Sunday 6th August 2017

Col. Umar Accuses Senator of Abetting Smuggling, Corrupt Practices Uzodinma: Accusation is unfounded John Shiklam in Kaduna Former military governor of Kaduna State Col. Abubakar Dangiwa Umar, has accused the chairman of the Senate Committee on Customs,

Excise and Tariff, Senator Hope Uzodinma, of abetting smuggling and corrupt practices through his committee’s oversight functions in Nigeria Customs Service and Nigerian Ports Authority (NPA).

In a statement issued on Saturday, Umar called on Nigerians to rise against corrupt lawmakers who are frustrating public officers in fight against corruption adding that Nigerians must not leave

the likes of Comptroller General of Customs, Hamid Ali; EFCC Chairman, Ibrahim Magu; NPA Managing Director, Hadiza Bala-Usman; former Director General of the Bureau for Public Procurement (BPP),

Emeka Nzeh; and others "at the mercy of these strange lawmakers and politicians that have demonstrated time and again that they are in politics to serve themselves and themselves alone."

Though he did not mention Uzodinma by name, Col. Umar cited instances where the head of the Senate Committee on Customs, Excise and Tariff - a position which Uzodinma holds – Continued on page 9

Okowa Heads 262-member PDP Convention Committee… Page 12 Sunday 6 August, 2017 Vol 22. No 8144

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Banana Island Ghost Sold out at Cinemas across Nigeria Nseobong Okon-Ekong As Banana Island Ghost opened for screening at cinemas weekend across Nigeria, moviegoers, who thronged the box office for tickets to the movie made a scramble as the turnout was overwhelming.

Elated Executive Producer of the rave movie, Biola Alabi, said the producers of the movie were impressed by the response of Nigerians, who had exciting times watching the film.

Responding to enquiries from THISDAY, Alabi, who is a former Managing Director Continued on page 9

HAPPY WEDLOCK… L-R: Former President, Chartered Institute of Bankers of Nigeria, Femi Ekundayo; Co-director, Havara Specialist Hospital, Surulere, Mrs. Caroline Okeke; the couple, Oluwasola and Feyisetan Ajisafe; former Deputy Governor of Lagos State, Alhaja Sinatu Aderoju Ojikutu; and former President, CIBN, Prof.

Wole Adewunmi, at the wedding of Oluwasola and Feyisetan in Lagos… yesterday etop ukutt

Military Accuses North-east Parents of Donating Daughters as Suicide Bombers Says Nigeria more secure now despite setbacks on terror war Michael Olugbode in Maiduguri and Paul Obi in Abuja The Nigerian Army, yesterday, accused parents in the Northeast part of the country of donating their daughters as suicide bombers to the Boko Haram sect, saying this new

disposition is responsible for the sudden resurgence in terrorist attacks in recent weeks.

This is coming on the heels of a Boko Haram attack, which was foiled by the Army and a detachment of youth vigilance groups in Maiduguri. The

attack, however, resulted in the killing of three persons, while two others sustained injuries.

In a related development, the Nigerian Air Force (NAF) has said that in spite of the recent challenges and setbacks brought about by the

resurgence of terrorist attacks in some parts of the country, Nigeria is still more secure than it used to be. It added that the military had remained on track in the containment of attacks by the sect.

Director of Army Public Relations, Brig. Gen. Sani

Usman, who hinted at the dangerous trend in the Northeast, appealed to religious, traditional and community leaders in the zone to help dissuade parents from donating their wards and daughters as suicide bombers to the Boko Haram sect.

Usman stated, “The Nigerian Army wishes to appeal to religious, traditional and community leaders, as well as all wellmeaning Nigerians especially Continued on page 9

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;˜ ͺ͸͹Ϳ ˾ T H I S DAY, T H E S U N DAY N E W S PA P E R

PAGE NINE COL. UMAR ACCUSES SENATOR OF ABETTING SMUGGLING, CORRUPT PRACTICES tried to influence the direction of corruption related cases in federal agencies using his committee’s oversight functions.

But Uzodinma has disputed Umar claims alleging that the retired governor made the allegations because of his close ties to the managing director of NPA. He said it was unfair to him and the committee to be berated for acting on the mandate given by the Senate in plenary.

Buttressing his point, however, Umar recalled two recent incidents.

Umar said: "Sometime in October/November, 2016, a rice trading company, Master Energy Commodities Trading Ltd, imported into Nigeria, 1,200 metric tons of rice in thirty, 40-foot containers. In their attempt to evade paying the correct custom duties, they declared the ‘rice’ consignment as ‘yeast’.

"The goods were later intercepted and seized on the orders of the Controller-General of customs CGC, Col. Hamid Ali (rtd). Unfortunately, this seemingly patriotic action by a public officer was seen as an affront to one senior member of the National Assembly.

"A Senator, the leader of the Senate Committee on Customs, Excise & Tariff, wrote the CGC demanding that the consignment be released forthwith, on the dubious claim that he had investigated the matter and had found the importer blameless. His findings?

"That it was the clearing Agent not the importer that called the goods ‘yeast’ instead of ‘rice’!

The CGC brushed aside this incredible story; as any right

thinking person would do. But to the shock of all Nigerians, all hell broke loose.

"The Senate Committee then summoned him to appear before them in uniform- seeing that as a retired army colonel, the CGC had refrained from wearing the customs uniform. He was also directed to answer a long list of queries by this same angry panel.

"In the end, he was dragged before the Senate at plenary, put through a cruel inquisition, publicly humiliated and dismissed as ‘not fit to hold public office’.

"Fast-forward to last week.

This time, a dubious scheme was uncovered in which a subsidiary company of the Nigerian Ports Authority, NPA, went into a joint venture with a private company to manage the Calabar Port.

"Both the NPA subsidiary, called Calabar Channel Management, CCM and the private company, Niger Global Engineering & Technical Co. Ltd, were incorporated together in 2014, just for this deal.

The purported JV partner was then awarded a contract to dredge the Calabar Channel; a contract the Bureau of Public Procurement was to condemn as violating all due processes. This did not discourage them from demanding and getting a whopping 12.5million dollars upfront payment from the NPA or asking for a purported balance of 22million dollars.

“In the meantime, a rash of petitions and reports had inundated the NPA against this contract, with many alleging it to be a bogus scam to siphon public funds.

"The Bureau of Public Procurement was the first to cry out, saying both the award of the dredging contract and the initial payment of over N4billion to Messrs Niger Global Engineering & Technical Co. Ltd, were done in violation of the law. Even worse, all efforts of the new management of the NPA under Ms. Hadiza Bala Usman, to find evidence of the dredging work purported to have been done in the Calabar Channel at the time the company claimed to have done so, was unsuccessful.

"That is not all. There was also the report by a consultant that advised against a joint venture partnership for the purpose of managing the Calabar port. Their reason was simply that maritime activities in the Calabar port was too low, that a joint venture scheme as obtained in Lagos and Bonny was unsustainable.”

He said, faced with these negative outcomes, the NPA management under Ms. Bala Usman decided that national interest would be better served if the JV scheme as well as the dredging project were terminated. He added that EFCC had moved in with a mission to recover public funds collected for job not done.

"Now, the name of the person driving this scheme is quite instructive going by the very loud and sustained counter attacks being mounted against the public officers; officers that insist that right things are done.

"He is the leader of the Senate Committee on Customs, Excise and Tariff. He is the owner of both the

Niger Global & Engineering Co. Technical Ltd; as well as the rice smuggling giant, Master Energy Commodities Trading Ltd", Umar said.

Decrying the activities of some of the lawmakers who he said hide under their oversight function to indulge in corrupt activities, Umar noted that the experience of NPA managing director, Bala-Usman, was particularly sad. "The more she tries to fight, to reduce graft and perfidy, the more determined they seem to mobilise against her, to neutralise her and see her back.

"They want her out because, they now claim, she is ‘too young’ to manage a complex organisation such as NPA – even though she is past 40 years of age. Unashamed, they question the wisdom of appointing a woman to such a post – her training and experience counting for nothing; apparently" he said.

The former governor said incidents such as these were the reasons Nigerians felt let down by their parliament.

He called on the the Senate President, Senator Bukola Saraki, to enforce discipline among his colleagues, saying, “No member of a committee, much less a chairman, should remain in his duty post once credible information about possible crime is received on the person.”

But responding to the allegations

by Umar, Senator Uzodinma, in a telephone conversation with THISDAY last night, said: “I have a lot of respect for Col. Umar. He is a man I have always read his

views, I see him as a nationalist and statesman. I believe that before he arrived at a position he took today, he should have done some investigations as to the merit of the issues on ground. I am the chairman of the Senate Committee on Customs, Excise and Tariff.

“The company in question wrote a petition to our committee that they imported rice and they paid the duties, the supposed duties as issued by customs, and yet when the rice came in, the Customs seized the containers and the man is from my constituency, and what I did was that I took the petition and we deliberated at the committee and agreed that it should be forwarded to the customs and I did a forwarding letter.

“If you looked at the letter, what we said was that we received a petition from this company alleging maltreatment, we implore you to look at the merit of their statements or otherwise and deploy your internal mechanisms to resolving issues like this as you deem appropriate. This was just exactly what we wrote in the letter to CG customs. I still have a copy of the letter, I still have a copy of the reply from the Nigerian customs service. I have not seen anywhere in that letter we directed that any cargo be released. I though that a statesman who read what had been happening in the past few days should have at least taken a phone and spoken with any of the committee members or even Col. Hamid Ali. That I am sure was not done.”

On the issue of Calabar

Channel, he said “We are not investigating Calabar Channel dredging. Anybody who knows me, knows that I came from the private sector to join politics. An MD of NPA is talking of a dredging concession that happened in 2004.

2004 for Christ sake!. I wasn’t a senator, I was only chairman of Niger Global. 2004 to today is 13 years. We are not even investigating NPA on Calabar dredging, we are investigating infractions in the import-export cycle, where vessels are coming into Nigeria and government is not collecting money and the vessels are going back after they have offloaded the vessels. “We have identified some vessels with some identification numbers confirmed to have come into Nigeria and left without paying customs duties, without paying terminal charges; all the funds that were supposed to accrue to the federal government were not collected. We simply forwarded these particulars to the managing director of NPA to come and tell us what happened.

“We have invited her four times. The first time she did not come, the second time she sent ED to represent her. We delivered the documents to the ED, we delivered to document to the Shippers’ Council, the Council has worked on the documents and came back to us with some confirmation. What is wrong in inviting the managing director of NPA to appear before Senate committee to explain why revenues that were supposed to accrue to government did not accrue?

wanted to say a prayer for the producers of the film for giving them something to be proud of Nigeria at this moment. They were so happy to see a high quality film from Nigerians during these tough times.”

Speaking on the power of partnership in respect of the collaboration with Nemsia Productions, Alabi said, “This is the first of five films that we will be working on over the next couple of years. What is most notable about this partnerships is what we have created as a team. We have partnered with some of the best global and local brands like Lipton, Coca Cola, Kilimanjaro, Health Plus and Cold Stone Creamery, who have actually gone on to create a special flavor of ice cream to celebrate the film; this is definitely the first of its

kind in Nigeria and Africa for Cold Stone.”

One of the landmarks recorded, according to Alabi, is the production of a special ice-cream flavour for BIG. She said, “Most importantly this is going to connect with audiences because it incorporates all the elements of local taste and flavors.

It has Banana, which is all locally sourced, it has cinnamon which brings an element of spicy and as you know Nigerians are spicy and a little crunch from the Graham Pie Crust. All these elements come together to make up a special flavor for Banana Island Ghost the film. This is significant because it’s partnering with global brands on a local Nollywood film that will be distributed globally.”

Banana Island Ghost is written and directed by BB Sasore and is

produced by Omorinsojo Spaine and Tolu Olusoga. The Executive Producers for the film are Biola Alabi, Derin Adeyokunnu, along with co-executive producer, Dr. Ayo Osunrinade and Mr. Michael Ugwu, the founder of FreeMe Digital; Ms. Adenike Adekanbi of HTB Entertainment Studios; Mr. Niyi Toluwalope and Mr. Basheer Tosin Ashafa of Tri- Equity Capital were also co-executive producers.

BIG is a comedy movie about a ghost that is scared to go to heaven because he doesn’t have a soulmate, so he convinces God to give him three days to fall in love.

He is paired with the cantankerous firecracker Ijeoma, played by Chigurl who will do anything to save her father’s house in Banana Island from the bank coming to reclaim it in three days.

BANANA ISLAND GHOST SOLD OUT AT CINEMAS ACROSS NIGERIA of MNET Africa and now CEO of Biola Alabi Media, noted that although income from the early nights of the film were “yet to be decided and unconfirmed at this point,” there were high hopes for huge financial rewards from the movie. According to her, for now, the most important thing is to entertain our audience and get them to tell others about how amazing this film is.

“We have been very fortunate.

We have had sold out shows across Nigeria. We have had multiple sold out shows in Lagos, Abuja and Ibadan over the last two days. This shows that the film is resonating with Nigerians.”

Nigeria has 130 cinemas across

the country.

Some of the notable Nigerians spotted at the cinemas include, former Lagos State Finance Commissioner, Mr. Wale Edun; President of Entertainment at the Silverbird Group, Mr. Guy Murray Bruce; popular actress, Funke Akindele; and On-AirPersonality, Tolu Oniru, better known as Toolz.

Describing the opening night of Banana Island Ghost at the cinemas, Alabi said, “We are so overwhelmed by the response of Nigerians to the film. Everyone that I’ve spoken to after watching it said that the film took them on an emotional roller coaster, they laughed, they cried and laughed some more.”

Alabi, who was at Silverbird Cinemas in Ikeja with a member of the cast, Uche Jombo further

explained why there was a state of extreme excitement for Banana Island Ghost. According to her, “I believe that we have once again reached a new benchmark in telling Nigerian stories to a global audience. This is why there is so much excitement.”

Members of the public had a chance to see some cast and crew of the film at the cinemas for different meet-and-greet sessions. .

Actor Ali Nuhu interacted with moviegoers in Abuja. Lead role actress, Chioma Omeruah, better known as, Chigul can be seen at Genesis The Palms in Lekki, Silverbird Ikeja City Mall and Filmhouse Surulere.

Alabi said the most surprising incident recorded yet since BIG opened at the cinemas was that, “the audience reactions have been epic. A couple in Abuja said they

MILITARY ACCUSES NORTH–EAST PARENTS OF DONATING DAUGHTERS AS SUICIDE BOMBERS in the North-east of our country, to help dissuade people from donating their daughters or wards, to Boko Haram terrorists for indoctrination and suicide bombing missions.

“This appeal became expedient in view of recent revelations by some intercepted female suicide bombers during interrogations. It was discovered that most of these hapless minors were ‘donated’ to the terrorist sect by their heartless and misguided parents and guardians, as part of their contribution to the perpetuation of the Boko Haram terrorists’ dastardly acts against the Nigerian society and humanity.”

The Army spokesman explained, “The acts of these parents and guardians are not only barbaric, but condemnable and unacceptable.

Nigerians have a responsibility and obligation to collectively mould our children and wards and define a better future for them rather than condemning them to death by the criminal Boko Haram terrorists and their sympathisers through suicide bombings.

“Consequently, the public are kindly requested to be more vigilant, security conscious and report any suspicious persons or those whose daughters or female wards are missing or have not been seen recently. You can report by calling

193 on any network. The public is also, please, reminded that the Nigerian Army’s offer and reward of the sum of N500,000 to anybody that brought information about suicide bombing, is still available.”

Speaking during a 10km “walk and jog exercise” in Abuja, the nation’s capital, Abubakar said, "Despite the challenges and few setbacks we have had in the last few weeks, I believe that we are on track in terms of making Nigeria a more secure country. Looking back from where were are coming from, I believe that I will be stating the obvious to say that we have made substantial progress and Nigeria today is more secure than before."

He said the NAF was “equally on track with regard to capacity building. We have continued to train and retrain our pilots, engineers and technicians so that we can have a very effective service. We will continue to reevaluate our operations from time to time and we will not shy away from re-strategising if there is the need to do that.

"With what we have invested in the fight against terrorism, the helicopter gunships and from what the 12 aircraft we helped reactivate to add to the fight and the number of pilots we have trained, as well as the number of airmen and airwomen we have recruited, I

believe that we are on track to making this country a better place.

"We are equally on track in terms of reactivation of air planes. We are similarly on track in terms of providing for the welfare of our personnel. I want to urge you to continue to rededicate yourselves so that every Nigerian territory will be secure, so that every Nigerian will be secured.”

Explaining the basis for the exercise, Abubakar said, "The challenges of modern times are very complex and, therefore, require not only a very sound mind but a very sound body to be able to proffer solutions to these changes.

“Therefore, a physically sound body is essential if we are to be effective in the discharge of our responsibilities as provided in the Constitution. Physical fitness is pivotal to us as humans and most especially members of the armed forces. It is in this light that the NAF has continued to carry out this exercise quarterly.

“As you are aware, the Nigerian Air Force is faced with various theatres of operation, whether in the North-east, in the South-south or the North-west. We are, no doubt, on track with regard to the kind of structures we want for our Air Force, for better efficiency and effectiveness.”

Speaking on staff welfare, the Air Force chief told the officers, “I want to assure you that the leadership of the Air Force will continue to address your welfare needs. We are not unaware of the fact that we have been entrusted with a very expensive platform and therefore, we must provide for your accommodation, for your medical needs, for your allowances and for schools for your children. We will continue to work on that and make sure that you are in the best frame of mind to be effective in the discharge of your responsibilities."

Minister of Sports, Mr. Solomon Dalung, who was represented by a Director in the ministry, Dr. Mrs. Esther Aluko, assured the NAF of the Ministry of Sports‘ support to enable air men and women remain physically fit for national duties.

Aluko also stressed that the ministry had already put in place a policy, where the military will contribute its quota of athletes for various international competitions.

Meanwhile, in the foiled attack yesterday, the police and a vigilance group, which confirmed the development, said the incident occurred at Simari on the outskirts of Maiduguri about 10pm, when a male and two female suicide bombers tried to infiltrate the town.

According to a statement by the

spokesman of the Police in Borno State, Victor Isuku, three suicide attackers were prevented from detonating the explosive devices on them by members of the youth vigilance group.

He, however, said two of the youth vigilance group members were injured in the course of preventing the three suicide attackers, who died in the dastardly action.

The police stated, “Yesterday (Friday) 4/8/2017, at about 21:49hrs, three suicide bombers, a male and two females, attempted to infiltrate Usmanti Community in Mafa LGA. They were sighted by vigilant CsJTF, who quickly alerted the joint security personnel deployed in the area. The suicide bombers were chased. In the ensuing stampede and an attempt to escape arrest, the suicide bombers hurriedly detonated IEDs strapped on their bodies, killing themselves.

“However, two CJTFs sustained injuries and were rushed to University of Maiduguri Teaching Hospital. Police and EOD personnel visited the scene to sanitise and render the area safe.”

The attack came 16 hours after dogs foiled an attempt by two suicide bombers to hit a hospital in Moloi area of Maiduguri, according to a News Agency of Nigeria (NAN)

report.

A witness, Amin Audu, said the insurgents took advantage of the night to gain access into Maiduguri but were intercepted by the military, which frustrated their effort.

He said soldiers shot the male suicide bomber, following which the explosive strapped on his body exploded. “The powerful blast also made the explosives strapped on the ladies to detonate and killed them instantly,” he said.

Spokesman for the CJTF, Malam Abdullahi Danbatta, confirmed that two members of the group were wounded in the incident, while the Police Public Relations Officer in Borno, Mr. Victor Isuzu, corroborated this in a statement in Maiduguri yesterday.

There had been a resurgence of Boko Haram attacks in recent weeks with the deadly sects staging daring raids and ambush on police and military convoys, including series of suicide attacks on IDPs camps and University of Maiduguri.

In one ambush, the terror group took several policewomen hostage, and in another, it killed 48 persons, including soldiers, NNPC officials on oil exploration mission in the Chad Basin, some members of staff of the University of Maiduguri and some civilian JTF members.

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SUNDAY COMMENT

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

JUSTICE FOR THE ALUU FOUR The death sentence on the murderers is a poignant challenge to impunity

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ast Monday, the families of the University of Port Harcourt undergraduates who were murdered in a most gruesome manner about five years ago got a sort of relief. The Rivers State High Court sitting in Port Harcourt convicted ex-Sergeant Lucky Orji, Mr. Ikechukwu Louis Amadi (aka Kapoon) and Mr. Chinasa David Ogbada for their active involvement in the murder.

And the three men were sentenced to death by Justice Letam Nyordee.

We recall with sadness that on October 5, 2012, four young Nigerians (Ugonna Ibuzor, Lloyd Michael, Chidiaka Biringa and Tekenna Erikanah)-three of them undergraduates at the University of Port-Harcourt--were brutally murdered by a mob from Aluu community at Omuokiri village, in Rivers State. Painfully, the video clips of the gruesome application of jungle justice were circulated on the internet and the traumatised parents of the victims even watched it.

As it was later revealed, the students met their unfortunate death following attempts to collect money from a debtor who instigated the mob against them on the allegation that they were there to steal phones and laptops. And without seeking proof of culpability, the mob stripped the four young men naked, dragged them through mud, had car tyres wrapped around their necks before setting them ablaze with petrol.

In a letter to the Senate following the tragic incident, Mrs. Chinwe Biringa, mother to one of the slain students, wrote: “We have been subjected to several gory videos and pictures on the internet. This shows that someone filmed the whole barbarism from beginning to the end. My son and his friends were savagely beaten and burnt to death while villagers at Aluu watched. All this has been caught on film! To waylay

them and beat them with planks until they died like chicken is the most savage thing one can witness in Nigeria of 2012. Justice is the only thing that can assuage the pains and emotional traumas consuming us and clear the name of our son so that he can rest in peace. Again, and for emphasis, the film shows everything in clear view and all the perpetrators must answer for their crimes.”

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The rule of law, as opposed to that of the jungle, presupposes that anybody accused of a crime, however heinous, is entitled to a fair trial before punishment could be meted if found guilty

Letters to the Editor

S U N DAY N E W S PA P E R EDITOR TOKUNBO ADEDOJA DEPUTY EDITORS 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, PATRICK EIMIUHI ASSOCIATE DIRECTORS HENRY NWACHOKOR, SAHEED ADEYEMO CONTROLLERS ABIMBOLA TAIWO, UCHENNA DIBIAGWU, NDUKA MOSERI GROUP HEAD FEMI TOLUFASHE ART DIRECTOR OCHI OGBUAKU II DIRECTOR, PRINTING PRODUCTION CHUKS ONWUDINJO TO SEND EMAIL: first name.surname@thisdaylive.com

hile it is soothing that those who killed the innocent students will indeed pay for their crimes, it is nonetheless worrisome that Nigerians now find it easy to take the law into their hands. Ordinarily, mere suspicion does not constitute an offence or grounds for lynching that has become a common practice in our country. Persons accused of any crime are expected to be charged to court if not for anything, at least to avoid a miscarriage of justice. Yet in Nigeria today, all it takes to be declared a thief is for someone to make the accusation in the public and the mob will instantly dispense “justice.”

In all civilised societies, disagreements and accusation of crimes are settled through the judicial process. That is essentially because the rule of law, as opposed to that of the jungle, presupposes that anybody accused of a crime, however heinous, is entitled to a fair trial before punishment could be meted if found guilty. But as more and more Nigerians shun the instrumentality of the law in the settlement of disputes, many people, including innocent ones, are getting maimed and killed.

However, we are not unmindful of the fact that due to its own contradictions, our judiciary does not seem capable of administering impartial justice and many people are gradually losing faith. Yet under the rule of law, it is the sacred duty of the judiciary to safeguard the rights and liberty of the citizens.

Respecting such rights forms the bedrock upon which the society lays claim to civilisation. And the right to life is the ultimate measure of all rights.

It is therefore important that Nigerians rein in all impulses to violence, self-help, jungle justice or any other form of extra-judicial killings in the settlement of disputes or prosecution of crime. While our society will forever carry the bloody stigma of the unfortunate incident at Aluu, we should all resolve that such a tragedy must never happen again.

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

THE MANY SINS OF ANDY UBA

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f a truth, aside President Muhammadu Buhari, Atiku Abubakar and Nasir el-Rufai, no other politician has been so unfairly maligned like Senator Andy Uba. This suave, debonair and gentleman politician has been so misconstrued and misrepresented to his people and Nigerians, in general, that you would simply think that the man is an Idi Amin, Jean Bokassa and Sani Abacha in one person.

Uba, who happens to be a senator for six years, has been cast in many scandals and controversies, many the making of beer parlour story renditions, a few the evil machinations of a number of his fellow politicians who see Uba as their joint nemesis. For the beer parlour genres, I shall not waste my time as a majority of us ought to understand the overreaching effects of liquor on the thought processes of a drunkard.

I shall rather focus on the propaganda churned out by some rival politicians.

One prevailing rumour is the story that Uba made his money through practices deemed as fraudulent. Another is centred on his role in the state and her share of crisis, mostly during the Ngige/ Chris Uba era. The third is the talk of Uba as being mentally unfit for any kind of leadership.

Naturally, particularly in this part of the world’s climactic politics where everything is overheated and a number of falsehoods are made to largely pass for truth, an Uba would largely not be bothered by such manifest maliciousness, but for the fact that sometimes when falsehood is allowed to remain alone on the pedestal meant for truth, it may be mistaken for truth.

Yes, Uba is a wealthy man! There’s no disputing that, but to label his wealth as shady and as proceeds of fraud is, indeed, unfair to the man who

through the dint of hard work and business savvy made the most of his opportunities. Some say that he made his wealth through his connections, and how is that a crime against the state? In the course of using such connections to advance his business empire, were there unethical practices?

This is a man who acquired his businesses through loans painstakingly taken from banks and successfully repaid each loan without being harried by the banks as is the custom here.

This is a man that has striven to be very transparent in his dealings with fellow businessmen and the public. Until anyone is able to pinpoint to me a shred of fact linking Uba to any fraudulent dealing as regards his business, I want to urge all to disregard all stories regarding such.

Let’s travel back to the troubled era between 2003 and 2006, where former Governor Chris Ngige was engaged in a supremacy battle with Uba’s younger

brother, the enfant terrible of Anambra’s politics, Chris Uba. Each episode within that sad chapter of our history naturally cast Chris Uba as the villain and Ngige as the saint or the protagonist. This is true and I do not intend to be a revisionist on that matter.

However, the attempt to blame Andy for the sins of Chris is, indeed, unfair and sickening. Is it fair to blame the brother for the sins of his brother? Should Andy Uba, who informed Obasanjo about the sins of his brother in the kidnapping of Ngige, prompting Obasanjo to immediately act and direct that Ngige be restored to power, be blamed for the crisis – the kidnap or the criminal height where the state’s properties were vandalised by supporters of Chris Uba? Will Andy Uba’s detractors and pull him down signatories not stop to think that had Andy Uba wanted, that is if he was neck deep in the plot to oust Ngige, he would not have handed President Obasanjo the phone in faraway Maputo, Mozambique?

The third issue is the trite talk of an Uba not being intelligent enough to aspire for

any elective government. Trust me, I have read this and heard it from a few simpletons, persons, I myself regard as intellectual midgets, a case of the proven outcast labelling another as an outcast. For Pete’s sake, would it have been possible for a perceived “dullard” in Andy Uba to serve a president with tremendous personality as Obasanjo? This largely reminds me of a story I heard of the former Governor of Imo State, Sam Mbakwe, who we know was “fearfully made.” Tired of hearing that he was ugly, the weeping governor one day blurted out to the amusement of all and posterity thereafter, “You that is beautiful or handsome, how many in your family have been governor!” These “professors” who are all-knowing but with nothing much to show for it, who cannot be trusted even with the leadership of their own homes, who are nine out of 10 proven failures will look at a successful person like Uba and call him dull?

--Igboeli Arinze, a.igboeli@gmail. 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 Ëž UGUST 6, 2017

SUNDAYNEWS

News Editor ĂŒĂ“Ă—ĂŒĂ™Ă–Ă‹ Ă•Ă™Ă?Ă“Ă–Ă?

E-mail: Ă‹ĂŒĂ“Ă—ĂŒĂ™Ă–Ă‹Ë›Ă‹Ă•Ă™Ă?Ă“Ă–Ă?̜ÞÒÓĂ?ĂŽĂ‹ĂŁĂ–Ă“Ă Ă?Ë›Ă?Ă™Ă—Ëœ ͸΀͸ͺ͚͚͝Ϳ͞͝Π̙Ă?Ă—Ă? Ă™Ă˜Ă–ĂŁĚš

Okowa Heads 262-member PDP Convention Committee t Ikimi leads disciplinary committee Onyebuchi Ezigbo Ă“Ă˜ ĂŒĂ&#x;ÔË

Ahead of its national convention scheduled for August 12, Peoples Democratic Party yesterday announced the appointment of Delta State Governor Ifeanyi Okowa as chairman of the convention planning committee. In a release signed by the secretary of the PDP National Caretaker Committee, Senator Ben Obi, the party also pronounced former Governor Sule Lamido of Jigawa State as deputy chairman of the committee, which consists of 262 members.

Similarly, PDP set up two standing committees: a disciplinary committee headed by former Minister of Foreign Affairs, Chief Tom Ikimi, and a reconciliation committee co-chaired by Rivers State Governor Nyesom Wike and Governor Ibrahim Dankwambo of

Gombe State.

The release listed members of the convention planning committee to include all serving PDP governors, Deputy Senate President Ike Ekwerenmadu, Senate Minority Leader Godswill Akpabio, former PDP governors, former Anambra State Governor Peter Obi, all PDP senators, former ministers, who are members of PDP, and other key leaders of the opposition party.

Four sub-committees on welfare/entertainment, publicity, security/protocol, and accreditation/contact and mobilisation were equally established. Former PDP women leader, Iyom Josephine Anenih, was made chairman of welfare/ entertainment committee, Chief Raymond Dokpesi was appointed head of the publicity sub-committee, Col. Tunde Akogun (rtd) was named leader of

the security/protocol committee, and Celestine Omehie was appointed head of the accreditation/contact and mobilisation sub-committee, with Muktar Shagari as the deputy.

The disciplinary committee has seven members, according to the statement. They are the chairman and the following: former Deputy Speaker of the House of Representatives, Rt. Hon. Austin Opara; Chief Onyema Ugochukwu; Mr. Victor Kwom; Hajia Inna Ciroma; Col. Bala Mande; and Eyitayo Jegede.

The reconciliation committee was sub-divided into six committees representing the six geographical zones. Members of the reconciliation committee for South-east were named as former Senate President Adolphus Wabara, Peter Obi, and Sam Egwu, and for the Southwest, Senator Seye Ogunleye

and former Governor Gbenga Daniel were appointed. Northwest members of the reconciliation committee included Bello Gwarzo and Senator Usman Abdulazeez. For the South-south, Senators Ben Murray Bruce, Stella Omu, and Liyel Imoke were named reconciliation committee members.

Members of the reconciliation committee for the North-central included Senator Solomon Ewuga and former Kogi State

Governor Idris Wada, while for the North-east the members included Alhaji Shehu Garban and Alhaji Mohammed Imam.

The Supreme Court had on July 12 pronounced Ahmed Makarfi, who heads PDP’s national caretaker committee, as the party’s authentic leader, ending its more than one year old leadership tussle. The wrangle followed the May 21 botched national convention of the party in Port Harcourt, where Senator

Ali Modu Sheriff was removed as PDP national chairman after the dissolution of his executive committee and its replacement with the Mafarki committee.

The Supreme Court overruled the verdict of the Court of Appeal in Port Harcourt, which had on February 17 confirmed Sheriff, a former Governor of Borno State, as the bona fide chairman of PDP after setting aside the ruling of the Federal High Court in Port Harcourt.

Kwankwaso, Supporters Boycott APC Mini Congress in Kano Ibrahim Shuaibu Ă“Ă˜ Ă‹Ă˜Ă™ Ă‹Ă˜ĂŽ Omon-Julius Onabu Ă“Ă˜ Ă?Ă‹ĂŒĂ‹ As the All Progressives Congress (APC) moves to restore peace and order in the parry structure across the country, former governor of Kano state, Senator Rabiu Musa Kwankwaso and his supporters yesterday shunned the mini-

congress organised by the Kano state chapter of the ruling party.

Kwankwaso,whoisnowtheservingsenatorofKanocentralsenatorial along with his redcap supporters, did not participate in the congress allegedly because of the internal crisis and factionalistion between KwankwasoandGovernorAbdulahi Ganduje. However, the other twosenators,SenatorKabiruGaya andBarauJibrinofKanoSouthand KanoNorthrespectivelyattended

the congress.

The state party also conducted a bye-election into 15 vacant positions to replace those who distanced themselves from the Gandujeadministrationandjoined the Kwankwaso camp.

Accordingtothechairmanofthe electoralcommittee,PrinceNwafor Orizu,“thisisnotafullcongress;the idea is to fill in the vacancy created bydeaths,resignationandappointment.�

Kagame Wins Reelection by Landslide Demola Ojo åÓÞÒ Ă‹Ă‘Ă?Ă˜Ă?ĂŁ ĂœĂ?ĂšĂ™ĂœĂž

activist Diane Shima Rwigara, was disqualified by the electoral commission. The remaining eight opposition parties did not put forward a candidate and instead backed Kagame who had previously called the election “just a formality�.

The 59-year-old came to power in 1994, when his Tutsi rebel group took control of the capital, Kigali, ending the genocide in which some 800,000 ethnic Tutsis and moderate Hutus were slaughtered.

Rwanda’s constitution was amended in 2015, following a referendum, enabling him to run for a third term. Beyond this, he could run again, potentially staying in power until 2034.

SUPPORTING MUOYO L-R: Chief Financial Officer, FBN Holdings Plc, Mr. Wale Ariyibi; Mr. John Muoyo and Mrs. Oluwande Muoyo, Non-Executive Director at FBN

President Paul Kagame of Rwanda has won a third term in office by a landslide. A final tally of votes gave him 98.63 per cent of the votes. Kagame’s supporters, who say that he has brought stability and economic development after the horrors of the 1994 genocide, began celebrating before the announcement. Critics - most of whom are outside the country say he rules through fear.

Kagame, who has been in power for 17 years, was challenged by Frank Habineza, from the Democratic Green Party, and Philippe Mpayimana, an independent. Another independent challenger, businesswoman and rights

Igbos Must Remain in North, Ganduje Insists

Adeboye Assures Worshippers of God’s Touch at RCCG Convention

t As Anglican Church urges caution on restructuring debate

Abimbola Akosile

Holdings; GMD, FBN Holdings Plc, U.K. Eke; and Company Secretary, FBN Holdings Plc, Tijjani Borodo, at the burial ceremony of Mrs. Muoyo’s mother in Ikorodu, Lagos State...recently

Ibrahim Shuaibu Ă“Ă˜ Ă‹Ă˜Ă™ Ă‹Ă˜ĂŽ Ernest Chinwo Ă“Ă˜ Ă™ĂœĂž Ă‹ĂœĂ?Ă™Ă&#x;ĂœĂž

Kano State Governor, Alhaji Abdullahi Umar Ganduje has asserted that as leaders in Northern Nigeria, all governors in the region are solidly against ethnic prejudice, as promoted by certain groups of youth.

Ganduje also declared categorically that Igbos in the region will stay forever, when he received leaders of the Igbo Delegates Assembly, led by the President- General, Chief Chi Nwogu, at the Government House in Kano weekend.

According to him, even foreigners are residing comfortably in Kano and other parts of Northern Nigeria and are engaged in legitimate ventures. “Even if you want to go on your own, we will not allow you to leave. There is a difference between ‘I will not go’ and

‘there is nowhere I can go’. You don’t have anywhere to go; this place is your home�, the governor told the delegation.

Ganduje also added that there was no basis to threaten other Nigerians, who collectively fought for the nation’s independence. “Those advocating ethnic agitation from the East are not speaking for all Igbos. Those of us, who as youth witnessed the Civil war, will never advocate secession�, he stated.

Governor Ganduje said the Northern youth who issued quit notice to Igbos in the region have also been called to order by elders, civic and political leaders, including governors and the Sultan of Sokoto, because all well-meaning people believe in one Nigeria. “When you have youths who have no elders, they are similar to riding a horse

without a bridle. It can behave anyhow and anything can happen. This is what is happening�, he said.

He described the reconciliatory meeting between the IDA leadership and Coalition of Northern youths as timely, asserting that all ethnic groups in the country have advantages, which if collectively harnessed, would make the country greater. “What is happening in Sudan is a lesson for all of us.

The breakup of that country has not taken them anywhere.

We cannot afford to make that type of mistake�, he said.

In his remarks, the President-General, Igbo Delegates Assembly, Chief Nwogu, said they were in Kano to meet the Coalition of Northern Youth Groups, in respect of the quit

notice issued Igbos in the North by the youths. “Both of us have agreed to set up a committee to sort out things and ensure that there is peace�, he stressed.

Governor Ganduje also met with members of the Coalition of Northern Youth Groups, where he expressed happiness that they have listened to the voices of elders and accepted to stride the path of peace.

Meanwhile, as sections of the polity continue to clamour for the restructuring of the country, the Church of Nigeria (Anglican Communion) has warned that the nation is sitting on a time-bomb unless the leaders take steps to address the issue.

