITED AGAINST XENOPHOBIA

L-R: Nigeria High Commissioner to South Africa, Martin Cobham; Leader of the House of Representatives, Femi Gbajabiamila; former South African President, Thabo Mbeki; chairperson, House Committee on Foreign Affairs, Nnena Ukeje-Elendu, after the House delegation on Xenophobic attacks met with the former South African leader in Johannesburg ...weekend

Cross River CJ Dies at 63...Page 11

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T H I S DAY, T H E S U N DAY N E W S PA P E R Ëž MARCH 19, 2017

PAGE EIGHT SENATE FORECLOSES RECONSIDERATION OF IBRAHIM MAGU AS EFCC BOSS has to be reported back to the president," the source said.

The source however, declined to state the exact date the transmission was made.

On Thursday, Special Adviser to the President on Media and Publicity, Mr. Femi Adesina, said the presidency was yet to receive any communication on Magu's rejection.

When contacted on the phone last night, Enang told THISDAY that though there had been a communication between the Senate and the Presidency, he was not privy to the content of the letter. "Yes, there has been a communication between the Senate and the Presidency but the content there-of is privileged," he stated.

Following his re-nomination by the President, Magu was screened last Wednesday but was again rejected by the senate, citing a second DSS report which showed that he "failed integrity test."

Consequently, the Senate said Magu should henceforth cease to act as the commission's chairman. It also advised Buhari to send the name of a fresh nominee to the parliament for consideration.

While announcing Magu's first rejection on December 15, 2016, after about two hours of closed door meeting, Senate's spokesman, Sabi Abdullahi, had cited unfavourable security report as the reason for Magu's rejection.

in his keynote address at the Crans Montana Forum of Africa and South-South Cooperation for Africa's Development in Dakhla, Morocco.

FISCAL AND MONETARY AUTHORITIES MEET AHEAD OF MPC MEETING MONDAY A statement by Sarakiâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s special assistant on public affairs, Mr. streak, having stood at 17.78 per basis unchanged. They also ment in the last few weeks, CFG Advisory Ltd, Adetilewa cent in February, representing requested the MPC to retain a change in monetary policy Adebajo, stated that, with Mohammed Isa, quoted the 0.94 per cent reduction from the Cash Reserve Requirement might be too soon. the advent of the ERGP and senate president as saying that 18.72 per cent that it recorded (CRR) at 22.5 per cent and â&#x20AC;&#x153;We believe more time is the slight easing of inflationary the â&#x20AC;&#x153;contagious nature of poverty in January. This is expected to retain Liquidity Ratio at 30 required before a monetary pressure, the expectation is shows that the challenges on affect interest rates positively. per cent. policy change can be effective that MPC should maintain the continent must be viewed This followed the improvement According to them, â&#x20AC;&#x153;The under the current situation. At status quo. from a regional perspective. in the gross domestic product deceleration in inflation and its January 2017 meeting, the The Director, Union Capital "The challenge of cross-border (GDP) growth rate, which slower rate of decline in MPC maintained the monetary Markets Ltd, Egie Akpata, crimes, the smuggling of small closed 2016 at -1.5 per cent, GDP growth, make it very policy rate at 14 per cent, with who also didnâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;t see MPC better than the -1.7 per cent likely that the CBN will take the asymmetric corridor at +200 making any change to any arms and light weapons across predicted by the International a neutral stance with respect basis points and -700 basis of its key rates, argued that, our borders; or even the wave Monetary Fund (IMF). to the benchmark interest rate. points; retained the cash reserve â&#x20AC;&#x153;The reversal in rising inflation of terrorist activities, provide Besides, there had been Recent CommuniquĂŠs by the requirement and liquidity ratio for one month is not enough another compelling reason why effective cooperation and consistent accretion to the MPC have implied that fiscal, at 22.50 per cent and 30 per for them to cut rates.â&#x20AC;? foreign exchange reserves, rather than monetary expansion cent respectively,â&#x20AC;? they posited. â&#x20AC;&#x153;Particularly as month-on- partnership is almost a matter which has translated to in- would be required to boost In fact, the FSDH analysts month inflation was higher in of life and death.â&#x20AC;? terventions in the interbank growth. The recent release of stated that, taking cognisance February than January. Besides, Onyema said on the forex market by the CBN, the Economic Recovery and of the economic developments with US Fed hiking rates last television programme, â&#x20AC;&#x153;The which has so far supplied a Growth Plan (ERGP) signals in the country and impact of week and in hiking mode, a South African government total of $1.715 billion for both that robust fiscal policy to the external developments on rate cut will have negative wholesale and retail purposes complement monetary policy the economy, they expected impact on the Naira,â&#x20AC;? he added. condemned everything that's . The frequent injection of FX is underway.â&#x20AC;? the MPC to hold rates at Likewise, Executive Director, gone on and they felt very funds has ensured adequate On the exchange rate, the current levels. â&#x20AC;&#x153;We are Corporate Finance, BGL Capital bad about it because they liquidity in the market and the Access Bank analysts also of the opinion that the Ltd, believed, â&#x20AC;&#x153;Given that the themselves acknowledged the drastically brought down the anticipated â&#x20AC;&#x153;no change in Nigerian economy should most important indicators for role that Nigeria played in the exchange rate of the dollar to the FX policy stance by the move into positive territory consideration for the MPC are dark days of apartheid and so the naira to N449 from N520 CBN as the monetary regulator in Q2 2017. This recovery is inflation and exchange rates feel very ashamed about what that it exchanged on Febru- evaluates whether the changes based on the improvements in and the two facing moderation happened.â&#x20AC;? ary 20, when the apex bank it enacted in February have crude oil production, oil price in recent times, a hike in the He said the reports about commenced the intervention. been sufficient in improving above US$50/b and growth benchmark rate is not likely.â&#x20AC;? Nigerian casualties or victims Presenting their position, liquidity.â&#x20AC;? in the agricultural sector. The Ademola therefore mainanalysts at The Economic Similarly, analysts at FSDH planned FGN Savings Bond tained that, â&#x20AC;&#x153;In other not to of xenophobia in South Africa Intelligence Unit of Access Bank Merchant Bank Ltd, expected and the efforts of the Federal fuel inflation and also provide were often exaggerated. â&#x20AC;&#x153;Well, figures are always stated that, having considered the MPC to â&#x20AC;&#x153;hold rates at the Government to reflate the liquidity that can be used for the recent positive develop- current levels when it meets economy will also support foreign exchange speculations, not correct but, you know, ments, the MPC should retain on March 20-21, 2017.â&#x20AC;? this argument,â&#x20AC;? they added. the committee may not consider the reality is a tiny minority MPR at 14 per cent, leaving â&#x20AC;&#x153;Although both the inflation Aligning with Access lowering the rate; hence the of Nigerians have been actually the asymmetric corridor of rate and foreign exchange rate Bank and FSDH analysts, most likely action of the MPC affected. The vast, large numbers +200 basis points and -500 have shown signs of improve- Chief Executive Officer, The is to retain the MPR.â&#x20AC;? of Nigerians in South Africa are living in peace, doing extremely well, contributing well to the country. When you quote a figure of 20 and then you also say about 800, 000 living there, it's not true in anyway,â&#x20AC;? Onyema stated. He said, however, â&#x20AC;&#x153;It's not any consolation even if it's one person that is killed, it's relatively not small."

The minister said the federal government had decided to send a delegation to South Africa because of the frequency of the attacks. According to him, "We really wanted to have a concrete mechanism in place.

Obviously, there have been a lot of talk and nothing has changed.

We had met with the Nigerian community over there, there is a Nigerian Union of South Africa and we met with their leadership. We went through all the issues and all the challenges faced by Nigerians in South Africa. â&#x20AC;&#x153;Something that struck me was that there was a communication gap, the Nigerian community does not have access to the higher echelons, indeed, to the South African Ě&#x2039; Ë? Ă&#x2122;Ă&#x153;Ă&#x2014;Ă?Ă&#x153; Ă&#x153;Ă?Ă?Ă&#x201C;Ă&#x17D;Ă?Ă&#x2DC;Ă&#x17E; Ă&#x2122;Ă&#x2122;Ă&#x17D;Ă&#x2013;Ă&#x;Ă?Ă&#x2022; Ă&#x2122;Ă&#x2DC;Ă&#x2039;Ă&#x17E;Ă&#x2019;Ă&#x2039;Ă&#x2DC;Ë&#x153; Ă&#x201C;Ă Ă?Ă&#x153;Ă? Ă&#x17E;Ă&#x2039;Ă&#x17E;Ă? Ă&#x2122;Ă Ă?Ă&#x153;Ă&#x2DC;Ă&#x2122;Ă&#x153; ĂŁĂ?Ă?Ă&#x2122;Ă&#x2014; Ă&#x201C;Ă&#x2022;Ă?Ë&#x153; Ă&#x2039;Ă&#x2DC;Ă&#x17D; Ă&#x17D;Ă&#x2122; Ă&#x17E;Ă&#x2039;Ă&#x17E;Ă? Ă?Ă&#x2122;Ă&#x161;Ă&#x2013;Ă?Ă? Ă?Ă&#x2014;Ă&#x2122;Ă?Ă&#x153;Ă&#x2039;Ă&#x17E;Ă&#x201C;Ă? Ă&#x2039;Ă&#x153;Ă&#x17E;ĂŁ government or authorities to Ă?Ă&#x2019;Ă&#x2039;Ă&#x201C;Ă&#x153;Ă&#x2014;Ă&#x2039;Ă&#x2DC;Ë&#x153; Ă&#x2039;Ă&#x2DC; Ă&#x153;Ă&#x152;Ă&#x201C;Ă&#x2019;Ë&#x153; Ă&#x17D;Ă&#x;Ă&#x153;Ă&#x201C;Ă&#x2DC;Ă&#x2018; Ă&#x2039; Ă&#x161;Ă&#x153;Ă&#x2122;Ă&#x201D;Ă?Ă?Ă&#x17E; Ă&#x17E;Ă&#x2122;Ă&#x;Ă&#x153; Ă&#x17E;Ă&#x2122; Ă&#x2014;Ă&#x2039;Ă&#x153;Ă&#x2022; Ă&#x17E;Ă&#x2019;Ă? Ă?Ă&#x2122;Ă&#x153;Ă&#x2014;Ă?Ă&#x153; Ă&#x161;Ă&#x153;Ă?Ă?Ă&#x201C;Ă&#x17D;Ă?Ă&#x2DC;Ă&#x17E;ĚłĂ? Ă Ă&#x201C;Ă?Ă&#x201C;Ă&#x17E; Ă&#x17E;Ă&#x2122; Ă&#x201C;Ă Ă?Ă&#x153;Ă? Ă&#x17E;Ă&#x2039;Ă&#x17E;Ă? Ë&#x203A;Ë&#x203A;Ë&#x203A;ĂŁĂ?Ă?Ă&#x17E;Ă?Ă&#x153;Ă&#x17D;Ă&#x2039;ĂŁ be able to communicate their

grievances, to provide warning and to engage with them. So, I thought that this was the missing link that could have solution to the problems. And we proposed to the South Africa government and they accepted thankfully.â&#x20AC;?

Onyema stated that the government of South Africa favoured the formation of a body comprising the South African police and representatives of Nigerians in that country. He said the general feeling among Nigerians in South Africa was that the countryâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s police were more likely to be complacent about the attacks or even encouraged them. â&#x20AC;&#x153;So, there is a trust deficit there,â&#x20AC;? the foreign affairs minister stated, stressing, â&#x20AC;&#x153;This unit we are building, we have the South African police represented there, the South African home affairs ministry, which has political oversight over the police, the Ministry of Foreign affairs.

Then, on the Nigerian side, sitting on the same table, the Nigerian High Commission, the Nigerian Consulate and the Nigerian Union and some South Africans. â&#x20AC;&#x153;This will be a mechanism or forum in which they could speak to each other directly and so if there were signs of imminent attacks or whatsoever, it could be addressed. â&#x20AC;&#x153;Another thing that they sort of expressed concern about was that they themselves as Nigerians heard information about the criminal elements among the Nigerian community. But if they communicate this to the police, very often the information got to the criminals. So, this is also a forum we felt they could communicate concerns, information and intelligence gathered from Nigerians.â&#x20AC;?

Though, Onyema â&#x20AC;&#x153;acknowledged, as reported, that a small minority of Nigerians in South Africa are engaged in inexcusable criminal behaviour, drug trafficking, prostitution, human trafficking, and fraud,â&#x20AC;? he said, â&#x20AC;&#x153;But the point we wanted to make was that these should be dealt under the criminal laws of South Africa and should not lead to such widespread xenophobic attacks; and also to remind the authorities that the vast majority of Nigerians are law-abiding citizens contributing to the South Africa society and the South African economy.â&#x20AC;?

On Brexit, Onyema said it was for the British, â&#x20AC;&#x153;As far as Nigeria is concerned, in all honesty, I'm not sure that it's going to make any difference for the country.â&#x20AC;?

to accept his nomination the second time.

Following divergent views on the rejection of Magu by the Senate and strident calls in some quarters on the President to re-nominate him or continue to keep him in acting capacity, Melaye, in a statement issued Saturday, urged the President to consider nominating a fresh candidate with the qualifications, experience, integrity, knowledge and temperament to head the EFCC. â&#x20AC;&#x153;Those suggesting to the President that after failing to scale the confirmation process twice, the President should leave Magu to be acting, are only recommending violation of the law, disrespect for due

process and perpetration of illegality. All these will only undermine democracy and constitutionalism in our country,â&#x20AC;? he said.

"Those drafters of the law who made the provision that the Senate should confirm the nomination of the EFCC chairman did not make any mistake and nobody should observe the law in the breach by getting a person into that office who has not been confirmed.

Magu is not greater than the law creating EFCC. Magu is not the last messiah. He can't be the only competent person for the job out of 170 million Nigerians. Should he voluntarily decline the appointment today, will EFCC fold up?", Melaye

queried.

Meanwhile, the Senate has formally communicated last Wednesday's rejection of the nomination Magu as the substantive chairman of EFCC to President Buhari.

THISDAY checks on Saturday revealed that the correspondence to the President was signed by Senate President Bukola Saraki on Wednesday after the plenary where Magu was screened and rejected.

THISDAY was also informed that the correspondence was handed to Senior Special Assistant to the President on National Assembly (Senate) Matters, Senator Ita Enang, for onward delivery to the President on Thursday, March 16.

An impeccable source who did not want to be named told THISDAY that votes and proceedings of Wednesday, March 15, 2017 were transmitted to the president in accordance with legislative practice.

"On the screening of EFCC nominee, Ibrahim Magu, the President of the Senate has sent a communication to President Muhammadu Buhari.

In compliance with standard of legislative practice, the President of the Senate has forwarded the votes and proceedings of Wednesday to the president because the standard of legislative practice is that every request sent to the National Assembly by the president when completed,

ONYEMA: â&#x20AC;&#x2DC;TINY MINORITYâ&#x20AC;&#x2122; OF NIGERIANS AFFECTED BY XENOPHOBIC ATTACKS IN S'AFRICA relations, saying a joint body by the two countries is being formed to address the problem.

But Senate President Bukola Saraki described the attacks as indicating a lack of appreciation

of the benefits of integration

by Africans. Saraki said cooperation was the answer

to the continentâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s numerous development challenges. He made the remarks yesterday

9

T H I S D AY, T H E S U N D AY N E W S PA P E R ˾ MARCH 19, 2017

SUNDAY COMMENT

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

TUITION FOR FEDERAL UNIVERSITIES

T

It has become imperative to review the tuition-free policy in the universities

he Committee of Vice Chancellors (CVC) of Nigerian Universities last week recommended that parents, guardians and other critical stakeholders must begin to share the financial burden of education in the federal universities. The idea, according to Prof. Michael Faborode who spoke on behalf of the vice-chancellors, was to “enable students pay revised fees commensurate with the true value of university education. The current inclination towards free tuition or free university education is unrealistic to the national vision for practical and qualitative education and not sustainable”.

While we share the position of the CVC on the unsustainability of tertiary education under the current arrangement, we hasten to add that the issue goes beyond introduction of fees to the overall management of public tertiary education for optimal results. Besides, in urging the management of these universities to “think out of the box” by exploiting all alternative and additional means of funding, including payment of tuition fees, the CVC is merely re-echoing the recommendation contained in an earlier federal government report.

In April, 2012, the committee on the restructuring and rationalisation of federal government parastatals, commissions and agencies headed by a former Head of Service, Mr. Stephen Oronsaye, identified the tuition-free policy for undergraduates in federal universities, the near absence of good governance structures, dearth of quality research, decline in ethical and professional practices by lecturers, as some of the factors responsible for the sharp decline in the standards of tertiary education in Nigeria.

In expressing deep concern that no Nigerian university was ranked among the top 1,000 in the world “irrespective of whatever matrix that was used”, the Oronsaye committee recommended a five-year phased disengagement of the federal government from funding the top six “first generation universities” with effect from the 2013 fiscal year. The institutions are: University of Ibadan; University of Nigeria, Nsukka; Ahmadu

Bello University, Zaria; University of Lagos; Obafemi Awolowo University, Ile-Ife and University of Benin. But the proposal was rejected by the administration of President Goodluck Jonathan which established the committee.

M

The recommendation to jettison the idea of free tuition in our federal universities and replace it with a structured arrangement makes sense. But we must also ensure that inability to pay tuition fees will not deny indigent citizens a tertiary education

Letters to the Editor

S U N DAY N E W S PA P E R EDITOR TOKUNBO ADEDOJA DEPUTY EDITOR VINCENT OBIA, OLAWALE OLALEYE 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, IJEOMA NWOGWUGWU GROUP FINANCE DIRECTOR OLUFEMI ABOROWA DIVISIONAL DIRECTORS PETER IWEGBU, FIDELIS ELEMA, ANTHONY OGEDENGBE DEPUTY DIVISIONAL DIRECTOR OJOGUN VICTOR DANBOYI SNR. ASSOCIATE DIRECTOR 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

eanwhile, the existing template of funding public universities derives from the old Soviet Union model. The basic assumption then was that the universities were established to fill the national need for high level manpower to run a centralised economy and bureaucracy. The state then had a responsibility to pay the bills, establish uniform standards and remunerate academics like civil servants on a uniform salary scale.

However, since the mid-1980s, the society and its economic philosophy have changed. We are now a free market economy imperfect as the system may be. The rise of numerous private primary, secondary and tertiary institutions testifies to this.

There is therefore now a sense in which there is a price tag on the quality of education that our citizens get. And to the extent that the cost of funding the universities has risen in line with general market trends and an uncontrolled population, the government alone cannot adequately fund tertiary education to place our federal universities in a position of competitive advantage.

Therefore, the recommendation to jettison the idea of free tuition in our federal universities and replace it with a structured arrangement makes sense. But we must also ensure that inability to pay tuition fees will not deny indigent citizens a tertiary education. Part of the funds from the education tax fund should be dedicated to funding a national student loan scheme strictly for genuinely indigent students. Alumni endowments and private sector investment in municipal services should also constitute the basket of resources for running the universities. On their part, students should derive funding for their education from student loans, parents contributions, on campus and off campus part time employment, etc.

The other imperative that is badly needed in the universities is a different management structure. Federal universities can thrive on a combination of student fees, consultancy services, endowments from the private sector, alumni initiatives, etc. But these resources require a different management structure from the present very corrupt oligarchy of politicised vice-chancellors.

The financial and business management of the universities ought to be separated from the academic management. Academics should manage the research and teaching functions while seasoned business and finance managers should be engaged to run university endowments as self-sustaining ventures as obtains in several other countries.

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.

INSECURITY AS CONSEQUENCE OF FAMILY MISUNDERSTANDING

W

henever lives and property are not free from attack, danger, risk or loss in a particular place, it could be deemed as a state of insecurity. This is the case in most parts of the world today.

God formed man from the dust of the ground, He named him Adam and later caused man to sleep, during which He took a rib out of him and made a woman known as Eve. There were several descendants from these two human beings up to Abraham and his wife, Sarah. Sarah could not bear a child for Abraham and so she took her maid, Hagar, the Egyptian and gave her husband to sleep with.

Abraham then met Hagar and she bore a son called

Ishmael. At this time, Sarah was 86 years old.

However at the age of 90, Sarah bore a son for Abraham who was one 100 years of age and he named him Isaac. A year before Isaac was born, God appeared to Abraham and said He will bless his wife, Sarah, make her a mother of nations and kings of people shall be from her. He also said He will establish his covenant with Isaac for an everlasting covenant and with his descendants after him. He promised to bless Ishmael, make him fruitful, multiply him exceedingly as he shall beget 12 princes and make him a great nation.

At a point, Sarah asked Abraham to cast out Hagar and her son. Although her request was displeasing to

Abraham, God told him not to let it be displeasing in his sight but to listen to Sarah’s voice which he did.

The Arabs are from the lineage of Ishmael, the first offspring of Abraham and their faith is Islam while the Jews are of Abraham’s lineage whose second son is Isaac and their faith is Christianity. Obviously, the Arabs and the Jews are family members because their ancestries are both products of two different seeds of one man, which is Abraham.

There seem to be a feeling by the Arabs and their followers that Ishmael came to this world before Isaac was born and that Hagar and her son were slighted when Sarah asked Abraham to cast them out while the Jews and their followers on

the other hand feels they are children from the actual wife of Abraham, Sarah, and also have a covenant with God. This family misunderstanding has led to supremacy struggle in the form of propagating religion and establishment of institutions and organisations by Moslems and Christians in order to have more world dominance.

While the later may be harmless, the formal has no doubt manifested through the desire to forcefully acquire territories which has led to destruction of lives and property in some parts of the world. While appreciating the responsible conduct of some Moslems, I wish to lament that of others.

If only they understand that Christians and Moslems belong to one family, they will call themselves to order.

The United States President, Donald Trump is not unaware of this and that is why he said in his inaugural speech in January that, “We will reinforce old alliances and form new ones and unite the civilised world against radical Islamic terrorism, which we will eradicate from the face of the earth.”

Still in January, later after his inauguration, Trump tweeted that, “Christians in the Middle-East have been executed in large numbers.

We cannot allow this horror to continue.”

It is my desire to remind Trump that Christians in Nigeria have also been affected by killings and he should be decisive in his approach to world insecurity.

–– Donald Gaadi, Abuja

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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 Ëž RCH 19, 2017

SUNDAYNEWS

News Editor Ă&#x152;Ă&#x201C;Ă&#x2014;Ă&#x152;Ă&#x2122;Ă&#x2013;Ă&#x2039; Ă&#x2022;Ă&#x2122;Ă?Ă&#x201C;Ă&#x2013;Ă?

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Supreme Court Hears PDPâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s Case Thursday t As Jonathan meets Wike t State party chairmen back Dickson

Ernest Chinwo Ă&#x201C;Ă&#x2DC; Ă&#x2122;Ă&#x153;Ă&#x17E; Ă&#x2039;Ă?Ă&#x2122;Ă&#x;Ă&#x153;Ă&#x17E; Ă&#x2039;Ă&#x2DC;Ă&#x17D; Onyebuchi Ezigbo Ă&#x201C;Ă&#x2DC; Ă&#x152;Ă&#x;Ă&#x201D;Ă&#x2039;

The Supreme Court will on Thursday in Abuja, the nationâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s capital, hear the case filed by the SenatorAhmedMakarfi-ledNationalCaretakerCommitteeofthe Peoplesâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;DemocraticParty(PDP), challenging a recent judgment of the Court of Appeal, which restored the Senator Ali Modu Sheriff leadership of the party.

This however came at a time former President Goodluck Jonathan,yesterday,metwiththe RiversStateGovernor,Nyesome Wike in Port Harcourt, the state capital and held talks behind

closed doors, apparently in view of the lingering crisis in the party.

Insimilarbreath,allthe23state chairmenofthepartythrewtheir weight behind the Bayelsa State Governor,SeriakeDickson,whois alsothereconciliationcommittee chairmanofthepartyforhispeace initiatives in the overall interest of the PDP. THISDAY gathered at the weekendthatoneofthepartiesto thecase,theMakarfi-ledgroup,will be arguing its case for accelerated hearinginviewoftheforthcoming governorshipelectionsinAnambra and Ekiti States.

But THISDAY learnt that the other party has also asked its

legal team to oppose the plea for accelerated hearing on the grounds that there was nothing urgent to warrant such a request since there was an existing party leadership in place.

The Makarfi group has also vowed to take further steps to challenge the illegality of the Sheriff-led National Working Committee, saying it would challenge Sheriffâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s actions which it claimed were in clear violation of the judgment of the Court of Appeal that ordered reversal to status quo ante.

The group also described the meetingofstatechairmenheldin AbujaonFridaynightasanillegal

assembly, adding that all those whoattendedthemeetingwhich declaredsupportforSheriffwere nothing but fake state chairmen.

THISDAYgatheredthatpartof theactionsbeingcontemplatedto preventSheriffâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;sleadershipfrom movingonwiththeirconvention planistosecureacourtinjunction based on alleged impunity and infractions he has committed.

A statement by the Caretaker Committeespokesperson,Dayo Adeyeye,accusedSheriffandhis men of causing more problems for the party by going round the states, disorganising the party at state levels and giving recognition to illegal persons as state

HONOUR WELL-DESERVED R-L: Akwa Ibom State Governor Udom Emmanuel, receiving the Leadership Governor of the year 2016 award from the Emir of Gwandu, Maj-Gen.

Mohammed Bashar, and the wife of the governor, Mrs. Martha Udom Emmanuel, during the Leadership 2016 Conference and Awards in Abujaâ&#x20AC;Ś weekend

FG Reads Riot Act to Exporters of Unprocessed Minerals t

NIWA has exclusive right to Nigerian waterways, says Fayemi

Abimbola Akosile Ă&#x2039;Ă&#x2DC;Ă&#x17D; Chinedu Eze Ă&#x201C;Ă&#x2DC; Ă&#x2039;Ă&#x2018;Ă&#x2122;Ă?Ë&#x153; SheriďŹ&#x20AC; Balogun Ă&#x201C;Ă&#x2DC; Ă&#x152;Ă?Ă&#x2122;Ă&#x2022;Ă&#x;Ă&#x17E;Ă&#x2039; Ă&#x2039;Ă&#x2DC;Ă&#x17D; Kasim Sumaina Ă&#x201C;Ă&#x2DC; Ă&#x152;Ă&#x;Ă&#x201D;Ă&#x2039;

The Federal Government has declared that it would no longer condone the activities of some foreign nationals who take unprocessed minerals through illegal routes out of Nigeria; thereby denying the country of revenue accrued to it through its vast mineral endowment.

The federal government, through the Ministry of Mines and Steel Development, noted that it has commenced moves aimed at making it an offence for anyone to take unprocessed minerals out of the country.

The Minister of Mines and Steel Development, Dr. Kayode Fayemi disclosed this recently at a Town Hall meeting with stakeholders in the mining sector,whichtookplaceinAbuja.

According to him, â&#x20AC;&#x153;government is taking the security of mines more seriously, and a special task force has been put in placetochecknefariousactivities inminingsitesandalsotoensure compliance with environmental and security regulationsâ&#x20AC;?.

The Minister agreed with stakeholders at the meeting that the activities of some foreigners who take out unprocessed minerals had robbed the youth of the country of massive job opportunities in the sector. â&#x20AC;&#x153;Government was aware of activities of some foreign nationals who take out of the country unprocessed minerals through illegalroutestherebydenyingthe country of revenue accrued to it through its vast mineral endowment. They will be doing that at their own peril henceforth,â&#x20AC;? he pledged.

Fayemi said while unauthorised export of unprocessed

minerals is injurious to the economic plan of the government, the ministryâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s current focus is to ensure that operators set up plants in the country, process the minerals and can then export the finished product. â&#x20AC;&#x153;Taking out unprocessed mineralsunderanyguiseisunacceptableandwehavetakenafirm position on this. We will make it difficult for anybody to take out unprocessed minerals. We are working with the Customs and other relevant security agencies to put an end to this. â&#x20AC;&#x153;We will support and encourage operators to set up plants, process the minerals here and you can then export it. The economic diversification and employment generation can only be realised with operators cooperatingwithgovernmenton the mining policyâ&#x20AC;?, the minister added.

Fayemi noted that Nigeria has

one of the best mining laws, and thatenforcementhasalwaysbeen a challenge, adding that many criminally-minded individuals had taken advantage of this poor enforcement to enrich themselves at the expense of the country.

He announced that the Nigerian Police has responded to the security issue with the establishment of Mines Division in all its state commands.

The Mine Police, which according to the Minister was structured after the Mine Police, which was active in the sixties and seventies, would help to halt criminal activities in the sector.

Fayemi lauded the Inspector General of Police, Ibrahim Idris, for the Mine Police initiative, and urged artisanal and operators in the country to comply with regulations guiding the mining sector as contained in the Minerals and Mining Act 2007.

chairmen.

He said since the Appeal CourtJudgmentofPortHarcourt Division pronounced the May 21 Convention illegal, Sheriff has made a number of illegal appointments including that of the Deputy National Chairman andNationalPublicitySecretary. â&#x20AC;&#x153;It should be noted, however, thatparadinghimselfasNational ChairmanwithillegalStateExecutiveCommitteesbySenatorSheriff will surely further aggravate the situation. The continued parade ofDr.CairoOjougbohasDeputy NationalChairmanandHonBernard Mikko as Acting National Publicity Secretary of the PDP are acts of impunity and will be challenged in court,â&#x20AC;? he said.

Heclaimeditwasaknownfact that no meeting of the NWC or National Executive Committee (NEC) was held to nominate or approve the appointments of these men.

Adeyeye, who said Sheriff had been deluding himself by claiming he had the support of party members, insisted that the caretaker committee remained committedtoseeingthroughthe appealfiledattheSupremeCourt as a way of settling the PDP crisis once and for all. â&#x20AC;&#x153;This committee will like to appeal to all party faithful to remain calm and committed to the cause of the party while the mattersbeforetheSupremeCourt are carefully and meticulously

sorted out in the interest of the party,â&#x20AC;? he said.

Jonathan, who has been very active in the PDP peace process, described Wike as a good representative of a PDP government that is committed to the development of his people, adding that Wike has performed creditably since assuming office 22 months ago through his transformation of the state.

Jonathan spoke to journalists yesterday after he was led on a tourofprojectsbeingexecutedby Wike. Projects inspected by the formerpresidentincludedthenew amphitheatre, the Government House Chapel, Restored Brick House (former Seat of Power in Rivers State), New Corridor of PowerandExtendedLandscape.

Jonathanpraisedthegovernor for keeping the torch shining by hisexemplaryperformancewhich has justified his election by the people of Rivers State.

HenotedthatWikeâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;soutstandingperformancehasbecomethe commonstoryacrossthecountry, pointingoutthathehasbeenhearing about the good works of the governor for some time and that indeed,thegovernorhaslivedup to his reputation.

He noted that since Wike was sworn in, Saturday was his first time of driving round Port Harcourt. He expressed satisfaction withthequalityoftransformation hewitnessedenroutetheGovernment House.

Saraki: Regional Cooperation, Partnership, Panacea to Africaâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s Challenges Abimbola Akosile SenatePresident,Dr.AbubakarBukolaSarakihasidentifiedregional cooperation and partnership as the only solutions to the myriad of challenges facing the African continent.

Saraki, in a statement by his Special Assistant on Public Affairs, Mohammed Isa, made this knowninakeynoteaddressatthe opening session of the ongoing Crans Montana Forum of Africa and South South Cooperation for Africaâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s Development holding at Dakhla, Morocco.

He noted that, â&#x20AC;&#x153;the contagious nature of poverty-driven social unrestwouldineffectsuggestthat thechallengesthatwefacemustbe viewed from a regional perspective and the solutions located in greater regional cooperation and partnership. â&#x20AC;&#x153;Thechallengesofcross-border crimes, the smuggling of small arms and light weapons across our borders, or even the wave of terroristactivities,provideanother compelling reason why effective cooperation and partnership is almost a matter of life and death. â&#x20AC;&#x153;The experience we have had with Al-Qaida in the Maghreb (AQIM) in Mali and the Boko Haram in Nigeria shows that se-

curityandstabilityofourcountries canonlybeguaranteedthrougha regionalgovernancesystemwhich would make it impossible for terroristsandcriminalstofindasafe haven within any of our bordersâ&#x20AC;?, he added.

ManycountriesinAfrica,Saraki noted,havewitnessedremarkable economic development in recent years,addingthat,â&#x20AC;&#x153;however,inthe contextofoverallglobaleconomy, thisprogressamountstoverylittle or nothing.â&#x20AC;? â&#x20AC;&#x153;Africaâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;sshareoftheglobaltrade isonlytwopercentandofthis,only 11percentisAfricanstradingwith themselves. We have to reverse this trend. Unless we do, African success stories would continue to be undermined by other serious challengeslikepoverty,youthunemployment,highinfrastructure deficit, and conflictsâ&#x20AC;?, he stated.

He identified trust and genuine partnership as key factors in openinguptheAfricancontinent toAfricanbusinessesandpeople, adding â&#x20AC;&#x153;this is why I must commend the King of Morocco for the recent bilateral agreements with Nigeria in different areas, includingtheBilateralAirServices Agreement; Marine Fisheries Cooperation; Diplomatic and Official Services Visa Exemption and many more.

11

T H I S D AY, T H E S U N D AY N E W S PA P E R Ëž ARCH 19, 2017

NEWS

CELEBRATING FOLAKE COCKTAIL PERSONALITIES L-R: Former Head of State, Gen. Yakubu Gowon (rtd.) with Public Relations Guru and Media Consultant, Aramide L-R: Lola Majekodumi; Ashley Fowler; Shakie Malami; Toyosi Kolaoju; the celebrant, Folake Alobo Bakare; Tola Noibi, at the cocktail reception preceding the annual Vanguard Newspapers Personalities of the Year Awards Night at the Eko Hotels and Towers, Victoria Island, Lagosâ&#x20AC;Śrecently

Mayowa Balogun and Abimbola Ipaye during the celebration of the 24th birthday of Folake to mark the opening of Alexander & Olive Couture held in Victoria Island, Lagos...recently

Cross River Chief Judge Dies at 63 Bassey Inyang in Calabar

The Chief Judge of Cross River State, Justice Okoi Ikpi Itam, has died at the age of 63.

According to sources in his family,andUgep,hishomestead in Yakurr Local Government Areaofthestate,JusticeItamdied in the early hours of yesterday at a hospital in Calabar, the state capital where he was rushed to after he had suddenly taken ill.

Following the sudden death of the chief judge of the state from what has been generally described as brief illness, a large section of the state, especially his professionalcolleagueshavebeen thrown into mourning.

A bosom friend and professionalcolleagueoflateItam,who spoke in confidence yesterday

morning to THISDAY, because he wasnotmandated to confirm the death of the judge, lamented profusely over the demise of the man he described as â&#x20AC;&#x153;his childhood friend.â&#x20AC;? â&#x20AC;&#x153;I am devastated. I have lost a closefriend.Wewerefriendsfrom childhood and had so many experiencestogether,andasyoung lawyers,wesharedthesamelaw chamber. I am speaking to you from his residence. It is a big loss to me, it is a personal loss, I am really sad,â&#x20AC;? the lawyer said.

Also the personal assistant to PresidentMuhammadBuharion Prosecution, Chief Okoi ObonoObla, who described Itam as his cousin took to the social media to commentonthedemiseofthe late chief judge. â&#x20AC;&#x153;TheHonourableChiefJudge

of Cross River State of Nigeria, Justice (Obol) Okoi Ikpi Itam passedawaylastnightafterabrief illness. He was my cousin. His fatherandmyGrandmotherwere brother and sister. It is unbelievable! But God giveth and taketh!

Wethereforecannotquestionhis injunction!,â&#x20AC;? Obono-Obla wrote on his Facebook page yesterday morning.

The state governor, Prof. Ben Ayade, yesterday, cancelled his crowded official schedules to condole with the family of the lateChiefJudgeofthestate,Justice Itam.

Condolingthebereavedfamily, Ayade,accompaniedbyhiswife, Dr. Lynda Ayade; Speaker, Mr. John Gaul Lebo, and members of the state executive council, described the late Chief Judge of

thestateasâ&#x20AC;&#x153;awonderful,peaceful manwhowouldalwaysgoforthe optionofpeace,â&#x20AC;?addingthatâ&#x20AC;&#x153;the deceasedwillalwaystellyouthat heisherefortheinterestofunity.â&#x20AC;?

Accordingtothegovernor,the death of Itam could be likened to â&#x20AC;&#x153;a brick falling on you from the mountain top,â&#x20AC;? considering the wonderful relationship that existed between his family and that of the deceased as well as the cordiality shared between the executive and judicial arms of government in the state.

Ayade disclosed that on hearingofthedeceasedâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;schallenging health, he made frantic effort to ensure that he was moved overseas for treatment, a move which the cruel hands of death didnotallowthelateChiefJudge to benefit from.

Sani Wants El-Rufai Sanctioned over Leaked Memo Damilola Oyedele in Abuja

Senator Shehu Sani (Kaduna Central) has called on the All Progressives Congress (APC) to sanctionKadunaStateGovernor Nasir El-Rufai, over his leaked memotoPresidentMuhammadu Buhari, which the lawmaker described as disrespectful and disloyal.

He accused the Governor of deliberately leaking the memo, which was written in September 2016, wherein the governor criticised some of the Presidentâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s closest aides, and also called for differentapproachtogovernance.

Sani said the sanction would be fair as the Governor has con-

sistently accused him of being disrespectful and disloyal for criticizing the manner of administration of Kaduna state, and has recommended that the APC sanction him, Sani.

Thelawmaker,inaninstagram post, yesterday morning further accused El-Rufai of presenting himself as a â&#x20AC;&#x2DC;competent alternativeâ&#x20AC;&#x2122; to Buhari ahead of the 2019 presidential elections.

The post reads in full: â&#x20AC;&#x153;The Governor is entitled to his own opinion and perception, but the contradiction and irony of it, are basically two: first, is that he accused me of being disloyal and disrespectful to the President and the Party for

speaking my mind, and now he has done his own cunningly by criticizing the President and the Party,disguiseditasamemoand leaked it out to the press. That alsoqualifiedhimasdisloyaland disrespectful. The difference is that mine is blunt while his own is dubious.â&#x20AC;? â&#x20AC;&#x153;Secondly, for all the issues he raised against the President, his own is worst in his space of governance, whether it is the existence of cabal or politics of exclusion or incompetence or publicperception.Thedifference is that the President is tolerant to criticism and alternative views.

The Governor recently said I am in the habit of criticizing him

because I want to be Governor ofKadunaState,thatmeanslogically, he is now leaking memo to getpopularsympathyandcarve animageofaâ&#x20AC;&#x2DC;competentalternativeâ&#x20AC;&#x2122; to Baba. Those who cared to know about my little history know that I donâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;t call a spade a pestle or spoon.â&#x20AC;? â&#x20AC;&#x153;TheGovernoralwaysrecommends that our party should punish me for criticizing him, now that he has fired a crucial memo to the President through a deliberately leaked memo, he shouldbetreatedthesame.Ifour able party chair will give me 5 strokes of the cane for speaking out,theGovernorshouldbegiven thrice that for â&#x20AC;&#x2DC;leaking outâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;.

Muslim Group Celebrates Buhariâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s Return Anayo Okolie

The council of Imams and Alfas in Ibadan, Oyo State has joined millions of Nigerians in celebrating the return of President Muhammadu Buhari, who recently came back to Nigeria from an extended health vacation in London.

The council in a statement signed by its spokesman, Alhaji

Abdulfatai Alaga said â&#x20AC;&#x153;itâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s only Almighty Allah that creates life and him alone has the capacity to take itâ&#x20AC;?, adding that it is sinful for any man to pronounce death on fellow man when the man is only sick.

The council under the headship of the Chief Imam of Ibadan Sheik Abubakar Agbatomokekere, however, warned Muslim from the act of mischief,

stating that a person that professes on another, automatically becomes the enemy of God and shall be guilty of sending a soul to an untimely grave.

The council enjoined Buhari to channel the vigour he acquired during the recent medical trip abroad towards revitalising the Nigerian economy, fighting insurgency to a standstill, solving the Niger Delta crisis and

ensuring critical infrastructure is revamped.

While also enjoining Muslims to continuously pray for good health of President Buhari, the Islamic religious leader also charged Muslims to obey Allahâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s decree that says â&#x20AC;&#x153;we should pray for our leaders, pray for peace, progress, development and unity of the country after the regular hourly prayer.â&#x20AC;?

Pandemonium as Bus Driver Kills Soldier in Lagos Chiemelie Ezeobi

Pandemonium occurred yesterday at Liverpool Roundabout, at the Apapa area of Lagos, when a commercial bus driver killed a soldier.

The soldier, attached to Signal Barracks, Apapa, which is a few meters away from the said roundabout, was said to have been walking on the sidewalk when the bus driver hit him.

According to eyewitness account, due to the vehicular blockade on the road by tanker drivers, the driver of the commercial bus known as â&#x20AC;&#x2DC;danfoâ&#x20AC;&#x2122; tried to squeeze through.

It was while squeezing through the little space on the road and the sidewalk, where the soldier was walking, that the driver slammed his body against a tanker. By the time people raised an alarm, he had crushed the soldier to the body of the tanker, killing him on the spot.

Immediately the news filtered intothenearbybarracks,enraged soldiers mustered to the scene and unleashed mayhem on whomever was in sight. From other commercial bus drivers to tanker drivers, no one was safe from the soldiers; even though the actual culprit, the bus driver

had fled, leaving his bus behind.

Still not done, the soldiers blocked the road, with their sole aim being to revenge the death of their colleague by assaulting passersby. When they got tired of bearing the brunt of the attacks, the tanker drivers also mustered to resist the retaliation. The already volatile situation would have gotten out of hand but for thetimelyinterventionofthemen of the Area B Police.

Meanwhile, motorists have since desisted from following that axis as the entire stretch of Liverpool to Creek Road junction leading to the ports have been blocked.

The blockade expectedly limited motorists to plying the Kofo Abayomi axis to Airways roundabout as the only way out of Apapa, despite the bad state of the roads.

When contacted, the state Police Public Relations Officer, Olarinde Famous-Cole, said it was a tanker driver that killed the soldier.

Hesaid,â&#x20AC;&#x153;Theincidenthappened atabout8.45pm.Informationwas receivedthatafatalmotoraccident occurredalongCreekRoad,Apapa, where a tanker crushed a soldier.

At the moment, the area is calm and investigation is ongoing as to what happened exactly.â&#x20AC;?

FG to Launch New Immigration Regulation The Minister of Interior, Lt.-Gen. Abdulrahman Dambazau (rtd), will on Monday officially launch thenewImmigrationRegulations, 2017 to ensure better security and Immigration in the country.

The spokesperson for the NigeriaImmigrationService(NIS),Mr. SundayJames,disclosedthisinan interviewwiththeNewsAgencyof Nigeria(NAN)yesterdayinAbuja.

He said the Immigration Regulations, 2017 was a vital document that sought to operationalise the Immigration Act, 2015. â&#x20AC;&#x153;The Minister of Interior, Lt.Gen. Abdulrahman Dambazau, (rtd) will officially present the Immigration Regulations 2017 to the public on Monday, March, 20. The ImmigrationRegulations2017isa vitaldocumentthatoperationalises

the Immigration Act 2015 and provides the legal framework for the effective implementation of the Act,â&#x20AC;? he said.

He further said the new immigrationregulationwasaproductof robustdiscoursethatinvolvedlegal and migratory experts, including serving and retired immigration officers.

James expressed optimism that the document, if properly implemented, would go a long wayintransformingtheoperations of NIS in line with international best practices.

NANreportsthattheImmigration Act, 2015 contains updated structure and functions of NIS in relationtoimmigration,passports, deportation,visas,residentpermits andgeneralimmigrationoffences.

12

T H I S D AY, T H E S U N D AY N E W S PA P E R ˾ MARCH 19, 2017

NEWS

SHOWCASING LAGOS UNITED FOR PROGRESS L-R: Immediate past President, Lagos Chamber of Commerce and Industry (LCCI), Alh. Remi Bello; 1st Deputy R-L: Chairman of Udi Local Government Area, Hon. Hyacinth Ngwu; Governor Ifeanyi Ugwuanyi of Enugu President, NACCIMA, Chief (Mrs.) Alaba Lawson; President, LCCI, Chief (Mrs.) Nike Akande, and Vice President/ Chairman, Trade Promotion Council Board, LCCI, Mr. Sola Oyetayo, at the chamber’s public presentation of the 2017 Lagos International Trade Fair prospectus …yesterday PHOTO:EtopUkutt

State; Vice Chairman, Peoples’ Democratic Party, Enugu West Senatorial District, Ozo Okey Ozoani, and the General Manager of Enugu State Housing Development Corporation (ESHDC), Hon. Chukwuemelie Agu, at the PDP meeting of Udi L.G.A, Enugu State…yesterday

FasholaAssures States onPaymentofDebts IncurredoverFederalRoadsReconstruction t Tasks developers on new ideas for adequate housing Segun Awofadeji in Gombe and Kasim Sumaina in Abuja

Minister of Works, Housing and Power, Mr. Babatunde Fashola has disclosed that the Federal Government has begun the process of repayment of all debts owed State Governments as a result of reconstruction and rehabilitation of roads in various states of the federation.

The Minister stated this at the Government House, during a tour of federal government projects in Gombe State, adding that government had already sent people around the country to verify the said projects and ensure that the debts were paid off in an equitable way.

Fashola stated that the federal government has special interest in the North-east in ensuring that the zone is returned to its lost glory with enhancement of economic activities and the ease of goods and persons.

While commending the Gombe State government for

undertaking the dualisation of thesectionsoftheBauchi-Gombe federal highway, he assured that the federal government would continue to assist and support it to realise its developmental objectives.

Earlier while taking the Minister round some of the roads, Gombe State Permanent Secretary, Ministry of Works, Mr. Abubakar Bappa, said the state government was yet to be reimbursed a sum of about N8 billion it used to rehabilitate some federal highways in the state.

He said if the debts were paid, the State government intends to undertake some federal government road projects that needed immediate attention, especially two federal highways from Gombe to Bauchi and from Gombe to Taraba States.

Speaking during the courtesy call, Governor Ibrahim Hassan Dankwambo, who was represented by his Deputy Dr. Charles Iliya, called on the federal government to speed up efforts in the

reconstruction of the ongoing projects on the Gombe-Yola road, because the rains were setting in and would pose a great challenge for those who use the road.

The Deputy Governor then pledged the state government’s commitment to work with the federal government to get the projects in the state carried out without any challenge. Federal road projects in Gombe State are seven in number, spanning 680 kilometres, with two of the roads currently being worked on.

Meanwhile, Fashola has also called on property developers to come up with new innovative ideas that would bring about adequate housing for Nigerians.

The Minister made the appeal while speaking at the recent Real Estate Developers Association of Nigeria (REDAN) two-day intensive workshop for real estate developers in Abuja.

The Minister, who was represented by his special adviser on housing, Abiodun called on the developers to use the Memo-

randum of Understanding (MoU) they signed between Federal Mortgage Bank of Nigeria (FMBN) and Shelter Afrique to make provisions that would provide more houses for all categories of Nigerians.

According to him, “developers just signed an MoU with FMBN and Shelter Afrique, so it’s high time to make use of the opportunity to provide housing for all”. He however called on other experts in the sector to made use of every available avenue that could support government commitment to ensuring people own their personal houses.

In a welcome address, President of REDAN, Rev. Chime Ugochukwu disclosed that the event was organised to chart more ways of developing the country’s building system.

Ugochukwu explained that the programme with the theme, ‘REDAN building expo 2017 investing in real estate for economic recovery and expansion’ would identify the basics that are needed to drive building

Buhari Pledges Support for Universities on Skilled Manpower

Corpses of Two Kidnapped Police Officers in Delta Missing, Says CP Ibrahim

Ibrahim Shuaibu in Kano

Omon-Julius Onabu in Asaba

President Muhammadu Buhari yesterday in Kano restated the federal government’s commitment to continue supporting universities and other tertiary institutions to enable them produce the necessary skilled manpower for national development.

Buhari said supporting the universities was necessary in order to ensure the development of an economy that would be capable of sustaining the change agenda of the government.