The church advised Nigerians leaders at all levels to shun all forms of hypocrisy and support moves for the restructuring of the country and institutionalise true federalism.

(See concluding part on www.thisdaylive.com)

The General Overseer of the Redeemed Christian Church of God, Pastor Enoch Adeboye, has assured the public of physical and spiritual healing at the 65th Annual Convention of the church, which begins on Monday August 7, and runs till Sunday August 13.

The Convention, with the theme “Halleluyah,� holds at the Redemption Camp along the Lagos-Ibadan expressway and is expected to be attended by delegates from about 195 countries where the Church has

branches.

During the convention, which is an annual programme, there will be ordination of new Ministers while new sets of students from the Mission’s Bible College and Mission School will graduate. Already a four-day Ministers Conference, which precedes the Convention, has begun.

Speaking on the Convention, Pastor Adeboye said the theme of the Convention should be a pointer to the fact that “there will be intense praise of God, and diligent prayers.�

Red Bull Music Academy

Ă’Ă? Ă?ĂŽ Ă&#x;Ă–Ă– Ă&#x;Ă?Ă“Ă? Ă?Ă‹ĂŽĂ?Ă—ĂŁ ĂœĂ?Ă?Ă?Ă˜ĂžĂ–ĂŁ Ă’Ă?Ă–ĂŽ Ă“ĂžĂ? Ă?Ă“ĂœĂ?Ăž Ă?Ă?Ă?Ă?Ă“Ă™Ă˜Ă? Ă“Ă˜ Ă‹Ă‘Ă™Ă? åÓÞÒ Ă‹ Ă?Ă?ĂœĂ“Ă?Ă? Ă™Ă? ĂĄĂ™ĂœĂ•Ă?ÒÙÚĂ?Ëœ Ă–Ă?Ă?ĂžĂ&#x;ĂœĂ?Ă?Ëœ Ă–Ă“Ă?ĂžĂ?Ă˜Ă“Ă˜Ă‘ Ă?Ă?Ă?Ă?Ă“Ă™Ă˜Ă? Ă‹Ă˜ĂŽ Ă‹Ă?ĂžĂ?Ăœ ĂšĂ‹ĂœĂžĂ“Ă?Ă?Ë› Ă’Ă? Ă‘Ă–Ă™ĂŒĂ‹Ă–Ă–ĂŁ ĂœĂ?Ă?Ă™Ă‘Ă˜Ă“Ă?Ă?ĂŽ Ă—Ă&#x;Ă?Ă“Ă? Ă“Ă˜Ă?ÞÓÞĂ&#x;ĂžĂ“Ă™Ă˜ Ă?Ù××ÓÞÞĂ?ĂŽ ÞÙ Ă?Ă™Ă?ĂžĂ?ĂœĂ“Ă˜Ă‘ Ă?ĂœĂ?ËÞÓà ÓÞã Ă“Ă˜ Ă—Ă&#x;Ă?Ă“Ă? Ă“Ă? Ă‹ ĂĄĂ™ĂœĂ–ĂŽ ĂžĂœĂ‹Ă Ă?Ă–Ă“Ă˜Ă‘ Ă?Ă?ĂœĂ“Ă?Ă? Ă™Ă? Ă—Ă&#x;Ă?Ă“Ă? ĂĄĂ™ĂœĂ•Ă?ÒÙÚĂ? Ă‹Ă˜ĂŽ Ă?Ă?Ă?ÞÓà ËÖĂ? ÞÒËÞ Ă™Ă?Ă?Ă?ĂœĂ? Ă‹Ă˜ Ă?âĂ?Ă“ĂžĂ“Ă˜Ă‘ ÚÖËÞĂ?Ă™ĂœĂ— Ă?Ă™Ăœ ÞÒÙĂ?Ă? ĂĄĂ’Ă™ ĂĄĂ‹Ă˜Ăž ÞÙ Ă—Ă‹Ă•Ă? Ă‹ ĂŽĂ“Ă?Ă?Ă?ĂœĂ?Ă˜Ă?Ă? Ă“Ă˜ ÞÙÎËã˪Ă? Ă—Ă&#x;Ă?Ă“Ă?Ă‹Ă– Ă?Ă?Ă?Ă˜Ă?Ë› Ă?ĂžĂ?Ăœ ĂŽĂ‹ĂŁĂ? Ă™Ă? Ă“Ă˜Ă?ĂšĂ“ĂœĂ‹ĂžĂ“Ă™Ă˜ Ă‹Ă˜ĂŽ Ă–Ă?Ă‹ĂœĂ˜Ă“Ă˜Ă‘Ëœ Ă™Ă‘Ă™ĂŒĂ“ĂœĂ“ Ă™Ă&#x;Ă?Ă? Ă“Ă˜ ÕÙãÓ ĂĄĂ‹Ă? ĂžĂœĂ‹Ă˜Ă?Ă?Ă™ĂœĂ—Ă?ĂŽ Ă“Ă˜ĂžĂ™ Ă‹ ĂŒĂ–Ă™Ă?Ă• ĂšĂ‹ĂœĂžĂŁ åÓÞÒ ×ÙÙÎ Ă–Ă“Ă‘Ă’ĂžĂ? Ă‹Ă˜ĂŽ Ă?ĂžĂœĂ™ĂŒĂ?Ă? ÞÒËÞ ĂĄĂ?ĂœĂ? ĂœĂ?Ă—Ă“Ă˜Ă“Ă?Ă?Ă?Ă˜Ăž Ă™Ă? Ă‹ Ă˜Ă“Ă‘Ă’Ăž Ă™Ă&#x;Ăž Ă“Ă˜ ĂŒĂ“Ă¤Ă‹Ë› Ă’Ă? Ă?ĂŽ Ă&#x;Ă–Ă– Ă&#x;Ă?Ă“Ă? Ă?Ă‹ĂŽĂ?Ă—ĂŁ Ă“Ă? Ă’Ă?Ă–ĂŽ Ă‹Ă˜Ă˜Ă&#x;Ă‹Ă–Ă–ĂŁ Ă‹Ă˜ĂŽ ĂĄĂ™Ă&#x;Ă–ĂŽ ĂŒĂ? Ă—Ă?Ă?ĂžĂ“Ă˜Ă‘ Ă?Ă™Ăœ ÞÒĂ?Ă“Ăœ Ͱ͎ÞÒ Ă˜Ă˜Ă“Ă Ă?ĂœĂ?Ă‹ĂœĂŁ Ă“Ă˜ Ă?ĂœĂ–Ă“Ă˜Ë›

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Fela Nseobong Okon-Ekong

With a plethora of international artistes sampling his songs, 20 years after his demise, Afrobeat legend, Fela Anikulapo-Kuti may have achieved the immortality he boasted.

He frequently said he would never die as his adopted surname, â&#x20AC;&#x2DC;Anukulapoâ&#x20AC;&#x2122; translates, â&#x20AC;&#x2DC;one who has death in his pouchâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;. AnikulapoKuti died on August 2, 1997 at the age of 58.

Afrobeat, the music genre he pioneered has shot into global recognition with worldâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s famous American artistes like Jay Z, Wyclef, NAS, Common, J. Cole, Kendrick Lamar, Drake and Missy Elliot making their own specimen of Felaâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s songs like â&#x20AC;&#x2DC;Sorrow, Tears and Bloodâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;, â&#x20AC;&#x2DC;Colonial Mentalityâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;, â&#x20AC;&#x2DC;Ololufe,â&#x20AC;&#x2122; â&#x20AC;&#x2DC;Ladyâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;, â&#x20AC;&#x2DC;Gentlemanâ&#x20AC;&#x2122; and â&#x20AC;&#x2DC;Eko Ileâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;.

The year after his death in 1998, an Afrobeat group emerged from Brooklyn in the United States of America.

Similar bands have since appeared all over Europe, South America and Asia; notable among them is Newen Afrobeat from Chile.

Fela!, a musical based on the maverick Nigerian musicianâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s life, music and lyrics was produced in 2008 to lift Felaâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s profile as the first Black African to be so honoured.

His son, Femi Kuti, who also plays Afro-

NEWS REVIEW beat has been nominated five times for The Grammys. Along with his sister, Yeni Kuti, Femi established a performance theatre, fashioned after his fatherâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s and named it the New Afrikan Shrine, as a reminder of the defunct Afrikan Shrine owned by his father. Another son, Seun Kuti has taken over headship of his band, Egypt â&#x20AC;&#x2122;80.

With funding from the Lagos State Government, in 2012, Felaâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s former residence in Ikeja, Lagos was transformed into a museum.

The Fela music heritage and social consciousness continues to spread in Nigeria and around the world with many of the communal issues he addressed in his songs assuming larger-thanlife and more harrowing dimensions.

In 2008, the Federal Government named a street after him in the Federal Capital Territory, Abuja. It was the first official acknowledgement of a man who was consistent in his acerbic criticism of successive governments. A greater honour to his memory was rejected by his family during the Centenary celebration of Nigeria in 2014.

Nigerian musicians, particularly, the younger generation like 2Baba, Lagbaja,

Oritsefemi, Wizkid, Burna Boy and Skales have drawn a lot of inspiration from Felaâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s music legacy.

His dancing style and sense of fashion is also catching on with the youths.

This year, the popular annual Felabration festival held in to honour his heritage and marking the 20th anniversary of his passage will hold under the theme: The Prophecy.

The choice of theme is to reflect on the messages in Felaâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s songs that preach against corruption and societal ills in Nigeria and Africa, organisers said at a recent press conference at the Kalakuta Museum.

Felabration which is usually a mixture of different activities features secondary schoolsâ&#x20AC;&#x2122; debate, a symposium, dance competition, art competition and the week-long musical concert at the New Afrikan Shrine and Freedom Park in Lagos. Habitually, the celebrations peak on Felaâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s posthumous birthday, October 15.

Felabration is gradually becoming a global fest with similar events held in several cities all over the world.

Tourists and revellers swarm its most celebrated venue, the New Afrikan Shrine in their thousands. This yearâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s concert will be broadcast to the world on television across 160 channels.

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T H I S D AY SUNDAY AUGUST 6, 2017

T H I S D AY SUNDAY AUGUST 6, 2017

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ʹ˜ ͰͮͯͿ ˾ THISDAY, THE SUNDAY NEWSPAPER

OPINION Flooding: Between Actions and Consequences Numerous unfriendly environmental habits contribute to flooding, argues Temilade Aruya

F

looding is a global phenomenon that has continued to constitute a major threat to cities across the world. Universally, flooding comes with lots of miseries, with many losing valuables, others losing their lives and some being displaced.

Presently, major cities across Asia, Australia and South America are contending with grievous flooding issues.

In time past, millions of people across the world had been affected by deadly floods resulting from torrential rains in China, Australia, Japan, United States of America, Indonesia and Brazil. All of these experiences are largely traceable to global warming-induced climate change, which is posing major threats to lives, food security and businesses. Traditionally, the rainy season comes with lots of hazards for Lagos residents.

Indeed, Nigeria has had to face pockets of flooding challenges over the years. For instance, in the early 80s, Ibadan, the second largest city in Africa, was almost submerged by the Ogunpa flood disaster after days of torrential rainfall.

Similarly, Lagos once witnessed an agonising rain on July 10, 2011 when the heavens opened up in an unusual fashion, leaving in its trail sorrow, tears and blood.

Presently, the volume of rain being experienced across the country is not only much, but its effects on the citizenry are equally far-reaching. This time around, the rains are in torrents, as predicted by experts, creating heavy flooding across many states of the federation. In Suleja, for instance, scores of people were recently swept away by an unprecedented flooding that brought the town to its knees.

Quite understandably, in the last few weeks, being a predominantly coastal state, Lagos has been confronted with diverse cases of flooding, with areas such as Lagos Island, Lekki and Ajah being the worst hit. As it is, some residents in these areas resort to taking up temporary accommodation in less flood-prone areas on the Mainland.

Curiously, according to meteorologists, the worst isn’t over yet.

Recently, the Lagos Sate Government confirmed 27 cases of diarrhoea outbreak with two fatalities. The Ministry of Health has been receiving notifications on the upsurge of

acute diarrhoea diseases in some local government areas, which are not unassociated with the aftermath of the torrential rain being experienced in the state. Flooding sometimes leads to pollution of water, which in turn ends up bringing about water-borne diseases.

It is important to stress that in as much as rain is a natural phenomenon that man might not be able to stop scientifically, flooding could be human induced, to some extent. The human element of flooding is traceable to the poor sanitary and numerous unfriendly environmental habits of the people.

In spite of the reality of numerous environmentally-induced calamity frequently witnessed across the world, many of our compatriots are yet to come to term with the necessity of preserving the environment. We are yet to fully embrace a consistent and conscious culture of environmental protection.

It is, therefore, not uncommon to see people engaged in series of unfriendly environmental habits, such as open defecation, indiscriminate disposal of waste, building of houses on drainages, blockade of canals and drainages with wastes, among others. The environment is constantly bombarded with tonnes of litters, in spite of several awareness and enlightenment campaigns and programmes via the media, on the dangers of blocked drainages and water ways especially, during the rainy season. People still violate standard regula-

The environment is constantly bombarded with tonnes of litters, in spite of several awareness and enlightenment campaigns and programmes via the media, on the dangers of blocked drainages and water ways especially, during the rainy season

tions and routine safety rules meant for the common good.

It is sad to realise that in most cases people comply with environmental laws only when they are compelled. This is not right, as no sane society could evolve through such act. For instance, the aforementioned diarrhoea outbreak that resulted in the loss of lives in Lagos State is traceable to the carelessness and reckless approach of residents towards the environment as well as personal hygiene. The recent evacuation of 12,600 metric tonnes of wastes by the Lagos State Government from the streets and drains in over 80 locations in the state within 10 days in response to the flood, tagged “Operation Deep Clean,” testifies to this unwholesome attitude by people.

According to reports, drainages in the affected areas in Oshodi/Isolo, Somolu, and Surulere local government areas were flooded with waste. There were huge river of debris comprising a mixture of sachet water nylons, plastic bottles and a whole lot of other disgusting rubbish pushed out by the downpour.

Sadly, our unfriendly attitude towards the environment comes at a great cost on almost all facets of life. It has resulted in social and economic dislocation, health hazards, and loss of life, among other consequences, with government in most instances left with little option but to divert public funds to projects meant to mitigate its effects.

Floods can traumatise victims and their families for long periods of time. It could have deep effects, with victims suffering long-term stress, especially when business and social affairs are disrupted. The incontrovertible fact that people must always consider is that the price of our negligence and abuse of our environment will not only be paid by government, but also the general public.

It is, therefore, imperative that the natural and constructed environments are taken as top priorities if the impact of flooding is to be mitigated. The citizens must consider themselves partners in progress with the government in curbing environmentally degrading habits that aggravate flooding and play their civic role in ensuring a safe, clean and healthy environment for all. −−Aruya wrote from Lagos

Understanding the Farmer-Herdsman Conflict Abdulrahman Usman Leme attributes the crisis partly to the failure of successive governments to implement recommendations of previous panels of inquiry

N

igeria has experienced a considerable increase in natural resource conflicts since the early 1990s.

The increasing clashes between farmers and pastoralists have recently become worrisome, especially in wetland areas of the Middle Belt, North-central Nigeria. As expected, most media outlets, both local and international, have cashed in on the stories around the unfortunate conflict with highly exaggerated accounts motivated by ethnic and religious undertones. This has led to increased misunderstandings and distrust among Nigerians.

Centuries back, many of the low-lying areas next to rivers in Nigeria were hardly used by farmers because of some widerange of reasons. One of such was the exposure to diseases like river blindness and malaria. Another is the problem of erosion peculiar to these riverine areas. These areas, instead, were mainly used for grazing by nomadic herders and fishermen.

However, the increase in Nigeria’s population led to a need for much greater use of these lands, especially for food production. During Nigeria’s colonial era, large irrigation schemes to safeguard freshly planted food crops became popular. These schemes, however, became unsustainable, forcing successive governments to find alternatives. The need to have substitutes necessitated the introduction of the Fadama projects in the early 90s to support traditional small-scale farmers. Fadama is a term denoting irrigable low-lying plains. The idea was to promote low cost technology for irrigation under the World Bank’s financing. The Fadama cultivation was promoted throughout the northern region.

The expansion of the project coincided with large-scale urbanisation and a growing demand for horticultural products in all regions. This spread various types of dry season cultivation in many states and ultimately set the stage for the recurring farmers and herders’ clashes. The farmers, usually desperate to meet the growing demand for food items in growing urban centres and to feed their families took up more of the riverbanks to farm. Doing this meant they encountered struggles with the other users, especially the herders and even the marginal fishermen. The herders’ frustration and hostility came mostly from finding the grazing routes and access to watering points covered by tomatoes, cucumbers, vegetables and other crops planted by

the farmers. This led to misunderstanding and clashes, leading to loss of lives and property.

At what point did it become a full-blown war? Prior to 1999, security was considerably firmer than it is now. One of the weaknesses of civilian rule from 1999 till date is the poor and inadequate response to the security of lives and property.

Internal crises were containable under pre-democracy era.

Now, the police and/or security outfits are required to contain what initially used to be settled by village heads. The advent of democratic rule seems to have opened the gate of ethnoreligious conflicts which manifested around the farmer-herder conflicts. Some politicians have cashed in on the land use conflicts to feather their nests. For example, in Mambilla Plateau of Taraba State, herders and farmers have lived peacefully together for centuries. There was never a history of any clash between the neighbours until around the years 2001 and 2002, and the crisis in those years are believed to have been politically motivated.

Smarting from the latest round of the clash, which started on June 18, 2017 after ethnic Mambilla militias descended on Fulani communities, people are still counting their losses due to unprovoked attacks on their lives and property. A number of people, for example, are still missing. Again these attacks were alleged to have been carried out at the behest of some political elements.

In the early years of return to democratic rule in Nigeria, Plateau State also witnessed ethno -religious crisis. Many of the settled and transhumant pastoralists were caught up in the crisis between the urban Hausa-Fulani Muslim and the Christian tribes, which set the stage for subsequent conflicts that lasted many years. The situation has not been different in other states, like Nasarawa, Benue and Kaduna. Again, just about the same period, we had the infamous Sharia crisis in 2000, which contributed to the already growing distrust among the urban Hausa-Fulani Muslims and their largely Christian tribe neighbours in Southern Kaduna. This, of course, has negatively affected the relationship between the transhumant pastoralists and the locals in Southern Kaduna.

Part of why these crises linger is because both the people and successive state governments failed to commit to peace.

We have seen recently in Plateau State, for example, that peace

can be restored when both parties are committed to lasting peace. Efforts made by the state government, NGOs, development partners, community and religious leaders and the warring parties to ensure peace have proved to be effective; so far Plateau State has been at its most nonviolent for the longest time since 1999.

We also cannot ignore the acts of criminality and banditry being perpetrated under the guise of the “herdsmen attacks”; and our obsession with one-sided narratives. A good example is that of the Zaki Biam killing that took place on March 20 in Benue State. The initial report was that “herdsmen” perpetuated the mass killing of the people of the town. The police, however, later reported after investigation that armed gangs led by the wanted militia leader, Terwase Agwaza, carried out the act.

Over the years, the federal government created commissions to investigate and find comprehensive solutions to the crisis in the Middle Belt states. There was the presidential peace initiative committee in 2002, the Federal Administrative Panel of Inquiry in 2008, the Federal Advisory Committee in 2010, post advisory committees on security challenges in 2012, and so many others. Failure of successive governments to implement any of the recommendations by the panels of inquiry set up to investigate previous crises is one reason it still lingers. Some months ago, for example, the Kaduna State Government made an effort to implement one of such recommendations and it was widely sensationalised as “paying the herdsmen for killing people”; which ushers in the role of media in these crises.

If the media can do away with this culture of exaggerating every crisis and do more of developmental and investigative journalism, crises would be averted. For instance, the pre-dawn attacks in some parts of Plateau, Benue, Kaduna, Nassarawa and Taraba States were widely reported to be perpetuated by “unknown gunmen” between 2010 and 2012.

‘Unknown gunmen’ easily became a lazy way to report the news as opposed to actually investigating the attacks or the people behind it.

–--Leme (@Lemeveteran), wrote from Lagos (See concluding part on www.thisdaylive.com)

19

T H I S D AY, T H E S U N D AY N E W S PA P E R ˾ AUGUST 6, 2017

LETTERS Lagos’ New Lease of Life for Epe

I

n every society, people clamour for development; a change from good to better and ultimately a secure and more prosperous society.

Epe, a prominent town on the northern shore of Lagos State and a few kilometres away from Ikorodu, is not an exception. From all indications, the town was founded in the 18th century by migrant hunters and fishermen boat builders on economic/political adventures from Ile-Ife, Benin and Ijebu-Ode. In the early days of its existence, water was a prominent source of strength at Epe, as it supported business exploits of British colonialists. The Marina Water front in Epe once had the presence of most multinational firms such as UAC, Lever Brothers Nigeria Limited, among others. Many of these companies were engaged in buying of palm produce, such as cocoa, palm produce, rubber, timber and many other raw materials for local production as well as exports.

Water transportation then complemented the only major link road

Ambode

to the town, the EpeIjebu-Ode -Sagamu road, which was more expensive, tasking and risky.

The commercial presence of some of these companies contributed to improved economy and infrastructure of the town.

Based on the economic importance of its lagoon, over the years, Epe has gained prominence

through its famous fishing venture as well as the cultivation of cassava, maize, vegetables, coconuts, cocoa, palm produce, rubber, which are usually taken to Lagos for sale. The availability of numerous bodies of water at Epe readily supports production of different ranges of boats. Big barges used in moving goods

or pulling logs of wood are trademarks of indigenous Epe ingenuity.

Thus, Epe’s commercial potential was a source of attraction to the early settlers.

Epe has a chequered history, as it was somehow involved in the British-Lagos diplomatic rows of the colonial era.

The defeat of King Kosoko and his subsequent expulsion from Lagos by the British army brought a new lease of life to Epe community.

The waterway was an available navigation resource that brought King Kosoko and his entourage on exile to Epe in1852. The aura and exploits associated with King Kosoko’s business exposure in Lagos was replicated in Epe. With Kosoko’s entourage of about 1,500 people and other European traders, the economic potential of Epe received a great boost.

Prior to this time, Epe was only lively on Fridays after indigenes (Ijebu- Epe) might have returned from their various fishing camps across the lagoon.

However, the presence of Kosoko and his team of business associates

IN BAKASSI NIGERIA FAILED

I

am an avid follower of Nigeria’s international border security issues.

Indeed, issues of border security around the world fascinate me.

My interest stems from my ideological conviction that a nation cannot enjoy the right to be identified as a sovereign entity if she does not have control over her international borders. It was this profound philosophical attachment to international boundary security issues that made me fix my gaze on the dispute between Cameroon and Nigeria over the ownership of the resource-rich Bakassi Peninsula.

This became a global litigation issue when Cameroon, under their long-term dictator, Mr. Paul Biya, instituted a suit before the International Court of Justice at The Hague, Netherlands.

Although, under the law setting up the United Nations’ supervised legal institution, known in short as ICJ, Nigeria had the choice not to legitimise the litigation by deliberately staying away. But our political leader at that auspicious time never consulted widely; he plunged Nigeria straight into the titanic legal battle by deciding to file

appearance.

But legitimising the litigation commenced

by Cameroon against Nigeria turned out to be the most monumental blunder to have been made by the political class since the advent of modern Nigeria.

The country lost that case spectacularly due to some technicalities that were overlooked by the Nigerian leader. Nigeria, from all empirical evidence, wasn’t prepared for that case. Those who headed the agency that coordinated the defence, especially from the National Boundary Commission of Nigeria, were persons who have blood affinities with Northern Cameroon.

The other day at the Jonathan’s National Conference, the Lamido of Adamawa said his kingdom extends up to Northern Cameroon.

This is not to say that there was compromise or collusion on the part of the then hierarchy of the boundary commission.

But how prepared were the members of the Nigerian legal team? At a point, the team was led by a junior lawyer who was then the Minister of State in the Federal Ministry of Justice. He did so badly that successive administrations

stopped appointing a junior minister for the Justice Ministry.

Why did Nigeria not hire her best hands and most robust legal minds to handle our brief? Because we presented our second or third eleven whilst Cameroon presented her best, certain lacunas within the ICJ panel were overlooked to our disadvantage.

The fundamental allegation that reared its head then even before the verdict was read was that the panel that sat over the matter had loyalties to France. It is a fact that the French and Cameroon have a defence pact. Is there a truth behind this allegation?

Anyway, Nigeria lost at the ICJ but opted to accept the verdict even when the implementation of the terms was bound to affect negatively millions of Nigerians caught in the legal crossfire in Bakassi Peninsula.

The Nigerian government had no plan B for the interests and wellbeing of Nigerians who were eventually displaced. Was Nigeria hoping that those Nigerians in Bakassi were going to naturalise as Cameroonians with the coming into being of the enforcement of that

judgement?

If Nigeria had voided the implementation of that adversarial judgement from the ICJ, Heavens would not have fallen because there are several instances whereby certain nations have refused to comply with judgements from the ICJ. The United States, for instance, is in default.

USA particularly defied a verdict won by Canada over maritime litigation at the ICJ. USA, being a Security Council permanent member, was expected to show good example, but it chose her national interest above international legal decision. Why couldn’t Nigeria follow the US model since we already borrowed the presidential system from them?

Be that as it may, Nigeria opted to obey. But, sadly, the post-verdict’s treaty entered into by both nations have not been religiously followed, especially, by the victorious party – Cameroon – just as Nigerians, who were displaced by that judgement but chose to continue staying since they are professional fishermen, have suffered unrelenting attacks from their hostile host.

--Emmanuel Onwubiko, www.emmanuelonwubiko.com

brought about a great transformation to the town. Consequently, the town originally noted for aqua culture and agriculture, gradually translated into a melting pot of commercial activities due to various external influences. This extended to neighbouring lagoon front communities, like Ejinrin, which played host to the first post office in Nigeria.

In the 60s, especially shortly after independence, the searchlight of development was beamed on Epe. This was a period the industrialisation policy of the defunct Action Group brought about positive change in Epe through the activities of ODUA investments.

Epe Boat Yard and Epe Plywood became a major investment of repute that scaled up economic fortunes of the historic town. Epe Plywood Industry became a major player in the business of high grade furniture that could compete with any foreign product.

Interestingly, Epe Boat Yard, on the other hand, was responsible for high performing boat barges and yachts, to mention a few. Sadly, the once thriving businesses eventually went into extinction due to bad management. Epe Boat Yard may have died without any physical relic of its past existence, yet Epe Plywood Industry, in the heart of the town, has remained a jungle of dangerous reptiles for over 20 years. The company that once contributed to the gross domestic product of Lagos collapsed to the advantage of Chinese furniture products, which have penetrated the Nigerian local market.

A ray of hope, however, appeared in the horizon for Epe between 1979 and 1983 during the era of Alhaji Lateef Jakande, who conceived the vision of constructing the LekkiEpe expressway. The aim was to rejuvenate economic and industrial activities along the axis.

Thus, Epe could be conveniently accessed through Victoria Island.

Aside the construction of the road, LAPEC, a scrap melting factory at Sala, the defunct Lagos State Brewery (LAGBREW) at Agbowa in the Epe division were part of many developmental activities structured by the Jakande administration towards opening up the division for development. Sadly, military intervention in 1983 was to truncate this laudable vision and ever since then further

development in Epe was in limbo for a long period.

However, the advent of the current Akinwunmi Ambode administration has brought a new lease of life to Epe. Without a doubt, the past two years have witnessed major infrastructure development in Epe. For instance, the first phase of Oke-Osho road to Aiyetoro Round About was completed and inaugurated. The construction was complemented by solid drains and functional street lights, which restrict the activities of night marauders.

Already, construction of the second phase of the road to Mojoda, a boundary with Ogun State, is currently gaining momentum.

Similarly, power supply, which for many years, was a mirage, recently got a boost.

The searchlight of the Ambode administration into the non-oil revenue potential of the state has driven the government to identify the serene and alluring tourism opportunities that abound in Epe. With a number of historic landmarks, such as the first ever post office in Nigeria, the second oldest sea port in Nigeria, the first comprehensive college in the state, the second police station in Nigeria, among others, the tourism potential of Epe is being further enhanced.

It is in order to further develop tourism activities in Epe that the state government redesigned and restructured the old VIP chalet built by the Jakande administration into a luxurious 72-room tastefully furnished apartment. The chalet boasts a swimming pool, bar, tennis court, football field and gymnasium.

Additionally, the current massive reclamation of the lagoon along Epe Marina is a project that cannot be ignored.

Fashioned after the Dubai Marina, there could not have been a better location than the historic site, which was the trading cluster for King Kosoko among the Portuguese, Lever Brothers, and UAC, prominent in produce buying during the colonial era. The project is planned to provide infrastructure, such as civic centre for special purposes, food venues, museum, aquarium, boat club/services, dock amusement and other interesting fun spots.

All these are expected to stimulate investors’ interest and direct their attention to the Epe axis.

--Bolaji Odumade, Alausa, Lagos

20

THISDAY, THE SUNDAY NEWSPAPER ˾ ʹ˜ Ͱͮͯ͵

INTERNATIONAL

Nigeria’s Foreign Policy and the New Russo-American Relations

I

n contemporary Nigeria, the quest for self-determination is presented as the major challenge and obstacle to national unity, political stability and security. For instance, the main objective of Boko Haramism is not simply to undermine the constitutionality of the raison d’être of Nigeria, but to use Nigeria as a tool in fighting Western civilisation and values. Most disturbingly, the manifestations of Boko Haramism have clearly shown that the Boko Haramists want to Islamise Nigeria.

Even though the government of Nigeria has given the impression that victory over the Boko Haram is now a fait accompli or that the war is won while the battle is still on, Boko Haram terrorists still appear to be more engaged in their dastardly attacks through new methods. In this regard, who really is behind the Boko Haram, internationally? Where does the Boko Haram draw its strength from?

What foreign policy direction is Nigeria following? What is the place of international cooperation and assistance to Nigeria? Will it not make a better sense to seek to attack the source of strength of the terrorists? If government has been doing this, are the strategies achieving the desired results? If not, why not contemplate new approaches?

Apart from Boko Haramism, the MASSOB, IPOB, MEND, etc, have also been treading the path of self-determination in a manu militari fashion. The MASSOB and the IPOB want a Republic of Biafra. The Oodua People’s Congress once advocated Oodua Republic but the noise about it have been on the wane until recently when the Yoruba Liberation Command (YOLICOM), set up on the strength of the prevailing development renewed the advocacy and is also seeking an Oduduwa Republic.

As noted in The Nation’s editorial ofAugust 2, 2017, the extremist positions of these militant groups ‘may not represent the mainstream views of politicians in Igbo and Yoruba regions of the country, nevertheless, they constitute troubling signals for a country that had fought a civil war before.Apart from the demand for new republics, increasing stridency in the last one year of calls from various regions, especially the South-east, the South-south, and the South-west for immediate restructuring of the polity should be a matter of urgent concern to all.’ This observation cannot be more correct. The polity is currently fraught with insecurity.

In the same vein, contemporary international politics is also fraught with globalisation-induced instability, particularly in terms of threats to global peace and security, nuclear power rivalry and contest for global leadership. The saga in which the major powers are involved in Syria is a case in point. The misunderstanding between Japan and China over who has sovereignty over an island in the South China Sea is another. The political lull between South and North Korea, the international controversy over North Korea’s nuclear tests, the unending threats of international terrorism to the maintenance of good governance, etc, all point to increasing movement towards global disorderliness.

And without a jot of doubt, the emerging misunderstanding between Vladimir Putin’s Russia and Donald Trump’sAmerica is noteworthy and more disturbing, essentially, because it is currently serving as a catalyst in the movement towards global disorderliness.

As noted by Donald Trump, the ‘relationship with Russia is at an all-time and very dangerous low.’ While Donald Trump sees sanctions bill of the US Congress as ‘flawed,’ Russia says the US sanctions constitute a declaration of a ‘full-scale trade war.’

Why is the relationship at a very dangerous low? Why is Russia talking about a full-scale trade war? The background to the US sanctions bill is as a result of alleged Russian meddling in the 2016 presidential election in the United States. Why is the sanctions bill put in the context of a bilateral trade war? What is the future of the worsening relationship between the two countries and in which way is Nigeria’s foreign policy will be directly or indirectly affected?

Genesis and Dynamics of the Relationship True enough, Russo-American ties have generally not been cordial under Vladimir Putin and Donald Trump for many and

Trump

VIE INTERNATIONALE with

Bola A. Akinterinwa Telephone : 0807-688-2846

e-mail: bolyttag@yahoo.com

obvious reasons. First is the foundation: the policies of perestroïka and glasnost adopted by Mikhail Gorbachev in 1986 as basis for restructuring the Soviet Union but which, by design or otherwise, led to the dismantling and demise of the Soviet Union, and which are being regretted in Russia of today. Russia is trying to reaffirm its status quo ante of a super power, but without attempting to question China’s interest in also leading the world. This is the general foundation on which the current ‘friendly enmity’ between Moscow and Washington is largely predicated.

For illustration purposes, when a US Navy fighter jet shot down a Syrian war plane, without having communicated with the Russian forces about it ahead of time per normal procedure, Russia’s response was that any US warplanes in the vicinity of the incident would be treated as ‘targets.’ While the Russian Defence Ministry called it ‘a cynical violation of the sovereignty of the SyrianArab Republic,’ the White House says ‘the escalation of hostilities among the many factions that are operating in this region doesn’t help anybody.And the Syrian regime and others in the regime need to understand that we will retain the right of self-defence, of coalition forces aligned against ISIS.’ Apart from the conflict of interest in the Syrian conflict, it is useful to also note that Russia has consistently vetoed any resolutions against Syria by the United Nations Security Council. This simply not only shows partisanship, but also raises the extent to which Russia can be committed to the coalition forces fighting ISIS terror and at the same time protecting Syria’s interest.

The United States sees Vladimir Putin as another dictator. The annexation by Russia of Crimea is not favourably seen in the United States. More interesting, but most disturbingly, the alleged Russian meddlesomeness in the 2016 presidential election in the United States has further complicated and tainted the relationship that has reached its lowest ebb with the closure of some Russian diplomatic offices in the United States.

The genesis of the closure and its aftermath is traceable to December 2015, when Michael Flynn, a retired USArmy Lieutenant General, was reportedly paid more than $45,000 by the state-sponsored broadcaster, Russia Today, ‘to address the network’s 10th anniversary gala in Moscow. Probably in suspicion of General Flynn’s contacts with Russia, former President Barack Obama warned the Presidentelect, Donald Trump, on 10 November, 2016 against hiring him as his National SecurityAdviser (NSA). But contrary to Obama’s warning, General Flynn was announced on 18 November, 2016 as the next NSA. Second, Mr. Jared Kushner, White HouseAdviser and son-in-law to Donald Trump, had a meeting with the Russian ambassador to the United States, Sergei Kislyak, and the ‘head of a US-sanctioned, Russia state-owned bank’ at the Trump Tower in New York in December 2016. Following an exchange on December 28 of Christmas text messages between General Flynn and Russian ambassador, Mr. Kislyak, both of them again had a telephone discussion after Barack Obama’s announcement of the expulsion of 35 Russian diplomats the following day, that is, on 29th December.

Putin

On 6 January, 2017 the FBI Chief, Mr. James Comey, briefed Donald Trump in his capacity as the US president-elect on an intelligence report which concluded that Russia had meddled in the 2016 presidential elections. Donald Trump was not bothered about the briefing nor was he troubled by Obama’s warning not to appoint General Flynn as his NSA. In fact, on 20 January, 2017, he assumed duty as US president with General Flynn.As from this day, President Donald Trump has been seriously challenged by what we may call here the Russian blood virus, running in his capillaries and blood vessels.

On 15 January, 2017 former Vice President, Mike Pence, noted in his interview with the US Television Network CBS that he spoke with General Flynn about his phone call with the Russian ambassador and that it had ‘nothing whatsoever to do with those sanctions.’ However, on 27 January, the Department of Justice informed Donald McGahn, White House lawyer, about Flynn’s vulnerability to Russian blackmail as a result of his communications with the Russian ambassador, Mr. Kislyak. This concern might have also informed Donald Trump’s alleged request for loyalty from James Comey during their dinner on 27 January.

As explained by Mr. Comey during his testimony before a Senate panel, President Donald Trump requested: ‘I need loyalty, I expect loyalty... I hope you can see your way clear to letting this go, to letting Flynn go. He is a good guy. I hope you can let this go.’ Mr Comey’s reply was simply that General Flynn ‘is a good guy.’ Even though Donald Trump denied having pleaded for a cover up, General Flynn resigned his appointment on 13 February, 2017, that is, less than a month following his assumption of duty on January 20.

In the words of General Flynn, ‘I inadvertently briefed the Vice President-elect and others with incomplete information regarding my phone calls with the Russian ambassador.’ This self-confession is quite different from the impression sold to the public by Donald Trump on 16 February at a press conference during which he portrayed General Flynn as ‘a fine person,’ but that he was ‘not happy’ with his performance.

More interestingly, on 30 March, Robert Kelner, the lawyer to General Flynn, indicated the readiness of General Flynn to testify on the issue of Russian meddling in the US 2016 presidential election on the condition of grant of immunity.As his lawyer explained it, Mr. Flynn ‘has a story to tell,’ but not in the context of ‘unfair prosecution.’

He wants to testify with assurances that there would be prosecutorial fairness.

This request for immunity raises one fundamental question: who really is honest or who wants to tell the truth? OnApril 12, Donald Trump declared his confidence in the FBI Chief, James Comey. On May 2 in his tweets, Trump said the ‘FBI director Comey was the best thing ever happened to Hillary Clinton in that he gave her a free pass for many bad deeds.’ In spite of this positive perception of Mr Comey, however, Donald Trump discussed the firing of Mr. Comey on 8 May with theAttorney General, Jeff Sessions and the DeputyAttorney General, Rod Rosenstein.And indeed, the following day, Mr. Comey was removed as FBI director. Where is the good thing about Comey in this case?

Third, on 10 May, 2007, President Donald Trump held a meeting with a Russian delegation in the Oval Office. The US press was reportedly excluded but a photographer from a Russian State News Agency was allowed in. Why was this so? Probably because of the various insinuations in the media as President Vladimir Putin offered on 17 May, to release a record of President Trump’s May 10 meeting with Russian officials. Before doing so, the Russian suggestion was overtaken by the decision of the Department of Justice to appoint the ex-FBI director, Robert Mueller, as Special Counsel to address ‘Russian of a thing.’

Fourth, Jared Kushner, as reported by the New York Times and the Washington Post on 26 May, ‘allegedly proposed setting up a back channel between the Kremlin and the White House through Mr. Kislyak. He reportedly wanted to use Russian facilities to avoid any US interception of discussions with Moscow.’

What is particularly interesting about the foregoing is that a Special Counsel, Robert Mueller, was appointed to investigate the possible obstruction of justice by Donald Trump by pressuring Comey to soft-pedal in the matter of General Flynn. This investigation should be differentiated from the allegations of Russian meddlesomeness in the 2016 US presidential election. Consequently, political governance can be fraudulent in both design and operation. The case of the US under Donald Trump is not different.

On June 25, Donald Trump claimed that his predecessor knew much before the November 8, 2016 elections about the allegations levied against Russia but he did nothing about them. On 9 July, Donald Trump Jr. admitted having met a Russian lawyer, Natalia Veselnitskaya, who was representing the government of Russia, earlier on 9 June, 2016 for possible help in winning the election. Thus, the Russian hands in the 2016 US elections can no longer be validly denied.

With the new sanctions bill adopted on Wednesday, 2ndAugust, 2017, by the US Congress and the retaliatory measure of declaring not less than 755 US diplomats in Russia personae non grata by the government of Russia, the whole international community, in general, and the government of Nigeria, in particular, will need to monitor and address the likely implications, especially in light of Nigeria and United States’ shared interests in democratic governance.

(See concluding part on www.thisdaylive.com)

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T H I S D AY, T H E S U N D AY N E W S PA P E R ˾ AUGUST 6, 2017

BUSINESS

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

LAST WEEK WEEK

Oil

Minister of State for Petroleum Resources Ibe Kachikwu on Monday saidNigeriamayforceoilcompaniesto lowerproductioncostsifnegotiations fail. Kachikwu said countries like the United Arab Emirates had cut costs significantly, saying they are the lowest-cost producers in the world.

He added that only oil companies that were able to drive down costs will thrive in the country. “For me, you rather leave the oil in the ground than produce at a cost that doesn’t make sense. So, cost is going to be a very high driver. That is certainly one area we are focusing on; we are working collaboratively with oil companies.

But let’s make no mistake about it, if we cannot negotiate it down, we will compelitorwewillstoptheproduction; it does not make any sense.”

Naira The Naira appreciated marginally against the dollar at the parallel market. TheNigeriancurrencygained50k toexchangeatN362.50,strongerthan N363 posted on Tuesday, while the Pound Sterling and the Euro traded at N473 and N422, respectively. At the Bureau De Change window, the Naira was sold at N363, while the Pound Sterling and the Euro traded at N472 andN423,respectively.Naira,however, depreciated at the investors’ window, selling at N368.50 to the dollar, from 367.28.

Workers on an oil rig

Global Energy Investment Slumped 12% to $1.7trn in 2016 Drop attributed mainly to falling unit capital costs in oil, gas Accounted for 2.2 % global GDP Kunle Aderinokun The world’s total energy investment was $1.7 trillion in 2016, having dropped by 12 per cent from 2015 in real terms and accounted for 2.2 per cent of global gross domestic product (GDP), World Energy Investment 2017 has revealed.

The WEI, a publication of International Energy Agency, which was released in July, noted that increase in spending on energy by nine per cent with six per cent rise in electricity networks were more than balance a continuing drop in investment in upstream oil and gas, which fell by over a quarter, and power generation, down five per cent.

According to the report, “Falling unit capital costs, especially in upstream oil and gas, and solar photovoltaics (PV), was a key reason for lower investment, though reduced drilling and less fossil fuel-based power capacity also contributed.”

Pointing out that, “The electricity sector edged ahead of the fossil fuel supply sector to become the largest recipient of energy investment in 2016 for the first time ever,” WEI disclosed that, “Oil and gas represent two-fifths of global energy investment, despite a fall of 38 per cent in capital spending in that sector between 2014 and 2016.”

“As a result, the low-carbon components, including electricity networks, grew their share of total supply-side investment by twelve percentage points to 43 per cent over the same period,” it added.

The WEI reported that China remained the largest destination of energy investment, taking 21 per

ENERGY cent of the global total. “With a 25 per cent decline in commissioning of new coal-fired power plants, energy investment in China is increasingly driven by low-carbon electricity supply and networks, and energy efficiency.

Energy investment in India jumped 7 per cent, cementing its position as the third-largest country behind the United States, owing to a strong government push to modernise and expand India’s power system and enhance access to electricity supply.”

According to the report, “The rapidly growing economies of Southeast Asia together represent over 4 per cent of global energy investment. Despite a sharp decline in oil and gas investment, the share of the United States in global energy investment rose to 16 per cent – still higher than that of Europe, where investment declined 10 per cent – mainly as a result of renewables.”

On key trends in energy investment by sector, WEI pointed out that, after a 44 per cent plunge between 2014 and 2016, upstream oil and gas investment has rebounded modestly in 2017.

“A 53 per cent upswing in US shale investment and resilient spending in large producing regions like the Middle East and the Russia Federation (hereafter, “Russia”) has driven nominal upstream investment to bounce back by six per cent in 2017 (a three per cent increase in real terms). Spending is also rising in Mexico following a very successful offshore bid round in 2017.

“There are diverging trends for upstream capital costs: at a global

level, costs are expected to decline for a third consecutive year in 2017, driven mainly by deflation in the offshore sector, although with only three per cent decline, the pace of the plunge has slowed down significantly compared to 2015 and 2016. The rapid ramp up of US shale activities has triggered an increase of US shale costs of 16 per cent in 2017 after having almost halved from 2014-16,” it stated.

Similarly, WEI revealed that global electricity investment fell just below one per cent to $718 billion, with an increase Gas-fired power investment remained steady in 2016, but nearly half of it was in North America, the Middle East and North Africa where gas resources are abundant

in spending on networks partially making up for a drop in power generation.

“Investment in new renewables-based power capacity, at $297 billion, remained the largest area of electricity spending, despite falling back by three per cent.

Renewables investment was three per cent lower than five years ago, but capacity additions were 50 per cent higher and expected output from this capacity about 35 per cent higher, thanks to declines in unit costs and technology improvements in solar PV and wind. Investment in coal-fired plants fell sharply, with nearly 20 gigawatts (GW) less commissioned, reflecting concerns about local air pollution and the emergence of overcapacity in some

markets, notably China, though investment grew in India. The investment decisions taken in 2016, totalling a mere 40 GW globally, signal a more dramatic slowdown ahead for coal power investment once the current wave of construction comes to an end.

Nevertheless, the report further stated that, “Gas-fired power investment remained steady in 2016, but nearly half of it was in North America, the Middle East and North Africa where gas resources are abundant.”

According to the report, “In Europe, although 4 GW of new capacity came online based on investment decisions made years ago, retirements of gaspower plants exceeded the amount of new capacity that was given the green light for construction. The 10 GW of nuclear power capacity that came on line in 2016 was the highest in over 15 years, but only 3 GW started construction, situated mostly in China, which was 60 per cent lower than the average of the previous decade.”

“Spending on electricity networks and storage continued its steady rise of the past five years, reaching an all-time high of $277 billion in 2016, with 30 per cent of the expansion driven by China’s spending in the distribution system. China accounted for 30 per cent of total networks spending.

Another 15 per cent went to India and South-east Asia, where the grid is expanding briskly to accommodate growing demand. In the United States (17 per cent of the total) and Europe (13 per cent), a growing share is going to the replacement of ageing transmission and distribution assets,” the report said.

Tax The Federal Executive Council approvedtheinclusionof27enterprises to the list of pioneer industries and productsthatwouldenjoypioneerstatus under the Industrial Development Income Tax Relief Act. The pioneer status incentive is a tax holiday given tocompaniesforaperiodoftimetoencourage the growth and development of the Nigerian economy. It may also be a seven-year tax holiday in respect of industries located in economically disadvantagedlocalgovernmentareas of the country.

Power Siemens announced the addition of a newsolution,SGT-A45TRmobileunit, toitsgasturbineportfoliotoservethe growingmarketforpowergeneration.

The company said in a statement that the aero derivative gas turbine was packaged for rapid deployment and could be installed in less than two weeks, with an electrical generating capacityofupto44megawatts.Itsaid theSGT-A45TRgas turbinecould run on gas or liquid fuels, and transition smoothly between both fuel types while in operation, providing greater flexibility and ensuring continued operation should the main fuel supply become unavailable.

Revenue Nigeria lost $300 billion in oil investments globally in three years, due to the decline in oil price. Kachikwu stated this at the 2017 Society of Petroleum Engineers, Nigeria, Annual International Conference and Exhibition in Lagos. He said the losses were in oil exploration and production, as investors preferred to invest in other African countries.

Recession TheInternationalMonetaryFundsaid Nigeria was expected to emerge from recession this year with an economic growthof0.8percent.ButIMFwarned that threats to recovery remained elevated, and that the economy will notgrowenoughtoreduceunemploymentandpoverty.Itadvisedthefederal governmenttopursueapolicyoffiscal consolidation through higher non-oil revenues,toensurestabilityingrowth.

22

T H I S D AY SUNDAY AUGUST 6, 2017

23

T H I S D AY, T H E S U N D AY N E W S PA P E R ˾ AUGUST 6, 2017

SUNDAY INTERVIEW KAMAL ABASS

PHOTOS: Etop Ukutt

With Focus on Data, We’re Achieving Our Growth Projections Steadily Kamal Abass was managing director of LM Ericsson Nigeria before he assumed office as Chief Executive Officer of ntel, a position he relinquished last week. Young, urbane and articulate, Abass had a track record of providing technical advice to some telecommunications companies on their successful commercial rollout of services even before he helped birth ntel. Highlights of his stewardship at ntel include steering its affairs to emerge as the first advanced 4G/LTE network providing superfast internet access for voice, data, video and TV on demand; and the first network to make a 4G data call. Abass holds a Bachelor’s degree in Civil Engineering from the University of Lagos; an MSc in Transportation Planning & Management from the University of Westminster, London; and an MBA from Cranfield University’s School of Management, Bedfordshire, UK. In this interview with Tokunbo Adedoja and Olaseni Durojaiye, few days before he stepped aside as ntel CEO, he bares his mind on the challenges and prospects in the Nigerian telecoms industry and what ntel is doing to expand its market share. Excerpts:

S

lightly over a year ago, your organization rolled out commercial activities, how has it been, particularly because your company was coming after four major telecommunication companies?

We did start commercial services in April 2016 but the journey started considerably before then. I first became involved with the shareholders of what is now ntel when I was with Ericsson as the Managing Director for Nigeria; we gave advice to them on the best strategy for their Nigerian market place, over a

time we refined the advice and we participated in the RFP process that was initiated by the Bureau of Private Enterprises (BPE) and the liquidator, ultimately we were successful in winning the RFP process and I was asked to be the CEO; so at the time I became CEO around April 2015 I’d been working on the project for around two years. It was a further 11 months after before we took over the assets that we required before we started commercial services. It was a short window between acquisitions of the license through to pretty much comprehensive commercial activities.

We started our commercial activities with skeletal services in Abuja and Lagos, which has grown and grown, and we started out with a clear mission which is to improve on the broadband experience of customers today. We saw and continue to see a very large market for broadband. Today there are more than 50 million broadband customers, all of those 50 million broadband customers will be better off on our network because our network is 4G, a next generation network while a lot of the existing broadband customers are on 3G, which is a lower generation and means less efficient

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SUNDAY INTERVIEW Our Industry is Vibrantly Competitive, But Prices are Approaching Levels that’ll not Deliver Acceptable Returns on Investment Cont’d from Pg. 23 and gives a less good quality experience. It is impossible to argue with the fundamental science of the issue and all we’ve got to do is give them coverage in the areas they work, live in and play and certainly give them access to a device and thorough proposition that they would consider to be attractive and we have certainly done that to tens of thousands of customers today.

Considering the inroad you have made so far, one would have expected that the network would have extended its coverage area beyond what it is presently. What are your thoughts regarding this?

Where we are today, I think, is the best possible place where we can be within our resources. We rolled out several hundreds of circuits, we have got pretty full coverage in each of our three cities, in fact, we have the largest areas of coverage among 4G in each of the three cities that we’re present in. Rolling out beyond those three cities requires us to raise capital and we are in the middle of that process of raising capital. And to keep to that network extension will consist of adding more sites to Lagos, Abuja and Rivers State, may be add another 50 percent of what we have and then extend to, may be, South West, to the South East and then to the North.

One of the expectations of the public at the inception of ntel was that the acquisition of Nitel and Mtel facilities will facilitate a speedy actualisation of the much talked about rural telephony initiative of the federal government, some industry stakeholders insist this has not been so. What is your take on this?

There are two things to say in relation to the assets that we acquired: The first is that we acquired assets that have been dormant for roughly seven to eight years, that is the vintage of the assets that we acquired. The bulk of the assets that we acquired were last used in 2007 or 2008. By 2015 when we took over, many of the assets have not been operational for many years, many of the assets had been superseded; they had 2G mobile, that was pretty much the first generation of 2G; they had fixed telephony switches which were no longer connected by copper or by fibre to anywhere, they had sites and base stations that are all 2G and some CDMA, all superseded not only because they were old technologies but they had also become disused; so all of these were very much irrelevant to where we wanted to take the ntel opportunity.

But the second and more important point is that we felt it was fundamental to add to the potential of the customers to access the best broadband. Broadband is not a thing for Western Europe or North America, or a thing for economies in different climes. Broadband, like the desire to communicate, like the way we communicate is universal and we have all seen or experienced the power of broadband to transform, and the same potential and I don’t mean typical, average or half, I mean exactly the same potential for broadband to transform wherever on the globe that you execute broadband.

Yes, the numbers may be different, but if you put a broadband in the hands of human beings it would transform their lives because it gives you access to information, to productivity and efficiency that would be impossible to do without it. That was why we felt in the world in which 2G was as complex as 3G, in a world that actually recognises that broadband is a firm need and gave ourselves and Nigerians the opportunity to experience the best broadband.

And we have another ace off our sleeve, when the licences and spectrum were granted to Mtel and NITEL in 2001 it was the very beginning of a mobile age and the very best spectrums were carved out for the beneficiaries of spectrum at that time, they were MTN, the predecessor organisation to Airtel, Glo, NITEL and subsequently it was Etisalat. All those networks had built 2G networks and subsequently built 3G networks; NITEL’s network was used for 2G and was no longer being used for 2G use but happily it can be used for 4G; so you have a meeting of the best for the bests. You have the best spectrum that was available at a time that spectrum was fresh and newly instituted. Therefore, it was the best spectrum available at that time now married to the best up to date, most advanced technology for communication; and we have not only launched a broadband that would do voice and messaging, but most importantly that can offer the most demanding use for data these days - video. And that’s what we do, that’s what we will do well into the future. We will hold ourselves up to the very demanding standard for video and for broadband. We want to be known as Nigeria’s broadband operator and I am so pleased because that in fact was what we said at the beginning because that was exactly how we wanted to be viewed, the broadband operator of choice.

You did mention that ntel is in the process of raising capital for network and coverage expansion and that brings to mind some of the interesting happenings that border on numbers that have been playing out in your industry for some time, first was the huge fine imposed on MTN, then lately the drama of Etisalat, now 9Mobile, and some banks.

From your experience, what does this mean for your industry especially with investors and borrowers?

In my own experience, this is frankly speaking the natural progression of an industry. Many times operators in Nigeria have been fined for various transgressions, if I can put it like that. There have been fines for quality of services, there have even been fines for registration processes in many parts of Africa, and these fines have been imposed. The consolidation of the entire business is well understood because, really, it is hard to be efficient as a top company if you are not of the scale, therefore people drive very hard for scale and the people who lose in the scale battle then have to consolidate. That is pretty natural.

The reality of Etisalat now 9Mobile is shocking but not unheard

Abass

of. It is a successful company no one can take that away. It was a company that was hurt like many others by the very steep currency devaluation and frankly they had shareholders who, like many shareholders in other countries, lost patience with a company they felt should have returned more to the shareholders over time. It is about choices made at the board within Etisalat Nigeria. I have seen many variations of what has happened in the industry in many other countries of the world, they are alarming, they are distressing especially for those that were involved, even then I would say that they should not be seen as impugning our industry, or its fundamentals or anyone involved.

Frankly, I think they have been a little bit unlucky. When we sit in the cold night of the day we can look at what’s happened and we can be judgmental and shake our hands and talk light about it, but the reality is there is enormous amount of money going on in our industry all the time; we’ve had to deal with many challenges and this is not to say the regulatory rules are not to be observed or are not to be taken very seriously. But sometimes mistakes happened and we all pray for an environment in which we can fix our mistakes before they get out of hands and sometimes they do and we see the consequences.

So, I think we have a fundamentally strong industry with a set of very committed and talented professionals in the industry with a supportive regulatory regime and regulator, In the NCC, in the Central Bank of Nigeria, in the National Assembly and in the ministry that is enormously supportive of what we are doing and the contributions that we are making and in government as a whole; but sometimes things go wrong in spite of the effort of that community.

For a while now members of ATCON have been in the forefront of the clamour for local content in the industry arguing that it would boost the drive for local content in the industry, some other stakeholders have said it is premature and argued that the country lack capacity to effect the demands of the call at this time. What is your take on this, particularly the discourse around an ICT University?

Of all of the social engineering initiatives or corporate social propositions that you can think of, an ICT University has got to be up there among the best. One because there is the need for us to bring in talents into our industry in a big way and keep that supply of talent strong. Secondly because the route to advancement, I think, is very tightly wind up in the amount of technology that our young people study. If you look at the biggest companies in the world today, the largest companies, they are not just trading companies, they are companies that make significant technology innovation; I don’t even need to mention names but of course it is about people like Apple, Google and others. Even Uber, the thing that they spend money on apart from paying drivers - and they want to spend less money on drivers over time - is innovation on its platform and they are increasingly spending money on artificial telecoms technology. So it will make enormous sense for us, not just in Nigeria but across Africa to invest in this university; that is an important development for the future.

I can assure you of one thing which is to say even in the absence of a pure ICT university today ntel has managed to achieve a 100 percent result in relation to employing Nigerians in this company.

Every last person in this company is Nigerian; we’ve managed to achieve that and we have the quality and professional standard

and capability that is no less than that of our competition. So, yes, it’s true an ICT University would be beneficial and I would like to see that and it is possible without too much difficulty.

Even in the absence of the ICT University, we have achieved a 100 percent workforce. We don’t have to really stress ourselves to do so, it is something that we said we will do from the reason of cost efficiency. If you bring in the expatriates, you have to give them houses, give them cars, maids and you have to pay for them to go to their families every quarter or pay for them to bring their families here and then pay for schools and other things; all of these monies can be better spent on developing the business and improve experiences for customers. So, we are very proud of the fact that we’re a 100 percent Nigerian company in terms of our employees and to be no less effective. If anything, I’d say we show more of getting the job of giving the best broadband services to our Nigerian brothers and sister done.

Watchers of the ICT sector continue to make an issue out of the fact that almost all if not all of the fibre optic cables are located in coastal cities, including SAT-3 belonging to ntel. Why the concentration in Lagos and what is ntel doing to have it moved into the hinterlands?

I think we should be really specific on what the customers want. Customers want high speed access to the internet, they want high speed connectivity to the internet and, over time the capabilities of technology have changed in relation to fibre. In the past, it was absolutely necessary to have fibre to deliver a mega byte per second. In the old days kilo bytes per second is what we were talking about if we are talking mobile and fibre was about mega bytes per second; these days, over our humble network over a hundred mega bytes per second over a wireless connection. We have recorded speed and that’s why we have been advertising it. indeed we have recorded over 150 mega bytes of speed per second over a high quality mobile device. So what is required is a lesser emphasis on technology whether it is fibre, whether it is copper or mobile to what does the consumer want. They want high speed access to the internet, broadband access, so let’s find the most efficient technology to help deliver that access to the internet, and certainly today for most consumer users and small and medium sized business users, it can be done over mobile.

Now, for the situation where fibre is required and necessary we’ve got to look at the economics, it can be very expensive to deliver fibre to some non city center locations. Businesses generally want to be in the city centers because there are other challenges to doing business in rural areas; even in rural areas it makes more economic senses to deliver internet access to those rural areas via radio than fibre. But often if a company really wants fibre they can get fibre; it could be prohibitively expensive but we like to see a world in which the merit in mobile broadband is properly explored and elucidated so that the people can get access to the most efficient technology rather than just to fibre optic or one thing or another just because they think that is the solution.

These days with 4G and the 5G of the future, high speed bandwidth will be available in common places across mobile. There are countries that have achieved 400 or 500 mega bytes per second over mobile, we have achieved 150 but that’s nothing and on our network we have had a 200 mega bytes per second peak. Many countries in Africa have achieved between 400 and 500 so it’s no longer a case of fibre being absolutely necessary. That is at the level of the consumers. At the network level we use fibre to draw down

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SUNDAY INTERVIEW Spectrum Fees Should be Paid Over time, Not Upfront

Cont’d from Pg. 24 are about 7500 base stations put together in Nigeria, and that to have a wide and effective coverage of the whole country we need about 40,000 base stations …

traffic from our base stations back to our core network between cities, of course within metro cities we use fibre but that is pretty expensive to connect to consumer. Invariably, we use mobile to connect to customers whilst we use fibre to connect to our network because of the very high capacities involved.

(cuts in) It is true that today we have roughly 7000 may be about 8000 4G base stations and to provide full 4G coverage one operator may then need as many as 8000 to 9000 base stations, but it also really does depend on what you can achieve in relation to coverage in very difficult areas and of course what happens in the big population, like where they move to, and of course what happens too is that you’ve got multiple operators rolling out in parallel lines and therefore you get a replication of networks, so where you have five networks you probably have about 20, 000 base stations. In other countries there is a lot of sharing so the base stations are less, but certainly I would say within the next three to four years, the 4G companies that want to be competitive will have six to eight thousand sites, may be a shade more, to be competitive if you are on a spectrum that we are on. If a network is on 2600 you need three times or than that just to achieve that as you would if you are on 1800.

Taking a general look at the industry, what would you say is the biggest challenge facing your industry and from your perspective, how is the lack of infrastructure backbone impacting the country’s operations of ntel?

I think it is accepted that you don’t actually need the government in telecommunications.

In the 1980s even European telecommunication companies were privatised, France Telecom, AT&T, British Telecoms, there is no national backbone in any of those countries, it’s all built and operated by private companies with nothing to do with government other than a historic relationship. In Nigeria, it is not different. In fact in Nigeria, the case is proven not by an act of privatisation but by act of simple market exercise that gave NITEL and Mtel some spectrum, gave same amount of spectrum to MTN, Airtel’s predecessor and Glo, may the best man win and of course we saw what happened, NITEL and Mtel went burst while the others thrived. In fact some might tell you that the place of government in telecommunication is actually at the level of its regulation to ensure a level playing field and on that it is difficult to fault this government - they have presided over the growth of 50 million subscribers from 400,000 in 15 years. It is Africa’s largest mobile market, it is seventh or eighth mobile market in the world; and frankly to the point you are alluding to now, it is one of the most vibrantly competitive and I think these successes have at their heart an emerging problem for us, which is that the market is so vibrantly competitive so much that the prices we see are approaching levels that will not deliver an acceptable returns on investment.

Now that is bad because if investors don’t see the scope for a decent return on investment, not a profited one but a decent one, then it’ll be hard to justify investment. If you don’t get investments, then you won’t be able to extend broadband, if you don’t extend broadband, there are implications for economic growth. There are well documented relationships between the spread of broadband and the speed of broadband in relations to GDP growth, and they are well established relationships.

Therefore, I think it is pretty important for there to be a level of government scrutiny, may be in interventions around the pricing of data so that we can be protected a little bit from ourselves.

Competition is vibrant, it is vigorous and it’s to the point now where it is threatening the ability to deliver an acceptable return on investment, and that return on investment drives the spread of technology. It is also worth bearing in mind that we are only in the middle of the 4G evolution, 5G is already being talked about tactically; within three to four years we will be in a position where we will be forced to make 5G investment decisions.

So here is the picture: We’re two years in, in our second year in, we’ve got three more years to go, all of a sudden we have to move to the 5G latest technology to stay competitive and to give customers what they want! Hard to do if you are faced with the data prices that are among the cheapest in the world; my sense is it present risks to our market place that we see.

Ease of doing business is still an issue among business operators in the country even with the inauguration of the Presidential Committee on Ease of Doing Business in the country, what is your perspective of doing business in the country? What policies do you think will make doing business in your sector more friendly?

I think that the thing that we are trying to do more than anything else is to cover the population and once that is covered, to keep that coverage active and so we need to buy equipment in US Dollars and we don’t want to be competing in the same market for US Dollars for essential national infrastructure alongside people who are buying bathroom tiles from Italy, or who want to buy expensive shoes and leather bags from the streets of Europe. I treated it lightly but my point is that essential telecommunications infrastructure is of a different category, it adds to the investment in the economy, it adds to the value of the economy and adds to the overall multiplier effects; that should be prioritised for access to foreign exchange.

The second part of the issue is as we bring the equipment into the country and we pay duty on

You said recently that when it comes to 4G/LTE all MNOs are taking off from the same starting block. Can you expand further on that sentiment?

Abasss

them let us recognise the nature of the investment that we’re making in Nigeria and we shouldn’t be taxed the same level of duties as other goods are taxed, so let’s attend to that. When it comes to building sites we would like protection on those sites so that we don’t fall prey to, for example, influences at the very local level, influences who want to extract pound of flesh; we want those infrastructure to be secured and protected and for us not to have to spend enormous resources just to maintain those infrastructure because those factors impact on our returns and our returns impact the investments that we make while the investments also impact our ability to spread. We want to also see all that happen as we connect those base stations to one another and to base; we want a situation that we can lay fibre, as you mentioned, at a reasonable cost and maintain that fibre also at a reasonable cost. Rights of way we’re re-issuing is painful in financial terms and it is also complex in terms of the amount of time it takes.

These is just a summary of some the things that, within your learned journal, if you can allude to and have fixed will impact the industry.

Even with the challenges, a report on Business Confidence Monitor by the NESG indicated a growing confidence in the economy among business managers in the country, do you share this confidence?

I do. Firstly, if you drop a cheque of 252 million for assets, when you have to drop another cheque for 150 million to get yourself to launch and when you have operating cost that is many times your revenue for three years, that goes for levels of optimism and confidence that you can see anywhere in the planet. So, in the telecom business let’s agree we are optimists, there can be no other explanation for that kind of behavior, so I am wildly optimistic.

But you see, our business is special because it is brand new and it is addressing a particular vibrant need. Every month we see more customers, every month we see more usage, every month we see important evolution in the ways customers use our services and therefore ideas for us to serve these customers better and to produce a high yield. Of course I am very optimistic. In fact, I am at the head of the herd of optimists rising across the horizon to catch these new exciting marketplace.

What is your take on the spectrum management regime in the country?

Spectrum management is being done in line with best practice. Firstly, we have got consistent spectrum ranges and spectrum bands as defined by the Radio Council in the International Telecommunications

Union (ITU), we have not missed it from that perspective; we have followed the rule of allocating spectrum, it is auctioned in a transparent process and it is released to all comers. I have no problem at all with the spectrum regime, what I would advise the government, and of course the NCC, in addition to the existing regime, is to consider a world in which may be the upfront spectrum payment can be balanced for role out targets and may be a share of revenue down the track. That is not to say government should be betting on market operators or business people – that shouldn’t be government’s job - but what this does is it allows the emphasis of operators to shift to roll out at the expense of giving government upfront cash; so when we spend N60 billion to N80 million on spectrum these money is not available to roll out, by definition network roll out will be slow.

What we will like to see is spectrum payment being made over time rather than being made in advance; and so long as we achieve certain roll out targets, say 1000 sites in a year down to 100 sites a month then we should be allowed to pay over.

People could say, go and borrow money from the banks but this is perhaps harder… it is difficult to raise cash in an environment where treasury bills give a decent returns for customers with cash or banks; many will find it easier to put money in treasury bills than to loan it to a corporate when the treasury bill is yielding 18 to 20 percent; it is difficult for a corporate to match that level of interest rate, unless you are a very supportive corporate.

ntel is Nigeria’s first pure play 4G/LTE network. Why 4G/LTE Advanced when all others are 3G? If you were coming into a market of between 130 to 140million people as it were, when we were gestating the idea the question comes up ‘Is what will you do differently?’ And the first question of we, that is, we in Ericsson doing the work on this idea was to say ‘where is the market going?’ We see it clearly going towards broadband, so what is missing? Clearly the answer that comes back to us is high speed broadband and so we do high speed broadband. 4G is demonstrably and inarguably the most advanced form of broadband and we know that implementing 4G LTE advance takes a number of features which makes it even more efficient and faster, and deliver better experiences and more value to customers. It delivers real value for money in building network and servicing customers; but the real thing is that it delivers enormous value for money and better customer experience. When it comes to broadband those are the things that matters.

I read a report sometime ago that there

What I mean is we’re starting up with the needs of a new network; my particular point is that if you’ve got 10 million or 20 million, or 40 million customers on 2G you come to 4G with no inherent advantage over us other than cash, but with that cash comes some complexities because you’re going to match those customers that are giving you that cash. Here is a case of you’ve ran the 1000 super rowing and won the Olympic gold, good; but this is swimming, you don’t come here with advantage, if anything, I am fresh, we’re going to dive into the swimming pool at the same time and we are going to swim; your running doesn’t matter even your gold medal is hidden away in your cupboard. This is my key point here, when it comes to 4G don’t tell me how are you going to fight MTN; MTN is at the same rate rolling out its sites at the same rate with me, chasing the same customers.

The other point is this, when they say a customer, come to me I am 4G MTN, the customer has a choice because MTN has to invent a new device just like me, give them a new SIM pack just like me, give them a 4G price package just like me; so the customer is not going to say I can only speak to MTN, he’s going to take a look at everybody.

So, it’s a completely different kettle of fish to 2G… If we have gone to the customers and say buy 2G, he says I’ve got 2G already; and I’m cheaper, they’re going to say show me your price? ‘Ok, you are cheaper’. So I’m going to take the customer that is looking to spend lesser money. Whereas, I am saying come to me I am faster than 3G, and by the way I have better coverage today in your area than MTN has done on 4G because I roll out faster.

Nigerians, according to figures released by the NCC, spent $6.6bn on telecom services in 2016 yet the same NCC has declared 2017, the “Year of the Consumer because of perceived QoS issues. Is there a contradiction in terms of revenue and poor QoS? What the NCC wants to do and what it’s doing very well is motivating operators to make sure that quality of service is at the forefront of what we do.

As networks grow, the amount of demands placed on them can be very heavy and I sympathise with people who built networks in 2001 expecting that the total market for mobile telecommunication in Nigeria was, I think somebody even said one million customers and they go there in nine months, then some people said 10 million and they go there in three years, then again they said it is 30 million maximum and then again they go there in five years; now the number is 50 million. With that sense of forecasting – and by the way, it’s not only we Nigerians that are guilty of underestimating demand, globally, it’s the phenomenon of telecommunications – so you’re building a network for a portion of one million all of a sudden, then a portion of 30 million and then 50 million, now you have no idea of where things are going to end so you are just building pipes to be available. That’s what we all do. Nowadays, people know better how to make the telecoms company spread and by spread, I mean you don’t want to add one $1 of revenue and add $2 of cost to cope with that revenue and that’s the challenge that these older networks can have; you add $1 of revenue and add $2 of cost, that’s crazy.

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INTERVIEW

Bala-Usman

Bala-Usman: Our Efforts to Restore Investors’ Confidence in Port Industry Yielding Results Hadiza Bala-Usman, Managing Director of Nigerian Ports Authority, has been in the saddle for one year. In this interview with journalists in Lagos, she speaks on the successes recorded so far, the challenges confronting NPA and efforts to reposition the nation’s sea ports. THISDAY was there

I

n this interview with journalists, she speaks on.

It has been one year that you were appointed as Managing Director of the Nigerian Ports Authority. Give us an idea of your first thoughts about the enormity of the responsibility.

My first thought was that it was going to very challenging and an incredible new experience.

The fact that I was not deeply involved in ports activity before and had no ties in the industry actually worked in my favour. I approached my new role with enthusiasm and confidence having spent most of my working life in the public sector.

And on arrival to resume duties at the NPA, what situation did you meet on ground did they align with your expectations?

When I arrived I met a well trained personnel needing motivation. We had to deal with issues such as revenue leakages, indebtedness

towards third parties, etc. We also had to handle the challenge of concession agreements that did not quite place a demand on all parties to fulfill their own part. We met decayed port infrastructure that required renewal and ports that weren’t operating at an optimum level in line with best practices. So in a nutshell, what we met on ground did not align with our expectations considering that we are operating in one of the largest economies in Africa.

Now, it is 12 months after you took over, in what significant ways would you say your administration of the NPA has impacted on the authority and industry as a whole?

In our 12 months, we have made considerable progress and the efforts cut across both our operational and administrative endeavours. We have commissioned the Command and Control, Communication and Intelligence Centre for NPA. This facility will serve as surveillance point for all activities and as an information network centre

for security agencies at the ports. In June 2017, we launched the provisional, final billing and customer portal module of Revenue Invoice Management System aimed at improving our service offering, partner relationship, create efficient payment method, maximise revenue and eradicate loss associated with fraud and revenue leakage.

To further improve operational efficiency, we recently acquired and commissioned 4 new tug boats, namely MT Daura, MT Ubima, MT Uromi and MT Majiya. Most importantly we have commenced the process of the review of concession agreements to ensure seamless collaboration for a sustained development of the Maritime industry. This, we believe will introduce a new dimension in our operations.

The Nigerian Ports Authority had even before the executive order, developed a Standard Operating Procedure (SOP), establishing a dedicated terminal to handle exports aimed at diversifying the economy and improving earnings in line

with the mandate of the Federal Government.

The dedicated terminals include Ikorodu Lighter Terminal for Lagos, Shoreline logistics terminal for Calabar Port, Bua Ports and Terminal (warehouse measuring 2.896sqm) and Port and Terminal operators Limited (Warehouse ‘A’ measuring 2.760sqm for Rivers Port). All terminals have been mandated to establish dedicated desks that will handle all documentations on export, receipt of consignment and the loading of vessels.

For a long time, the challenge of bad port access road which has continually caused untold hardship to both port users and residents of Apapa has been a recurring decimal. To address this, the authority is conducting a full assessment of all port access roads across the country. Our partnership with the Federal Ministry of Power, Works and Housing resulted, in the first instance, in the MOU with the FMWH, Dangote Group and Flour Mills for the reconstruction of the Wharf Road in Apapa. The project cost is put at N4.34 billion out of which the Nigerian Ports Authority

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Our Efforts to Restore Investors’ Confidence in Port Industry Yielding Results

Cont’d from Pg. 26

is contributing the sum of 1.829 Billion Naira.

To address the challenge of bureaucratic and chaotic clearance of cargoes, we have, in collaboration with Nigeria Customs Service and Nigeria Sovereign Investment Authority, developed the operational framework of establishing the National Single Window, Ports Community System and Scanning services. This is aimed at simplifying and harmonising formalities, procedures and the related exchange of information and documents between the various partakers in the port operations value chain.

Our effort in restoring investor’s confidence in the port industry has also started yielding the desired result with the China Harbour Engineering Company planning to take up 15 percent shareholding in the Lekki Deep Seaport project.

Dubai Port World is negotiating a partnership agreement with Josepdam Port Services while the Tanger Med Port of Morocco is also indicating willingness to develop a green field terminal logistic base.

We are confident that these initiatives will result in a more efficient port sector that will favourably compete and ensure we achieve our vision of being the leading port in Africa.

The industry you operate in is a very volatile one. In the past one year for instance, we have had some workers unions or stake holders at the ports giving ultimatums and threatening to down tools and all sorts. How have you been able to weather these storms and is there a chance that there would be a permanent end to such misunderstandings?