“We shall continue to sacrifice our time and energy as well as to ensure fairness, integrity and dedication in order to change the fortunes of our country”, he said.

Speaking at the 33rd convocation ceremony of Bayero University Kano (BUK),

Buhari, who was represented by the Executive Secretary, National Universities Commission (NUC) Prof. Adamu Rasheed, also called on the universities to rise up to their responsibilities by providing the needed skilled manpower to meet the current global challenges.

“Government will continue to monitor development in the universities to ensure that they are developed, to respect good governance and rule of law,” he said.

Buhari, who restated the commitment of his administration to the fight against corruption, commended Nigerians for their prayers while he was on medical vocation in the UK. “We are encouraged by the prayers to change the country.

We shall continue to stand firmly to fight corruption, improve security for the development of the country,” he said.

Thirteen days after uncertainty trailed the fate of a divisional police officer (DPO) serving in Delta State, following his kidnap on the busy Benin-Agbor-Asaba Expressway, the Delta State Police Commissioner, Mr. Zanna Ibrahim, yesterday announced that the police officer had died in the hands of his abductors.

Mr. Valentine Mbalu, a superintendent of police (SP), and the DPO who was in charge of ‘C’ Division Asaba, was reportedly kidnapped at about 2.30 pm on Sunday, March 5, when he went to Agbor, also in Delta State, to visit his family.

He was allegedly waylaid on the express road by gun-wielding assailants who eventually overpowered him and whisked him awaytoanunknowndestination.

Ibrahim nevertheless disclosed this to newsmen

while parading several criminal suspects arrested for their alleged involvement in various criminal activities, including the kidnap of the dead police officer. He expressed regret that the remains of the DPO was yet to be found despite the arrest of two suspects for alleged involvement in the kidnap of the senior police officer.

The commissioner revealed that the suspects were arrested by the state anti-kidnapping squad at Aduwawa, an area populated

by Hausa community in BeninCity Edo State, though one of the suspects hails from Adamawa State.

The Delta State Police Command boss gave the names of the suspects as Suleiman Ibrahim, a.k.aCarlos,aged29years,anative of Mayolope town in Adamawa State one Yusuf Hamisu, both of who are resident in Benin-City, Edo State.

Anchor University Matriculates Kasim Sumaina in Abuja The Anchor University, a faith-based Institution and an off-shoot of the Deeper Christian Life Ministry, holds its inaugural matriculation ceremony for its students on Wednesday, March 22 at the University Campus, Ayobo, Lagos.

In a release issued yesterday by its Assistant Registrar for Strategy and Communications, Mr. Okesola Sanusi, the university declared its determination to carve a niche in the educational firmament through the pursuit of a globally-derived network of certified research and development enterprise and ICT-premised learning.

The release noted that the unique focus of the University will serve as a catalyst for higher education within the country

in particular and the African continent in general. Already, the new University has established a full-orbed ICT laboratory on its campus whose scope will continue to be reviewed regularly.

Headed by a renowned Professor of Civil Engineering, Prof.

Joseph Afolayan, a former Dean of the School of Engineering & Engineering Technology, FUTA and former Vice Chancellor, Landmark University, the institution is determined to evoke strong spiritual and moral character credentials for its students.

Anchor University is also dedicated to the promotion of sound and achievable intellectual pursuits within the university community. “The prime intention here is to produce highly cerebral and well-rounded graduates with Character, Competence and Courage.

Saipem Celebrates 50 Years of Continuous Presence in Nigeria Olaseni Durojaiye Nigeria will need to build investors and attract foreign investors into the country in order to develop some of the key infrastructures that will drive the development of the country while focusing on boosting economic growth.

The Managing Director of Saipem Contracting Nigeria Limited, Mr. Guido D’Aloisio, stated this at the unveiling of the 50th years’ anniversary logo which kick-starts a series of programmes by the company to celebrate 50 years of continuous operation in Nigeria.

He said the company, which is a major EPCI contractor in the oil and

gas industry in Nigeria has been responsible for the development of some major infrastructure in the industry in the onshore and shallow waters and deep offshore fields.

He also noted that the company is working to improve capability and technology in order to attract the right investments from organisations with good track records and potential to develop the economy.

D’Aloisio explained that since its fifty years of doing business in Nigeria, the company has become a leader in local content. He added that, over 90 per cent of its workforce are Nigerians, some of whom have spent over 25 years with the organisation.

In Brief

Oba Akiolu, Banigo for YTC Lecture

The Oba of Lagos, HRH, Oba Rilwan Osuolale Akiolu and the Amanyanabo of Okpoama Kingdom Okpoama, Bayelsa State, King Ebitimi Emmanuel Banigo are among the dignitaries expected at the 2017 annual lecture of Yoruba Tennis Club (YTC) which has continuously nurture a platform for intellectual discourses for the upliftment of the society. The lecture which will hold on March 30, at the Club premises in Lagos Island, would be delivered by the Obi of Onitsha, HRM, Igwe Nnayelugo Alfred Nnaemeka Achebe. The General Secretary of the Club, Chief Olawumi Gasper in a statement, lauded the contributions of the Obi in upholding democratic tenets and strengthening traditional institutions as a purveyor for a modern day Nigeria. The programme is expected to be chaired by the Alake of Egbaland, HRM, Oba Adedotun Aremu Gbadebo, while the Special Guest of Honour is Founding Chairman/CEO Sonny Odogwu Group of Companies, Chief Sonny Iwedike Odogwu.

13

T H I S D AY, T H E S U N D AY N E W S PA P E R Ëž ͚ΠË&#x153; ͺ͸͚Ϳ

NEWS Rockâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;nâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;Roll Pioneer, Chuck Berry, Passes on at 90 The pioneer of rockâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;nâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;roll, Chuck Berry, who duck-walked his way into the genreâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s pantheon as one of its most influential guitarists and the creator of raucous anthems that defined its early sound and heartbeat, died yesterday at his Missouri home at the age of 90.

According to a Reuters report, Police in St. Charles County, outside St. Louis, said emergency responders called to Berryâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s home found the performer unconscious and administered life-saving assistance to no avail. He was pronounced dead at 1:26 p.m. local time, police said.

Although Elvis Presley was

Godrej Advises FG on Unemployment Anayo Okolie

The Business Head, Godrej Nigeria, a subsidiary of India-based Godrej Consumer Products Limited, Mr. Sanjiv Jetly, has advised the Nigerian government to tackle the over 50 million jobs deficit in the country.

According to a statement by Jetly, a 2016 World Bank report urged Nigeria to create 40 to 50 million additional jobs to employ its growing population and solve the employment problem.

He said the company also participated in the 14th annual Lagos Business School Career Fair with over 20 other organisations because it is committed to creating jobs for Nigerians in the attempt to effectively enhance and develop the countryâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s economy For this reason, Jetly said, â&#x20AC;&#x153;by supporting the Lagos Business School Career Fair Career, Godrej is encouraged to drive the process of job creation and career opportunities in Nigeria. Godrej is thrilled to be working with LBS to bring employment opportunities to the students and training resources to our business.â&#x20AC;?

According to him, Godrej serves about 1.1 billion consumers globally across consumer goods, real estate, appliances, agriculture and other businesses sectors.

The HR Business Partner for the company, Navjot Dhar, added that Godrej is expanding its commitment to foster an inspiring workplace, with an agile and high performance culture. To achieve this, he said the company has partnered the LBS to offer career support and internships to its MBA graduates.

Godrej expressed belief that through the disciplines taught at the LBS, candidates will learn analytical competence and problem solving techniques that will help produce reliable young professionals. â&#x20AC;&#x153;Godrej Nigeria is confident that the LBS will remain committed to developing managers and top executives that will contribute immensely to the development and growth of organisations in Nigeria and Africa at large,â&#x20AC;? he added.

called the king of rockâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;nâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;roll, that crown would have fit just as well on the carefully sculpted pompadour of Charles Edward Anderson Berry, who was present in rockâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s infancy in the 1950s and emerged as its first star guitarist and lyricist, the report noted.

Berry-composed hits such as â&#x20AC;&#x153;Johnny B. Goode,â&#x20AC;? â&#x20AC;&#x153;Roll Over Beethoven,â&#x20AC;? â&#x20AC;&#x153;Sweet Little Sixteen,â&#x20AC;? â&#x20AC;&#x153;Maybelleneâ&#x20AC;? and â&#x20AC;&#x153;Memphisâ&#x20AC;? melded elements of blues, rockabilly and jazz into some of Americaâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s most timeless pop songs of the 20th century. He was a monumental influence on just about any kid who picked up a guitar with

rock star aspirations - Keith Richards, Paul McCartney, John Lennon and Bruce Springsteen among them.

Bob Dylan called Berry â&#x20AC;&#x153;the Shakespeare of rockâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;nâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;roll,â&#x20AC;? and he was one of the first popular

acts to write as well as perform his own songs. They focused on youth, romance, cars and good times, with lyrics that were complex, humorous and sometimes a little raunchy, according to Reuters.

Obiano Tasked on Accountability A stalwart of the Peoplesâ&#x20AC;&#x2122; Democratic Party (PDP) in Anambra, Dr. Alex Obiogbolu has tasked the state governor, Chief Willie Obiano on transparency and accountability, even as he asked him to make public the amounts that the state government and its local government councils

have received as federal allocations since the inception of the governorâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s tenure. He said the call was based on the fact that the cumulative cost of developmental projects that were initiated by the stategovernmentwasafarcrythe amount that the state has received from the federal allocation.

Unilorin Flays â&#x20AC;&#x2DC;Investigationâ&#x20AC;&#x2122; Publication against Management The University of Ilorin has described the three-day tirade railed on it by The Nation newspaper last week as â&#x20AC;&#x153;an unwarranted, unsubstantiated gossip and an assault on the hard-earned image of the University and its principal officersâ&#x20AC;?.

In a press statement signed by its Head of Corporate Affairs, Mr. Kunle Akogun, at the weekend, the University picked holes in the newspaperâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s claim that the write-up was the product of â&#x20AC;&#x153;wide-ranging investigations that started four years agoâ&#x20AC;?, saying that it is the voice of Jacob and the hand of Esau, as the article â&#x20AC;&#x153;is a mere recap of the documents that the wailing remnants of the notorious â&#x20AC;&#x2DC;Unilorin 49â&#x20AC;&#x2122; had been circulating against the management of the University for some time nowâ&#x20AC;?.

The University said, â&#x20AC;&#x153;The

writer only tried to be smart by half by merely paraphrasing the documents handed over to him by those who have made Unilorin-bashing their life-time enterpriseâ&#x20AC;?, adding, â&#x20AC;&#x153;It will not be out of place for the management of the newspaper to take a second look at that write-up and compare it with the past releases and petitions against Unilorin by these enemies of progress, with a view to checkmating this editorial fraud!â&#x20AC;? The statement added that â&#x20AC;&#x153;the University, in the pursuit of its quest for academic excellence and the highest standards of morals and discipline, has always strived to enforce strict standards without minding whose ox is gored. If, in the pursuit of these ideals we have stepped on certain toes of some entrenched interests, so be it and there is no apology for that.

14

ͯ͡Ë&#x153; Í°ÍŽÍŻÍľ Ëž THISDAY, THE SUNDAY NEWSPAPER

OPINION

Economic Recession, Religion and Quest for Bread

Religion has become a tool for unnecessary diversion from fundamental issues of state, argues Samson Osagie

A

s I approach my golden age, I have never been so worried and scared of the critical dimension that religion is assuming in negatively affecting the health and indeed the totality of our national life. This is even more so going particularly with the events currently going on across the country where almost everyone is caught in the frenzy of defending the faith he or she professes.

And whereas, the issues affecting our national development and impeding same are by far different and unrelated to who each and every Nigerian prays to for his or her salvation, some religious fanatics, across board appear to be assuming that the God they serve has become so weak that they have to fight for him. This to me is most unnecessary.

The number of deaths that have resulted under the guise of practicing or defending some religious beliefs: from the ravaging Boko Haram in the North-east region, to the killings in Agatu, Southern Kaduna, Mbatse in Nasarawa Eggon, herdsmen attacks in various parts of the country and some retaliatory attacks are alarming yet these do not in any way improve the lot of the average citizen or the economic and social condition of the country at large.

Writing on the reasons people embrace religion, Andrew Pepper posits that â&#x20AC;&#x153;it has been estimated that nearly 90 per cent of the people in the world belong to a religion; even if you exclude the children of religious people (in many countries children are legally of the same religion as their parents until they are adults), it is clear that a large percentage of people have religious beliefs.â&#x20AC;? He advanced reasons why people hold religious beliefs among which are superstition, need for a purpose in life, belief in justice, hope of afterlife, fellowship and salvation. If these reasons are taken on their face value, none of them carries with it the need to be intolerant of one another either expressly or impliedly.

In todayâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s world, neither religion nor religious beliefs propel development in any part of the continents. Albert Einstein, a foremost world acclaimed scientist and Nobel Prize winner in Physics is not known to have been helped to achieve several successes by his fanatical practice of any religion.

The Wright brothers, Orville (1871-1948) and Wilbur (1867-1912); two American siblings born in Ohio and Indiana respectively, who

are generally credited with inventing, building and flying the worldâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s first successful airplane, were not extremist adherents of any religion.

Benjamin Franklin, Hans Christian Oersted and Michael Faraday, all of whom variously invented different aspects of electricity, and Thomas Edison, an American inventor who successfully produced the electricity bulb in 1879 were neither detained nor facilitated by religious beliefs in their quest to contribute to the advancement of mankind in their chosen field.

In the same view, the Briton, George Stephenson who developed and created the worldâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s first successful locomotive for railroad was not known to be a religious fanatic. In Africa, while various nations struggle to exit the colonial rule, those who fought for the liberation of their countries such as Nelson Mandela (South Africa), Kwame Nkruma (Ghana), the Nnamdi Azikiwe, Obafemi Awolowos, Sir Ahmadu Bello, Herbert Macaulay, Chief Anthony Enahoro (Nigeria), Nujoma, Haje Geingob (Namibia) and a whole lot of others did not use religion as a tool for liberation from colonialism.

In Nigeria, even though our foremost nationalists were drawn

Does it matter the religious or ethnic identity of a president or a minister, a governor or a legislator, if we can have stable electricity, good road networks, gainful employment, stable economy and the like? Should it matter to an average Nigerian if our socioeconomic and political problems are solved by a leader of any religious persuasion?

from the different major ethnic nationalities with some from minority tribes, they were all united with the support of their people for the common purpose of attaining self-governance and self-determination for a sovereign nation, Nigeria.

Today, we are embroiled in a war of attrition in which those on the vanguard of discord are employing the instrument of religion to set the people against themselves.

Just recently, precisely in February 1, 2017, the Vice-President, Prof.

Yemi Osinbajo set up a Presidential Task Force to inquire into the astronomic increase in the prices of food items. Therefore, religion cannot be allowed to distract the government from looking for ways to find succour to the already pauperised populace.

While our political and religious leaders appear to be opposed to this turn of events in words, a lot is still left undone in terms of practical steps to stem this ugly trend. I agree with those who opined that the beating of the drum of war by religious bigots is a lazy way of trying to explain the failure of the institution of state, particularly security, in enforcing the secularity of our nation state.

Our 1999 constitution as amended in section 10 states â&#x20AC;&#x153;The Government of the Federation or any State shall not adopt any religion as a State religionâ&#x20AC;?. How do we explain the colossal losses we suffer today in terms of human lives, time and resources in the aftermath of religious-induced conflicts? How do we interpret the corrosive verbal exchanges among religious leaders currently going on?

How do we guarantee the impartiality of the security agencies in the midst of this religious brouhaha? And more importantly, how does our individual faith guarantee stable electricity, employment, stable and prosperous economy, educational advancement of our country and its people, reliable transportation system, elimination of kidnapping, armed robbery, bombings, poverty or corruption?

These issues are weighty enough to demand our total attention rather than the use of religion as diversionary tactics. I think that rather than patriotically unite to tackle our problems, our religious leaders are deliberately promoting these issues in order to continue to attract large multitudes to their faith in search of miracles. Have they therefore become religious entrepreneurs? â&#x20AC;&#x201C;â&#x20AC;&#x201C;Osagie, a Lawyer is a Ph.D candidate in Political Economy and Development Studies, University of Abuja

An Endless Waiting Game

T

Michael West urges President Buhari to fast-track the appointment of board members

he perpetual shift of goalposts on the fulfilment of the electoral promises by the President Muhammadu Buhari administration is fast becoming its character rather than a stigma it should fight against.

Apparently, the government and its handlers think more proactively to defend their anticipated failure and inactions than doubling efforts at meeting the expectations of Nigerians.

The one-meal per day promise made to parents of junior school students has been procrastinated about more than thrice already, with the government offering sundry excuses. Yet, it is nowhere near fulfilment. Trust Nigerians, they now trivialise this promise as being effectively fulfiled! How? I was told because most Nigerian families these days have one meal per day! Even reports say internally displaced persons (IDP) camps in the North-east now feed only once daily. Then, how else can an electoral promise be fulfiled?

In like manner, the 200,000 jobs promised to young graduates, said to have been implemented December 1, 2016, is also believed to be hanging in the balance. Vice- President Yemi Osinbajo had announced, after a couple of postponements, that by October last year, the programme would take effect; later, it was shifted to December. Yet, the waiting game continues!

The board appointments into federal government-owned agencies and parastatals that ought to have been fully effected within three months after this administration came to power are being made piecemeal in a fashion that is inconsistent with the norms of governance elsewhere. As usual, the presidency had last December 2016 announced that President Muhammadu Buhari would make appointments into all boards by January 2017. This was confirmed by his Senior Special Assistant on Media and Publicity, Garba Shehu. Although a similar promise was made on December 28, 2015, one year after, most federal government agencies are still without boards. Shehu explained that the delay was because of an issue of interest to members of the ruling All Progressives Congress (APC), adding, â&#x20AC;&#x153;The process will be fully back on track at the beginning of the New Year.â&#x20AC;? Here we are in the third month of the year, March, yet itâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s another mirage.

Recently, the chairman of Stanbic Bank Plc., Atedo Peterside, in his presentation at the 14th Daily Trust Dialogue in Abuja, lamented the absence of boards in place to regulate the affairs of federal agencies and financial institutions, which in turn is expected to stimulate fiscal policies and revive the ailing economy. â&#x20AC;&#x153;The federal government should immediately appoint directors to the boards of every regulatory agency. Keeping a Lone Wolf at the head of a regulatory agency is dangerous and therefore detri-

mental to business confidence. The important lesson from the recent Financial Reporting Council of Nigeria imbroglio is that a single rogue regulator can hold the entire system to ransom, help destroy business confidence and hamper economic growth. This only became possible because the checks and balances which our laws envisaged, through the appointment of boards, council members or commissioners, were not in place.â&#x20AC;?

Unlike the usual practice, Rotimi Amaechi, Transport Minister, was said to have got the nod of Mr. President to fill up the board of agencies under his ministry. Information revealed the minister had an altercation with the Chief of Staff to the President, Abba Kyari, for substituting his (Amaechiâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s) candidate with the sitting chairman of the Nigerian Railway Corporation, NRC. As at today, many of the juicy board appointments are being filled in a manner shrouded in secrecy; thanks to the nepotistic and despotic tendencies of the president, which his close aides, associates and hangers-on are latching on to for selfish advantage.

In response to the bickering silently ravaging the ruling party, the First Lady, Aisha Buhari, had frontally attacked her husband for abandoning party chieftains that toiled for his victory. â&#x20AC;&#x153;More than half of those people are not appointed into the government.

Some people that are not politicians, not professionals were brought into the government. They donâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;t even know what we said we want and what we donâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;t during the campaign. They even come out and say to people â&#x20AC;&#x2DC;we are not politicians,â&#x20AC;&#x2122; but they are occupying the offices meant for politicians. Some have parted with their wives, some lost their children, some women too have parted with their husbands because of politics, a lot happened during the time,â&#x20AC;? she fumed. Not many board appointments had been made after the first ladyâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s outburst in a British Broadcasting Corporation, BBCâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s interview conducted in Hausa about three months ago.

Competing interests from geo-political zones are said to be slowing down the presidentâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s assent to the list prepared for the various boards. Initially, President Buhari last year October had instituted the Babachir Lawal-led committee to collate names from all the states of the federation, look at the credentials of the nominees and then advise the president on where they should be placed. The committee however identified the current economic recession, security clearance and federal character balancing as some of the reasons for the delay in constituting the boards. A number of recommendations were said to have been turned down by the Presidency, which is still considering complaints from top APC chieftains, traditional rulers and groups across the country. Also, Presidency officials are said to be attending to tonnes of petitions in respect of the pending

board appointments.

How long it will take to finally release the remaining list of appointments and how fairly the few juicy ones will be evenly distributed remain to be known. On why President Buhari has not been so decisive on the remaining appointments, a presidency official said the conflict of interests had to be resolved to avoid embarrassment and further division within the APC family. The delay has led to grumblings within the ruling party across the country. Supporters and chieftains of the APC, who worked for the success of the party during the 2015 general elections, lamented they had laboured in vain, having successfully wrestled power from the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP).

The party stakeholders deserve to be compensated after working so hard to install this government but it appears they are left not only in the cold but have also been left to suffer the excruciating economic downturn as many of them claimed they invested their resources in the campaign activities that eventually ousted PDP from power. APC members have accused their party leaders at all levels of not doing enough to compensate them. â&#x20AC;&#x153;They are weak. It seems they donâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;t have the guts to tell the president of the dangers of leaving the APC faithful redundant,â&#x20AC;? Yunusa Aliyu from Kano was quoted to have said.

Meanwhile, allegations of bribery had been openly leveled against the Secretary to Government of the Federation (SGF) Babachir Lawal. Financial inducements reportedly played a determinant factor about who gets what as many of the recommendations from the states and zones were said to have been flagrantly altered when they got to the SGFâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s office. But the SGF had since denied the allegation, saying he did not receive kickbacks from candidates seeking board appointments. Tainted by controversies and lack of trust in the Lawal committee, a Bukola Saraki-led team is reviewing the list all over again for the presidentâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s assent.

I think the problem with this issue of board appointments lies squarely with the president. The excuses for delay are not tenable if, almost two years into this administration, an integral accomplishment like board appointments is yet to be fully put in place. The reason for this lackluster style of governance is because Mr. President does not know or trust people enough for such appointments. Buhari failed to build network of contacts across the Niger. He scarcely knows good people beyond his base in the north. All the while, whenever he ran for election and lost, he had quietly recoiled into his shell until another four years. â&#x20AC;&#x201C;â&#x20AC;&#x201C;mikeawe@yahoo.co.uk (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 ˾ MARCH 19, 2017

LETTERS

Lagos and The National Stadium

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he National Stadium, Surulere, Lagos, was built by the General Yakubu Gowon military administration in 1972 as a 55,000 capacity sporting facility.

It was later redesigned in 1999 to a 45,000 capacity in order to meet FIFA requirements for the hosting right of the 1999, Junior World Cup. Till date, the highest number of fans that have sat in the stadium’s main bowl on a particular occasion is 85,000. That was when Nigeria trounced Algeria 3-0 to emerge winners of the 1980 African Cup of Nations.

In the height of its glory, the National Stadium, Surulere, was the nation’s numero uno centre of sporting excellence and it has hosted numerous high profile sporting events.

It hosted the 1973 All Africa Games with Nigeria emerging the overall winners. The nation’s senior national soccer team, the then Green Eagles (now Super Eagles), became a household name in African and, indeed, world soccer at the stadium when it became the slaughter ground of many soccer teams.

One of my most memorable sporting moments at the stadium was in 2000 when the Super Eagles lost to the Indomitable Lions of Cameroun at the final of the African Nation Cup. It was an epic final, one that would go down in the narrative of the competition as truly dramatic. With over 85,000 soccer fans in a stadium that was designed to take 55,000, the arena was full beyond

Ambode

capacity. Within the first 20 minutes of the game, the Cameroonians were already ahead by two goals.

The characteristically vociferous Lagos fans suddenly became quiet. At the end of regulation time, the Super Eagles earned a remarkable equaliser, thanks to the legendary Okocha’s soccer wizardry. Eventually, the Super Eagles lost the match through the lottery of penalty kicks, and tears flow freely as players, coaching crew and the crowd wept sorely.

Former Eagles Captain and Coach, Sunday Oliseh wept uncontrollably as he climbed the podium to receive the runners’ up trophy. It was a day the god of the soccer and other forces conspired to deny the nation yet another soccer glory!

That was 17 years ago and since that time; the National Stadium, Surulere, began a gradual journey into agonising descent. Sadly, today, the stadium has become a mere shadow of itself. The once dazzling ‘Sports City’ is now a mess. The usually bubbling indoors sports hall is now deserted, the tracks are in sheer rot while the swimming pool exists only in name. The seats on almost a significant part of the main bowl have disappeared.

To fully underscore, the stadium’s dwindling fortune, it last hosted a major sporting event in 2004. Presently, the magnificent structure that once heralded the arrival of iconic sporting talents such as Innocent Egbunike, Chidi Imoh, Falilat Ogunkoya, Christian Chukwu, Segun

Odegbami, among others is now home to street urchins, destitute, sex hawkers, drug peddlers and addicts and gamblers.

Worst hit are the nation’s national football teams which now have to move from place to place to play matches.

Sadly, most of the stadia where they play lack the aura and capacity of the National Stadium, Surulere. Though the Obasanjo administration built a new Stadium in Abuja in 2003, it can’t stand shoulder to shoulder with the Surulere National Stadium in terms of fans’ turnout, thrill and business prospects. Sadly, the Abuja National Stadium is almost going the way of its precursor in Lagos.

Expectedly, the decay of sporting facilities across the country is already having grave implications on performance of the nation’s athletes in major global sporting events. At the 2012 London Olympics, Nigeria did not win a single medal while it managed to win a bronze medal at the 2016, Rio Olympics. But then, of what substance is a bronze medal to a country with countless sporting talents?

The connotation of the neglect of the Stadium and others such across the country is far too grievous. We inadvertently shut the door against the talents of thousands of Nigerians who would have used the facilities to upgrade their sporting talents and ultimately use sports as escape route from poverty. Globally, sports have become a huge

GOODBYE TO DARE-DEVIL DANFOS?

G

overnor Akinwunmi Ambode’s futuristic approach to governance in critical areas such as security, infrastructural development, education, healthcare delivery, transportation and the entertainment/tourism sector over the past two years has endeared him to the hearts of millions of Nigerians, at home and abroad. Given the praise-worthy achievements of his predecessor, Babatunde Raji Fashola, in several facets of the state the question on the lips of the electorate back in 2015 was what new strategy Ambode would bring to the leadership table.

As if fully aware of this he gave a warning signal, in response during his crowd-pulling electioneering campaign, with the moving mantra: “Eko se se bere ni o, Ambooo!” This literally meant that the development of the Centre of Excellence was only beginning a new phase. And that he was going to up the ante on the foundation laid by the likes of Asiwaju Bola Ahmed Tinubu and Fashola.

Interestingly, within that short span of two years Lagos has attained the enviable status of the 5th largest economy on the African continent and one of the 100 most resilient. It is

no mean achievement. Yet, the state government cannot rest on its oars.

What with a huge population of about 21 million people, increasing every blessed day by an estimated 123,000 people or 86 immigrants every minute of the day –the highest in any city in the world ,transportation has become an escalating challenge.

In specific terms transport network in the state is predominantly road- based, with 90% of total passengers and goods moved through that mode. The state has natural water ways for ferry services and federal rail network which will be complemented by the emerging state rail network.

The demand for trips in the Lagos megacity region by all modes (including walking) was estimated at 22million per day with walk trips accounting for 40% of total trips in metropolitan Lagos as at mid-2016.

According to the Lagos Metropolitan Area Transport Authority, 2015 the mode of movement of passengers per day on percentage basis was given as: walking 8,800,000 (40%), Bus Rapid Transit 90,000 (0.41%), regulated bus (LAGBUS) 150,000 (1%), private cars 2,508,000 (11%) and semi-formal mini buses (Danfos) 9,982,000 (45%).Others include federal mass transit train 132,000 (1%),

water transportation system 74,000 (0.34%), non-data modes (including, motorcycle, tricycle, bicycle, taxis, articulated vehicles, mini-vans and boats) 264,000 1%. This data was based on the total passengers traffic/day of 22, 000, 000 100.

The commuter situation as at 2017 would no doubt be on the upswing.

It is in response to this and the exasperating traffic gridlock on busy highways that some roundabouts were done away with. Furthermore, his administration has employed the urban renewal and regeneration strategy to build modern bridges. These are strategically located at Aboru, Abule-Egba and the Lekki-Ajah axis. Similarly, Ambode has commissioned the 15km bridge stretching from Badagry to the tourist haven of the Whispering Palms. In addition is the clean-up of the water front from Epe to Badagry and showcasing the master plan for the rapid urban transformation of Epe and Ikorodu.

With this integrated approach the introduction of modern buses to replace the ubiquitous danfos is another right step in the right direction.

Tagged the Bus Reform Initiative (BRI) the government is to introduce over 5,000 air-conditioned buses to replace the danfos between

2017 and 2019. While the big buses would take 70 people the medium ones would accommodate 30 passengers.

The latter is to make up 70 per cent of the buses bringing the total number to3,600 units.

On funding this laudable project, the governor recently explained that the government has targeted N30 billion to start the initiative. It already has a sum of N14.5billion as part of the payment from the Paris Club loan through the federal government. By the time the second batch of that is paid by April the government will add N1bn to complete the projected fund. All these are commendable. But there is still more to be done.

For instance, the question on the lips of Lagosians is how the mass of drivers and touts to be laid off by the BRI would be absorbed into the labour market. There is the need for sustained re-orientation of the masses, including the transporters and commuters and linkage with the former to engage them on the modalities for their involvement. One hopes that the public would be fully enlightened on related new traffic rules.

––Ayo Oyoze Baje, ayobaje@yahoo.co.uk (See concluding part on www.thisdaylive.com)

industry through which lots of youths have gotten fame and fortune. Therefore, developing and investing in sports is one sure way of empowering the youths and other professionals (such as doctors, psychologists, physiotherapists, athlete managers, etc) in the various sporting fields to become productively engaged. In this time of economic meltdown, encouraging youths to take to sports would surely be of immense benefits to the country. The decay of sporting infrastructure in the country is partly responsible for the waning status of sports in the country. This is why some of our talented sportsmen now opt to represent other countries where access to world class facilities is limitless. How do you raise a generation of new athletes without creating the enabling environment?

That is the tragedy that has befallen the country’s sporting prospect.

Ironically, directly opposite the National Stadium is the Teslim Balogun Stadium which was launched by the Lagos State Government in 2007. The condition of the two stadia is a classical example of a tale of two cities. While the

National Stadium shamefully rots away, the Teslim Balogun Stadium flourishes with its properly maintained facilities and regular sporting activities.

From its alluring synthetic pitch to the volleyball court, indoor sports hall to the handball courts, Teslim Balogun Stadium depicts orderliness, elegance and aesthetics.

It is in an attempt to address the nation’s dwindling fortune in sports as well as decay of facilities at the National Stadium that the federal government through Sports Minister, Mr. Solomon Dalung and Lagos State Government recently reached an agreement for Lagos State to take over the facility.

Since the Lagos State Government has over the years demonstrated its ability to appropriately manage sporting facilities, (Onikan, Agege and Teslim Balogun Stadia remain some of the best managed stadia in the country), it will be in the best interest of sports development in the country if it eventually takes over the National Stadium.

––Tayo Ogunbiyi, Ministry of Information & Strategy, Alausa, Lagos.

NIGERIA AND ARRESTED DEVELOPMENT

T

he maxim that government is a continuum is exactly what it is, a maxim.

This concept of a continuum especially holds true when it concerns the issue of employment. Thus, an APC-led government ought not just jettison great job-creation policies that an immediate past PDP-led government has nurtured, or stifle attempts by contemporary PDP administrations at state-levels to continue to encourage job-creation initiatives.

This is why it is worrisome to read about the gripe of the government of Cross River State that the central APC-led government at Abuja (that is, the federal government) is frustrating this state’s initiative of building a 250-km super-highway that is intended as an economic getaway from the South-South region to the tip of the Middle Belt region.

Is the federal government simply blind to the domino effects of engaging labourers and engineers for the initial phase of construction through to the point where this proposed highway becomes a veritable economic artery or is the federal government just simply being cynical and wicked? Even a “friendly” APC administration (that of Lagos State, really) has also griped about the stifling bottleneck of the Federal Ministry of Works regarding Gov. Ambode’s desire to re-construct and expand the Agege-Airport Road. The government of Akwa Ibom State has also griped about the stifling bottleneck of the Federal Ministry of Commerce regarding the lack of operational licence to commence joint local production of low-cost cars with an Israeli company even when the Israelis

have moved initial men and materiel to the shores of Nigeria.

Surely, the federal government would not let this Palestinian “brotherhood sympathy” thing get in the way of Nigeria’s economic development because in reality, not many Nigerians could tell a Jew from a Palestinian and despite these “neo-apartheid” and “oppressor” buzz feeds no Palestinian would prefer Nigeria to Israel! The federal government should simply face reality.

Now, the Peace Corps led by Dickson “Asquandi” Akor has been vociferously disbanded thereby cutting off the economic livelihood of thousands of young ‘uns and inadvertently pushing the Idomas to the agitation sphere of Biafra. The Office of National Security Agency (NSA) headed by Gen. Monguno did not appreciate a job-creation opportunity when one came calling and this general was in a rush to issue a memo banning helicopter shuttle from Kaduna to Abuja.

What a farce! Any heli-shuttle business is not just about the “Western or Westernised” pilots and beautiful hostesses (something that seem to trouble the Northerners, this expression of beauty) but it is also about the overall aircraft-support staff that would temporarily relocate to Kaduna and the economic benefits that transcends even down to the local chauffeurs and cabbies and maiguards who would be engaged by these aircraft-support staff at Kaduna.

No wonder the street people of Minna have begun chanting “Kwankwasiyya” as they look forward to 2019.

– Sunday Adole Jonah, Department of Physics, Federal University of Technology, Minna.

16

THISDAY, THE SUNDAY NEWSPAPER Ëž ͯ͡Ë&#x153; Í°ÍŽÍŻÍľ

INTERNATIONAL International Dimensions of Non-Confirmation of Ibrahim Magu as Chairman of the EFCC

M

r. Ibrahim Magu is currently the Acting Chairman of the Economic and Financial Crimes Commission (EFCC). He was appointed into this position in December 2015. Under normal circumstance, his appointment, which is a political one, ought to have been confirmed not later than May 2016 in light of the provisions of the Public Service Regulations (PSR) of Nigeria. The PSR provides for a maximum period of six months within which an acting appointment has to be confirmed. However, like in many other cases, Ibrahim Maguâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s appointment has not been confirmed since December 2015.

In the last quarter of 2015, President Muhammadu Buhari nominated Ibrahim Magu for the position of substantive Chairman of the EFCC. Without screening but in light of the security report of the Department of State Service, the nomination was not confirmed. As noted by the Department of State Security, Mr. Magu had failed the integrity: some sensitive EFCC documents which were not supposed to be in his possession were found in his house in 2008 when Retired Assistant Inspector General of Police, Mrs. Farida Waziri, was EFCC chairman.

The Department of State Service also has it that Mr. Magu was found guilty in December 2010 of â&#x20AC;&#x2DC;action prejudicial to state security, withholding of EFCC files, sabotage, unauthorised removal of EFCC files and acts unbecoming of a police officerâ&#x20AC;&#x2122; by the Police Service Commission. More disturbingly, Mr. Magu was accused of high profile lifestyle: living in a rented house of N20 million per annum, travelling first class at a cost of about N3 million. There were other indictments.

It is on this basis that the Department of State Service concluded that â&#x20AC;&#x2DC;Magu has failed the integrity test and will eventually constitute a liability to the anti-corruption drive of the present administration.â&#x20AC;&#x2122; On the basis of the security report of the Department of State Service, the Senate found it difficult to confirm the nomination of Magu as substantive EFCC chairman. Consequently, on December 15, 2015 the Senate officially withheld its right of confirmation.

On January 17, 2017, for various reasons and in light of the recommendations by the Federal Attorney General, the nomination of Mr. Magu was presented again to the Senate by President Muhammadu Buhari. And for the second time, the Senate revisited the re-submission of the nomination on Wednesday March 15, 2017. It was this reconsideration of the nomination that prompted the international community to develop much interest in seeking to know how the screening of Ibrahim Magu at the Senate would go.

For instance, it is considered that how the screening of Magu goes might determine the direction of the anti-graft war. More than ten diplomatic missions indicated much interest in attending the screening exercise so as to be able to â&#x20AC;&#x2DC;gauge the mindset of the Senate and Maguâ&#x20AC;&#x2122; who is highly rated by the international community.

What should be noted at this juncture is that, the Department of State Service also had another report which did not indict Magu but recommended him for substantive chairmanship of the EFCC. In this regard, the good report was sent to the President through Senator Ita Enang, the Senior Special Assistant to the President on National Assembly Matters (Senate) while the indicting report was sent to the Clerk of the Senate.

The sending of two different reports from the same source is not only a major dynamic of the problem but also why the international community is much interested in the matter. Additionally, little or no mention is made of the positive report, whereas the attitude of President Muhammadu Buhari appears to have been largely influenced by the positive nature of the report. The President has access to only one report. Ditto for the distinguished Senators who are insisting that the report in their possession does not allow for confirmation of Ibrahim Magu.

When Magu was asked to respond to the various allegations by the Department of State Services, he was first reluctant but eventually admitted that he had been reprimanded and that to a great extent the report of the Department of State Service on him is valid. In fact, for the purposes of the re-nomination, the Department of State Service still insisted on its initial report.

As a result of the conflicting positions, the refusal of the Senate on March 15, 2017 to confirm Mr Ibrahim Magu as the substantive Chairman of the EFCC for the second time has generated mixed reactions in the polity. On the one hand, attention has been drawn by eminent Nigerians to the possible bias inclines of the Senate as many of its members are also under the EFCCâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s investigation led

by Magu for alleged corrupt practices. For instance, Barrister Femi Falana (SAN) has it that â&#x20AC;&#x2DC;the participation of many senators who are either under investigation or being prosecuted by the EFCC has vitiated the entire proceedings of the Senate on ground of conflict of interest. It is also a contravention of the Rules of the Senate which stipulate that matters which are subjudice shall not be discussed by the Senate.â&#x20AC;&#x2122; In the same vein, another leading lawyer, Chief Wole Olanipekun, has argued that, under Nigeriaâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s current Constitution, â&#x20AC;&#x2DC;the Senate has the power to either reject or confirm, and once the Senate rejects, that is the end of the matter. But the Senate does not have the power to direct any other person to assume office in acting capacity or in the interim to fill the gap. That is the function of the executive.â&#x20AC;&#x2122; With the rejection of the nomination of Ibrahim Magu, Chief Mike Ozekhome, SAN, another learned Senior Advocate, has submitted that â&#x20AC;&#x2DC;going by Sections 2(1) and 2(3) of the EFCC Act, Magu ceases to be the Executive Chairman of the Commission.

VIE INTERNATIONALE with

Bola A. Akinterinwa Telephone : 0807-688-2846

e-mail: bolyttag@yahoo.com

examination results, who remove queries from their official files, political professors who are NIIA Council-assisted professors, and to write confidential reports based on untruths in the belief to permanently destroy me.

Most unfortunately, it is not known in history that any Field Marshal has declared war on truth and win. No matter for how long the truth may be suppressed, it remains indestructible. In the same vein, no army general or servant of God, no person no matter how powerful can prevent tomorrow from coming. There will always be a tomorrow no matter what happens during the passing day that will become tomorrow.

The very case of the Nigerian Institute of International Affairs is a good illustration of how Nigeria is consciously being destroyed by corruption. Attention is drawn to it and for drawing attention to it, the reward is sanction, instead of fair hearing. However, for as long as the anti-graft war only focuses on high-level cases and allowing corruption to grow at the middle and grass root levels, there will not be an end to corruption in Nigeria. The Ike Nwachukwu-led NIIA Governing Council has destroyed the institute beyond repairs, particularly by condoning indiscipline and no one is prepared to save the institution from total demise. The antidote to total demise is independent enquiry into the various allegations and replies in order to establish the hard facts.

Put differently, the unfairness at the NIIA is not in any way different from the unfairness raised by President Muhammadu Buhari in defence of Ibrahim Magu. Every Nigerian, accused of anything must be given a fair hearing because the worst type of corruption is to receive petitions and take decisions on them without allowing the accused a fair hearing. Decision-taking on the basis of a onesided presentation is corruption per excellence. Giving a sermon of respect for rules and regulations but allowing the preacher to do just the contrary is another worst type of corruption.

The International Dimensions

Magu

Having left his â&#x20AC;&#x2DC;actingâ&#x20AC;&#x2122; position during his proposal to the Senate, he also loses his â&#x20AC;&#x2DC;actingâ&#x20AC;&#x2122; capacity. It is simply a bad case.â&#x20AC;&#x2122;

The National Dimensions

The non-confirmation of the nomination of Ibrahim Magu as the Chairman of the EFCC is quite interesting from both the domestic and external aspects. At the internal level, why did the Department of State Service write two different reports? The two reports are responsible for not just the misunderstanding between the legislative and executive arms of government, but also why many observers have been suspecting a rivalry between the Senate and the Presidency.

The non-confirmation also raises the issue of credibility and integrity of Nigeriaâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s institutions at home and abroad. Many ordinary Nigerians hold the belief that it is because Magu is investigating many senators that the Senate is biased and that it refuses to confirm Magu. If this were to be the case, how do we explain Maguâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s admission of the allegations by the Department of State Services? Magu noted at the hearing that the second report in which he was cleared of the allegations was no longer in the dossiers given to him. He, by so doing, is already insinuating unfairness. The argument of President Muhammadu Buhari is equally relevant here: no fairness, no opportunity for fair hearing, Magu should be listened to.

The position of the president is the ideal thing in a normal system and civilised society. However, the ideal thing becomes a burden when it is selectively done. This is one major reason why the future of anti-graft war cannot be bright. When petitions were written against me as Director General and Chief Executive of the Nigerian Institute of International Affairs (NIIA), adequate explanations on the non-tenability of the petitions were given. The Major General Ike Nwachukwu-led Governing Council could only note the explanations. The Council could not determine who was right or wrong.

Again, when the institute was becoming a new terra cognita for acts of serious indiscipline which the same Council had aided and abetted, the matter was referred to the Supervisory Authority but all to no avail: no action. This compelled me to empanel a special committee to look at the acts. The panel comprised the representatives of the Office of the Head of Service, Public Service Commission, the Ministry of Foreign Affairs, which is the supervisory authority, a former Director General of the NIIA and the Department of State Services. The panel met and wrote a report which was sent to the supervisory authority but the report was suppressed.

The allegations of fraudulent practices levied against the petitioners were also not looked into by the Department of State Services.

Even at the level of the Councilâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s allegation that I did not follow due process in the construction of a new international conference centre at the institute, an allegation that does not hold water, I requested for a full investigation into the matter to determine whether there had been any engagement in any form of malpractice. The Council could not do that. The best it could do is to protect staff having multiple dates of births, who changed promotion

As it is, both Ibrahim Magu and the Senate have many issues of corruption to attend to. The international community is simply waiting to see how the issues will be addressed. As required by the Senate rules, Senators are required to declare their interests on the case of Mr Magusâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s screening and, where applicable, exclude themselves from participating in the screening of Mr. Magu.

This matter is similar to the case of the indictment of Donald Trumpâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s Attorney-General who was alleged to have had contacts with Russian officials during the 2016 United States Presidential Elections and who, according to the CNBC, decided to remove himself from getting involved in any current or future investigations related to the alleged interference of Russia in the US Elections.

Jeff Sessions who supervises the Justice Department and the Federal Bureau of Investigation (FBI), which have led investigations into alleged Russian meddling in the election and any links between Russia and Trump associates without the involvement of Sessions. The point being made is that senators should not be judges in cases they are involved in.

In a forum in 2016, Nobel Laureate Professor Wole Soyinka warned the Federal Government to be very vigilant in its fight against corruption as â&#x20AC;&#x2DC;corruption will surely fight backâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;. He warned against complacency, adding that even during the countryâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s civil war, the money meant to buy arms for the military to defend the country and protect the citizenry was shared by a few people.

In light of the wise warning of Prof. Soyinka, it is noteworthy that before Mr Magu was appointed as Acting Chairman of EFCC, he was part of the investigative committee set up by the National Security Adviser, Babagana Monguno, to probe the procurement of arms in the Armed Forces between 2007 and 2015. The result of the panel exposed the height of impunity and corruption in system.

The obvious question now is that given the involvement of Mr. Magu in this arms deal investigation that led to the arrest of many prominent politicians, can it now be that corruption is fighting back to stop him from further onslaught on corrupt people? Is he simply being haunted by his own corruption? Or is it a case of the kettle accusing the steam?

Maguâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s case appears to be the height of a cold war between the Senate and the presidency. It should be recalled that PMB had cleared Mr Magu of any wrongdoing based on the report of the investigation by the Office of the Attorney General contrary to the indicting report of the DSS upon which the Senate predicated its decision to reject the re-nomination of the Acting EFCC Chief.

While the Presidency had chosen to disregard the DSS report on Maguâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s failure of integrity test, the Senate had chosen to tow an opposite path by its decision to ignore the Attorney Generalâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s report that cleared Mr. Magu of any misdeed. How will the international community perceive the identified offences for which he has been charged?

International donors assisting the EFCC are many. Many of them took interest in attending the screening of Ibrahim Magu. Now that his nomination has been rejected again, the issue of who succeeds him must be carefully handled. The successor must be internationally agreeable for international assistance to remain. In the same vein, Nigerians travelling abroad cannot but be seen as corrupt people. The implication cannot be far-fetched: suspicion, hostility, if not nigerianophobia. If corruption is internationally perceived to be â&#x20AC;&#x2DC;incurableâ&#x20AC;&#x2122; in Nigeria, new flows of investments cannot but be affected as well. In seeking therefore an enduring solution to the problem of corruption, let the approach be predicated on truth, fairness, honesty of purpose and holistic methodology.

17

T H I S D AY, T H E S U N D AY N E W S PA P E R ˾ MARCH 19, 2017

BUSINESS

Editor Vincent Obia Email vincent.obia@thisdaylive.com (08054681757)

QUICK TAKES Forex Market

The Central Bank of Nigeria (CBN) releasedanothertrancheof$100mon Friday to authorised dealers to meet the requests of genuine customers in the interbank segment of the foreign exchange market.

Acting Director, Corporate Communications Department, CBN, Mr. Isaac Okoroafor,whileconfirmingtherelease inastatementsaidnointerventionwas made on Thursday in the market.

Thestatementreadinpart:“TheCentral BankofNigeriahasofferedandreceived bids for $100 million from authorised dealersintheinterbankmarkettomeet the requests of genuine customers.

“ThesaleswillbesettledonFriday,March 17,2017andno intervention was made by the Bank to meet requests for invisibles on Thursday.”

Telecoms

A textile market in Lagos

With Lower February Kunle Aderinokun inLagos and Ndubuisi Francis inAbuja After a 15-month rising streak, the consumer price index (CPI), which gauges inflation, reversed last month. The CPI stood at 17.78 per cent (year-on-year) in February, moving 0.94 per cent lower than the 18.72 per cent it recorded in January.

The National Bureau of Statistics, which released the February CPI, report last Tuesday that the decline represented the effects of slower rises in already high food and non-food prices and favourable base effects over 2016 prices. According to the agency, the price increases were recorded in all COICOP (Classification of Individual Consumption by Purpose) divisions that yield the Headline Index.

NBS pointed out that the major divisions responsible for accelerating the pace of the increase in the headline index were housing, water, electricity, gas and other fuel, education, food and alcoholic beverages, clothing and footwear, and transportation services.

On a month-on-month basis, the agency noted, the headline index increased by 1.49 per cent in February 2017, 0.48 per cent points higher from the rate of 1.01 per cent recorded in January. It stated,“The Food Index increased by 18.53 per cent (year-on-year) in February, up by 0.71 per cent points from rate recorded in January (17.82) per cent driven by increases in the prices of bread, cereals, meat, fish, potatoes, yams and other tubers and wine, while the slowest increase in food prices year on year were recorded by soft drinks, coffee, tea and cocoa.”

Analysts believe the decision of the Central Bank of Nigeria to adopt inflation targeting and not pursue growth with a view to addressing rising inflation, has paid off with the CPI achieving a lower inflation rate in February. While a school of thought believes the development signals the start of recovery from economic recession, others urge caution in taking policy decisions on the monetary tools, as the prolonged pressures are yet to abate. The general consensus, however, is that the authorities should watch the trend, with many believing inflation would continue on a downward streak.

ECONOMY The CBN had in July last year opted to target inflation rather than focus on growth, hence its decision to increase the monetary policy rate (MPR) to 14 per cent by 200 basis points, from 12 per cent, and later in the year the pace of inflation increase became slower than before. For instance, a month after the apex bank’s decision, inflation rose by 0.48 per cent to 17.61 per cent from 17.13 per cent in July. Before this, inflation had increased by 0.90 per cent to 16.48 per cent in June from 15.58 per cent in May. And ever since, the pace of increase has been reducing.

In welcoming the year-on-year decline in inflation rate, Director General, West African Institute for Financial and Economic Management, Professor Akpan Ekpo, pointed out that on closer examination, the monthon-month increase in the last one year had been on a slower pace.

Ekpo said,“This first time decline in 15 months points to the fact that the recession is easing. It appears that the decline in imports has reduced the impact of imported inflation on prices due to foreign exchange constraint.

It follows that the pass through effect of speculation on domestic prices has been marginal.”

He advocated the need for caution because the food index increased year-on-year by 0.71 per cent, driven by increases in the prices of various food items.“It also increased on month-on-month as well. Inflation adversely affects the poor more than the rich, hence the rural CPI increase month-on-month is worrisome,”he said.

According to Ekpo,“Over all, the slight reduction in the rate of inflation is nothing to celebrate. The rate of inflation is an average measure; some prices go up while others decrease. Households and their families should not spend more than 20 per cent of their income on food and other very basic needs.”

Similarly, Executive Director, Corporate Finance, BGL Capital Ltd, Femi Ademola, found it heart-warming that the rate of increase in general price level fell to 17.78 per cent in February 2017. According to

him,“This could signal an inflexion point in inflation and also the commencement of recovery from economic recession. This could also support the argument in favour of monetary accommodation to ease the liquidity crunch and jumpstart economic activities.”

Ademola said,“The reasons for the lower inflation rate are many, with the high base rate in the corresponding period of 2016 a significant factor,”stressing,“The increase in liquidity from the implementation of capital projects and the Paris Club refund are important factors too.”In addition, he said,“The moderating exchange rate could also account for lower price increase from imported goods.”

Looking forward, the economist noted,“Due We expect inflation to drop further in March because the base-year effect is waning and would wane further. It was in February last year that this ‘madness’started

to the high inflation rate in 2016, the high base rates almost throughout the year indicate lower inflation rate expectations throughout 2017; hence the coming months would even record higher moderation in inflation rate.”

Speaking along the same line, Chief Executive Officer, Financial Derivatives Company Limited, Mr. Bismarck Rewane, described the drop in February CPI as good news for the Nigerian economy.

He added, “We expect inflation to drop further in March because the base-year effect is waning and would wane further. It was in February last year that this‘madness’started.

“But in February this year, we started seeing improved foreign exchange supply and if that continues, we expect inflation to continue to decline. So, good things are happening and confidence is gradually returning to the economy.”

Ecobank Nigeria’s analyst, Kunle Ezun, who said the drop in inflation was expected,

predicted that the CPI might fall to 14 per cent at the end of the year. Ezun stated, “The issue now is, how does that translate to improvement in the living conditions of Nigerians? For me, government must ensure that the power sector is fixed so that the high cost of power by firms and households is reduced.

“There is also the need to bring down the cost of transportation.”

In his own contribution, Director, Union Capital Markets Ltd, Egie Akpata, observed, “The base effect is kicking in so we could see a steady decline in year-on-year CPI going forward.”

Akpata was, however, quick to point out that the month-on-month inflation accelerated CPI and all its major indices.

“So the inflation related pressures are not yet about to be a thing of the past.”

He cautioned that before reducing interest rates, the CBN, which is the monetary authority, needs to observe a few months of CPI reductions.“It is unlikely they will make a move to reduce rates at the next MPC.” Chief Executive Officer, Cowry Asset Management Limited, Mr. Johnson Chukwu, attributed the moderation in the CPI largely to the base effect. To him,“The base effect would be more pronounced in May 2017 inflation because it was in May 2016 that the uptick was higher. So, if nothing significant occurs in the economy, we are going to see a drastic reduction, to maybe single digit in May 2017 inflation.”

For the Managing Director and Chief Economist, Global Research Africa, Standard Chartered Bank, Razia Khan, “We were expecting an improvement in February based on an even more pronounced base effect. Our food price indicator suggested that y/y inflation had started to decelerate.”

Going forward, Khan predicted,“Improved FX sales by the CBN and a reduced parallel market premium will help lessen price pressures. But all of this must be assessed against the growth in money supply. If the federal government remains dependent on CBN financing of its budget, that is a clear risk, still, to inflation. Even if the base effect dominates in the near term.”

Despitelastweek’sinterventionbythe NigerianCommunicationsCommission (NCC) and the Central Bank of Nigeria (CBN),banksinthecountryhaveopposed aproposalbyEtisalatNigeriatoconvert partofa$1.2billionloanfromdollarsto nairaandwanttheAbuDhabitelecoms group,Etisalatanditsothershareholders torecapitaliseitinstead,ithasemerged.

A banker conversant with the negotiations told Reuters that the seven-year syndicatedloan,onwhichEtisalatNigeria missed a payment, has a dollar portion of $235 million, which the telecoms operator wants to convert to naira to overcome hard currency shortages on Nigeria’s interbank market.

“Etisalat is asking for us to convert the dollarcomponenttonairabutbanksdon’t want that option and have told them to talk to their parent to settle the loan,” the source said, adding that regulators favoured the conversion.

The UAE’s Etisalat own 45 per cent of Etisalat Nigeria, while Abu Dhabi’s Mubadala owns 40 per cent of the company, which was due to meet its lenders on Thursday for debt talks mediated by the central bank and the telecoms regulator.

However,the13banksthatsyndicated the loan for Etisalat had postponed a meetingearlierscheduledforThursday to address the $1.2 billion that the telecoms company owes the banks.

The Executive Vice-Chairman of NCC, ProfUmarDanbatta,whoannouncedthe postponementinAbuja,saidthemeeting would hold next week at a date yet to be fixed, but did not give reason for the postponement.

Aero Downsizes

Aero Contractors Nigeria Limited has laid off about 60 per cent of its total workforce after it issued the affected staff letters of redundancy.

The airline said it had been grappling withhugeandunrealisticpersonnelcosts as well as other operational challenges worsened by lack of enough aircraft to keep all the workers meaningfully engaged.Aerosaidinastatementthatthe issuance of notification of redundancy was a business decision that would ensure its survival. “The current situation where over 1,000 people are basically not engaged due to lack of serviceable aircraftisnotsustainablefortheairline.

The huge monthly salaries associated withabloatedworkforcewilleventually killtheairline,whichisnottheintention of the current government,” the airline said in the statement.

It stated that it currently had aircraftto-employeeratioof1:500,addingthat thiswasperhapstheworstinthehistory of the global airline industry.

“Government’sinterventioninAerowas tosaveitfromtotalcollapse,therefore, allstepssuchasthis(issuanceofredundancy letters, are to ensure that its survivalmustbeputintoconsideration to save the airline,” it added.

18

T H I S D AY, T H E S U N D AY N E W S PA P E R ˾ MARCH 19, 2017

BUSINESS/MONEY

As FG Moves to Extend Bank The plan to extend the use of Bank Verification Number (BVN) to customers of Microfinance banks appear to be long expected, going by the reactions of operators in the financial services sector to the planned introduction, writes Olaseni Durojaiye

Customers on queue for banking transactions

T

he most celebrated benefits of the introduction of the Bank Verification Number (BVN) and its strict enforcement by money deposit banks in the country may have been the blocking of leakages in government revenue as several thousands of ghost workers were discovered through the initiative. Other benefits include improved transparency in the process of granting of bank facilities to customers among others as well as helping the banks to sanitise their credit administration system and curbing fraudulent practices outside of the public service.

At the inception of the project, one of its proponent, Chief Executive Officer of Nigeria Inter-Bank Settlement System (NIBBS) Mr. Ade Shonubi, had explained that the purpose of it is to use biometric information as a means of identifying and verifying all individuals that have account(s) in any Nigerian bank and consequently, as a means of authenticating customer’s identity at point of transactions.

Shonubi had added that the BVN exercise would also provide a uniform industriallyaccepted unique identity for bank customers, to authenticate transactions without the use of cards using only biometric features and Personal Identity Number (PIN) identification of blacklisted customers.

Today, many observers rated the exercise as a success on the strength of helping to block fraudulent siphoning of government finance with the discovery of several thousands of ghost workers particularly in the federal civil service.

The discovery and the subsequent blocking of such conduits had vindicated the concerns of many, including international consulting groups, who noted that corruption in the public sector was a drawback for government’s ability to

fund capital projects and interventions in other critical sectors of the economy with potential to grow the economy further.

However, the benefits transcend the public sector. A report released last year by FBNQuest Research revealed that the rate of e-fraud in Nigeria in terms of value reduced by 63 per cent in 2015, partly due to the introduction of bank verification BVN project.

On the Financial inclusion leg of it, the number of unbanked adult Nigerians lags behind that of South Africa and Kenya leading to the initiative being conceptualised. In 2010 for instance, only 36 per cent – roughly 31 million out of an adult population of 84.7 million were served by formal financial services, compared to 68 per cent in South Africa and 41 per cent in Kenya. It was as a result of this that the CBN and other stakeholders in October 2012 implemented a National Financial Inclusion Strategy to decrease the number of Nigerians that are excluded from financial services from 46.3 per cent to 20.0 per cent by 2020 as committed to in the Maya Declaration.

The New Directive The plan to extend the BVN regime to MFBs was contained in a communication from the Minister of Finance, Mrs. Kemi Adeosun to the Governor of the Central Bank of Nigeria (CBN), Mr. Godwin Emefiele. It will be recalled that the CBN had announced plans to extend the BVN exercise to MFBs in September 2016.

In the communication, Adeosun told the CBN governor that prior to the deadline for obtaining the BVN by bank customers, a large number of salary accounts of Federal employees were found to have been moved from commercial banks to microfinance banks, which did not require the use of BVN. Further justifying the rationale for the new

policy thrust, Adeosun stated in the memo that operating bank accounts in MFBs without requirement for BVN has left a huge loophole for those, who hide and launder proceeds of crime to escape detection by law enforcement agencies.

According to her “Our on-going efforts to verify the integrity of Federal Government personnel costs and purge the system of fraud and error has made extensive use of the Bank Verification Number as a means of identifying recipients of multiple salaries, and salaries paid into accounts with names that differ from those held on our payroll records.

The success of this effort has to date yielded the removal of over 50,000 payroll entries,” the minister said.

Although the minister said extending the requirement for BVN to microfinance banks may impose a huge financial strain on the smaller microfinance banks, the minister pointed out that,“Some MFBs, such as National Police Force Microfinance (NPF), have over 27,000 salary accounts. Our inability to perform checks on such a large number of salary earners is a key risk.”

“I am therefore seeking your co-operation to enforce compliance with BVN on any MFB with over 200 active salary accounts, or those above a certain size. This will support the Federal Government’s efforts at reducing leakages to create headroom for the capital projects that will support the growth of the economy,” the minister said.

Stakeholders’ Reactions Stakeholders who spoke to THISDAY in separate interviews including the Managing Director of FinaTrust Microfinance Bank, Mr. Deji Popoola, welcome the initiative, pointing out that, it would help the MFBs with their

credit management system as it would also further deepen financial inclusion in the banking sector.

Similarly, a senior banker with one of the new generation banks, who preferred not to be named, also welcomed the extension.

According to him,“The extension will strengthen the credit bureau and will check the activities of habitual loan defaulters who now approach the MFBs because of their bad records with the commercial banks.

“What some bank customers with bad credit profile now do is to approach MFBs for bank facilities because they couldn’t go to commercial banks because their details can easily be retrieved through their BVN and the credit bureaus whereas the MFBs don’t have those details,” he stated anonymously.

Meanwhile, who stated that, it is a right step in the right direction, posited that, “When it is introduced, it will help the MFBs with their credit administration and reduce incidence of bad loans because it will equip the MFBs with details of bank customers. Besides it will help to deepen financial inclusion. Since the whole essence of the financial inclusion policy was to bring as many people as possible into the financial system and considering that about 80 per cent of Nigerians live in the rural areas where some MFBs operate it then makes sense to extend the BVN initiative to that sector as it will further help to meet that objective.”

Speaking further, Popoola allayed fears that the introduction may not be well received in the rural areas, arguing that,“The policy shouldn’t be looked at on the short term, rather, customers of MFBs should be made to see the benefits through awareness campaign using the radio and television, and encouraged to enlist. They may be in the rural area today and migrate to the cities tomorrow,” he reasoned.

19

T H I S D AY, T H E S U N D AY N E W S PA P E R ˾ MARCH 19, 2017

BUSINESS/ENERGY

A refinery

The Renewed Call for Passage of PIB Realising that the continued delay in the passage of the Petroleum Industry Bill, a law that could rewrite extant operational anomalies in Nigeria’s oil and gas sector was hurting the industry and the nation, the Nigerian National Petroleum Corporation asked the National Assembly to expedite action in making it a law, writes Chineme Okafor

L

ast week, the Group Managing Director of the Nigerian National Petroleum Corporation (NNPC), Maikanti Baru, said the long delay in the passage of the PIB had led to uncertainty in Nigeria’s oil and gas industry.

Baru, in a statement from the Group General Manager, Public Affairs, Ndu Ughamadu, explained that Nigeria was losing a lot of business opportunities from the non-passage of the bill by the National Assembly.

He also noted that in addition to the uncertainties created by the absence of such refined industry governance law, the recent move by the National Assembly to amend the Nigeria Liquefied Natural Gas (NLNG) Act had dampened investor’s optimism in the oil industry.

According to him, passing the PIB had become an urgent task the legislators must embrace to save the country’s oil industry from going under with investment isolation.

Baru also explained that the industry was focused on ensuring stability and security of its investment, personnel and investors, as well as addressing all community related issues that usually impact its productivity.

“The review of the NLNG Act by the National Assembly is causing a challenge for the Federal Government and IOCs and it is sending wrong signals to the international community about how business is done in the country,”Baru had stated while pointing out that the global LNG market was growing at a tremendous rate that ought to be taken advantage of with the passage of PIB. He, however, explained that the government would work out modalities to see that key LNG projects such as the Bonny NLNG Train 7 and Brass LNG take off in the months ahead after which the Olokola LNG would come on board if the fundamentals were strong.

The GMD stated that the NNPC was refocusing

on the Brass LNG and rebuilding the confidence of investors on the project after the exit of ConocoPhillips a few years ago because Nigerians would benefit from it in terms of taxes, royalties and profits.

“We are refocusing on Brass LNG and rebuilding the confidence of the IOCs in the project. It has a lot to do for Nigerians as it will create employment opportunities and create more revenue opportunities for the Federal Government. We will continue to put the right enablers in place for the project to go on,” Baru said.

Why the Urgency to Pass PIB? While it had been obvious for years, the urgency to pass the bill was however, underlined again in the last quarter 2016 policy brief of the Nigerian Extractive Industries Transparency Initiative (NEITI), which stated that Nigeria has so far lost $200 billion from its failure to pass an enabling law for the petroleum industry.

Titled: ‘The Urgency of a New Petroleum Sector Law,’ NEITI declared in the policy brief that some of the losses were from projected investments put at $120 billion ($15 billion yearly), which had been deferred due to regulatory uncertainty.

NEITI explained that clear, unambiguous rules, predictable policy-making and efficient regulations have been lacking in the industry since the process of enacting a law for it commenced.

It equally said that the industry had continued to deteriorate because the laws governing its operations are not sufficient for effective regulation and in some instances too outdated to be relevant in today’s global energy environment.

“Though eight years in the National Assembly, the motion around the PIB has been on for all of sixteen years. Sadly, there is little about what is going on at the moment to suggest real movement or adequate learning from the past,” said NEITI in the brief.

It further stated:“The PIB ship should be rescued from a start-stop, unhurried and uncoordinated

mode and brought swiftly ashore.”

Insisting on an executive push for the bill, NEITI said: “There is need for President Muhammadu Buhari to take the lead by investing his presidential capital on this all-important legislation, putting in place a mechanism for rallying the stakeholders to a consensus, and using this law as one of the pillars of the bridge to a much needed economic recovery.”

NEITI linked the non-passage of PIB to other economic challenges of Nigeria, stating that the country’s foreign reserves and currency value were being constantly battered by continuous importation of refined petroleum products that should otherwise have been produced in-country if the refineries were active.

“The process of enacting a new law for Nigeria’s petroleum sector has gone on for far too long, and at enormous costs to the country. More urgency and better coordination are needed on the passage of this very important bill.

“The PIB is one of the most important bills ever to be contemplated in Nigeria’s history, yet the one that has taken the most time and generated the most activity without legislation,”NEITI said, adding that the setbacks suffered by the bill were not due to poor understanding of the problems or the deficiency in expert inputs, but largely due to disagreements among stakeholders on the regulatory frameworks, including power of the minister, ownership and control of the resources, host community benefits, environmental concerns, appropriate fiscal regime, among others.

Commitment to Pass Bill But while NNPC and other stakeholders have insisted on passing the PIB immediately, the Senate in February indicated it would pass a governance aspect of the bill entitled: Petroleum Industry Governance Bill (PIGB), which was separated from the contentious fiscal aspect of the whole bill latest by April.

Its latest position on the bill was made known by its Committee Chairman on Petroleum Upstream, Senator Donald Alasoadura, who spoke in a plenary comprising the Group Chief Executive of Oando Plc, Wale Tinubu and Executive Secretary of the Nigerian Content Development and Monitoring Board (NCDMB), Simbi Wabote, at the just-concluded Nigeria Oil and Gas Conference and Exhibition in Abuja, where they discussed how new legislations and policies could transform Nigeria’s oil and gas sector.

Alasoadura explained that the Senate had advanced its works on the PIGB currently before it and would pass it into law latest by April 2017. He said the bill, which seeks to address all governance-related issues in the industry, would by the end of March go through its third reading, adding that without any unforeseen delays, it would become a law afterwards.

He also stated that Senate would subsequently pass two additional laws to complement the PIGB, although, he did not disclose the two other bills to be passed.

“Once a bill gets to its third reading, it is as good as being passed. We are expecting the bill to be passed in March or latest by April.

“The Local Content Law will also be properly taken care of. We have asked for areas of amendment from the Executive Secretary and we will be glad to do it,” he said.

The senator further stated:“We know we need laws that are in line with international standards. We need an NNPC that will be smooth, commercially oriented, that can run smoothly and make money.”

According to him, the legislators have decided to have only one regulatory body in the sector to ease the process of doing business and attract more investments.

“That it takes time like a year to set up a business in the industry is an aberration. We are thinking of when we have a timeline for all businesses to be completed within six months,”Alasoadura added.

20

T H I S D AY, T H E S U N D AY N E W S PA P E R ˾ MARCH 19, 2017

BUSINESS/ENERGY

A vessel carrying crude oil

Bonga FPSO Repairs May Engender Temporary Drop in Oil Production Nigeria’s total daily oil output could take a brief drop for maybe a month following announcement by the Shell Nigeria Exploration and Production Company Limited (SNEPCo) that it has shut the 225,000 barrels per day capacity Bonga Floating Production Storage and Offloading (FPSO) field for routine repairs. Chineme Okafor writes

P

enultimate week, Shell Nigeria Exploration and Production Company Limited (SNEPCo) announced that it had shut down the Bonga deep-water oilfield and commenced turnaround maintenance on it, thus executing mandatory upkeep activities that would ensure continuous optimum operations at the field.

Accordingly, the turnaround maintenance would involve inspections, recertification, testing and repair of equipment as well as engineering upgrades with Nigerian companies and subsea professional playing key roles.

As expected, the routine maintenance will take off a significant volume from Nigeria’s crude oil production and exports. SNEPCo under a Production Sharing Contract (PSC) with the Nigerian National Petroleum Corporation (NNPC), produces about 200,000 barrels of oil per day in the 225,000 barrels per day capacity Bonga field.

However, a major focus of the maintenance would be the Bonga Floating, Production, Storage and Offloading (FPSO) vessel, which is at the heart of operations at the Bonga field. The FPSO has a production capacity of 225,000 barrels of oil and 150 million standard cubic feet of gas per day.

It also has a life-span of 20 years, and was shut down for six weeks in February 2011 for routine maintenance.

Need for Maintenance Speaking in a statement on the rationale for the shutdown, the Managing Director of SNEPCO, Mr. Bayo Ojulari, said the current maintenance of the field was the fourth since the Bonga

field began production in November 2005, and that it offered the field a new opportunity to regroup its efficiency.

Ojulari said: “The exercise will help ensure sustained production and reduced unscheduled production deferments.”

According to him,“For the Bonga team, this is another opportunity to excel, having won the ‘Asset of the Year’ Award 2016 in the Shell Group, followed by runners-up in Norway and Malaysia. We are pleased that the award recognised the continuing collaboration towards optimum production with a focus on safety, cost and Nigerian content development which will be invaluable in the maintenance work.”

Similarly, Shell Nigeria spokesman, Mr. Bamidele Odugbesan, said that production from the field was shut down on March 4, 2017, and would be expected back at the conclusion of the exercise next month.

Potential Implications Without much doubt, the development would mean that Nigeria will have to defer producing up to 200,000 barrels of oil a day for as long as the field remained closed for the repair works.

This also implies that the country’s production level, which the NNPC last week said has climbed up to 2 million barrels a day following reduced militancy and disruption of operations in the Niger Delta, could drop by the shut-in volume.

This could also delay, albeit momentarily, Nigeria’s desire to quickly get back to a healthy oil production level in line with the expectations of member countries of the Organisation of Petroleum Exporting Countries (OPEC) when they granted it a freeze waiver during their

meetings to shore up oil prices through production cuts.

On the revenue side, operators of the field would for the period of the repairs, defer income that could have come from its production, while gas produced from the field for both domestic

The development would mean that Nigeria will have to defer producing up to 200,000 barrels of oil a day for as long as the field remained closed for the repair works.

This also implies that the country’s production level, which the NNPC last week said has climbed up to 2 million barrels a day following reduced militancy and disruption of operations in the Niger Delta, could drop by the shut-in volume

and international consumptions would also be impacted.

Bonga Field Located in Oil Prospecting Licence (OPL) 212, the oil field which is reportedly situated 60-square-kilometre in water depths of over 1,000 metres is Nigeria’s first deep-water development project.

It is also located 120 kilometres off-shore Nigeria, and has a development cost to first oil of about $3.6 billion.

Using cutting edge technology, SNEPCo made a world-class oil and gas find at its offshore Bonga in 1995, and the Bonga FPSO was built

by Samsung Heavy Industries of Korea for SNEPCo. The production facilities of Bonga consist of one of the world’s largest FPSO vessels and deep-water subsea infrastructure. Its initial 16 subsea oil producing and water injection wells were connected to the two-million barrel storage capacity FPSO by production flowlines, risers and control umbilicals.

Also, the use of Inconel clad Steel Catenary Risers in Bonga was the first time such facility was used on any FPSO anywhere in the world.

Subsequently, SNEPCo expanded the project with further drilling of wells in Bonga Phases 2 and 3 and through a subsea tie-back that unlocked the nearby Bonga North West field in August 2014. Bonga Phase 3 achieved first oil in October 2015.

At the moment, SNEPCo operates Bonga in partnership with Esso Exploration and Production Nigeria (Deep Water) Limited, Total E&P Nigeria Limited, and Nigerian Agip Exploration Limited under a PSC with the NNPC.

21

T H I S D AY, T H E S U N D AY N E W S PA P E R ˾ MARCH 19, 2017

INTERVIEW Tonder: Return of Investment in Nigeria Looks Good Pierre van Tonder is the CEO of Spur Corporation, a growing multi-brand restaurant franchisor, headquartered in Cape Town, South Africa, which trades as Spur Steak Ranches.

Tonder, who was in Nigeria, recently, speaks with Kunle Aderinokun on the nation’s investment climate, benefits and challenges in the operating environment, hospitality industry and company’s franchising opportunity, amongst other pertinent issues

W

elcome to Nigeria. Will this be your first trip to the country?

growth in Mauritius, and good growth in Australasia, following the very successful launch of our first store in New Zealand. This was offset by a disappointing performance in Africa, which grew marginally. The performance in Africa we attribute to political instability, poor economic growth (led by lower commodity pricing), and currency devaluations.

What is the purpose of your visit to Nigeria?

To what extent has the closure of the group’s operations in the UK and Ireland impacted on your overall bottom-line?

No. This is my second visit to the country, although I have been dealing with our principle franchisee for many years.

To finalise our master franchise agreement with our franchisee, as well as several new locations that we are currently investigating.

Until very recently, the United Kingdom did not result in any cash flow losses, although accounting losses were incurred due to the very high setup costs and poor exchange rate when we set up certain of the stores in 2007-2009. As soon as we started incurring cash flow losses, we made the difficult decision to withdraw from the United Kingdom. We expect that the closure of the United Kingdom will be earnings enhancing, at least in the short to medium term.

Given our history of impairments, the real benefit of closing the United Kingdom is likely to improve shareholder sentiment. Note however, that by far, the majority of our profits have always been generated in South Africa – the impact of the United Kingdom (excluding impairments) on the group’s profits has therefore not been material.

It is heartwarming to see an African organisation like Spur Corporation Limited emerge a global leader in a very competitive industry.

Can you give us an overview of Spur and how it all started?

Spur opened its first outlet in 1967, when the current chairman, Allen Ambor, started trading the Golden Spur in Newlands, Cape Town. He saw a gap in the market to provide a high quality product at affordable prices, within a relaxed and family-friendly environment. He believed that focus on the customer was paramount. Spur was developed from this ethos. While the brand has evolved over the years, it essentially still embodies the original ideals of the founder. Shortly after opening the first outlet, Allen recognised that in order to realise his dream of growing the brand nationally, he had to adopt a franchising model. This brought with it many risks, in that he wasn’t able to physically be on site at each location to ensure that franchisees protected the values of the brand, and so he started developing the infrastructure necessary to maintain and enforce stringent standards, surrounding himself with the right people for the job. The company was listed on the Johannesburg Stock Exchange in 1986 and underwent a major restructure in 1999. The group started the Panarottis Pizza Pasta brand in 1990 to capitalise on the growing pizza market in South Africa at the time. John Dory’s Fish Grill Sushi was acquired in 2004. The group acquired the Captain DoRegos brand in 2012 in an attempt to cater for a broader section of the population in South Africa. In 2014, the group acquired the upmarket The Hussar Grill steakhouse chain. Most recently, the group acquired a controlling interest in RocoMamas, a burgers, ribs and wings offering that appeals to millennials.

Having operated in the Nigerian environment for several years now,how would you assess the market, vis-à-vis your line of business?

We believe that while there are certain barriers to entry in any new market, there is certainly a need and a desire for our brand in Nigeria.

Although it is highly competitive, we are making inroads in terms of getting our brand equity out into the market place.

Will you rate the return on investment from Nigeria as good?

We believe it will be, but, as in any business, we need to achieve a certain critical mass, in order to benefit from economies of scale and efficiencies within a region. Currently, travel costs are exorbitant into Africa. However, we believe that we need to take a longer-term view and invest now, in order to establish and grow our presence.

What factors underline your specific focus on Nigeria?

With the largest population in Africa and second largest economy, we would be misguided to believe that Nigeria does not represent a real opportunity for us. Critical to our success however, will be to ensure that we can adapt to local customer tastes and demands and deal with certain of the operational challenges that are associated with new territories including, for example, supply chain issues.

What is your assessment of the Nigerian hospitality industry?

Tonder

What is unique about Spur in the Nigerian market?

Firstly, I think that we are the first family restaurant in the Nigerian market - you will note that our logo states “family restaurant”. This will also reflect in our design, layout and food - an enjoyable family experience at reasonable pricing and good value.

Can you give us an insight into what the Spur Group plans to accomplish in Nigeria in the next five years?

One of our key learnings from entering major territories that we are not fully au fait with, is that it is best to partner local expertise and capital. We have done so in Nigeria, and appointed a master franchisee in the region. Our plan is to grow to at least 20 stores in the next five years.

Competition in your industry is intense. What are the current global trends and how are you staying ahead of the competition?

The world has not really recovered from the economic turmoil of the last decade – while the global economy is recovering, it is at a reasonably slow pace. Political upheaval globally, is unsettling consumers. Economic inequality also seems to be a growing global trend. Unsettled weather and growing world population is putting pressure on food resources, resulting in higher food inflation.

We are seeing that in general, the upper end of the market continues to be resilient – the rich are getting richer and have a bigger margin of discretionary spend to cushion short term dips in confidence. The lower end of the market generally is taking more and more strain. The middle class is getting more cautious in their spending, not knowing what the future may bring politically and economically. We will therefore continue to focus on product quality, offering and value – making sure that we can satisfy our customers by providing them with an affordable, excellent quality meal in a welcoming environment that serves as an oasis away from the concerns of everyday life. Locally, we are looking at supply chain opportunities to control costs and quality into our franchising network, to maintain franchisee profitability

while still offering value to our customers. We are also focusing on internal back of house efficiencies in an effort to contain costs.

Spur Corporation has largely remained a franchisor, using its ‘intellectual property, experience, skills and support infrastructure to manage franchised restaurant operations’.

Would you describe this business model as successful or there would be some tweaking or shift in the future?

Franchising has been very successful for us. It is where our strength lies. Consequently, franchising is likely to remain our predominant source of income in the long term. In South Africa though, we are considering looking at company-owned stores. We have not always been successful with this course of action in the past, so, should we decide to go this route, we will be extra cautious to ensure that we don’t repeat the mistakes of the past. We are also cautiously looking into the supply chain aspects of our business.

In the six months to December 2016, Spur Corporation recorded growth of 10.2 per cent in South Africa and 12.0 per cent in international restaurants in total franchised restaurant sales.

What factors drove these performances? And how do you explain the variation in the South African performance as against the international leg?

The 12 per cent growth internationally (excluding the United Kingdom) is in ZAR; on a like-for-like exchange rate, the growth internationally (excluding the United Kingdom) was 9.3 per cent. Local restaurant sales benefitted from the rollout of RocoMamas in the current and previous periods. Panarottis, John Dory’s and The Hussar Grill similarly benefitted from new store openings in the current and previous periods (the impact of new business is more pronounced in the smaller brands, compared to Spur), although to a lesser extent than RocoMamas. Growth in South Africa was acceptable but constrained due to lower overall discretionary spend arising from high inflation, sluggish economic growth, and rising unemployment.

Our international business benefitted from excellent

We often hear of its vast potentials and opportunities, but whether it is being strategically developed is another issue.

If one looks at the current market in Nigeria, it is self-evident that there is economic strain due to low commodity prices, however, this also creates an opportunity for us to grow the brand on a prudent basis. As we have seen in the past, when there are tough economic times, there are good transactions to be done that are commercially viable for our franchisee.

The Spur Group has its roots in Africa. How much of African food or menu have you exported to the rest of the world?

While Spur is a South African icon, its offering is very “Western” – ribs, burgers, steaks, chicken wings, schnitzels. These products are not unique to Africa. Our USP locally is the package of quality product, value and dining experience – and this is the reason for our success. In other territories, we tweak the menu (but don’t reinvent it entirely) to deal with local specific tastes and preferences. One of our successes in the African continent is that we are highly sensitised to local tastes and preferences and we tweak our menus and offerings accordingly.

What is your assessment of theNigerian investment climate broadly considering the high cost of doing business in the country?

I don’t think this is unique to Nigeria as building costs and food inflation have escalated worldwide over the past few years. One of the biggest challenges we have, not only in Nigeria, but the rest of Africa, is that the local currency is not used in rental negotiations, but rather based on US Dollar, which again makes it extremely difficult. Having said this, we assist our franchisee with the investment and with his discussions with property owners so that the necessary ROI can be achieved.

Growth is predicted to come fromAfrica and other emerging markets well into the next decade.

Are you optimistic that this projection can still happen?

Theoretically, with one of the fastest growing populations, a young population and massive commodity reserves, it should be. The big unknown is politics.

Political shocks are in our view the single biggest risk to the long-term growth trajectory of the continent. (see concluding part on www.thisdaylive.com)

22

T H I S D AY, T H E S U N D AY N E W S PA P E R ˾ MARCH 19, 2017

INTERVIEW Boyo: FG Must Tackle Excess Liquidity for Recovery Plan to Produce Desirable Result The federal government recently released an Economic Recovery and Growth Plan, a medium term plan for 2017 – 2020, aimed at salvaging the country’s ailing economy. The plan puts emphasis on science, technology and innovation, as well as the Sustainable Development Goals. The vice president, Professor Yemi Osinbajo, who announced the ERGP on March 7 while acting as president, said it differed greatly from the previous plans mainly because of its unprecedented focus on implementation. But are many Nigerians seeing the economic blueprint as grounds for assurance on the country’s economic recovery? Henry Boyo, an economic analyst and industrialist, says the ERGP may not change much because it lacks a deliberate strategy for tackling the three core economic issues of inflation, high cost of funds, and exchange rate volatility. Boyo speaks with Vincent Obia. Excerpts:

H

ow would you evaluate the Economic Recovery and Growth Plan recently released by the federal government?

You should make a comparison between the so-called economic blueprint and the various ones they had come up with in the past. One thing that is a glaring failure in all of them is the fact that they do not recognise the significance of the major drivers of the economy. Every national economy rests on a tripod, namely, inflation, interest rate, and exchange rate.

What is the best practice benchmark for inflation anywhere in the world? In order to judge which is better, you look at the rate of inflation in successful economies. Their rate of inflation is never above two or three per cent. We can assume that it is a prime parameter for success that inflation must be in the lower single digits. You would notice that no country that has succeeded economically does so when the cost of funds in the system is over 20 per cent. For the successful economies, the cost of funds is usually four, five or maximum seven per cent.

The reason why I haven’t paid much attention to the economic blueprint that they have just released is that like all other production and growth plans, it doesn’t seem to recognise the importance of the three indices of inflation, cost of funds, and exchange rate. So long as that is not attended to, you would continue to have problems. Consequently, I don’t have much faith in the new plan for a very simple reason: they have not targeted any instrument towards ameliorating the burden of excess liquidity.

Excess liquidity is the starting point. Excess liquidity is the primary cause of inflation, because it is too much money chasing too few goods.

Excess liquidity leads to inflation, which is also a precursor of higher cost of funds. Exchange rate is also a factor of liquidity, because the more Naira in the system, with the rations of Dollar being auctioned will always depreciate the Naira, even if oil costs $200 per barrel. You find that the common denominator preventing us from growing economically is excess liquidity.

Until you have a document that identifies this problem of excess liquidity and how to manage it, you can make any plan and you won’t change anything. You can’t grow with inflation at 20 per cent, cost of funds at 26 per cent, and exchange rate that depreciates when you earn more Dollars.

You have raised objections to the idea of Dollar auctioning by the Central Bank of Nigeria. What are the reasons for your opposition?

America does not earn Yen and does not allocate Yen to bureaus de change in America to control the price of Yen. Anything that is auctioned is sold to the highest bidder. The Dollar is auctioned by the supremo-general, the CBN, which is supposed to be protecting the Naira. When you have the commander-general of the Naira, the custodian of the Naira, auctioning the Dollar, rations of Dollar, what do you expect? Just like the natural rational person, people will pay more Naira for the Dollar that is auctioned. Imagine what happens when the custodian of the Naira keeps auctioning rations of Dollar, another currency, in a market that is saturated with its own currency.

It means that forever your currency is doomed, because even if you earn more Dollars, only rations would still come to the market, the market that is saturated with Naira.

What is your take on the CBN’s new policy of directly providing additional funding to banks to meet their foreign exchange needs?

Let us forget about this cherry-picking and ask ourselves, has the fundamental structure changed? As long as the system, where you, as the custodian of the Naira, continues to auction Dollar in a market saturated with Naira remains, there is nothing they can do on that, that should interest anyone. It’s just a distraction. So long as the system continues where you have to auction Dollar, whatever gains they see is only temporary, it’s not sustainable.

At the cost of doing the Dollar supply, they are also losing to the banks N600 billion interest charges that the banks earn for making you mop up the excess liquidity in their hands every year. N600 billion for doing nothing, for not lending to industry. If they lend to industry, the excess liquidity that cause inflation won’t be there.

Inflation is the worst enemy any country can have. Every government has the prime mandate of making sure inflation remains very low.

Our inflation rate keeps rising. Now it’s about 20 per cent. Where in

from Lagos. I would say, no, I can afford it; I’m not here for money.

What I’m saying is not for sale. I just want to make sure that these wrong things are corrected.

There is no way we can grow or diversify the economy if we continue this way, because the more Dollars we earn the weaker the Naira. Take for instance when our reserves were in excess of $60 billion and the price of crude oil was about $120 per barrel, did the Naira appreciate? Some would say it appreciated. But by what rate? May be from N153 to N150, to the Dollar. I laugh when I hear about these marginal increases, when your income has quadrupled. It means it has inundated the market with the Naira equivalent of $60 billion.

If you were to meet Buhari today, what would you advise him?

Boyo

the world have you seen any successful economy with inflation rate of 18 per cent? How do you think we can be like them when their inflation rate hardly goes beyond two per cent? Inflation is a ravager.

Can you throw light on some of the ravages of inflation?

Eighteen or 20 per cent inflation rate means that every five years, if your income is static and your employer is so bad that he doesn’t increase your salary every year, the whole income they were paying you in year one may not buy you a newspaper. Inflation attacks across the board.

Inflation also determines the cost of borrowing. It means a family that used to buy one loaf of bread everyday can no longer afford it.

It is replicated in households across the country. What then happens to the baker? He would close shop. You see how inflation can reduce consumer demand and also affect the viability of your industry.

But the industries have what we call the double whammy. Rationally speaking, lenders would be unwilling to extend credit to manufacturers when inflation is about 18 per cent, because if you do so, by the time you get your money back, inflation would have taken away a huge chunk of the value. Now you are expected to compete with countries where cost of borrowing is two or three per cent.

Have you approached President Muhammadu Buhari to make any economic propositions since he came on board?

How would you advise me to do that? There is an economic team to which you can make such presentations.

Am I living in the Arctic? If their economic team does read my contributions in the papers for 14 years, or two years – considering the new economic team – on a weekly basis, in three national newspapers, I can’t go telling them, please, listen to me. On what basis would I do that? Then it becomes as if I’m looking for something.

I have travelled the length and breadth of this country with labour.

Each time I go, they would say, oh, this is your transport for coming

I will tell him, sir, your people are not telling you the truth. The intervention they are asking you to make will have no positive impact on the economy. These interventions are not new, all other administrations before you have made similar interventions. Oh, I want to do diversification. Yes, sir, all other governments before you also wanted to diversify the economy. But they all failed because they did not recognise that diversifying the economy with increased and consistent output will become impossible with the scourge of excess liquidity ever present in the system. Why should we say we want to fly like the eagles of the First World and we are applying the tactics of the duck?

Sir, if you want to reinvent this economy profitably, tackle excess liquidity and you will find that the cause of excess liquidity are mainly two-fold, namely, CBN’s capture of Dollar earnings every time in exchange for Naira at its unilaterally determined exchange rate, and, secondly, CBN’s adoption of benign cash reserve requirements that still compel CBN to borrow as high as 16 per cent from the banks to remove redundant money from the system. Excess liquidity drives inflation, cost of funds, and exchange rate. Those three factors, if you can manage them at best practice level, with inflation not above two or three per cent and cost of funds at five to seven per cent maximum, then the growth that we crave would come. You can only get that arrangement when you stop the CBN from the stranglehold monopoly on the foreign exchange market.

A monopoly is a situation where one person or group of people control about 80 per cent of the market. CBN controls about 80 per cent of the Dollar market, that is a monopoly. With such monopoly you can expect the distortions that go with that arrangement. And at the end of the day, the CBN would pay as much as 18 per cent to mop up the entire Naira that has been substituted for Dollar by it and poured into the system. That means the banks have no interest in paying attention to the real sector because they are making free money for lending back money to CBN. They won’t be encouraged to lend to the real sector, where they know there are all sorts of challenges. In any case, how can any sensible businessman borrow money at 26 per cent in a system where he still has to provide his own road, water electricity, etc.?

How do you remove the stranglehold of CBN on the foreign exchange market?

Very simple. Do something that is constitutionally appropriate. Give Dollar earnings to their beneficiaries, albeit not in cash. Let CBN give Dollar certificates to the three tiers of governments for money received in Dollar – not money received in Naira. At the end of the day, Ambode, for instance, who wants to buy rail tracks, does not have to, first, be given Naira as allocation, and then go to a third party to change the Naira to Dollar to be able to pay for the track. If he has the Dollar certificate, he would simply approach the CBN with the invoice of the tracks or cabins he wants to order, which he lodges with his bank. The CBN would then release the money, from Lagos State government’s money with it, to the supplier upon receipt of the bill of lading attested to by the state government and its bank.

Meanwhile, if some states want their money in Naira, they can approach their banks to pay them cash value of the Dollar certificate.

Consequently, the banks would have a flush of such requests and a lot of money in Naira. And because there is a limit to how much cash the banks can keep due to the cash reserve requirement, they would be compelled to lend to the real sector. Because the banks would not want to violate the cash reserve requirement, and there is no CBN coming to mop up funds, they would have no option than to lend at lower rates – single digit rates.

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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 ˾ MARCH 19, 2017

WOMEN IN MEDIA Bunmi Oke: My Fighting Spirit Has Kept Me Going in Advertising In a male-dominated sector like the creative industry, the few female practitioners, who have reached the top of the business, are regarded as special individuals. But the second female president of the Association of Advertising Agencies of Nigeria, Mrs. Bunmi Oke, says she never allows the thought that males outnumber females in her profession to bother her. Raheem Akingbolu writes

I

t is common at events to see aspiring marketing practitioners clustering around her. She is simple, accessible and brilliant. Many young men and women, who are looking for ideal role models in advertising, look up to Bunmi Oke. “Everywhere, people speak well of you, don’t you have weaknesses?”

When THISDAY put this poser to the chief executive officer of 141 Worldwide during the week, her response was calm and calculated.

“I’m human and so not infallible. But maybe one of the weaknesses I can remember now is that I can express myself anywhere, not minding whose ox is gored.

As a kid, I lived in the UK, a society where a young girl or boy of five can work up to his or her uncle and asked uncle, why? Without any fear of being reprimanded.”

It may be difficult to describe her boldness and frankness as a weakness because, according to her, often, it has paid off. As a secondary school student, Oke simply turned down the suggestion that she should register for nine subjects and settle for seven against the wishes of her teachers.

She narrates, “I’m a practical person.

We were asked to register nine subjects when I had identified two that I would fail. I simply settled for seven subjects because I didn’t want F9 on my results.

“Let me make another confession, I studied Integrated Social Sciences at the University of Lagos. For many reasons, I just didn’t see while I must force myself to study either law or accounting and follow the bandwagon the way some of my friends did. As at then, the course I did was considered not fashionable and prestigious by lots of my friends, and that made me not to enjoy school.

However, my orientation changed at a time and I discovered that all I needed was to get a degree and move on with my life. Whenever friends came asking of my course of study in school, I mentioned it with confidence because it was my choice.

In all these, I discovered the power of the mind and the fact that if you want to become a leader you have to think and do something outside the box. In addition, one thing I learnt is that you can measure yourself by personal goals and the level of your achievement.”

Asked to describe what she has learnt in the course of her advertising practice and life generally, Oke says God is the source of life and all our accomplishments on eath, “Because there is something money cannot buy, such as good health, sound mind, among others. Life has also taught me that promotion comes from God. For instance, my nomination to the last confab was an act of God. I also have learnt from the school of life that you will have what you say, and whatever things you believe in and work towards will come to pass.”

But where did she pick her attitude to life from? “I would say what has influenced me is that God has endowed me with a little of a fighting spirit as a person,” Oke says. “Growing up as a young girl, I could make up my mind so easily; decisiveness was one of my major skills as a child. Different people

Growing up as a young girl, I could make up my mind so easily; decisiveness was one of my major skills as a child.

Different people have also inspired me, because I believe inspiration comes in phases

Oke

have also inspired me, because I believe inspiration comes in phases.”

Comparing her early life in the UK with the later years in Nigeria, she admits that there is a clear difference between the cultures of the UK and Nigeria. “For instance, coming to Nigeria for the first time, I saw things differently from what was obtainable in the United Kingdom. I had never seen red soil, and open gutters in my life. Therefore, when I saw it in Nigeria, I knew I was in a different environment and that gave me the opportunity to compare and contrast.”

Oke says, “Anytime I travel to the UK, I am treated differently, and each time I am in Nigeria, I am treated in a different way.

So, the question is, what is it that makes people to treat you in a different way? It’s all about branding! At a point, I realised that in my beloved country, Nigeria, you have to put on a particular behaviour and

that is tied down to cultural differences.

Briefly, I have a double understanding of life and that prepared me for further challenges and also how to navigate through those challenges.”

As an advertising practitioner, Oke finds herself in a profession dominated by men.

But she say this has never bothered her; rather it has taught her to be up and doing.

“As a woman, you have to be more conspicuous because you get to be noticed, you get more attention. But it’s what you now do with those open doors and I think that is where the advantage comes in.

People will look at you to ascertain there must be something you know before you got to the position. It is for you to be prepared to use that platform to explain your case, to make people know why you are speaking on behalf of so many people in the profession, especially where you have so many men. I think it is really

an advantage.”

She adds, “I started my career at the age of 22. One way or the other, I have been in the communications marketing for about 30 years now. I only took maternity breaks when I wanted to have my children.

And I will make bold to say that our industry is a dynamic industry. And one of the things I have learnt over the years is that, to remain competitive, you have to change with the times. I also learnt that for you to remain relevant, you need to develop yourself in order to keep yourself in tune with the communication language which changes every now and again. More importantly, I learnt that I needed to be a very good team player to be able to evolve with the industry.”

Oke is married to a young man she met through a friend while she was rounding off in the university. Today, they have been married for over two decades, with two boys.

She talks about her marriage. “Somebody introduced us and, suddenly, we couldn’t find the person again, may be the person was divinely sent. I had this friend at the University of Lagos, and during a birthday ceremony she said to me that there was someone she would want me to meet. All of a sudden, the person appeared and said, hello. You know the women thing, I had to pose. But I noticed I had seen the face before. He also asked me whether I had been to any of his parties. I knew I had, but because I needed to pose, I said no.”

Oke continues, “One day, he brought out pictures of the parties and said, ‘But Bunmi, who is this?’ From there, we got talking and chatting. One thing that got me attracted to him, aside from the fact that he was an engineer who finished from the University of Swansea, was his orderliness. But it ended almost the first day he displayed it. I later discovered that it was a calculated plan to arrest my interest.”

T H I S D AY, T H E S U N D AY N E W S PA P E R ˾ MARCH 19, 2017

24

BUSINESS/CONSUMER

Again, the Coca Cola Brand Undergoes Integrity Test As controversy continues to trail a court judgment that Nigeria Bottling Company should put a written warning on Fanta and Sprite bottles, Raheem Akingbolu writes on implication for the brand and consumers

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hether negative or positive, any story associated with Coca Cola is always an interesting one. For decades, the brand has commanded huge followership globally but surprisingly, its soaring profile sometime turns out to be its burden.

Last week, Coca Cola became a major news item, albeit for wrong reason. Two of its products -Sprite and Fanta were indicted in a court of competent jurisdiction. It was not the first time the brand would be enmeshed in crisis but the advent of social media worsens the situation this time around.