It is important to point out that there are different unions operating in the port industry. The NPA’s in house unions which oversee the interest of the workers have been quite cooperative, we have had the ports shut down for only one day over the proposed ports and harbours bill. It was called off on the first day of the strike. The unions had concerns over certain aspects of the bill as it relates to retrenchment of staff and harbour operations being ceded to the private sector. We have drawn their attention to the fact that the bill will not in any way bring about retirement of staff. The assets and liabilities of Nigerian Ports Authority will be transferred to the new Ports and Harbor Authority. The bill will grant permission to the authority to concession some aspects of its operations but it does not stipulate that harbour operation would be handed over to private company.

We have also explained to the union that they will have an opportunity to make their submissions during the public hearing. We encourage them to do that, NPA as entity has made submissions during the public hearing and we would make additional submission to ensure that all areas that are of a concern to us are addressed.

By and large we have put in place a system of constant dialogue that will ensure that we do not have unresolved issues with the unions.

On the other hand we have had some industrial actions organised by the truck operators and freight forwarders which are not a direct result of any fault of the authority. Their agitations bother on port access roads (which are under the direct supervision of the FMWH) and cargo clearance procedure.

However, I have said it in several fora that the authority recognises that all agencies are one and under the same Federal Government and so we will collaborate and lend our weight on any effort that will solve the lingering challenge.

This is because all these issues if not resolved will have an impact on our operations as a port authority.

In addition to unions, there are also a lot of conflicting business interests in the sector. It is evident that your reform initiatives have ruffled some feathers, what is the ultimate goal of your reform and how are you going to be able to accommodate all these interest to the overall benefit of the NPA and Nigeria?

Nigerian Ports are a gateway to the country and they are key to growing our economy. The ultimate goal of the reform is to strengthen the position of Nigeria’s ports and make them competitive.

One of the two approaches to achieve this is to have a competitive pricing and tariff regime. We are therefore conducting a study to determine respective tariffs and pricing regimes across the region. We will review our tariff regimes once the study is complete. We also need to be operationally efficient, which means ensuring that we are ready for vessels, that our channels are free of wrecks, and that any ship that is coming

Bala-Usman to berth in Nigeria has access to the necessary infrastructure and equipment. We are also reviewing our concession agreements after ten years.

Within that review, there will be critical issues around equipment deployment, infrastructure deployment, ensuring that our terminals are operationally efficient and able to provide the service required. We have identified gaps in our infrastructure, and have allocated budget so that funds can be deployed to improve our set-up over 2017.We are going to accommodate all interest as long as the overall benefit of the authority and Nigeria is not compromised by any means.

Let us talk specifically about the attempt to democratise business and break all forms of monopoly at the ports. Nigerians have had a lot of conflicting positions about this, can you clarify?

Government has continually made efforts to re-position the maritime industry in line with global trends and in order to enhance the growth of the nation’s economy, the Federal Government of Nigeria embarked on a comprehensive port reform initiative. The desire was to build a robust and responsive economy that will have the private sector as its backbone. This review will ensure that all parties operate within the boundaries of the agreement and achieve the goal of encouraging healthy competition and a level playing field for all operators.

Upon assumption of duty, we were confronted with protests by some terminal operators over the designation of only one terminal operator as exclusive handlers of oil and gas cargoes. We found this absurd and against the spirit of port reforms.

As a Ports Authority, we are modelling all our operations in line with global best practices which only recognise three broad classes, namely: bulk, container and multipurpose cargo. This is the practice globally. There is no special recognition or designation for oil and gas anywhere in the world. But the point should also be made that even Nigeria did not contemplate this categorisation at the point of concessioning in 2005. The agreements signed with concessionaires categorised the ports into the three classes I mentioned earlier and nothing more. So all importers were free to choose any terminal or port for the discharge of their cargoes, subject to the presence of all requisite regulatory agencies at such ports as required by extant regulations and in line with the policy of

promoting competition and value for money.

So, this oil and gas designation is a misnomer that has been corrected by a presidential approval which has mandated that we go back to the three broad classes of bulk, container and multipurpose cargo. Consequently, the NPA and the BPE are to streamline the payment of shipping and other fees based on cargo type rather than on the basis of designation of terminals to ensure that there is no loss of revenue to the Federal Government of Nigeria based on terminals that importers choose to bring cargoes into the country.

Can you explain the initiatives you have put in place to enhance transparency at the NPA. The MOU you signed with BudgIT and other steps you have taken?

Apart from making our budget open to the public, we also observed that tariffs of ports all over Africa were not open for customers to access and know how much they will pay for services.

In Nigerian Ports Authority, we have changed that and our tariffs are accessible anywhere in the world because it has been published on our website. We have also directed all terminal operators to do same.

The NPA has also been reported to be at loggerheads with some federal government agencies operating in the ports over the exclusion of some of these agencies from physical presence on site. How does this enhance efficiency at the ports and how do you hope to retain the co-operation of these sister agencies?

The authority is not in loggerheads with any Federal Government agency operating in the port over exclusion of some of these agencies from physical presence on site. The authority is only enforcing the directive of the government vide a letter received from the office of the Honourable Minister of Finance in August 2011 which specifically stated that only eight (8) government agencies, namely: Nigerian Ports Authority, Nigeria Customs Service, Port Health, Directorate of State security, Nigerian Police, Nigerian Immigration Service, NIMASA and NDLEA are allowed to reside in the port.

This still subsist.

However, there is need to clarify this directive.

It does not stop any Federal Government gency from coming to the port to perform its statutory functions. This can only be done on invitation and immediately after performing their duties,

agencies not covered by that letter are to go back to their offices outside the port.

This directive will not affect the relationship between the authority and other sister agencies because the reason for this directive is to reduce the bottleneck usually experienced in our port on delivery procedures and this will actually fast-track delivery and documentation in the port.

Your activities have shown a passion for collaboration with people and organisations in the public and private sectors. Recently, you visited the Nigerian Navy, what drives these moves?

Shipping is an international business which requires information sharing and close collaboration.

In consideration of this we have identified the need to constantly engage all stakeholders in the maritime industry in order to synergise and pull our collective resources together both human and material to achieve our desire to establish a virile port industry. For example we need to ensure that our waterways are secured, hence we need to support the Navy in carrying out its functions. In so doing, we donated three boats to help them forestall the operations of illegal activities in our channel.

This synergy will also see the NPA link its command, control and intelligence centre with the Falcon Eye of the Navy. This will ensure sharing of information and intelligence reports aimed at securing our waters.

You were reported to have recovered huge sums of money that was going into private accounts prior to your assignment to NPA, you have not spoken much about these. Can you give us some insights into these recoveries and what you have done to ensure that such malfeasances do not happen again?

The funds involved were Cargo Tracking Notes in the sum of €6,606,016.07(six millions, six hundred and six thousand sixteen euro and seven cents), domiciled in First City Monument Bank (FCMB).

As at the time the new management came in, the fund was still in the commercial bank as against the directive of the Federal Government to transfer all funds to TSA. On assumption of office we sought for necessary approval from relevant authorities and pursued it and ensure that a Euro denominated bank account was approved for the funds to be transferred into CBN. In a related development, it was observed

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T H I S D AY, T H E S U N D AY N E W S PA P E R ˾ AUGUST 6, 2017

INTERVIEW Okoli: We’re Innovating the Ways We Provide Service to Customers Following the grand launch of its Platinum Banking Customer Value Proposition in Lagos recently, Head, Personal Banking, Stanbic IBTC Bank PLC, Nkolika Okoli, speaks with Ugo Aliogo about the bank’s revamped exclusive banking offering and other related issues

Okoli

C

an you tell us what Stanbic IBTC Bank Private Banking is all about?

The Stanbic IBTC Platinum Private Banking (PPB) offering is an exclusive platform for servicing our HNI clients consisting mostly of Executives in the companies we deal with at the corporate and investment banking and business banking levels. Our PPB business is built around our ecosystem strategy, which aims to deliver end-to-end financial services across the spectrum for all our clients covering the corporate entities, the executives that run the corporate organisations as well as their families. These clients are serviced from exclusive suites located in Lagos (Island and Mainland), Abuja and Port-Harcourt by dedicated and well-trained relationship managers as well as our Platinum Support Centre, which ensures the clients receive top-notch service wherever they are. The PSC is manned by experienced transactional bankers, who give back up service to ensure a Private Banking client is never left stranded.

Private Banking isn’t exactly a new offering from your stable. What exactly differentiates the Platinum Banking from Stanbic IBTC Bank’s previously offered

Private Banking service?

In reality both are the same. In the Standard Bank Group parlance we use Private and Platinum banking inter-changeably. What we have done is to revamp the offering by upgrading the dedicated suites and creating the Platinum Support Centre to ensure that clients in locations where there are no dedicated Private Banking Suites experience the same level of platinum service standards.

Stanbic IBTC Bank is renowned for its experience and expertise in corporate and investment banking, not so much is known about your Private Banking expertise. How robust is Stanbic IBTC Bank’s Private Banking as a niche area?

This is a surprise! Our Private banking business is as old as our CIB business, but as an institution we have always believed that banking is a conservative business. So we have gone about our business in a very quite but professional manner. Our clients can attest to the standard of service they have always received. If you think back, you will remember that IBTC Bank has always been a market leader in the asset management business and our money market funds have been voted the best. These are the backbones of Private banking as high net worth individuals

have needs beyond transactional banking. So they need a partner that understands wealth management and financial advisory locally and offshore and this is where Stanbic IBTC stands out because with all sense of humility I daresay ‘we have it all’ in-house, that is, within the group on and offshore.

Stanbic IBTC Bank recently unveiled a customer value proposition for its Platinum Banking service; could you please shed some light on this value proposition and its unique selling points?

What we did is simply to revamp our offering to suit the needs of the present day HNIs who are busy and have adopted digital habits. The implication is that they make fewer visits to the suites but will rather prefer to communicate with their relationship managers digitally. This is what led to the setting up of the Platinum Support Centre, which ensures clients can reach their transactional bankers to conduct their day-to-day activities remotely and new clients can also be on-boarded remotely. We also refurbished our platinum suites for comfort and to ensure clients can use it for their personal meetings and each suite is staffed to ensure support for the clients. Given the economic recession and high inflation rate, which has seen the cost of living sky-rocket, even HNIs

are cutting down on expenses, which include Class of Travel. So we thought this is a good time to extend a lounge service programme to all our platinum clients and their families so that irrespective of their class of travel locally and internationally, they will still enjoy the comfort and exclusivity of airport VIP lounges for free.

Knowing the importance of quality advisory services to HNIs, our relationship managers were re-trained to ensure best-in-class services to our clients. The list is endless and like it’s said ‘The taste of the pudding is really in the eating’. You have to experience the Stanbic IBTC platinum banking service to get the full import of the offering.

Who are your main target audience for the Stanbic IBTC Bank Platinum banking service?

Primarily, we target corporate executives as well as successful business owners and entrepreneurs. We are an organisation with a culture built around ethics and corporate governance; so it’s not just about being wealthy but reputation and credibility.

We noticed that Stanbic IBTC Bank has been aggressively pushing a universal banking value proposition in the last few years. Is this just a marketing strategy?

How would you appraise your efforts so

29

T H I S D AY, T H E S U N D AY N E W S PA P E R ˾ AUGUST 6, 2017

INTERVIEW

Okoli: We’re Innovating the Ways We Provide Service to Customers far in this regard and what exactly is the rationale behind this strategy?

I think this derives from what we represent as a group. We are a business that offers endto-end services beyond banking to include Asset management, retirement planning, Insurance brokerage, trusteeship and legacy services, stockbroking, and so on. This is both at a local and international level being part of the Standard Bank Group. We also have footprints across Africa as the oldest bank in the continent as well as in the United Kingdom. I think it will not be fair to our customers if we limit our offering to them, we are a universal bank hence the aggressive push to utilise what we have to ensure our customers get the best experience they deserve.

How does being a member of a full financial services group, Stanbic IBTC Holdings Plc., a member of Africa’s largest bank, Standard Bank Group, present value adds and opportunities, be it local or international to your private banking clients?

Human beings have needs beyond banking transactions and these needs range from business to personal, to family and cover a whole spectrum from financial to lifestyle requirements both for self and family. Nigerians are also very mobile; you will find us earning a living across Africa and in the UK. Stanbic IBTC Holdings, structure provides the perfect platform to fit the lifestyle and behaviours of Nigerians.

Stanbic IBTC Holdings Plc has a strong wealth and investment record in Nigeria; how much of this applies or comes to bear in giving Stanbic IBTC Bank an edge over the competition in providing customised solutions to complex individual needs of your private banking clients?

As earlier described, the primary need of HNIs is wealth management and helping them to maximise their wealth. This is actually our forte, given our historical experience in the money market as well as stockbroking. We draw on our Wealth and Investment experience to help our customers plan their investment portfolio and where the clients also have investments abroad, we draw on the strength of our parent company, the Standard Bank Group, to meet their offshore needs.

So our clients have no need to deal with multiple parties, it’s all in-house from Wealth and Investment planning to helping them secure their assets under a trusteeship (locally and offshore) to their retirement planning, and many more. We have it all covered under Stanbic IBTC Holdings and this is a great advantage our clients leverage on for peace of mind.

Expectedly, Stanbic IBTC Bank’s expansion programme has come with the introduction

Cont’d from Pg. 23

of a wide array of specialised products and services targeted at various segments of the market. Is the market ripe for many of these products such as Personal Teller Machines (PTM) and self-service digital branch?

This is a good question! Remember I had earlier described how clients’ behaviours have changed over time, people now live a more fast-paced life and are adopting digital behaviours. Our Personal Teller Machines and self service digital branch is a response to this, a customer can walk into our full digital branch at Maryland Mall and literally fulfill a transaction end-to-end without any human interaction.

You can speak to a teller remotely through a screen for enquiries or help and you can make your cash deposit through a machine.

Our clients have embraced these innovations as they are in sync with their lifestyles. We expect to roll out more of these as we digitise our branches and platinum suites.

Most people are often skeptical about accessing financing from banks because of the hidden charges that trail some of these transactions. How has Stanbic IBTC Bank been able to tackle this challenge?

Stanbic IBTC Holdings is a fully compliant financial institution with strong corporate governance structures. In addition to this, we hold dear to the time-tested values of integrity and transparency. We are not associated with anything hidden as our charges are clearly spelt out in our offer letters. When there is an occasion to revise the charges, we follow the CBN stipulated process to ensure our customers are adequately informed.

With every new day comes more innovation in product and service delivery from many of the banks in the country.

What measures have Stanbic IBTC Bank taken to ensure that it is not left behind in the innovation race? Are there learnings you are drawing from Standard Bank’s operations in other markets?

For us in Stanbic IBTC it’s about our clients, we are not part of the product race and we rarely push products to customers.

Our personal banking business is structured to provide service to specific customer segments, we strive to understand customer needs and behaviours and only come up with products to satisfy these needs.

We don’t want our branches pushing products at customers. For us, products are a means of meeting client needs and not an end.

However we are innovating the ways and manner of providing service to our customers.

So things like our digital branches, PTM, bulk teller machines, new mobile banking app, etc speak to this. It’s good to innovate in order to be relevant but it’s a very private ‘race’ for us

Okoli with only our customers as our focus.

How are you able to design products and services that are targeted at different countries and markets given that the Standard Bank Group, to which Stanbic IBTC belongs, operates in about 20 countries within Africa and also have a strong global footprint?

Though the Standard Bank Group operates across different countries in and out of Africa, each country has autonomy to create products to reflect the unique environ it operates in.

Remember my explanation that the client is at the heart of everything we do and client needs differ across the world; this underpins our product development philosophy. However,

we also draw on the learnings across the group to share best practice without losing the need for a local touch.

Banking is always evolving, and it is more so in Nigeria that is increasingly adopting technological solutions to deliver services across different segments of the economy. Where do you see banking in Nigeria in the next five years in terms of service delivery?

Digital is the magic word! The cell phone will be the key channel! Any bank that wants to be relevant in the near future cannot afford to ignore the cell phone. I can assure you that Stanbic IBTC Holdings is ready to face this future!

Our Efforts to Restore Investors’ Confidence in Port Industry Yielding Results that the revenue collected by Heritage Bank in the sum of $24,370,061 was not being swept to CBN in line with the TSA policy. This was revenue collection made between the period of September 2015 and July 2016. Upon discovery of the failure of Heritage Bank to sweep funds to CBN, the authority suspended the bank from further revenue collections.

Spirited efforts had been made through the Central Bank of Nigeria and the Office of the Accountant General of the Federation to get the money back but only $4m has been paid so far.

Following several letters and a series of meetings with the CBN to mandate Heritage Bank to pay these funds, the CBN had in January, indicated that they will guarantee the funds but we are yet to receive confirmation. As at today, the authority has an outstanding refund of $21m with Heritage Bank. We have expressed our dissatisfaction and frustration to the CBN and the OAGF over the non-remittance and have sought for sanctioning of the bank.

The Acting President recently issued an executive order which mandated 24 hours operations at the ports, what efforts are on to ensure that this is sustainable, without undue risk to lives, given our peculiar security challenges in the country?

The Federal Government in a letter dated 16th May 2017, issued an Executive Order on

promotion of transparency and efficiency in the business environment and sequel to this order, the Nigerian Ports Authority commenced immediate implementation of some of the directives applicable to the ports. One of the executive orders mandated 24 hours operations at the Apapa Ports and the authority had already commenced 24 hours port operations. Some of the actions already taken include: Provision of Marine Services (Pilotage and Berthing of Vessels) on 24 hour basis.

For instance our records showed that from the 18th June 2017 when the order took off, our Harbours Department handled twenty (20) vessels after 19.00 hours at Lagos Port in the first two weeks of the commencement of 24 hours operation.

Also, I had immediately upon the issuance of the executive orders by the Acting President called all stakeholders to meetings to discuss how each agency should position itself to fulfil it mandate. The security agencies have promised to ensure that they will provide round the clock security needed for operations.

Fallout of such meetings was a joint implementation committee comprising of all approved agencies working in the port. They have submitted their report and implementation expectations have been outlined. I also visited the port in the midnight to have an on the spot assessment of

how prepared all agencies are in achieving the 24 hour operation.

In the past couple of weeks, the Senate Committee onCustoms, Excise and Tariff, has accused the NPA of complicity in the alleged disappearance of 282 Vessels which berthed in Nigeria between 2010 and 2016, what are the issues surrounding this?

We issued a statement recently to clarify our position. The Senate committee sent two sets of documents to us to back up the allegations that these vessels were missing. We have looked through the documents without being able to substantiate the claim.

Now, without prejudice to the information at the disposal of members of the committee, we discovered that out of the 29 items in the first set of documents we got, we could only identify five vessels. There was a list of 29 alright, but 24 of them were repetitions of the five vessels that were identified.

There was a second document of ten volumes of items numbering 1-1252 that was passed on to us through the Nigerian Shippers Council. We couldn’t even review these documents because it did not give us most of the information necessary for the verification. We discovered that no vessel names were provided, no dates of arrival

Cont’d from Pg. 27

of the vessels were given, no port of call and name of terminal where vessel berthed were provided and no rotation number of vessels was supplied. Without these information it would be impossible for us to investigate these allegations.

So we have conveyed these observations to the Senate Committee and look forward to receiving the required information that will enable full investigation.

What we can assure the Senate and indeed all Nigerians of is that this administration of the NPA is committed to transparency and will always work in the best interest of the country.

When you eventually leave office as MD of NPA, what legacy would you want to leave behind?

I would like to leave behind a motivated workforce that can match their counterparts in most developed countries. I would like to achieve the desired level of operational efficiency expected from the largest growing economy in the world.

I would like to leave behind a competitive port industry that will serve as hub in the West and Central Africa. Most importantly, I would love to have instituted a transparent and seamless system which will ensure that the country’s resources do not get frittered away and that Nigerians have the benefit of national endowment.

T H I S D AY, T H E S U N D AY N E W S PA P E R ˾ AUGUST 6, 2017

30

MARKET NEWS

Access Bank Share Price Gains 70% on Sustained High Demand Goddy Egene Expectations of improved financial performance and high returns to shareholders have made investors to increase their demand for the shares of Access Bank Plc at the stock market. Consequently, the share price of the bank has gained 70.7 per cent since the beginning of the year to close at last Friday.

Access Bank share price, which opened the year at N5.87, closed at N10.02 on Friday. Market analysts said with its focus on its strategic objective of improving

profitability to shareholders, more investors are taking position ahead of the announcement of improved earnings and declaration of high dividend.

The bank recorded a profit after tax of N71.4 billion for the year ended December 31, 2016, up from N65.9 billion and paid a total dividend of N18.8 billion to shareholders.

An analysis of the bank’s performance showed that its net income for the last five years showed a steady growth. It stood at N38.40billion in 2012, N36.30billion in 2013, N42.98billion

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

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

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

in 2014, N65.87billion in 2015 and N71.44billion in 2016.

Additionally when measured on a five year annualised basis, both dividend per share and earnings per share growth ranked in-line with the industry average relative to its peers.

While the half year results are being expected, Access Bank Plc had ended the first quarter ended March 31, 2017, with a PAT of N26 billion, which was 34 per cent higher than the N19.4 billion recorded in 2016.

Speaking on the Q1 results, Group Managing Director/CEO, Access

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 03-Aug-2017, unless otherwise stated.

Bank Plc, Herbert Wigwe said: “2017 marks the end of our third five-year transformation journey and in the coming months, we will focus our priorities on the delivery of our strategic objectives.”

“We will continue to improve on profitability and shareholder value by maintaining our capital and liquidity positions, assiduously implementing our cost management strategy, and exploiting retail business opportunities using our digital platforms and deepening market share of the wholesale business.”

Wigwe had last March, assured

stakeholders that the bank was now stronger and well positioned to deliver long-term value to its stakeholders.

According to him, although the macro-economic conditions and corresponding implications on the banking industry remain uncertain, the bank’s diversified banking model, robust balance sheet and solid management team give it the strength and resilience that will keep the financial institution in good stead.

“By diligently executing our strategy, we will continue to maintain

improved profitability and create the capacity to continue to invest in our key areas of strength. As we come to the end of our third five-year transformation journey, our top priority in the coming year will be to cement our position as a dominant corporate bank and establish ourselves as a formidable retail player, leverage digital technology and innovation to create value for our customers whilst unlocking new revenue streams and deliver seamless and superior customer experience across all our service touch points,” he 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 175.61 175.61 175.61 Nigeria International Debt Fund 232.19 232.19 232.19 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 0.80 0.81 14.38% 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 18.44% 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 17.27 17.80 39.92% ARM Discovery Fund 364.05 375.02 26.77% ARM Ethical Fund 25.83 26.61 15.63% ARM Money Market Fund 1.00 1.00 18.17% 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 143.01 144.02 35.97% AXA Mansard Money Market Fund 1.00 1.00 18.43% CHAPELHILL DENHAM MANAGEMENT LTD investmentmanagement@chapelhilldenham.com Web: www.chapelhilldenham.com, Tel: +234 461 0691 Fund Name Bid Price Offer Price Yield / T-Rtn Chapelhill Denham Money Market Fund 100.00 100.00 18.81% Paramount Equity Fund 11.34 11.63 21.15% Women's Investment Fund 93.53 95.92 10.56% 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 18.56% 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 1,104.80 1,105.89 9.10% FBN Heritage Fund 140.26 141.49 25.83% FBN Money Market Fund 100.00 100.00 18.47% FBN Nigeria Eurobond (USD) Fund - Institutional $109.22 $110.17 6.20% FBN Nigeria Eurobond (USD) Fund - Retail $108.57 $109.52 6.30% FBN Nigeria Smart Beta Equity Fund 155.76 157.95 38.31% 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 1.34 1.36 43.62% Legacy Short Maturity (NGN) Fund 2.81 2.81 9.52% 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 2,777.13 2,825.87 26.07% Coral Income Fund 2,311.81 2,311.81 9.86% 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 14.47% 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 18.32% Vantage Balanced Fund 2.06 2.09 22.70% Vantage Guaranteed Income Fund 1.00 1.00 18.43%

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 1.11 1.13 12.18% Lotus Halal Fixed Income Fund 1,028.28 1,028.28 7.01% 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 13.23 13.32 36.80% Meristem Money Market Fund 10.00 10.00 19.10% 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 1.14 1.17 15.38% PACAM Fixed Income Fund 10.70 10.76 2.95% PACAM Money Market Fund 10.00 10.00 15.30% 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 123.65 125.97 22.09% 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 1.34 1.34 7.60% 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 2,157.50 2,169.95 17.83% Stanbic IBTC Bond Fund 161.37 161.37 4.81% Stanbic IBTC Ethical Fund 0.99 1.00 29.22% Stanbic IBTC Guaranteed Investment Fund 205.06 205.06 9.72% Stanbic IBTC Iman Fund 175.15 177.50 34.94% Stanbic IBTC Money Market Fund 100.00 100.00 18.59% Stanbic IBTC Nigerian Equity Fund 9,511.55 9,620.47 25.42% 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 1.28 1.30 14.83% United Capital Bond Fund 1.37 1.37 12.26% United Capital Equity Fund 0.81 0.83 20.94% United Capital Money Market Fund 1.14 1.14 3.51% 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 12.33 12.54 27.08% Zenith Ethical Fund 13.12 13.28 19.85% Zenith Income Fund 18.42 18.42 11.43%

REITS NAV Per Share

Yield / T-Rtn

11.41 128.78

1.01% 3.88%

Bid Price

Offer Price

Yield / T-Rtn

10.83 106.02

10.93 108.01

25.48% 39.91%

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

4.46 8.68 17.13 22.21 131.64

4.50 8.76 17.23 22.41 133.64

61.07% 23.34% 43.28% 39.00% 2.11%

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

A

WEEKLY PULL-OUT

06.08.2017

JANE GAM-DEDE INSPIRED BY HER ROOTS

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COVER

JANE GAM-DEDE

INSPIRED BY HER ROOTS She makes her life sound easy, but former beauty queen, Jane Boma Gam-Dede, is only getting close to the balance she hopes to strike with her many parts - a theatre artist, journalist-publisher, fashion designer and entrepreneur.

At her Lekki Phase 1 studio and showroom, Nseobong Okon-Ekong discovers a fiery personality with a concern for communal issues that embrace the entire society

A

t first, she covers her avant-garde tendencies in sophisticated minutiae.

She gives a deliberate verbose generosity in her response to my questions.

My interaction with her is going just fine until a question about her roots sparks the fire of rebellion in her. Apparently, Jane Bomo Gam-Dede loves her people - the Izons (commonly called Ijaws) of Bayelsa State. This affection is not immediately manifest. Her journey to self-discovery only takes place in her adult life when a chance visit for an uncle’s funeral reveals the beauty of her homestead. Since then, the fondness has been enduring.

There is some kind of contradiction about Jane, much of her life has been spent in Lagos, Port Harcourt and abroad, but she is only just rediscovering Lagos again, after taking leave of it for a long while. She mentions to me the popular hangout, Bay Lounge, as a handle to find her new work place. It is tucked into the back of the house, but that does not signpost the surprise welcome. She makes me feel comfy in her showroom, donning fragile furniture. Graceful art pieces decorate the space in discrete places; even her work table is an eye-catching craft of woodwork in white. Visitors are welcome to the showroom, where there is an assortment of designs for both men and women. Few guests make it to her office on the far right of the building.

Most customers (particularly women visit the other room to look in the mirror and confirm or express their reservations on how the dress fits).

I have no prejudices about her. She has a few beauty crowns on her head - Miss Surulere -Lagos, Miss Rivers State, Miss Carniriv, and Miss Nigeria Eastern Zone.

However, Jane does not possess that kind of outward beauty that is arresting on the surface. Her splendour radiates from the inside. She holds an HND in Journalism from the International Institute of Journalism and also a Certificate in Theatre Arts from the University of Port Harcourt. Her skills as a Fashion Designer comes from spending time at the Shelton Institute of Fashion Design.

My strategy for this interaction is to allow her do much of the talking. I am lucky as she is not taciturn. She is not a haughty idol. She is not an overrated celebrity. She does not think she is overtly smart; or at least, pretends not to be. So; our communication is off to a good start without these strands of social or emotional inhibition which is often an obstacle to smooth conversation. We do not have to wait for the arrival of her publicist, Nelson NseAbasi, who set up the appointment.

Her presence relaxes. Her natural disposition is warm and very down-toearth. She begins to talk immediately about the somewhat restrictive space that she is confined to in Lagos. Through the years and her handful of businesses, she has learnt to start small.

“Start

with what is in your hand and grow it. If I wait longer, I am going to spend the money I had and if I eventually find a bigger space, the money would have been gone. Mind you, I have made the major decision of closing shop in Port Harcourt and moving my entire business to Lagos.”

She is still talking when a customer who had gone to try a dress returns. She shifts attention momentarily from me and another lady who is giving her a few tips on how to fast track her presence in Lagos. When she refocuses on us, the conversation continues as if there was no break. Shortly, I excuse myself to take a call outside. As if she knows I crave to be with her alone, she has left the lady when I make my way back to the showroom.

She is sitting behind her desk alone in her office.

To get her started again, all I have to do is probe gently about her trade name, ‘Twon

by Jane’ and she opens up with the narrative.

“I grew up in Lagos and when I tell people I am from Bayelsa, they say, ‘ah where is that?’

Then I start explaining where Bayelsa is. That kind of annoyed me. I actually didn’t know how to speak my language. My parents did not even bother because they were more English. I learned my language here in Lagos, a few years ago. When I first started, it wasn’t actually ‘Twon by Jane’. It was ‘Jazreel-Jador’.

It was a combination of my sister’s name and mine. I wanted something that represents where I am from. People actually ask what is ‘Twon’, I tell them Twon is the name of my village. I take them back to Twon-Brass in Bayelsa. That was how I got the name ‘Twon

by Jane’.”

It is interesting that Jane is so fascinated by her heritage. Not minding her late reawakening through a coincidental trip to her homeland. That journey changed her perspective of her people forever. She says, “I am one of those who had no privilege to go home as a child. Going back to Bayelsa was accidental. Going home was when an uncle died in 2005. That was the first time I went to my village, Twon in Brass. I saw how beautiful it is. I saw how the people are. I was intrigued.

I decided to spend more time in Bayelsa.

There is nowhere like home. Wherever you go, these are your people. In that process, I started a regional magazine, DipCreek. It was still about trying to represent my people. During the Alamieyeseigha (late former governor of Bayelsa State) time, everything was about corruption. There was really nothing positive about the Niger Delta. That actually hurt me. I was out to prove that there is more to the Niger Delta than poverty, restless young people and corrupt politicians. I wanted the whole world to see that we have brilliant young people. That’s what inspired me to start the magazine in 2007. I was actually still doing my clothing business on

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COVER the side.”

Jane cannot still figure out what ignites that patriotic fire in her. Is it some of the relatives or the brilliant young people she encounters? Something about that expedition to Bayelsa cements her father’s longing that she would become wife to an Ijaw man. No longer does she see her father’s yearning as a bad wish that should be rejected with a vigorous snap of the finger, while swinging her hands around her head to flush away the evil desire. She knows better now. “I didn’t really get the image of who an Ijaw man is.

I am more familiar with the Yorubas. I have more friends from other tribes. Then comes this opportunity to experience my own culture and environment and see how beautiful the ocean is. It changed my perception of who we really are. Earlier, when you talk about Niger Deltans, I was always comparing them to the Yorubas. That one visit changed everything.”

Jane’s understanding of media, culture and fashion helps to illuminate her present and the future. She describes how she got to this point. “These are the subjects that interest a lot of young people. Even in Port Harcourt where ‘Twon by Jane’ started, a lot of people do not know her by name. People who are not from that region are intrigued by the name and the fish in the logo. I’m never tired to explain that it represents the ocean and nature; it’s where I’m from. And if you go further, I will say that is where oil comes from. People relate to fashion. The media informs, so; if I can use these subjects that young people relate to easily, that is fine. I have a large social media community and I know that a lot of young people really get inspired. They inbox me, try to ask questions, so I’m even having friends who want to start a brand with a name that represents their locality. There’s a kind of an awareness now to reflect who you are with your brand.”

Compliments are pouring in from respected elders of Twon-Brass community like the insurance guru, Chief Ephraim Faloughi. She still glows from the honour of his visit to her shop to commend her love for Twon. “I am not ashamed of my language. I think it’s a good thing, she says.”

Her use of Twon as a brand as well as reflecting the environment in the logo is as far as she wants to keep communal goals. She explains her ambition to play on the world stage. “My designs are cosmopolitan. At the end of the day, I can go on a runway in Paris.

The Parisian can wear my stuff; someone in New York can wear my stuff in the same way we wear Versace and make a reference to the fact that Versace is French. That’s the same way I want someone to wear my stuff but still reference it to Nigeria, to the Niger Delta. I don’t want it to be too traditional.”

Her marketing strategy is changing to remain in tune with the present times. More and more, she is creating awareness for her brand online. As her marketing experience grows in the digital space, the outlets in Port Harcourt and Abuja have receded into things that used to be. Is that good or bad? She says, “We were having a lot of issues with the outlets concerning proper accounting.

They were not remitting on time. It is more complicated to deal with outlets. I had to let it rest for now. What we are looking at is to work with more e-platforms. When people order on our site, they have to pay N2,000 extra, then we deliver to them.”

Not many will disclose what they consider a trade secret. But Jane believes she is brimming with so much ideas that she does not mind sharing. “I’m a fashion designer. I don’t cut and I don’t sew. All I do is sketch my designs for a collection. We produce in Aba. We do our designs and send the fabrics to them. They sew it and send it back to us. I have always been creative. I always wanted to do something that will express my inner thoughts. Journalism is good for me because with writing I can express all those things that I feel. I do my own adverts; I do my own publicity. If there is a new collection, I can write about it on social media. I marry both perfectly. A lot of people keep asking me why I don’t go into acting. I don’t see myself as an actor. I see myself as a creative person. If I have to go into the theatre, it probably would be as a director. I won’t be in front of a camera.

I have this creative flair; and media and fashion just does it for me.”

Relocating her business is a challenge she set for herself as Port Harcourt becomes a smaller pool to swim in. “I want more. I want to move further and the place I feel challenges my creativity and business is Lagos.

Lagos will expose me. These are my reasons for choosing Lagos. A lot of people think I

should go to Abuja but I am not afraid of the challenges in Lagos. The only thing is that I am somewhat restricted by capital in my move to Lagos. I would have loved to have a front view shop but if I don’t make do with what I have, I will never start. I may probably blow the money. I just took the bold step to start.

I am doing best with what my money can get.”

The prevailing opinion in some quarters is that the fashion business is saturated. This hardly bothers Jane. “A few years ago when I started ready-to-wear, a lot of people thought I was crazy. They said, ‘Why can’t you just take fabric, get machines, get tailors and let them produce for you.’ That was never my vision. Today, I look at the social media and I see loads of people doing ready-to-wear.

That’s where you have to stand out. You have to carve a niche for yourself, which is what I’m doing. My brand is easy, ready and affordable.

That is what I want to be known for. I’m not going away from that. If I do something elaborate, the price will be over-bloated. That’s a niche I have carved for myself. It might take a lot of people a while to understand, but I know that some people are coming around. A lot of people are beginning to follow the fact that this is what she does. Don’t come here to look for elaborate dresses because you will not find it, but you will find something that is easy.

I believe in comfort. The highest piece we have here now is N35, 000 and that is because it is embroidered.”

To those who may think her clothes are trashy because they are not expensive, Jane says, “When you see our finishing, then you will say, I’m even under paying. Our clothes are so excellently finished that people don’t think it’s made here. They are actually made here and are affordable. When you design on African print… how much is the print? How much is your production? Let’s face it! You are putting the price like three times over your production. Let’s say you buy the print at N6000; you are not using the whole six yards.

You use six yards to get like three pieces. So? I don’t think it’s right. I think luxury should not cost that much. That’s just the basic truth. If something is luxurious, it should be affordable.

I think you can make gain if there is volume.

On rare occasions, I do limited pieces. You know that you can actually wear this for a long time. It’s quality, easy, nice design but it is also affordable. I’m just one of those who believe that luxury shouldn’t be that expensive.

There are other ways you can actually make money if you are a serious business person.

You have your shop and you are also giving stuff to other outlets; even with e-commerce you are not paying that much, they take stuff from you and they sell, then remit to you.

Add that income to what you have from your shop, then I think that it is fine. You should be contented. Let’s say your production cost comes to like N5000, if you are selling the piece for N35, 000, that is actually too much. If your production is N5000 and you are selling at N25, 000, that is fair enough; because you may argue that you are paying electricity bills and various taxes. Once your price is above N25000, that’s too much for me. I just want people to be able to afford my pieces. If you follow our price through the years, it’s still the same. It has never changed.”

While Jane does not expect other fashion designers to badger her with a club for undercutting them, she admits that it is her radicalism that is finding expression. “I’m very stubborn. I have my own views about stuff. I don’t think I should get other people to tolerate things I cannot. I am a reasonable shopper. I’m not one of those who believe that it’s all about brands. The brand doesn’t really make who you are. If you buy a Louis Vuitton bag for $5,000 or $6,000, it still doesn’t make you. What makes you is the substance in you. Our logo is ‘Dress to achieve, not to impress’. That good look or poise that you achieve at the end of the day is not even about the label, it’s about how you wear the dress; the reason and purpose you wear that piece.