A Lagos High Court sitting at Igbosere faulted National Agency for Food and Drug Administration and Control (NAFDAC) for failing Nigerians by allowing the mass consumption of Fanta and Sprite, which were proven to contain cancer-causing chemicals. The products were said to have been banned from the UK. The court also ordered that NBC, manufacturers of the drink should put a written warning on Fanta and Sprite bottles stating that both soft drinks are poisonous when consumed along with Vitamin C. In the judgment given by Justice Adedayo Oyebanji, the court awarded a cost of N2 million against NAFDAC. The judgment was the outcome of a 10-year old suit filed by Dr. Emmanuel Fijabi Adebo, and his company, Fijabi Adebo Holdings Limited, against NBC Plc and NAFDAC. In the amended statement of claims, it was alleged that in March 2007, Fijabi Adebo Holdings Company bought large quantities of Coca-Cola, Fanta Orange, Sprite, Fanta Lemon, Fanta Pineapple and soda water from NBC for export and retail in the United Kingdom. But when the consignment arrived the United Kingdom, health authorities in that country, raised fundamental health issues especially on the excessive amounts of sunset yellow and benzoic acid, which are confirmed to be carcinogenic. The products were said to have been seized and destroyed.

It was a moment when the spin doctors working on the brand in Nigeria would have wished social

MD, NBC, George Polymenakos media dead because the news became a global item within seconds. Since then, it has remained in the space with commentators either supporting the judgment or against it. There are also some analysts who criticise regulators like NAFDAC, Standard Organisation of Nigeria and Consumer Protection Council.

However, supporters of Coca Cola on and off the social media have described the issue as another well-orchestrated script put together by enemies of the brand to frustrate its legendary growth. For

instance, a Facebook user, Olabisi Ajayi, called on Nigerian consumers to rely on what they hear from regulators and not a statement from the court. According to her, issues related to quality are a technical issue that can only be solved in the lab, not in court.

Meanwhile, NBC has issued an official statement, stating that some of the media reports on the issue contain misleading information on the safety of benzoic and ascorbic acids as ingredients in soft drinks, citing a Lagos High Court order.

As Swan Water Makes a Detour...

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By Raheem Akingbolu

s the world’s population continues to grow at an alarming rate, with many consumers returning to natural drinks for fear of consuming adulterated drinks, water has suddenly become the most consumed drink globally. To fill the vacuum in Nigeria, international manufacturers and beverage companies, like Coca Cola, 7up, UAC and Nestle, have successfully opened up the market to give consumers quality water.

But if there is any brand that has consistently remained in consumers’ consciousness over the years, it is Swan water, which has remained in bottle water business for over three decades.

Until recently, Swan and Ragolis were household names in the market. Aside the market giants like Eva, Swan, Aquafina and Gossy, there are over hundred water brands in the market with each of them jostling for a sizeable share of the market.

However, in a renewed effort to reclaim the leadership position, promoters of Swan have begun a thorough restructur-

ing to reposition the brand. According to a source close to the company, its handlers will soon roll out massive campaign to play up the naturalness of Swan water by re-echoing its pay off line: “Make a healthy choice for your lifestyle today... Make the Swan Choice.” To this end, attention will be shifted to how it has refreshed Nigerians for about 34 years by sourcing water from the natural Spring of Kerang hills, situated in the highlands of Mangu Local Government Area of Plateau State.

Other areas that may be leveraged is the health benefit of the water, especially the fact that it possesses distinctive qualities and health benefits like Magnesium, Sodium, Bicarbonate and other essential minerals.

According to a statement on its website, “Swan table water passes through series of complex cavity whereby absorbing natural minerals in its way. It is filtered through ultra violet light to destroy all microorganisms if present, it does not undergo any form of chemical treatment in this process.”

As part of the build-up to the activities,

the company has intensified its radio jingles and programmes, which itemise the place of water in human body. In one of the programmes currently running, the company said: “We all know that life is all about sharing, hence the reason I would share an experience with you. Have you ever been in a coincidence where you bump into a friend you haven’t seen in about a decade or more? Exactly that happened to me yesterday…

“So I bumped into one of my friends from high school, whom I almost didn’t recognise again, then she introduced herself and I was in awe. She said that I looked stunning and that I had barely changed from the last time she saw me in high school. I then remembered the struggle to keep fit, the restricted diet and most importantly the struggle to reduce dehydration after the morning workout, and yes hydration is a major part of staying fit, and that is why I drink Swan natural spring water which possesses essential minerals that are good for the body “Fast forward to the other day with my friend, I told her, darling, staying fit is not

In the statement, the NBC said there were different approved levels of benzoic acid between Nigeria and UK, but both were within the internationally accepted standards.

“The UK standards limit benzoic acid in soft drinks to a maximum of 150 mg/kg. Both Fanta and Sprite have benzoic levels of 200 mg/kg which is lower than the Nigerian regulatory limit of 250 mg/kg when combined with ascorbic acid and 300 mg/kg without ascorbic acid and also lower than the 600 mg/kg international limit set by CODEX.” CODEX is the joint intergovernmental body responsible for harmonizing food standards globally.

Among other clarifications, NBC stated that, ‘’In the subject case, which dates back to 2007, the UK authorities confiscated a consignment of our products shipped to that country by the plaintiff because their benzoic acid levels were not within the UK national level, although well within the levels approved by both the national regulators for Nigeria and the international levels set by CODEX, the joint intergovernmental body responsible for harmonizing food standards globally.

While the debate generated by the judgment continued, the Minister of Health, Isaac Adewole, weighed in on the controversy on Thursday and directed the National Agency for Food Drugs Administration and Control, NAFDAC, to collaborate with the Standard Organisation of Nigeria (SON) in addressing Nigerians on the safety of Coca Cola products.

He also called for an urgent meeting with SON on Friday, saying the issue goes beyond the legal aspects of a court verdict.

“It is about morality; Nigerians can trust us to put their safety first. God bless”, he said.

From anywhere one chooses to look at it, the issue has created panic in the market and it will take intervention of the regulatory bodies as directed by the minister, to calm the nerves. In the meantime, consumers may need not to rely on social media analysts to draw their conclusions.

And for handlers of the Coca Cola brand, this is another opportunity to reconnect the two products with their patrons. farfetched, I just chose the healthy side of life, which includes drinking Swan Spring water. Enjoy the healthy side of life with me.”

Meanwhile, findings have revealed that most of the table water brands are a threat to healthy living because of their unhygienic methods of production. As a result of this, concerned Nigerians have consistently appealed to regulators like the National Agency for Food and Drug Administration and Control (NAFDAC) and the Consumers Protection Council to be proactive in the regulation of the industry, to save consumers from consuming substandard products.

According to NAFDAC, estimations on water consumed in Nigeria daily, ranging from bottled water to sachet water is about N8 billion. Former Director General of NAFDAC, Dr. Paul Orhii, had two years ago, revealed this at a forum organised by the Lagos Chamber of Commerce and Industry (LCCI).

Orhii admitted that water was a fast growing business in the country.

Aside the fact that there is an existing market for bottled water in Nigeria, records have shown that a well purified and packaged water is exportable to Europe, America and other African countries.

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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 ˾ MARCH 19, 2017

TRAVEL

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

US Tourism Suffers ‘Trump Slump’, Loses $185m

Stories Demola Ojo

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nterest in travel to the US has significantly reduced since Donald Trump’s election, according to travel companies who have reported a significant drop in flight searches and bookings since his inauguration and controversial travel ban.

Data released last week by travel search engine Kayak reported a 58% decline in searches for flights to Tampa and Orlando from the UK, and a 52% decline in searches for Miami. Searches for San Diego were also down 43%, Las Vegas by 36% and Los Angeles 32%.

Though flight prices are holding firm (they usually take weeks rather than days to adjust to consumer trends), Kayak has identified a knock-on effect on average hotel prices. It found prices in Las Vegas are down by 39% and New York City by 32%.

It is the latest in a string of reports from the travel industry that suggests a “Trump slump”, with the Global Business Travel Association (GBTA) estimating that since being elected, President Trump has cost the US travel industry $185m in lost revenue.

Flight app Hopper released research earlier this month that showed flight search from international origins to the US has dropped 17% since Trump’s inauguration, compared with the final weeks of the Obama administration.

It found a similar pattern to Kayak, with San Francisco and Las Vegas seeing the largest declines in search interest.

Hopper found there has been a sharp drop in flight searches to the US since Trump’s travel ban, with a 30% decrease in predominantly Muslim countries regardless of whether they were included in the ban.

In Saudi Arabia flight searches dropped by 33% and in Bahrain by 37%, even though neither were included in Trump’s executive order.

Tourism to places like South Beach Miami have been hit by the Trump effect

Though flight demand to the US dropped in 94 of 122 countries, Hopper found a notable exception in Russia, where flight search demand to the US was up by 88%. Hopper said it believes the change does not represent a seasonal effect: last year there was only a 1.8% decline over a comparable time period.

Forward Keys has also released a report on air travel to the US following the Trump travel ban. It found that in the week following the ban, bookings from

the affected countries – Iraq, Syria, Iran, Libya, Somalia, Sudan and Yemen – fell by 80% compared with the same period last year.

Net bookings to the US are down by 6.5% (excluding China), according to Forward Keys.

The analyst says that the Trump travel ban “is putting off people travelling to the US from many regions of the world, beyond the Middle East”.

The good news for travellers seeking

alternative destinations to the US is that many long-haul and European destinations are now cheaper to get to. Kayak found that flight prices have dropped significantly to Mexico (down by 39%), Rio (down by 23%), New Zealand (22%) and Singapore (20%).

The average cost of flights to European destinations this summer has also fallen compared with 2016, including Pula in Croatia (down 42%), Ibiza (down 32%) and Faro, Portugal (down 20%).

Delta Experiments with New Dubai International Breaks Passenger Record Boarding Lines in Atlanta

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aking a cue from Southwest Airlines, Delta Air Lines is testing out a new queuing system on flights departing from its Atlanta hub.

Rather than simply announcing boarding by groups or zones, the airline has set up a series of four parallel boarding lines, each with its own identifying pillar, at five gates in Concourse B of Hartsfield–Jackson International Airport. The queues are divided into Premium/Sky Priority, Group 1, Group 2, and Group 3.

“As this new boarding process rolls out, our customers will experience less crowding and confusion at the gate in addition to a more seamless transition when entering the plane,” said Tim Mapes, Delta’s senior vice president and chief marketing officer.

Southwest also uses a pillared queuing system, aided by video terminals and signage indicating

boarding position in three groups — A, B, and C. Unlike Delta, however, Southwest has open seating and does not offer seat assignments.

The airline described the Atlanta system as an “interim solution” that would be introduced in additional airports if customer feedback remains positive. “We tested a variety of boarding processes, and our customers and employees let us know that this iteration makes their experience better,” said Bill Lentsch, Delta’s senior vice president of airport customer service and airline operations. “We’ll continue to evaluate new processes and technologies to make the customer experience even better.”

Lentch added that Delta wants to transform its gate areas from simple waiting rooms into “an interactive area full of meaningful distractions that keep customers engaged and entertained while they wait,” according to a media statement.

D

ubai International began the new year in top gear as monthly traffic in January reached an all-time high of eight million passengers, according to the traffic report issued by operator Dubai Airports.

Passenger traffic rose 9.7 per cent to 8,037,008 in January 2017, up from 7,327,637 in the same month in 2016.

This follows DXB’s performance in 2016 during which the airport

welcomed a record 83.6 million passengers.

“It’s an auspicious start to what is sure to be another record-breaking year for DXB,” said Paul Griffiths, chief executive, Dubai Airports.

“It provides further impetus to our DXB Plus Programme, which will enhance service and boost capacity at DXB by applying technology to improved processes.

“It also fuels our on-going efforts to improve the customer experience with world-leading Wi-Fi, retail, food and beverage and a

wide array of offers ranging from spas to VIP service to live music.”

London (338,816 passengers) topped the list of top destinations followed by Doha (283,341), Kuwait (229,068) and Mumbai (223,399).

Traffic from most regions was boosted during the month on account of holidays as well as the annual Dubai Shopping Festival.

Flight movements totalled 36,592 in January 2017, up 2.1 per cent compared to the 35,841 movements recorded in January 2016.

Transcorp Hilton Wins Trip Advisor Award

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ranscorp Hilton Abuja has been recognized as a winner in the Top Hotels category of the 2017 TripAdvisor Travellers’ Choice™ awards for Hotels, ranking in the top 1% of Best Hotels for Service in Nigeria. This award is based on the reviews and opinions of global travel community, and is the highest honour given by TripAdvisor.

In the 15th year of the awards, TripAdvisor has highlighted the

world’s top properties based on the millions of reviews and opinions collected in a single year from travellers around the globe. Winners were identified in the categories of Top Hotels, Luxury, Bargain, Small, Service, B&Bs and Inns, Romance and Family. The hallmarks of Travellers’ Choice hotels winners are remarkable service, value and quality.

The 2017 Travellers’ Choice Award to Transcorp Hilton Abuja is coming on the heels of the hotel winning the prestigious World Travel Awards

2016 in five categories, including the coveted prize for Africa’s Leading Business Hotel. The hotel was also honoured with the 2016 Seven Stars Luxury Hospitality and Lifestyle Awards. ‘’We are delighted to start the year with the 2017 TripAdvisor Travellers’ Choice Award. It is gratifying that our efforts at delivering consistent world class experience are recognized by travellers around the globe’’, said Etienne Gailliez, general manager of Transcorp Hilton Abuja.

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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 ˾ MARCH 19, 2017

NIGERIA’S TOP 50 STOCKS BASED ON MARKET FUNDAMENTALS

GlaxoSmithKline Plc: Substantial foreign exchange loss impacts profitability

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SK recently released result for third quarter ended, September 2016 records notable decline in top-line earnings while profitability was negative.

GlaxoSmithKline Consumer Nigeria Plc (GSK) is an affiliate of GlaxoSmithKline worldwide commenced operation on the 1st July 1972, under the name Beecham Limited and was subsequently quoted on the Nigerian Stock Exchange (NSE) in 1977 and is currently one of the 30 most capitalised stocks on the exchange.

The Company has constantly advance innovations in products development and branding such as: the recently developed smaller pack sizes of inhaler devices for Asthma patients- Ventolin Rotacaps.

Ventolin Rotacaps uses a re-engineered version of the established GSK inhaler technology that is five times less expensive to produce. The new inhaler has been made available in four markets –The Philippines, Indonesia, Kenya and Nigeria.

DECLINE IN REVENUE AS HOUSEHOLD CONSUMPTION SHRINKS GSK has continued to face stiff competition from cheap imported healthcare and consumer goods from China and India besides local competition.

This is in addition to reduction in sales witnessed in the North Eastern part of the country earlier in the year.

Third quarter 2016 financial results of GlaxoSmithKline Consumer Nigeria Plc recently released shows a 10.85% decline in revenue to N20.54 billion from N23.04 billion in September 2015. The decline in top-line earnings triggered by the cautionary spending by households due to the domestic economic headwinds prevalent in the country has unarguably resulted in reduced general consumption.

Hence, the GSK consumer healthcare goods - which deals with oral care, over the counter (OTC) medicine and nutritional healthcare – and pharmaceuticals – which deals in antibacterial, vaccines and prescription drugs - records sharp drop in sales by 12.41% and 7.55% respectively.

Cost of sales also declined by 4.20% to N14.72 billion from N15.37 billion. Due to the lower decline in cost in comparison to revenue, gross profit weakened considerably by 24.18% to N5.82 billion from N7.67 billion recorded in the same period of 2015.

FOREIGN EXCHANGE LOSSES GREATLY ERODES PROFITABILITY Operating profit recorded a loss of N6.29 billion in September 2016, indicating a substantial decline of 993.64% when compared with September 2015 figure of N704m. Forming a huge part of operating income is recovery of accrued licence fee of N1.22 billion payable to Glaxo Group Limited which was considered

WE HOLD STRONG OPINION THAT GLAXOSMITHKLINE CONSUMER NIGERIA PLC HAS AN OPPORTUNITY TO DELIVER HIGH LEVEL OF PRODUCT INNOVATIONS, OPERATIONAL EXCELLENCE AND CREATE AN OPPORTUNITY TO DEEPEN ITS MARKET WHICH WOULD SIGNIFICANTLY BOOST PERFORMANCE BEYOND CURRENT RESULTS. HOWEVER, THE COMPANY’S MANAGEMENT MUST REVIEW AND ACTION SOUND STRATEGIC PLAN TOWARDS IMPROVING REVENUE AND EFFECTIVELY MANAGE ITS EXPENSES TO POSITIVELY IMPACT FURTHER EARNINGS AND SHAREHOLDERS RETURN

unnecessary. GSK’s profitability is largely eroded by an unanticipated loss recorded in other gains and losses to the tune of N6.47 billion from N653m in September 2016. Other gains and losses declined extensively on the back of unrealised foreign exchange losses totalling N5.85 billion.

The Company’s total expenses figure revealed that administrative expenses, and selling and distribution expenses rose by 4.36% and 10.47% to N2.14 billion and N4.73 billion, from third quarter 2015 record of N2.05 billion and N4.29 billion respectively. The rise in selling and distribution expenses was incurred due to increased promotional activities by the Company’s management in a bid to further deepen the GSK brand and increase its market share in the highly competitive market in which it operates.

DESPITE INCOME FROM BUSINESS DISPOSAL, PROFITABILITY REMAINS NEGATIVE Pre-tax loss stood at N6.29 billion

indicating a decline of 997.09% from N701m in the corresponding period 2015.

The company boast of reduction finance costs to N0.31m for the third quarter ended, September 2016 from N2.68m in the preceding period of 2015 indicating a massive decline of 88.56%.

Net income was boosted by an unexpected income of N2.33 billion received from the disposal of its drink business through the sale of the Company’s two flagship brands; Lucozade and Ribena to Suntory Beverage & Food Nigeria Ltd. Nevertheless, a huge loss was still recorded as net income decline of 762.75% to N4.05 billion loss from N486m billion recorded in September 2015.

KEY FINANCIAL METRICS REFLECTS PERFORMANCE FIGURES Total assets rose by 22.25% to N38.30 billion as at third quarter ended, 30th September 2016 from N31.33 billion as at December 2015. The growth was driven primarily by the substantial increase in cash and bank balances, trade and other receivables which grew by 543.06% and 19.95% respectively. Total liabilities also increased substantially by 62.65% to N29.51 billion from N18.14 billion as at third quarter ended, 30th September 2016. The growth in total liabilities was due to a massive rise of 71.36% in current liabities, despite a record loss of 7.16% in long-term liabilities. Shareholders equity decreased on the back of retained earnings by a notable figure of 33.34% in the period under review to N8.79 billion from N13.19 billion recorded in December 2015.

Profitability ratio however dropped significantly. Return on average asset (ROAA) and return on average equity (ROAE) reflects bottom-line earnings as each stood at a negative 11.62% and 36.83% respectively as at third quarter ended, 30th September 2016.

GSK’s quick ratio currently stands at 1.13 compared to 0.58 and 0.62 in September 2015 and December 2015 respectively.

Furthermore, price to sales (P/S) positions at 0.64 while price book value (P/BV) at 2.05.

WE PLACE A HOLD RECOMMENDATION The performance of GSK for third quarter of 2016 has not been impressive due to unprecedented foreign exchange losses, and reduction in both Company’s revenue and profitability. GSK still enjoys significant patronage across its product brands and Nigerian economy is an attractive market for consumable goods, largely supported by the growing population size of about 180.1 million people, which provides vast consumer demand.

We hold strong opinion that

Valuation Metrics 17-Mar-17 Recommendation

HOLD

Target Price (N)

12.55

Current Price (N)

14.50

Market Cap (N'm)

17.84

Outstanding Shares (m)

1,196

EPS (N)

-2.98

P/S

0.63x Source: BGL Research

Third Quarter Results – September 2016 Turnover (N'm)

20,540

Profit Before Tax (N'm)

(6,288)

Profit After Tax (N'm)

(4,046)

Pre-tax Margin (%)

(30.61) Source: BGL Research

Audited Full year December 2015 Turnover (N'm)

30,634

Profit Before Tax (N'm)

1,157

Profit After Tax (N'm)

965

Pre-tax Margin (%)

3.78 Source: BGL Research

Shareholding Information Shareholders

% Holding

Setfirst Limited

27.31%

SmithKline Beecham Ltd

19.11%

Stanbic Nominees Ltd Public Float

10.08% 44.67% Source: Company Data, BGL Research

GlaxoSmithKline Consumer Nigeria Plc has an opportunity to deliver high level of product innovations, operational excellence and create an opportunity to deepen its market which would significantly boost performance beyond current results. However, the Company’s management must review and action sound strategic plan towards improving revenue and effectively manage its expenses to positively impact further earnings and shareholders return.

Considering the foregoing with respect to intense of and other macro-economic factors, we have valued the GSK’s share using a combined valuation methods of book value, and adjusted price to sales (P/S) which resulted in a 6-month target price of N12.55 per share. Since this represents a downside potential of 13.45% on the current stock price, we place hold recommendation on the Company’s shares.

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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 ˾ MARCH 19, 2017

NIGERIA’S TOP 50 STOCKS BASED ON MARKET FUNDAMENTALS

GuarantyTrust Bank Plc: Remarkable third quarter performance points ahead

G

uaranty Trust Bank Plc (GT Bank) is an internationally focused commercial bank providing a range of banking products and services to corporate, commercial, and retail customers in Nigeria, West Africa, and Europe. The company focuses on acquiring and managing strategic businesses that create long term shareholders’ returns and socioeconomic impact.

The Bank’s management recently released third quarter result for the period ended September 30th 2016, the performance metrics shows substantial positive growth in revenue and profitability compared to the corresponding period of 2015 despite a protracted economic recession caused a number of tough macroeconomic factors which includes: unstable foreign exchange terrain, unexpected increase in prices, decline in income and expenses, and easy adjustment and absorption to changing banking regulation,.

WHILE THIS POLICY AIMED AT CONTROLLING MONETARY LIQUIDITY IN THE ECONOMY FORESHADOWS HUGE NEGATIVE IMPACT ON THE BANKS’ OPERATIONS, THE BANK’S MANAGEMENT IS CAPABLE OF INCREASING PERFORMANCE THAT WILL FURTHER STRENGTHEN EARNINGS, INCOME GENERATION CAPACITY AND GROWTH IN LIQUIDITY BASE

TOP-LINE EARNINGS ROSE SIGNIFICANT AMID ECONOMIC SITUATIONS.

Guaranty Trust Bank Plc posted a significant rise of 43.56% in gross earnings to N329.28 billion in September 2016 from N229.38 billion in the corresponding period of 2015 largely driven by other income which grew by a remarkable 1250.32%, and interest income which grew by a 5.17% to N181.91 billion compared to N172.96 billion recorded over the same period of 2015.

Interest expense on the other hand grew by dropped by 6.95% to N49.16 billion in September 2016 from N52.83 billion recorded in September 2015. The high and constant interest rate environment throughout the period and an unchanging Banks’ Cash Reserve Ratio (CRR) resulted in increase in competition for deposits amongst banks but GT Bank was able to manage its interest expense.

Expectedly the bank’s net interest income grew notably by 10.50% to N132.75 billion in September 2016 from N120.13 billion in the corresponding period of 2015.

OTHER INCOME AND FEES EARNED LEADS TO SIGNIFICANT GROWTH IN NON-INTEREST INCOME

The Bank reported non-interest income of N147.37 billion for the third quarter ended, September 2016 from N56.4 billion recorded in the corresponding period of 2015; reflecting a substantial growth of 161.25%. This was an impressive

performance as fee and commission rose by 27.11% on the back of substantive increase in income generated from e-business products and services which suitably replace the phased out Commission on Turnover (COT) by the CBN; a hitherto significant source of income to banks.

Also, growth in non-interest income was despite decrease in net gains on financial instruments classified as held for trading which decreased by 69.23% to N3.01 billion from N9.79 billion over the period reviewed.

IMPRESSIVE GROWTH IN PROFITABILITY ON THE BACK OF EFFICIENTLY MANAGED OPERATING EXPENSES

The Bank’s well venerated operational efficiency is a tradition that GT Bank strongly upholds. The Bank has been able to consistently sustain its effective cost management strategies and hence profitability.

Despite running a leaner branch network compared to its peers, the Bank conveniently generates more competitive profit year after year.

This renowned efficiency is also sustained in the period under review as the Bank grew operating expenses

by a modest 8.24% to N79.93 billion from N73.8 billion recorded in 2015, while operating income rose by a considerable 478.74% to N96.96 billion from N16.75 billion over the period.

The combination of efficiently managed operating expenses and substantial growth in gross earnings steered profitability higher. Thus, pre-tax profit grew significantly by 52.98% to N140.84 billion in September 2016 from N92.06 billion in in the corresponding period, September 2015, while net income grew substantially by 59.56% to N119.93 billion from N75.16 billion over the same period.

IMPROVEMENT IN ASSET QUALITY AND KEY FINANCIAL METRICS

GT Bank maintained its leading position in terms of margin and cost efficiency. Pre-tax profit margin declined slightly to 42.77% from 41.93% over period while net income margin also followed suit with an increase to 36.42% from 34.23% during the same period. In addition, the Bank’s cost to income ratio also declined marginally to 36.20% in September 2016 from 44.51% in September 2015. At 37.62%, the Bank’s liquidity ratio remains above the minimum regulatory requirements of 30% while capital adequacy ratio remains strong at 18.10%, well above the regulatory requirement of 15%.

In relation to assets quality, nonperforming loan (NPL) ratio rose to 4.13% in September 2016.

Furthermore, the Bank shareholder’s fund improved by 19.01% to N492.20 billion in September 2016 from N413.56 billion in December 2015.

The Bank’s return on assets and shareholders’ equity rose remarkably.

Return on average asset (ROA) grew to 4.27% in September 2016 from 3.06% in December 2015 while return on equity (ROE) grew to 26.48% from 18.76% over the period under review.

HOLD RECOMMENDATION DESPITE BRIGHT OUTLOOK

The CBN’s monetary tightening policies have resulted in limited income generation and high cost of funds within the Nigerian financial system. The CBN has maintained the CRR at a high level with a view to maintaining price stability and support the stability of the Naira exchange rate.

Despite the regulatory headwinds prevalent which saw inflation soar to 17.70% as at September 2016 from 9.4% a year ago, MPR at 14% and the CRR on all public sector deposits at 22.5%, GT Bank delivered another

Valuation Metrics 17-Mar-17 Rating

BUY

Target Price (N)

28.64

Current Price (N)

26.30

Market Cap (N'm)

691,338

Outstanding Shares (m)

29,431

Rolling EPS (N)

4.90

Rolling PE Ratio

5.37

Forward EPS

5.77

Forward PE

4.07 Source: NSE Data, BGL Research

Source: NSE Data, BGL Research Gross Earnings (N'm)

229,372

Profit Before Tax (N'm)

92,062

Profit After Tax (N'm)

75,160

Pre-tax Margin (%)

40.14

Source: Company Report Q3 2016, BGL Research

FYE December 2015 Audited Results Gross Earnings (N'm)

301,900

Profit Before Tax (N'm)

120,695

Profit After Tax (N'm)

99,437

Pre-tax Margin (%)

31.98 Source: Annual Report 2015, BGL Research

Shareholding Information Citibank Nigeria (GDR)

10.54%

Stanbic Nominees

25.90%

Public Float

63.56%

Outstanding Shares (m)

29,431.17

Outstanding Shares (m)

29,431.17

Source: Annual Report 2015, BGL Research

impressive performance. While this policy aimed at controlling monetary liquidity in the economy foreshadows huge negative impact on the banks’ operations, the Bank’s management is capable of increasing performance that will further strengthen earnings, income generation capacity and growth in liquidity base.

We maintain our projection of N339.48 billion for gross earnings and net income of N111.29 billion for the financial year ending December 2016, leading to a forward EPS of N5.77. Using an industry price to earnings multiple (PE) of 5.03x, we arrive at a six-month average target price of N28.64. Since this represents an upside potential of 8.90% on the current stock price of N26.30, we therefore recommend a BUY.

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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 Ëž ͚ΠË&#x153; ͺ͸͚Ϳ

MARKET NEWS

Investors Swoop on Financial Stocks for Dividend Goddy Egene Investors swooped on financial stocks last week in anticipation of improved 2016 earnings and payment of dividends. As a result of the high investors demand, the top price gainersâ&#x20AC;&#x2122; table last week was dominated by financial stocks. Among the top 10 gainers included: Diamond Bank Plc (  16 per cent); United Capital Plc(15.7 per cent); Continental Reinsurance Plc (13.2 per cent); African Prudential Registrars Plc (9.6 per cent); United Bank for

Africa Plc (9.5 per cent); Guaranty Trust Bank Plc (7.3 per cent0 and Fidelity Bank Plc(6.2 per cent).

Already, GTBank Plc, United Capital Plc, African Prudential Registrars Plc and Continental Reinsurance Plc have announced their 2016 audited results and dividends. Market operators said the level of dividend declared by some of the companies has raised investorsâ&#x20AC;&#x2122; optimism, hence the increased demand for other stocks in the sector. â&#x20AC;&#x153;The encouraging dividend payment by some of the financial

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 â&#x20AC;&#x2DC;sharesâ&#x20AC;&#x2122; on the

companies has raised expectations among   investors who are taking position as more results would be released in the coming days,â&#x20AC;? a stock dealer said.

The shareholders of United Capital Plc, for instance, approved a dividend of 50 kobo per share at the annual general meeting (AGM) last Friday in Lagos. The dividend is 42 per cent higher than 35 kobo paid the previous year.

United Capital Plc  ended the 2016   with gross earnings of N9 billion, showing an increase of 50 per cent from N6 billion

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 16-Mar-2017, unless otherwise stated.

posted in 2015. Investment income rose from N3 billion to N4 billion, while fee and commission income grew from N1.612 billion to N1.979 billion.

Despite high inflation in 2016, the management of the company was able to reduce its total expenses by 19 per cent from N3.238 billion to N2.634 billion. Consequently, profit before tax (PBT) grew by 95 per cent from N3.264 billion to N6.366 billion, while PAT soared from N2.57 billion to N6 billion.

Also, shareholdersâ&#x20AC;&#x2122; funds rose to N14.231 billion, from N10.420 billion, just as total assets improved from N144 billion to N161 billion. Earnings per share jumped from 43 kobo in 2015 to 115 kobo in 2016. Given the impressive performance, the directors of the United Capital have recommended a dividend of 50 kobo per share, which is higher than the 35 kobo paid in 2015.

The Group Chief Executive Officer of United Capital Plc, Mrs. Oluwatoyin Sanni, had at the beginning of 2016, said  the

company was more committed to achieving its goal of building Africaâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s leading investment and financial services group and to work hard to accomplish its strategic objective set out in 2015 and  2016. â&#x20AC;&#x153;Our priorities include: driving effectiveness and efficiency initiatives to improve productivity whilst optimising costs. Further improving our brand awareness, corporate image and brand value to achieve market-wide recognition and appreciation of our corporate identity,â&#x20AC;? she had said.

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 aaml@afrinvest.com Web: www.afrinvest.com; Tel: +234 1 270 1680 Fund Name Bid Price Offer Price Yield / T-Rtn Afrinvest Equity Fund 129.33 129.79 1.82% Nigeria International Debt Fund 220.62 221.28 2.49% ALTERNATIVE CAPITAL PARTNERS LTD info@acapng.com Web: www.acapng.com, Tel: +234 1 291 2406, +234 1 291 2868 Fund Name Bid Price Offer Price Yield / T-Rtn ACAP Canary Growth Fund 0.70 0.70 -0.47% AIICO CAPITAL LTD ammf@aiicocapital.com Web: www.aiicocapital.com, Tel: +234-1-2792974 Fund Name Bid Price Offer Price Yield / T-Rtn AIICO Money Market Fund 100.00 100.00 17.77% ARM INVESTMENT MANAGERS LTD enquiries@arminvestmentcenter.com Web: www.arm.com.ng; Tel: 0700 CALLARM (0700 225 5276) Fund Name Bid Price Offer Price Yield / T-Rtn ARM Aggressive Growth Fund 12.35 12.72 0.00% ARM Discovery Fund 288.99 297.70 0.63% ARM Ethical Fund 22.05 22.72 -1.29% ARM Money Market Fund 1.00 1.00 15.83% AXA MANSARD INVESTMENTS LIMITED investmentcare@axamansard.com Web: www.axamansard.com; Tel: +2341-4488482 Fund Name Bid Price Offer Price Yield / T-Rtn AXA Mansard Equity Income Fund 107.06 107.81 1.88% AXA Mansard Money Market Fund 1.00 1.00 17.56% CHAPELHILL DENHAM MANAGEMENT LTD investmentmanagement@chapelhilldenham.com Web: www.chapelhilldenham.com, Tel: +234 461 0691 Fund Name Bid Price Offer Price Yield / T-Rtn Nigeria Global Investment Fund 2.21 2.27 1.82% Paramount Equity Fund 9.39 9.62 0.26% Women's Investment Fund 86.86 89.09 2.68% CORDROS ASSET MANAGEMENT LIMITED assetmgtteam@cordros.com Web: www.cordros.com, Tel: 019036947 Fund Name Bid Price Offer Price Yield / T-Rtn Cordros Money Market Fund 100.00 100.00 18.50% FBN CAPITAL ASSET MANAGEMENT LTD invest@fbnquest.com Web: www.fbnquest.com; Tel: +234-81 0082 0082 Fund Name Bid Price Offer Price Yield / T-Rtn FBN Fixed Income Fund 1,126.68 1,127.83 3.33% FBN Heritage Fund 111.72 112.46 0.12% FBN Money Market Fund 100.00 100.00 17.20% FBN Nigeria Eurobond (USD) Fund - Institutional $107.01 $107.80 2.89% FBN Nigeria Eurobond (USD) Fund - Retail $106.73 $107.52 3.32% FBN Nigeria Smart Beta Equity Fund 113.08 114.54 0.35% FIRST CITY ASSET MANAGEMENT LTD fcamhelpdesk@fcmb.com Web: www.fcamltd.com; Tel: +234 1 462 2596 Fund Name Bid Price Offer Price Yield / T-Rtn Legacy Equity Fund 0.96 0.97 2.66% Legacy Short Maturity (NGN) Fund 2.65 2.65 3.07% FSDH ASSET MANAGEMENT LTD coralfunds@fsdhgroup.com Web: www.fsdhaml.com; Tel: 01-270 4884-5; 01-280 9740-1 Fund Name Bid Price Offer Price Yield / T-Rtn Coral Growth Fund 2,189.73 2,214.81 -0.89% Coral Income Fund 2,185.85 2,185.85 3.88% GREENWICH ASSET MANAGEMENT LIMITED assetmanagement@gtlgroup.com Web: www.gtlgroup.com ; Tel: +234 1 4619261-2 Fund Name Bid Price Offer Price Yield / T-Rtn Greenwich Plus Money Market Fund 100.00 100.00 17.28% INVESTMENT ONE FUNDS MANAGEMENT LTD enquiries@investment-one.com Web: www.investment-one.com; Tel: +234 812 992 1045,+234 1 448 8888 Fund Name Bid Price Offer Price Yield / T-Rtn Abacus Money Market Fund 1.00 1.00 16.75% Vantage Balanced Fund 1.71 1.72 1.42% Vantage Guaranteed Income Fund 1.00 1.00 15.09%

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 1.01 1.03 2.37% Lotus Halal Fixed Income Fund 1,024.61 1,024.61 2.16% MERISTEM WEALTH MANAGEMENT LTD info@meristemwealth.com Web: http://www.meristemwealth.com/funds/ ; Tel: +234 1-4488260 Fund Name Bid Price Offer Price Yield / T-Rtn Meristem Equity Market Fund 9.81 9.90 1.55% Meristem Money Market Fund 10.00 10.00 14.89% 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 1.09 1.11 3.39% PACAM Fixed Income Fund 10.43 10.47 0.24% PACAM Money Market Fund 10.00 10.00 16.39% 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 110.86 111.69 8.85% 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 1.27 1.27 2.12% 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 1,843.14 1,852.96 0.64% Stanbic IBTC Bond Fund 154.77 154.77 0.53% Stanbic IBTC Ethical Fund 0.75 0.76 -1.95% Stanbic IBTC Guaranteed Investment Fund 191.91 191.91 2.69% Stanbic IBTC Iman Fund 127.50 129.12 -1.81% Stanbic IBTC Money Market Fund 100.00 100.00 17.49% Stanbic IBTC Nigerian Equity Fund 7,418.64 7,509.09 -2.14% 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 1.16 1.17 11.39% United Capital Bond Fund 1.28 1.28 15.78% United Capital Equity Fund 0.64 0.66 0.71% United Capital Money Market Fund 1.13 1.13 11.45% 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 9.75 9.92 1.28% Zenith Ethical Fund 11.12 11.22 1.86% Zenith Income Fund 17.29 17.29 4.63%

REITS

NAV Per Share

Yield / T-Rtn

11.41 125.23

1.01% 1.02%

Bid Price

Offer Price

Yield / T-Rtn

7.88 72.57

7.98 73.92

-10.19% -4.24%

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

2.77 6.26 11.49 14.22 124.67

2.81 6.36 11.59 14.42 126.67

0.71% -10.75% -4.18% -10.78% -3.98%

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 managerâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s website and FMANâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;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.

A

WEEKLY PULL-OUT

INSIDE

JULIUS RONEâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s WORLD

19.03.2017

30

T H I S DAY, T H E S U N DAY N E W S PA P E R ˞ ͯ͡, Ͱ͎ͯ;

COVER

INSIDE JULIUS RONEâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;S WORLD

Like anxious teenagers waiting for their bar mitzvah, many people, near and far-flung, are eager to know who Julius Rone, the Chairman of UTM Group, is. Yes, he is bequeathed with a name that every inch sounds like that of an English aristocrat born of an ancestry rooted in a high degree of nobility. Truthfully, he has this uncommon aura of sophistication oozing around him but a personal encounter with him would erase all doubts relating to his true origin. He is a true â&#x20AC;&#x153;son of the soilâ&#x20AC;? from Delta State. Rone has covered many grounds and has stories of conquests to line up at an age when many of his contemporaries are still struggling to find their feet, writes Lanre Alfred

T

His fortuneâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s seed here is melody in Julius Roneâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s back-story.

You take everything in, and get caught in its speechless rapture.

There is sparkle in the narrative too. The native of Warri, Delta State, emits a rare shine that imbues the day with light and hangs upon the cheek of night, like luminous beams of lighthouses in his native Delta. Like the proverbial shiny jewel in an Ethiopâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s ear, Juliusâ&#x20AC;&#x2122; emits an uncommon glitter too rich to be ignored and too dear to be squandered. Little wonder he is fondly regarded as the jewel of Nigeriaâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s Niger Delta region.

Without doubt, Julius has nurtured L-R: his brainchild through its teething years to become a powerful force in energy services and socially responsible enterprise that it has become, thus itâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s great to see good values rewarded in an individual because thatâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s not always the case.

In pursuit of fortune and acclaim, Julius understood that a rolling stone gathers no moss, but it gets rid of the rough corners and takes on a lovely polish. Guided by this mindset, he proceeded to establish himself and carve his niche in the cutthroat world of entrepreneurship thus he started UTM Oil and Gas Limited. The company was incorporated as an independent Oil Trading Company (OTC) in Nigeria. Its trading activities range from refined white products to semi-refined black products. UTM Oil and Gas also explores its formidable network structure to access and expand business relationships wherever profitable and feasible while promoting and sustaining professionalism. In a bid to play down his ingenuity and business savvy, he attributes UTMâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s climb to the pinnacle of entrepreneurial success to sheer determination, providence and Godâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s grace. â&#x20AC;&#x153;We thank God for everything. He has been kind to us from day one. Since inception, we have built a reputation by passionately and professionally executing our briefs to deliver the best value to our clients.

In so doing, we have positioned our company as a premier marine organization in virtually all our areas of operations. UTM dredging limited has for some time now successfully pioneered new standard by offering specialized turnkey packages for any type of marine transportation movement viz: Rig move and deployment logistics through the application of a broad range of effective innovations in marine, logistics support, dredging, inland water way ferry services, charter, equipment leasing, rental, marine vessels procurement/supply, offshore operation supports, petroleum products supply, general labor provider and management solution to meet world standard and of our clientâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s needs all over.â&#x20AC;?

The fire within As the tired sun melts into an endless horizon and azure skies are shrouded in dusk, the passage of childhood and transition into youth opened fresh vistas in the life of Julius. If only youth were enough to bring the relief of peace, success and acclaim, Julius would sleep easy. But he couldnâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;t. â&#x20AC;&#x153;To God be glory, we have been able to record some landmark success as a

company because we are a very determined set of people with common vision and goals. We all put in our best because we operate with unity of purpose. We are a team of dedicated like-minds whose personal visions and passions are in tandem with each other.â&#x20AC;?

An alumnus of the Obafemi Awolowo University, Ile-Ife and the University of Calabar where he earned his Advance Diploma and Post Graduate Diploma in Business Administration respectively, Julius is a seasoned technocrat with vast experience spanning over a decade in the public sector. It is hardly surprising therefore, that he brings his expertise and vast knowledge to bear in his foray in private business. There is no gainsaying the world of business is like a dangerous coast riddled with storms. But despite its turbulent tides, Julius, like a sea-hardened sailor navigates through the gales armed with a stubborn resolve and unyielding spirit. Today, that relentless spirit of Julius has paid off. It has guided him through the bittersweet, cut-throat world of global commerce till he emerged unscathed and undaunted in spirit and resolve, like a champion. Having seen the world change around people who were unprepared for its transformation, Julius, at a very young age, pitched his flag in the tumultuous terrain and battle zone of global commerce. But while many of his rivals and contemporaries fixated on making money from the confusion characteristic of the business zone, Julius chose to help clarify the confusion and sanitize the terrain through an ethical and humane entrepreneurial culture.

Roneâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s rise to riches is an inspiration to an average Nigerian youth. He must have some words for the aspiring youths who are in dire need of mentorship, â&#x20AC;&#x153;Many young guys have run into me and told me that my life inspires them. I always advise them that they cannot sleep and wake up millionaires overnight. They must be focused, determined and also have the fear of God. Fear of God in the sense that times are tough, but they should also look at themselves as a potential success. If you believe in whatever goals you set for yourself, you can achieve itâ&#x20AC;?. Honestly, I had my hard times, but one thing I never did was to put myself in trouble. I donâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;t like to be associated with bad things.â&#x20AC;?

Trashing stereotypes Commerce is far too precious and fundamental to be left to the wiles and exploits of villainous characters hence Julius believes that the doctrine of altruism and love must be preached as counteraction to the doctrine of mercantilism, cut-throat competition and greed that has overtime become the norm in business circuits. Virtues, according to him, should be in the popular estimate, the rule guiding human conduct in business, social and political circuits rather than the exception. A man is nothing without his virtues, he argues.

Thus he endeavours to do good. But his deeds are done not as an apology or extenuation of his fortune and citizenship of the world. While many a rich man propagate virtues as penances for the inactions of the worldâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s privileged divide, Julius imbibes and perpetuates the culture of goodness not out of a frantic zeal to apologize or expiate perceived inhumanities of his rich, privileged divide, he does good because it is an intrinsic part of his manliness.

Rone describes humility as the greatest lesson life has taught him. â&#x20AC;&#x153;Iâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;m extremely humbled by the fact that everything I have actually acquired at this stage came to me through the blessings of God. Simply put,

MARCH 19, 2017 ˾ T H I S DAY, T H E S U N DAY N E W S PA P E R

31

COVER

Rone with wife and kids

I practically had to rely on strength and determination to succeed. I was able to sail through and find myself where I am today through prayers. I am successful today because I am truthful, prayerful and honest to whatever agreement I have with anybody.”

Utibe...It’s love actually “Having good things of life is good but getting married to my wife, Utibe, was one of the best things I ever experienced”. Thus soon after they encountered each other and struck a blissful friendship, Julius, like the proverbial triple pillar of the world, became Utibe’s version of the Aeolian Harp. Utibe, like a practiced possessor and player of the Aeolian Harp, pulled at the strings of Julius’ heart. The effect was awesome.

It excited in the UTM head honcho, spasms of pleasure and indescribable passion. However, their passionate encounter was hardly onesided. Julius evenly excited strange impulses in Utibe thus animating her in unusual ways and causing her to swoon over him even when she struggled not to. Subsequently, they established a bond based on mutual love, trust and respect for each other. Their story reads like a passionate thesis on a classical verse of love. Both Julius and Utibe, for the first time in their lives felt something different, extremely passionate, scary yet enjoyable. They basked and sojourned in the lush, blissful vales of each other’s passion and warmth.

If friendship was rewarding for the duo, falling in love with each other was liberating.

Ask Julius. He will proudly tell you any day that loving Utibe was invigorating. The passion and devotion he shared with her exposed him to priceless adventures in the meadows and everglades of love.

Loving Utibe was cathartic. This is because the leggy beauty, and Microbiology graduate of the University of Port Harcourt opened him up to feelings he erstwhile lived wary of. Gradually, he slipped into the supple gulf of her warmth but rather than drown in the floodgate of passion that cascaded all over him, he rose with the tides to skim and surf it’s exhilarating waves, jetsam and flotsam. The passion he felt for Utibe was what scholars and classical romantics imbued with eternal fervour of timeless truths and poetics. Very few mortals encounter it and succeed in making sense of it and sustaining it.

But Julius internalised it and evolved with it.

Utibe was the miracle that God had wrought.

And she was patently the kind of woman whose love could only happen on a man once in a thousand seasons.

Julius… Father and pathfinder Fatherhood held a pleasant surprise for Julius Rone. A tender spot stirs curiosity in him even as you read for stories of other men’s adventures in fatherhood and the quality of their relationship with their children. Do they really love each other? How well do most men know their kids and vice versa? What do they talk about? Are they really close? How strong is their bond with their wards? These are some of the questions pulsing in Julius’ heart. Left to him, being a father can be at times so unknowable, notwithstanding the bond between him and his children is so great, he might as well be the man in the moon.

Julius and his children are infinitely bound to each other. So connected are they to each other that they have grown to know each other not as adult and child, father and sons but as filial soul mates and buddies. To Julius, the future holds great promise - he believes that in time, the next few years to be precise, he would have figured out how to say all those things that he and his kids hadn’t yet been able to say to each other—anything, everything and sweet fatherly

nothings in particular— thus closing and avoiding that awkward gap that estranges too many fathers and sons from each other.

Since his wife, Utibe, gave birth to their first child up till their last child arrived their household as a bundle of joy and testament of God’s infinite love for his family, Julius has spent a great deal of time trying to understand how to be closer and flawlessly paternal to his wards.

A gilt heart Julius nurtures a robust interest in the humane. He was never brought up to savour bluster by finding pleasure in what is so commonly condemned neither was he given to pessimism at an early age. He chooses only to see the sunny spokes behind the darkest pall. Left to him, a modern traveler could spend his time peacefully admiring the world’s picturesque scenes and the good among men instead of feeling mortification by the wild, grotesque inclinations of the world and the grind of mankind’s fledgling inhumanity.

Thus he eschews impatience and quick-fix solutions to society’s fledgling problems. He does not turn a blind eye to the needy. Rather he pays good mind to their needs. And in this respect, his generosity proclaims him. Julius is indeed generous at heart. He embarks on a humanitarian odyssey like a kind of poet and painter whose imagination is unclipped.

He paints picturesque scenes in lives severely marred by squalor; he encrusts bleakness in shiny varnish and, as he is able, he seeks to mend small damaged lives here and there.

At a time when it is generally believed that one has to be a lowbrow and an incorrigible to be a successful corporate titan, Julius ventures into business to improve lives. But unlike too many of his contemporaries, he is unwilling to see people sacrificed and rivals destroyed for the sake of his ambition. The native of Warri, in the estimation of many friends and associates, is unarguably cut out for greater roles in the affairs of the country’s industrial sector but rather than get high on the wings of the lofty hopes about him, Julius chooses to begin his humble ascent to the corridors of acclaim and entrepreneurial power by espousing the morals, personal and professional ethics instilled in him by his parents, Chief Rone and late Madam Dora in his relations with clients, rivals and business associates in his various endeavors. Surely, attaining the present height would not have come without some enduring lesson.

Affluence fades...class is eternal Luxury excites Julius. It animates him hence his awareness as a connoisseur, enthusiast and collector of luxury and grand designs. It is therefore, a function of style and a taste for grandeur that Julius ornaments his life and every aspect of his homestead to reflect his innate passion for the classy and rarefied.

Thus bliss subsists in every projection and detail of Julius Rone’s picturesque mansion in Abuja, the Federal Capital Territory. So scenic is the imposing edifice that it attracts ceaseless pilgrimage by the creme of Abuja’s high society.

There is no gainsaying Julius’ manor is a dream of bliss. A real life pictogram of the fabled Neverland. Amid its captivating plot, you could be forgiven for getting lost, metaphorically, if you are a first time visitor. Recurrent callers at the mansion have been known to keel over, in enthrallment with the lavish treat.

The mansion is a testament of class. Outside, it is garlanded with carven imageries of arches and flowers, and bunches of knot-grass. Inside, it is ornamented with panes of quaint decor, embroidered fabric and devices. Its ambience of splendid dyes and luxury titivate like the damasked wings of the tiger-moth.

Such taste for luxury as displayed by Julius, it is often said, has ruined more poets and caused them to lose their wit, than ever did a taste for the gutters. Yet no poet or grand proponent of the high art could visit Rone’s mansion and totally lose it.

Rather he or she would simply descend into the hallowed chambers of eternal muse. Julius’s manor no doubt, inspires the best of lyricism in the established poet and those apathetic to art.

LUXURY EXCITES JULIUS. IT ANIMATES HIM HENCE HIS AWARENESS AS A CONNOISSEUR, ENTHUSIAST AND COLLECTOR OF LUXURY AND GRAND DESIGNS. IT IS THEREFORE, A FUNCTION OF STYLE AND A TASTE FOR GRANDEUR THAT JULIUS ORNAMENTS HIS LIFE AND EVERY ASPECT OF HIS HOMESTEAD TO REFLECT HIS INNATE PASSION FOR THE CLASSY AND RAREFIED. THUS BLISS SUBSISTS IN EVERY PROJECTION AND DETAIL OF JULIUS RONE’S PICTURESQUE MANSION IN ABUJA, THE FEDERAL CAPITAL TERRITORY. SO SCENIC IS THE IMPOSING EDIFICE THAT IT ATTRACTS CEASELESS PILGRIMAGE BY THE CREME OF ABUJA’S HIGH SOCIETY. THERE IS NO GAINSAYING JULIUS’ MANOR IS A DREAM OF BLISS. A REAL LIFE PICTOGRAM OF THE FABLED NEVERLAND

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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 Ëž ͯ͡Ë&#x153; Í°ÍŽÍŻÍľ

Ě&#x201C;

͎ͯͯ͜ͲͲ͡ͳ͹ͰͲË&#x153; nseobong.okonekong@thisdaylive.com

Nseobong Okon-Ekong

The East African Afro-pop singing sensation, Sauti Sol has promised Lagosians an unforgettable experience at the GidiFest2017.

The Easter weekend will definitely be explosive at GidiFest2017 as the group have expresses utmost excitement to visit Nigeria and also to be a part of the festival.

Originally from Nairobi, Kenya, the group is known for their popular hit tracks; Nerea, Black Uniform,Sura Yako, Lazizi, coming home and more.

The powerful vocalists that make-up the group include: Bien-AimĂŠ Baraza, Willis Chimano and Savara Mudigi. Initially in an acappella group, guitarist Polycarp Otieno joined before they named themselves Sauti.

Gidi Fest 2017, is bigger and better, with added features all working together to create that seamless experience of urban youth culture.

The organisers have promised to provide an environment to â&#x20AC;&#x153;explore your taste palettes with a wide variety of carefully selected food vendors, enjoy adrenaline pumping activities, and live music set to make your body move.â&#x20AC;?

Sauti-Sol

GBENGA ADEYINKA GOES LIVE WITH LAFFMATAZZ Comedian, Gbenga Adeyinka who is known for taking his shows to south western states is back on the scene again with the 2017 version of the city wide show, Laffmatazz. Season seven of the show will take quality entertainment into three cities, Abeokuta, Akure and Ilorin.

Laffmatazz was borne out of a deep desire to bring comedy in its raw form to the people of Western Nigeria. The comedy show has proven to be the biggest of its kind outside Lagos based on the statistics from all the states toured in past years. The show in total has been witnessed by over 50 000 people.

In over six years of its existence, the comedy show has promoted the big names to the local community while also promoting the local community via the Laffmatazz platform and providing an opportunity to network with the biggest stars in Nigeria.

The show convener, Gbenga Adeyinka, one of the popular comedians in Nigeria with the moniker, Grand Comedian of the Federal Republic has promised that the 2017 edition of â&#x20AC;&#x2DC;Laffmatazz with Gbenga Adeyinka and Friendsâ&#x20AC;&#x2122; will be the biggest and the best. In over six years of its existence, the comedy show has packaged and presented top notch premium comedy entertainment to the people of Osogbo, Ibadan and Abeokuta.

SONIA AIMY DISPLAYS NIGERIAN SPIRIT Sonia Aimy may have shifted based from Italy to Canada, but her musical prowess remains excellent. The evidence of this is her latest work, Nigerian Spirit. The piece of work shows that her soul truly belongs to Nigeria and African, despite her world outlook.

Nigerian Spirit is the first single from her forthcoming album of the same title, which is expected to hit the market in the coming months. She has released the video of the single, which is making waves across the

Sauti Sol Headlines Gidi Culture Festival

world through major social and electronic media, including You Tube.

The single is a narrative about Nigeria comments on the religious, socio â&#x20AC;&#x201C; cultural, economic, human capital development, political inertia and the damage to both the psyche of the people and the land by Boko Haram insurgents as well as the heavy toll massive corruption and abuse of office have had on the country.

Sonia captures this so well in these lines (lyrics) from the single: â&#x20AC;&#x2DC;â&#x20AC;&#x2DC;The reality about my childhood is that there was no Boko Haram, no fake pastors and juju priests. Leaders are even more corrupt now. There is just too much confusion.â&#x20AC;&#x2122;â&#x20AC;&#x2122; The Canada â&#x20AC;&#x201C; based Nigerian musical artiste took the audience way back to the moral and cultural sanctity of the traditional society, the days where children were taught good morals and etiquette through moonlight tales by their forebears and how all of that have given way to modernity with its attendant cultural influences, which has brought socio â&#x20AC;&#x201C; cultural

Sonia Aimy

implosion to the fabrics of the society.

The video of the single aptly captures the sensation and tumbrels of emotions that she wants conveyed so as to drive home the essence of her message. Her voice texture, carriage and pitch and of course with the subdued tonal inflection, all added to the beauty and delivery of this music as she in her sonorous and velvety voice carried through the combination of soulful, afro jazz, highlife, as well as traditional African folklore in the mode of a groit and contemporary music, which have been the hallmark of her music, delivered a world music and performance for the entertainment and didactic purpose of the audience.

SHODEX GARDENS GETS E-LEARNING FACILITY Shodex Garden, a relaxation hub in Anthony Lagos has become more attractive to fun seekers in more ways than one. The maze of beautiful flowers and sculptural pieces has endeared many but its new e-learning facility is something to experience.

Recently, City Profs Academy set up a new e-library at the Shodex Garden where many children mill around on weekends and holidays. The creation of the e-library marked the 10th year anniversary of the educational institution which had as chairman, Governing board, late Prof. Grace Alele-Williams.

The City Profs Academy is currently being managed by three dynamic men namely Oluwole Oshiyoye, the coordinator; Bright Echendu, the executive secretary and Tony Biyi Boyede of the Theatre Centrik fame who is the creative consultant of the Academy.

At the launch, Olushola Adeleke, MD Shodex Beautification Landmark Ltd, was the cynosure of all eyes as guests arrived in trickles to enjoy the artistic scenery and the eco-friendly ambience of the garden.

In attendance were notable Nigerians such as Chief (Dr.) Ernest Shonekan former Head of State of Nigeria who was represented by Prof.

Kofi Duncan and Alhaji Lateef Jakande the first Executive Governor of Lagos State, and his wife.

The courage of Adekoya, is applaudable.

His initiative has transformed the once unsafe under-bridge, Anthony area to a garden of laughter, wonder and artistic expression. In his address, he thanked CPA for the great honour done to him and the Shodex family to witness the twin occasion of the unveiling of the Legacy: Dame Obafunmilayo Johnson Vocational Skill Acquisition Initiative and the official commissioning of the Shodex Garden e-library to commemorate the 10th anniversary of CPA. Queen Zainab Oyinkansola Adeyinka, Brand Ambassador of the Lizzy Adams Initiative was invited to speak on the challenges of the girl-child. The 11 year-old ambassador unabashedly spoke on the problem and challenges of the girl-child and the possible solutions to it.

GODâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;S CHILDREN GREATTALENT SEASON 7 BECKONS If the stellar performances of past winners of Godâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s Children Great Talent (GCGT) reality show recently at the Four Points by Sheraton Hotel, Victoria Island, Lagos were impressive, then Season 7 promises to bring more fireworks.

Not a few of the guests gathered at the announcement of the new season were awed by the vocal magic of Sisan Kpere-Diabo (2014 winner), Praise Olorunsuyi (2015 winner) and Onome Enakarakpor (2016 winner). With music and spoken word, they transported their audience into a spiritual realm and received a standing ovation for their outstanding talents.

Known for discovering and rewarding exceptional talents in children and teens from age 5 to 20 years, the show has grown to become a household name in the family entertainment in the country. An initiative of the Redeemed Christian Church of God, City of David Parish,

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ENTERTAINMENT the show identify and celebrate talents in music, comedy, dance and spoken word.

For its seventh season, the organisers raised the ante by announcing that the reward prize is a N10 million cash prize, a brand new car and management deal worth N250 million naira. Auditions will be held in Abuja, Lagos and Port Harcourt while registration closes on April 9.

Also unveiled at the press briefing are the host and judges of the season. Ty Mix, Kaffy and Omawunmi are the judges while Uti Nwachukwu and Ayo Thompson returns as hosts.

Speaking on the increase in the reward prize, the organisers revealed that it was to create more awareness of the programme.

“We are really thrilled to be unveiling the 7th season of GCGT. Nigeria has some amazing talents waiting to be discovered and nurtured. It will be of great pleasure to reward the winner of this year’s season finale with the grand prize of N10m, a brand new car and a management deal worth N250m,” said Pastor Idowu Iluyomade, Head of RCCG Apapa Family.

They projected that in the future, one of the winners of the competition will emerge a Grammy winner.

In partnership with the HOW Foundation, this year’s competition will be produced by one of Nigeria’s leading events production company, Livespot, in collaboration with UKbased OHTV and televised on partner stations in Nigeria and UK. The grand finale will hold in June at the Eko Hotels and Suites, Victoria Island, Lagos.

EFIZZI, NAKENOHS HOST ALL FEMALE ALTERNATIVE MUSIC CONCERT Efizzi Worldwide Entertainment Company, a leading entertainment company in collaboration with Nakenohs Blvd, a lifestyle mall located within the serene high brow atmosphere of Bank Road Ikoyi, Lagos is organizing an Alternative Music concert on Easter Sunday April 16.

Some of the six selected artistes include Temi Dollface, Falana, Moyeen, Aramide, Evelle and Dania Bada All the musicians billed to perform at this maiden edition are female artistes whose genre can be classified as alternative music.

Explaining the choice of artistes, the promoters described it as a bid to highlight the importance of women in the music industry in Nigeria today. These musicians are markedly bold enough to stray from the norm of contemporary afro-pop music to create a smooth seductive mellow groove of their own.

In choosing this music style, the promoters want to reach out to music aficionados who are yearning for a different sound as opposed to the monotonous cacophony that presently pervades our country’s music scene.

INSIDE AZUH ARINZE’S THE CEO BIBLE Seven years after the release of his first book, ‘Tested and Trusted Success Secrets of the Rich and Famous’, Publisher of Yes International! magazine, Azuh Arinze is set to present to the public his second book ‘The CEOs Bible.’

The book is a compilation of 90 interviews of CEOs in different fields conducted by the author.

A former editor at the Encomium Magazine, Azuh revealed that he has a strong passion for writing and made it a duty to write a book every five years. He however will not like to be described as a commercial writer.

Drawing from his vast experience in journalism, he embarked on his most ambitious project, writing the CEOs Bible. Over 250 interviews were conducted, out of which 90 made it to the printer. They were selected based on the industry, relevance and achievement. Apart from few exceptions, all the CEOs interviewed had at least 10 years life span of running their businesses.

The book cut across different genres.

“There is something for everyone. We have people in the entertainment industry, medical, politics, public service, even clergymen in this book.”

If you ask Azuh what inspired him to embark on this journey, he will probably tell

Azuh Arinze

Lagos NIPR Endorses Isale Eko Stage Play

The Lagos State Chapter, the flagship of the Nigerian Institute of Public Relations recently endorsed Isale Eko, a special satirical stage play designed to commemorate the 50th anniversary of Lagos State.

The stage play, supported by the Lagos State Government, boasts of stellar executive producers including the show business impresario and On-Air-Personality, Olisa Adibua, investment banker and columnist, Joseph Edgar, award winning entertainment journalist, NseObong Ekong and Nollywood actor, Ayo Badmus. It is a fictional display of 14th Century Lagos in animated play which uses song and dance to tell the story of Lagos in the throes of slave trade, power struggle and romance.

Inspired by Ayo Badmus, Isale Eko would be told with pizzazz by entertainment greats including Yemi Shodimu, Patrick Doyle and Yinka Davies under the directorial guide of the talented writer and stage director, William Benson. The play is scheduled to hold on Easter Friday 14th - Saturday 15th, April 2017 at the iconic MUSON Centre, Onikan, Lagos.

The Chairman, Lagos NIPR, Olusegun McMedal said the play is an opportunity for the Chapter to join in the celebration of Lagos State at 50. He said, “We heartily endorse Isale Eko stage play to add to the conversation surrounding the celebration of the golden anniversary of the creation of Lagos State. The script is bound to educate, inform and entertain its audience on the rich cultural heritage of the people of Isale Eko in an entertaining atmosphere”.

Briefing newsmen at Lagos NIPR Secretariat, a producer of the play, Joseph Edgar said, “Isale Eko tells the story of Lagos in a unique way. It leans lightly on historical facts with a blend of romance, songs and comedy to give it a contemporary depth. It is a story that will drive into the audience a rash of emotions as they would cry at the seeming tragedy that befalls Akitoye a leading protagonist, laugh at the comedic turn of Madam Tinubu as she strategically plays a balancing act between the warring Akitoye

and Kosoko ruling families and then get touched by the wonderful romance between the aggressive yet soft Kosoko who finds the Bini damsel irresistible”.

Also, speaking on the stage play, the co-producer, Olisa Adibua said he believes that Lagos being the seat of excellence and Isale Eko with its 400-year history deserves to be celebrated. According to him, “Isale Eko remains one of the bowl of our civilisation, with its early contact with the Europeans traders. It is the womb that gave birth to what is today known as modern Lagos and as such it’s story and history must be preserved and celebrated in all its glory”.

With a 60-man cast and crew, Isale Eko production will no doubt redefine the way people see Lagos. It will forcefully realign us with our rich heritage and tie the strings of unity with the portrayal of people with different tongues brought together by cultural exchanges over time. Dances from some part of the country would be performed on the stage with a beautiful tie-in to the story, making Isale Eko a must watch for the over one million targeted viewing audience spread over Lagos, Nigeria and London, United Kingdom.

The Producers strategically added historic cultural sights like the Bight of Benin, the Obas Palace, the Badagry Slave Port and a host of other cultural sites in the play as a ‘pull factor’ to boost international tourism into Lagos. Furthermore, a team of mainstream UK based journalists are expected to watch the play and tour these historic sites culminating with a visit to the Governor of Lagos State and the Oba of Lagos.

A team of British producers led by a leading PR firm in the United Kingdom, Coco Orange and frontline Nigerian born British entertainment entrepreneur, Tola Ogunbola are working on staging the play in the United Kingdom in November this year. The idea behind the UK showing is to take a part of Lagos heritage to the over two million second generation Nigerians who are oblivious of their origin.

(L-R) Executive Producer of ‘ISALE EKO’ Joseph Edgar_ Co-Producer, Olisa Adibua_ Chairman, Nigerian Institute of Public relations(NIPR), Lagos chapter, Olusegun Macmedal_ and Lead Actor, Yemi Shodimu you that he loved interviewing CEOs, which is the gospel truth. He said he draws a well of knowledge from these individuals who have consistently shown that you don’t need to be a millionaire to be successful.

“Just understand the principles of business.

I have been inundated with stories of people who fail in their businesses. So this book is geared towards inspiring young people to be advocates of success, and helping individuals who are seeking practical answers on how to start, sustain and start out in business. Thus, its name the CEO’s Bible because you will find answers and guidelines on how to be successful in your business.”

Some of the people interviewed include the Publisher of City People Magazine, Seye Kehinde; ace comedian Ali Baba; Mavin Crew artiste Tiwa Savage; Brand and Advertising guru Steve Babaeko; politician Jim Nwobodo and Pastor Helen Ukpabio of the Liberty Gospel Church.

The book will be presented to the public on Friday, March 24 at a star-studded event.

KUNLE AFOLAYAN APPOINTED TO BOARD OF LAGOS ARTS AND CULTURE Prolific filmmaker, Kunle Afolayan has been appointed into the Board of Lagos State Council for Arts and Culture.

In a letter signed by Secretary to the State Government, Mr. Tunji Bello, the filmmaker was touted as a man of integrity, selfless service with past records of impressive

performances.

“In approving your appointment,” Bello said, “due cognizance has been taken of your integrity, selfless service and past records of impressive performance. I, therefore, have no doubt that you will bring your wealth of experience to bear on your newly assigned responsibility and

R-L: Darey, Omawumi and Kaffy

continue to justify the confidence reposed in you by His Excellency, the Governor.”

Attached to his letter of appointment was a copy of the “Code of Conduct for Political Appointees in Lagos State Public Service which clearly highlights the expectations of Government in respect of the job.

The appointment was effective March 6, 2017.

It was clear from the social media post of the filmmaker, released on Thursday, that he (Afolayan) has accepted the offer.

He said: “It is time to serve the people. I am pleased to announce that I have been appointed as a member of the Board of Lagos State Council for Arts and Culture with effect from 6th of March, 2017.”

The appointment came few days after he wrapped up production of his three new movies; ‘Roti’, ‘Omugwo’ and ‘Tribunal’ – all shot within 40 days, in partnership with Africa Magic.

‘Omugwo’ is due for cinema release on April 7, 2017, while ‘Roti’ and ‘Tribunal’ will be released on June 30, 2017 and July 17, 2017 respectively.

WHOSE MEAL TICKET IS IT? Award-wining Nollywood actress, writer and producer, Grace Edwin-Okon is out with another thought-provoking flick, ‘Whose Meal Ticket’, starring industry’s best such as Akin Lewis, Ngozi Nwosu, Uti Nwachukwu, Shaffi Bello, Lisa Omorodion, Tana Adelana, Femi Durojaiye and Iyke Nnabuife among others, and having Kehinde Omoru as Executive Producer.Grace has come of age in the production of ‘edutainment’ flicks, through which she mirrors the society’s different strokes. She noted that this new story idea also came handy, given that Omoru, a nurse, is enamored of educating people on health tips.

“The Executive Producer, Kehinde Omoru asked me to work on the story because she has this idea of making films that have ‘edutainment’ appeal, such that people can watch it and learn a thing or two. And being a nurse, her own area of education is health tips. As a matter of fact, this is the second film I’m making for Kehinde; the first one is called ‘Deeply Cut’, which is about Hepatitis B,” said Grace.

She described ‘Whose Meal Ticket’ as a film “that can be termed as drama with slight use of comedy, even though a lot of people would say when they saw it, they loved it and had a good time laughing because of the characters that we have in the film. It’s an intriguing story. It also has some health tips with regards to diabetes and it also talks a little bit about active charcoal.

“I strongly believe that audiences will love the film. They will sure come out of the cinema laughing, and I really look forward to getting amazing feedbacks from the Nigerian and African audience.” She said.

In ‘Whose Meal Ticket’, Lisa Philips (Lisa Omorodion) is hell bent on regaining her family’s lost glory, encouraged by her mother, Mrs. Philips (Ngozi Nwosu), with the advice of devious wiles and strategies of using what she has to get what she wants.

This is just as Mrs. Disu (Shaffy Bello), wife of the rich and influential Lagos socialite Chief Disu (Akin Lewis) battles diabetes.

Testing her blood sugar level daily is painful, effortful and potentially damaging. However, in ‘Whose Meal Ticket’, she does it with ease that dispels the phobia for diabetes, proving that you can suffer symptoms like frequent thirst, frequent urination, slow healing wounds, mood swings and fatigue associated with diabetes and still grasp life with zest.

Life would have been ‘hunky-dory’ with the Disus until Lisa’s push into them opens the curtain to social issues like neglect, jealousy, conspiracy, connivances and duplicity that often plagues the rich.

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EVENT

PenComâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s Moment in the Sun at Social Media Week

L-R: Moderator, Chioma Chuka; DG of PenCom, Mrs. Chinelo Anohu-Amazu; CEO Chocolate, Jude Abaga (MI); and Nollywood actress and social crusader, Kate Henshaw, at the â&#x20AC;&#x153;Fireside Chat with PenCom DGâ&#x20AC;? during the Social Media Week held in Lagos

T

Olaseni Durojaiye

he Micro Pension Scheme (MPS) being packaged by the National Pension Commission (PenCom), took the centre state at the recently concluded Social Media Week (SMW) hosted in Lagos.

A unique event in its 5th year, the Social Media Week Lagos (SMWL) 2017 lived up to its reputation as a world class conference.

The SMWL drew attendance from around the continent and beyond and featured scintillating and incisive discussions on an array of subjects ranging from economy to governance, education, technology, business, entertainment, politics, art, pension and banking, etc.

However, it was â&#x20AC;&#x153;PenCom Meet and Greetâ&#x20AC;? and â&#x20AC;&#x153;Fireside Chat with PenCom DGâ&#x20AC;?, which obviously stole the show as she became the cynosure of the platformâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s over 180 social media reach and thousands that attended. It

was a veritable platform for PenCom to meet with the public in an informal and convivial environment to answer some of the frequently asked questions about the nationâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s pension industry.

The PenCom session specifically themed â&#x20AC;&#x153;Micro Pension as the Next Frontierâ&#x20AC;? was in particular an opportunity to sell the Micro Pension Scheme (MPS) where PenCom is blazing the trail in this part of the world.

The panel comprised Femi Longe, a social entrepreneur and Co-Founder of Co-Creation Hub; Comrade Isa Aremu, Vice President of Industrial Global Union and former Vice President of the Nigeria labour Congress; and CEO of Agilent Wireless Ltd, Lawrence Gilbert.

Femi Longe explored the relationship between technology and the MPS. He spoke on the importance of understanding this relationship, along with the need for effective dissemination of the benefits of the Micro Pension initiative.

Lawrence Gilbert discussed the challenges

L-R: CEO, Agilent Wireless Ltd, Lawrence Gilbert; Vice President of Industrial Global Union, Comrade Isa Aremu; Moderator, Chioma Chuka; and Co-Founder, Co-Creation Hub, Femi Longe, at the â&#x20AC;&#x153;PenCom Meet and Greetâ&#x20AC;? session at the Social Media Week

of the informal sector & the value of MPS using traditional savings method.

Both panelists discussed the nationâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s current infrastructure challenges and the impact on Micro Pension initiative.

While Femi Longe spoke on the need for flexibility of the Micro Pension initiative and the need to allow participants participate better, Comrade Aremu threw his weight behind the MPS, describing it as â&#x20AC;&#x153;innovative and highly expedientâ&#x20AC;?. Aremu commended the creativity of the current PenCom leadership, noting, however, that despite the great leaps by the Contributory Pension Scheme, an overwhelming majority of Nigerians are not yet captured because they are in the informal sector. â&#x20AC;&#x153;The MPS is a lifeline to the artisans, traders, and the Nigerian youths who are not in the public or organised private sectorâ&#x20AC;?, he added.

The icing on the cake, however, was the â&#x20AC;&#x153;Fireside Chat with PenCom DGâ&#x20AC;?, featuring the PenCom boss, Mrs. Chinelo Anohu-Amazu; first-rate entertainer and CEO of Chocoloate City, Jude Abaga (MI); and Nollywood star and social crusader, Kate Henshaw, with Chioma Chuka moderating.

Mrs. Anohu-Amazu explained the idea behind the MPS, tracing it to the Contributory Pension Scheme (CPS). The DG emphasised the informal sector was â&#x20AC;&#x153;too critical to be left out of the contributory pension schemeâ&#x20AC;?. She assured contributors of the emerging scheme on the â&#x20AC;&#x153;security of their investmentsâ&#x20AC;? due to the strict regulatory framework in place and encouraged all Nigerians and the social media community to key into the Scheme.

Mrs. Anohu also reminded the audience that the choice of a PFA remained the prerogative of the contributor.

Abaga (MI) encouraged his colleagues in the entertainment industry to partner with PenCom, stressing the need for those in the entertainment industry and Nigerians in general to â&#x20AC;&#x153;save today and secure tomorrowâ&#x20AC;?.

On her part, Kate Henshaw, while emphasising on the need to save for the rainy day, said the MPS would open doors to a more secure future to many millions of Nigerians.

She encouraged all women to participate as they are the pillars of the society.

It would be recalled that the MPS featured prominently at the World Pension Sum-

mit- Africa Special (WPS-AS), co-hosted by PenCom for the third consecutive time in September 2016.

The rising populations and the insecure future faced by the self-employed have been a source of continuous and serious concern to the government, development experts, managers of the economy, and political leaders for obvious reasons. There is need for a sure way of financial inclusion and pension savings.

This makes the MPS and financial inclusion efforts championed by PenCom imperative.

The informal sector constitutes at least 61 percent of urban employment across Africa, while the proportion of Sub-Saharan Africans in vulnerable employment has attained an alarming rate of 85 percent for women and 70 percent for men.

In her presentation at the WPS, Modupe Ladipo, Director, Enhancing Financial Innovation and Access (EFInA), Nigeria, just like other experts, was also of the view that the breakdown of support from extended family at old age due to rising economic challenges have made micro pension and financial inclusion most imperative to enable people in the self-employed category to make hay while the sun shines.

According to her, a 2014 survey on pensions revealed that only about 5.3 percent of the adult population had pension accounts.

But the good news is that about 70 million adults in the informal sector are willing to make regular contributions, which, therefore, provides huge opportunity for the MPS to be rolled out by PenCom. Against this backdrop, it is not surprising that MPS reverberated in a groundswell of interest at the Social Media Week 2017. Many in attendance and those following on various social media platforms were eager to subscribe to the Scheme, when finally launched, especially given the success PenCom has made of the Contributory Pension Scheme.

They expressed absolute trust in the security of their assets. They said PenComâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s presence at the SMWL had also addressed whatever clarifications they needed. They also said the scheme was well designed to address the flexibility of registration, remittance of contributions, and concerns such as lack of regular inflow of income and frequency of access to their contributions when needed.

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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 Ëž ͯ͡Ë&#x153; Í°ÍŽÍŻÍľ

ON THE COUCH

MR. SIGISMUND ADETUNBOH SULE (BUSINESSMAN)

My Childhood Ambition Was to be a Medical Doctor Interviewed by Funke Olaode How has life treated you in the last 70 years?

God has been very partial to me. I had a very smooth life until I lost my job with the Nigerian Air Force. I felt very disappointed not knowing God had another plan for me. I travelled to the United States of America where everything started falling in place and I bounced back. It has been a fantastic experience turning 70.

schooled there. I was very conversant with the culture. I immersed myself into what the country had to offer.

I joined the Department of Juvenile Justice in New York City where I spent another 12 years and retired.

I am back to my country because regardless of limitations, home is home.

If you had to raise you satisfaction with your life so far, what would you score yourself?

I will rate myself nine over 10. I wish I have enough to go round. I never thought of going into politics but as it is now I am still energetic.

If I have the opportunity, people will see a different humanitarian.

Where were you born?

I was born on March 6, 1947 in Ajaja/Egbebi Compound at No. 5. Lemomu Lane on Lagos Island.

We grew up in a good communal setting. My grandfather, Jameson Akindele Sule, popularly known as â&#x20AC;&#x2DC;Sule Alapotiâ&#x20AC;&#x2122; was a Christian.

He was one of the builders of the African Cathedral Bethel on Broad Street. He was a carpenter and one of the first persons to make coffins in Lagos. I learnt he was a very wealthy man. He owned the land where the old Ministry of Defence was built in Lagos. He is a popular name at Ikoyi Cemetery. Ask the attendant, they will direct you to the Sule Alapoti Tomb.

What were your parents engaged in at the time you were born?

My father, Samuel Babatunde Sule worked at Mobil Oil while my mother was a big time trader supplying products to Kingsway Stores and PZ. We had a privileged beginning. We never lacked anything. Having a relatively comfortable parents placed a burden of expectation on us and put us on our toes to be the best at all times. I had an ambition to study medicine and wasnâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;t able to achieve it. I had deficiency in Physics and Mathematics. When I eventually went to University of Howard in Washington DC, to my surprise, the system of teaching in the United States was different. Mathematics was made easy. I was surprised that I came first in my graduating year.

How would you describe your first day at school?

I began my early education at St. Paulâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s Breadfruit, Lagos. I proceeded to Ibadan Grammar School where the late enigma and very popular educationist, Pa Emmanuel Alayande was the principal. Apart from being groomed under the tutelage of a disciplinarian like Alayande, I also enjoyed scholarship from Mobil Oil. I left Ibadan Grammar School in 1966, worked briefly with the National Bank Lewis Street branch before travelling to America in 1969.

I enrolled at Howard University for a degree in Financial Management and Accounting and capped with masterâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s degree in Business Education in 1977.

Did you stay back after your degrees?

There was a programme by the Nigerian government under the ex-president and then head of state, Gen. Olusegun Obasanjo. He came to the United States to recruit Nigerian graduate students and I happened to be among the chosen to work with the Nigerian Air Force. I came back to Lagos and worked at the Nigerian Air Force Ikeja Barracks. After some couple of years I was transferred to Kaduna, where I spent six years working with Ground Training Group (GTG). I was transferred back to Lagos before I was unjustly disengaged after 12 years of service.

Having lost your job what went through your mind?

I was disappointed in the system.

I just picked my certificates and moved back to the United States in 2000. I had an advantage having

For how long have you been married?

I have been married to my lovely and supportive wife, Temilola Sule who I met through my younger sister, Mrs. Oluwayemisi Wilkey since 1979.

My path crossed with hers when I came back from the United States and she visited my sister. I was attracted to her and started dating her and we later got married. We are blessed with three children.

They are university graduates with flourishing careers.

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

ENCOUNTER

Islamic Singer, Ruqoyaah Gawat Sings for Women

V

elvet-voiced Islamic singer, Alhaja Ruqoyaah Gawat-Oyefeso has called on Nigerian women to insist on their rights in order to make contributions to nation building. In collaboration with likeminded friends Alhaja Tawakalitu Adunni Olorire, Hajia Monsurat Ojonla, Hajia Aishat Umuh Niyass, they produced put an album entitled â&#x20AC;&#x2DC;Eto Obinrinâ&#x20AC;&#x2122; (Rights of Women).

The album dwells on the inalienable rights of women and the girl child. This is in consonance with the demands of different groups and NGOs during the last International Womenâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s Day. â&#x20AC;&#x2DC;Eto Obinrinâ&#x20AC;&#x2122; further celebrates women as the pillar of the home front and articulates why they should not be relegated to the background. The

album will be released on March 13 under stable of Okiki Films & Music Productions.

Recently, Ruqoyaah was crowned the â&#x20AC;&#x2DC;Sheikha of Musicâ&#x20AC;&#x2122; at the Maolid Nabiyy and Award Presentation of Morkaz Ogombo in Ajah, Eti-Osa Local Government area of Lagos.

Alhaja Ruqoyaah, a graduate of Mass Communication from the Olabisi Onabanjo University, Ago Iwoye Ogun State, has distinguished herself in impacting good morals to women through her music. She is the daughter of popular NTA presenter, Alh. Rasaq Aremu Gawat.

She won the 2016 Best Female Islamic Artiste of the Year at City People Entertainment Awards and also clinched the 2016 Best Female Islamic Musician of the year at the IMAN Awards.

Gawat-Oyefeso

62

T H I S D AY SUNDAY MARCH 19, 2017

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PUBLICATION

BEN OBUMSELU: A LITERARY LUMINARY DEPARTS PAGE 66

19.03.2017

BETWEEN THE LINES OF AN ULI MASTER A work by Obiora Udechukwu

EDITOR OKECHUKWU UWAEZUOKE/ okechukwu.uwaezuoke@thisdaylive.com

64

MAR ͯͷ˜ Ͱͮͯ͵ ˾ THISDAY, THE SUNDAY NEWSPAPER

ARTS & REVIEW\\VISUAL ARTS

BETWEEN THE LIN OF AN ULI MASTE

A scholarly tribute to one of Nigeria’s most influential U. S.-based artists, Obiora Udechukwu, has been put t acolytes, Chika Okeke-Agulu, who himself is a renowned art historian and critic. Okechukwu Uwaezuoke take addition to the existing resource materials on the artist

F

irst, the masterly strokes assert themselves. Then, they quickly resolve themselves into some visual coherence. Aslightly stooping woman clutching a somewhat malnourished baby in her arms looms large in the midst of other similar sketches, most of which are thumbnail.

This untitled offering by Obiora Udechukwu proclaims itself a mixed media production and is dated 1965-66. Could it be his own version of The Madonna and Child? Unlikely. Indeed, the lurking presences close to this central mother figure dispel this notion.

Flip over to the next page. Apen-and-ink sketch – less detailed in its representation – depicts a stark naked man with a grotesquely-patterned lower torso and limbs. Equally patterned, his genitalia juts out offensively like a crude weapon.

This drawing’s title, “Man of Giant Testicles”, is self-explanatory. It was produced in 1966 and faces another page featuring a quartet of untitled sketches in different stages of detailing.

It gets more grotesque in the succeeding page.

Another pen-and-ink drawing – more stylised than realistic in representation – virtually fills up the entire page. It is appropriately titled “Woman of Giant Breasts” and is dated 1967.

And so, it gets more and more engaging... as the pages turn. Myriads of drawings and sketches await the viewer’s delectation. They are over 500 drawings by Obiora Udechukwu, an artist who sometimes expresses himself as a poet. Together, the drawings form the prime focus of Chika Okeke-Agulu’s latest book on his former teacher.

Titled Obiora Udechukwu: Line, Image, Text, the book is an entrée into this iconic artist’s captivating wonderland of drawings and sketches. Indeed, it reflects the world through his artistic looking glass. Besides the tacit recognition of his place among the top echelons of the pecking order of contemporary and modern Nigerian artists, the book also institutionalises this leading light of the Nsukka School.

Talking about Nsukka, his early Nsukka years explain his appropriation of Igbo uli motifs as part of his visual vocabulary. Ditto his later inclusion of the nsibidi symbols. These, he would complement with ink wash techniques, reminiscent of Chinese ideograms, in his many paintings and prints.

Udechukwu’s prolificness is confirmed by countless solo exhibitions in Nigeria, Zimbabwe, Germany, the U. K. and U. S. as well as by his many works which adorn the collections of National Gallery of Modern Art, Lagos; National Council of Arts and Culture, Lagos; Centre for Cultural Studies, University of Lagos; Iwalewa-Haus, University of Bayreuth, Germany; Museum für Völkerkunde Frankfurt/Main, Germany; Bradford City Museums and Galleries, Bradford, England; Smithsonian National Museum of African Art, Washington, DC and Newark Museum.

Okeke-Agulu’s attempt to establish Udechukwu’s masterliness takes the reader through a permanent exhibition of the 71-year-old’s drawings, which are appropriately complemented by texts. The latter include a timeline compiled by an art curator and historian, Perrin Lathrop, and the artist’s biography put together by the Smithsonian National Museum of African Art’s librarian, Janet Stanley. On the drawings, the author explains why they are segmented into three rubrics, which in turn make up the book’s three image sections. A

better acquaintance with these drawings – and their raison d’être – lifts the veil on the artist’s world of seething emotions.

No doubt, Udechukwu’s one-year stint at the Ahmadu Bello University, Zaria’s Department of Fine Arts – prior to his forced relocation to the University of Nigeria, Nsukka – must have etched its indelible imprint in his consciousness. Besides his profound fascination for the austere Zaria landscape, there

was also his initiation into the nitty-gritty of formal art education as well as the rigours of studio practice under European expatriate teachers. This became, in a manner of speaking, his coming-of-age period.

Of course, the political turbulence that eventually culminated into the 30-month long civil war also left its traces in his visual expressions. It is understandable therefore that, during the period he worked with the Biafran Propaganda Unit, his drawings

would become the vent through which he let out his inner agitation. Sketches of grieving women, malnourished children with bloated stomachs, fleeing refugees and devastation bear witness to the horrors of those years.

Then, add to this experience, his participation in the artists’ and writers’ workshops led by the poet Gabriel Okara and the artist Uche Okeke. But his post-civil war period was flagged off by his return

65

THISDAY, THE SUNDAY NEWSPAPER Ëž CH 19, 2017

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Udechukwu to the university for the completion of his B. A. degree in fine arts in 1972. The fact that his thesis was on Igbo uli mural art speaks volumes of the workshop encounter with Uche Okeke.

Appointed a Junior Fellow in the University of Nigeriaâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s Department of Fine the following year, he would eventually burnish his credentials with a Master of Fine Arts (M. F. A.) degree in 1977 from this university.

Still in the sleepy university town of Nsukka, he would become a founding member of the Aka Circle of Exhibiting Artists, to which belonged El Anatsui, Tayo Adenaike, Obiora Anidi and Nsikak Essien, among other south-eastern Nigerian-based artists. He would also serve on the editorial board of Okike: African Journal of New Writing, founded by the novelist Chinua Achebe.

His eventual appointment as professor of drawing and painting in 1986 marked his turning-point in this university, where many renowned artists like Tayo Adenaike, Olu Oguibe, Chika OkekeAgulu and Marcia Kure, among others, studied under him.

On relocating to the U.S. in 1997, he became Dana Professor of Fine Arts at St. Lawrence University. Not even this relocation to the U. S. has diminished his relevance in the local Nigerian visual arts scene. That explains why his drawings continue to haunt, tease and enchant the collective consciousness of the local cognoscenti.

Afirst-time encounter with these drawings, the author Okeke-Agulu recalls â&#x20AC;&#x201C; in the bookâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s preface â&#x20AC;&#x201C; occured during his freshman year at the University of Nigeria, Nsukka. According to him, the well-illustrated catalogue of the artistâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s major exhibition organised the previous year by the National Council of Arts and Culture (N. C. A. C.) became â&#x20AC;&#x153;a reference book of sortsâ&#x20AC;?. â&#x20AC;&#x153;I was especially fascinated yet haunted by several of the drawings from the Nigerian civil war years (1967-1970) of children with emaciated limbs, distended stomachs and sunken eyes â&#x20AC;&#x201C; victims of kwashiorkor, and intrigued by Udechukwuâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s dramatic turn to lyrical stlylization after about 1970,â&#x20AC;? he writes. â&#x20AC;&#x153;But if the scores of drawings presented in Obiora Udechukwu: Selected Sketches, 1965 -1983 were just a selection, what else was there? I never got to ask him how many more of his drawings survived the war.â&#x20AC;?

But that encounter and a subsequent discussion with the artist only opened doors for the authorâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s eventual discovery of the treasure trove of other drawings. This was how this production of this book came about.

ʜ ˺˺

The Inverted Pyramid; Adapted from a novel by Emeka Dike

66

MARCH 19, 2017 ˾ THISDAY, THE SUNDAY NEWSPAPER

ARTS & REVIEW\\TRIBUTE The Wheatbaker Hosts Standing Out Exhibition

By Yinka Olatunbosun

Prof. Ben Obumselu (right) receives his ward from the Chairman, Dr. Obiogbolu

BEN OBUMSELU: A LITERARY LUMINARY DEPARTS Toni Kan

W

ithout Ezra Pound, would there have been the TS Eliot who gave us The Wasteland and without Ben Obumselu, would there have been the Christopher Okigbo who gave us The Labyrinths?

The answer to both is definitely no.

A little over 20 years ago, Helon Habila and I stumbled into Lagos in a daze. We had just graduated and had arrived Lagos from Jos but we almost didn’t make it. Halfway through our journey, the bus we were travelling in had run into another bus which had been flagged down by policemen at an illegal checkpoint.

No one died, but one of the passengers in front had his feet so mangled it took hours to free it from the wreck that had become the front of our bus.

We got home to my parent’s place in Bariga, had a shower and a hot meal, and then because we were young invincible men we did not even pause to reflect on that incredible moment when our young lives could have been cut short, instead we walked out of the house and headed to Ikeja.

We had a date with a seminal mind in African literature. His name was Professor Ben Obumselu and he was to the poet, Christopher Okigbo, what Ezra Pound was to TS Eliot. Professor Obumselu was then Managing Director of a printing concern in Ikeja and was gracious enough to see us without a

prior appointment once we mentioned that we had graduated with degrees in literature and had studied Okigbo under a young lecturer and poet called Obiwu who had mentored us back at Unijos.

Acknowledging Obumselu’s impact on his career, Christopher Okigbo wrote in the acknowledgment section of his poetry collection, Labyrinths “…and to Benedict Obumselu for criticisms that continue to guide me along the paths of greater clarity.”

We spent a delightful afternoon with Professor Obumselu in his expansive office during which his deep voice declaimed poetry before ranging across genres but of all he said that afternoon, the very thing that has remained with me all these years is his thesis that all good literature rests on two legs – the ugly and the beautiful.

The ugly referring to all that is bad, despicable, dishonorable and uncouth in characterisation, plotting, and writing. The beautiful was the counter and referred to the sublime.

He was dressed in a white shirt and had on a grey suit. He was a man with strong features, a strong voice that you heard once and never forgot as well as a prodigious memory for poetry and words.

He also had the refined manners of a renaissance man which made him come across clearly as a classicist but without the slightest hint of condescension.

We asked questions, our words tumbling out and falling over themselves in our awe at standing so close and before greatness.

I would see him over and over many years later. Sometimes I would wave

and he would wave back but I never had another opportunity to sit and listen to him talk poetry and literature.

Obi Nwakanma in his definitive Okigbo biography, Christopher Okigbo - Thirsting for Sunlight described Ben Obumselu as one of a trio that included Oscar R. Darthorne and John Ramsaran, who began to “establish the early theoretical framework for the systematic study of African literature at the university of Ibadan.

Their pioneering work in the English Department led to the development of a curriculum based on the works of the emergent writers in Ibadan.”

Obumselu, according to C. Don Adinuba in his piece for The Guardian As Obumselu, the intellectual icon, departs, was described by J.C. Echeruo as “the greatest African literary scholar of his generation.”

That praise is by no means flattery because C. Don Adinuba goes ahead to posit, as a way of firmly situating Obumselu’s place in the academia that Obumselu “was yet to graduate (with a first degree in English at the University of Ibadan) when he was offered admission at Oxford for the Doctor of Philosophy degree (Ph.D.) without reading for a Masters.

It was based on strong recommendations of his lecturers at Ibadan.”

That man, that intellectual icon, Benedict Ebele Obumselu, academic, teacher, Biafran and Igbo leader as well as crafter of poets died March 4, 2017. He was aged 85.

Rest in peace, Benedict Obumselu, il miglior fabbro.

-Toni Kan writes from Lagos

The home of hospitality and art, The Wheatbaker boutique hotel hosted a private Collectors’ Preview of The Art of Nigerian Women book and celebrated the opening of Standing Out II, an art exhibition featuring works by 10 female artists of Nigerian descent.

The preview, chaired by Ibukun Awosika, Chairman of First Bank of Nigeria and attended by the cream of the Lagos art community who commended the exhibition and book. The Art of Nigerian Women is a 360-page hardback book printed on silk paper, featuring the work of 75 leading and emerging contemporary visual artists, some of Nigeria’s brightest. Complementing the artists’ works are scholarly essays, features and profiles of women who have influenced and helped shape the art industry in Nigeria.

Professor Dele Jegede, an art historian, renowned artist and Professor Emeritus of Miami University described the book as “a pioneering work, one that deserves a prominent place on the shelves of corporate, institutional, college, and personal libraries. Bosah deserves admiration for the courage and resources ploughed into this work.”

In the same vein, the book has been acknowledged by another Nigerian author as a product of intense work.

“The journey of researching, writing, and publishing The Art of Nigerian Women has been a labour of love which started in 2011,” explained US-based publisher Chukwuemeka Bosah, whose acclaimed work 101 Nigerian Artists has become an important reference point for the international art community.

In line with the books’ focus, Standing Out II features 26 paintings, photographs, mixed media works, and a stunning thread & ceramic installation created by Ngozi Ezema, Amami Isiuwe, Bunmi Oyesanya-Ayaoge, Data Oruwari, Marcellina Oseghale-Akpojotor, Olawunmi Banjo, Omo Udenta, Ozoz Sokoh, Sade Adebowale and Taiye Idahor.

“Standing Out II is our way of contributing to this year’s World Women’s Day theme, #BeBoldForChange, by presenting the work of ten leading and emerging female artists featured in Bosah’s new book,” said Mosun Ogunbanjo, Director of The Wheatbaker.

Standing Out II acknowledges how women continue to break through and overcome physical, psychological, emotional, professional and societal boundaries with unforgiving energy and elan. The paintings and mixed media and installation works express the artist’s thoughts on diversity and identity, spirituality, environment, culture and celebration, history and memory through unabashed creative experimentation. “The Art of Nigerian Women is a testament to the awesome “rising tide” of female artists in Nigeria, represented by Standing Out II,” commented Sandra Mbanefo Obiago of SMO Contemporary Art, the Wheatbaker’s long standing art curator.

“Chukwuemeka Bosah’s book celebrating female artists is a timely gift to Africa and the world,” said Chief Nike Okundaye, who has mentored generations of female artists, and won international awards for her ground breaking work in teaching art to marginalized women in Nigeria and Europe. “We are delighted that the powerful work of our female artists is being projected in this beautiful publication.

The Art of Nigerian Women publishing project was supported

by GTBank, The Guardian, XL Africa Group, The Wheatbaker, SMO Contemporary Art, Global Energy Company, Veuve Clicquot, Knowledge Exchange Center, Max10, UpByFive, Arik Airlines, and committed art patrons.

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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 ˾ MARCH 19, 2017

CICERO

Editor Olawale Olaleye Email wale.olaleye@thisdaylive.com, SMS: 08116759819

IN THE ARENA

Herdsmen’s Killing Fields It’s about time the threat posed by gun-wielding herdsmen in different parts of the country was addressed. Olawale Olaleye writes

A

lthough the peace enjoyed in some communities in the past few weeks may not been quite remarkable, that the relative calm was however violated last weekend is cause for concern.

Suspected herdsmen reportedly struck in Benue State, while in Kaduna State there was an attack, which claimed two herdsmen.

According to reports, suspected herdsmen attacked a community in Benue on Friday, and reportedly killed about 10 people in Mkgovur village in Buruku local government area. The crisis has since forced many in Buruku and neighbouring Gboko council area to flee their homes.

While the dust raised by this unprovoked attack was yet to settle, there was a report of an attack in faraway Kaduna State, which claimed two herdsmen. But the Kaduna development took an interesting twist as policemen quickly moved in and arrested the suspects, who claimed to have killed the herdsmen in self-defence.

Needless to say, however, that the Fulani herdsmen have been accused of constantly raiding and killing people in different communities across the country for many years, and oftentimes the basis for such attacks belies logic.

With violent attacks by herdsmen spreading to more parts of Nigeria, sometimes followed by reprisals, the concern about the need to nip the monster in the bud and as quickly as possible is therefore founded.

To understand the threat posed by this armed herdsmen, a recap of some of their activities suffices.

On July 8, 2012, Senator Gyang Dantong and the Majority Leader of the Plateau State House of Assembly, Mr. Gyang Fulani died while attending the mass burial of about 50 victims of attack by Fulani herdsmen at Maseh village in Riyom. In September of same year, a Fulani herdsman was accused of murdering the Director of Personal management in Isoko North, Delta State.

On April 23, 2013, 10 farmers were killed in an attack in Mbasenge community, Guma, Benue State and on May 7, 2013, 47 mourners were gunned down in Agatu, Benue State while burying two policemen.