My pieces don’t expose the sensitive parts of the female anatomy. We design to cover those areas. That’s the idea. You can still look sexy.

It’s all about you. Clothes don’t define you.

They only enhance you. It shouldn’t be all that revealing. A revealing dress will only get you into some beds, but that’s where it ends.

Nothing more.”

Jane is not alone. In her work and walk as a fashion designer, she has compatriots in her younger sisters. There is Mabel, who trades under the name, House of May. Yet another sister of hers, Doris has a passion for the needle and thread craft. But it is Jane who gets them to strap a measuring tape around their neck and keep a keen watch on their sewing machine.

Jane… she has a few beauty crowns on her head - Miss Surulere -Lagos, Miss Rivers State, Miss Carniriv, and Miss Nigeria Eastern Zone

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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 Í´Ë&#x153; Í°ÍŽÍŻÍľ

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

Tobi Lou, the Nigerian Singer, Poised to Make an Impression in America Nseobong Okon-Ekong discovers, Tobi Lou, a potential Nigerian superstar in music, who worked daily in America as an Uber driver so he could have free time for studio sessions to create and record music We do not yet know him in Nigeria. Let me explain that. At least, not many know him for who he is. True, he was born in Lagos, but he has lived the better part of his 29 years in the United States of America. However, that relative anonymity is about to change as Tobi Lou goes full throttle with his music career.

As stardom beckons, he is set to join the league of Nigerians in the Diaspora like Jidenna and Wale who are living their dream as celebrity artistes. The rapper, singersongwriter and producer, bought his first microphone at 13 years and hooked it up to his computer to record his voice. That was when he began to take music more seriously. Previously, he remixed songs for his classmates by tweaking the lyrics of popular songs to make his name fit seamlessly into it. Of course, his appreciating classmates got a huge kick out of it.

His parents, Olaronke Champion and Yomi Adeyemi have supported him every inch of the way as he developed his interest in music from a youthful pastime to a maturing songwriter and producer. His emerging career has witnessed a few twists. He started out playing the Cello. Along the line, he stopped playing to concentrate more on sports in High School. Although, he does not officially play any instrument now, he is able to figure out how to play melodies on a piano.

The claim about Tobiâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s rising fame is still being made in a hush, but not a few are sticking out their necks and are willing to place a bet on Tobiâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s potential to turn the table in his favour. It is a huge compliment that his style is being compared to Drake. The official video of his song, â&#x20AC;&#x2DC;Game Ovaâ&#x20AC;&#x2122; on YouTube which was uploaded about one month ago has garnered close to 2000 subscribers and still counting; with close to 58000 views. â&#x20AC;&#x2DC;Game Ovaâ&#x20AC;&#x2122; also attracted so much attention that there is a KRS remix of the song.

The comparison to Drake may be cheering, but if anything, it challenges Tobi to work harder. So far, he has been consistent, sticking to the same style of RnB and slapstick rap in tracks like â&#x20AC;&#x2DC;Hopefullyâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;, â&#x20AC;&#x2DC;New Bishâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;, â&#x20AC;&#x2DC;Txt Meâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;, â&#x20AC;&#x2DC;Pretty Pleaseâ&#x20AC;&#x2122; and â&#x20AC;&#x2DC;A.R.O.K.â&#x20AC;&#x2122; For now, he is not desperately concerned that his music has not hit the mainstream of the American music industry. In a society where competition is stiff, he is only too happy for the kind of attention coming his way. His approach seems to be working for him. He said, â&#x20AC;&#x153;I think my only strategy is to keep making

MISS POLO PAGEANT GOES INTERNATIONAL Ernest Chinwo in Port Harcourt Organisers of Miss Polo Pageant have announced the upgrading of the pageant to an international event; Miss Polo International Pageant.

Unveiling the new status of the pageant to journalists in Port Harcourt, the Convener of Miss Polo International Pageant, Mrs. Ibife Alufoghai, also said the organisation does not encourage prostitution and would never allow its contestants to use their bodies to raise fund for the organisation.

Alufoghai said what the organisation needs from contestants is intelligence and beauty.

She said, â&#x20AC;&#x153;Our girls wonâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;t sleep with men to raise money for our organisation. Basically we donâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;t encourage prostitution in Miss Polo International. We donâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;t ask for your money, we raise the money ourselves. We just need you to come with your brain and face. We have the platform to carry out our projects.â&#x20AC;?

The Miss Polo International convener stated that the upgrading of the pageant was to meet up with the international nature of the Polo game, adding that the main aim of the pageant is to improve education across the world.

Alufoghai said, â&#x20AC;&#x153;Miss Polo International is what we want to start now because we realized that polo game is played worldwide.

It is an international game and it is only fitting that we make the pageant an international

Tobi Lou

undeniably, good music and to stay consistent with releases. I think ultimately if a product is good enough, it will find its way to the people.

Whether thatâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s from word of mouth or the right person jumpstarting my career. Iâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;m very religious and I believe God takes care of all things in due time. I truly believe that this is what Iâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;m supposed to be doing.â&#x20AC;?

Tobi is expected to pump out more singles to increase the possibility of releasing a full body of works later in the year. While his songs may not have charted yet and none of them sound like great pieces to dance to, but there is no denying the incredible feel-good sentiment and smooth sex-appeal in his voice. These factors combine with his great personality to create a good aura around him and his works.

With the frequency of unambiguous reference to sex in the lyrics, it suggests that Tobi is not totally able to escape the prevailing influences in that genre of music. He said, â&#x20AC;&#x153;I have recorded material and I produced it along with

one. It is a platform whereby young girls come on board. â&#x20AC;&#x153;Polo is a game of strength and we want to use the platform of polo to organise a beauty pageant whereby we bring up these young girls to give back to the society. Our major aim of Miss Polo International is to improve education in the world.

Also speaking, Manager of Miss Polo International Pageant, Mandy Stuart, said the organisation would organise a Polo Ball to raise fund for charity, pointing out that no other pageant has gone into such a venture in Nigeria.

Stuart said, â&#x20AC;&#x153;We will organise a polo ball to raise fund for charity and I donâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;t think there is any pageant that does that in Nigeria. The charity will be in terms of schooling to raise the standard of education. We are working at a situation where the emerging queen will be able to identify three schools where we can see if we are in a better position to renovate the schools.

FIFTY, SPAWNS WEEKLY SERIES ABOUT THE COMPLEX LIVES OF FOUR WOMEN A new drama series, Fifty, will premiere on television. Set in the ever-bustling megacity of Lagos, it follows the lives of four women (Tola, Elizabeth, Maria, Kate) as ambition and betrayal threaten their relationships. â&#x20AC;&#x2DC;Tolaâ&#x20AC;&#x2122; is a reality TV star whose marriage falls apart, thanks to an unpleasant family secret. â&#x20AC;&#x2DC;Elizabethâ&#x20AC;&#x2122; is an accomplished and celebrated obstetrician whose appetite for younger men causes a strained relationship with her daugh-

many different co-producers. It was produced in Chicago, Los Angeles, New York, Germany, London, and Jamaica within the past four years. Iâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;m releasing my first full length project in the fall of 2017.â&#x20AC;?

Explaining where the influence to his music comes from, he said, â&#x20AC;&#x153;I grew up listening to almost all genres. Thatâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s reflected in my music.

I do a hybrid of singing/rapping. I think Kanye West and Kid Cudi were big influences in my early years of creating music. I also used to love Biggie a lot. When I was younger I basically took in whatever I heard on the radio or saw on MTV. I could be into a Backstreet Boys song on one day and the next day be listening to Blackstreet.â&#x20AC;?

The consistent sounds in the background of all his tracks are melodious and pleasant to the ear. The dropping beats hit home with that bouncy texture that blends well with his voice to complete the carnal atmosphere. This is his thumbnail take. â&#x20AC;&#x153;I would describe my style

as playful but real. I can get really emotional in my music but I can choose to do it over a light-hearted beat. I like the juxtaposition of mixing opposites or things that one would not think to put together. Iâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;m wildly imaginative; and I think thatâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s the thing that carries me through most of my music. I make music that can be enjoyed from a little kid all the way up to a grandparent. Everyone should listen to my music.â&#x20AC;?

Tobi hints on the possibility of expanding his style to attract and grow his Nigerian fan base. He said, â&#x20AC;&#x153;I would definitely agree that there is something called Nigerian pop, and itâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s great. Itâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s rhythmic, itâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s the kind of thing that comes on and you canâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;t help but to want to move. The melodies are very bright and itâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s that â&#x20AC;&#x153;put a smile on your face and danceâ&#x20AC;? type (of) music. Itâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s very upbeat which I like a lot.

A lot of current my music isnâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;t that upbeat so itâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s something I look forward to doing with my future songs.â&#x20AC;?

Cast of Fifty

ter. â&#x20AC;&#x2DC;Mariaâ&#x20AC;&#x2122; has an affair with a married man that results in an unexpected pregnancy. â&#x20AC;&#x2DC;Kateâ&#x20AC;&#x2122; battles with a life-threatening illness which plunges her into religious obsession.

The first episode sees Tola back in Lagos for Lizzieâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s surprise wedding. No one even knew that she was in a relationship, much less engaged; so everyone is curious about the groomâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s sudden appearance. Tolaâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s soon-to-be ex-husband, Kunle, turns up with his heavilypregnant lover, Maria, creating a stir. Will Tola and Maria upstage the bride? And, has Lizzie made a decision that she may regret, or is this â&#x20AC;&#x2DC;happily ever afterâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;?

Mo Abudu, Executive Producer, is excited

about the series and looks forward to its television premiere. â&#x20AC;&#x153;We are proud of the show and are confident it will resonate with viewers in different ways. It delves into the lives of four dynamic women and tells fascinating stories of their relationships. There is a character and plot for almost everyone to connect with.â&#x20AC;?

The series stars Ireti Doyle, Dakore EgbusonAkande, Omoni Oboli, and Keira Hewatch, with Uzor Osimkpa, Linda Osifo and Tosan Ugbeye completing the female ensemble. Wale Ojo, Kachi Nnochiri, Timini Egbuson, Chris Attoh and Taiwo Obileye bring a strong male presence to the lineup. Award-winning director, Akin Omotoso brings the script to life and

AUGUST 6, 2017 ˾ T H I S D AY, T H E S U N D AY N E W S PA P E R

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ENTERTAINMENT steers the actors to polished performances.

Fifty is an original EbonyLife TV production and will air every Thursday as part of the Big Story lineup, designed to give viewers exhilarating, emotional drama each week.

EASTERN AFRICA SUBMITS HIGHEST ENTRIES FOR AFRIMA The 2017 edition of the All Africa Music Awards, AFRIMA, is already in the works to becoming an epoch-making awards event after receiving nearly 5,000 entries from African music artistes and music professionals at the close of the two-month entry submission process.

The African Union and the International Committee of AFRIMA had announced the 2017 AFRIMA Call for Entries giving opportunity to African music artistes, record producers, songwriters, video directors and music journalists to enter their qualified works on the AFRIMA website www.afrima.org and the awards social media platforms.

AFRIMA International Advisor and member of the International Committee, Mr. Rikki Stein According to AFRIMA International Advisor, Mr. Rikki Stein, “The overwhelming response to this call putting the total number of entries received for 2017 at 4,816 is an astronomical increase from the 2,714 number of entries received in 2016 which amounts to a whooping 77.25% increase compared to last year. Analysis reveals the regions with the highest entries as Eastern Africa, with 47% of the total entries and Western Africa, with 30%. This immense progress is a positive marker and has elicited satisfaction from the African Union, the International Committee of AFRIMA, the Regional and Country Directors of AFRIMA. The overwhelming response to this call putting the total number of entries received for 2017 at 4,816 is an astronomical increase from the 2,714 number of entries received in 2016 which amounts to a whooping 77.25% increase compared to last year. Analysis reveals the regions with the highest entries as Eastern Africa, with 47% of the total entries and Western Africa, with 30%. This immense progress is a positive marker and has elicited satisfaction from the African Union, the International Committee of AFRIMA, the Regional and Country Directors of AFRIMA. President/Executive Producer AFRIMA Expressing his excitement at the high number of entries in 2017, the AFRIMA International Advisor and member of the International Committee, Mr. Rikki Stein stated: “This is tremendous news, indicative of an increasingly healthy music industry across Africa, particularly from a creative perspective. AFRIMA is lugged in to the aspirations of the African continent, providing a platform for excellence in the field of music and a source of inspiration and encouragement for its associated fields of endeavour; songwriters, producers, sound engineers, distributors, publicists, marketers, photographers, ideographers, stylists, journalists, bloggers, DJs and on and on”.

The former friend and Manager to frican music legend, Fela Anikulapo Kuti also added that, “African artists are making their mark in the wider world, acting as ambassadors of their countries and their culture, the eyes and ears of that wider world are opening and turning towards Africa as the source of much more than entertainment. As will be evident amongst AFRIMA nominees and eventual winners, they provide an antidote to negativity and cynicism, offering a healing form for ailments of heart and spirit; what Fela used to call “The Underground Spiritual Game.”

Expressing his excitement at the high number of entries in 2017, the Stein stated: “This is tremendous news, indicative of an increasingly healthy music industry cross Africa, particularly from a creative perspective. AFRIMA is plugged in to the aspirations of the African continent, providing a platform

VVIP with their AFRIMA award

Scene from Lady Macbeth

Lady Macbeth is Coming to Nigeria Vanessa Obioha The romantic thriller ‘Lady Macbeth’ from the stables of Red Mist Films is set to premier in Nigerian cinemas in August.

The all-new scandalous love story is coming on the heels of successful productions such as ‘Colonia’, ‘Spooks: The Greater Good’ and ‘Son of a Gun’. The film stars award-winning actress Florence Pugh, Cosmo Jarvis, Paul Hilton, and Naomi Ackie amongst others.

Set in the U.K, the movie tells the story of Katherine (Florence Pugh) a woman stifled by her loveless marriage to a bitter man twice her age, and his cold, unforgiving family. When she embarks on a passionate affair with a young worker on her husband’s estate, a force is unleashed inside her so powerful that she will stop at nothing to get what she wants.

The film has been universally acclaimed since it debuted at the Toronto International Film Festival and there is buzz of a Best Actress Oscar nomination for excellence in the field of music and a source of inspiration and encouragement for its associated fields of endeavour; songwriters, producers, sound engineers, distributors, publicists, marketers, photographers, videographers, stylists, journalists, bloggers, DJs and on and on.”

To follow the close of entry submission is the screening and adjudication processes which ends on August 8. The 13-man AFRIMA Jury will review the 4,816 entries to determine the works of African talents that are adjudged on merit to be on the AFRIMA 2017 Nominees List.

WINNER EMERGES IN SPOT N POST CAMPAIGN A winner has emerged in the Spot’n’Post campaign, a private engagement initiative to celebrate Lagos @50 organised by Abelinis Limited, a Lagos-based experiential company.

The campaign, which started early May, required Lagosians to spot a car branded in the colours of the Lagos @50 festivities, take a picture with it and post on social media. The respondent with the highest number of likes emerged winner.

At the end of the viral competition, Seun Oloketuyi, a media entrepreneur, got the most likes among other respondents. Last Thursday, Oloketuyi was presented with a prize of N100, 000 at the Ogba, Lagos office of Abelinis Limited.

Speaking, Deji Orunkoyi, the General

for Florence Pugh.

Directed by William Oldroyd and written

by Alice Birch, the 89 minutes movie is the very first feature film of the director who is also popular for his short films like “Christ Dog” and “Best”.

Speaking on the release of the film, a key representative for Red Mist said, “We are thrilled and can’t wait to experience the new journey in this upcoming film, Red Mist continues to focus on creating exciting new stories and experiences and we’re eager to take fans into the dark sexy world of Lady Macbeth on the big screen.”

Red Mist Films is a company that acquires and distributes high-quality, talent driven films to mainstream African audiences. The company aims to bring unique and universal stories that thrill the audience with promises to keep the flag running as it pushes frontiers to deliver the best of quality movies to Nigerian audience. Lady Macbeth, will be officially released on August 25, 2017.

Manager of the company, said the campaign was initiated to join Lagos in celebrating its attainment of the golden jubilee. “Lagos is a land of dreams and as a company doing business here, we thought to give back in our own little way. We looked at all the line-up of activities and came up with this idea to ensure that Lagosians across all local governments felt the joy of the landmark celebrations. In all, we toured 20 local governments and we are glad at the responses that we got,” Orunkoyi said.

The CEO of Abelinis, Abiodun Oshinibosi, added that the Spot’n’Post campaign was basically a corporate social responsibility initiative of the company. According to him, “Employing our own expertise and experience as an experiential company with a track record of successful activations, we bought the car, branded it and toured the state without seeking or getting any form of support from the state government. We are happy with the response and are further committed to contributing our quota to the development of our beloved Lagos State.”

TADE OGIDAN PARTNERS SOLUTION MEDIA FOR ‘GOLD STATUE’ After many years of inactivity, ace movie producer and the owner of OGD Pictures, Tade Ogidan is set to partner with Solution Media & Infotech Limited (SMIL) for the production of a world class movie titled “Gold Statue”.

Making this known at a Media round-table at

Prize presentation ceremony to SpotnPost winner

Hi-Impact Planet Amusement Park, an arm of Solution Media & Infotech Limited, Ogidan disclosed that the movie will be filmed across four locations - Lagos, Ilesha, Dubai and London - and will feature artistes like Alibaba, RMD, Sola Sobowale,Gabriel Afolayan, KunleRhemmy,Segun Arinze among so many others.

According to Ogidan, “the primary location for the filming is Hi-Impact Planet Amusement Park which is owned by Solution Media, a company I consider as having perhaps one of the craziest equipment anyone can find around.”

Answering a question on why it took him so long to come up with a movie after the last one, Ogidan said production of quality movies require a lot of funding, research, time and equipment.

While noting that the frequency of movies churned out is not really the best idea, another contributor, Alibaba who is also one of the artists to feature in the movie said that the quality of production that will go into Gold Statue will provide a template for others to follow.

“From the directors, actors as well as technical and cultural values exhibited in the Gold Statue, it stands to be a film to watch over again.” Alibaba said.

Gold Statue is a comedy adventure drama that follows the adventure of two young men in search of a Gold Statue. It will take the audience through a series of emotions, intrigues, suspense and drama which is designed for the family.

In his comment, the Managing Director of Solution Media & Infotech Limited, Prince Adeyeloye Lipede, said his company decided to go into partnership with Ogidan because of his impeccable track record in the area of film production and expressed his confidence that Gold Statue will not be any different.

MTV SHUGA AUDITIONS TO HOLD THIS WEEK IN LAGOS Ahead of its homecoming season 6 and 7, long-running pan-African lifestyle TV drama, MTV Shuga is giving budding actors an opportunity to become a member of the MTV Shuga family.

Producers of the TV drama which focuses on real issues affecting young people and tells hard-hitting stories that revolve around contraception, sexual health, family planning and social issues will hold an open audition for Nigerian residents aged 18+. It will be held on Saturday 12 August, at Planet One, Maryland, Ikeja, Lagos.

The auditions will be open from9am until 6pm. Participants will be required to provide one Head Shot photograph (Minimum size 4x6 inches) and a form of photo identification, such as a Passport, Driver’s License, National ID Card or Student ID Card.

Budding actors & actresses who are unable to attend the physical audition need not worry as they can also submit a short video audition on Instagram, Facebook and Twitter using the hashtag#MTVShugaAudition. A script will be available onwww.mtvshuga. com. The online auditions will be open from Friday 28 July to Wednesday 23 August 2017.

MTV Shuga, which aims to champion and exhibit Nigerian talent, is a multi-sectorial partnership that involves the MTV Staying Alive Foundation and is supported by MTV Base Africa, the Bill & Melinda Gates Foundation, the US Government and various UN agencies and NGOs. Participants will be judged by a diverse range of industry experts and selected based on their acting skills and originality.

MTV Shuga, which is commissioned by the MTV Staying Alive Foundation, has helped exceptional actors like Oscar winning Kenyan actress Lupita Nyong’o and Emmanuel Ikubese jumpstart their careers.

Previous stars to have come through the public auditions include Samkelisiwe Makhoba, who showcased her talents in the leading role of ‘Khensani’ in MTV Shuga: Down South.

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& RE A S O

LESSON

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LIFE LESSONS ayo.arowolo@thisdaylive.com

WITH AYO AROWOLO

09067059433 (SMS only) character is ultimately the deal breaker in the pursuit of a career.

LESSON

2

Money and Investment Be content and invest in People.

One rule of investment for me is that if that money can go into somebody’s education, I would rather use it to invest in that human capital instead of putting it in account.

Two, money will never be my God;it can never be the reason I wake up and go to bed, and that’s not because I have anything significant. No. It is because it simply has no rule over me. And of course, I cannot accumulate money from unjust gain. It must go into serving people beyond me. Again, I have what is called rainy season money for emergency situation and finally, I invest in myself continuously.

LIVE A PURPOSEDRIVEN LIFE

LESSON

–Jimi Ezekwesili Agbaje –Oby Here comes the first female guest on the Life Lessons Interview Series! And we are happy to serve you with the soft side of Dr. Oby Ezekwesili, former World Bank Vice-President, two-time Federal minister, nick-named “Madam Due Process” in government circles for her zero tolerance against circumventing laid down procedures in the procurement process while serving as a Federal minister. That Dr. Ezekwesili is cerebral is not in doubt. But if you take time to digest her life lessons which she shared with Senator Iroegbu and me, you would understand the values and the principles driving her to do what she does. Take a look at her Life Critical Success Factors(LCSF) as well. Please enjoy the reading.

LESSON

3

Par Parenting/Family: Tru True marriage is partnership.

O One lesson I have learnt is tthat hat marriage marriiage is i partnership in the sense that tthrough hrou ug marriage ugh marria you will see how amazing it is that two people bonding in love can change the world because of collaboration and cooperation. That is how my marriage has been. My husband lives for me and I live for my husband. Number two lesson is that every child is unique. Don’t ever try to standardise the purpose of your children because every child comes to the world with his or her own unique purpose or unique individuality.

The third is that your children will not be impressed with what you say but with what you do. Children hear your word but then they also read you, follow your habits and behaviour, and then, determine whether you live your values. Our three sons give us positive feedback on who we are to them and that’s so fulfilling.

my choice of career.

Career: Let your career be purpose-driven.

The secrets/ My father wanted me to Lessons be a chartered accountant and I do not see career I trained to become one. After as a job; I see it as my Master’s degree I an assignment. My LESSON Relationship worked for Deloitte Touché belief is that my Friendship is based on shared values. & Akintola Williams, where life is a continuum Because of my strong family values, my I trained as a chartered which means that I accountant. But then, I was a am not here to do a friends tended to be my siblings, my father, child that was precociously job so that I can earn my mother, my husband and people that are interested in the issue of an income, or so that closest to me. I have had friends at different good governance, prompted I can have a good stages primarily by my enabling life on earth. No. of my life. Some are friends for life, and some Dad and my experience with My understanding are friends in a season of life. The deciding the (Nigerian) civil war and is that God put me factor for me is whether we share the values or military governance. It turned here to live a life we don’t. I can be comfortable with divergent out that I was going to do of impact and that values from mine. something later that would is what my career put me in a position where I is all about. So for LESSON could address good governance, transparency, that, I set very high standards for myself. For Spirituality: You are bankrupt accountability, anti-corruption. Guess what? example, there is nothing worthy enough to without God. God did it! I became one of the co-founders of make me negotiate away my values just as God is my greatest ally in life. The Transparency International (TI), a global non- my Dad taught me. In decent societies nobody greatest revelation to me on this is that God government organisation that is dedicated cares about what you can competently do, but individually fashioned me for a specific to preventing and tackling corruption. I they really care about your values. Your purpose. He knows my name and he orders had wanted to start a PhD in my steps day by day to go in the MY LIFE CRITICAL SUCCESS FACTORS (LCSF) International Law but I came under direction he has ordained. That the influence of a teacher, Baroness is simply amazing. My job then MAX MY IN PRIORS/N KEY AREA SCORE GUESS ITY Shirley Williams, at the Harvard is to learn how to please him University, United States, who all the time. I have seen God 5th 1 Academics/Education 10 7 persuaded me to go for Public in the area of my calling. I am 4th 2 Career/Business/Investment 10 8 Policy because she believed that one of the very few people that 10th 3 Networking Skills 10 8 was what our continent (Africa) have never had to seek jobs 9th 4 Mentoring 10 10 needed.

Baroness Williams, in their lives except the time I 8th 5 ϐ Ȁ

10 10 who had also been a Minister applied to Deloitte Touché & 3rd of Education under Prime 6 Parenting 10 8 Akintola Williams to train as a Minister James Callaghan in Chartered Accountant after my 6th 7 Health 10 7.5 1976, was absolutely right. Public Masters’ degree. All the other 2nd 8 Marriage 10 10 Policy completely changed my things or works I have done in 7th 9 Ȁ ϐ 10 9 professional life and that is what I life, I was head- hunted for and 1st 10 Ȁ

10 10 am today. So, it was my father and persuaded on merit to accept TOTAL 100 87.5 Shirley Williams who influenced them.

1

4

5

6

Health: Have a loving home Number one health habit is to get a good shower. I love water. Water for me is wealth. Number two is good sleep. Though I don’t get much as I should get, any time that I get a good sleep, I wake up feeling like there is nothing I cannot accomplish. Then, feeding; I used to be awful with it because I am a classic workaholic and sometimes simply forget anything about food when carried away with work that must be accomplished. It was a big health issue for me until my doctor warned me against staying without food. So, food is an important health factor and the quality of the food is important. It has to be a nutritious meal.

My deep, loving relationship with my husband is an important part of my health habit. Just

BOOKS 1. TheHoly Bible 2. The Purpose Driven Life by Rick Warren 3. The Tipping Point by MalcolmPlainwell

ROLE OF SPOUSE

My husband is a critical part of my life. He is a very wise man. His wisdom is unbelievable, and I spend a lot of time listening to him. He is my best friend and that relationship helps to make me emotionally solid. He is my number one cheer leader.

MISTAKES Number one is lack of structured habit of exercise. I have failed phenomenally in that. The second one is not checking up on my health. You know at some point I just summed up that I am an inherently healthy person and so there is no need seeing the doctor. No. You must check up on your health, especially once you enter into your ’50s, as happened to me four years ago.

VIEW ON FAILURE For me, failure is ever so temporary. I seldom see failure; I always only see my moments of failure as a learning opportunity to help redefine my goal.

GRATITUDE Number one is my father, Mr. Benjamin Umeh Ubuonu. I learnt most of my values watching him and my mother. I am ever grateful for that heritage.

Next are Daddy and Mommy Adeboye of the Redeemed Christian Church of God. My first Pastor after we became born again in the early ’90s, Pastor Tony Rapu, deserves my gratitude.

Finally, my former boss, President Olusegun Obasanjo, who tasked me with all manner of tough assignments enabling me to learn so much as I worked on projects.

SECRETS NEVER SHARED When the World Bank President Wolfowitz was trying to woo me to the Bank, to even get me to participate in the global recruitment process for the competitive position, and I was proving very hard to get, he called my then boss, President Obasanjo. Obasanjo told him: “Paul, the only person that can help you with that is her husband; the best thing that I can do for you is to give you Chinedu’s (i.e., my husband’s) number.” having that healthy home and environment gives me joy. I have grown over the years with our sons and together with their Dad; they make my life beautiful.

LESSON

7

Create time to relax.

I am a workaholic. I work to enjoy myself. But I still create time to relax, especially staying with my husband…. My husband is archaic and a humourist. He makes me laugh. Time spent with him is plenty of fun because we would laugh and laugh. Fun time is also when I read, … I read different kinds of books and I am in another cloud! Occasionally, when we manage to have a vacation , those moments are plenty of fun for us.

ARTS & REVIEW A

A TOAST TO A THOROUGHBRED PROFESSIONAL PAGE 66

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A TAPESTRY OF BEJEWELLED, BROKEN PROMISES...

Yaw Owusu, (Detail) Resurrence, 2017, Coins on Plywood, 52 in diameter. Image courtesy of the artist and Gallery 1957, Accra

EDITOR OKECHUKWU UWAEZUOKE/ okechukwu.uwaezuoke@thisdaylive.com

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ARTS & REVIEW\\EXHIBITION

A TAPESTRY OF BEJEWE BROKEN PROMISES...

Ayodeji Rotinwa recently visited Ghana to tap the pulse of its burgeoning contemporary art sc

"I

wouldn’t want to condemn my country to you, a Nigerian,” Yaw Owusu tells me, laughing.

We are talking about slums, political disappointments, income inequality, currency and the vanishing of Ghana’s middle class; some of the inspirations for and references in his debut solo exhibition, All That Glitters, curated by Osei Bonsu that recently closed, in the country’s foremost contemporary art institution, Gallery 1957.

We are in the executive lounge, on the seventh floor of Kempinski Hotel, Gold Coast City – also home to Gallery 1957 – where the “cheapest” room retails for $349 a night.

According to the World Bank’s last count in 2005, 25.2% of Ghana’s population lives poor, on $1.90 a day.

Were one of them to visit the hotel, they likely wouldn’t be able to afford the most basic thing on the menu: a bottle of water.

Owusu is playfully hesitant to speak about these sharp contrasts, honouring the long-time rivalry and history between our two countries where one has tried to best the other in music, sport, economic achievements and just about everything else. Speaking ill about his country to a rival’s hearing is a kind of betrayal.

I assure him it is not. While our countries have many differences, we have many ills in common.

In Lagos, Nigeria’s economic capital, the construction of a new road no matter how small invites fanfare. Special budgets are set, drummers are hired, ribbons are drawn and colourful Ankara outfits are selected, designed and worn just for the occasion. Locals are called upon by the government, to bear witness to its achievement: a problem solved, hope restored. Usually, six months after the roads are commissioned, during the rainy season, cracks start to appear. Soon, the little cracks become big puddles, potholes: holding up traffic flow, tearing into tyres, causing accidents. In a year, the road returns to the state of disrepair that inspired ‘construction’ in the first place.

Citizens hopeful of a new beginning are left disappointed.

This is the life thread of Owusu’s exhibition: broken promises.

All That Glitters tells the story of what could have been but never was. Owusu employs the smallest denomination of his country’s currency: the pesewa coin, the size of a thumb, to create large, sometimes life-size sculptural, jewel-like installations, commenting on economic value and socio-economic fracture in Ghana. The pesewa coins were first introduced in 2007 by the Ghanaian government as a solution to control the country’s spiralling inflation rate. The government embarked on an aggressive media campaign to convince its citizens that the little piece of copper was the same in value as and a good replacement for the paper notes of 100 Ghana Cedi (Ghc) It was an experiment that failed.

The coins were not accepted by citizens and soon lost its value a few months after their introduction.

Curiously, how Owusu came to convert the now worthless copper to objects of shimmering beauty, value (his works are priced within $5,000 - $9,000) and critical discourse was also an experiment – or accident. Though unlike his government’s, his had better results. His process is an ongoing set of reflections or question(s) one comes away with from the exhibition – which Owusu asks himself, to no

Yaw Owusu, All That Glitters, Installation View, 29 June - 3 August 2017, Gallery 1957 one in particular during our conversation: “At what point does money become money?

What becomes what? The pesewa coin was copper, a precious metal. When it was introduced it was the least of currencies, in the denomination. It was devalued again and no one wanted it. Now it is an art object, does it still possess the accreditation of money? Is it a different object?”

Owusu chose the coins as an object of artistic practice in his third year studying for a degree in Fine Art at the Kwame Nkrumah University of Science and Technology. He admits he was not the most compliant student. He didn’t attend nor was punctual to classes because he did not find the coursework compelling.

“I felt it was quite boring because we would do figure drawings, still life paintings. I felt it was something I could do in the house, and not in class,” he says, deadpan.

In his third year, he was finally given freedom to do something he felt was challenging. He created a pinhole camera by hand and travelled across Ghana to shoot nature. He decided on the coastal region of Ghana to shoot the sea because of its unpredictability. The pesewa coins were in his pocket while he got to work. On returning home, he discovered the salt water that touched them, had altered the texture and colour of the coins in a way that was “unnatural to the copper”.

“I realised this could be interesting. I had to research into money, and economy and politics.

The idea of money that existed that people didn’t want to use…I saw it as an opportunity to talk about our economy, money, resources,” Owusu explains.

Owusu’s conversations occur across up to 24, 000 coins on each piece, fixed on wood, draped

over walls, canvas and other surfaces. The coins have been migrated from their default copper colour to elegant tones of purple, blue, ruby, silver, more. Owusu realises these alien transformations through chemical treatments that use of Ghana’s economic resources: saltwater – which represents the salt mining, fishing trade of the coastal region; and vinegar – which represents the vegetation and plantation industry of the eastern Ashanti region. Some treatments take a few hours to achieve the desired result.

Some, a few months.

Time and chance are as much co-creators in the work as the artist himself.

“My work is 95% accident and mistakes.

There are treatments I never thought would give the outcomes I have now,” Owusu reveals.

The coins have made other journeys: from the vaults of the Central Bank of Ghana to his chosen canvas. The bank is the only institution that still distributes the pesewa. Owusu tells me he spends a significant amount of time, discussions and money to secure the coins and in the quantity he wanted. The bank has a lengthy bureaucratic process for making the coins available and was at first suspicious of the intentions of this young artist who wanted up to 400,000 coins to create art.

Owusu is 24.

Some bank officials and other government officials in positions he’s not sure of, have eventually come round and see his works as beautiful. Others see it as illegal, believe he is defacing government property and have

gone so far as to threaten him with a lawsuit.

Owusu is more interested in the latter set of people.

“It is part of the process,” he says. “If I am defacing what was already devalued, spoiling what is spoilt, I wanted to see what context it put the material to, and if it could relate to the issues I was raising. These comments make the work move from mere nice pieces to a space where it is worth contemplating about.”

These comments and conversations are currently happening within the walls of Gallery 1957, in government offices, amongst Ghanaians and likely soon, amongst Africans in other countries and globally. Gallery 1957 has made international visual art stars out of Ghanaian contemporary visual art talent such as Serge Clottey. Given the breadth and power of Owusu’s, he is undoubtedly next up.

Owusu’s work though experimental – from material, origins and choice of alchemy to alter it, its inspiration – has ties that bind neatly together, comes full circle in the way its subject – the socio-economic status of Ghana – has not yet. He believes this status is a failed promise that traces all the way back to Ghana’s fight for independence as led by the legendary statesman, Kwame Nkrumah. The fight that was eventually won in 1957, was fuelled by the belief that Ghana could successfully manage its affairs and delivered boundless hope to all Ghanaians of an assured, stable future.

Sixty years later, according to Owusu, only the political class benefits from the economy, fancy gated estates sit by sprawling slums, politicians are only seen or heard from during election season when courting votes, development only

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Yaw Owusu, Then and Now 'II', 2017, 81 x 60 inches. Treated Copper coins on canvas. Image courtesy of the artist and Gallery 1957, Accra

happens in the capital, Accra, while the rest of the country does not enjoy similar attention.

The substance and evidence of things hoped for has not been seen.

All that glitters isâ&#x20AC;Ś â&#x20AC;&#x201C;â&#x20AC;&#x201C;Yaw Owusuâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s All That Glitters held at Gallery 1957, Accra, from June 29 â&#x20AC;&#x201C; August 3

The Inverted Pyramid; Adapted from a novel by Emeka Dike

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T H I S D AY SUNDAY AUGUST 6, 2017

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T H I S D AY, T H E S U N D AY N E W S PA P E R ˾ AUGUST 6, 2017

CICERO

Editor Olawale Olaleye Email wale.olaleye@thisdaylive.com, SMS: 08116759819

IN THE ARENA

At Last, Justice for the Aluu Four A recent court ruling, which sentenced three to death over the killing of four students of the University of Port Harcourt in Aluu, Rivers State, five years ago, is a timely message to those who delight in the regime of jungle justice, writes Olawale Olaleye

F

ive years ago, in a sleepy Omuokiri village in Aluu area of Rivers State, four promising souls (male) and students of the University of Port Harcourt (UNIPORT) — Lloyd Toku Mike, Ugonna Obuzor, Tekena Elkanah and Chiadaka Biringa — otherwise called “The Aluu Four” were murdered in cold blood and in broad day light by a mob said to be a vigilante group, precisely on Friday, October 5, 2012.

It was a dark moment for the university education in Nigeria, which further elucidated the seemingly growing insecurity that students across the country suffer in their various campuses, more so from their immediate communities. What followed this madness was an intense rage, from parents and friends of the students, who were brutally murdered under the guise that they were cultists.

Then government of Mr. Rotimi Amaechi in Rivers State took up the matter and promised to deliver justice for the deceased. It sounded like a familiar rhetoric with mere sounds and bites, signifying nothing. The trial would later last about five years following the closure of the state judiciary by the Amaechi administration.

And truly, time had passed and everyone had almost forgotten the Aluu four before justice eventually came, five years after. The trial resumed on the assumption of office by the current governor, Nyesom Wike, who ordered the re-opening of the judiciary complex on June 1, 2015.

Thus, last week, a Rivers State High Court sitting in Port Harcourt sentenced three persons to death for the murder of the four undergraduate students. But the court discharged and acquitted four other persons, whose cases were not proved “beyond all reasonable doubts” by the prosecution.