On May 14, 2013, over 200 suspected herdsmen surround Ekwo-Okpanchenyi, Agatu, killing 40 people and on July 5, 2013, 20 people were killed in a conflict between Tiv farmers and herdsmen at Nzorov, Guma in Benue State.

On July 28, 2013, in retaliation of an alleged killing of 112 cows, suspected herdsmen invaded two villages in Agatu and killed eight villagers. On April 5, 2014, assailants believed to be herdsmen opened fire on community leaders and residents that were meeting in Galadima village, Zamfara State. At least, 200 people were reportedly killed with scores wounded.

An attack by some herdsmen on Onitsha Ukwuani

P O L I T I CA L N OT E S

F

Idris

in Ndokwa West, Delta State, in September 2015, left about three persons dead. On October 2, 2015, herdsmen raped, killed Ogun residents and farmers.

Indeed, Ogun too has seen some attacks from the herdsmen lately.

In November 2015, herdsmen attacked Ulaja and Ojeh communities in Dekina, Kogi State and killed about 22 men and women, while on December 1, 2015 attacked and killed a man in Ofagbe community, Isoko area of Delta State.

On January 24, 2016, the Divisional Police Officer (DPO) in charge of Vunokilang Police Station in Girei, Adamawa State and 29 others were killed by suspected herdsmen. On April 8, 2016, suspected herdsmen kidnapped and killed Falae’s security guard at his Ondo State farm. And less than 10 days after the Falae abduction, gunmen numbering about five also abducted Oba Adebisi Obademi, the traditional ruler of Apaa-Bunu community in Kabba-Bunu, Kogi State.

Forty people reportedly died after an attack by suspected Fulani herdsmen in Uzo-Uwani, Enugu State on Monday, April 25, 2016 and as the killings continued herdsmen unleashed terror on Obiaruku community, Delta State on Wednesday, April 27, 2016.

Between 2011 and 2014, suspected herdsmen attacked dozens of communities across Nigeria, with Benue being the worst hit. The hometown of the late Tor Tiv IV, Alfred Akawe Torkula, in Guma was razed, while houses, food barns and farmlands were burnt and scores killed in other communities in the state.

These suspected herdsmen, wherever they may have come from, are believed to have so far killed about 1,269 persons, a number alarming enough to stir discontent in saner climes. Although efforts are being made to ensure the grazing bill comes alive, taming the menace of the herdsmen might have transcended such thinking as they are believed to have been infiltrated by bandits and terrorists, a situation that could explain the degree of hostility and mindless killings.

The number one responsibility of any government is the security of life and property of its citizenry.

There is no doubting the fact that government has tried significantly to contain the general level of insecurity in the country with much progress recorded in the fight against Boko Haram, but the case of the herdsmen appears somewhat impossible with different swirling conspiracy theories. Government must therefore disabuse the minds of the people on these theories by enforcing security without fear or favour.

A Bumpy Road to Justice

or many reasons, there are genuine grounds to celebrate the justice dispensed in favour of the Apo six, the Abuja traders who were murdered in cold blood by some policemen nearly 12 years ago. A Federal High Court in Abuja, the nation’s capital, presided over by Justice Ishaq Bello, last week, sentenced two of the accused persons, Ezekiel Acheneje and Baba Emmanuel, to death.

The court found the accused guilty of killing the five young auto-spare parts dealers and a young woman in Apo, a satellite town in Abuja in 2005. The

victims, Ekene Isaac Mgbe, Ifeanyi Ozor, Chinedu Meniru, Paulinus Ogbonna, Anthony and Augustina Arebu, were said to be returning from a night club, when they were stopped at a police checkpoint.

The police claimed they were members of an armed robbery gang that had opened fire on them when stopped at the checkpoint. But a judicial panel of inquiry set up by former President Olusegun Obasanjo found the police account to be false and recommended the trial of five officers for extra-judicial killings.

The indicted officers are Danjuma Ibrahim, Othman Abdulsalami, now at large, Nicholas Zakaria, Ezekiel Acheneje, Baba Emmanuel, and Sadiq Salami. Although

the defendants had pleaded not guilty to the charges, Justice Bello found Acheneje and Emmanuel guilty and sentenced them to death for culpable homicide.

But what manner of justice came after 12 years of avoidable delay? There is no debating the fact that the nation’s justice system needs to be reviewed. Whilst it may be correct in certain cases to hinge delay on corruption, it is also a matter of common knowledge that the nation’s justice system requires total review for effective delivery of justice. Since justice delayed is tantamount to justice denied, reforming the judiciary for effective delivery of justice is a task that must be carried out urgently.

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Atiku

Tinubu

Lamido

2019: On the Starting Block (I) With the release of the time-table for the 2019 election by INEC, the race for the nation’s highest political office has begun. ForPresidentMuhammaduBuhari,the2019presidentialelectionmaynotbeawalkoverifhechoosestorun.About adozenpoliticiansarealreadyshowingsignsthattheyareinterestedinthepresidentialseat.Olawale Olaleyewrites

O

ne thing President Muhammadu Buhari’s health challenges has done to the polity is to stir up speculations that he might not seek re-election in 2019.

Although before now a few individuals had begun to consult in pursuit of their aspirations, the fact that many believe the president’s health issues should not be compounded by a re-election campaign has further raised the hope of many politicians, who feel their chances are bright if they do their homework right.

Closely connected to this is the recent release of timetable for the 2019 elections by the Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC). As good as the initiative is to enable the commission prepare sufficiently for the national polls, it is also being interpreted to mean some kind of green light for the gladiators as a majority of them might have been emboldened by the development to start making obvious moves.

Therefore, whilst the president is yet to give any hint in any form what his plans are, a majority of his allies believe strongly that he would be pushing his health too hard by wanting to stay beyond 2019.

Yet, the assumption that he might not seek re-election is already beginning to heighten tension in the polity as underground negotiations, consultations, alignments and re-alignments of forces are gradually defining what shape 2019 would take, ultimately. However important in this emerging equation is the category of persons gunning to succeed the president.

Across the parties, even though the nation appears to be heading in the direction of an overwhelming ruling party, due to the crisis in the Peoples Democratic Party, the main opposition party, politicians of note are now meeting and consulting regardless of their different affiliations. It is also worthy of mention that none of those identified in this analysis has come out to publicly declare their intention to run, but it has become a matter of street knowledge that the very moment the whistle is blown, these are some of those that would show interest in the presidency.

Aminu Tambuwal

His name has continued to feature in almost every journal that touches on the succession battle. The Sokoto State governor made a whistle stop at the presidential bout in 2015 and his dramatic entry really created a stir before he was prevailed upon to drop the idea especially that he newly joined the APC then. It is the belief of

political analysts that he might have been compensated with the Sokoto governorship as a result, moreso as a late entrant into the race to get him off the turf, which was already saturated, albeit within the APC. Certainly still busy with his present mandate as a sitting governor of Sokoto State, Tambuwal is believed to be interested in the presidency and might have been consulting too on the possibility of contesting. What is not sure yet is whether or not he would forfeit his near-certain re-election as governor for an uncertain presidency. He is a personality to watch out for.

is presently in the senate, stands a good chance in the election.

But the no-love-lost between him and his successor, Governor Abdullahi Ganduje, could be a major problem for him. The amount of votes Kano usually posts in every election is too much to be thrown away by any candidate and unfortunately, the feud between him and Ganduje is such that may not end in 2019. Thus, for the Kwankwasiyya movement, the battle for the presidency starts from home.

Nasir El-rufai

Perhaps, in the history of presidential poll in the country, there has never been anyone more qualified and prepared for the presidency than former Vice-President Atiku Abubakar. This much Atiku proved to the country through the kind of team he puts together and his policy documents which often capture the problems of the country and their possible solutions.

Having been deputy to former President Olusegun Obasanjo for eight years, moreso that he played a key role in the management of the economy of the country during their first term, it is understandable why Atiku has a grasp of a lot of the issues in the country as well as their solutions. Besides, as a successful businessman, it is deducible that he might be handling the business of state like he does his personal enterprise.

Two things however stand in his way, clearly. First is the recurring corruption tag that has consistently featured at every election even though no corruption indictment hangs on his neck. But he is still battling with the stigma, believed to have been created by his opponents to de-market him and make that dream of his unrealizable.

The other factor is his age. The failing health of President Buhari might have sensitized the voting population about the age of their choice candidate for the office of the president. At over 70 years too, Atiku might be a hard sell in 2019. Whilst no particular health challenge has been traced to him (especially that he looks good at his age), the assumption is that at that age, there is always one health issue or the other. These notwithstanding, he cannot be ruled out as a force in 2019.

The Kaduna State Governor, Malam Nasir El-rufai, has managed to feign not to be interested in the nation’s number one job for reasons a lot of people can relate with. Even those that are politically naïve know it has always been his dream to rule the country. This ambition dates back to many years.

He completely hid this dream for the aspiration of President Buhari in 2015. He is also not oblivious of the possibility of the president not running in 2019.

He therefore counts himself as one of the most eligible candidates for the job. El-rufai, it is believed, would do everything to go for the prize the moment the space is declared opened for the presidential poll.

There is a growing belief too that he has begun to consult and might have been networking with people of like-minds on his dream. But like Tambuwal, he is also a first time governor and would be strange to see him sacrifice that for the presidency, where he might be standing a very slim chance. What more, his recent letter to the president is definitely going to stir some related debates in the days ahead.

Rabiu Kwankwaso

Passionate and ambitious, former governor of Kano State, Rabiu Kwankwaso, sees the presidency as a lifetime dream that must be reified and unlike many others, he is not pretentious about this. That he pulled off as the first runner up in the 2015 presidential convention of the APC that produced Buhari is an indication that Kwankwasiyya (as his political movement is called) cannot be taken for granted.

The fuss caused by the news of his alleged defection to the PDP recently further attested to the fact that he is one person not to be rated low in the presidential poll.

Although there have been conflicting reports about his alleged defection, the truth is that Kwankwaso, who

Atiku Abubakar

Bola Tinubu

Recently at the inauguration of the new Ondo State Governor, Mr. Oluwarotimi Akeredolu (SAN), former governor Bola Tinubu of Lagos State said on record that if the opportunity beckons to serve at a higher level like

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Saraki

Tambuwal

Sanusi

SheriďŹ&#x20AC;

Makarfi

becomes open and Saraki throws his hat in the ring, he poses serious threat to any of the other candidates, when it comes to who stands a very good chance in the race.

But in terms of stature, experience, network and capacity, Lamido surely makes the top list. The fact that he also takes this ambition as a major assignment means he cannot be dismissed on whatever grounds. He is a factor.

the presidency, he would go for it. And when reports thereafter suggested that he had his eyes on the presidency, he dismissed the reports and clarified his remarks that he would not vie against Buhari, apparently recognizing the implications of challenging the incumbent.

There is no doubting the fact that Tinubu has always had his eyes on the presidency long before now, perhaps, the reason he had done nothing else since leaving office as governor in 2007. His desire to run with Buhari as his running mate in 2015 also confirmed this possibility.

But his may be a hard one too. Except something beyond human comprehension happens, how a Southwesterner would find his way to that office so soon after Obasanjoâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s eight years remains to be seen. Such political calculation is not supported by the current mood of the nation and that dream may also not be reified as Tinubu too inches towards 70. That does not however mean that he would not play a very critical role as he had always done in the choice of who emerges the president.

Kashim Shettima

The Borno State Governor, Kashim Shettima, is also believed to be eyeing the presidency. His recent hobnobbing with certain key forces from the South is seen as a prelude to the launch of his aspiration. A second time governor, Shettima can afford to briefly leave the homefront to some trusted allies and proceed to other parts of the country in furtherance of his ambition. But his chances are rather slim as some have concluded, except he turns out an underdog in this all-important battle.

Perhaps, the only thing he would bring to the race is his scorecard in Borno, the hotbed of Boko Haram for eight years. How that would translate to eligibility in terms of capacity to manage a complex Nigeria is a task for his media team to deal with. But he is cerebral, deep and hardworking.

Bukola Saraki

Apart from Atiku Abubakar, the President of the Senate, Dr. Bukola Saraki is another eminently qualified candidate for the job of the president. A former governor of Kwara State for eight years and a two-term chairman of the Nigeria Governors Forum (NGF) (in the days when the group was still an issue in national politics before former President Goodluck Jonathan killed it), Saraki will be coming to the field with loads of experience and with his handling of the senate so far, coupled with his age as a young man, capacity is certainly not an issue.

For a man, who knows how to network and build consensus, it is certain that he is leveraging his current office and would without doubt, do well as president if the opportunity avails itself. With contacts across the country and ability to keep up with global trend, a Saraki presidency surely embodies the aptitude to change the Nigerian story.

Although he too has not indicated interest by any stroke of error or deliberate signal, he is however suffering serious perception crisis, bolstered by the corruption charges against him. In addition to this is his geopolitical zone of origin, North Central, which is perceived as periphery of the North as against the core North where the incumbent president hails from. However, if the race

Sule Lamido

Alhaji Sule Lamido, the immediate past governor of Jigawa State, is a man of immense influence and political sagacity. With some good political offices to his credit, Lamido has paid his dues, no doubt. Although he is of the opposition PDP, he was the first across the parties to indicate interest in Buhariâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s job. Besides, his interest in the nationâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s top job also dates back to many years, long before he left office as governor of Jigawa State.

Often referred to as one of the PDP founding fathers, Lamido will be running on a troubled platform. The PDP has been having it rough since it lost power in 2015 and is yet to get its leadership challenge right. This is where Lamidoâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s challenge is going to start from â&#x20AC;&#x201C; coming from a divided house.

The other thing likely to count against him is the corruption charges he is still facing with the anticorruption agency, the EFCC. It is bad enough that he is facing corruption charges at about the same time two of his sons, Aminu and Mustapha, are in a similar fix.

Ali Modu SheriďŹ&#x20AC;

The onetime strong man of Borno State politics and embattled National Chairman of the PDP, Senator Ali Modu Sheriff, is also being rumoured to be interested in the presidency and he is coming with a lot of baggage and war chest. His leadership of the PDP has been more of a curse than blessing with more damage done to the fabric of the party than the days of Alhaji Bamanga Tukur, PDPâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s erstwhile controversial chairman.

A President Buhariâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s in-law, Sheriff is seen more by a majority of party men as an APC pawn than one genuinely in the PDP to help restructure the party, which is still trying to find its feet since 2015. His presidential ambition is not hidden, much as he has not come clean about it.

But like others who may fly their aspiration on that

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El-rufai platform, they have this seemingly intractable crisis to deal with and Sheriff being at the centre of it all may not reap from such a misfortune since it appears the whole of the PDP establishment is against him and across the regions. That said, however, he cannot be wished away.

He has enough money and influence to keep the PDP distracted for the period of the election. He is one to keep all eyes on.

Ahmed Makarfi

He was Kaduna State governor between 1999 and 2007, after which he moved to the Senate from 2007 to 2015. With 16 years both as governor and senator, he comes to the race with a handful of experience and tested capacity enough to cause change to happen in any capacity.

A member of the PDP, Makarfi, like others who are likely to be in the race,

Kwankwaso

Shettima

has not come out to indicate interest in the presidency, but speculation is rife in the political circle that it is where he ultimately has his eyes. This is why his controversial leadership of the PDP is seen as his opportunity to leverage his ambition.

Unfortunately for him too, he is at the centre of the PDP crisis as the chairman of the National Caretaker Committee of the party. He has been on collision course with Sheriff for the soul of the PDP, even though he seems to have the support of all except for those in the camp of Sheriff.

With his hope still hanging in the balance following a recent Court of Appeal judgment, which recognised the Sheriff leadership, Makarfi would have to work twice harder to reposition the party as a strong platform if the Supreme Court rules in their favour.

Sanusi Lamido Sanusi

The Emir of Kano and former Central Bank of Nigeria (CBN) governor, Alhaji Sanusi Lamido Sanusi, is another personality being touted in the political circle as seeing the presidency as an open race if the political extrapolations are tight and the seat is conceded to the most qualified.

Sanusi is without doubt brilliant, intelligent and evidently understands what the Nigerian issues are. He used his office as CBN governor to canvass some of these issues as well as support those things that should enhance the socio-economic challenges of the country. His controversial letter to former President Jonathan, in which he raised the alarm about some

missing $20 billion, remains a matter of public discourse, almost two years after.

And now as the Emir of Kano, he has been using his office to address some of the socio-cultural inadequacies of the North, where he hails from and some of the challenges of the Buhari administration. It is however unclear if he would be gunning for the topmost political job or would not mind to be paired as running mate to someone else, depending on what equation the polity throws up at the time. While the speculation about his interest in the presidency is rife, it remains unclear whether he has abandoned his lifetime dream â&#x20AC;&#x201C; the Kano Emirship (which is one of the most revered traditional stools in the North) â&#x20AC;&#x201C; for a tenured political office.

NOTES FOR FILE

Buhari, the Truth and the Alternative Facts

Buhari

In civilised settings, the presidency as an institution is run through established but modified tradition and practice. Whilst certain things are meant to be in conformity with established norms and with peculiarity to a particular presidency, a few other things are not even allowed a thousand miles close, because it is the presidency.

From the gait of the president to his smile, the way he shakes hands with people, his demeanor and of course, the totality of his composure â&#x20AC;&#x201C; his minders take these things seriously because they speak largely to the uniqueness of that institution.

Of utmost importance to this institution is controlled information system. Information dissemination is not done haphazardly in an organised presidential institution and as it is in journalism, it is better to leave out where you are not sure. â&#x20AC;&#x153;Iâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;m not authorised to speak on that subjectâ&#x20AC;? is a commonly used statement by people, who are adept at this job.

Unfortunately, back home here, the health challenge of President Muhammadu Buhari exposed the inadequacy of his minders. Not only is this team uncoordinated, their poor insider knowledge of happenings within the corridors of power often puts their job at risk and by extension, paints them in bad light.

Buhariâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s medical vacation had raised a lot of questions from the Nigerian populace, many of which the presidentâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s minders couldnâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;t provide answers to. And rather than keep mute, they resorted to rhetoric, which further complicated a rather simple case of indisposition. But the president soon took the lid off the long sealed â&#x20AC;&#x2DC;liesâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;. Three things that the president said on arrival did it.

One, he said he had never been this sick in 70 years. But all along, his handlers said he was not sick. He punctured that. Two, he said he had never done blood transfusion before.

That way, he gave an insight into the nature of his sickness, although neither Buhari nor his aides have come out to speak about the nature of the presidentâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s sickness, being the truth in all of these.

And lastly, he said he would soon be back in London in furtherance of his treatment.

This is yet another way of confirming the degree of his illness.

In all of these, he literally dispelled all the alternative facts put forward by his minders.

And until they come out to disclose the nature of the presidentâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s illness, what is so far in the public is still the alternative fact. The least the Nigerian people expected at that time was full disclosure of the nature of his ailment. It is however hoped that this experience alone serves as a worthy lesson, albeit in a hard way.

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Former President Goodluck Jonathan with embattled PDP National Chairman, Senator Ali Modu Sheriff and other members of the party during one of the interventions of the former president for peace

PDP’s Undying Dream

It goes without saying that the survival of the nation’s democracy depends on a virile opposition. But not with the systematic decimation of the Peoples Democratic Party, writes Iyobosa Uwugiaren

F

ormer Military President, General Ibrahim Badamasi Babangida’s recent expose that he and some other stakeholders, who formed the troubled Peoples Democratic Party (PDP), proposed the idea that the party should rule for 60 years for the stability of the country and democracy, has sprouted frenzied political conversations: whether the party could overcome its current crisis or fizzle out as well as the likely consequences.

Beside the political permutation by some interests in the party to see that the Supreme Court recognize the embattled National Chairman of PDP, Alhaji Ali Modu Sheriff, who is no less an undertaker in the party, Babangida and many others still believe that the party had the capacity to fix its current crisis and rise up to the vacuum being created by the ruling All Progressive Congress (APC) in critical areas of governance.

With compact structures in all the political units across the country, not many political thinkers doubt the fact that the party has rock-hard shock-absorber to respond to the crisis that was externally activated, using Sheriff as a willing tool.

The conversation, especially by those who have been following the evolution of the party is that when PDP was formed by political players like the late Chief Solomon Lar, Chief Sunday Awoniyi, Chief Alex Ekwueme, Alhaji Atiku Abubakar, Mr. Sunday Afolabi, Chief Bola Ige – reputed as one of the imaginative authors of PDP’s constitution, nobody imagined it would be hijacked by aliens in the party.

United by a shared vision to escort the military out of power and the need to bring back the international image and dignity of Nigeria as a democratic nation in 1999, political monitors argued that the founding fathers of the party didn’t probably have the faintest idea their baby project would descend into its roughest crisis ever.

Followers of PDP had repeatedly bragged that the party came into being during the transitional administration of General Abdulsalami Abubakar in 1998 through the “sacrifices and patriotic zeal” of some 34 eminent Nigerians opposed to the transfiguration of the late die-hard military dictator, General Sani Abacha into a civilian president. In other words, they have touted the founding fathers of PDP as heroes of the present democracy.

Although many of them have passed on, these wellknown Nigerians also include the former governor of Jigawa State, Alhaji Sule Lamido, Chief Audu Ogbe, Mallam Adamu Ciroma, Lawal Kaita, former vice president Atiku Abubakar, Iro Abubakar DanMusa, Prof Ango Abdullahi, Tanko Yakasai, Amb Aminu Wali and Ambassador Yahaya Kwande.

Others include Prof Jibril Aminu, Prof Iya Abubakar, Bello

Kirfi, Chief Barnabas Gemade, Prof Daniel Saro, Dr. Sulaiman Kumo, Chief Iyochia Ayu, Chief Tom Ikimi, Ishaku Ibrahim, Senator Walid Jibril, Dr. Garba Nadama, Bamanga Tukur, late Abubakar Olusola Saraki, Sani Zangon Daura, Chief Tony Anenih, Musa Musawa, Chief Jim Nwobodo, Prof Jerry Gana, Dr. Ahmadu Ali and Dr. Okwesilieze Nwodo.

They had gathered in Abuja on August 19, 1998 in Chief Awoniyi’s house and gave birth to PDP with proud idealistic aims and objectives, hoping the party would transform Nigeria into a strong democratic nation. Many of its followers believed the aims and objectives were achieved sustaining political power for 16 years before it was forced out in the 2015 general election.

IBB, who spoke recently at his Hilltop mansion in Minna, the Niger State capital, while receiving the Senator Ahmed Makarfi committee on “Strategy and Inter-party Affairs” led by Professor Jerry Gana, which handed him a copy of the panel’s report, still believe that “the only party” whose impact is felt from top-down, had the capacity to be in power for 60 years if the PDP leaders put their house in order.

“I am happy the house is being put in order. PDP is the only party that has been accepted from top to down. Its presence is being felt and will continue to be felt throughout the country. You need to work on getting up back again and find a solution to your problems”, IBB stated.

According to him, “PDP’s presence is felt not only in Abuja or Lagos, but down to the lowest level. If you go to the grassroots, the ordinary man will talk about PDP; that is the asset the party has and should use to spring back to reckoning. Already, it is accepted and known. All you have to do is work harder and try to convince the people back to your fold.”

Insiders said it was the former PDP National Chairman, Col. Ahmadu Ali, that first made public the proposed intention of the party to rule for 60 years. Ali is also reputed to be the proponent of “garrison politics” in PDP. Also, exposing the military wing of the PDP, IBB claimed its membership included himself, Lt-General Theophilus Yakubu Danjuma, former President Olusegun Obasanjo and General Aliyu Mohammed among others.

“We are the military wing of the PDP. We took a lot of interest in the PDP. From the formation stage, I saw PDP as IRA. In the PDP, we are the military wing; we took a lot of interests in the PDP. When I say we, I mean my boss, TY Danjuma, OBJ, General Aliyu Mohammed and others”, he further stated.

IBB’s counsel or what the APC has described as “daydreaming” came few days after former President Obasanjo said the PDP had completely collapsed, adding that the fortunes of the PDP began to sink when himself and

Ahmadu Ali left the party. And his prayer: may the fortunes of Nigerians never sink like that of the PDP. “Ahmadu Ali is truthful and that was why I brought him to head the PDP and all went well when Ahmadu Ali was the national chairman. We were controlling 30 out of the 36 states. When Ahmadu and I left, the fortunes of the PDP began to sink,” Obasanjo said, adding that “Whether you believe it or not, today’s PDP is sunk and gone. May the fortunes of Nigeria never sink like that of the PDP.” Against Obasanjo’s prayers, some unpretentious party members hoped that the party would rise again and must be encouraged to do so. Delta State publicity secretary of the PDP, Mr. Ifeanyi Osuoza, described Obasanjo’s statement as unfortunate.

“The PDP is very much alive and kicking. Former President Olusegun Obasanjo has every right, just as any other citizen of this country to make whatever comment he feels, but it will be unfortunate if such comment really originated from him. This period of little crisis in the party, some people are striving to achieve relevance by making unguarded statements. To the best of our knowledge, the PDP is well, very healthy and the initial hiccups we are having, definitely we will overcome it.”

The Delta State PDP spokesman disclosed that leaders of the party are currently considering the comprehensive report recently submitted by the Prof. Jerry Gana-led 18-man reconciliation committee, calling on members and supporters of the party to remain unwavering in their support.

Former President Goodluck Jonathan, who has promised to help resolve the crisis, is pregnant with hope that the party would overcome the prevailing challenges.

With all the PDP governors, saved for Hon. Serike Dickson of Bayelsa State and over 95 per cent members of the National Assembly members elected on the platform of the party, lining up behind him, the Caretaker Committee Chairman of PDP, Senator Ahmed Mohammed Makarfi, alleged recently that the APC was using some of its agents within the party to destroy opposition in the country and make it a one-party state, urging “all patriotic elements” in the country to resist the move and allow democracy to thrive.

Despite the fact that the judgment of the Court of Appeal sitting in Port Harcourt, Rivers State, has recognised Modu Sheriff, embattled Makarfi, had explained that Sheriff cannot lay claim to the chairmanship of the PDP because there is an existing court judgment, which voided his earlier appointment as the party chairman, and which he said was never challenged by Sheriff himself.

He has fingered the APC-led government in the PDP crisis, and warned against the danger of destroying opposition in the country.

(See the concluding part on www.thisdaylive.com)

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Ekweremadu’s Recipe for Effective Anti-corruption Crusade Deputy Senate President Ike Ekweremadu, at a lecture at the University of Ibadan, spoke on how to effectively tackle corruption in Nigeria. Ademola Babalola who covered the event reports

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t was late Hon. Adegoke Adelabu Penkelemesi in his book ‘Africa in Ebullition’ who said ‘truth stands no chance of receiving an audience unless it is clothed in fashion, adumbrated in novelty, adorned in sensationalism and enthroned on the pedestal of originality.’

These words by Adelabu unassailably fits into the position canvassed by the Deputy Senate President Ike Ekweremadu at the fourth national public service lecture of the University of Ibadan Alumni Association (UIAA) penultimate Friday.

In the lecture entitled: “Federalism and the legal framework for combating corruption in Nigeria”, Ekweremadu, in his thoughtprovoking 69-page lecture, alluded to the fact that his no-holdsbarred position on the matter would raise issues and concerns that will provoke further debates about the best way to fight and win the war against corruption in Nigeria.

Sounding a note of warning, Ekweremadu, a serving Deputy Senate President of the most populous black nation in the world for a consecutive third time having been elected by colleagues for the post in 2007, 2011 and 2015 said “Ignoring the concerns raised in this paper is dangerous and a sure path to chaos. I pray that God will give us the wisdom and the courage to do the right thing.”

That corruption fight in Nigeria has always been on the front burner of Nigeria’s public discourse is a gospel truth. Ekweremadu recalled the January 15, 1966 coup address by Major Chukwuma Nzeogwu wherein he premised the military takeover on corruption.

In it, Nzeogwu said: “Our enemies are the political profiteers, the swindlers, the men in high and low places that seek bribes and demand 10 percent; those that seek to keep the country divided permanently so that they can remain in office as ministers or VIPs at least, the tribalists, the nepotists, those that make the country look big for nothing before international circles, those that have corrupted our society and put the Nigerian political calendar back by their words and deeds.”

Ekweremadu posited that it gives cause for worry that although the statement was made 51 years ago, it sounds as though it was made just last night. And this is despite the fact that successive regimes, military or civilian, had always premised the necessity for change in government on the need to exorcise corruption from our system.

Arising therefrom, Senator Ekweremadu asked rhetorically thus: Is corruption in the Deoxyribonucleic acid (DNA) of every Nigerian?

Is corruption inherent in our culture? Is it impossible to eradicate corruption in Nigeria?

Without expecting a response from any one in particular at a capacity filled Trenchard Hall of the Premier University of Ibadan where members of the National Assembly, academia, students, politicians, policy formulators and general public with quantum of scores of supporters from Ibadan and his Enugu home state, had gathered as audience, Ekweremadu retorted, “Of course, corruption is neither in our DNA nor inherent in our culture. The histories of our various tribes are those of a people who are hardworking and outlawed any form of stealing and corruption. In fact, anticorruption and anti-crime were intricately embedded in our religious practices that no one dared cover up or spare the corrupt and criminal, irrespective of how closely related.”

He continued, “doing so, our people believed, attracted the immediate wrath of the gods and goddesses of the land. In Igbo land, for instance, thieves were stripped naked, disgraced, and paraded around the community along with the items they stole. In some instances, such persons were banished or sold into slavery as never-do-wells to ensure they did not procreate their type.

“In fact, people whose ways were deemed not to be straight were usually put through oaths or even submit themselves to oaths before the deities to affirm their innocence and clear their names.

Otherwise, they would find it difficult to take wives or get husbands from within the town or neighighbouring communities because peoples’ backgrounds, especially the integrity of their linage, counted so much in the choice of a husband or wife.”

Underscoring the bad place of corruptive tendencies in Nigeria, he said there were related practices among the various peoples of the country, which underscore the fact that our inherent value system is consistent with integrity and uprightness. These values also formed the basis for respect, recognition, and honours, such as chieftaincy titles. Even until recently, people avoided families whose source of wealth was suspect, while some mothers would not tie the wrapper sent to them by their sons or daughters in the townships until they had come home to explain the source of their money. People were also content with their modest achievements and obscene wealth was never celebrated because our cultures are predicated on the platitude that a good name is better than silver and gold.

On what triggers corruption in Nigeria, Ekweremadu maintained thus: “Loss of values and inefficient reorientation programme on morality and values; The culture of kickback; Weak Legal System; Social safety net built around the extended family system;

Deputy President of the Senate, Senator Ike Ekweremadu, delivering the 4th National Public Service Lecture of the University of Ibadan Alumni Association at the University

Lack of social safety net for the aged; Absence of Fiscal federalism and Over-centralisation of the anti-corruption efforts.

Tracing successive leadership efforts at curtailing corruption in Nigeria, he said, “ it will be unkind to assume that successive governments have been resting on their oars. On the contrary, so much effort has been invested in the war against corruption.

I will just highlight a few of them, namely: Military coups; Long prison terms by military tribunals; Setting up of anti-graft agencies; Provisions in the Criminal Code and Penal Code; Reorientation; Media trial and anti-corruption campaigns.”

As a way forward, he canvassed for Decentralisation of federal anti-corruption agencies; Establishment of State anti-corruption agencies; Domestication of anti-graft laws; Fiscal federalism; Decentralised policing; State orientation agencies and State social intervention/ security.

Drawing from Biblical experience of the origin of corruption and how it is inherent in human nature, Ekweremadu said, “we recall in the book of Genesis, how Laban, Jacobs uncle and father-in-law cheated him after many years of agreed service by giving him the physically challenged Leah rather than Rachel. In the book of Matthew, Judas Iscariot collected bribe to betray his master, while in the book of Mark, Zacheaus is known to be a corrupt tax collector before he met Christ.

On why corruption is not an exclusive preserve of Nigeria, he drew audience attention to the alarming rate of corruption elsewhere.

He said “From Britain to the United States of America, South Korea, and Brazil, presidents and other high government officials have been convicted of corruption. The difference is the level of corruption and the people’s attitude to the menace. In 2016, the Transparency International ranked Nigeria 136 out of 176 countries it rated on its Corruption Perception Index. In the same vein, the World Bank placed Nigeria in 169th position on its Ease of Doing Business ranking. It shows we have a long way to go and a lot of hard work to put in.

“While it is easy to point accusing fingers at the governing elites in public and private sectors, we must all embark on individual soul searching from the highest to the lowest rung of the social-economic

stratum. From the clerks who would never be able to trace your file unless you grease their palms, to security men who would not let you in or claim that oga no dey if you are not the type that parts with kola each time you visit, the penchant for corrupt enrichment is definitely not the exclusive malaise of the rich and influential.

“Procurement managers in public and private establishments who have mastered the art of contract inflation and over-pricing; traditional rulers who confer chieftaincy titles on known criminals and corrupt persons; religious leaders and institutions that honour the corrupt are also as guilty as those highly influential persons who clear billions with a stroke of the pen or public office holders who cart away public resources under the cover of Security Vote.”

Quoting Section 15(5) of the 1999 Constitution (as amended), he said the, “the State shall abolish all corrupt practices and abuse of power.” The deputy senate president however noted that,, “the arduous responsibility of abolishing all corrupt practices and abuse of power can never be possible without the right political will and cooperation by Nigerians. The political will to fight corruption must be blind to political affiliation, friendship, ethnicity, religion, and family. It must not only be immune to selectiveness, parochialism, nepotism, and double standards, but must be able to command the goodwill, support, and legitimacy required to win the battle.”

Speaking further he saide, “Strong, independent, decentralized, and impartial anti-corruption agencies operating within clearly established rules and tradition will give hope to all citizens, elicit public support and offer a challenge to public servants to adopt honesty and probity as their guiding principles.”

Ekweremdu maintained that Nigeria needs and rightly deserves anti-corruption model that will discharge conscientiously, efficiently and honestly the responsibility of attacking corruption.

“We need systemic changes that will remove the activities of anti-corruption agencies from the shifting sands and ever changing moods of powers that be and place them on the solid bedrock of the law where personal animosity, vengeance and recrimination, selective targeting of political opponents and vocal critics of government will find no sanctuary”, Ekweremadu submitted.

T H I S D AY, T H E S U N D AY N E W S PA P E R ˾ MARCH 19, 2017

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CICERO/THE SUNDAY DEBATE

Buhari with INEC chairman, Mahmood Yakubu, during the latter’s swearing-in

INEC and the Challenge of Credible Polls

There is more to delivering credible polls than an early release of election timetable, writes Onyebuchi Ezigbo with additional reports by Shola Oyeyipo

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he Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC) recently released dates for scheduled elections in 2019. The commission said it would hold the presidential and National Assembly elections on February 16, 2019 while the governorship election and that of state assembly are to take place on March 2, of the same year.

Presenting the election timetable to journalists in Abuja, the INEC National Commissioner in charge of Voter Education and Publicity, Solomon Soyebi, said the commission decided to announce the dates well in advance as a way of promoting and nurturing the nation’s democracy and the electoral system. Soyebi also said the commission intended to standardise the nation’s electoral process and ensure certainty in the dates for elections to allow for proper planning by INEC and other election stakeholders.

Based on the not-too-excellent outings recorded by the new management team at INEC since it came on board last year, it may prove an uphill task trying to convince Nigerians to confidently look forward to an impressive performance in 2019. However, considering the difficult circumstances the commission found itself by having to organise several court-ordered elections and bye-elections, some of which have to take place in an environment not quite conducive, the commission may also deserve some credit.

National Chairman of INEC, Prof. Mahmood Yakubu, while giving a progress report recently, said the commission conducted about 163 elections and issued 23 Certificates of Return without re-run election bringing the total elections conducted since the 2015 general election to 186. Again, a total of 122 of the elections were concluded in the first ballot whereas 41 of the polls were concluded after supplementary election. In the same vein, the commission conducted 76 out of the 80 court ordered re-run elections including 72 end of tenure elections.

In most of these elections, INEC has had to contend with several challenges ranging from violence, acts of intimidation, vote-buying, bribing of officials and infractions by security agents. Some of the stakeholders, who have expressed concerns on the readiness and capacity of INEC to prosecute the 2019 general election, are pointing to the issues generated by the outcome of the elections conducted under the present INEC regime, especially the spectre of inconclusive elections.

They are quick to point at the inconclusive outcomes during the governorship elections in Kogi, Bayelsa and the re-run legislative elections, held in Rivers State. Also, the unfortunate incident that led to the ill-advised postponement of the scheduled governorship election in Edo State had put INEC on the edge even as it tried to shift the blame to the security agencies.

In all these, INEC’s decision to postpone the elections has attracted criticism from stakeholders. In the same vein, the issue of malpractices during elections has continued to generate worries amongst Nigerians, especially when such misconduct has always been perpetrated with

the active connivance of INEC officials in the country. But INEC has always maintained that the infractions were caused by the political parties, politicians and their thugs.

But recently, two separate probe panels instituted by the Economic and Financial Crimes Commission (EFCC) and Nigerian Police indicted many officials of INEC. The EFCC investigation found a total of 102 culpable for participating in the sharing of N23 billon allegedly paid out by the former Minister of Petroleum, Deziani Alison-Madueke.

Apart from the officials of INEC, the probe panel also found security agents, especially the police culpable in fueling election malpractices. These spate of indictments coupled with the usual suspicious mindset of the political class often put a lot pressure on INEC to justify its readiness and ability to conduct a credible and transparent elections in 2019. On this score, some members of the Civil Society Organisations have expressed concern especially over the infractions traceable to the security agents.

One of the leading civil society groups, the Policy and Legal Advocacy Centre (PLAC) led by Mr. Clement Nwankwo has asked the commission to do something urgently to address the over-bearing influence of security agents in the conduct of elections in the country.

The group said it was worried over the interference of the security agencies which often led to unwarranted disruption of the electoral process.

However, since the 2019 general election timetable was released, the commission has come under attack, understandably from members of the opposition political parties. For instance, a former acting National Chairman of the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP), Uche Secondus, has alleged that the commission may be doing the bidding of the All Progressives Congress (APC) by rushing to issue the timetable for the 2019 election. He said INEC as presently constituted cannot conduct unbiased election and should therefore be dissolved and reconstituted to save the nation’s democracy.

According to Secondus, INEC in its determination to carry out an APC designed agenda rolled out the timetable without carrying out the necessary due diligence that includes adequate consultations with critical stakeholders like the political parties and civil society groups whose input is always sought and accommodated before the final decisions are taken. He said the commission has shown enormous arrogance and lack of democratic principles in its affairs in rushing to release the timetable for the election that is 24 months away when it has many urgent and unfinished matters before it.

“It is curious that an electoral commission that is yet to be properly constituted and has before it many unfinished matters including voter education and enlightenment had to rush out date for 2019 general election in full disregard of rule guiding it”.

But INEC has expressed commitment to ensuring improvement in all aspects of the electoral process. Apart from perfecting the use of the electronic device known as the Smart Card Reader, the commission

has taken proactive measures to restore confidence both on its personnel integrity and capacity to deliver credible elections to Nigerians.

At its weekly press briefing held at INEC’s headquarters last week, the commission said it would carry out a comprehensive reorganisation of its operational office in Rivers State to weed out bad eggs in its ranks there as well as take immediate action to punish all its indicted twenty eight staff members, whom it said will also face prosecutions by the police in addition to internal administrative sanctions.

Soyebi said apart from the 25 staff indicted by the Police Investigative Panel report, three additional staff members were also found wanting by the commission’s disciplinary panel. He explained that since the members of staff were found guilty of both administrative and criminal offences, they would be made to face separate sanctions.

“In addition and without prejudice to their prosecution, the indicted INEC staff will also face the Commission’s internal disciplinary process. The Commission wishes to reiterate very clearly that it will not shield any of its staff that engages in any conduct that will undermine the integrity of the electoral process,” he said.

He explained that the Commission had resolved to fully co-operate with the Police in ensuring that the affected members of staff face prosecution and that the Commission had accepted to implement several recommendations that would improve the electoral process, the result of which is that “the Commission will carry out a major overhaul of the entire Rivers State INEC office”.

As part of additional measures to improve its image and build good relationship with its critical stakeholders, the management of INEC last week kick-started interactive meetings with political parties and followed it up with another meeting with members of the Civil Society Organisations. The commission has also lined up further engagement with members of the fourth estate of the realm, all in an attempt to rebuild confidence ahead of the 2019 general.

This notwithstanding, majority of Nigerians are still not comfortable with INEC’s capacity to deliver credible polls and see the early release of the timetable as a problem.

Kwara State Chairman of opposition PDP, Chief Iyiola Oyedepo , is of the opinion that INEC’s incompetence is a helpless situation as long as the body’s statutory responsibility is to conduct elections.

“Judging by their antecedent, one may not believe that INEC can conduct a free and fair election. Considering the inconclusive elections they have been conducting, one may not be confident that they will conduct free and fair election.

“But since they are the only body constitutionally charged with the responsibility of conducting elections. We have to corporate with them.

But if you look at their performances thus far, one has enough reasons to believe that they may not perform well, but all we have to do is play along with them.”

(See the concluding part on www.thisdaylive.com)

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Ganduje (r) and Kwankwaso, when the going was good

Before Kwankwasiyya Goes on the Offensive The crisis between Governor Abdullahi Umar Ganduje of Kano State and his predecessor, Senator Rabiu Musa Kwankwaso, is potentially a danger to Kano politics, writes Ibrahim Shuaibu

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ndeed, where two elephants fight, the grass suffers the consequences. This age-long proverb aptly applies to the political atmosphere in Kano State as two friends of many years have become sudden political arch rivals over the control of the soul of their party, the All Progressives Congress (APC), in the state.

Kwankwaso, being one of the strongest politicians in the state and has command of his major allies within the rank and file of the APC is determined to sustain the momentum, moreso that he is seen by majority of his supporters as their messiah in the state. And as the grand commander of the Kwankwasiyya movement in the state, which identity is the redcap, he is heavily entrenched in Kano politics.

But again, it is expected that Ganduje, as the new man behind the wheels would also try to assert himself, create his own niche and cultivate power for as long as he remains governor. This includes but not limited to wooing willing Kwankwaso’s men through economic patronage and of course, political appointments. He would also not mind to castrate others where the case demands. The basis for the competition and rivalry is thus understandable and without prejudice to either of the parties.

The crisis in Kano APC started immediately after the election of Ganduje. Some of the major key players of the Kwankwaso administration, believed to have worked assiduously for Ganduje’s emergence were soon alienated from the scheme of things, whilst other members of the legacy parties of the defunct CPC and ANPP were alleged to have been invited and

The crisis in Kano APC started immediately after the election of Ganduje. Some of the major key players of the Kwankwaso administration, believed to have worked assiduously for Ganduje’s emergence were soon alienated from the scheme of things, whilst other members of the legacy parties of the defunct CPC and ANPP were alleged to have been invited and involved in the affairs of the government

involved in the affairs of the government as against those of the Kwankwasiyya movement of which Ganduje was the deputy grand commander.

Although in a positive twist of event, Ganduje recently told reporters about his willingness to make himself available for reconciliation with Kwankwaso, nothing has since changed.

“I will make myself available to reconcile with Kwankwaso.

I cannot have another political associate like Kwankwaso and he too cannot have a political associate like me,” he said, adding that he had come a long way with the former governor and could not afford to throw all that away on the altar of politics.

“I cannot have a political associate for the rest of my life like Kwankwaso and he too cannot have a political associate like me (Ganduje) throughout the rest of his life,” he said.

Ganduje, who served Kwankwaso as Deputy Governor for eight years and was even with him as a minister, during which period he was reputed as having displayed uncommon loyalty, added: “That is all I can say over the issue because elaboration will give room for more noise.”

The relationship between the two Kano APC leaders went awry after series of misunderstandings between the governor and some of the associates of Kwankwaso. THISDAY recalls that a political pressure Group in the state, Kwankwasiyya Solidarity Forum, led by Alhaji Sharu Garba Gwammaja once said in a statement that Kwankwasiyya stood for peace, progress transparency, accountability, good governance and rule of law.

He, however, alleged that “The Ganduje administration had betrayed the movement by not keeping to its ideals since succeeding Kwankwaso in 2015.”

The movement also used the occasion to celebrate the 60th birthday of their leader, Kwankwaso, saying the decision to issue the order was borne out of the fact that Ganduje had betrayed the entire movement.

“The former governor, Dr. Rabi’u Kwankwaso made education free, established two universities and executed over 6,000 projects across the state. This made it possible for about 2.3 million people to register as Kwankwasiyya members in the state,” he added.

Chairman of the group, a former Secretary to the State Government, Dr. Rabi’u Sulaiman Bichi, played some socialcum education politics, when he commended Kwankwaso for sponsoring a bill seeking extension of JAMB validity from one to two years.

“This bill will serve Nigerians yet unborn because of his concern for education. We will continue with the Ideology of Kwankwasiyya movement because it stands for equal opportunity and education for all in addition to women and youths empowerment.”

This is why some APC stakeholders in the North West, including the Katsina State Governor, Alhaji Aminu Bello Masari, have continued to appeal to the two political allies to sheathe their sword and allow peace to reign. Masari in particular said, “I don’t think Kwankwaso or Ganduje can build any political alliance that will last to the time they have lasted”.

The Katsina governor told THISDAY in an interview that “We are working behind the scene to see how we can bring the two of them together so that they can stop what they are

doing to themselves. The energy the government is spending; the energy Kwankwaso is spending could have been used for the development of Kano better than what is happening presently.

“I think there is a jinx in Kano, which we are hoping the current leadership will break in the future, because they were together since 1999 and I don’t think Kwankwaso or Ganduje can build any political alliance that will last to the time they have lasted. 1999 to 2015 is not a joke, and I seriously doubt if they can build such political alliance that can last for over 16 years with anybody.

“So, their political life and career are inter-twined. We thought with this political marriage and deep understanding between Kwankwaso and Ganduje, the political jinx in Kano would have been broken, because Malam Aminu Kano fell out with the late Abubakar Rimi. From then on, that of Sabo Barkinzuwo didn’t last more than three months. During the NRC and SDP, Kabiru Gaya parted ways with his people like Abba Dabo, his former SSG. The crack was visible.

“Kwankwaso came in 1999 and parted ways with Musa Gwadabe and others. So, when Shekarau came, with all what General Muhammadu Buhari did for him, they fell apart in ANPP. Kwankwaso in PDP; he fell out with the PDP again and joined the new PDP, later APC. So, we thought that at least this time, having been together for a long time, the jinx would have been broken.”

Such interventions notwithstanding, the elements of their feud became more pronounced when Kwankwaso reportedly went to condole with the governor over the death of his mother in his village of Ganduje in Dawakin Tofa, and was escorted by hundreds of thugs, who allegedly harassed the governor and accused him of not carrying members of the Kwankwasiyya movement along in the running of his government, despite their support towards his election.

And in a more compelling show of strength, a group of people woke up on Tuesday morning and started taunting the rumour that Kwankwaso had defected to the PDP, a development that had immediately created panic in Kano State’s body polity. But realising the implications of the mendacious report, the former governor quickly debunked the news.

Kwankwaso, who is the Senator representing Kano Central, said “I have no intention of leaving APC. It is rumour by politicians, whose ship is sinking; politicians, who lost relevance and wanted to be relevant by making reckless and baseless statements.

Speaking to THISDAY through his former Commissioner for State Affairs, Comrade Aminu AbdulSalam Gwarzo, Kwankwaso said those irrelevant politicians think they could attract attention to themselves by making this false statement.

“Kwankwaso remains a bonafide APC member and as a senior stakeholder for that matter, who is commanding respect within ranks and file of the APC and even beyond. Kwankwaso has no time for these irritants. He will remain as a most respected APC chieftain in the party.”

Political analysts, however, hold the view that the crisis between the Kwankwasiyya group and Ganduje will not help the state in anyway as the two political heavyweights can only destroy what they have built together as a team over the years, unless they see the signs and close ranks.

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CICERO/TRIBUTE

For Ugwuanyi at 53 Louis Amoke

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omorrow, March 20, Governor Ifeanyi Ugwuanyi of Enugu State, to the glory of God, will mark 53 years.

The anniversary calls for celebration in thanksgiving and appreciation to God Almighty for His mercies and kindness to the governor and the people of Enugu State – the true heroes of democracy, who have continued to reap its full benefits. It is also an ample opportunity to showcase the governor’s sterling qualities as a visionary leader with an uncommon disposition towards ameliorating the sufferings of the people, especially the underprivileged in our society.

A God-fearing and adequate personality whose wealth of experience, hard work, intellectual ability, milk of human kindness, humility, and penchant for peace stand him out as an epitome of success and a God-sent leader, Ugwuanyi has continued to make his mark in the socio-economic and political landscape of the state, in particular, and the country, in general.

As a leader committed to charity, Ugwuanyi, popularly known as Gburugburu, has made a date with history through his philanthropic gestures aimed at giving succour to the poor and vulnerable. He has no doubt come a long way on the positive side of history. He has certainly attained a high position of distinction and eminence in the society through his cherished accomplishments. As a child of God and a leading light for the younger generation, he is easily given to kindness and empathy towards the lowly and downtrodden. As a devout Roman Catholic, he sipped deep from the Church’s moral teachings, especially, the Christian obligation towards sharing in the pains of others by ameliorating their sufferings.

It would be recalled that Ugwuanyi during his 52nd birthday anniversary, last year, did urge those who intended to offer him birthday gifts “to channel them to charity homes and orphanages in appreciation of God’s mercies and kindness”. The governor equally noted that there will be no activities marking the event, in the spirit of the Lenten Season and in view of the economic challenges in the country. While using the occasion to reassure the good people of the state of his commitment to good governance, the governor urged them to continue to offer prayers and support for the success of the administration, reiterating that “Enugu State is in the hands of God”.

One year after, it is gratifying to note that Ugwuanyi’s philosophy of leadership anchored on God, vision, good governance, benevolence, humility and peace has remained unwavering, attesting to the fact that Enugu State is in the hands of God. It has also ushered in a new vista for rapid socio-economic and political development of the state.

It is, therefore, not out of place to state that the bedrock of the governor’s 53rd birthday anniversary still centres on his long cherished legacies of philanthropy, good governance and selfless service.

One may recall the recent statement by the former Senate President and Chairman of the Constitution and Electoral Reform Committee, Senator Ken Nnamani, who said Enugu State was lucky to now have a governor who has respect for everybody, irrespective of political differences and has equally transformed the state with the meagre resources at his disposal. Nnamani said, “I am old enough to say that we now have a person who has the legislative and humble background to be a governor. He has a listening ear and respect for everybody, old and young, in spite of political divide. The governor has

Ugwuanyi been transforming the state, in spite of the current economic challenges in the country. I can say that Enugu State is now working.”

Even though Ugwuanyi, the Gburugburu of our time, needs no introduction, considering his popularity and acceptability, one is compelled by the status of his office to once again make a few comments on his personal life.

His Excellency, Rt. Hon. Ifeanyi Lawrence Ugwanyi, was born on March 20, 1964 to the family of late Chief and late Lolo Lawrence Ugwuanyi from Orba in Udenu Local Government Area of Enugu State. He attended St. Theresa’s College (STC), Nsukka. He obtained his first degree, a Bachelor of Science (B.Sc) in Finance, from the University of Nigeria, Nsukka (UNN); second degree, MBA in Finance and Accounting from the Enugu State University of Science and Technology, (ESUT), and third degree, Master of Science (M.Sc) in Public Relations/Marketing from UNN. He had an outstanding career in the financial sector, having worked in insurance brokerage where, by dint of hard work, he rose to the position of Chief Executive Officer of Premier Brokers, the then prime brokerage firm in the entire South-east geo-political zone.

Ugwuanyi joined active politics in 2003, when he contested for a seat in the House of Representatives. He was first elected member for Igbo-Eze North /Udenu federal constituency in the fifth National Assembly (2003-2007). Subsequently, he was re-elected to the same seat in the sixth National Assembly (2007-2011) and again, for the third time, to the seventh National Assembly (2011-2015), serving a total of 12 years in the green chamber of the National Assembly.

In the National Assembly, Ugwuanyi left a great imprint and an enviable record. Between 2003 and 2007, he served as deputy chairman of the House Committee on Public Service Matters, and deputy chairman, House Committee on Pensions. Following his victory at the National Assembly elections of 2007, he was appointed chairman, House Committee on Maritime Transport (2007-2011). On account of

his stellar performance as chairman of the Committee on Maritime Transport, Ugwuanyi was re-appointed to the same committee position on winning back his House seat in 2011, thereby emerging as the first member of the National Assembly (both the Senate and the House of Representatives) to chair this all-important committee for two consecutive legislative sessions.

As a man given to humility, kindness and empathy towards the lowly and downtrodden, the majority of the people of Enugu State and beyond were not surprised at his emergence as the consensus governorship candidate of the Peoples Democratic Party in the state in 2014 and subsequent election as the of Enugu State in 2015.

Having spent about a year and 10 months on the saddle as governor of Enugu State, Ugwuanyi has continued to apply his vast experience in the private and public service towards giving the state quality leadership, even in the face of the current economic recession in the country. He has maintained his long standing path to vision, integrity, all-inclusiveness, accountability, transparency and prudent management of the state’s lean resources for the overall interest of the state.

It is obvious that Ugwuanyi is the man with the magic wand, with the simultaneous execution of 35 massive infrastructural projects across the 17 local government areas of the state geared towards taking development to the doorsteps of the rural dwellers; completion and execution of other critical infrastructure in the state to modernise and create more urban centres; and regular payment of workers’ salaries on or before 25th of every month. The latter saw the state’s emergence as one of the only three states out of the 36 states of the federation that can fulfil their recurrent obligations to the workers. He has display commitment to accountability, transparency and prudent management of the state’s lean resources.

It is on record that the governor’s godly approach to governance and sterling performance so far, in the midst of little because of the harsh economic climate in the country, have earned him commendations from respected institutions and personalities in the country.

While the Senate through its Committee on State and Local Administration rated Ugwuanyi as the best governor in the utilisation of the federal government’s bailout funds, His Eminence, the Sultan of Sokoto, Alhaji (Dr.) Muhammad Sa’ad Abubakar III, during his official visit to Enugu State described the governor as a popular leader who enjoys the support and acceptance of the people, including non-indigenes, for his commitment to good governance and promotion of peace, national unity and security.

On a similar note, the General Overseer of the Redeemed Christian Church of God, Pastor Enoch Adeboye, applauded the governor’s sense of vision, humility and commitment to God when Ugwuanyi came to UNN to welcome the man of God back to the university to receive an honorary degree of Doctor of Divinity (Hon. DD). According to Adeboye, “I was delighted to notice during our procession to this venue that the governor who has come to welcome me is a very popular one.”

Without doubt, there is every need to appreciate God for the gift of His Excellency, Rt. Hon. Ifeanyi Ugwuanyi to mankind and to wish the governor a happy birthday anniversary. We pray that God will continue to bestow him with long life, sound health, wisdom, and peace to render many more years of selfless service to the state, our fatherland and humanity at large.

Enugu State is truly in the hands of God! ––Amoke is the Senior Special Assistant on Media to the Enugu State Governor

Umahism: Involving God in Greater Ebonyi Project Monday Eze

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bonyi State was created on October 1, 1996 by then General Sani Abacha. For 19 years and seven months, the state and its people struggled carnally through two military administrators (Cmdr Walter Feghabor and CP Simeon Oduoye) and two civilian governors (Dr. Sam Egwu and Chief Martins Elechi) to develop.

The struggle was carnal because even though all administrators and elected governors of Ebonyi State were Christians, and prayers were held in the state at various times by popular ministers of God, like the papal nuncio, Arch Bishop Kasuja, W.F. Kumuyi, Enoch Adeboye, Oral Roberts Jnr, Reinhard Bonke, Dr. Uma Ukpai etc, these spiritual inputs constituted an infinitesimal ratio of the total resources invested in the development of Ebonyi State and its people. This is enough to say that like in many modern societies, the Word of God or Holy Scriptures was never accorded the priority status it deserved in the list of factors or ingredients necessary for the development of Ebonyi State. Even our moral rearmament programme, known as Attitudinal Change Programme, was devoid of spiritual content, as its message was restricted to secularism and other social etiquettes, like time consciousness and punctuality.

The implication of this odd situation is that even though Ebonyi State had seen physical and human capital development during these previous administrations, the development indices were diminished or dwarfed by the “locusts” of spiritual corruption and moral decadence!

The situation in Ebonyi State before May 29, 2015 was akin to that of Israel during the time of Prophet Micah: Ebonyi State and its people harvested crops they could not eat; and even when they ate, they were hungry (Micah 6:14-16)! Thus, higher institutions of learning in the state degenerated into centres of excellence for cultism and criminal activities, while our post-primary schools became breeding grounds for cultists and gangsters. Hence, our media platforms over the years were replete with reports of murder, rape, incest, robbery, communal wars,

child stealing and trafficking, vandalism of public utilities, corruption, sodomy, trial by ordeal, witchcraft, kidnapping and all other forms of crimes in the classes of mala prohibita and mala in se. Truly, if the Lord does not build a house, the builders labour in vain (Psalm 127:1)!

When His Excellency, Deacon David Nweze Umahi, an unassuming but passionate Christian, took over the reins of power in Ebonyi State as the third democratically elected governor, he declared his intention to “prosper Ebonyi State with the Word of God”. As casual and unusual as this particular statement of Governor Umahi sounded, events that have continued to unfold thereafter have sufficiently proved two things: one, the statement was a condensed personal covenant between God and Umahi, which was backed up with all ingredients of solemnity and commitment. Two, because of its divine anchorage, Umahi’s administration is an unusual administration, which cannot be limited or deterred by mundane things, like norms, economic recession, geography, witches, wizards, principalities and powers!

Umahi commenced with prayer and fasting, and has continued to use these weapons of spiritual warfare to do exploits; contrary to the lies of Umahi’s political adversaries in the run up to the 2015 governorship elections, Umahi became a listening and the most tolerant governor in the history of Ebonyi State. In spite of the harsh economic crisis in Nigeria, Umahi has, in 22 months, completed two overhead bridges at Presco and Akanu Ibiam roundabouts, a pedestrian cross-over at EBSU gate, 44 internal roads in Abakaliki urban, and has over 60 other on-going road projects in Abakaliki municipality, Onueke and Afikpo, the 13 council areas, and three federal roads, which include the 15.5 km Nkalagu - Eha-Amufu road, 14.5 km section of Abakaliki-Afikpo road, and 24.5 km Amasiri-Okposi-Afikpo road as well as another overhead flyover bridge at the Abakaliki International Market and a waste recycling plant in Umuoghara, e.t.c.

When over 27 states in Nigeria with better revenue profiles than Ebonyi State are unable to pay workers’ salaries, Umahi does not just pay Ebonyi workers promptly, he equally pays them bonuses known as 13th month salaries in Ebonyi labour parlance! It is not my intention

to bore us with Umahi’s array of impressive achievements, but it is a thing of joy that with Umahi, Ebonyi State is moving to greater heights.

It suffices that Umahi’s magic is that the God of multiplication who fed 5000 people with two fishes and five loaves and had a surplus of 12 baskets (Matt 14:13-20) is involved in the governance of Ebonyi State.

With God the meagre resources of the state can do great projects. After all, the Bible says in the book of Daniel 1:32, “Those who know their God shall do exploits”!

With the recent inauguration of school moral instructors/evangelism team in Ebonyi State by Umahi, who charged the team with teaching Christian moral instructions and forming Christian Unions in all primary and secondary schools as well as tertiary institutions, raising godly youths and empowering them to fulfil purposes and destinies, the prosperity of Ebonyi State on all fronts through the gospel is set on a permanent trajectory in what is generally seen as a new beginning. This spiritual investment has guaranteed Ebonyi State and its people future leaders who are bound to know their God and, therefore, have capacity to do greater exploits in God’s name.

Umahi deserves accolades for being the first governor in the history of Ebonyi State to initiate and pursue a comprehensive approach to the development and prosperity of the state and its people. The timing, circumstances and progress of the development programme compel one to appreciate Umahi the more. This is more so if one recalls that Umahi had earlier handed over all Government Technical Colleges to the Catholic Church. Critical stakeholders, like parents/guardians, clergymen, moral instructors, teachers, pupils/students, the Scripture Union, Christian Association of Nigeria, and all persons of goodwill should support this noble venture.

As things stand, it is certain that through Umahi, God is restoring to Ebonyi people the years eaten by the locusts (Joel 2:25), and one can safely say that it is well with Ebonyi State!

––Eze is Technical Assistant to the Governor of Ebonyi State on Social Media.

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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 Ëž RCH 19, 2017

PERSPECTIVE

Leadership and Challenges of National Unity in Nigeria Nuhu Ribadu

I

feel highly honoured to be invited by the Governing Council of this great university to give this yearâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s preconvocation lecture. The significance of a pre- convocation lecture as a platform for reflecting on burning issues and charting a course forward for our country is not lost on me. Another significance of this event is the venue; this respected university, located in the heart of Igboland and named after our first president, a great Nigerian, a revered leader and outstanding nationalist, Dr. Nnamdi Azikiwe.

Looking at the foregoing, it is easy to see why being here today is a momentous opportunity, especially because we are addressing key issues of leadership, unity and peaceful coexistence in a united Nigeria, at a time agitations to reconsider the basis of our existence as a country continue to dominate national discourse. I am therefore happy for this rare opportunity.

Distinguished audience, allow me, with your kind indulgence, to appropriate this lecture and remake it as a tribute to our own Zik of Africa. Without doubt, the departed sage must be proud of this institution, as he looks down on us today, for creating a platform that allows us to talk and reflect on the seminal challenge of unity in Nigeria, a theme that was at the heart of his politics and life.

The sage that he was, Dr. Azikiwe, was the symbolic incarnation of the concept of unity. Born in Zungeru, northern Nigeria, to Igbo parents, but living most of his late youth and adult life in Lagos and the western region of Nigeria, Dr. Azikiwe became one of those moving and itinerant symbols of our collective aspiration to forge oneness despite our differences.

There is a huge message here. History, and the conscious choice of the life he lived, elected him to the role of a missioner for the cause of unity and the representation of the concept of unity in diversity.

It was therefore not surprising that in most of his politics and social action, national unity was an enduring theme and narrative path to the meaning of national development. If there are those in this hall therefore who wonder why, in the face of potentially overwhelming challenges to the unity of this country, we remain steadfast, the answer is in part located in the legacies of ideas and thoughts that people like Dr. Azikwe planted to shepherd us to the land of guarantees.

Today again, therefore, I salute our countrymen and women who refuse, in stubborn association with progress, to give up on the promise of our unity, and the strength and greatness it promises.

As the wisdom of our elders continuously reminds us, a port of arrival is just as much a port of departure, and for this reason, the important task of remaking our nation and cementing its yawning cracks are crucial and urgent.

We wake, in other words, to the day-to-day challenge of that difficult monster called the â&#x20AC;&#x153;national questionâ&#x20AC;? â&#x20AC;&#x201C; the challenges of our nationhood. While some people believe that the existence of Nigeria as a country is largely settled, agitations to revisit the basis of this existence continue to rise but in truth, every nation is a work in progress and it is therefore important to have a healthy debate on the issue.

Some suggest that after 56 years of independence and over a century after the 1914 amalgamation, there is need to continue to look at ourselves in the mirror in order to identify grey areas of our existence and find ways of perfecting our union.

For all these years of our existence as a country, Nigeria has grappled with several challenges. There is mutual suspicion and ethnic jingoism that has deprived us of reason, sense of justice and fairness. We laugh and hug in public and plot against each other when we retire to our ethno-religious enclaves. Once in a while, this mistrust finds grotesque expression among our people as we witness bloodbaths premeditated by ethno-religious contempt for each other. Development is low in almost all parts of our country and there appears to be nothing to be proud of in almost all spheres aside cases of personal achievements of resilient citizens.

Basic amenities are lacking. Issues that other nations have long taken care of are still hard for us to crack. Nigeria still ranks poor in many development indices while the menace of corruption is threatening to choke the country to death due to the excessive stealing of our resources by some handlers of our affairs.

Clearly, our challenges of nationhood are linked to the inadequacies of some of our leaders at all levels. Yet, another compelling argument explaining our developmental backwardness is failure by citizens to take ownership of their country. A lot of us, to quote late Chief Bola Ige, prefer to adopt a siddonlook attitude in the affairs of our nation. Therefore, addressing the leadership question without tackling the absence of this fundamental emotional investment in the country, would not be enough answer to our challenges.

The Leadership Question

It is said that if other countries are afflicted by natural disasters, Nigeriaâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s own disaster is leadership failure. This metaphor may be exaggerated, but it is certainly not too far from the truth. We have burned out decades of self-rule moving in circles from one problem to the other, often caused by poor leadership challenges.

This leadership inadequacy has contributed in compounding a number of our problems, from widening the parochial divisions among the citizens to active participation in plundering our patrimony.

On this issue, I have been an advocate of top-bottom approach to solving societal problems, convinced that leadership is key to

distorting this important principle of the constitution by skewing the system in favour of ethno- religious groupings. Smaller groups within those regions found it difficult to aspire, giving rise to cries of marginalisation. This has been part of the reasons for the continuous agitations of state creation, and lately, the calls to review the federal system.

These concerns are expected in a country as diverse as ours. The issue is not that these problems exist but that we have not been able to confront them in a way that is enduring and holistic. That is where the question of effective leadership comes in.

The leader of the Nigerian renaissance must therefore be strong, tough, and inclusive in his or her own capacity. He or she must not be an opportunist who grows on the back of citizens to entrench a regime of dictatorship that weakens our institutions and in turn end up annulling our democracy and its values of freedom.

Looking Down the Line

Ribadu whatever social change is desired.

It is the leader that charts and navigates the way for the flock to follow and it is the leaderâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s action, inaction and body language that dictate the tunes for the dance steps the public will take. As I have noted before, if a leader eschews corruption, it will be difficult for those below him to indulge in such practice; and if the leader is deep neck in it, it becomes a free-for-all.

What we missed at independence and for most of the years that followed is a true national leader with a clear determination and focus to unify the country. Having such a unifying person would have been one big leap because it would have taken care of the most central challenges of our country.

Modern nation states, as we have seen from examples in sister African countries and elsewhere, succeed largely when you have a leader that is focused, open- minded, cosmopolitan, yet firm and unrelenting. The leadership examples of Julius Nyerere of Tanzania, Kwame Nkrumah of Ghana and much later, Nelson Mandela in South Africa, and Paul Kagame after the genocide in Rwanda, point to the importance of how a good leader can shape the fortunes of any nation. Outside Africa, we can also point to the shining examples of Singapore and Malaysia.

Addressing the â&#x20AC;&#x2DC;National Questionâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;

The widespread belief today is that Nigeria is an artificial creation. The truth is that, as late Dr. Yusufu Bala Usman pointed out, not a single region in what is now Nigeria was home to just a single ethnic nationality living all by themselves before the coming of the colonialists.

Exclusive ethnic identities are inventions of our political elite.

Nigeria was a stretch of land hosting many city-states where in the South-west, the Ijebu and the Egba people didnâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;t consider themselves as one, talk more of being Yorubas.

In the South-east, it was a taboo to infer that the people of, say, Arochukwu and Onitsha were oneâ&#x20AC;&#x201D;none accepted identification as Igbo. Hausaland too was not homogenous as todayâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s Hausamen from Kano or Katsina would rather identify with their city-states than with any corporate ethnicity. But while they each had their distinct identities, they also welcomed anyone who could come and contribute to the city or state. They welcomed anyone who desired to be a citizen.

As I illustrated earlier in this speech, nothing illustrates this more than the biographical sketch of Zik, an Igbo man from Onitsha, who was born in Zungeru in Niger State and succeeded in dominating the politics of Lagos for a long time.

The framers of our constitution at independence had this kind of diversity in mind when they came up with the idea of federalism.

The aim was not to play up our ethnic or religious differences by ascribing each region to a particular ethnic group, but for each region, made up of Nigerian citizens from diverse ethnicities, to work to the best of its abilities for the benefit of those who call the region home.

However, practitioners of the system eventually ended up

In the past 56 years, this country has recorded significant milestones. We have survived severe cold similar to what led some countries to sneeze to death. Fortunately, we remain standing, though someone once wrote that we are standing still! Yes, he could be right! But we also have a lot to be grateful for.

The country is endowed with abundant natural resources and brilliant human capital. Yet, the paradox is there is widespread poverty due to misused resources and untapped potentials. It is therefore true that wherever Nigeria is mentioned, what comes to mind is Boko Haram, oil theft, kidnapping and corruption.

This is not to surrender to pessimism. I strongly disagree with those writing off Nigeria as a failed country. Agreed, we could do a lot better based on what we have in terms of natural resources and demographic advantages. Nigeriaâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s problems have shifted from the actual, which is the collapse of our institutions after many years of military, political and bureaucratic imprudence, to an invented assumption that suggests that our peoples are unwilling to live together.

The foundation of this country can only be understood when you go around the country and interact with the larger masses, who are the actual patriots, from markets to schools, and to social gatherings where identifications are based only on our humanity and individual characters.

Nothing exemplifies the Nigeria we should aspire for than the gregarious nature of the Igbo man. It is a common joke that whichever village you go in Nigeria and you donâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;t see an Igbo man, you should take to your heels. Though taken simply as a joke, this speaks to the industrious and adventurous nature of a typical Igbo persona and illustrates how rooted the Igbo are in this country.

In many cities and towns across Nigeria, if the Igbo decide to wind up their businesses, they could bring that city, whether it is Lagos, Kano or Abuja, to its knees.

In the same mould, you can talk about the Fulani herdsman, who combs the length and breadth of the country with his herd, in search of opportunities. The Fulani herdsman is blind to political borders, the language we speak or religion. Like the Igbo, what matters to him is where it is convenient to survive.

There is no clearer demonstration of our interwoven existence than this. It also signifies true unity in diversity.

It is pertinent to state here that our strength as a country is not in oil or any other natural resources that dot our country. There is no doubt that these resources have given our nation immense prosperity and a pride of place in the comity of nations. But they are finite and may not be there forever. So our real strength, which is likely to endure forever is in our population and other demographic wealth, which are anchored on our resolve to live together peacefully.

Our people are bound by a common goal, the desire for individual progress and to have their lives improved by those in the helms of their affairs. They are united in the same struggle to have functional public institutions because their sufferings, their poverty and deprivations, have neither ethnic nor religious identities. And the exclusive sufferings amongst them, like insecurity as a result of religious and ethnic differences, can as well be traced to our politics and ill-advised political decisions and indecisions.

Permit me to dwell a little more on this issue which, to my mind, has been neglected so much to the detriment of our progress as a people and as a nation. Conventional view and discourse around the most urgent challenge we face as a nation today tends to revolve around difference or what the social scientists among us here conceptually term as othering.

But letâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s take a minute to review the case against homogeneity a bit and see if there is balance in the argument. Let us address the metaphor of Somalia first and ask what lesson it offers us. Somalia is a unique country that projects the fact of one ethnicity, and one religion. On the basis of the argument of those who scorn diversity, Somalia ought to be a model country of unity, of growth, and of development. Almost all its population are Muslims, and speak a language. But what is the reality on the ground? Somalia is indeed our regionâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s best case of state failure where lawlessness and mindless acts of terrorism dragged the country to its knees. â&#x20AC;&#x201C;â&#x20AC;&#x201C;Being the text of a lecture delivered at the 11th convocation ceremony of Nnamdi Azikiwe University, Awka, Anambra State recently.

(See concluding part on www.thisdaylive.com)

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MARCH 19, 2017 ˾ THISDAY, THE SUNDAY NEWSPAPER

PDP, Obasanjo and Hubris

L

Sufuyan Ojeifo

et me state from the outset that I am not a card-carrying member of the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP), but I have sympathy for the party for some personal reasons.

With that kind of sympathetic or empathic mindset, it becomes difficult to maintain a dispassionate position - privately or publicly- when matters in issue have direct or indirect bearing or reference to the PDP. It was against this backdrop and within this context that I was filled with righteous indignation when I read media reports last weekend wherein former President Olusegun Obasanjo was thumbing his chest in self-congratulations on how he and his friend, Senator Ahmadu Alli, whom he imposed on the PDP as national chairman in 2005, orchestrated the sinking of the party by their exit from the party.

As one of the political reporters who covered the activities that presaged the formation of the PDP in 1998, I remember, somewhat, the roles that the founding fathers played. I remember the series of preparatory meetings in Professor Jerry Gana’s house. I remember that committees were set up to handle different aspects of the party formation.

I also remember the series of constitution drafting committee meetings in the residence of the late Chief Sunday Awoniyi. I remember that the late Chief Bola Ige was the chair of the constitution drafting committee and how he withdrew from the committee, claiming that he sighted some “Abacha politicians” at one of the enlarged meetings where final decisions were to be made.

I remember that, in the course of the hurried preparations to beat INEC deadline, Bola Ige and his Afenifere associates withdrew from the process.

Consequent upon his withdrawal to register Alliance for Democracy (AD), the PDP had to rejig the committee and the task of steering the constitution drafting committee fell squarely on the shoulders of General David Jemibewon (retd), who is a lawyer.

I remember the role played by the second republic vice president, Dr Alex Ekwueme, who was chairing the meetings of the entire association until

Obasanjo the point of registration when he had to withdraw because of his presidential ambition. I remember that it was the last day of the submission of party registration documents to the INEC that the PDP, at the Rockview Hotel, Abuja, selected the late Chief Solomon Daushep Lar as the acting National Chairman and other interim officers whose names were submitted to INEC. I remember that when the jostle for the presidential ticket started, the man who became the eventual winner of the ticket, former head of state, General Olusegun Obasanjo, had just been granted presidential pardon and released from prison where the Abacha regime had sent him on life imprisonment for alleged involvement in a phantom coup.

I remember that the choice of Obasanjo, who did not participate in the formation of the PDP - note also that he was not a politician - was orchestrated by the military hegemony of the then incumbent head of state, General Abdusalami Abubakar, as part of the grand plan to pacify the southwest zone for the death of Chief MKO Abiola in the custody of the federal government with his June 12, 1993 presidential mandate.

The three parties - PDP, AD and All People’s

PERSPECTIVE

under Ali’s national chairmanship of the PDP, Party (APP), which formed an alliance with the AD except two things: the political empowerment for the presidential election, all presented Yoruba of his wife, Maryam, with appointment(s) and presidential candidates. AD/APP alliance presented the failed third term agenda of Obasanjo. Yet, Chief Olu Falae with the late Umaru Shinkafi as at a symposium in Abeokuta to mark his 80th running mate. The decision to produce Obasanjo, birthday, Obasanjo, in his moment of hubris, told as PDP’s candidate, was deliberately guided to journalists that the exit of himself and Ali from further the influence of the military in democratic the PDP marked the beginning of the sinking of governance. the party.

The decision had the imprimatur of the troika Respectfully, that was not the correct posiof former military president, General Ibrahim tion. The PDP actually began to sink during Babangida, former chief of army staff who later Obasanjo’s presidency. The party was buckling became minister of defence in Obasanjo’s governunder his leadership as he virtually privatised ment, General Theophilus Yakubu Danjuma and it. Those who knew how to run party were not former chief of army staff who served as national allowed to call on their experience in the second security adviser in Obasanjo’s government and later and third republics and thus the party was in Goodluck Jonathan’s administration, General denied of abundant savvy within. He denied Aliyu Gusau. The troika largely funded Obasanjo’s the party the integrity capital and the party election, even though sundry funding and support administration capacity of third republic senator, came from other sources. the late S.B. Awoniyi, the Sardauna Keremi and I remember that immediately Obasanjo, who former chair of Arewa Consultative Forum did not know how the PDP was formed, who did (ACF). not have money to spend on the election, became Obasanjo succeeded in subjugating the party, president on May 29, 1999, he decided to run the intimidating the National Assembly and browPDP his own way. In the November 19 and 20, beating influential leaders of the government and 2000 national convention of the party, he ensured that the popular candidate - Chief S.B. Awoniyi - was party. He became the emperor and the lord of the manor. He deployed the anti-graft agencies rigged out at the Eagle Square. He purportedly to harass political opponents within and outside deployed state machinery to impose his candidate the PDP. But for the entire nation, he would Barnabas Gemade - as chairman of the party. have pushed through his third term agenda.

When Gemade was perceived to be too close to And because of the failure of the project, some the state governors and was no longer trusted to prominent politicians had their plans for higher support him completely, Obasanjo replaced him offices within the PDP truncated. It was a case with Audu Ogbeh and when Ogbeh outplayed his of “you stopped me; I stopped you.” hands and seemed to be gravitating towards vice Indeed, what is seen as the sinking of the PDP president Atiku Abubakar in opposing the hijack

by Obasanjo is really not the apt interpretation of the party by the president, he (Ogbeh) who had of what is happening to the party. The PDP condemned the failed plot by Chris Uba to kidnap is just passing through a phase, even though and force Chris Ngige to resign as governor of Anambra, bit the bullet that torpedoed him from the people like former national secretary of the party, Vincent Ogbulafor and one or two other leaders, chair of the party. He was forced to resign. had predicted that the PDP would rule Nigeria Then entered Obasanjo’s man Friday: Senator for unbroken 60 years. Its rule was, however, Ahmadu Ali - a retired army colonel - with whom terminated after 16 years! Now, the destination Obasanjo plotted unsuccessfully to push through his the PDP is headed may not be clear, but there third term agenda. Remember Ali was Obasanjo’s federal commissioner of education under whom the ––Mr Ojeifo, journalist and publisher, famous “Ali-must-go” students’ riot that paralysed sent this piece via ojwonderngr@yahoo. com educational activities in higher institutions took place in 1978.

(See concluding part on www.thisdaylive.com) I cannot remember anything that was unique

Understanding Enugu’s Silent Agricultural Revolution

Laurence Ani

A

t a recent conference for government spokespersons inAbuja, one of the speakers made a point suggesting that infrastructural expenditure has been implemented at a pace disproportionate to investment in intangible resources such as agriculture, education and healthcare. The reason for this, he said, is not far-fetched. Building roads or fixing collapsed ones, for example, yield outcomes that are instant whereas the results arising from agricultural investments are not immediately discernible.

While there may seem to be an excessive focus on roads rehabilitation the reason is not essentially narcissistic or driven by the desire for public acclamation. The truth is there is a yawning infrastructure deficit across the federation that even sustained rounds of extensive roads rehabilitation are often barely sufficient interventions. This is particularly so with governors increasingly taking on the task of fixing federal roads albeit without due refund from the federal government, as has occurred in Enugu State where the government has yet to be reimbursed for the over N25b spent on FG roads.

But it has to be conceded though that the sheer physicality of road infrastructure and the attendant fizz they create tend to obscure developments in equally critical areas of need. And when the state’s helmsman has a self-effacing inclination as is the case in Enugu, there is an even greater likelihood that achievements in those areas will be under the public radar. We can actually situate in the foregoing the reason why the revolution Governor Ifeanyi Ugwuanyi has wrought in the agricultural sector has remained a silent one.

Besides coal, Enugu was noted for rice cultivation with communities such as Ugbawka and Adani, in Nkanu East and Uzo Uwani local government areas respectively, attaining fame that drew thousands from distant locations to their weekly markets. It was this prevalence that gave rise to the establishing of Adarice which enriched families and state coffers in its heyday. But rice cultivation would eventually experience the fate suffered by virtually every vital crop as oil began its ascendant climb in our lives. In a blip, the halcyon days of rice cultivation were over. Vast tracts of farmlands that once bore rice paddies lay abandoned as farming increasingly seemed like a halfhearted pastime.

Worse still, the fortune of the once flourishing Adarice experienced a swift plunge down the cliff, thus becoming another victim of Nigeria’s oil boom years.

The end of the boom however brought a rude awakening as it soon emerged that the earnings from the commodity’s sale were

barely sufficient to run the affairs of state across the federation. It was a dawning reality aptly captured by the Enugu State governor, Rt. Hon. Ifeanyi Ugwuanyi, at his budget presentation to the state’s legislators on December 23, 2016: “Since 2015, the revenueaccruing to the state from the Federation Account has been on decline and the need to increase our internally-generated revenue cannot be overemphasized.

The state is working hard to grow our internally-generated revenue up to 50 percent of our total revenue.”

The governor had earlier echoed such pragmatism in his inaugural speech. “I believe that this is another great opportunity for Enugu State and Nigeria to look inwards and harness those potential, which free oil money, has blinded us from exploiting,” he said in reference to the declining monthly disbursement. “It is an opportunity to live to our full potential and leave the feeding bottles of the federalism syndrome.”

Looking inwards meant reviving those economic activities which petrodollars had pushed to the background. The declaration to look inwards wasn’t mere platitudes; Ugwuanyi expressly matched rhetoric with action. He has since his inauguration done a lot to create an investor-friendly climate in the state which have consistently yielded positive results as evident in Enugu State’s impressive performance on several socio-economic index. The Enugu State Investment Summit held in April 2016 is a project consistent with the desire to earn the private sector’s confidence and showcase the state’s potential as a blossoming investors’ haven.

The planned privatization of Adarice and 16 other state-owned corporations is also a consequence of the determination to grow Enugu’s economy substantially and make it less reliant on the depleting federal lifeline. A major beneficiary of this renewed commitment to vigorously exploit the state’s economic strengths has been agribusiness. The result, not surprisingly, has been most telling in rice production.

As one of the leading rice producers in Nigeria, Enugu State has recorded a steady output increase. From a yield of 1.5t/ha rice output has grown to an impressive 4t/ha - 5.6t/ha. Last year, over 600,000 hectares were cultivated resulting in the estimated total production of 1,800,000mt.

These promising indices in rice cultivation have earned Enugu State a Staple Crops Processing Zone status, a project conceived by the African Development Bank in collaboration with the federal government to support states with huge potential in staple crops’ production and which has paid the Programme’s requisite counterpart fund. This is in addition to the construction of six Centre Pivot Irrigation systems in some communities to enable rice farmers to cultivate the crop twice or thrice in a year, and procurement of 20 tractors leased out to

grassroots farmers at knockdown rate.

The government has also launched the Agricultural Feeder Roads projects totaling 46.89 kilometres in 12 communities across the three senatorial zones where rice is grown, a point that further highlights the inextricable link between the state of roads and the economic condition of farmers.

The benefits that investments in agribusiness yield may to a large degree be gleaned mostly via the minute details of economic indicators especially at the early stage. But the results soon become apparent as in the incremental rise in the production of rice, pineapple and cashew nuts resulting from the revival and expansion of Adani Irrigation Scheme. Although minute, in contrast to the concrete tangibility of roads, the value of such growth is hugely significant in economic terms. For instance, while the additional jobs created by the Enugu State government’s investments in agriculture may seem like mere statistical details, yet their true economic worth would be appreciated once the multiplier effects are considered.

Nonetheless, a cynical retort such as this might still arise: why is the media not awash then with tales of Enugu’s exploits in agriculture?

The answer is simple: Governor Ugwuanyi’s commitment towards making agriculture a mainstay in the state’s pursuit to diversify its economy is not driven by the search for validation.

It is a matter of conviction. Besides, the most impactful policies are not necessarily those that created the biggest buzz, but those birthed by deep thinking conceived away from the intrusive distractions of the limelight. A policy’s strength is usually in the results it generates.

Anyone still in doubt only has to look at the irony in Enugu’s consistency - along with just a few other states - in meeting its statutory obligations (workers’ salaries, pensions, etc) even though it ranks among the least recipients of federation account’s allocation.

Happily, soon the benefits of the silent agricultural revolution will be apparent both statistically and in a concrete sense. And the applause then - like the many confounding economic feats recorded against the odds - will stir an applause more resounding than there would otherwise be had there been an undue publicity.

As the state savours the many logic-defying records notched on various developmental scores, its unassuming governor deserves all the plaudits as he turns 53 on March 20. For him, the words that easily come to mind is the title of an essay written decades ago by the venerable Chinua Achebe - “It’s morning yet on creation day”.

––Ani, formerly Editor of Saturday ThisDay and later Saturday Telegraph, is Senior Special Assistant on Research and Communication to the Enugu State Governor. He could be followed on Twitter@AniLaurence.

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T H I S D AY SUNDAY MARCH 19, 2017

79

T H I S D AY, T H E S U N D AY N E W S PA P E R ˾ MARCH 19, 2017

GAVEL TO GAVEL Ibrahim Magu: The Last Straw?

Edited by Vincent Obia Email vincent.obia@thisdaylive.com

Davidson Iriekpen and Damilola Oyedele write that the Department of State Security report and Ibrahim Magu’s unimpressive appearance before the Senate conspired to deny him confirmation for the EFCC chairmanship job

T

he rejection of Ibrahim Magu as substantive Chairman of the Economic and Financial Crimes Commission (EFCC) following his screening by the Senate last week, is a case of being twice unlucky. But beyond speculations that his fate was already decided before the screening, it is necessary to critically examine the factors that worked against the Borno born policeman.

The bid for Magu’s confirmation had suffered setbacks in the upper legislative chamber, even though he had been functioning in acting capacity since 2015. The letter seeking his confirmation was first transmitted by then Vice President Yemi Osinbajo, as Acting President, on June 17, 2016. It was however not read on the floor of the Senate until July 14, 2016 by Senate President Bukola Saraki.

Five months after, the Senate declined to confirm him based on a damning security report from the Department of State Services (DSS), which indicted Magu of corruption, accused him of sabotage and leading a double life.

Following the Senate’s rejection of his nomination based on DSS’ indictment, the president had directed the Attorney-General of the Federation and Minister of Justice, Mr. Abubakar Malami (SAN), to investigate the allegations against him.

President Muhammadu Buhari in a letter dated January 22, 2017, to the Senate, had however renominated Magu, seeking his confirmation, as he had been cleared of wrongdoing.

A second chance Magu finally got his day, when on March 15, 2017, he was screened by the Senate, during which he fielded questions from the lawmakers for almost two hours. Retiring to the committee of the whole, the Senate voted to reject his nomination, and urged President Buhari to nominate another candidate, and that Magu should cease to act as EFCC boss.

But could the Senate had confirmed a nominee of the President so discredited by the same presidency through a damning DSS report? Many believe that even though the allegations were weighty, Magu had the floor for about two hours to debunk those allegations, which he failed to do convincingly.

Admittedly, the Assistant Commissioner of Police was not on a talk show, or trying to win an award for good speech, but that Magu himself did not seem prepared for the screening was obvious.

First, when asked to defend himself against the allegations in the report, he responded that he did not know he would be asked to do so, else he would have come with copies of the report. He should be more surprised than any other person if the report was not raised, that is even if the DSS had written another report exonerating him. He again said he did not want to respond to the allegations publicly, to avoid bad relationship with a sister agency. Here, the nominee completely missed the point and a great opportunity to disabuse the minds of Nigerians about the question of his integrity . Granted that addressing the allegations adequately with available evidence may not have ensured his confirmation, but if anything, he got a rare chance to defend himself and clear his name publicly, on live television. The view is that Magu ought to have prepared clear and concise answers to each allegation and his handlers ought to have grilled him properly before his appearance.

Another opportunity Magu missed was to give account of his stewardship in the hallowed chamber and before the people’s representatives by reeling out figures of recoveries and convictions secured since his assumption of office in acting capacity. He should have expected questions on how much had been recovered so far. To be unable to respond to that question showed his level of unpreparedness. The least he could have done was to have provide figures of recoveries for a given period, at least.

Perhaps one of the biggest goofs was when he responded to the query on how Certificates of Occupancy seized from an individual were found in the market. Unconfirmed reports alleged that the documents belong to a former governor, raising eyebrows on how such documents in a high profile case were not properly secured.

“On the case with the stolen C-of-Os, it is not everything that is done in the EFCC I have knowledge of. The EFCC is too big, if not now, I didn’t know there was a case pending against EFCC staff in police station. But I will now go back and investigate it and give you a feedback after

Magu arriving the National Aseembly complex for his confirmation screening at the Senate

my investigation,” he had said.

In using the words ‘too big’, Magu presented a picture of a CEO who is unaware of the goings-on in his organisation. Truly no one knows everything in his agency , but to so present during an interview for a job, is to say “I am too small to handle this.”

For those who witnessed the Magu screening in the senate, it was not the DSS report that mattered but how he responded to the allegations. One of the reasons his confirmation failed was because of his lackluster performance in answering questions and his inability to convincingly debunk the 14-point allegations raised in the DSS report. Magu did not provide clear answers to the questions and claimed ignorance of some of the allegations bordering on corrupt practices against the EFCC What next?

While the Senate has asked that Magu should cease to be the acting chairman of the commission and that a new name be sent for screening, some civil liberties organisations and Nigerians have urged the President to re-nominate him for confirmation. But analysts have asked some critical questions. What report would the Senate consider, should he be renominated, particularly as the DSS has stood by its initial report? Is it possible for the Senate to ignore the report, so publicised? What would Nigerians say if the Senate had ignored the DSS report, and confirmed him? Can the DSS reverse itself, and give Magu a clean bill of health?

What would that say about the credibility of the secret police, which Magu himself has publicly questioned?

Perhaps, Nigerians should look more to the presidency for answers to the intrigues, even though some have argued that the Senate simply found the DSS report as a convenient excuse to stop his confirmation. The DSS is an agency of the same government that nominated Magu for the EFCC job. The heads of both agencies are appointees of the President. There are still more posers begging for answers: Was a second report clearing him for the job actually issued? Where is the report? Is the President deliberately ignoring the DSS report? Where is the report of the Attorney General of the Federation in this saga? Why did

the President re-nominate him, if he was indicted in the DSS report? Is it a signal that the President may not be fully aware of what is going on in his government? Or is the inter-agency rivalry so bad that the President’s wishes are willfully ignored?

The DSS report that put Magu’s fate in the balance The report, which the DSS made reference to in its March 14, 2017 letter, reads in part: “In August 2008, following a search at his residence during the tenure of Farida WAZIRI (AIG/Rtd) as the commission’s chairman, some sensitive EFCC documents which were not supposed to be at his disposal were discovered. He was subsequently redeployed to the police after days of detention and later suspended from the Force. In December 2010, the Police Service Commission found Magu guilty of “Action prejudicial to state security, withholding of EFCC files, sabotage, unauthorised removal of EFCC files and acts unbecoming of a Police officer,” and awarded him severe reprimand as punishment.”

“Notwithstanding, sequel to the appointment of Ibrahim Lamorde as Chairman of the EFCC in 2011, he made the return of Magu to the EFCC a top priority. Both men had worked together at the commission when Lamorde served as Head of Operations of the agency. Magu remained a top official of the commission until he was appointed to succeed Lamorde.”

“Magu is currently occupying a residence rented for N40m, at N20m per annum. This accommodation was not paid for from the commission’s finances but by one Umar Mohammed (Air Commodore/Rtd), a questionable businessman and ally of subject who has subsequently been arrested by this service. For the furnishing of the residence, Mohammed enlisted the Federal Capital Development Authority to award a contract to Africa Energy, a company owned by the same Mohammed to lavishly furnish the residence at the cost of N43m.”

“Investigations show that the Acting EFCC Chairman regularly embarks on official and private trips through a private carrier, Easyjet, owned by Mohammed. In one of such trips, Magu flew to

Maiduguri, alongside Mohammed and the MD of Fidelity Bank, Nnamdi Okonkwo, who was being investigated by the commission over complicity in funds allegedly stolen by the immediate past Petroleum Minister, DiezaniAlison-Madueke” “Furthermore, the EFCC boss has so far maintained a high profile lifestyle. This is exemplified by his preference for First Class air travels. On 24th June, 2016, he flew Emirate Airlines’ First Class to Saudi Arabia to perform the Lesser Hajj at the cost of N2,990,196. This is in spite of Mr. President’s directive to all public servants to fly Economy Class.”

“Investigation also revealed that Magu parades a twin personality. At one level, he is the czar who has no friends, no favourites and is ready to fight corruption to a standstill. However, with a key friend in the person of Umar Mohammed (Air Commodore/Rtd), a controversial businessman, he has betrayed the confidence reposed in him by the present administration.

Whereas Magu portrays himself as very secretive, he has fostered a mutually beneficial relationship with Mohammed who, by his confession, approaches ‘clients’ for possible exploitation, favours and associated returns. This was facilitated with official secrets divulged by Magu and from which dealings he is believed to have been drawing considerable benefits.”

“This was evidenced by the number of official and classified documents he made available to his associates, especially Mohammed. After a search of Mohammed’s premises, a forged letter of the Office of the Vice President, dated 20th May, 2016, was recovered. The letter was a fictitious investigation report from Vice President to Mr. President, requesting for approval to commence further probe into a matter allegedly involving Hon. Minister of State Petroleum. Attached to the letter were two EFCC letters dated 13th April, 2016, and another 24th March, 2016, addressed to the Vice President being investigation reports on the activities of Emmanuel Kachikwu and his brother Dumebi Kachikwu. Similarly recovered during the search were information on assets and personal details of Kachikwu.” (see concluding part on www.thisdaylive.com)

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MARCH 19, 2017 ˾ THISDAY, THE SUNDAY NEWSPAPER

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LIFEAFTERPOWER Gbenga Daniel

I’m Back to My Engineering Work

Daniel

The appointment for an interview with Otunba Gbenga Daniel, former governor of Ogun State, came with so much ease. He had given the options of venue – Lagos or Sagamu? Of course, Lagos, was our natural choice for convenience. But we ended up in Sagamu, owing largely to the former governor’s tight schedule.

As at the time he threw open the options, he was not clear yet what his itinerary looked like. He however realized late that Sagamu was his best bet, if he must attend to other commitments immediately he was done with us. Driving through the Lagos Ibadan expressway, which is currently undergoing reconstruction, was not a bad experience after all, at least, to Sagamu, our destination. In spite of the ongoing works on the 127.6-kilometre stretch of road, which has recorded significant progress, the THISDAY team made it at a record time as we arrived at his residence, the Asoludero Court, a few minutes past 10am for an 11am appointment last Wednesday. Otunba Daniel had just arrived at his office located in the precincts of his home. With us was Mr. Femi Davies (his aide while he was governor), who facilitated the interview. While ushering us into his moderate office, Daniel could not help but expressed surprise that the THISDAY team made it quite earlier than scheduled. As he settled down to field questions from THISDAY team, Olawale Olaleye and Anayo Okolie, Daniel asked: “So, why are you looking for me?” And on that note, the interview commenced as the former governor spoke on Life After Power. Unlike a majority of politicians without a second address, the cerebral and thoughtful Daniel said he had since returned to his first calling as an engineer. He took as many questions as he was asked and on different issues, including family, his days in office and after, the politics of his succession battle, the state of PDP, how he met Senator Buruju Kashamu and the future of the country, amongst other interesting issues. Excerpts:

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Y

ou have been out of power for six years now, how has life treated you?

Well, my father taught me that in all things we always must remain grateful â&#x20AC;&#x201C; when you look at what has happened to a few people.

Not too long ago, we lost one of our colleagues, a former governor of Niger State (Abdulkadir Kure). Things are happening on a daily basis, and if one is alive and healthy, I think the most important thing is to give thanks to God. So, I am happy and I thank God for His mercies over my life.

As governor, what was life like?

Quite hectic â&#x20AC;&#x201C; a lot of pressure! As governor, to a large extent, you arenâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;t even yourself. You become like a piece of equipment that is being programmed by the system. You must attend to this, must accept this courtesy, must visit that person, you must respond to this, you must provide solution here and on a daily basis. Itâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s like being on the run. That is really how it was. For us in Ogun State it was quite challenging, because we had set milestones for our administration.

On our own volition, we created what we called â&#x20AC;&#x153;Contract with the Peopleâ&#x20AC;?. Not that anybody signed to that, we told the people that this is what we will do, so it is like a contract and we therefore felt the urge which propelled us to make sure that each and everything in that document was achieved. After that, the second year, we psyched ourselves once again when we created what we called the â&#x20AC;&#x153;Agenda for a Secured Futureâ&#x20AC;?.

Itâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s also a document which clearly states those things that we wanted to do as we left office. That really was like our Bible; itâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s something that if we didnâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;t do it, itâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s like we have failed and I am particularly happy, though we didnâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;t score 100%, to a large extent we did what we had to do.

How did you cope handling the responsibilities of your office as governor and striking a balance on the home front?