Justice Letam Nyordee, while delivering judgment that lasted about two and a half hours, convicted ex-Sergeant Lucky Orji, Ikechukwu Louis Amadi (aka Kapoon) and Chinasa David Ogbada, for their active involvement in the murder of the four students. But he freed Abiodun Yusuf, Joshua Ekpe, Abang Cyril and John Awuru, for the inability of the prosecution to prove the case against them.

Twelve suspects were arraigned before the state high court on August 1, 2013, and based on the advice of the Director of Public Prosecution (DPP), five of the suspects, including the traditional ruler of Umuokiri, Alhaji Hassan Welewa, were discharged and acquitted on January 27, 2017.

The remaining seven of the suspects, Saviour Johnny, Lucky Orji, Ikechukwu Louis Amadi (aka Kapoon), David Chinasa Ogbada, Abiodun Yusuf, Joshua Ekpe and Cyril Abang, were denied bail based on the fact that their case carried a capital punishment upon conviction.

Nyordee noted that the prosecution counsel was able to prove the involvement of the three persons in the video evidence presented to the court. He held that the evidence against the first (Orji), second (Amadi) and third (Ogbada) defendants in the matter were overwhelming, adding that their statements in the murder of the deceased were confirmed in the video evidence obtained from Youtube and tendered by the prosecution.

He ruled that the evidence of the fourth (Yusuf), fifth (Ekpe)

sixth (Cyril) and seventh (Awuru) defendants in the matter, justified their position that they were not involved actively in the murder, adding that it was corroborated by the video evidence of the prosecution, which only captured the presence of the suspects at the scene of the incident.

The trial judge therefore insisted that the roles played by the three convicted persons in the murder were unjustifiable, pointing out that their actions were intended to terminate the lives of the victims and stressed that the first, second and third defendants were guilty of murder.

Referencing Section 319 (1) of the Criminal Code, Cap. 37, Vol. 2, Laws of Rivers State of Nigeria, 1999, he sentenced the three to death for taking the lives of other persons unjustifiably, maintaining that the deaths of the four students were the most condemnable and could not be justified. He said the victims had great hope and future for their families and the society.

“I hereby sentence ex-sergeant Lucky Orji to death; I hereby also sentence Ikechukwu Louis Amadi (aka Kapoon) to death, and I hereby also sentenced David Chinasa Ogbada to death.”

Expanding his ruling, the judge berated security agencies for their failure to play their role of protection of lives and upholding of the law seriously, regretting that the security per-

sonnel at the scene of the crime could not save the situation, a development he described as “the sorry state of the society”.

There is no doubting the fact that jungle justice in this part of the world has continued to thrive because the security agencies have failed to live up to billings. It is sad to note that in most instances, as it was in the case of the Aluu four, security officers are always at the scene of the attack somewhat helpless and unmindful of the implications of their presence.

The spate of jungle justice being administered on people lately, especially in the wake of the attacks by the Badoo cult group in Ikorodu part of Lagos is both worrisome and alarming and honestly calls for caution, because of the possibility of mistaken identity as it was in the case of Mr. Chinedu Paul otherwise known as MC Think Twice, who was mistaken for a Badoo member and murdered in cold blood.

This is why the judgment passed on the Aluu four is both timely and instructive and expected to serve as a direct message to those, who are quick to taking laws into their hands in the name of jungle justice. Such a warped mindset cannot replace the revered place of law and order, because no sane and decent society condones jungle justice and Nigeria, through the judgment delivered on the Aluu four, has just enlisted.

P O L I T I CA L N OT E S

Nigerian Army’s Misplaced Priority

R

ecently, the United States Government confirmed the obvious, when it said the Nigerian Army lacked the capacity to hold captured territories by terrorist groups in the country, a truth which explains the unceasing attacks by the Boko Haram terror group. Yet, the Army said it was sending about 230 of its personnel to Liberia on peacekeeping, when it is still unable to maintain peace in its own home. This is an irony and a clear case of misplaced priority.

The idea of living a false life by playing the “Big Brother” by the Nigerian government has come to a point, where the authority must review such wasteful disposition. Nigeria usually goes into

this profligate humanitarian mission without properly articulating its gains or what Nigeria stands to benefit in the long run and at the end of the day, not a few of these countries appreciate this costly gesture.

In spite of Nigeria’s human and material investment in Apartheid South Africa, it still has not stifled its disillusioned citizens from waking up any inauspicious day and killing Nigerians in their country, often times with the government of South Africa pretending to be helpless, while the Nigerian government too, in her pitiful gloating, goes about begging to be treated better. Government must have a rethink about these things and ensure the interest of the nation comes first. This particular development doesn’t just add up!

Buratai

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BRIEFINGNOTES

Abe’s Uncalculated Risk Senator Magnus Abe’s resolve to stand in opposition against his party, the All Progressives Congress in Rivers State, is a highway to nowhere, writes Olawale Olaleye He who blinded by ambition, raises himself to a position whence he cannot mount higher, must fall with the greatest loss.

– Niccolò Machiavelli

W

hen Senator Magnus Abe, the lawmaker representing Rivers South East senatorial district, some weeks back said he was former governor Rotimi Amaechi’s biggest achievement in politics, those words of his were apparently lost on critics, while the truth in it failed the cynics. But Abe and those, who were privy to Amaechi’s sincere magnanimity and widely acclaimed selfless leadership, knew exactly what he had said, regardless of where they all stand today.

“I am the biggest investment in the politics of Chibuike Rotimi Amaechi in Nigeria. And I stand to say that I am not leaving the APC. APC is my party,” Abe said in an attempt to dismiss certain insinuations or realities as the case was.

With how Amaechi made sure Abe made it to the cabinet of Dr. Peter Odili as Commissioner for Information, the first open shot was fired by the Rivers State former governor in staunch defence of friendship, particularly the idea of raising a succeeding generation of leaders in the state. It might be needless now to debate whether or not Abe stood any chance at all at the time, what is instructive is that Amaechi made sure that against all odds, Abe was counted worthy amongst the rest of the team.

Quick to trusting, Amaechi would further cement this budding relationship, when he made Abe the Secretary to the Government of the state. This was when he too had emerged governor in October of 2007. The issue of whether or not other qualified materials for the same office were available is ever present; that Aamechi, against these other extrapolations still conceded that office to him automatically settles that needless debate.

To increase Abe’s political resume, Amaechi thought sending him to the Senate, albeit against popular view, was a product of good thinking, more so that such empowerment and seeming call to service was meant to rub

Instigating an insurrection, not because you have been unfairly treated but because you wanted more than you currently have or should have is nothing but sheer ingratitude and that is what makes Abe’s political plunge highly uncalculated and poorly conceived

Abe...Incautious!

off on the entire membership of the Amaechi political family and in the final analysis, the people of the state.

Although Abe’s second coming to the Senate was a very rough, tough and tasking challenge for Amaechi and his team, however, with what many observers would later identify as grand and staggering mobilisation of both human and material resources, Amaechi pulled it off and alas, Abe is still in the Senate, courtesy of this rare benevolence.

The fact about Abe having his eye on the governorship of the state is common knowledge. But in the many sculpting of people’s aspirations within the Amaechi camp, Abe had been sufficiently sorted out at the expense of others, bearing in mind certain political considerations like demographics, acceptability for balancing purposes and especially, the need to let it go round.

But the truth is that whilst the APC might have feigned going into the 2015 elections as one big political family, the seed of the now prevailing malcontent in the Amaechi camp had been sown with the outcome of the governorship primary, which produced Dr. Dakuku Peterside with consensus arrangement. This is because while others played along in common interest, Abe didn’t let go as he wanted to be on the ticket, regardless.

The interesting thing, however, was that Amaechi was not oblivious of this even though he pretended not to. He was interested more in the unity of his camp than the unbridled ambition of anyone member. And when the elections went the way they did in 2015, the first thing Amaechi did was to settle the dust that was raised by the theatrics and intrigues that manifested in the lead up to the elections.

To achieve this, he mooted the idea that everyone should come together, put away their personal ambitions and converge as a family to confront the challenges that were to come post the elections. He had thought that asking all to shelve personal ambitions and being sincerely neutral would foster better unity in the administration of the party and increase the trust level, moving forward.

But Abe, of all, was said not to have believed

in the mindset. He thought it was a ploy to weaken and make him more vulnerable while at the same time positioning Peterside. As far as he was concerned, Amaechi still had a thing for Peterside and might have resolved to field him again in 2019. Unfortunately, it was an erroneous position as Amaechi, other members of the camp noted, had decided that when the time comes, he would ask everyone to go and pursue their ambitions, so that the best candidate and the most preferred could emerge.

While this was ongoing and to prove he was not out to favour anyone, Amaechi started positioning his people in the new administration at the federal level for fear of the unknown, with Abe as a major beneficiary of both empowerment and vantage placement within the government and party.

Curiously, while others were busy working as a team and helping to make APC maintain a competitive edge in the annals of the state’s body polity, Abe had started to position himself, discussing his governorship ambition with party members at various levels, setting up groups and structures, thereby causing disaffection and discontent in the party. This move was seen by all as creating distraction in Rivers APC as well as discouraging others to concentrate on the shared interest.

And since this was in obvious defiance of the initial understanding to shelve ambitions and build the party first, Amaechi had to step in, first by cutting Abe to size and by so doing, sending a subliminal message to others, who were either goading him on or fully active in their collective resolve to unsettle the party.

It was, therefore, against this backdrop that it was seen as being within Amaechi’s right and powers to dissolve a caucus he set up as part of the initiatives designed to keep the party together since it has been subjected to abuse at the individual level. But the spin that he unilaterally dissolved the party at the ward level was an idea that was being sold to make him look differently and justify why they had to disregard a collective decision in personal interest.

To now assume that Amaechi was playing

God, because he aired a personal view about a man, who had more than anyone else, benefitted from his benevolent leadership and personal generosity is to say the least, unfair and ungodly as well. The belief by the others is that if truly, Amaechi had been instrumental to Abe’s political rise without being seen as doing anything wrong, then, it still could be seen as being within such a right to help him draw the line in the event that he was oblivious of the red marks.

It also stands to reason that at those times when Amaechi was instrumental to the Abe’s political trajectory, he might have also played God with the ambitions of other people he probably had told to wait for Abe to take the turn he took then. Sadly, at such times, he was not seen as suffering God’s complex, because the narrative was convenient for those who stood to reap from it.

From all indications, it is clear that Abe hasn’t calculated this particular risk well enough before plunging into the arena. The names they choose to call Amaechi or the image of him they sell is not all that matters. What truly does is who Amaechi is. Amaechi may be pervicacious as he appears so, he is certainly not pugnacious and that is the distinguishing reality between who he is and who they try hard to sell.

On the contrary, the actions of Abe are seen more by others in the political camp as the height of betrayal, especially with the level of trust Amaechi had put in him and given all that they had shared time and time again. It is bad enough that he is about plunging the party into crisis on account of his ambition, attempt to blacklist and give Amaechi a bad name in order to hang him is an unfortunate way to repay a genuine benefactor.

But the good news is that Abe’s ambition hasn’t completely disconnected him from realising that Amaechi remains the undisputed leader of the party in the state.

“Let me use the opportunity of this visit to address some issues in our great party, the APC in Rivers State and to say clearly for the record that there are no members of the party, including myself, that is disputing the leadership of my friend, the Rt. Hon. Chibuike Rotimi Amaechi. We are not disputing with him, who is the leader of the party. He is the leader and will continue to be the leader of our party in Rivers State,” he said.

All said, it is sad that in spite of all Amaechi had done for him and others, who now gang up against him, both individually and as a team, they could still under misguided pretext conceive the idea of running him down.

Indeed, Amaechi’s problem is largely believed to be that he is too plain and honest for some to deal with. He does not politicise issues and would rather deal straight, devoid of any diplomacy. If this is being considered playing or acting God, then, it is disturbing that literally everyone, who has walked with him has benefitted from his alleged God tendency.

Like a former United States President, Barack Obama, once said, “If somebody is different from you, that’s not something you criticise; that’s something that you appreciate.”

Amaechi is no doubt different from a majority of them and understandably the reason they cannot deal or relate. But rather than run him down, isn’t it better they run their own race, even after being the greatest beneficiaries of his touted God complex?

Whichever way Abe chooses to fight this battle, it doesn’t look good for him and the earlier he retraces his step and embraces reason, the better for him and his cahoots.

Instigating an insurrection, not because you have been unfairly treated but because you wanted more than you currently have or should have is nothing but sheer ingratitude and that is what makes Abe’s political plunge highly uncalculated and poorly conceived.

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R-L: Senator Sani, Senator Hunkuyi, Alhaji Ramalan and other party leaders at a press briefing

Kaduna APC and a Looming Implosion The crisis of interests presently rocking the Kaduna State chapter of the All Progressives Congress holds grave consequences for the future of the party in the state. John Shiklam writes

I

n politics, there are no permanent friends or enemies, only permanent interest. This, perhaps, explains the crisis tearing the Kaduna State chapter of the ruling All Progressives Congress (APC) apart. Political observers are aghast that even Senator Suleiman Hunkuyi (representing Kaduna North Senatorial Zone), believed to be a very close ally of Governor Nasir El-Rufai had long parted ways with him.

Hunkuyi, a notable grassroots politician, played a key role during the governorship campaigns that saw to the victory of the APC in 2015. He is however rumoured to be nursing ambition to be governor in 2019, having contested and lost in 2003, when he defected from the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) to the defunct All Peoples Party (APP).

The crisis within the party started in December 2015.

About seven months after El-Rufai assumed office, a group which called itself “APC Akida” (True APC) had accused the governor of alleged “anti-people polices and sidelining party stakeholders in the running of the government they worked to bring to power.

Members of these groups include Senator Shehu Sani (representing Kaduna Central Senatorial Zone), Chief of Staff to the Senate President, Dr. Hakeem Baba Ahmed, Mr. Tom Matamaki Maiyashi, Hon. Isa Ashiru (who lost the governorship ticket to El-Rufai during the primaries) and Ambassador Sule Buba, amongst others.

The group, in a statement dated December 5, 2015 and signed by its spokesman, Murtala Abubakar, accused the governor of highhandedness and creating the impression that an APC administration in the state had turned its back against the people, is a matter of huge concern to us”.

According to him, “As responsible people, who successfully worked hard to remove the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP), it is with tremendous reluctance that we make public, issues and grievances that should have otherwise been raised and settled in engagements with those, who have the responsibility to address them.

“Let me say here that it is with regret that we have decided to speak out because other avenues are no longer available and we will fail the millions of people, who expect our party to operate with requisite standard

of responsibility and accommodation, if we continue to maintain silence,” the group said.

The group decried alleged absence of functional and autonomous party structures in the state, noting that it had created a long distance between the state government and the teeming party members.

“This reality is clearly in line with the desire of the State Governor, Mallam Nasir Ahmed el-Rufa, to rule without any opposition or counsel from any quarter,” the group noted, urging the national leadership of the party to set up a credible machinery to conduct elections into vacant party offices in the state.”

After the 2015 elections, several party positions became vacant following the appointments of some officials, including the position of the state chairman, which was occupied by the deputy governor, Mr. Bala Bantex.

But rising in stout defense of the governor, the state leadership of the party dismissed the Akida group, declaring a vote of confidence in the governor and his policies.

The state acting Publicity Secretary, Salisu Wusono, in a statement dated December 12, 2015, maintained that all El-rufai’s policies were in line with the APC manifestos and agenda and advised the group not to allow themselves to be used by the opposition PDP to distract the good work of the governor.

“We have only one APC in Kaduna State. The party has leadership and structures; we are running the affairs of the party according to the manifestos, constitution and its ideology. It is laughable if somebody in Kaduna State said APC is not functioning. Any party member that is questioning the policies and leadership of the governor is either ignorant or doing it deliberately,” Wusono said.

But the political acrimony in the state took a turn for the worse last Sunday, when armed thugs invaded the secretariat of the Kaduna State Council of the Nigeria Union of Journalists (NUJ) and unleashed mayhem on journalists and the politicians during a press conference

by Hunkuyi, Sani, some members of the House of Representatives and other members of the two groups opposed to the governor.

They were aggrieved over alleged non conduct of election for delegates to the forthcoming non-elective National Convention of the APC.

Now, the crisis has taken a new dimension and unless the issues are resolved and the party puts its house in order, its chances in 2019 might be greatly affected. The opposition PDP, which is just recovering from its share of a prolong crisis, is watching the unfolding drama with excitement, waiting to take its pounds of flesh come 2019 general election

Murtala Abubakar, spokesman of the APC Akida faction, told THISDAY that his group had earlier received information that the Political Adviser to the governor, Mallam Uba Sani, had allegedly mobilised thugs to stop and disrupt the press conference.

“Before we even started the meeting, we got information that Uba Sani had sent thugs to disrupt the press conference. But we believed that the Press Centre will be immune from this rascality. We thought that the government is sensible enough not to incur the wrath of journalists, so we thought that we will have immunity under press men,” he said.

The mob however overpowered the police and forced the gate open and had the people chased out of the premises with teargas. But the arrival of the Gabasawa Divisional Police Officer (DPO), one Abdullahi, paved the way for the mob as he led about ten of them to where the press conference was going on. Hell was eventually let loose as they pounced on journalists with sticks and knives and sticks. There was pandemonium as everybody ran for safety.

A cameraman from a local television station – Liberty television, owned by Alhaji Tijjani Ramalan, was seriously wounded as the hoodlums pounced on him and destroyed the camera. Smartphones and voice recorders were destroyed while the DPO watched as if he was assigned to supervise the attacked.

The governor’s political adviser, who was accused of sponsoring the hoodlums later denied the allegations, saying he was not even in town and did not know what happened.

“I don’t know anything about that. You have to do your investigations. Probably they are the ones who did it. So, if I were you, I will do my investigations properly.

I suspect probably they are the ones that organised it to embarrass the government, when somebody alleged something, he should produce evidence. So, if I were you, I would ask them to produce evidence,” he said.

The attack was condemned by Governor El-Rufai in a statement by Samuel Aruwan, his spokesman, declaring that “nobody will be allowed to stifle freedom of expression”. The governor expressed sympathy with the NUJ and those that were harassed by the hoodlums and directed security agencies to investigate and take necessary action against the hoodlums.

“Politics should not be a desperate game. And desperation should not be visited on journalists or any citizen,” the governor said.

The state’s police commissioner, Abah Agyole, who later visited the Press Centre, assured the journalists that investigation would be conducted into the matter.

Hunkuyi, who addressed the conference, alleged that no election was conducted for the delegates, alleging that names of those who emerged as delegates were written by an official of the state government.

“The list of the delegates was not known to us. The

Continued on Pg.70

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CICERO/REPORT t‘KADUNA APC AND A LOOMING IMPLOSION’… tContinued from Pg. 69

el-Rufai

A cross section of aggrieved party leaders

list was fake. So, we wrote two petitions to the national secretariat and zonal office to buttress our grievances. We hope the national body would look into our complaints and fix another date for the election of delegates,” he said.

Hunkuyi and Sani, who addressed a news conference in Abuja the following day after submitting their petition to the National Working Committee (NWC) of the party in Abuja, declared that the APC in the state was gradually collapsing and urged the national leadership to intervene urgently else the party might die.

“Unfortunately, elections did not hold in Kaduna. This culminated in the manufacturing of results that were presented to the election committee chosen to conduct the exercise. Rather than conduct the elections, a list was manufactured by the team led by the state governor’s political adviser and presented.

“We have made it very clear that APC in Kaduna State is undergoing very serious hemorrhage and there is the need to quickly move in with expert medical attention to arrest that hemorrhage to avert the inadvertent, untimely and selfish death of our very beloved party,” he said.

But the state chapter of the party at its press conference on Sunday at the party secretariat dismissed the allegations, saying the delegate election was free, credible and fair.

Wusono, who addressed the press conference, noted that certain persons who have since 2014 been engaged in various schemes to destabilise the APC were unrelenting in their dark designs. He said a team from the National secretariat of the party and INEC officials monitored the conduct of the election, which, according to him was conducted with the state executives, local government party chairmen and other stakeholders.

Wusono therefore called on the national headquarters of the party to expedite action towards enabling them to fill party offices that are currently occupied by officials in acting capacity as provided for in the APC constitution.

“It has come to the notice of the Kaduna State APC that some disgruntled elements want to tarnish the reputation of the party. In fact, these persons have been unrelenting in their effort to destroy the party and sap the spirit of its members. They have failed over three years, but they continue trying. They abuse the party process, and accuse the party of every ill, but their real goal is to hijack it.

“As leaders of the APC charged with the duty of managing the party in Kaduna State, it is obvious that we are obliged to reject and dismiss any attempt to hijack what is entrusted in our care. If these disaffected persons have any legitimate grievances, they are advised to follow proper channels. The APC will not tolerate anti-party activities. Politicians must learn that a party will not die

just because they did not win internal elections or secure places for their preferred cohorts. Let it be known that we the executives and stakeholders of the APC in Kaduna State remain loyal to the government that our party has produced in Kaduna State,” Wusono maintained.

Also reacting to accusations that he wrote the list of the delegates, Sani, said there was no truth in the allegations, adding that the leadership of the party in the state had spoken on the issue and that the position of the party was supreme.

“Nobody is above the party, not even the President.

The position of the party is supreme. Go to the state party chairman in Kaduna, whatever he tells you is the true position on the issue,” Sani said in a telephone chat.

But again, the recent emergence of Kaduna Restoration Group, a coalition of some stakeholders led by Alhaji Tijjani Ramalan seems to be swelling the ranks of those rising against the governor. Last Sunday’s press briefing at the secretariat of the NUJ was jointly addressed by stakeholders in the Restoration and the Akida groups, an indication that they have joined forces against the governor.

Like the APC Akida, the Kaduna Restoration Group has also accused the governor of being autocratic and running a government by consultants.

In an open letter to the governor on June 29, 2017, the group claimed that Kaduna under El-Rufai “was fast sliding into the abyss, a deep and seemingly bottomless pit, which portends grave danger to the socio- economic fabric of the State due to some autocratic actions being blatantly exhibited your government”.

The letter signed by Tijjani and the secretary of the group, Prof. Yusuf Dankofa, accused the administration of alleged endless anti-people policies, including the allegation that the governor was appointing non-indigenes into government at the detriment of the indigenes.

“Our observations, sir, our group has painfully observed that despite your government’s saintly and pious declarations, especially in your midterm report read in your Democracy Day speech of having delivered in terms of your party’s manifesto especially in the area of welfare delivery for the poor, the reality on ground is that the so called achievements are nonexistent, rather your administration largely exists for itself and a few band of core loyalists with mercantilist tendencies imported into the state. Your so called positive and high credit ratings are therefore trivial, feeble and delusional.

“Under your watch, sir, as an A-listed professional project manager, capital projects initiated are mostly never completed, and those projects like roads that were completed despite huge expenditure have been washed away by the rains,” the group further alleged.

The state government in its reaction dismissed all the allegations point by point. Aruwan, in a statement, described the letter as “an epistle of elite frustration, lengthy on lame lamentations but short on substance and facts.

“It is like a union of the disaffected, the discontented and the disappointed, telling a government that all it needs do to be good, is to settle them or go back to the old days of sharing state resources to the few professional politicians too lazy to work for a living like other hardworking citizens,” Aruwan said.

He said further that the doors of the government have never been shut to anyone, adding that the government believed that constructive criticisms and frank exchanges that were rooted in facts were helpful to improving public policy and governance.

The statement declared that the government was proud of the governance reforms it has implemented in the past two years, noting that with the Treasury Single Account, zero-based budgeting and a panoply of new laws covering taxation, investments, a digital land registry and public procurement, government has remade the priorities of governance and anchored it on pro-people development. Raising primary school enrolment from 1.1million to 2.1million in less than two years is testament to the results that come from focusing on what matters to the common men and women that elected us.

“The so-called Kaduna Restoration Group is fixated on where people come from. It has decided to cast government officials, who are not originally from Kaduna State as the ‘problem’ because they see such persons occupying positions they feel is their entitlement. They even cite Section 14 (4) of the Constitution in defence of their parochial stance. That section of the 1999 Constitution offers no such justification for bigotry. The Kaduna State Government has always, and will continue to have in its employment, persons from all sections of the country. It is unfortunate that in the 21st Century, a media mogul and a person claiming to be a professor of law will remain so wedded to narrow notions,” the statement said. Efforts to resolve the crisis have not yielded any positive result.

It was learnt that one of such efforts was a committee headed by the governor of Katsina State, Hon. Aminu Masari, but the committee could not bring about the desired peace with the party.

Now, the crisis has taken a new dimension and unless the issues are resolved and the party puts its house in order, its chances in 2019 might be greatly affected. The opposition PDP, which is just recovering from its share of a prolong crisis, is watching the unfolding drama with excitement, waiting to take its pounds of flesh come 2019 general election.

NOTES FOR FILE

How Fashola Doused Tension with N’Assembly

Fashola

Minister of Power, Works and Housing, Mr. Babatunde Fashola, last week, appeared before the House of Representatives Investigative Committee on Breach of Privilege, Violation of Appropriation Act and Incitement of the Nigerian Public, to defend allegation of inciting the public against the lawmakers. But his defence was simple and straight to the point.

One, he didn’t waste time

when he declined having anything to do with the slant of the report and naturally, he refused to accept responsibility. The interpretation extended to the story was essentially the choice of the newspapers’ and did not represent his views in anyway, he claimed.

However, if the lawmakers found it both disturbing and inciting regardless, he quickly apologised.

But not only did the legisla-

tors accept his apology, Chairman of the committee, Aliyu Sani Madaki, also assured Fashola that the working relations between the legislature and him would greatly improve from what it used to be, adding also that the National Assembly would garner resources for his ministry to allow him succeed on his job and provide infrastructure across the country to better the lives of Nigerians.

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Taraba Grazing Prohibition Law as a Triumph of the People The passing and signing into law of the Taraba State Grazing Prohibition and Ranches Establishment Bill signify the triumph of the people of the state, writes Wole Ayodele

A

fter weeks of intrigues, threats and melodramas, Taraba State Governor, Darius Dickson Ishaku, last Monday, signed the Taraba State Grazing Prohibition and Ranches Establishment Bill into law. The signing however ceremony followed the adoption of the report of the Mark Useni committee, which conducted a public hearing across the three senatorial districts on the subject matter.

Prior to the passing of the bill and its eventual signing into law, there had been series of violent clashes between farmers and herdsmen in almost all the local government areas, with concentration in Bali, Ardo-Kola, Gassol, Wukari, Gashaka, Lau, Karim-Lamido, Donga, Ussa, Takum, and Ibbi.

The attacks had claimed hundreds of lives and loss of properties worth billions of naira while over two hundred and fifty thousand people had been rendered homeless, most of who are currently living in the internally displaced persons’ camp in Bali and Gassol. Several others have also relocated to stay with friends and relations outside the state.

Signing the bill into law at the executive chamber of the Government House, Jalingo, Ishaku revealed that the introduction of the bill was necessitated by the dangerous trend open grazing had assumed in the state and the entire country in recent years.

“Today marks yet another milestone in the history of my administration, and indeed that of Taraba State as you witness my signing into law, the Taraba State Open Grazing Prohibition and Ranches Establishment Bill recently passed by the Taraba State House of Assembly. The law is historic and unique, because it is my humble belief that it will turn a new leaf in the socio-economic lives of my dear people of Taraba State.

“As we are all aware, the introduction of this Executive Bill was necessitated by the dangerous trend open grazing had assumed in Taraba State, and indeed the whole Nigeria in recent years. Within the past two years, Nigeria has woken up to battle with a strange practice of grazing by herdsmen, who are strangers to our state. These herdsmen have within this short period of time turned our traditional farmers’ herdsmen complementary practices fatal and sorrowful.

“The activities of these herdsmen have not only resulted in total destruction of farmlands, but also heartless killing of farmers using sophisticated AK47 automatic guns, and, in most cases, destruction of settlements, rustling of cattle belonging to our indigenous herdsmen and other cattle rearers. To make matters worse, these killer herdsmen seem to have defied all solutions by security agencies nationwide. To date, none of them, to our knowledge, has ever been arrested.

“The primary responsibility of any government anywhere in the world is to ensure the security, safety and wellbeing of her citizens. It is only by so doing that citizens can effectively acknowledge the value of leadership and contribute their quota to the progress of society as a whole. The fact that the activities of these strange herdsmen had seemingly defied all solutions by the Nigerian security system is no excuse for the state government to just sit back and resign to fate.

“As the head of this government, the responsibility lies squarely on me to do all I can to find a lasting solution to this situation that has consumed hundreds of lives, farm produce, cattle and complete destruction of several communities. With this burden in my heart, I felt the best this government needed to do was to enact a law that would regulate the movement of herdsmen and their cattle within Taraba State.”

The governor, however, commended the Speaker and the entire members of the State House of Assembly for their commitment and patriotism and for enduring all the pressures and propaganda aimed at weakening their resolve, saying their action would have a positive place in history.

The signing of the bill was the climax of a process that commenced on 17th May, 2017, when Ishaku forwarded the executive bill to the State Assembly,

Taraba State governor, signing the Grazing bill into law, flanked by the deputy governor, Haruna Manu (left), the speaker of the State House of Assembly, Abel Peter Diah (first right), and the Special Adviser on Legislative Matters, Istifanus Gbana at the Government House, Jalingo

which triggered series of activities by proponents and opponents of the bill, particularly farmers and herders. While debate on the bill was ongoing in the House, the Miyetti Allah Cattle Breeders Association in the state mobilized Fulani herders in their thousands to the Assembly to stage a peaceful protest to ventilate their opposition to the bill.

In the same manner, the All Farmers Association of Nigeria followed suit by equally mobilizing thousands of farmers to the Assembly on a solidarity rally in demonstration of their total support to the bill, which they described as the only panacea to the incessant violent clashes between farmers and herders in the state.

But in his separate addresses, the Speaker of the House, Hon. Abel Peter Diah, told the groups to present their positions to the ad-hoc committee on public hearing even as he commended them for conducting themselves in a peaceful and orderly manner. In the midst of the dust already raised by the development, the Useni committee commenced sitting on 4th of July, 2017 in Jalingo, headquarters of Taraba North before proceeding to Wukari and Bali, South and Central zonal headquarters. Fulani groups in the state, under the umbrella body, ‘Kawtal Fulbe Nigeria’ boycotted the exercise. In a statement by its North East Zonal Chairman, Alhaji Mafindi Umar Danburam, the group said they are boycotting the public hearing on the grounds that they are being treated as second class citizens in the state.

But despite of the boycott, a total of 92 written and oral memoranda were received by the committee, 54 of which came from the Southern senatorial zone, while 15 and 23 memoranda were received by the committee from the North and Central zones.

While declaring the public hearing open, Diah said the bill was initiated to halt the incessant bloody clashes between grazers and farmers as well as frequent introduction of animal diseases by migrant cattle coming into the state from other states and countries.

Part of the objectives of the bill, according to the Speaker is the promotion of modern techniques of animal husbandry particularly rearing of livestock as well as to promote job and investment opportunities in livestock farming and expansion of the value chain.

Diah further listed the benefits of the bill to include regulation and support for the growth of livestock farming, management of environmental impact of open livestock grazing and to create a more robust method of addressing the rising livestock density,

particularly cattle in an efficient manner as well as prevent destruction of crop farms, community ponds and settlements including promotion of greater productivity and profitability in the livestock business.

Also, speaking on the bill, the PDP Chairman in the state, Victor Bala Kona said though the bill was necessitated by the current activities of killer herdsmen as stated by the governor, establishment of ranches across the state formed part of the ‘Rescue Agenda’ initiated by the governor upon assumption of office.

Reading copiously from page 8 of the Rescue Agenda booklet under the heading ‘Beef and Dairy Production’ which read thus: “We shall develop the existing gazetted grazing reserves and facilitate the establishment of cattle ranches within the reserves to discourage transhumance activities as a strategy to mitigate the incessant farmers and herders conflicts.

“The cattle ranches will be integrated with breed improvement, animal husbandry, feeds and feeding, peri-urban and small holder schemes to boost dairy and beef production. The objective is to substantially increase beef and dairy products for intra and interstate commerce as well as supply livestock based on agro allied industries with raw materials. We shall facilitate the development of enterprises and value chains around the by-products of increased livestock production such as hides, skins, hooves, horns, blood and bone meals”. Bala Kona said.

The transition period before the law becomes operative, according to the governor, is six months from July 24, and that the law is expected to usher in a new dawn in the annals of the state. Before then, Ishaku stated that a sensitisation committee that would be set up to educate cattlemen and farmers on the symbiotic relationship that will be developed between them just as he disclosed that pilot ranches would be established in the three Senatorial zones of the state as referral centers while farmers would be organised to cultivate special grass that would be sold as feeds to cattlemen in their ranches.

“Ranches shall be properly registered and policies developed to ensure that cattle rearers are properly organised in their various ranches, which they shall acquire through government land acquisition processes. By these measures, cattle-rearing will soon be a universal business venture that will eventually place Taraba State in its rightful position as the largest single producer of cattle beef and milk in Nigeria, and also for export. This has been one of the visions of this administration,” the governor

declared.

Ishaku therefore appealed to Nigerians, especially elites to eschew the temptation of playing politics with the security and economic wellbeing of the masses, which he believes constitutes over 85 per cent of the population, saying “It is very sad that none of the elites, who went about fanning the embers of discord amongst our people concerning this law could proffer an alternative solution to the challenges posed by the rampaging killer herdsmen against our farmers and indigenous herdsmen.

“I have taken an oath to defend the people of Taraba State, irrespective of their ethnic coloration or creed. I will never be deterred by any attempt to make me renege on this oath. This is because for every decision I take on this seat, I am conscious of this oath and believe that God willing, the people of Taraba State will testify to my sincerity of purpose.”

But reacting to the passage of the bill into law, chairman of the Miyetti Allah Cattle Breeders Association in the state, Sahabi Mahmud, said the law would not see the light of the day as the association has concluded plans to drag the Assembly and the state government to court to seek redress.

He however appealed to his people to remain calm, assuring them that the association would do everything within the ambits of the law to ensure that the rights of Fulanis are not trampled upon in the state.

Meanwhile, the Attorney General and Commissioner of Justice in the state, Yusufu Nya Akirikwen has debunked insinuations that the bill contravenes the 1999 constitution as amended. He stated that though section 41(1) of the constitution, which is being quoted and made reference to by those opposed to the bill, permits all Nigerians to reside in any part of the country; it is limited by section 41(2).

According to him “Notwithstanding the provisions of subsection 1, any law that is being made by the state for good governance, the provisions of subsection 1 does not take away the powers of making such a law”, adding that where one citizens rights end, another’s begins and stressed that everybody has equal rights just as he cautioned all citizens to be conscious of the limits of their rights.

With the signing of the bill into law by the governor, Taraba has become the third state in Nigeria to pass a law prohibiting open grazing after Ekiti and Benue States. And indeed, there is no better way to taming the menace and excesses of the herdsmen than the force of law. It is however yet to be seen how much guts the herders would have to disregard the laws of the state.

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PERSPECTIVE Budget Reforms: Lessons from US Congressional Budget Office Adeshola Komolafe

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igeria’s Acting President, Yemi Osinbajo, signed the nation’s Appropriations Bill into Law on June 12, 2017, well over five months into the 2017 financial year.

What this means is that for over five months, the government was spending funds that were not appropriated.

While this misnomer is not new to Nigerians, it runs contrary to the dynamics of modern development which weighs heavily on effective planning and management of resources in the attainment of development objectives. In developed nations, a situation where Appropriation Acts are enacted months into the fiscal year is now a thing of the past.

In most countries, the time span from the start of the preparation of budget proposals by Ministries, Departments and Agencies (MDAs) to the enactment of the Appropriations Act before the beginning of the financial year takes at least 12 months and there are defined time limits for each of the milestones in the budget process. This is currently not the case in Nigeria.

In the United States of America, government agencies begin to prepare their budget proposals about 24 months before the start of any given financial year and submit their proposals to the Office of Management and Budget (Nigeria’s equivalent of Budget Office) about 12 months before the start of the financial year.

That is, the agencies spend 12 months between (October and September of the penultimate year) to prepare their proposals and then consolidate them into the President’s Budget Proposal. As required by the law, the President submits his budget proposal to congress by the first Monday of February for the financial year beginning on October 1. The Congress thus has about eight months (February to September) to review the President’s budget proposals, call for hearings and defence by the various agencies, make necessary adjustments and reconcile any differences with the president. The budget is signed into law by the President by the end of September, before the beginning of the financial year starting October 1.

However, in all these, one agency that ensures that the budgeting process is adequately sequenced and timed to ensure that the budget for the financial year is approved and signed into law by the President before the start of the financial year is the Congressional Budget Office (CBO), a federal agency within the legislative branch of the United States Government that provides budget and economic information to Congress. The CBO manages the federal budget in a strictly non-partisan fashion. There is a consensus among economists in the U.S. that the “CBO has historically issued credible forecasts of the effects of both Democratic and Republican legislative proposals.

Section 202e of the U.S. Budget Act requires the CBO to submit periodic reports about fiscal policy to the House and Senate budget committees to provide baseline projections of the federal budget. This is currently done by the preparation of an annual Economic and Budget Outlook plus a mid-year update. The agency also each year issues an analysis of the President’s Budgetary Proposals for the upcoming fiscal year per a standing request of the Senate Committee on Appropriations.