Well, a few things happened and I had to relocate my children abroad. Ordinarily, probably because of my own background, the way we were brought up is that first and foremost, you must school here in Nigeria, at least secondary education and first degree. After that, you have already acclimatized; youâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;ve established your old boysâ&#x20AC;&#x2122; relations, you can then go abroad for your masters or PhD, and that is what I actually desired for my children and that was exactly what was happening until I became governor.

A few ugly things happened after I became governor â&#x20AC;&#x201C; a few people were harassing and taunting them and it was clear that they werenâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;t having a good time. I had to therefore reluctantly ferry them away. That really was what happened. But theyâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;ve finished studies now and they are coming back. To that extent I think I lost about eight years, but I thank God that they didnâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;t go haywire. They are well behaved, and what I lost at that time I am trying to get it back.

So like Chief Osoba said, you also failed here?

I wouldnâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;t put it in those words, but I think one would have done better. The only luck that I had is that, while it lasted they didnâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;t go haywire â&#x20AC;&#x201C; all of them without exception. They donâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;t drink; they donâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;t do those things as children of the well-to-do people do. They are very well behaved and respectful children.

Of course, I must thank my wife; she did quite a lot while I was busy.

During your administration, governors were seen as very powerful so to speak. How would you describe your style as governor then and the type of governors we have now?

I completely disagree with you, if I look at my own perspective.

In fact, what I used to tell myself these days is that, I didnâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;t actually use power. I didnâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;t even know how powerful the position of a governor was and that is the fact. The first thing I did when I became governor was to cut the title executive and I thought that constitutionally, the governor is the officer responsible, to now add executive is like putting it in overdrive and I felt that part of what happened in the past was that governors were not relating well with the governed and there was really a gap.

Part of what I did as governor, was to completely close that gap, and I think everybody agrees that part of my weakness or strength was that you can easily reach me when I was governor. I will converse with you, send me a text message and Iâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;ll respond, even market women, youâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;ll send me a text and I would respond.

Whatever it is, I sorted a lot of problems out.

I remember that in Ijebu Ode, the old Ondo Road was very bad and I tried to dualise that road and there was one house whose landlord felt the dualization would get too close to his fence. He brought up legal documents stating that he built his fence within the stipulated meters from the road and as such I had no right to subject him to any form of harassment. I was there in person and he engaged me in a hot argument, and I had to plead with him, explaining to him that the road is quite busy (the road that leads to Ilese College of Health Technology), that I just had to extend the road and that he should please overlook whatever.

He insisted that he was going to make his claims, I then told him to do so and that when we get to that river we will cross it.

That was what we did and when you compare it with what we have today, hey, what are you talking about? So, I didnâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;t use those powers then, we didnâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;t even know that such powers existed. I thought that as governor, I was servant of the people and I had to look after their welfare â&#x20AC;&#x201C; all of them.

So when you say we are powerful, maybe you are looking

Daniel at powerful from the amount of work we did. Everywhere we intervened, because everything was related to the other and we conceptualized a state that was not very active for no good reason and we felt that there could be a lot more we could do with the state. We had no time, every department that was sleeping.

We woke them up, new ones we created, and employment we multiplied so that the thing was just going. I think that was what probably some of you saw and felt that the government was powerful. I wouldnâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;t say that I was powerful.

Still, you were a colossus as governor and coming from that sphere, one is unable to put together why your party lost in 2011. What really happened?

Oh, that is very simple. That is the simplest thing to stream together. Most of the time, our people donâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;t know how to measure success and a lot of time, peopleâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s perception of the factors of success are not very clear. Quite a number of times, people ascribe things that they donâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;t have to themselves. That really is the summary. You can now analyse it whichever way you want. It took me time to appreciate it, after I left office, and without sounding immodest, things started happening and people started taking things for granted. Iâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;ll give you a typical example: when we came, we met the state of roads in Ogun State, my predecessor tried his best but he was using the easy model.

The easy model is simply letsâ&#x20AC;&#x2122; find money, award the contracts to a good company and hope that they will deliver. The fact of the case is that there is just not enough money to do the amount of roads that are begging for attention and the reason why there will never be enough money is the rate at which those contractors do the roads. The dilemma for my administration at the beginning was therefore, if I now say I am going to wait, because I was determined to multiply employment even in the public service which I doubled, that means instantly my salary bills has doubled.

Now with that doubled salary bill, I have nothing else to do, so the easiest thing for me to do is pick. If I picked to increase employment then I will do nothing, that was all I had. Then I said no, weâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;ll have to do this unemployment. Now, we must also do the roads, so how do we start? You will be shocked that we went into the ministry of works, gathered all the engineers and challenged them to start patching the roads. From there, they now see that they can also do the roads and they started to call for proposals and were giving me a fraction of what it will cost by contracts.

Okay, they donâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;t have equipment, then in the course of my tour, I would just see on the road, one tractor and upon asking for its owner, they will tell me it belongs to Ogun State agro

You know that my first job is engineering, that is where I have actually excelled before venturing into politics. After my tenure, I then quietly went back to what I knew how to do best, so I have been pulling my weight, developing my companyâ&#x20AC;&#x153;Crystal Laurel

something and so on. So, at the end, I went round the state and I was picking equipment. I now created a yard, in fact itâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s the works yard in Sagamu here, and I ordered that all the equipment be gathered there and it was done. And so, before you know what was happening, we had equipment on the road, and we now deployed the equipment to do some of those roads. Thatâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s what we did, so when you look at the chain reaction of even that alone, you can see instantly what went on: mechanics were getting jobs, locals were doing things and the economy picked up.

We had not even spent money.

Contrary to the normal model we have in our country today, the easiest thing to do is to say I want to award contract, so sign contract and I see people celebrating contract signed.

Weâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;ve signed contracts in billions and therefore what is there to celebrate? What we have to celebrate is how we have been able to squeeze water out of stone. So, if I am able to pick engineers, who have been idle for 20 to 30 years, and they have been going around carrying files, and I was able to go round gather equipment, string them together and get them to start to do the roads; that is what we should celebrate.

People do say that the roads are not durable, fair enough. The fact remains that when we do the ones that are not durable today, tomorrow those people will do the ones that are durable, because we are transferring knowhow and that was precisely what happened. I keep laughing when people say that the roads are not durable, the one that was dualised right from here (Sagamu) to Abeokuta, it was done by OGROMA â&#x20AC;&#x201C; 56km of road â&#x20AC;&#x201C; we did it in record time, less than two years, it was ready for the gateway games which we hosted in 2006 and we did it at about 15% of the cost of Julius Berger and it is still there till today.

I am going to ply it tomorrow, and we street light everything.

So these are the challenges we have; it is not an Ogun State matter it is a national problem. These days I laugh when people celebrate and say, weâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;ve done flyover. I am an engineer, what is flyover? Steel, stone, cement, water and labour that is a flyover; it is not gold, and people begin to celebrate. Flyovers are even not necessary except you are in the urban centre, where you have really seen traffic challenge and there is a problem of how to get out of the gridlock, so rather than begin to create flyovers in a place flyovers are not needed; you should move and expand the town.

In civilized organisations, people who are living in areas of flyovers say that there is too much pollution, because of the CO2 and they are moving away. We have a problem in our country, because people who should know but because of the circumstance will continue to support mediocrity. Now it is about how tall is your building, how many of the bridges did you build in your own time; itâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s not about that in my own time. What happens to educational qualifications and records? What happens to our health (mortality factor, how much of AIDs have you eradicated)? It is no longer about that. I think it is just a question of the level of enlightenment of our people. That really is what I see as the major problem.

Looking back, have you any regrets?

No regrets whatsoever, not because I donâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;t feel shortchanged, of course my post-service years are not exciting. I have no business by being tried by EFCC for doing nothing. That is a political side of it. I am sure that quite a number of people who thought that there was something are now beginning to see in view of the recent revelations that there is nothing, hence they are now saying why are you holding this person. Anyway, I canâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;t comment too much on that because itâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s already in the court of law. Basically that was the downside, so I said to myself that is the downside (personal), but what has happened to the generality of the people of Ogun State?

I think they have become a lot better. More people have

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LIFEAFTERPOWER t * . #"$, 50 .: &/(*/&&3*/( 803, t Continued from Page 82 become educated, more have been enriched as a result of the way we opened the system; the confidence of the people have come back. Now, what has happened to the IGR of the State? I am told it is now probably second to Lagos. Quite a lot of foundation we’ve built and openings we’ve done are now yielding results. Somebody is taking the glory, no problem, but even in their own hearts of heart they know precisely, though they will not admit.

But when you look at it globally, I think what is important in life is not what happens to you, it is the landmarks you leave in the people and that is what keeps me going. Everywhere I go I get people who introduce themselves saying you’ve done A,B,C,D for me or my father, you don’t know me but you’ve done it and we are grateful. That really satisfies me.

Is this harassment by some agencies of government why you have been quiet for some time?

No, the fact of the case is that I believe in the culture of governance: you have been at the saddle for eight years after which somebody else has now taken over. It is for me like a relay race, so you run your bit and hand over your baton.

Once you hand over the baton, you stop or at least step aside and watch what he is doing. You can watch passively or actively as you like it, but the focus should be on that person and there is no point contesting for attention with somebody who is holding the baton.

He holds the baton for a while, hands over and then the focus changes to the person with the baton. That’s really the way I have looked at it. I’ve not shied away from doing what I have to do. If you were here yesterday, you will be shocked, because it was a full house – delegation from the whole South-west and that was why I pushed you till today. I’ve been quite busy. I am going to site as you can see, I am dressed. I’m back to my engineering.

What’s your concern about the state of the nation, especially the state of the political parties; are you concerned that the PDP is now in total mess and do you think it can survive this very phase?

There are so many things the PDP did wrong.

I don’t want to be personal, but it is on record that the PDP government we ran in Ogun State was more or else a model government. We virtually controlled the state – all the elective offices we won we did not rig them, virtually all were taken to court and Ogun State was the only state where no election was reversed and no rerun was ordered at any level. A former deputy governor of Ogun State was here yesterday, you need to hear what he had to say.

He said “we took over from this guy, and he worked, forget about what we say politically”, and I said “why don’t you go tell that to the media?” We not only practiced democracy as best as we could, we did everything that was possible to turn around the state. Of course, quite naturally, you don’t expect the people we took over from to fold their hands. The predecessor that I took over from was a very strong man.

In fact, when you say it that I was a powerful governor, I think it is coming directly from the fact that I was able to defeat him in an election.

Everybody agreed that he was an infallible strong politician, so who the hell is this OGD trying to challenge him? He is going to meet his waterloo and so on.

The media didn’t help. Their position was clear as they saw the chances for my emergence as an uphill task, so we turned that around. I think this greatness of power that you are talking about stems from that. But it was also not lost on us, because we were taking over from a strong administration that the only thing that we had to do was to do our job well, so we went all out to also ensure that we ran a good government. We are supposed to be the poster boy of the party, but regrettably when those forces got involved in what we were doing (the forces of destabilisation), the party was not there, they looked at it as a local crisis in Ogun State.

Between you and me, the PDP crisis today started in Ogun State, and I was at the centre of it all. But for various reasons, everybody wanted to fight a different battle and people took different positions, so what happened in Ogun State was precisely what was exported to the national. So, it is a cancer that started growing from here, and the people who were supposed to apply what they needed to apply looked the other way, for whatever reason.

We are still not out of the woods yet because

that cancer has not been ostracised, that precisely is the situation with PDP. I am particularly concerned because we are heading towards a one-party state, and you can’t blame people who are migrating. It is good to say they are without principle but again Nigeria is all about survival.

Some of us who decided to stay put, what have we benefitted? At the end of the day, everybody is looking for survival and if you take the wrong step, your family will ask you questions: where were you that you allowed this sort of thing to happen to you?

That again boils down to the level of poverty and illiteracy in this country. So, for me, yes it is okay, we all want to be principled; but let’s look at our model; all the people who tried to be principled what did we Nigerians do with them? What did we do with Awolowo? It’s only after his death that you are now singing his praise. When he was there, his greatest challenge was from his backyard, Ikene, and after he is gone, he now becomes the best president they never had. What does that now translate to?

It has been like this, and that is why some people keep saying is it that our country is cursed? Is it a natural phenomenon? Is it that our colonial masters programmed it this way? There is something fundamentally wrong. So, when you cast blame on people who are acting out of principle, it is to some extent; but when you look at it, nobody wants to be a Ken Saro-wiwa. At the end of the day, if you don’t care about your own life, what of the people you brought to the world?

So those are the challenges that we had, I only pray that the country does not become a one party state because it is also good to have options and alternatives, but the calamity we have today is that the composition of PDP is not primed to play opposition; they are people who have been programmed to be in government – forces of the status quo; they don’t know how to go into the trenches; they don’t know how to organise battles; they don’t know how to organise opposition; they don’t know how to organise media.

All the instruments of propaganda are not in their hands and they don’t know how to create.

So, this role reversal that has happened is a big challenge in our country, because the people who know how to oppose are now in government and that is why even in government they are still campaigning. Whereas the people in opposition don’t know how to play opposition; they think they are still in government. So, that is the confusion we have in the country today, but I guess at the right time everybody will take his rightful position.

So you are hopeful this phase will pass?

What I know will happen, is that the diversity of this country called Nigeria cannot sustain a one-party state for too long. So, if PDP does not get its act together, another force will come, maybe there will now be two or three forces but that is inevitable. And when you also look at the Nigerian history, it has always been about three regions with three major political parties: NPC,

NCNC and AG. So if we are not careful, that is probably where we are going to head to because for the first time in the recent history of this country, everybody is now talking about regionalism. And if we are not careful, that probably is going to be our strategic direction. We are going to have three parties – each one strong in a particular region. That is what I think may happen if we go on like this.

What’s your take on the early release of election timetable by INEC? Oh, that is a good one. I am particularly excited that they are putting everybody on notice, although it means, without necessarily saying so, they are kick-starting campaigns on a very high level because everybody is now conscious that in less than two years, there is going to be an election. So, the thing is going to enter the next gear very quickly.

shortcuts. I still insist that heaven will not fall if Nigeria bans importation of certain food items, and then the money that we conserve from that we can now use it to import technologies that we don’t have here, not tooth picks.

What’s your position as succession battle takes off in Ogun?

My position today is very simple. I have looked at all the combatants, for me as a person, I don’t believe that I can be in a worst situation than I am in now in terms of the hostile succession that I got, so this is the worst case scenario for me, and if God can enable me to survive this worst case scenario, whoever is coming, for me, can only be better.

And there is none of them that is coming that is not talking to me directly or indirectly, even the people in the ruling party and my position is may the better person win, the one who will do the right thing for the people of Ogun State.

When the time comes, maybe before the election, if I now become persuaded that this is the way to go, of course, I’ll lead the road and I will lend my weight to that kind of person.

Quite a number of people that are trying to come, from what I have seen are competent.

Ogun State has developed to a large extent, it will be difficult for a nincompoop to take over the administration of the state, so I can see quite a number of intelligent people coming out, making effort, running around and I am very happy and excited about the quality of people that I see. So, Ogun State is going to be very interesting. Between you and me, I am going to stand by whoever I consider the best and there is none of them today that I think cannot do the job that I see.

In another 20 years, where do you see this country in spite of the many challenges it is facing right now?

Things that we need to guide against are the deviant behaviour, which appears to be based to a large extent on religious and ethnic sentiments.

There has always been an ethnic sentiment in our country, but to a very large extent, it has been controlled, especially after the civil war. There has always been some little religious sentiment, which is not strong. But with this radicalism in religion that is coming and we are seeing things that we’ve never seen before, we definitely need to worry and we need to begin to put systems in place that can douse this tension.

My own solution is economic, reason being that I have found out that poverty knows no boundaries and when you look at what is happening today in the polity, you look at the amount of support that the present administration had in Do you still buy the idea of a Yewa the build up to the last election, even from the successor? northern part of the country, it was massive. But if Yes I do, but I am now a realist. Let me use you go and check it today, it is without gainsaying my own as an example, when I decided to that the rating would have dropped, even in the run in 2003 election, the sentiment was that north dramatically. What could be responsible people of Ogun Central had been governor, for that? The religion has not changed, but their the people of Ogun East where I belong had expectations have not been met. These expectabeen governor, so it should naturally be the tions are poverty related, hence economic. turn of the people of Ogun West. But when For me, logically reasoning the solution to our the party looked at all the people that had problem is to tackle the economy, tackle poverty come out they knew that the factor of winning and there are simple straightforward models is not just where you come from, there has to to do all of this, but for reasons that are still not be capacity and sagacity, and I think that was clear to me, we are shying away from where why I won the primaries; and ultimately the the solution is and I will continue to bring Ogun election.

State under my tenure as a case study, because When I was going to leave, I also felt that everybody thought that there was prosperity and if we have been talking about equality, justice that there was so much money in Ogun State, and fairness, we shouldn’t wait for our own simply because we devised a way of ensuring Armageddon locally, for the people of Yewa to that whatever money comes into the state, stayed start carrying guns, so let us therefore concede in the state and that money was being rolled over it to them and that was what I stood for in and everybody was busy. Keep Nigerian money 2011, and again it didn’t work for various in Nigeria and to a large extent, the incidence reasons. Apart from the internal wrangling, of poverty will go down and I think poverty which you know – two people came out from is directly proportional to ethnic and religious Yewa and we were not able to get one of sentiment, that where poverty goes down, those them to agree to step down for the other. things will also go down.

For me they are fundamentals and there are no (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 ˾ MARCH 19, 2017

SUNDAYSPORTS

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

City, Liverpool Clash in ‘Top Four’ Race

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iverpool travel to Manchester City today with Jurgen Klopp’s side looking to maintain their impressive record against teams from the top six this season. The Reds, who currently trail third-placed City by a point, albeit having played a game more than their opponents, have collected 19 points from their nine games against their top-six rivals so far this season.

However, despite that impressive unbeaten record and the fact Pep Guardiola’s team were knocked out of the Champions League last 16 at the hands of Monaco in midweek, Klopp does not think the Reds are favourites to win the Super Sunday clash at the Etihad.

“I don’t think we are the favourites,” Klopp said. “That’s not too bad. We know that we can be difficult to play in games like this, that’s true.

We’ve felt good in these games so far but for me City is the most difficult team to play. It’s real football, difficult to defend.

“We have to be at our best to get anything. If you get a little bit passive they play around you. I am really looking forward to this, it’s a real tactical challenge. It’s an important moment in the season, but I don’t think we should involve this type of pressure. We know that it’s possible to win.

“A lot of teams have failed [against them]. We know what we have to do, if we can do it, I don’t know. But we will try everything. It could be a fantastic game to watch.”

City, meanwhile, will be aiming to extend their own unbeaten run in domestic competitions that stretches back to January 15, and in the process maintain their top-four hopes.

Guardiola, though, says he will not change City’s attacking style for the visit of Liverpool, even though his team threw away a 5-3 first-leg lead to exit Europe’s premier club competition on away goals on Wednesday night.

“At the end we have to try,” he said. “We have to defend better. When we create these kind of

Wenger To Announce Future Plans Soon Arsene Wenger will announce “very soon” whether he will remain at Arsenal after reaching a decision on his future. The Gunners boss was speaking after a 3-1 Premier League loss at West Brom, a fourth league defeat in five matches. The loss increased the pressure on the beleaguered Frenchman and left Arsenal facing the prospect of failing to finish in the top four for the first time since he joined the club in 1996. “I know what I will do,” said Wenger. “You will soon know.”

The 67-year-old continued: “Today I do not necessarily worry about that. We are in a unique bad patch we never had in 20 years.

We lose game after game at the moment and that for me is much more important than my future.” Wenger’s contract expires at the end of the season but he has been offered a new two-year deal.

Wenger

chances the opponents have to sit back. The problem in Monaco was that in the first half we did not create. We can’t play the way we did in the first 45 minutes, that’s why we are out. But over the two legs, I am very happy.

“Most of the goals we conceded were our mistake, it’s happened many times this season and hopefully it will happen less next season.”

City will be missing both Gabriel Jesus and Ilkay Gundogan with long-term injuries, but Guardiola may opt to start with Yaya Toure and Nicolas Otamendi after the duo were only unused substitutes against Monaco. Vincent Kompany is also hoping to earn a recall, despite the City captain - who has made just six appearances all season - having not been risked by Guardiola since overcoming a knee injury.

Liverpool hope Roberto Firmino will be fit for the game after the Brazilian sat out last week’s win over Burnley with a groin injury. The forward returned to training on Friday, although striker Divock Origi is a doubt after missing Thursday’s session.

Defender Dejan Lovren is fully fit after playing 75 minutes for the Under-23s on Monday, but Daniel Sturridge (hip) and Jordan Henderson (foot) are both sidelined.

City have lost five of their last six Premier League meetings with Liverpool (W1). Indeed, Liverpool have won four consecutive league games against City for the first time since 1981 (a run of seven).

City have failed to keep a clean sheet in each of their last 12 games in all competitions against Liverpool, shipping 23 in the process (W2 D4 L6).

Philippe Coutinho has scored more Premier League goals versus City than against any other team (4) in the competition.

Sadio Mane has had a hand in four goals in his last three Premier League appearances against City (three goals, one assist), including a hat-trick for Southampton in May 2016.

SergioAguero has found the back of the net in all

Philippe Coutinho (with the ball) will be pivotal for Liverpool against Fernandiho and Man City

four of his Premier League games versus Liverpool at the Etihad Stadium (four goals).

Aguero has scored 10+ goals in all six of his Premier League seasons. No player has scored 10+ goals in every season they have played in as often as the Argentine - the next highest is Eric Cantona, who scored 10+ goals in all five of his Premier League seasons as a player.

Liverpoolareunbeatenintheirninegamesagainst

sides currently in the top six of the Premier League table this season (W5 D4 L0).

These two sides have averaged the most distance run in the Premier League this season: Liverpool (117.3km per game) and City (114.8km per game).

Jurgen Klopp has won five times against Pep Guardiola in all competitions (including one penalty shootout victory) - this is more than any other manager has collected against the Spaniard.

Madrid Extend La Liga Lead

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eal Madrid extended their lead at the top of La Liga to five points with a narrow win against Athletic Bilbao at the San Mames Stadium yesterday. Second-placed Barcelona, who have played the same amount of games as Real, host Valencia today.

Real, who are chasing their first league title since 2011-12, went ahead through Karim Benzema on 25 minutes. Veteran striker Aritz Aduriz equalised on 65 minutes, before Casemiro scored the winner three minutes later.

Athletic went into the game with the secondbest home record in the league behind Real, and boasting just one defeat all season at the San Mames, which came against Barcelona

in August.

Real weathered some early pressure to take the lead as Cristiano Ronaldo squared for Benzema and the France striker placed a right-footed shot past goalkeeper Kepa Arrizabalaga. The first half was a heated affair with Casemiro, Dani Carvajal and Aduriz all booked.

Athletic almost equalised immediately after the break, as Aduriz sent a header towards the far post and Keylor Navas and Sergio Ramos got in each other’s way, before the defender managed to clear.

The impressive Inaki Williams was Athletic’s best attacker and gave Marcelo a torrid time on the left. The 22-year-old, who has

been linked with Liverpool, forced Navas into a good save from point-blank range on 64 minutes.

Two minutes later, the equaliser came as Raul Garcia headed a cross across the box to 36-year-old Spanish international Aduriz who placed his header past Navas from close range. The lead did not last though, as Real quickly responded from a corner. Toni Kroos’ corner was flicked on by Ronaldo to Casemiro at the far post, who controlled with his chest and then shot from close range to score.

Wales forward Gareth Bale, who returned after a two-match ban, was subdued, with a powerful left-footed shot on 27 minutes his best effort in the match.

Federer, Wawrinka To Contest Indian Wells Final

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ustralian Open champion Roger Federer will face compatriot Stan Wawrinka in an all-Swiss final at Indian Wells. Wawrinka swept past Spain’s Pablo Carreno Busta, the world number 23, 6-3 6-2 in Saturday’s opening semi-final.

Federer, the 18-time Grand Slam singles winner, who has won the event four times, had few problems joining him in the decider. The world number 10 defeated the American world number 18 Jack Sock 6-1 7-6 (7-4). Federer came into the match after his scheduled quarter-final opponent Nick Kyrgios pulled out because of illness, and he was imperious from the start. He needed just 21 minutes to wrap up the first set, with Sock requiring treatment from the trainer midway through it.

Sock made more of a match of it in the second set but Federer always held the advantage and capitalised on some unforced errors from Sock in the tie-break to reach his seventh final in the Californian desert.

Federer

T H I S D AY, T H E S U N D AY N E W S PA P E R Ëž ͯ͡Ë&#x153; Í°ÍŽÍŻÍľ

High Life

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͎͎͜;ʹ͜͜ͳ;ͳͰ

...Amazing lifestyles of Nigeriaâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s rich and famous

Tunde Folawiyoâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s Wife, Reni, Steps out in N11m Gucci Velvet-trimmed Embellished Tiered Silk-Chiffon Gown

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f you canâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;t be elegant, at least be extravagant, many a rich woman would say but Reni Folawiyo, would have none of that.

She would rather be extravagant and stylish in one breath. Interestingly, some women are like sapphire, they glow as the brilliant blue gem thus colouring the world with their craft. Some are sassy as teens and cute as amber studs. Some are like coral clasps - pretty yet disposable. But wait a minute; beneath the glamour, has she any substance? You are wont to wonder. Yes, amidst the glitter, Reni is an emerald cut. Whatever you think of her, there is something inspiring about the wife of a rich guy. Reni, the beautiful wife of multibillionaire businessman and scion of the illustrious Folawiyo family, Tunde Folawiyo, who owns Alara Concept Store, stepped out in eleven million naira (11m) Gucci Velvet -trimmed

Oyin Adeyemi

BLISS GLITTERS IN HEARTâ&#x20AC;Ś ALPHA-WOMAN AND STILLEARTH BOSS, OYIN ADEYEM,I CELEBRATES BIRTHDAY TODAY Like a tsarina of unusual spirit and descent, Princess Oyin Adeyemi, the Group MD of StillEarth Limited, has infinite aces up her sleeves.

Chic, brilliant and fabulous, the proudly African businesswoman manifests imposingly and brilliantly in the international business scene in her spirited dash for fame, industry and honour.

embellished tiered silkchiffon gown. The dress which she wore recently in the company of her husband, Tunde, was $26,000 (N11m that was the dollar rate then).

Hitherto a full-time housewife, but with all the appurtenances of wealth at her beck and call, Reni â&#x20AC;&#x201C; a trained interior decorator â&#x20AC;&#x201C; open the fashion house, Alara.

We donâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;t begrudge her.

She has weathered the storm with Tunde from the days of nothing and now that there is so much, why should she not enjoy herself? If she were a cassowary on the plains of Timbuktu, Reni would flex her wattles like she is the last of the Casuarius breed in the world. Her beauty is like a tightened bow, the type that nobleness makes beautiful as a fire in time of extreme chill. Forget her beauty, being high and refulgent and most affectionate come too easy for the ravishing woman.

As a starry-eyed 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.

There was no limit to her dreams; to foster world peace, she could deliver food and other relief materials to troubled zones or get in the trenches to lay the bricks for the homelessâ&#x20AC;&#x2122; shelter. She could do just about anything.

Left to her, walking the talk and doing her bit is the only comfort and assurance that she truly lives.

She has a fire inside of her that never seems to burn less. It burns brilliantly and true, brightening her pretty face and framing the feline girth that shelters her persona.

Though vaguely rakish in demeanour and often mistaken as strict, Oyin is chummier than often imagined. Cloaked in swathes of attitude and pleasant punch lines masqueraded as sardonic humour, Oyin flaunts that rare spark and spiritedness that most women of her ilk suffer a dearth of. As she adds another year to her

Tunde and Reni Folawiyo

enchanting life today, the pert, blue flame of joy burns through her pretty frame; brightening her world and burnishing her persona with irrepressible shine.

Oyin is beside herself with joy for being privileged to witness yet another glorious addition to her inspiring days. Forget her petite frame; Oyin manages a multibillion Naira construction company successfully.

Oyin glows from the inside out; every brilliant shade of her persona, from her enthralling felinity to her delicate assertiveness, conveys a sphinx-like allure. The woman is a fire starter no doubt; a stunning equivalent of a contemporary superwoman. posh, seductive and intelligent.

A renowned icon of female power on the business realm, Oyin is a star, a pioneer and workhorse with monumental focus.

feels is highly personal and peculiar to him. There is no gainsaying that the Baba Oba of Ile Ife had every cause to celebrate as he clocked 75 last week Monday but he chose to keep his celebration low profile.

Last week Monday, Prince Oluropo Ogunwusi turned 75 but he marked it quietly in his house in Ife. As the father of the reigning Ooni of Ife, His Imperial Majesty, Oba Adeyeye Ogunwusi, many of his peers and

OONI OGUNWUSIâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;S FATHER CELEBRATES 75TH BIRTHDAY QUIETLY

Ëž

Ě&#x201C;

For Prince Oluropo Ogunwusi, life is beautiful and existence itself does not feel horrible. It feels like an ecstasy, rather, which only the Prince can savour the experience. The joy he

Oluropo Ogunwusi

T H I S D AY, T H E S U N D AY N E W S PA P E R Ëž ͯ͡Ë&#x153; Í°ÍŽÍŻÍľ

86

Bliss Invades Bourdillion...As Bola Tinubu Prepares to Become Grandfather Soon

Ëž Ă&#x2DC;Ă&#x2039;Ă&#x17E;Ă&#x201C;Ă&#x2122;Ă&#x2DC;Ă&#x2039;Ă&#x2013; Ă&#x2013;Ă?Ă&#x2039;Ă&#x17D;Ă?Ă&#x153; Ă?âĂ?Ă&#x201C;Ă&#x17E;Ă?Ă&#x17D; Ă&#x2122;Ă Ă?Ă&#x153; Ă&#x17E;Ă&#x2019;Ă? Ă&#x161;Ă&#x153;Ă&#x2122;Ă?Ă&#x161;Ă?Ă?Ă&#x17E;Ă? Ă&#x2122;Ă? Ă&#x161;Ă&#x2013;Ă&#x2039;ĂŁĂ&#x201C;Ă&#x2DC;Ă&#x2018; Ă&#x2018;Ă&#x153;Ă&#x2039;Ă&#x2DC;Ă&#x17D;Ě&#x2039;Ă&#x17D;Ă&#x2039;Ă&#x17D;

A

siwaju Bola Tinubu is in high spirits.

Bliss runs his wily heart amok and pervades his Lagos mansion in Bourdillion, Ikoyi, even as you read.

The two-time Governor of Lagos State and All Progressives Congress (APC) national leader is a happy man. This is because Seyi, one of his sons with his beautiful wife, Layal, are expecting their first child, a baby girl.

Seyi and his bride got engaged in Ghana in November 2015 and had their court wedding and engagement party in Lagos in August 2016. They also had a destination white wedding in Lake Como, Italy. associates thought he would have a grand celebration but Prince Oluropo chose to have a quiet one. The news caught many people unaware because he didnâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;t plan any big party. His plan was to just take gifts to a motherless babiesâ&#x20AC;&#x2122; home and celebrate it with them.

But some of his children and family members who already knew the date showed up to celebrate with him. His children were around. It was an open house. There was the cutting of the cake. His wife prepared food and there was merriment.

No doubt Prince Oluropo had several reasons to celebrate: First, the age, 75, is a landmark age. Second, his fifth child has made him proud by becoming the Ooni of Ife about a year ago. Not only that, from available history, he is the first Baba Oba to witness the Ooniâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s ascension to his forefathersâ&#x20AC;&#x2122; throne.

INTRIGUES AS COMMISSIONER FOR WORKS AND INFRASTRUCTURE, GANIYU JOHNSON, QUITS GOV. AMBODEâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;S TEAM Engr. Ganiyu Johnson, Lagos State Commissioner of Works and Infrastructure, has quit the state cabinet.

He left as the disenchanted knight would the bleak court and patronage of his estranged King. Nobody knows what transpired between Engr. Ganiyu and his principal, Governor Akinwumi Ambode, but everybody knows that Ganiyu, Lagos State

Bola Tinubu

Culture; Dr Dayo Mobereola, the Commissioner for Transportation and Mr Mustafa Abiodun Akinkunmi, the Commissioner for Finance. Since their exit, no replacement has been announced by the governor.

If the information we are getting is anything to go by there is likely to be a cabinet reshuffle very soon. Meaning more commissioners are likely to say goodbye to the cabinet .

A GOVERNORâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;S CROSS...GOV. AJIMOBI SHOPS FOR N400M TO BUILD BEFITTING PALACE FOR OLUBADAN Ëž ËŞ

Ganiyu Johnson

Commissioner of Works and Infrastructure, resigned his appointment in suspicious circumstances. It would be recalled that Engr Ganiyu Johnson has been a long time member of Lagos state cabinet. He was Special Adviser to Governor Babatunde Fashola on Works and Infrastructure for eight years before he was appointed commissioner

by Governor Akinwunmi Ambode. His resignation is the fourth of persons taking leave of Governor Ambodeâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s cabinet. Late last year, when the cabinet turned one, three Commissioners were dropped by the governor. They are Mr Folorunsho Folarin Coker, the Commissioner for

Is there anything to prevent a sensible person from admiring Governor Abiola Ajimobiâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s recent quest to build a befitting palace for the Olubadan of Ibadan, Oba Saliu Adetunji? Could his quest be in anyway likable and comparable to the exploits of the great leaders in history? Can Gov. Ajimobi by his quest measure up to historical greats like, Copernicus, the chemist Oswald, or the physicist Mach. Is Governor Ajimobiâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s N400 million palace project admirable and commendable as an effort to link Oyo State with the greatest advances of human progress?

Whatever anyone thinks, the Oyo State governor is determined to raise a N400m fund for his cause.

His objective is to build a befitting palace for the 88-year-old Olubadan. The

monarch is the traditional ruler of Ibadan, the town the Oyo state helms man hails from. The Oyo state helms man is mobilising for the fund in concert with other stakeholders in the town.

The governor reportedly asserted: â&#x20AC;&#x153;That Ibadan indigenes cannot raise the N400million fund needed for the befitting palace is a thing of shame.â&#x20AC;? I know of some towns that are smaller, but their monarchsâ&#x20AC;&#x2122; palaces are far more befitting. Yet these towns are not up to a quarter of Ibadan.

So, I am challenging all of you to donate towards the realisation of the N400million to ensure that Ibadan builds a befitting palace for its monarch.â&#x20AC;?

Abiola Ajimobi

Ë&#x153; Ëž MARCH 19, 2017

87

HIGHLIFE

Damn Cool Cleric... Pastor Suleimanâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s Startling Coolness in the Heat of Shame ËžParable of the cleric and the canadian stripper

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etween the possibility of being hanged in all innocence, and the certainty of a public and merited disgrace, few gentlemen of spirit would disdain the cowardly way out - which is often suicide or total withdrawal from the public space. But Apostle (Prof.) Johnson Suleiman, fiery cleric and President of the Omega Fire Ministries worldwide, is remarkably different. In the heat of the ongoing sex and relationship scandal between him and a Canadian stripper, Stephanie Otobo, Suleiman maintains a cool composure. Rather than

NO ORDINARY FETE...ABIODUN AKINLADE PLANS GRAND 50TH BIRTHDAY SOIREE At 50, Honourable Abiodun Akinlade is every inch a gracious champ. Like most champs, he makes a good first impression. As he clocks 50, his story pulsates a pleasurable lore of labour, perseverance, reinvention and accomplishment. Yes, Akinlade exudes an uncanny mĂŠlange of zeal and fervor that becomes his charm. Intellectually, he flaunts a visceral approach that only a few of his contemporaries can rival. Hard work has designed him a wide-grin and leads him across the lane of fame to the realization of his dreams. With a sharp mind devoid of any ambiguity, no one needed a fortune-teller to know that this was a man who is not easily cowed by sentiments. From business to politics, he exhibits infectious tact and stamina characteristic of the man of great intellect and perspectives that are at once refreshing and edifying. Abiodun Isiaq

Abiodun Akinlade

fret and lose sleep over the disgraceful episode, Pastor Suleiman has embarked on an evangelical mission to countries of the world. Last Tuesday, he commenced a two-day powerful healing and miracle conference in the United States of America. The USA event is the first leg of his â&#x20AC;&#x2DC;Help From Aboveâ&#x20AC;&#x2122; crusade, billed to take his team to five countries within four weeks.

Speculations however abound that the pastor is using the â&#x20AC;&#x2DC;spiritual tripâ&#x20AC;&#x2122; to cool off in the heat of scandalous allegations made against him by the Canadian stripper.

Akinlade is 50. All roads lead to Owode-Yewa, Ogun State on Saturday, March 25, as the three-term former House of Representatives member rolls out the drum and fetes well wishers at the grand celebration of his 50th birthday.

Akinlade, who is one of the governorship hopefuls in Ogun State by 2019, will also add another feather to his cap with his turbaning as the Baba Adinni of Yewa land on the same day.

Expected to grace the occasion are eminent politicians including the Ogun State governor, Senator Ibikunle Amosun; Speaker of the House of Representatives, Rt. Hon. Yakubu Dogara; his deputy, Yusuf Lasun; lawmakers from both chambers of the National Assembly, Speakers of state assemblies, traditional rulers, political and religious leaders, members of the organised private sector, among others.

Despite stepping aside after 12 years of dutiful representation, the suave politician still enjoys a cult-like popularity within the state, empowers and supports his

Johnson Suleiman

people and this has continued to aid his towering aspiration for Oke Mosan government house in 2019.

HUSBAND CAN WAIT! BEN BRUCEâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;S DAUGHTER, JASMINE, ENJOYS THE GOOD LIFE Beauty depicts her womanhood like some contemporary Cleopatra but Jasmine Murray Bruce lacks the guile and chicanery of the fabled Greek goddess. She is in totality, an earthly rind of humaneness and poise. Little wonder her presence is palpably felt on the social scene. Until recently, Jasmine was quite unpopular on the social scene. Soft-spoken and light skinned, the beautiful daughter of the Chairman of Silverbird Group, Senator Ben Murray-Bruce, is a thoroughbred silver spoon child blessed with such entrepreneurial traits that makes her father a force to be reckoned with, any moment, any day. The only daughter of Murray Bruce, she attended prestigious institutions abroad, and is no doubt a perfect embodiment of the love

thoughts of men of timbre and caliber. Add to her elegance, a touch of ĂŠlan and the love of the good life and you have a priceless beauty thatâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s ripe to be taken and pampered. Jasmine graces red carpet events where she dazzles with her awesome dress sense and sense of accessories. Due to the insatiable lusts and interests that her womanhood inspires in many an aspiring suitor, speculations abound about her love life. It would be recalled that she was once very close to the poster boy of the music industry, Dbanj.

SCRATCH THAT! DAVID ADELEKE CLOCKED 60 NOT 70...

The printerâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s devil was literally at work in the last edition of Highlife where we erroneous wrote that billionaire mogul and father of hip hop crooner, Davido, David Adeleke, celebrated his 70th instead of 60th. We sincerely apologise to Chief Adeleke for the inconveniences the said mix-up has caused him and we hereby retract it in its entirety. The error is highly regretted.

Jasmine Bruce

Sunday, March 19, 2017

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UT H

& RE A S O

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Price: N400

MISSILE FG to Bottling Companies “For the benefit of the health of all Nigerians, all bottling companies are encouraged to insert advisory warnings on all products as necessary.”

– The Federal Ministry of Health directing bottling companies in Nigeria on health warnings to safeguard consumers

SIMONKOLAWOLE SIMONKOLAWOLELIVE!

simon.kolawole@thisdaylive.com, sms: 0805 500 1961

The Trial of Hameed ‘Netanyahu’ Ali And Four

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etired Col. Hameed Ali was sitting gently on his sofa and watching TV on August 27, 2015 when some news flashed on the screen: he had been appointed the comptroller-general of the Nigeria Customs Service (NCS). He was shocked. The previous day, he was with President Muhammadu Buhari and had not the slightest idea that he was going to be appointed CG. As a long-time associate of the president, Ali was expecting to be made chief of staff — a position he had served Buhari for years in various presidential campaigns — or chairman of the Economic and Financial Crimes Commission (EFCC). He could not make sense of the customs appointment.

As the story goes, he was heavily disappointed.

He refused to get in touch with Buhari for nearly two weeks. He wanted to turn down the job, according to those who were close to him. The rumour was that he had actually turned down the job. For weeks, David Atte, a deputy comptroller-general, held the fort to fill the vacuum left by Abdullahi Dikko Inde’s retirement. Rumours that Ali had rejected the appointment were not helped by his refusal to make public comments or report for duty. It took the intervention of many top APC politicians from the north to sway the former military administrator of Kaduna state.

To persuade the reluctant Ali, they told him how NCS was one of the most corrupt government agencies in the world. Ali hates the word “corruption”. Any assignment to tackle corruption would get him excited any day.

As a military administrator in a very corrupt system, he had the distinction of riding the same weather-beaten car for 10 years after leaving office. This is not a typical Nigerian story. Maybe that was what Buhari saw in him and decided to saddle him with the customs job. It was one of those appointments in the early days of this government that made people think “change” was for real.

As icing on the cake, a senator from the north-east explained to Ali that NCS was one of the biggest revenue-generating agencies.

The Nigerian National Petroleum Corporation (NNPC) is the king in the ring. Then the Federal Inland Revenue Service (FIRS). And the Nigerian Communications Commission (NCC). And the Nigeria Customs Service. “If you clean up customs,” the senator reportedly told him, “then you are cleaning up Nigeria... Nigerians will feel the impact instantly.” He was promised a team of experts and consultants to guide him through this strange territory — to help him navigate the intricacies in a dirty world laden with explosives and mafias. He then changed his mind.

What Ali was not told, I presume, is that it would be lovely for him to wear the jersey. You are the No. 1 customs officer in Nigeria, you enjoy all the powers and perks of office, you make all the policy pronouncements, you do and undo — and then claim that because you retired as a military officer, you cannot wear the uniform. You retired as a colonel, yet a man who retired as a major general, Anthony Hananiya — by far your senior — wore the uniform of the Federal Road Safety Commission (FRSC) as corps marshal under a military regime.

The least demand you can make of a CG is to show that he is proud of the jersey. It doesn’t look that complicated in my view.

The uniform saga, unfortunately, has beclouded the real issue: Ali’s directive that all motorists must produce evidence of import duty paid on

Ali cars bought before 2015. This is certainly one of the most repressive directives ever issued by a government agency. There is no country in the world where that happens. It is called import duty for a purpose — it is the importer that has to show evidence that the importation followed due process. If I walk up to a car dealer and buy a car, I am an end user having nothing to do with the importation process.

Why compound the woes of Nigerian motorists who are already battling with bad roads and high cost of spare parts?

What in the world was Ali thinking when he came up with this directive? Is it to combat smuggling? Where in the world does customs collect import duty on highways? If you want to combat smuggling, maybe you should pay more attention to your borders. There are more intelligent and brain-tasking ways of doing it in this age and time. The lazy way out is to set a trap for unsuspecting motorists by allowing extortionist customs officers to terrorise them on

The real issue, in the final analysis, is Ali’s performance as CG. That is my own worry. He’s fighting corruption in the service quite all right, but as Nigerians now know, fighting corruption is not a substitute for good policies and good governance

the highways. The original date of enforcement coincides with Easter — and you can imagine the massive disruption to travel at that particular period. Everything is wrong with the idea.

If this oppressive directive is restored (it has only been temporarily suspended, we were told), then customs will stop you one day and demand the import duty on your mobile phone. It may sound ridiculous, but it is the same principle — the phone was imported and unless you show evidence that you paid import duty, it will be impounded. That is how it starts. Give customs an inch and they will take a yard. They will soon start asking for evidence of import duty on your shirts, shoes and wristwatches.

After all, it is not only cars that are smuggled into the country? Why then is import duty on cars the focus of the directive?

That Ali was not properly prepared for the customs job has been very evident in the way he has been going round in circles since 2015.

Today, he will announce a ban on the land importation of rice into the country. Tomorrow, he will reverse the ban and set up border posts for payment of duties on imported rice. The day after tomorrow, he will say the ban is restored. These ill-conceived policies make us a laughing stock in the world. It is one thing for the government to say it wants to make doing business in Nigeria “easy” apparently to please the World Bank and international investors, but it is another thing entirely that we flip-flop on policies with relish.

As far as I am concerned, the uniform saga is a complete distraction. The senate has left the real issue of “import duty” and is now more obsessed with “uniform on duty”. If I were Ali, I would wear the uniform to the senate and put the devil to shame. I won’t die because of a “dirty” uniform. I would just go back home and wash myself with warm water and Dettol thereafter. But Ali is so rigid he would not contemplate such a thing. His nickname is “Netanyahu” or “Mr No Compromise” — after the stubborn Israeli prime minister, Benjamin Netanyahu. Remember Ali was in the military police. He was provost-marshal of the army at some point. You don’t mess around with him.

Ali’s refusal to wear the CG uniform is nothing but military arrogance. Some (not all) of these military guys think they are superior to every other human being. They used to call us “bloody civilians” when they were in power.

The mentality has not changed. That is why a band of soldiers would brutalise a physically challenged man for wearing a “camouflage” and all they got as punishment was a slap on the wrist. Some years ago, soldiers burnt down the police barracks at Ojuelegba, Lagos, and nothing came out of it. They think they can do anything and get away with it. So how on earth can you force a whole retired colonel to wear the uniform of customs? Infra dignitatem!

The real issue, in the final analysis, is Ali’s performance as CG. That is my own worry.

He’s fighting corruption in the service quite all right, but as Nigerians now know, fighting corruption is not a substitute for good policies and good governance. Ali keeps getting things wrong, moving from one bad idea to the other.

This has the potential to do more damage to the economy. He can wear the CG uniform for all we care and hate corruption perfectly, but the ultimate indicator of his success will be how well he is leading the very important agency in this age and time when the economy needs to stand on strong footing. Is he up to the task? That’s the question.

Other Things...

MAGU’S TRAVAIL Let’s be honest — there was relief across Nigeria’s political and financial circles on Wednesday when the senate refused to confirm Mr. Ibrahim Magu as the substantive chairman of the EFCC. The guy has been a pain in their fat necks in the last 14 months, forcing politicians, bankers and military officers to cough out billions of naira and dollars swallowed from the national treasury.

Although I quarrel with his preferred style of media trials and concentration on non-APC offenders, he at least bloodied the noses of our erstwhile untouchable elite. But I knew our almighty elite would not sit by and watch Magu continue to mangle them just like that.

Revenge.

‘EDITOR’ OSBORNE Former UK chancellor, George Osborne, has just been appointed editor of the London Evening Standard newspaper on a £200k-ayear package. The Tory MP was at some point touted as a future prime minister until David Cameron lost the Brexit vote in 2016 and resigned, with Osborne also falling on his sword. But that’s not my interest. Osborne was the equivalent of our finance minister and was practically the deputy prime minister. If it were to be Nigeria, he would not step down to take a paid job; rather, he would form “Forum of Former Chancellors” and begin to angle for contracts at federal and state levels, going from state to state to harass governors. Parasites.

‘ENGINEER’ BUKAR There is this moving story in TheCable on a young man named Babagana Bukar, “The boy who refused to join Boko Haram, says I watched them slaughter my father.” Three things struck me about Bukar’s story. One, he watched his father killed by the insurgents in Rann, Borno state, in 2014 when he was just 14. Two, he refused to join Boko Haram, riding a bicycle all the way to Chad to escape from the killings. Three, he is called “engineer” because of his dexterity in fixing phones despite having not been so trained.

That aspect breaks me down emotionally.

Only God knows how many future engineers have been cut down by Boko Haram. Pathetic.

TOR TIV THRONE Recently, 30-year-old man Stephen Nyitse bizarrely went to sit on the revered throne of the Tor Tiv before the coronation of Prof Orchivirigh James Ayatse as the new king.

Nyitse was promptly arrested, detained and charged to court by our super efficient police force. Within three days, he was sentenced to four years imprisonment by the highly efficient Justice P. S. Chaha for trespass and impersonation. In addition, Nyitse will be banished from Tivland after his time in prison (banishment in a republic?)

Meanwhile, thousands of theft, murder and land cases still languish in courts. Awaiting trial suspects practically grow old in prison.

Efficiency.

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