And because this is not the situation in Nigeria, there is an urgent need for reform of the federal budgeting process in order to improve effectiveness, efficiency, transparency and accountability in public spending.

First and foremost, the National Assembly Budget and Research Office (NABRO), Nigeria’s version of the Congressional Budget Office isn’t well equipped to perform like its U.S. counterpart, a situation which has left the

Udo Udoma entire budgeting system at the mercy of the Appropriations Committees of the Senate and House of Representatives who almost always have to contend with allegations of partisanship in the consideration of federal budget figures.

So, perhaps the biggest lesson that Nigeria should learn from the U.S. is for the Nigerian government to initiate the budget reform process by strengthening NABRO to enable it handle issues pertaining to national budget in a nonpartisan fashion.

An active National Assembly Budget and Research Office will reduce the tension between the Executive and the Legislature over the right figure that should go to the second arm of government. With a NASS Budget Office in place, the agency will prepare the budget proposals for the NASS and submit same to the Federal Ministry of Budget and Planning for inclusion in the President’s Budget. Like other MDAs, the NASS Budget Office will also have to defend the budget of the NASS. It would also put a stop to the insertion or smuggling of projects into the President’s Budget by members of the NASS during the review/amendment process. A situation where members of the legislature, especially the Chairmen of the Appropriation Committees and other leaders of the legislature can unilaterally replace projects in President’s Budget with their own projects often times for their constituencies and insert new projects is seen in the U.S. as an abuse of legislative power for private gain. In the U.S. budgeting process, insertions into proposal submitted by the president are called “pork barrel” projects or simply called “porks”. A pork barrel project is the appropriation of government spending for localized projects secured primarily to bring money to a representative’s district or constituency. Although it is the practice in some countries for legislators to insert projects in the budgets submitted by the executive to the legislature, many countries have either stopped this practice or introduced strict guidelines to regulate it.

Civil society groups, leaders of the private businesses and ordinary citizens also have a voice at both the budget preparation and budget review/amendment stages. Ministries, Departments and Agencies are tasked to partner with appropriate CSO, businesses and other citizens/stakeholders when preparing their agency budget proposals by calling for memoranda/suggestions from the public and holding at least one town hall. It is heart-warming to note that Nigeria’s National Assembly under the leadership of Bukola Saraki is already toeing this line. During the consideration of 2017 budget by the legislature, the Appropriation Committees of the Senate and the House of Representatives for the first time had special sessions for CSO, business leaders and other citizens/stakeholders to comment and offer their suggestions on the President’s Budget. This was done to ensure that the budget reflects the voice and views of a wider cross-section of the Nigerian society.

Lobbyists also play a role in the legislative process by seeking to be allowed to work closely with the bill sponsor and staff attorneys so as to draft the bill in appropriate legal language and give it a descriptive title. They manage bills through committee and floor votes and make sure that bills are veto-proof when they are passed to the United States President for assent.

Unlike in the case of Nigeria’s NABRO, each year, the CBO provides the Congress with several hundreds of formal cost estimates that analyse the likely effect of proposed legislation on the federal budget.

The estimates are posted on the CBO’s website in a chronological order, and are searchable by bill number, title, committee, programme area; each includes a description of the legislation, a statement about its estimated budgetary impact, and an explanation of the basis of the estimate. This procedure is popularly known as scoring.

The importance of scoring in the budget process cannot be overemphasized. For instance,

CBO’s estimates are tools that the Congress can use to implement its budget enforcement procedures and Congressional rules and statutory procedures related to budget enforcement recognize the fundamental distinction between the two types of spending. Legislation that affects mandatory spending –unlike that for discretionary spending is subject to Senate and House points of order (parliamentary objections that legislation violates a certain rule.

But it is usually the responsibility of the House and Senate Appropriations Committee that take the total aggregate spending allocations from the Budget Resolution and divide the amount into thirteen “sub allocations”. Quite literally, they take the total discretionary “money pie” and cut it in to thirteen pieces. Each slice of the discretionary “pie” funds a different government function as follows: Agriculture, Rural Development, Food and Drug Administration, and related agencies; Departments of Commerce, Justice, and State, the Judiciary, and related agencies; Department of Defense; Operations of the government of the District of Columbia; Energy and water resources development and Foreign operations, export financing, and related programs Others include Department of the Interior and related agencies; Departments of Labor, Health and Human Services, Education and related agencies; Legislative Branch; Military construction, family housing, and base realignment and closure for the Department of Defense and Department of Transportation and related agencies.

The Treasury Department, the United States Postal Service, the Executive Office of the President, and certain Independent Agencies; Veterans Affairs and Housing and Urban Development, and for sundry independent agencies also have monies allocated to them in the budget.

The Congress has an investigative arm known as the Government Accountability Office (GAO) which conducts financial and program audits and evaluations of executive activities, operations, and programs. For example, in one study, GAO reported “that 19 of 24 Federal agencies … could not fully explain how they had spent taxpayer money appropriated by Congress.” The head of GAO is the Comptroller General (CG), who is nominated by the President (following a recommendation process involving the bipartisan leaders of the House and Senate) and subject to the advice and consent of the Senate for a non-renewable 15-year term.

The GAO conducts field investigations of administrative activities and programs, prescribes accounting standards for the executive branch, prepares policy analyses, adjudicates bid protests, makes recommendations for legislative action, evaluates programs, and provides legal opinions on government actions and activities. The office submits hundreds of reports to Congress annually, describing ways to root out waste and mismanagement in executive branch programs and to promote program performance. One of its traditional reports to Congress is on government programs and activities that are “high risk,” that is, they require significant improvements in their operations and performance.

If and when the budget process goes as planned, all 13 spending bills have been signed by the President and have become Public Laws

by October 1, the start of the new Fiscal Year.

Most years, this happens, but not always. If the budget process is not completed by the October 1 deadline, a “Continuing Resolution” to extend current funding for government operations must be passed and signed by the President to avoid a government shutdown.

All said, there is a need for the executive arm of government in Nigeria to work closely with the legislature to amend certain aspects of the constitution which would make the process more efficient.

––––Adeshola Komolafe is a 2017 Media Co-op fellow (See concluding part on www.thisdaylive.com)

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PERSPECTIVE

Senate in session

Senate Votes on Devolution of Powers Mirror Nigeria’s Faultlines Yusuph Olaniyonu

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t is interesting reading the commentaries in some newspaper columns and opinion pages over the failure of the proposal for the devolution of powers to scale through during the constitution amendment process in the federal legislature. The commentaries gave me an idea that if I were to be in the department of mass communication or political science of a university either as a student or lecturer, one research I would love to invest my time on now is how these newspaper columns and opinions reflect the geo-political divisions in today’s Nigeria.

Using content analysis as a research tool, it would have been easy to see which commentator wrote what and in what newspaper. One would have also discovered the role location, ownership and the political interests of the newspaper owners played in shaping the position of editorial opinions, columnists and also, the choice of articles that get published in newspapers on the subject at hand. Also, the research would have explained why some newspapers prefer to interview certain individuals or representatives of some groups or organisations to get their viewpoint on the issue of devolution of powers to states.

The objective of the research would be to show the division over the issue across geo-political zones in the country and how they are reflected even in the newspapers. The research would also show the relationship between the position of the columnist or newspaper and the ownership cum location of the newspaper.

Unfortunately, I am neither a student or a researcher.

Even my job would not give the luxury of the objectivity or neutrality that such an endeavor requires for the result to enjoy fidelity, credibility and acceptability.

However, without the proper research, I have tried to read critically the opinions, corporate and personal, as expressed in the published articles and editorials and to take cognizance of the facts of location, ownership and geo-political origin of the authors. My conclusion is that just as the campaign for restructuring remains a Southern affair, the knocks the National Assembly has received on the failure to pass the devolution of powers to states are from Southerners and southern-based media. While the vitriolic attacks on the federal legislators have been very loud and ceaseless, prominent columnists from the North and media organisations based in the North have largely ignored the issue of devolution of powers while commenting on other aspects of the constitution amendment.

Similarly, while prominent groups in the South and their leaders have been loud in condemning the National

Assembly for the votes that led to the defeat of the bill on devolution of powers, their counterparts in the Northern part of the country have expressed contrary opinion or kept mute.

For those who observed the votes in both chambers of the National Assembly on July 26 and 27, it is obvious that the votes equally reflected the thoughts on this issue in the media. Members voted along geo-political preferences. The implication is that both the National Assembly and the media are reflections of the situation in Nigeria, particularly on the issue of restructuring.

Ours is a country with sharp divisions. To some Nigerians, the agitation for restructuring is limited to the South. With this perception, a deep distrust, suspicion and misunderstanding has welled up around it.

Restructuring is now seen in some quarters as equivalent to the agitation of the Indigenous People of Biafra (IPOB) for secession, the campaign for resource control by the militants in the South-south creeks and demand for fiscal federalism and Oodua Republic in the South-west.

Incidentally, the advocates of restructuring have not tried to even articulate their position on what the concept means.

In a very surprising manner, the advocates of restructuring have been carrying on as if the entire nation need not understand what the concept means but just accept it without question, debate or explanation. It is even obvious some advocates of restructuring do not understand what it means. And that accounts for why there are as many definitions of the concept as there are definers. Different situations create different definitions and sometimes, the audience determines what the definer presents as the meaning of the concept. As at today, that concept remains nebulous, vague and opaque.

Meanwhile, the Senators and House members who are being vilified for voting against devolution of power represent different constituencies. Up till now, the constituents of those who voted against it have not protested that their representatives did not vote according to the interests, preferences and opinions of their electors. What this means is that the legislators voted in accordance to the wishes of the people. The devolution of power bill is seen in some areas of this same country as a trick by legislators from certain parts of the country to do the bidding of their leaders who are outside the legislature.

It is also seen as the equivalent of restructuring being orchestrated by those parts of the country to seize power and subjugate the other parts to their whims and caprices.

That is why the devolution of power got 44 votes for and 46 against when it needs 72 votes to scale through.

However, the commentaries and editorial opinions

I have read just dish out blanket condemnation of the legislators. The division in the votes show that the prorestructuring just took the rest of the country who do not understand what the concept means for granted. There was no attempt to enlighten others and explain the idea vigorously. There was no public education and persuasion on what restructuring means and the benefits it would bring to Nigeria.

The advocates of restructuring are not engaging with other Nigerians with a view to explaining the concept, persuading others and building confidence and consensus on the idea. They forget or chose to ignore the fact that Nigeria is a multi-cultural, multi-ethnic and multi-religious society. The aims and aspirations of the federating units may differ sometimes. Thus, for an idea to work across board, there is need for constant dialogue and persuasion, explanation and education.

No federating unit, in this case, no region or part of the country should seek to impose ideas on the others, except of course, it is sure of mustering the needed majority support. Yes, it is true that development and prosperity have no tribal mark or speak no language. Every human being desires them. In the same way, poverty is enemy to all. However, in an era of deep national distrust, suspicion and disunity, even the best idea could be misunderstood and misinterpreted.

That is why I believe the people to blame for the votes in the National Assembly are the advocates of restructuring who are still not clear about what the concept is all about and what it is aimed at achieving. The lack of information on the issue is a minus for the sponsors and advocates. They are also not doing the best job by deploying propaganda against the National Assembly. It should be clear that a part of the country cannot bully, coerce and intimidate the rest of the country to accept an arrangement which has serious implication on the future of the country.

Do not misunderstand my position. I want devolution of powers and I thought it should have been a recipe for solving the problem of an over-bloated Federal Government with too much centralised power, even though there is the fear of the state governors who are already functioning like Emperors. It will be good to give some powers to the states and get them to be more responsible and efficient. This may even reduce the rat race for the Presidency by different geo-political zones.

However, those of us who subscribe to this idea should know Nigeria does not belong to us alone. It is a jointly owned entity. We should learn to carry the others along and build consensus.

––Olaniyonu writes from Abuja

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PERSPECTIVE

Kachikwu’s Two Years of Impactful Reforms

Joseph T. Namor

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his month, Dr. Emmanuel Ibe Kachikwu will mark two years as the leading policy driver of Nigeria’s petroleum and gas industry under the leadership of President Muhammadu Buhari. He was first appointed Group Managing Director of the Nigerian National Petroleum Corporation (NNPC) by the President and eleven months later, Minister of State, Petroleum Resources was added to his portfolio. In July last year, Dr. Maikanti Baru was appointed GMD of NNPC. This allowed Kachikwu to focus squarely on policy formulation and coordination as Minister of State.

The last two years under Kachikwu’s watch easily qualify as one of the most reform focused periods in the history of the country’s oil and gas industry. He has led with vision and an infectious passion to make a difference. The minister has introduced innovative initiatives and set in motion groundbreaking changes in the sector. These initiatives are helping to manage the fallouts of turbulent global oil prices on the Nigerian economy as well as redefine and adjust the longstanding structures of the industry.

They are also laying a stronger foundation for a more vibrant, more efficient and more profitable sector that can contribute sustainably to the national coffers.

A good place to start a review of his track record is the latest target which the minister has set: leading the country to achieve self-sufficiency in local refining capacity and end fuel importation in 2019. Like many of his moves, it has the audacious Kachikwu stamp.

The plan is to seek financing from reputable international oil companies to fund, rehabilitate and jointly operate the three refineries in Port Harcourt, Warri and Kaduna so as to boost them to optimal production capacity. According to a recent report from the NNPC, the refineries, installed to refine 440,0000 barrels of crude oil daily, worked at only 8.55% of their combined capacities from January 2015 to September 2016.

Kachikwu’s plan is to get the refineries to optimal capacity which if achieved would significantly reduce reliance on petroleum imports to meet domestic demand currently put at about 35million litres per day.

Another component of the plan is to support investors in Greenfield refinery projects. The biggest of these is the proposed Dangote refinery which is expected to provide an additional 650,000 barrels per day refining capacity by 2019. The combined refining capacity of the three government refineries at full capacity of 450,000 barrels per day and the Dangote refinery would put the country in the over one million per day category and will enable the country meet 100% of local demand.

This sounds like a tall order. But Kachikwu’s impressive track record of performance, personal credibility and the clear action plan that he has drawn up suggests that with the support of critical stakeholders in the industry, this task would be achievable.

Significantly, the minister has reported that several IOCs have indicated interest in supporting and financing the refinery revamp project. Dangote is on track to deliver on the refinery as scheduled.

In spite of teething problems, things seem to be moving in the right direction.

One of the defining features of Kachikwu’s two years at the helm is that, with the support of the President, the minister has progressed the deregulation of the downstream sector which has reduced the cost of running the corporation by 30 percent and taken significant pressure off the country’s finances. It has also opened the sector to investment – local and international. Kachikwu has therefore succeeded in reducing the subsidy burden on the nation’s coffers and saved the country monies that are being re-directed to the financing of critical projects that will impact ordinary Nigerians and strengthen the economy.

As a result, queues have significantly disappeared from filling stations across the length and breadth of the country. “We are currently witnessing a period of calm and predictability in the petroleum industry not seen in the country in over two decades.

The fuel queues have literally disappeared. Filling stations are

Kachikwu

always sufficiently supplied to meet demand” said Mr. Nantim M. Joseph, a public affairs analyst who resides in Abuja.

Kachikwu’s passionate and constant engagement with major stakeholders in the Niger Delta has also helped to foster peace and reduce militancy in the oil producing areas. A notable initiative in this regard was the meeting he organized in November 2016 between the Pan Niger Delta Forum (PANDEF) and the President, Muhammadu Buhari. At the meeting – which served the purpose of breaking the ice and building confidence - the group of elders from the region presented a 16-point list of things they wanted the federal government to address. He has been consistent in facilitating dialogue between key interest groups in the Niger Delta and the federal government to address areas of concerns. This has despite recurring incidents of pipeline vandalisms, significantly helped to increase oil production.

Kachikwu also reversed the opaqueness and outright secrecy which defined the operations of the industry for decades by introducing full transparency into the finances of the NNPC and the entire oil and gas sector. Months into his appointment as GMD of the Corporation, he started publishing full monthly operational accounts of NNPC. With this act, Kachikwu signaled a new era of openness and empowered Nigerians with knowledge about the workings of the industry that is the backbone of the nation’s commonwealth.

Another Kachikwu landmark: for the first time in thirty years, the country is executing a sustainable plan to tackle the perennial problem of inadequate financing for oil and gas operations. This was achieved by the elimination of the old cash call financing scheme. It will be recalled that the National Economic Council

(NEC) had approved the proposal of the Petroleum Ministry for a new private sector-led funding regime for Joint Venture (JV) oil and gas operations in the country to be known as Unincorporated Joint Ventures (UJVs). The key objective of the scheme is speed up the development of the sector by allowing International Oil Companies (IOCs) to charge the cost for technical production before sending the net amount to the federation account.

This new funding regime is a huge positive for the growth of the local oil and gas industry. Unlike the previous one, it puts the private sector in the driving seat of financing oil and gas operations. The implication is that the government will no longer directly contribute to the JV projects. Rather its contribution will be funded by banks under an arrangement that will allow the banks to recover their monies; the federal government will only collect dividends from the profits. This will free-up the government from the annual budgetary cash call obligations and increase the funds available for budget financing.

Related to this is the successful negotiation and agreement with IOCs which will see the country reduce the accumulated Cash Call obligation of $6.8bn dollars to $5.1bn. Under the terms of this agreement with the oil majors, Nigeria is to pay Shell, ExxonMobil, Eni, Chevron and Total $5.1bn to cover arrears of exploration and production costs between 2010 and 2015. The balance is to be paid within five years at zero interest from incremental volumes not current volumes.

The net effect of this deal for Nigeria is about $7 – $8bn in savings over 5 years. About $15 billion fresh investment is expected to flow into the country as a result of this measure and will help to reduce the cost of oil production from about $27 to $18 per barrel thereby increasing government revenues.

The deal which is to be finalized before the end of the year will bring to an end the protracted dispute over the arrears between the country and the oil majors and create a conducive environment for greater foreign investment in the sector.

Another significant milestone of the past two years is the $15 billion cash-raising oil deal with India to raise foreign exchange to meet the shortfall in national revenues. The Indian government, one of the world’s top crude oil buyers, will upon completion of the deal make upfront payment for future crude oil purchases. This is to be repaid on the basis of firm term crude contracts over some years and in consideration for Indian companies collaborating in the refining sector as well as exploration and production activities on a government-togovernment basis.

No doubt, Kachikwu has focused strongly on establishing a structured and sustainable financing scheme to enable the downstream sector to adequately fund itself without putting pressure on the federal purse. It was also to this end that the minister, during an investor roadshow in China, signed Memorandums of Understanding (MoUs) with several Chinese firms totaling over $80 billion in new investments that will span over five years. The deal will cover pipelines, refineries, gas and power, facility refurbishments and upstream financing to bridge the infrastructure funding gaps in the Nigerian oil and gas sector.

Also key are the secured commitments from Sinopec and China National Offshore Oil Corporation (CNOOC) to commit to further investments in Nigeria’s upstream oil sub-sector to the tune of $20 billion. These unprecedented financing deals would cumulatively bring the total amount of prospective investments by Chinese firms over a five-year period to over $100 billion.

The clear progress made possible by Kachikwu’s reforms gives hope that a modern efficient and profitable petroleum industry is possible. His strong track record in the industry, vibrant leadership and “can do” spirit have delivered measurable benefits to the economy and taken the sector many notches higher. He is indeed the game changer.

––Joseph T. Namor is a public policy analyst based in Abuja

PDP: Between Obasanjo and His ‘Boys’ Michael West

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he recently resolved protracted leadership crisis that rocked the People’s Democratic Party, PDP, for more than a year was understandable. Nobody will throw stones at fruitless trees. Because of the comparative advantages of the erstwhile ‘biggest party inAfrica’ over and above other parties, including the ruling All Progressive Congress,APC, the PDP has passed through the furnace and storms.According to its leaders, this baptism of fire has enabled the party to navigate its path through leadership turbulence to emerge stronger, better, more focused and deeply united.

More than any other political party in the history of Nigeria, the PDP enjoyed a wider spread across the six geo-political zones of the federation. It has solid structures to command easy win in electoral contests. That was why the conflict of interests for

the soul of the party was fierce. It is a well-known fact that the PDP lost the presidency in 2015 largely due to its internal problems. For instance, without the ‘New PDP’ faction that included five governors and some influential National Assembly members that defected to the APC, it would have been impossible to oust the party out of power.

Lack of good media relations, which the then opposition party appropriated to its advantage, was another factor that bruised the party beyond immediate recovery. Who is to blame for this? I will drop this laxity at the door steps of former President Olusegun Obasanjo. He laid the foundation for impunity by choosing which court orders to obey.

He didn’t care a hoot about building good media relations for the party simply because he was in power. The ‘I don’t care attitude’ became entrenched such that when the party really needed media support, there was no fraternity within the fourth estate of the realm to side with it in moments of crisis.

In retrospect, before Obasanjo was thrown to jail under the guise of a phantom coup by the Gen.

Sani Abacha military junta in 1995, he never associated with the leaders of the National Democratic Coalition, NADECO, peopled by progressive minds, leaders of thought, and political movements across the country; the coalition was led by the late Chiefs Michael Adekunle Ajasin and Anthony Enahoro. The coalition’s leading light also included Pa Abraham Adesanya, Bola Ige, Solomon Lar, Ayo Adebanjo, Ebuti Ukiwe, Alani Akinrinade, Lulu Briggs, Abubakar Rimi, Bola Tinubu and many other dignitaries too numerous to mention.

Even Prof. Wole Soyinka, Gani Fawehinmi, Olisa Agbakoba, Mike Ozekhome and Beko RansomeKuti were all allies of NADECO. Obasanjo never associated or tagged along with them but these same people championed the national and international clarion call for his release.

At the dawn of a new political dispensation in 1998 after Abacha and M.K.O Abiola’s sudden but mysterious death, the coalition transited to a political party, which is the PDP. However, the Generals had proposed Obasanjo as the candidate in whom

they were well pleased; thus Obasanjo was offered the presidential ticket on a platter. It is this same PDP that he almost ran out of town after enjoying presidential power for eight uninterrupted years.

His confidants said he did what he did because the PDP leadership under Jonathan was planning to expel him; so he pulled a fast one on them.

Obasanjo/Jonathan’s face-off was the kernel of the crisis that almost buried the PDP. This started with Obasanjo’s 18-page open letter to Jonathan, which contained a litany of allegations spanning abuse of office, poor handling of issues of governance, ethnicity, desperation for second term in office, anti-party activities, among others. I think underestimating Obasanjo and his caustic tongue was a regrettable mistake made by Jonathan and his handlers; this eventually led to the loss of power at the centre by the PDP.

––– West writes from Lagos.

(See concluding part on www.thisdaylive.com)

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T H I S D AY, T H E S U N D AY N E W S PA P E R ˾ AUGUST 6, 2017

GAVEL TO GAVEL How Lack of ‘Strategic Thinking’ Killed Devolution of Powers Bill

Edited by Olawale Olaleye

Email: wale.olaleye@thisdaylive.com, SMS: 08116759819

Although not completely off the plate, the overwhelming rejection of the devolution of powers bill by the two houses of the federal legislature, which would have been a major step towards a genuine restructuring of the country, remains a huge disappointment in the current effort to amend the 1999 constitution. Damilola Oyedele writes

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erhaps, the biggest blow to the vocal proponents of restructuring for better governance is the defeat of the devolution of powers bill, in the Senate and the House of Representatives.

The bill, which required twothirds majority vote of 109 senators and 360 members of the House, was shot down with only 48 and 210 votes respectively.

The bill No. 3, 2017, (Devolution of Powers), sought to alter the Second Schedule of the 1999 Constitution, Part I & II, to move certain items to the Concurrent List, from the bloated Exclusive List, to give more legislative powers to the states. It also delineated the extent to which the federal legislature and state assemblies could legislate on items that had been moved to the Concurrent Legislative List.

If it had been passed by the federal lawmakers, and eventually by two-thirds of state assemblies as constitutionally required, the bill would have given more responsibility for development to the states, from a bloated Exclusive list. Its proponents say it is the almost perfect antidote to boost accelerated development, and ensure that governance reaches the grassroots, apart from helping to sculpt what true and fiscal federalism means.

But the defeat was shocking, with massive outcry against the lawmakers for what many have come to describe as an unpatriotic rejection of the proposal. Some have however noted that while it was shot down due to sheer mistrust and mutual suspicions, it may have fared better if its separate components had been broken down into different clauses, to allow for clearer understanding of each issue.

It is also worthy of note that the President of the Senate, Dr. Bukola Saraki recently said all hope was not lost on the bill as it could still be re-presented for consideration but in a better form.

Some of the items for which the State Houses of Assembly would be empowered to legislate on are: A. Land Use and Management: may make laws for the state or any part thereof with respect to the allocation, use and management of all lands within the jurisdiction of the state, except those vested in the federal government.

B. Railways: make laws with respect to establishment and maintenance of agencies for railway transportation within the state, and establishment of a state railway carries and regulation of activities related to, and connected with railway systems within the state, including the construction and maintenance of railway tracks and infrastructure within the states.

C. Health Care: may make laws for the state with respect to the establishment within the State Tertiary, Secondary and Primary Healthcare institutions for the provision of health services within the state D. Stamp duties: may make laws for the state with respect to the payment of stamp duties, by persons/individuals/businesses resident within the state or subject to state taxation; and on transactions or activities over which the State House of Assembly has powers to legislate on.

E. Agriculture: may make laws relating to agricultural policies, management and regulation of lands for agricultural purposes within the state.

F. Road Safety: safety of road and road users within the state; and, establishment of an agency for the safety, control, regulation and maintenance of road safety on trunk roads within the state and other roads subject to state regulation.

G. Pension: make laws relating to the regulation of matters on pension and gratuity of state employees, persons in the civil service of the state, employees of state institutions and

Saraki and Dogara at the National Assembly complex

parastatals, employees of local governments within the state and other persons subject to state regulation including employees of business enterprises resident within the state and subject to state regulation.

H. Environment: makes laws regarding environmental issues relating to matters within the state’s territorial limit, issues relating to sanitation, environmental management and protection of the environment of a state, establishment and management of game reserves, parks, wildlife management and forestry within the state, and urban development, housing and infrastructural planning within the state. i. Youth: the administration and regulation of welfare and activities of children and young persons within the state and activities of state bodies and institutions, including state educational institutions, sports bodies and other state recreational or correctional centres, as it relates to children, juveniles and young persons resident in the state; and youth and sport activities within the state and regulation of participation of persons resident in the state in inter-state youth and sports activities;” J. Arbitration: make laws with respect to intra-state arbitration involving parties resident or carrying on business within the state or where the arbitration is conducted in the same state where the subject matter of the arbitration is located, arbitration in relation to items over which the State Assembly has residual legislative powers under the Constitution.

I. Parks: may make laws for the state with respect to such areas designated as parks in a state.

Considering the advantages the bill held for accelerated development in Nigeria, it was therefore no surprise that the lawmakers

came under fire for its rejection. But a smart Saraki was quick to blame mistrust triggered by hate speeches for the defeat of the bill and noted that the bill could still be reviewed under the constitution amendment process.

“I think what happened was that a lot of people misread or misunderstood or were suspicious of what the devolution was all about; whether it was the same thing as restructuring in another way or an attempt to foist confederation on the country or to prepare the ground for other campaigns now going on in the country. And they made a lot of appeal that we had not consulted with our constituencies and you can see what happened; there was a meeting in Kaduna, where it was clear that certain parts of the country wanted more time to understand what restructuring is for discussion.

“So, it is clear that not all senators were on board. We have spoken a lot with the senators, because we cannot bully them or stampede them, because at the end of the day, this country belongs to all of us. You cannot hassle me out of the country, neither can I hassle you out. What we must do is dialogue, reassure each other and let people understand that this concept is for the purpose of making a modern Nigeria; that it is not going to in any way undermine any part of the country.

“I want to appeal for calm. I am sure with the engagement going on, there will be dialogue. I am also sure that by the time we come back from the present recess, people generally would have a better understanding that devolution of powers to states as regards some of the issues that were put in that bill, is not a threat to any part of the country and I am hopeful that there would be change of mind and position,” Saraki said.

Majority Leader in the House, Hon. Femi Gbajabiamila, also said the matter would be

revisited, while blaming the defeat of the bill on the obvious – the lumping together of the various issues.

“There were about nine items, including railways, pensions, arbitration, stamp duties, parks and others under the subhead and members should have voted on each rather than vote in one fell swoop. A member may have agreed to certain items for devolution to states and not to others. The way we voted, one would never know how to pass judgment on each item.

“I believe each item should stand or fall on its own merit. It is important to note that devolution of powers is baby steps and the simplest form of reconstruction not a surgical dismemberment of our country. We must feel the pulse of the nation in moments like this,” Gbajabiamila added.

On his part, Hon. Kingsley Chinda (Rivers) noted that the bill should have been separated into sub-heads, while he blamed a lack of understanding of devolution of powers among the lawmakers for its defeat.

“Some members expressed unfounded fears and skewed understanding of the notion of devolution of powers. They believed albeit wrongly that devolution will starve their states of funds from the center and the target was to allow some subheads and kill some, like removal of Land Use Act from the Constitution but the fact that items were lumped together affected the voting.

“I dare state that kicking or refusing devolution of power is akin to making peaceful and constitutional change impossible, the consequence is that we are making violent and unconstitutional devolution of power or disintegration of the polity inevitable.

Perhaps a second chance to take fresh vote on the issues will present a different result,” Chinda said.

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GAVEL TO GAVEL/ BILLS, MOTIONS, ET AL.

Akpabio at a rally

At Constituency Briefing, Akpabio Diagnoses Nigeria’s Many Ailments Senate Minority Leader, Senator Godswill Akpabio, recently initiated a constituency briefing and empowerment programme for his people of Akwa Ibom North West Senatorial District. But beyond the pomp, the occasion also served as an opportunity for the senator to look into the nation’s multi-faceted problems, writes Okon Bassey

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s early as 8.am on July 5, 2017, the movement of people from various directions in Akwa Ibom State, specifically the people of Ikot Ekpene Senatorial District was like football fans trooping to witness or support their home team playing host to a visiting club side at the Ikot Ekpene stadium. It was a day the Senate Minority Leader, Senator Godswill Akpabio, assembled his people for constituency briefing and empowerment programme after two years in the senate.

The roll call of dignitaries was long. Top politicians across the country including, the Akwa Ibom State Governor, Mr. Udom Emmanuel, and no fewer than 20 senators and members of the House of Representatives as well as the Speaker of the Akwa Ibom State House of Assembly, Rt. Hon. Onofiok Luke, state legislators and traditional rulers among others were in attendance.

The State Deputy Governor, Mr. Moses Frank Ekpo, who was the chairman, observed that the event had brought together party supporters, voters and personalities in the Senatorial District as well as friends and well-wishers, for the common purpose of giving an account of stewardship by the representative of the senatorial district in the senate.

Ekpo equally noted that the party’s ambassador had elevated constituency briefing to a veritable platform for empowerment.

“Today’s event to all intent and purposes is unique in every respect given our Senator’s political pedigree as our former performing governor, an uncommon transformer as well as his towering profile as the Senate Minority Leader, is one of the leading lights that is shaping the politics of modern Nigeria. For this reason, the people of Ikot Ekpene Senatorial District are in for a razzmatazz of sorts”.

For Ekpo, who is from the same senatorial district, the people willingly surrendered their slot to the Senate minority leader, because they were fully persuaded by his leadership credentials as he has what it takes to give the district an effective and result-oriented representation at the Senate.

He said for the spectacular performance of Senator Akpabio in the Senate these past two years, and the presentation of his mid-term

report, the people harbor no regrets that they backed the right man for the job. According to him, the event was a defining moment not only for Akpabio, but also for the entire people of the senatorial district in view of what this portends to the party as well as our polity in general.

Again, he said the constituency briefing signposts a remarkable departure from the practice of the past, as it comes with significant value-added innovations as “the mother of all briefings” with the empowerment component capturing all the units of the district.

APC caucus leader in the Senate, Senator Dino Malaye, said the number of senators that attended the programme showed “one single Nigerians with multiple competencies, very intellectual and politically great. He is good thinking, good product. We the senators are very proud of him. He is legislator per excellence. The Senate and APC caucus in the senate have enjoyed a very robust relationship with Senator Akpabio. Development, hunger, unemployment have no political party; we should emulate Akpabio.”

The PDP caucus leader in the Senate, Senator Abiodun Olujumi, described Senator Akpabio as an uncommon minority leader. “We are very proud of him and he makes the PDP caucus the best caucus in the 8th senate. Highly cerebral leader, a humble leader, a goal-getter and a man, who loves the people of Akwa Ibom State – that is why we are here”.

Governor Emmanuel, who was the guest of honour, noted that the country was sick economically but very vibrant and active politically, saying, “The love I see in the senate and National Assembly members is unprecedented.

It goes beyond partisanship”.

The governor acknowledged that the people of Akwa Ibom North West Senatorial District were very lucky to have the Senate Minority Leader.

“It is not often to have a leader loved and treasured by his people. The crowd here speaks a lot and it is a clear manifestation that Senator Akpabio is loved and treasured by Akwa Ibom people. You can see the love and unity exhibited, that show there is no banana peel in Akwa Ibom State, there is no dark cloud of conspiracy hovering over us. We are all dedicated, working together to build a greater and more prosperous state”.

The Senate President, Senator Bukola Saraki,

who was represented by the Senate Minority Whip, Senator Philip Aduda, lauded Akpabio for the constituency briefing and empowerment scheme.

“I commend your courage as you give account of your stewardship to your constituents. The programme that gears towards entrepreneurships, skill acquisition, and empowerment for the youths is very timely. This project is laudable and will benefit your constituents across the 106 wards of the senatorial district and provide capacity development and reduce poverty and allow for peaceful coexistence among the people”.

Presenting his scorecard, Akpabio said though he represents Ikot Ekpene Senatorial District in the Red Chamber as a political fact, as a historic reality, he would remain forever an ambassador of the state.

“The journey so far has not been smooth sailing but we have maintained our focus and vigorously pursue our goals. I have been the beneficiary of the uncommon confidence of my people. First, you gave me the mandate to serve you as your governor for eight years.

Then you sent me to Abuja to be your eyes and ears in the complex political theater of our nation.

“There in Abuja, my brother senators within one week of my arrival to discharge your assignment invested in me the onerous responsibility of being the Minority Leader of the Senate. Seldom has one man enjoyed so much confidence from so many”.

He paid tribute to Saraki and all the senators and thanked them for the confidence given him and the responsibility to elect him the Minority Leader of the Senate.Akpabio however used the occasion to speak on some political developments in the country, using the blood pressure and heart beat as illustration.

“Lately, the war drums in our country have overwhelmed unity lines in our National Anthem, and threatened the chords of our brotherhood. But when you visit your doctor with an ailment, no matter the ailment, he would first check the state of your heart by measuring your blood pressure. The heart of our country is Abuja. The heart is holding out – it is beating fast but it is within normal measurement. The political pressure is high but the country is not yet hypertensive. However, that heart needs close monitoring, because if

the diseased parts of this country do not get healed soon, the heart would get worse for it.

“If the Biafra agitation is not fixed; if the Arewa threat of eviction of Igbos is not addressed; if Boko Haram and insurgency which despite the gallantry of our armed forces in crushing them, still perpetrate their evil of bombing and launching attacks at soft targets, are not totally defeated; if all the other flashpoints are allowed to fester; then the uneven heartbeat of the country could degenerate into a cardiac arrest. Therefore, this is the time for all Nigerians of goodwill to pray for our nation and put all hands on deck to steer the ship of our nation to safe harbours.

“The present economic recession is not insurmountable. But you cannot solve a national recession by demonising the citizenry and, thereby, driving away investors. I travel around this country and I see a beautiful country with wonderful people. I see a patient people, who need a leadership, which could empathise with them and provide them with a vision, direction and motivation for us to reclaim our position as the giant of Africa.

“I once said every Nigerian supports the fight against corruption and my position has not changed. I support that fight. But like I have also said on several occasions, you cannot wage a war against snakes while keeping the king cobra and the black mamba as pets. Let us fight corruption with an incorruptible spirit and with incorruptible men and we would win the fight.

“On the economy, I dare to believe that we do not need to fight the Goliaths with spears.

Let us pick up the stones from our shores and farmlands and we would bring down the Goliaths. Let us look inwards and we would turn the recession to progression. As we enter the next phase of your mandate, my solemn pledge to you is that your voices will continue to be heard in Nigeria. I will continue to attract dividends of democracy to you. My office will continue to be a place of succour to you my constituents and Akwa Ibom people”.

Speaking on projects and empowerment, Akpabio stressed that the effect of his representation could be felt across the senatorial district through the constituency projects executed to bring succour to the people and replicated across the 10 local government areas that make up the Akwa Ibom North West Senatorial District.

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NEWSXTRA Ambode: We Spent N15bn to Beef up Security in 2016 AbimbolaAkosile and Anayo Okolie Lagos State Governor, Mr. Akinwunmi Ambode has disclosed that the state government spent over N15 billion last year to beef up security and ensure the safety of lives and property.

Ambode, who spoke at a dinner held at the Lagos House in Ikeja, in honour of the Inspector General of Police, Mr. Ibrahim Idris, who was on a two-day working visit to the state, said security, being one of the tripods upon which his administration was built, has improved drastically since he assumed office.

He attributed the development to the sustainability of the Lagos State Security Trust Fund

Akinlade Finally Dumps PDP Anayo Okolie The Ogun State chapter of All Progressives Congress (APC) has received a major boost ahead of the 2019 general election following the defection of a former House of Representatives member, Hon. Abiodun Akinlade, from the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP).

Akinlade, who represented Yewa South/Ipokia Federal Constituency between 2003 and 2015, dumped the PDP after reconciling with the state governor, Senator Ibikunle Amosun.

The lawmaker was received by the APC Acting Chairman, Alhaji Tajudeen Lemboye and other chieftains of the party along with his supporters.

The state governor’s elder brother, Alhaji Abidoye Amosun, who was at the occasion, handed over Akinlade to the party executive and called for continued mobilisation for APC ahead of the next general elections.

In his remarks, Akinlade, who is also a governorship hopeful from the Ogun West senatorial district, commended Amosun for publicly endorsing the zone to produce his successor in 2019.

He noted that the governor had chosen to follow the path of justice and equity by supporting the quest of YewaAwori people to produce a governor since the state was created 41 years ago.

Giving insight into his defection, Akinlade disclosed that whatever differences that existed between him and the governor had been settled.

According to him, “APC is my home and i have returned home. I am reuniting the progressives to move our dear state forward.

As a stakeholder in our state, I want to commend our governor for daring the odds to publicly identify with the Ogun West people in our quest for governorship in the state.

(LSSTF), a template, he said has helped to champion funding of security agencies to carry out effective policing across the state.

According to him, “Like the IGP said yesterday, the template of which we are using to run the Security Trust Fund is worthy of emulation and he has also averred that they would like to replicate it in other parts of the country and also for men of the Nigeria Police Force,” the governor said.

Recommending the LSSTF model to other states, Ambode said the initiative has gotten serious buy-in by the public, revealing that out of the N15billion spent on security last year, the private sector contributed over N5billion.

Ambode also commended the efforts of former Inspector General of Police, Mr. Musiliu Smith, who was the pioneer Chairman of the LSSTF, saying that the model he midwifed in 2007 has changed the face of security in the State.

“That same template that he (Smith) brought to Lagos is what we have continued to use in the last 14 years and it’s been working and in different forums, he has shared how he started it and how we have also improved on it. “For us to be having the private sector, just to give you a very clear example, as at last year, we have spent as a government close to the region of N10 billion, but the private sector has actually contributed more than N5

billion of their own money into the Security Trust Fund.

“There is no way the private sector would do that if they don’t believe in the cause of our Security Trust Fund. So I want to recommend it also to others, it is something that could work in other States. Like you said, funding is a major issue for security in this country and then we can have partnerships with the private and public sector to also help in securing the country,” Ambode added.

Stressing that security remains fundamental to the development of the nation’s economy, the governor assured that the State Government would continue to support the Police and other security agencies.

965 Persons Subscribe to 2017 Hajj in Osun Anayo Okolie

Osun State has recorded an over-subscription of the slots allocated to the state by the National Commission on Hajj for the 2017 pilgrimage.

While reacting to the development, Osun State Governor Rauf Aregbesola said it’s a sign that the economy of Osun is not as precarious as being made to look to outsiders.

The state was originally awarded 917 slots for pilgrims, the state demanded for an extra 48 slots, which were also filled up by intending pilgrims from the state.

While bidding farewell to the pilgrims, Aregbesola said it isnstructive that the state

indeed demanded for more spaces after exhausting the initial 917 slots given to it, adding that this is an indication that the state’s economy is not as precarious as some critics would want to paint it.

“I have been made to understand that some states even could not fill about one third of the slots given to them because their people have no capacity. But in Osun, where some of our traducers would want the world to think is in such a precarious and irredeemable economic situation, our people are able to sponsor themselves for this journey at a time the government has no capacity to sponsor a single pilgrim.

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EVENTS

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dinnerpartywasheldlastweekend to celebrate the illustrious academic career of Emeritus Professor Jide Osuntokun after his retirement from the University of Lagos, Akoka. The event took place at The Executive Spot, Glover Court, off Glover Road, Ikoyi, Lagos. Here are some of the personalities that graced the occasion. Photographs by Kolawole Alli

L-R: Senator Ike Nwachukwu, Emeritus Professor Jide Osuntokun and Chief Oba Otudeko

L-R: Mr. Gboyega Fatimileyin, Chief Sam Bolarinde and Otunba Niyi Adebayo

L-R: Senator Musiliu Obanikoro and Dr. Dere Awosika

L-R: Chief Emeka Anyaoku; Dr. Olusegun Mimiko and Chief Olusegun Osoba

L-R: Mr. Obafemi Ayo-Adebanjo and Ms. Buki Akintola

L-R: Mr. Yinka Odumakin and Dr. Amos Akingba

L-R: Femi Falana and Kayode Komolafe

L-R: Eniola Bello and Kayode Samuel

R-L: Professor Ayodeji Olukoju and Professor Tuni Akinyeye

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EVENTS

L-R: Professor Tunde Makanju, Professor Prof Taiwo Akinyele and Minister Kayode Fayemi

L-R: Engr. Ayo Ajbade and Mr. Bukola Oluwadiya

L-R: Dare Babarinsa, Yemi Agbelusi and Adebisi Adeoye

L-R: Oyewole Oyewunmi and his wife, Dr. Ajibike

L-R: Dr. Taiwo and Mrs. Tope Soyanwo

R-L: Mr. Tunji Osuntokun, Pat Faniran, Tokunbo Ekundijo and Eniola Osuntokun

L-R: Dr. Wale Babalakin, SAN and one of the lawyers in his chamber, Mr. Jokpa Utake

L-R: Ronke Bolu and Bisola Lewis

L-R: Hajia Ramatu Lawal and Prince Adeluyi Adelusi

L-R: Olawale Edun and Chief Olapade Obafemi

L-R: Nike Osuntokun and Mr. Akin Osuntokun

L-R: Mrs. Bolanle Shote and Dr. Reuben Abati

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SUNDAYSPORTS Bolt Beaten by Gatlin in Final 100m Race

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

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ustin Gatlin tore up Usain Bolt’s farewell script as he stole world 100m gold with the run of his long and controversial career.

Bolt was left with only a bronze in his final individual 100m race as 21-year-old Christian Coleman made it a USA one-two.

The 35-year-old Gatlin, twice banned for doping, came through almost unnoticed in lane seven in 9.92 seconds, with Coleman’s 9.94 holding off the greatest sprinter of all time.

Despite struggling for fitness and form in his valedictory season, Bolt had still been favourite to secure his 20th global gold.

It was supposed to be Gatlin’s year in 2015, when theAmerican went to the World Championships in Beijing on the back of a 28-race unbeaten run.

Bolt produced his great miracle to beat him that night in the Bird’s Nest, but in the stadium where he won 100m Olympic gold in 2012, he could not provide the perfect ending to a perfect career.

Gatlin, double Olympic champion in Athens in 2004, had been booed every time he went to his blocks at these championships, his doping past making him the cartoon villain of a troubled sport.

He was to have his revenge in spectacular style, standing tall and putting a furious finger to his lips as his win stunned the capacity crowd. That crowd took a little revenge of its own, chanting, “Usain Bolt! Usain Bolt!” as the result began to sink in.

But this was a deserved victory in its execution if not its formation, a last hurrah for a man that many in the sport wished no longer had the chance to compete.

After the race Gatlin said: “I tuned out the booing through the rounds and stayed the course. I did what I had to do.

The people who love me are here cheering for me and cheering at home.

“It is Bolt’s last race. It is an amazing occasion.

We are rivals on the track but in the warm-down area, we joke and have a good time. The first thing he did was congratulate me and say that I didn’t deserve the boos. He is an inspiration.”

On his part, Bolt remarked: “I tightened up at the end and that is something you should never do. I didn’t execute when it mattered.

I am not fully comfortable in those blocks but you have to work with what you have. I can’t complain about that.

Gatlin (right) last won a major individual title in 2005 and had only beaten Bolt once before

“He (Gatlin) is a great competitor. You have to be at your best against him. I really appreciate competing against him and he is a good person.”

Gatlin last won a major individual title in 2005 and had only beaten Bolt once before.

The BBC’s Mike Costello opined: “This will be really difficult for the sport. Russia has been expelled indefinitely from the sport, but Gatlin has been banned twice and here he is winning gold in the most precious event in the sport. The

crowd perhaps ought to be booing the IAAF rather than the athletes.”

Four-time Olympic champion Michael Johnson also had his say: “I thought Bolt would be challenged by Coleman not by Gatlin. Bolt was under pressure. He has never really had a great start. He wasn’t able to close the gap.

“He is grimacing and that is something we have not seen before. You will not find that look in all the archives of Usain Bolt.”

London Rivalry Rekindled as Chelsea Face Arsenal in Community Shield tKick-off: 2pm

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rsenal and Chelsea resume their London rivalry at Wembley today as the FACup winners and Premier League champions battle for more silverware in the Community

Shield.

In a repeat of the 2015 edition, which the Gunners won 1-0, both teams get a chance for an early victory ahead of this weekend, when the Premier League kicks off.

When these teams first met in the league last season the Gunners ran out 3-0 winners, but that defeat proved to be the catalyst for the Blues, as it prompted Antonio Conte to change to his preferred 3-4-3 formation. What followed was a 13-match winning streak.

When Arsenal travelled to Stamford Bridge for the return match they were beaten 3-1, but they were victorious at Wembley when the two teams met in the FA Cup final, where goals from Aaron Ramsey and Alexis Sanchez helped them to a 2-1 win.

The two capital clubs have played each other since then - a pre-season friendly which Chelsea won 3-0 in China - but the Community Shield will be a real test of both sides with the 2017-18 season fast approaching.

While today’s match may be a charity friendly, Wenger and Conte will expect their teams to give their all as they look to begin the new campaign with full bragging rights.

Wenger has a decision to make on whether to involve Alexis Sanchez. The Chilean was handed an extended summer break following the Confederations Cup and only returned to

training on Tuesday after suffering from illness meaning both he and Shkodran Mustafi, who also played in the tournament, could be left on the sidelines.

Club-record signing Alexandre Lacazette and fellow new recruit Sead Kolasinac are in line to feature but, while Aaron Ramsey and Mesut Ozil are expected to be fit after minor niggles, Francis Coquelin (ankle), Gabriel (knee) and Jack Wilshere (leg) miss out.

Diego Costa’s continued exile and Eden Hazard’s broken ankle mean Chelsea will have a new-look strike-force.

Strikers Alvaro Morata and Michy Batshuayi could be deployed together, while Pedro could play with a protective mask following the facial injury sustained in the Beijing friendly against the Gunners.

Tiemoue Bakayoko, the midfielder signed from Monaco this summer, has a knee injury, but Victor Moses is free to play despite his dismissal in May’s FA Cup final. His ban applies in the Premier League season opener against Burnley.

Nigerian stars Iwobi (left) and Moses will line up for thier respective teams today

AFCON 2019: CAF Inspectors to Visit Hosts Cameroon

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Confederation of African Football inspection team will visit Cameroon for eight days fromAugust 20 to assess the country’s progress as it prepares to host the 2019 Africa Cup of Nations.

Cameroon government spokesman Issa Tchiroma Bakary announced the details, saying organisers should not worry.

“This inspection mission, like those that will follow throughout the process towards the deadline of the

event, is not aimed at sanctioning,” said Tchiroma.

“Onthecontrary,itisanopportunityforanychanges and consultation in order to ascertain the state of preparednessandtoreadjustasnecessarythestrategy for the full success of the event,” he added.

The 2019 tournament in Cameroon will feature 24 teams instead of 16 for the first time in history and will be held in June and July rather than January and February.

Cameroon, as well as being hosts, will be the

defending champions having won the 2017 title earlier this year in Gabon.

SpeakinginYaounde,Tchiromacautionedthemedia to stop sending out negative signals which he said undermine Cameroon’s ability to stage this event.

He warned that such an “unjustified attitude” had led some countries to think they could step in for Cameroontohostthe2019event,andsaidthatsending outmisleadingallegationsis“unacceptable,abetrayal and an act of hostility” against their fatherland.

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High Life

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...Amazing lifestyles of Nigeriaâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s rich and famous

Life Begins At 60â&#x20AC;ŚAs Oba Adedapo Tejuoso Serenades Wife on Her Birthday

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ven the fairest maidens burn to the end of their youth like wicker lamps blowing against the most dreadful desert squall. Like one such fair maiden, Olori Olabisi Tejuoso has appreciated in womanliness and that rare humanity that distinguishes the regal from the inconsequential.

Yes, pure bliss and pulsating thrills pervaded the ancient city of Abeokuta, Ogun State on â&#x20AC;&#x201C; of all days of the week, a Monday â&#x20AC;&#x201C; July 24th as friends and family members gathered to celebrate Olori Olabisi, one of the regal wives of revered royal father, Oba Adedapo Tejuoso, the Osile of Oke Ona. It was the beautiful Oloriâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s 60th birthday and despite that it was a Monday, the celebration was as grand and elaborate and well-attended as they come. From fellow monarchs to prominent politicians like the state governor, Senator Ibikunle Amosun, and businessmen and

industrialists like Chief Rasaq Akanni Okoya of Eleganza, they were all there in their full glory and finery.

And the celebrant, an epitome of good health and overwhelming gratitude, could not have been more elated at the large turnout.

At the family church, The African Church Cathedral of St James, Idi Ape, Abeokuta, where a thanksgiving service was held, Olori Olabisi swirled and swayed as she praised God for the attainment of age 60.

At the reception, held at The Marquee, Olusegun Obasanjo Presidential Library, Oke Mosan, Abeokuta, the Olori was surrounded by her friends and relatives all gaily attired in royal blue. The party rose notches higher as the strength and soulfulness of Shuga Bandâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s performance did well to turn the party into a carnival.

While age may no longer be on his side, Oba Tejuosho was a spectacle as he shuffled synchronously with his wife on the dance floor.

Oba Sikiru Kayode Adetona

AS DEATH RUMOUR CIRCULATED, AWUJALE SHOWS HE HAS NINE LIVES TO LIVE High society trolls would summon death to tarnish the promise of a peace-filled dawn.

They would see battles rage while the blackout curtains are drawn.

They would incite shields to clash and blades to slaughter where

peace unfurls like a verdant dale.

What are we talking about? Early in the past week, the rumour of the passing of the Awujale of Ijebu land, Oba Sikiru Kayode Adetona made the rounds, heating up blogosphere. Not because the Awujale is a young man â&#x20AC;&#x201C; he is 83 â&#x20AC;&#x201C; whose death would be termed premature or untimely but because even at his age, he remains very active and vocal on national issues and is a picture of good health. Beyond that, as one of the longest reigning monarchs in Nigeria, he remains one of the finest representations of the revered traditional institution.

Enthroned in 1960, the Awujaleâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s purported death understandably spread like wild fire. However, speaking to the News Agency of Nigeria, NAN, the Oba said; â&#x20AC;&#x153;Why are people spreading rumours about my death when I am right here at Oriental.â&#x20AC;? The monarch had chosen the pristine hotel in the heart of Victoria Island to convalesce after receiving treatment from a Lagos hospital.

As you read, brilliant spokes of bliss and innate peace beam from Awujale, like the incandescent shine that bleeds through the clouds and bathes the night in a promising dawn.

Olori Olabisi Tejuoso

THE GRAND BETRAYAL...HOW TRUSTED EMPLOYEES STOLE STILLEARTH BOSS, OYIN ADEYEMIâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;S JEWELLERY WORTH OVER N150MILLION In Oyin Adeyemi, everybody sees ravishing beauty and then they ask for her name. Her smile is addictive, like the liquid courage that frees male inhibitions and lets a rat sing poetry to a hummingbird. Indeed, there are many ways to describe her. You could choose to describe her using qualities that project perseverance, hard work and determination or you could address her as a woman with infectious depth and specialisation.

However, the billionaire businesswoman, Oyinda Adeyemi, is too rich to howl. But it hurts too much for the StillEarth Group CEO to wave off the wilful and painful malfeasance and betrayal by her employees and the Nigeria Police with a shrug. Before they met their comeuppance, Rose Patrick, 25, was the trusted housekeeper who knew the nooks and crannies of Oyinâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s stately home while Mohammed Abdulazeez was her driver; the one madam literally entrusted her life into his hands.

Around December 2016, Oyin, according to court papers sighted

by Highlife, discovered that

expensive jewelleries including a set of Roberto Coin Gold valued at $15, 000, and a set of Van Clef Diamond and Gold Butterfly jewellery valued at $50, 000, a dangling gold jewellery set valued at $50, 000, a set of black and white diamonds valued at $75, 000, a plain gold set valued at $15, 000, a big set of gold and diamond encrusted pendant valued at $50, 000 as well as other valuable personal and household items such

Oyin Adeyemi

T H I S D AY, T H E S U N D AY N E W S PA P E R ˾ ʹ˜ Ͱͮͯ͵

Ͷʹ

Back from the Brink... Two Years after Death Rumour, Senator Arthur Nzeribe Makes Public Appearance

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ike the proverbial panther with myriad lives, Senator Arthur Nzeribe is convalescing.

Indeed, a weary thing is sickness and its pains. It almost snuffed out the life of Nzeribe and cast his family in the vicious grip of inconsolable grief. But thanks to providence, the industry titan has bounced back to vitality. Not totally though. It could be recalled that news of his debilitating ailment hit the social space some few days back like an unconquerable ogre. The story caused panic within Nigeria’s socio-political space.

And by the time it became public that he had suffered a stroke, friends, family and business associates of Nzeribe had beaten themselves into a state of flux.

However, in a radical

twist of fate, Nzeribe has chanced on his much sought panacea and as you read, he is on his way to full recovery. The 79-yearold politician was at his political protégé and former House of Representatives member for Ohaji/ Egbema/Oguta/ Oru West Federal constituency, Hon. Gerald Irona’s 51st birthday in Abuja.

However, Nzeribe was quoted in a report saying, “I am not suffering from stroke and I cannot wish anyone to suffer stroke. But to those manufacturing and spreading this hateful speech against me, I wish them the best.

Life and death are in God’s hands, and God willing, I will remain hale and hearty and not suffer a stroke until such a time when God calls me home.”

as an iPad, three Blackberry mobile phones and six Ankara fabrics among others. Busy Oyin probably would not have noticed early until Rose, who was supposed to return from her holiday, stayed an extra two weeks without recourse to her madam. In the intervening period, Oyin discovered the degree of larceny that had taken place in her home. And she raised the alarm.

Rose was consequently arrested at the home of her boyfriend, one Cpl. Mathias Hussein, a mobile policeman of Mopol 43, Lion Building, Obalende, Lagos. Police investigations also revealed that the driver and one Esther Pam, Rose’s friend and a domestic staff at a nearby house, had aided Rose in stealing the items in suitcases. Some of the stolen items were recovered from the Mobile Police Barracks Obalende, Lagos, residence of her police boyfriend.

Thereafter, Rose, Mohammed and Esther, were arraigned at an Ikeja Magistrates’ Court on a two-count charge of conspiracy and stealing N150million worth of jewellery, which they denied.

In her ruling, the Magistrate, Mrs Y.O. Aje-Afunwa granted each of the accused N2million bail with two sureties each in like sum. She also said that the sureties must be homeowners who must provide evidence of two years’ tax payment to the Lagos State Government.

She adjourned the case until October 17 for trial. Curiously, Oyin’s counsel, Kennedy Osunwa, said, “The police are yet to charge and arraign Cpl. Mathias Hussein, for conspiracy and retention of stolen property in his official residence.” Why the cover up? Is this a case of esprit de corps? While Oyin is still mulling over her losses and especially by the conspiratorial

silence of the police hierarchy, she has told close friends that she is fed up of being misrepresented as the wife of Nigerian soccer legend, Segun Odegbami. Indeed, Oyin and Odegbami were an item for a long time but called it quits few months after their engagement some years ago. Highlife findings revealed that their love turned sour soon after they discovered that beneath their heartfelt display of passion and attraction to each other, they actually vibrated on separate wavelengths.

TEARS AS FORMER GOVERNOR OF JIGAWA, SULE LAMIDO, BURIES DAUGHTER The tears may tarry; the wailing may wither but the anguish of losing a daughter would never really abate; this is a reality that Dr Sule Lamido, the former governor of Jigawa State now faces. The presidential hopeful lost his second

Sule Lamido

Senator Arthur Nzeribe (sitting) at Hon. Gerald Irona 51st birthday in Abuja

daughter, the apple of his eyes, the source of his immeasurable joy, Hajia Hadiza, 38, to the Grim Reaper lSaturday, July 30, in far away India where she had gone for an undisclosed treatment. The beautiful lady left behind three heartbroken kids, an inconsolable husband and shattered siblings.

Her body arrived Nigeria Wednesday and was buried Thursday at the Lamidos’ naive Brinin Kudu local Government Area of Jigawa State. In what has been attested to as a confirmation of the deceased humaneness and magnanimity while alive, her funeral drew the crème of Nigeria’s political and business community to bid her a final bye. Condolences have subsequently been pouring in for the Lamidos. Apparently pained and confused by her death, her friends recalled that she was enviably realistic, generous, kind– hearted, active and altruistic in character. According to them, she was an inspiration and source of joy to many of them hence their devastation by her premature exit from the world.

JEWELLERY CONNOISSEUR, JULIAN OSULA, CELEBRATES LOW-KEY 50TH BIRTHDAY Few days back, Julian Osula, proprietor of highbrow Julian Luxury, dealers in exquisite time pieces, exclusive jewelleries and accessories among other luxury goods, turned 50. Julian, who wears his white beards with enviable aplomb, didn’t throw a big party to celebrate his remarkable coming of age, but his family – comprising his wife and children – turned up the volume for him. In his well appointed home in the plush Victoria Garden City, VGC, Lagos, he

was surrounded by an avalanche of cakes of varying shapes and sizes, with different inscriptions and images that underscore his luxury weaknesses. There was a Ferrari cake, for instance. Beefy Julian loves fast cars and in his eye-watering garage are a couple of Ferraris, Lamboghini, Mercedes Benz cars and a G Wagon among others. He also loves the company of billionaires and power players who find him sociable and affable and with a panache and maturity far above his age. Since his mid20s, Julian was already rolling with prominent Nigerians and at a time, was very close to the late Head of State, General Sani Abacha. As democracy returned to Nigeria, thus birthing a new crop of billionaires and power holders, Julian meandered his way to the corridors of power and he has remained there for like eternity.

While former President Goodluck

Julian Osula

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Ë&#x153; Ëž AUGUST 6, 2017

HIGHLIFE

Biola Alabi: The Emergence of a New Force in Filmmaking

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hen Moâ&#x20AC;&#x2122; Abudu evolved from a television show host to the owner of lifestyle television, Ebony on DSTV, only few people would have thought there was more where that came from.

Abudu would successfully transit to a filmmaker with the production of The Wedding Party which currently stands as Nigeriaâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s biggest box office hit of all time. Now, following closely in Abuduâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s steps is Biola Alabi, former managing director of MNET Africa.

After leaving MNET, she founded Biola Alabi Media, a consultancy and production company, producers of the food travel

documentaryseries, Bukas and Joints airing across Africa and in the USA. Named one of the 20 Youngest Power Women in Africa by Forbes Magazine in 2012, Biola is now on the path of outstanding cinematic success with the release of her debut movie, Banana Island Ghost. Premiered recently, the movie tells the story of a ghost who is scared to go to heaven because he doesnâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;t have a soulmate, so convinces God to give him three days to fall in love.

The hilarious movie which is now the toast of cinema goers features comediene Chigul, Saidi Balogun, Tomiwa Edun, Bimbo Manuel, Ali Nuh and Uche Jombo.

Jonathan reigned, Julian was a regular face in Aso Rock.

IN HIS BROTHERâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;S STEPS...

FRANCIS PETERS HOLDS THE FORT FOR BROTHER, BENNY It is almost a year since Benny Peters, the founder and chief executive officer of Aiteo, one of Africaâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s fastest growing energy leaders, left Nigeria. Benny has been AWOL since investigations began into the monumental fraud case involving the former Minister of Petroleum, Diezani Allison-Madueke. Sources say he has settled well in Ghana and has become pretty popular for his generosity. However, he should be thankful that he has a competent younger brother in Francis, who has held the fort strongly and has not allowed his businesses and social commitments to suffer. In his absence, Francis has stepped up to the plate. The life-loving, fashionable dude is the new face of Aiteo. When the company signed an MOU with the Nigeria Football

Francis Peters

Biola Alabi

Association, NFA, recently, Francis was there in company with top officials of the association. Beyond his official duties, Francis has equally taken over the social space hitherto orbited by his brother.

A SOLEMN 51ST BIRTHDAY FOR HERBERT WIGWE Although he has every reason to shake his garment like the branches of the teak in spring and let his joy glow like the fireflies that light up the fields and quiet meadows, but the MD of Access Bank, Herbert Wigwe is celebrating quietly.

Few men are wrought of such transcendent capacity for genius as Herbert Wigwe. The top banker pulsates exceptional intellect and that singular forthrightness that imbues philosophy with logic and sound theory. Typical of his self-effacing nature, when Herbert Wigwe clocks 51 this August, he wonâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;t roll out the drums, neither would he throw a big party in typical Nigerian big man fashion.

After all, even for his landmark

Herbert Wigwe

50th birthday last year, the society did not quake in celebration of a high-achieving young man. It is his style. He wears his badge of temperance and humility in the shape of a subtly hued bowtie thus affirming that he isnâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;t what many of his disparagers make him out to be. Though he has friends across all spheres of the society, the MD of Access Bank Plc is a reserved man. But there would be cause to celebrate him on his birthday because of the turnaround of Access Bank which he has propelled to dizzying heights. The seasons pass but Herbert remains grand, like the nurturant guardian whose tenderness and warmth blesses the land. In 51 years, he has blossomed into a man of affluence and integrity. Fifty one years may be a tiny fraction of time, yet the miracle-working banker looms large across generations into eternity. The story of his exquisite manhood resonates with a pleasant peal. To his staff, family, friends, beneficiaries and other loved ones, his smiles have been their anchor, his shoulders their rampart of comfort. Now the paradigm for technological innovations in banking in Nigeria, Access Bankâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s introduction of Paywithcapture 5, Africaâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s first digital banking platform, is one of the reasons Herbert deserves all the garlands and bouquets on his birthday.

GLAD TIDINGSâ&#x20AC;ŚAISHA FALODE FINDS JOY IN DAUGHTERâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;S BLOOMING, FEW YEARS AFTER HER SONâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;S DEATH There is no woman so bound to grief and the lattices of disaster that she would not relish the hope of rediscovering bliss and re-emerging stronger from her wounds. In the same vein, Aisha Falode, veteran broadcaster has rediscovered her joy and the eternal brightness of hope and

fulfilment soon after her beloved sonâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s death. When she lost her only son in Dubai few years ago, many thought it would take her eternity to regain her groove. But like the phoenix that rises from its ashes, Aisha has re-encountered joy. She is once again a happy woman. It is a proof of the extent of her strength that she has survived a tragedy that destroyed many other women. The ace TV sports presenter has rediscovered joy in her brilliant daughter, Toluwalase, who has just bagged a masterâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s degree in Law from Duke University School of Law. As Toluwalase fluorishes, Aishaâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s joy mounts to innumerable heights. Her daughterâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s pleasant blooming no doubt affirms the age long truism that â&#x20AC;&#x2DC;Behind every cloud hangs a silver lining.â&#x20AC;&#x2122; Aisha Falode is one woman who elicits admiration. Her presence causes many to stop in their tracks in pure approbation of beauty and strong will.

Aisha Falode

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Sunday August 6, 2017

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& RE A S O

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Price: N400

MISSILE Atiku to Political Parties “For a number of years now we have had political parties, even governing ones, which hardly hold meetings of their important organs, including those meant for the democratic selection of their leadership, or even constitute institutions prescribed in their Constitution. In the absence of those meetings and elections, their existing leadership, often under the direction of the executive at the state or federal level, fill the void. That’s not party building but party bullying. “ Former Vice President and a leader of the ruling All Progressives Congress, Atiku Abubakar, decrying the absence of internal democracy in Nigerian political parties.

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simon.kolawole@thisdaylive.com, sms: 0805 500 1961

The Pursuit of ‘Fiscal’ Federalism

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hat is fiscal federalism? In economics, it is a subfield of public finance that studies the financial relations — revenue and expenditure — between the different levels of government in a federation. In his 1959 seminal book, The Theory of Public Finance, the German-born American economist, Richard Musgrave, propounded the theory of fiscal federalism, arguing that to address the inequality in the distribution of wealth among the states and achieve economic stability as well as efficient and effective allocation of resources, the federal government should play the lead role of “redistributing” resources — while the states should handle the “allocation”.

In simpler words, Musgrave proposed that the federal government is better placed to play the role of “mother hen” by taking a panoramic view of the economic health of the federation and using the instruments of revenue to even things up. Imbalances can be disruptive to the overall wellbeing of the federation since every part of the country is not equal in geography, demography, natural endowments and economies. Therefore, the federal government should redistribute the revenue to the states according to their needs and circumstances. This is usually done through equalisation payments, federation grants/ allocations and distribution of the tax handles.

In my previous article, “The Pursuit of ‘True’ Federalism”, I did explain that countries practise federalism differently. I implied that true federalism would basically mean that powers to make laws and impose taxes are shared between at least two “equal” levels of government, namely the national and the sub-national. The powers of each tier are defined by a country’s laws. The “irreducible minimum” powers exclusive to the centre are: foreign affairs, defence and monetary policy.

I concluded that while I’m not opposed to restructuring, we miss the point by thinking our problem is the structure of the federation rather than the tragically inept and corrupt leadership.

Another point we keep missing is the way we define “fiscal federalism”. I have been hearing agitations for “fiscal federalism” since 1999 or thereabouts. As I have explained already, fiscal federalism seeks to “even things up” in the federation because of unequal resources in the states. The federal government therefore plays the role of robbing Peter to pay Paul.

While the centre has extensive machinery to raise tax revenue across the federation, it is the states that have to provide most public services, such as roads, water, health care and education. Hence, Musgrave proposed “redistribution” by the centre and “allocation” by the states to these essential services.

I will now give examples. Fiscal federalism in the US was conceived to prevent further bankruptcies of states. Although American states are in control of the natural resources in their territories, they do not operate as islands. They are compelled to have balanced state budget because of the overall health of the federation. The federal government “redistributes” the tax revenue through two types of transfers: one for balancing the state budget, and the other for “public interests” or for reducing shocks caused by natural disasters

President Muhammadu Buhari and economic crisis. It must be noted that while tax handles are fairly distributed, the federal government still holds the ace.

Australia, in 1933, introduced “horizontal fiscal equalisation” to compensate states with lower capacity to raise revenue. It remains so till today. The goods and services tax (GST), about $50 billion a year, is collected by the Commonwealth (that’s their federal government) and distributed among the states based on the advice of the Commonwealth Grants Commission (GCC). GST is like our VAT in Nigeria. In Belgium, there is the “national solidarity intervention” under which regions, where the average per capita yield of personal income tax falls below the national average, get an unconditional transfer from the federal government.

Germany’s 1919 Weimar Constitution vests all taxation powers in the federal government.

A “state tax law” was passed in 1920 to ensure that every state gets at least 80% of the average tax revenue accruing to states. In other words, if the average tax revenue generated per state is $100 million, no state will get less than $80 million from the federal purse — even if the tax is not derived from its territory.

The centre robs Peter to pay Paul by taking money from the richer states to compensate the poorer states for “fiscal balance”. If tax revenue is $120 million in State A and $60 million in State B, the centre will allocate $80 million to State B by reducing State A’s share.

In oil-producing federations, “balancing” differs from country to country. In Canada, oil provinces are in total control of their resources.

They collect the petroleum taxes and royalties.

Because only very few provinces have oil (Alberta and Saskatchewan), the federal government has an equalisation fund from where grants are given to other provinces for balance. Conversely, in Mexico, the federal government is in charge of all the oil revenue.

States receive a flat 20% as allocation, whether or not they have oil. However, municipalities where oil-production and shipping take place receive an extra 3.17 per cent as compensation for the environmental damage.

So what am I driving at? When people demand “fiscal federalism” in Nigeria, I

am convinced that there is a conceptual fallacy — which is not uncommon with us.

After all, we say “zoning” when we mean “power rotation”. In truth, we are already practising “fiscal federalism” as evident in the use of revenue-sharing principles such as population, landmass and terrain in the horizontal federation allocation formula (among the states, that is) to try and even things up. This is the “fiscal federalism” proposed by Musgrave and practised across many federations. I believe it is important to get this conceptual error out of sight so that we can be clear about what we really want.

I suspect that when agitators demand “fiscal federalism”, they mean either “resource control” or “increased derivation”. There is a glaring lack of clarity. What exactly is resource control? Does it mean every state should keep 100% of the revenue accruing from its territory? In the United Arab Emirates (UAE), every emirate is 100% in control of its natural resources and only contributes to the federal purse. That was the pre-nuptial agreement in 1971. But with the global crisis in 2009, oil-rich Abu Dhabi still had to bail out Dubai with $20 billion. That is common sense, right? A bankrupt Dubai can pull down the UAE economy. The notion of “on your own” federalism is Utopian.

Could “resource control” also mean every state should take charge of its natural resources by awarding the mining licences and collecting the taxes on behalf of the federation — and then remitting a certain percentage to the central pot for redistribution? Under this variant, it does not necessarily mean oil-rich states will take more than 13% as it currently obtains, but it means they are the ones that will decide who mines the oil. They are therefore in a better position to properly negotiate their interests with oil companies before allowing exploration activities. It means the federal government can still “redistribute” for a fiscally balanced federation. Is this an option?

Perhaps, by “fiscal federalism”, the agitators mean “increased derivation” for states that provide the revenue. In the first republic, before oil boom hit us, derivation was as high as 50% for the regions. But with the flood of petrodollars, the military government changed the law and took virtually all the income to the centre, from where it began to spend. At some point, oil-rich states did not get one kobo for derivation. Such cruelty! I call it man’s inhumanity to man. Mercifully, the 1995 Constitutional Conference recommended that oil-producing states should receive at least 13% of the revenue as derivation. This was incorporated into the 1999 Constitution.

In sum, what do we mean by fiscal federalism, resource control and restructuring?

We cannot begin to have a meaningful, intelligent conversation if we do not clearly define the concepts. My conclusion all along is that many campaigners do not even know what they are agitating for — they just echo what they hear from the star agitators. And that is why even though I am all for restructuring, my understanding is somewhat different from the dominant notions. We need to get on the same page first on what we are talking about.

We can then proceed to have an engaging and stimulating debate on the costs and the benefits. Let’s keep the conversation alive!

And Four Other Things…

IMAGINED VACANCY I have been hearing that there is power vacuum in Aso Rock since President Muhammadu Buhari went on medical leave, and I keep wondering: what presidential power doesn’t the acting president, Prof.

Yemi Osinbajo, possess? He has signed laws, sworn in ministers, awarded contracts, made several appointments and ordered service chiefs to move to Borno state. Indeed, if you have power and you don’t use it, who do you blame? Who can reverse any decision taken

by Osinbajo? Can you imagine ex-VP Atiku Abubakar being acting president and people complaining about power vacuum? Even Dr Goodluck Jonathan, as acting president, reshuffled the cabinet. Politics.

CLEANING LAGOS Mr Akinwunmi Ambode, the Lagos governor, will soon launch the Cleaner Lagos Initiative, a comprehensive and ambitious plan which, if well implemented, can change Lagos from one of the dirtiest mega cities in the world to one of the cleanest. I urge the private sector operators, who have been fighting against the new scheme, and the state government to find a way to work together on the project.

Under the new dispensation, the PSPs will handle commercial evacuation of waste, while a company called Visionscape, with global pedigree in environmental utility, will handle individual waste collection in homes. Let’s put sentiments aside and get to work. Progress!

BOKO NO GO The home truth: Boko Haram is far from defeated. The military has been trying to achieve a single narrative by creating the impression that all is safe and secure, but there is no need to lie. They need help. They need it badly. I was worried that when we captured “camp zero” — the so-called last bastion of Boko Haram in the Sambisa forest — there was no single dead body.

What this could mean is that the insurgents only relocated. They were not routed. They are back in the forest in full force, and they are killing with ease everyday. We don’t need to exaggerate our victory. Let’s accept the reality, brace up, re-strategise, get help, do the right thing and return to the battlefield.

Denial.

NEYMARMANIA Arsene Wenger, the Arsenal manager, may no longer be winning Grade A trophies but his perspective on football is worth a prize. In August 2016, a year ago that is, he predicted that a player would soon be sold for £200 million. I thought it was crazy. But PSG, the French team owned by Qataris, has just paid that sum to snatch Neymar from Barcelona of Spain — and I am wondering who is crazy now. For a player who is not even the best in Spain much less in Europe, I think the football world has fully gone bananas. And when Neymar said he didn’t change clubs because of the money, I chuckled. I presume a wage of £515,000 per week (after tax) isn’t bad. Lol.

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